Latest news with #Prop2
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Board candidates speak at Chamber forum
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — School board candidates voiced their opinions on subjects ranging from a move to two high schools to improving school attendance at a St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce forum on Wednesday morning. All six candidates were in attendance and answered questions about important topics affecting the St. Joseph School District. A hot topic during the forum was candidates' views on support for SJSD's long-range plan and Proposition 2. "We definitely need the change. And we all know that our our school district needs an uplift, a facelift I would say," said Jennifer Kerns, a board candidate. "So whatever's going to move this district forward is what I support." Kim Miller said the long-range plan provides a path for the board. "I do like that there is a plan to follow because it gives us goals to reach," Miller said. "And some of that has to be determined ahead of time. Some of that can be tweaked as it moves along." Brian Kirk and Cassandra Veale both said they support the district's long-range plan and Prop 2. Candidate James Mrkvicka said while he supports the long-range plan, he is hesitant to vote yes on Prop 2 due to the financial effect it will have on fixed-income taxpayers. Kenneth Reeder said the long-range plan is misguided, but he would support one new high school as long as Benton and Lafayette high schools were left alone. Two high school model and middle school structures As the district looks to move to a two-high school model, four of the candidates supported the right-sizing. Reeder was the only candidate in complete opposition to two high schools. "Our town could handle three schools. There's nothing wrong with a school, a high school that's 700 to 800 kids," he said. "You know, all those in this state that are 700, 800 outperform all the big schools every single time." Mrkvicka said he understands both views. "I am very fond of the three-high school model, but realistically speaking, you know, there's a lot of empty seats in some of these schools," said Mrkvicka. "And so it only makes sense to try to consolidate." When it comes to the middle school model of potentially moving sixth through eighth graders to the four middle schools, Miller and Kirk said they support the three grades being grouped together. Kerns, Veale and Mrkvicka said the district would need to look at boundaries in St. Joseph, be consistent with whatever model would best suit the community and maximize building resources. Increases to academic scores and attendance As the district works to increase its academic scores and attendance rates, candidates shared their views on ways they think would help the district see those successes. A majority of candidates gave suggestions like investing more in the district's early learning centers, fostering more parental and family engagement and providing more resources to teachers. "I think one thing that we need to do is constantly continue to look at the data, look at where kids are out on their benchmarks," Veale said. "Look at, you know, what we're doing and what's working correctly." In terms of parental involvement, Kirk mentioned the importance of family and community involvement to academic and attendance improvements. "The classroom extends beyond the school building and into the home, and so we could be doing more in our community to educate parents, to support parents on how they are educators as well, and how they are also part of the school district, and then we will see academic success as well," he said. News-Press NOW will continue to provide information on School Board candidates and proposition two leading up to the April 8 general municipal election.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Michigan is short of clerks to oversee elections, but harassment and workload turn people away
Clerks have seen their workloads increase significantly in recent years with the expansion of absentee and early voting. They are often targets of misinformation or threats, which, when combined with low pay, can make the job unappetizing for new potential clerks. (Brittany Greeson for Votebeat) This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for Votebeat Michigan's free newsletter here. Sharon Tyler stepped down as Berrien County clerk last year. After 12 years in the role, she was tired of missing out on family events and time with her grandchildren because of a growing workload. The death threats didn't help. When her grandchildren asked to have a sleepover, 'I'd have to say, 'No, sorry, I've got early voting. I've got an election,'' she recalled. 'I missed out on a lot of it.' In Michigan, local clerks have a lot of responsibilities. They manage elections, issue marriage certificates, handle requests for public documents, and numerous other duties. And just the election part has grown in recent years. Changes to the state Constitution to expand voting rights — like Prop 3 in 2018 and Prop 2 in 2022 — have increased the amount of work clerks have to put into elections. They now have to stand ready to register voters on Election Day, run at least eight days of early voting, and manage the distribution of absentee ballots to a growing list of voters every election cycle. The growing demands of the job — combined with the low pay people have come to associate with civic jobs — are discouraging new recruits, limiting the pipeline of talent for a critical role in the democratic process. In 2024, research found, 90% of clerk races in Michigan had only one candidate, and some small communities struggled to find anyone to run. Along with heavier workloads, Michigan clerks say they face more scrutiny of their work. In Michigan, 83% of election officials reported receiving more complaints than four years ago, compared with only 55% nationally. While Berrien County, in southwest Michigan, has had relatively smooth elections in recent years, Tyler said she still received threats as part of her job. The pattern is surprising, given that elections in Michigan are run by municipal clerks overseeing smaller jurisdictions, where officials may know their voters more personally, said Paul Gronke, director of the Elections & Voting Information Center, an academic research group, and a professor of political science at Reed College. 'You're literally talking about harassing or threatening a friend or a neighbor,' Gronke said. 'It's disheartening.' It's little wonder that many of today's election officials are wary of recommending the job to their own children. A 2024 survey of election administrators by EVIC found that while election officials find their job rewarding, only 22% across the country would encourage their children to follow in their footsteps. In Michigan, the number is slightly higher — about 28% — but still well short of a majority. Only 66% of election administrators in Michigan reported being proud of their job, compared with more than three-quarters nationally. And the EVIC study found that Michigan officials struggle more than their counterparts around the country to hire full-time workers: 75% in the state reported that it was more difficult, compared with 56% around the U.S. That matches what Tyler, who is now a Berrien County commissioner, saw during her days as clerk. At one point, she went more than a year without getting even one applicant for an open elections job. In Michigan, local clerks do much of the initial work of elections — like registering voters, mailing out ballots and setting up polling locations — before votes are handed off to county clerks who are tasked with reporting results and working with canvassers to certify the election. The job is typically an elected position under state law, but it can also be appointed. In many communities, the job of running elections ends up being part-time because there aren't enough people in town — or enough funding in the budget — to allow for a full-time position. The Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks warned local governments in late 2023 about the potential threat to elections if clerks aren't compensated fairly for the amount of work, but wages haven't increased, leaving election officials to simply do more with less. Last September, someone in Bay County grew suspicious and made an emergency call after seeing two people working in Beaver Township Hall after hours. It was the township's clerk and deputy clerk, who were doing required accuracy tests on tabulators. 'Because these are part time positions, the Clerk and her staff are often on site after hours to conduct official business as they also hold other employment outside of the Township,' Bay County Clerk Katie Zanotti explained in a statement posted to the county's Facebook page. In Dexter, a city in Washtenaw County, Jenna Kuick is the first full-time city clerk, although she told Votebeat she wasn't the first person to put in full-time hours in that job. The city appointed her to the role in July after it became clear that the city manager could no longer handle administering elections and running the city. Sometimes not a single person wants to run for clerk. Canton Township Clerk Michael Siegrist analyzed more than 50 counties across Michigan and found at least 16 communities that had no one on the ballot seeking to be clerk in the November 2024 election. If no one runs, state law dictates that the community's council has to appoint someone to fill the role. The appointee serves as clerk until the next election, or until there's a special election to fill the job. That election is usually run by either the previous clerk or the county, Siegrist said. Siegrist is second vice president of the Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks, but undertook the research on his own. He found that in July, nearly 10% of clerk positions up for election across the state had no candidates to fill them. Many of those jobs were ultimately filled by write-in candidates, he said. Both Siegrist and EVIC found that around 90% of clerks in Michigan ran unopposed in their most recent election, which in many places was 2024. That could be the result of communities dominated by a single party, Gronke said, but it's more likely that people simply aren't lining up to do the job. Elections officials are often older, doing the work as a second or third act to their careers, and there is typically a limited pipeline of talent to replace these community leaders when they are gone. Michigan is fortunate to have more experienced clerks, broadly — only about a fifth of clerks in the state have less than four years of experience, the EVIC study found, compared with about 31% nationally. But multiple studies have found that turnover across the country is higher than it once was. In Berrien, Tyler said she was excited to work with her replacement as clerk, Stacy Loar-Porter. Tyler said she wouldn't endorse anyone who she felt wouldn't stay in the role for at least two full terms, wary of seeing such a critical job become just a stepping stone to higher office. 'When the clerk leaves, a lot of the staff leave too, and then, oh, change again,' Tyler said. Loar-Porter sought out the job because she wanted to make sure the next Berrien County clerk had some experience 'in the clerking world.' After 16 years as Lincoln Charter Township clerk, she felt ready to support not only her county but also the other clerks in it. She's 49 years old, and she told Votebeat she's ready to do the job for a while yet. 'I think a lot of times, people will look at the amount of work and the amount of change clerks have gone through in the past few years and say it's not worth it,' she said. 'But I love that part. I love elections. I love helping our residents. Having the opportunity to serve our residents is a wonderful opportunity, and it means a lot to me that people trust me enough to do it.' It helps that clerks tend to be a tight-knit group, she said. She has mentors around the county and state, and she has the opportunity to mentor others as well. She said she's thankful she gets to keep working with Tyler. Tyler, a former state legislator, said she hopes to see the state lawmakers do more to support local election officials rather than saddling them with more work. To her, more funding would be nice — she credits grants from the state as the only reason Berrien was able to pull off early voting — but so would smarter election laws. In the meantime, she said she plans to continue to advocate for the clerk in her new role as county commissioner. She'll spend time with her grandchildren, maybe take a vacation, and finally take down her Christmas decorations. Hayley Harding is a reporter for Votebeat based in Michigan. Contact Hayley at hharding@ Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization covering local election integrity and voting access. Sign up for their newsletters here.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What is Prop 1, Prop 2? A look at Seattle's special February election
SEATTLE - Tuesday, Feb. 11, is the deadline for Washington's special election, with a total of 81 measures on the ballot—most focusing on school funding. People in Seattle are focusing their attention on Prop 1 and Prop 2, which focus on funding for Seattle schools. Not to get confused with Seattle Prop 1A and Prop 1B, which concern funding for affordable housing in the city. As of Tuesday at 9:30 p.m., both propositions are leaning towards passage, with 77.71% (71,996) of voters voting yes on Prop 1, and 71.91% (66,656) voting yes on Prop 2. About 19% of ballots have been counted. Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Brent Jones issued the following statement regarding Tuesday night's election results: "I want to thank Seattle voters for renewing both Proposition 1, the Educational Programs & Operations Levy, and Proposition 2, the Building Excellence Capital Levy. Your continued investment ensures our students and schools have the resources they need, including staffing, technology, and safe, healthy learning environments. "We deeply appreciate our community's ongoing commitment to public education in Seattle. Once again, parents, families, neighbors, and the broader Seattle community have stepped up to sustain essential funding for our students and schools. "Now, our focus shifts to the Washington State Legislature. It's time for state leaders to meet their responsibility to fully fund basic education. Our students are counting on them to do their part." Keep reading to learn more about each of the propositions. Proposition 1 Seeks to replace an expiring levy to maintain funding for educational programs in Seattle Public Schools. The levy would fund programs that are not fully covered by state funding. If approved, the new levy would collect taxes on taxable property in the district for three years, starting in 2026. The estimated levy rate would be: 2026: $0.78 per $1,000 of assessed property value, raising $250 million 2027: $0.75 per $1,000 of assessed property value, raising $249 million 2028: $0.72 per $1,000 of assessed property value, raising $248 million The funds would support ongoing educational programs in the district. Proposition 2 Proposes a new capital levy to fund the Building Excellence Program (BEX) VI, which supports safety, security and energy efficiency projects in Seattle schools. The levy would also fund construction and renovation at five schools, major building maintenance and technology upgrades. If approved, the levy would replace an expiring one and collect taxes on taxable property in the district for six years, starting in 2026. The estimated levy rate would be: 2026: $0.93 per $1,000 of assessed property value, raising $300 million 2027: $0.90 per $1,000 of assessed property value, raising $300 million 2028: $0.87 per $1,000 of assessed property value, raising $300 million 2029: $0.84 per $1,000 of assessed property value, raising $300 million 2030: $0.81 per $1,000 of assessed property value, raising $300 million 2031: $0.79 per $1,000 of assessed property value, raising $300 million The funds would go toward improving school facilities across the district. The Source Information for this article came from King County's Official Special Election Ballot. Politics:WA Senate passes changes to parental rights in education Local:Japan Airlines plane clips tail of Delta plane at Sea-Tac Travel:Here's when you'll need REAL ID to get through US airport security Food:New restaurants coming to Seattle in 2025 To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily Fox Seattle Newsletter. Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national coverage, plus 24/7 streaming coverage from across the nation.
