Get “On Board”

Superintendent News & Views

Get “On Board”

School Board Election is November 5

By David Hill, Gladbrook-Reinbeck Superintendent

The Iowa Association of School Boards urges Iowans passionate about education to consider running in the upcoming school board election. Public schools need strong leadership and governance to ensure a bright future for all children and communities across the state.

Strong leadership is critical to moving education forward in our state. School board members play significant roles in their communities – they must have leadership, vision and dedication. They are charged with accountability for student learning, determining educational goals, setting policy, overseeing school finances and more.

School board members are elected to serve four-year terms, with elections taking place in odd-numbered years. Those elected receive no pay. Experienced school board members say the rewards of service lie in meeting the needs of children and communities.

Under a new law which took effect on July 1, 2019, the date of regular school elections will be shifted from September to November. Specifically, school elections will be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in odd-numbered years. The stated goals for this change include increased voter turnout, managing election costs through sharing among participating governmental entities and maintaining the predominantly non-partisan nature of school and city elections.

The Gladbrook-Reinbeck Community School District has four seats up for election on November 5. Nominations for open seats can be filed between August 26 and September 19. Other key dates and deadlines related to this upcoming election are as follows:

Aug. 26:         First day to file nomination papers with the board secretary.

Sept. 19:        Last day to file nomination papers with the board secretary. Deadline is 5 p.m.

Sept. 24:        Last day candidates may withdraw. Last day written objections to nomination papers or eligibility of candidates may be filed. Deadline is 5 p.m.

Nov. 5:           School election day. Polls are open from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Watch your local newspapers for your polling location, as polling locations may not be the same as in previous school elections. 

Dec. 19:         Organizational meeting of the G-R board. Newly elected or re-elected board members must be administered the oath of office at this meeting or before.   According to the law, the organizational meeting must take place during the first regular school board meeting following the canvas of votes. G-R’s organizational meeting has tentatively been set for Thursday, December 19 at 6:30 p.m. in the Vocal Music Room at the Junior/Senior High School. 

Nomination papers for school board seats are available from the board secretary, Deb Oleson at the district office located at 600 Blackhawk Street, Reinbeck, Iowa.  School board candidates must obtain the signatures of at least 1% of the qualified electors of the district or 50 electors, whichever is less, but at least 10 signatures. For information on rewards of board service, campaign finance disclosure law, conflict of interest, key dates and candidate education, visit www.ia-sb.org/getonboard.

I encourage your feedback on this column, along with any questions you may have. You are welcome to visit my blog at http://rebelsupt.blogspot.com/ where you can read all of my columns and leave comments if you wish. You are also welcome to follow me on Twitter, where my handle is @DavidRobertHill.