ALL The Delaware School Board Election Results

A day that saw victory and defeat for many ended at 8pm last evening as the polls closed for another school board election season.  Below are the results for all the Delaware school board elections.  Congrats to the victors.  For those who lost, I’ve been there.  It sucks.  You just have to pick yourself up again and move on.  Some run again and some we don’t hear from again in that arena.  Voter turnout was mixed in some districts.  Altogether though, given the population of various districts and the importance of local school board elections, they could all use more citizens voting.

Using Capital as an example, 239 votes were cast.  Capital has over 5,000 students.  It is in the heart of Dover.  Turnout last year was around the 500 mark.  Folks say signs don’t vote, which could be true, but they also bring constant awareness about the election date.  Last year, myself and my two opponents littered the town with campaign signs.  This year, I barely saw any.  I heard some say they knew nothing about either of the candidates so why even bother voting.  That is when you seek that candidate out if they don’t have an online presence.

I spent the evening up in Red Clay territory.  Both of the schools I went to had events going on that night.  Not in an attempt to dissuade voters, but to draw more people out to vote.  As a result, Red Clay had the largest number of voters out of all the districts with over 2,100 votes cast.  In my eyes, that is still low turnout given Red Clay’s student population, but it shows how community participation can lead to higher numbers in an election.

We need to elect our State Board of Education members like this.  None of this “Governor appointed” stuff.  Statewide elections, for each seat.

Without further ado, here are the “unofficial” results of the 2017 Delaware School Board elections.

Appoquinimink

Charlisa Edelin: 301 votes, Keinna McKnight: 206, Trevor Tucker: 24 votes

Brandywine

John Skrobot III: 402 votes, Alma Melina Gillis: 332

Caesar Rodney

David Failing: 495, Tawanna Prophet-Brinkley: 126, Alan Claycomb: 57

Capital

Joan Loewenstein-Engel: 154, Andy Ortiz: 85

Christina, District B

Angela Mitchell: 480, Justin Day: 457, Monica Moriak: 232, Karen Sobotker: 72

Christina, District G

Meredith Griffin Jr.: 828, Jeff Day: 369, Kimara Smith: 170

Lake Forest

Phillip Thomas: 294, Stephanie Justiano Johnson: 220, Austin Auen: 59

Milford

Ronald Evans: 227, Michael McKain: 124, Jason Miller: 96, Michael Firch: 79, Michael Wells: 52

Red Clay

Ashley Sabo: 1,142, Henry Clampitt: 833, Thomas Pappenhagen: 152

Seaford

Michael Kraft: 314, John Hanenfeld: 198

Smyrna

Vetra Evans-Gunter: 292, Karin Sweeney: 31

Woodbridge

Paul Breeding: 209, Darrynn Harris: 11

Meredith Griffin Jr. and Angela Mitchell Win Christina Board Seats

Unofficial results for Christina are in.  Meredith Griffin won 828 votes in District G.  Contenders Jeff Day got 369 votes and Kimara Smith had 170.  In District B, Angela Mitchell narrowly won in a tight race between herself and candidate Justin Day.  Mitchell had 480 votes to Justin Day’s 457.  Monica Moriak had 232 votes and Karen Sobotker had 72 votes in the District B race.  Congratulations to Griffin and Mitchell!

School Board Candidate Sign Theft Report

It is illegal to steal or vandalize campaign signs.  Despite that, people are still doing it.  So far, Ashley Sabo in Red Clay and Jeff Day in Christina have reported signs are missing at polling stations.  If you are a candidate or volunteering for a candidate, please comment on this thread.  I will need to know which polling location or school and approximately how many signs are missing.  I will be doing a full-scale investigation into this.  Ask the schools if they have outdoor cameras and ask to see the footage for the past week.  Also ask the school if they moved them for any reason: lawn work, too close to a flag pole, etc.  Thank you!

Updated, 11:14am: Austin Auen of Lake Forest is reporting some of his signs are missing at some schools.

Not A Good Day For Christina

In the “October Surprise” for the 2017 Delaware School Board Election season, Atnre Alleyne of DelawareCAN dropped a huge bomb all over Christina Board candidate Jeff Day’s campaign with less than a week before the election.  When a former News Journal reporter jumped in on the controversy, it fanned the flames…

Delaware School Board Election 2017 Survey: Lake Forest and Milford School Districts

Lake Forest and Milford School Districts in lower Delaware have big races for the 2017 School Board Election.  In Lake Forest, there is a three-way race between Austin Auen, Phillip Thomas, and Stephanie Justiano Johnson.  For Milford, an epic five-way race has Ronald Evans, Michael Firch, Jason Miller, Michael McKain, and Michael Wells vying for the At-Large seat.  Milford has another open seat in Area D, but only Judith Purcell filed so she gets the board seat.

I reached out to the candidates in all the Delaware school districts.  For Lake Forest, I received a response back from Austin Auen.  For Milford, Ronald Evans and Michael McKain responded.  I used the contact information on the Kent County Department of Elections website as well as combing through Facebook.  I also gave “public notice” about the surveys on this blog if I did not have contact information.  I want to thank those who did respond with great answers to tough questions.  Don’t forget to vote on May 9th!

Delaware School Board Election 2017: Brandywine, Caesar Rodney, Capital, Smyrna, & Woodbridge School Districts

May 9th is in five days!  Big school board elections are taking place that day!

In the Brandywine School District, John Skrobot Jr. will face Alma Ginnis.  For Capital School District, Andy Ortiz and Joan Lowenstein-Engel are vying for the at-large seat.  Caesar Rodney has a three-way race with Alan Claycomb, Tawanna Prophet-Brinkley, and David Failing running against each other.  Smyrna will see Vetra Evans-Gunter facing Karin Sweeney.  Finally, Woodbridge will have a face-off between Paul Breeding and Darrynn Harris for their at-large seat.

I sent surveys to all the candidates who had viable contact information through either the Department of Elections contact information on their website or through Facebook.  Don’t forget to vote on May 9th!

These are the responses I received from the candidates in these five districts:

Delaware School Board Election 2017 Surveys: Red Clay Consolidated School District

In Red Clay, three candidates are vying for the District “C” seat for the Red Clay Consolidated Board of Education.  Henry Clampitt, Thomas Pappenhagen and Ashley Sabo are the three.  One candidates, James Starzman, withdrew shortly after filing.  Clampitt did not return a survey, but Pappenhagen and Sabo did.  One of these three will replace current board member Kenny Rivera.  Don’t forget to vote on May 9th!  Christina went up before this, and more will be coming later tonight or tomorrow morning.  Once again, I want to thank all the respondents for the time they took in coming up with answers to some very tough questions.

Delaware School Board Election 2017 Surveys: Christina School District

There are two races in the Christina School District for their Board of Education this year.  In District “B”, we have Justin Day, Angela Mitchell, Monica Moriak and Karen Sobotker.  In District “G” we have Jeff Day, Meredith Griffin Jr., and Kimara Smith.  I received survey from five of the candidates, but none from Justin Day or Kimara Smith.  To clarify, there are two candidates in the Christina races with a first initial of “J” and a last name of Day.  All the Day responses below are from candidate Jeff Day in District “G”.  I asked 14 tough questions of the candidates and I am grateful to the respondents for their responses.  Don’t forget to vote on May 9th!

Last Chance For School Board Candidates To Submit Surveys

This is a final plea to all Delaware School Board candidates to get their surveys into me by midnight tonight.  Many of you are involved in a race for a board seat.  Many of your opponents already submitted their surveys.  Many of you won’t have an opportunity to reach a large part of your district by not submitting a survey.  Many teachers vote in school board elections.  Many teachers read Exceptional Delaware.  Many school board elections can have very close votes.  Do you want to prevent yourself from tipping the scales in your favor?  Get your surveys in by midnight tonight please!  You can email it to me at kevino3670@yahoo.com by midnight tonight.  The post should go up by tomorrow.  Coming back after the fact with your survey after seeing the other candidates answers will not result in my publishing your survey!  Thank you!

And yes, I would love for EVERY candidate to submit their survey.  Especially you HC!

School Board Candidates: Important Message!

For all the candidates for the 2017 Delaware School Board elections, I am extending the due date for the surveys until 5pm on Monday, May 2nd.  I’ve received several already so I thank those candidates.  I would love to get every candidate’s survey, but I am also realistic.  It is a great way to get your viewpoints out to a wider audience in your district.  My email is kevino3670@yahoo.com and I wish all of you the best of luck on May 9th!

Will The Real Publius Please Stand Up?

This just in: Henry Clampitt, a candidate for the Red Clay Consolidated School District Board of Education, just told a crowd of people at a PTA debate for the candidates, that he has been a victim of bullying by a blogger in Kent County.  He stated he is not a blogger.  The question that was asked of Clampitt was his stance on bullying.  Clampitt ran out of time but kept on talking and stated he needed to say this.

Yes, I wrote about Clampitt being Publius.  Long after someone else outed him on Twitter.  We all suspected but that was the first public confirmation of this.  Now, in the final weeks of the Red Clay board seat campaign, Clampitt addresses the issue.  Let me clarify one thing.  Publius was NOT a blogger.  He commented on a blog.  There is a huge difference.

The last time Publius commented on Kilroy’s Delaware, he said he was saying goodbye and the “sign was in the yard”.  Publius has not been seen since.  Around the same time, Henry Clampitt joined the Gateway Lab School Board of Directors.  Make of that what you will.  Publius was a bully on Kilroy’s Delaware.  He went after people with absolutely no mercy.  I will shed no tears for the consequences of those actions.  But we do all owe Publius a debt of gratitude.  His stance on charter schools and enrollment preferences and school choice kept the conversation going long after most people would have drifted away.

So if Clampitt wasn’t Publius, who was?  Was it the Smoke Monster from LOST?  Was it the Candy Man?  Was it Donald Trump?  Was it Kilroy himself?  Was it Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy?  Or was it…

The Bizarre Love Triangle Between Publius, Minnehan, and Clampitt **UPDATED**

All relationships have their ups and downs.  Such is the case between former Kilroy’s Delaware commenter Publius e decere and former Pencader board member and current Christina board member Harrie Ellen Minnehan.  Throw in a wild card like Henry Clampitt, former board member of Charter School of Wilmington, current board member at Gateway Lab School, and also a candidate for the Red Clay Consolidated Board of Education, and you have what I like to call a bizarre love triangle (which just so happens to be an awesome tune by New Order).  But what I found this morning… that brings this triangle to a whole new level…

Three File For Christina District B Seat In A Matter Of Hours

Wow!  Meg Mason resigns from the Christina Board of Education a week ago, the New Castle County Department of Elections announces the seat will be part of the May 9th election, the deadline for candidates to file is April 20th, and three women file today!

Who are these brave souls?

Angela Mitchell

Monica Moriak

Karen Sobotker

Looks like we have a race!  The only name I am familiar with is Monica Moriak, who serves on the Christina Citizen’s Budget Oversight Committee.  At this time, Christina will have two three-way races for board seats.  All I can say is look for A LOT of campaign signs all over the place in the Greater Newark area as well as the Wilmington section of Christina in the coming weeks!

School Board Election Trolls

I see this more and more every year.  Someone who is opposed to a school board candidate.  They create a fake Facebook id, come off as some type of person of knowledge and authority, and blast the hell out of a candidate running for school board.  They go on the candidate’s campaign page and start writing awful and untrue material.  I like to call these people cowards.  If you can’t use your real name while slinging dirt, go someplace else.  This already began in the current school board campaign season.  I won’t go into details about what was said against a candidate, except to say the dirt that was slung had absolutely nothing to do with that person’s qualifications as a school board member.  Nor did it really have anything to do with the qualifications of the candidate as a human being.  It was just ugliness hidden behind a coward who should know better.  I have no doubt that if this coward were to be in the same room as the candidate they would politely smile and perhaps even shake hands.  Get a life coward!

When you see this happening, and you have never heard of the person before and they have NO mutual friends, ask yourself what their agenda is.  In any school district, a person should have least one to two mutual friends on Facebook.  If they don’t, assume the name is as fake as the person behind the fake name.  School board candidates should just ignore these kind of trolls and block them on Facebook.  School boards are voluntary.  It isn’t an all-out attack on a candidate’s personal life.  This happened with the recent DSEA election and I called “Sam Muskrat” out at that time.

Sure, I go after school board members and candidates all the time, but only on education thoughts, never their personal life.  If it doesn’t have anything to do with education or the things I write about, that person’s private life is private.

Exceptional Delaware Proudly Endorses Ashley Sabo For Red Clay School Board

I’ve been a fan of Ashley Sabo going on a year and a half now.  Oddly enough, I first “met” her through a Rodel-Vision conference on Twitter!  Life is funny like that.  But Sabo represents the very best of what a school board member can offer.  She is a compassionate mom and wife, very involved with the community, attends most of the Red Clay board meetings and has for a very long time, gives public comment, is a CASA officer in Delaware (helping out kids in foster parent situations), was very involved in Red Clay’s inclusion policy, and fully supports the most fundamental and crucial of parental rights when it comes to education.

I’ve met and spoken with Sabo many times and she is one of those who just gets it.  She understands that far too many of the bad education policy in Delaware, as well as America, is not good for students.  I wish I lived in Red Clay so I could vote for her, but I strongly encourage all Red Clay Consolidated School District citizens to vote for Sabo on May 9th.

The Red Clay Education Association voted to endorse Sabo for Red Clay’s Board of Education in the upcoming election.  As the largest school district in the state, this is a huge endorsement for Sabo!

Some of the posts on her Facebook candidate page clearly illustrate why she should get your vote in Red Clay!

A year ago I made public comment at the board meeting about the need for more play and hands on learning in kindergarten. I still firmly believe kids, and not just kindergarteners, benefit from LESS rigor – fewer worksheets, less time at their desk – and MORE active learning – greater time using play to learn, more hands on activities. We need to help instil the LOVE of learning in kids!

For the past 3 years I have attended the majority of board meetings, making public comment when issues arose that needed to be addressed. I have attended countless committee meetings working tirelessly to ensure that decisions the district makes benefit all students. I have met with teachers on my own time to hear their concerns about different topics.

I am involved as a parent and will be even more involved as an elected board member.

As a parent of a high schooler in general education classes with no supports, an elementary student in a general education classroom with supports and a paraprofessional and a youngster who would love if there were more pre-k programs I have a wide variety of experience in the world of education.

BUT…. I am not a teacher. They are the ones working tirelessly for our children and they are the ones greatly affected by policy changes. I value their experience and knowledge.

…I am committed to listening to our educators – making decisions that not only benefit all students but also help teachers spend more time teaching and less time navigating policy changes and paperwork.

I am beyond thankful for the wonderful teachers in my life and my children’s’ lives.

Next week, there will be a “Meet The Candidate Night” at Café Napoli Restaurant and Pizzeria at 4391 Kirkwood Hwy, in Wilmington on Wednesday, March 29th from 7pm to 9pm.

 

Final Delaware 2017 School Board Candidate Filings

It is now after 4:30pm on March 3rd, 2017.  The filing deadline passed so all candidates are known for the 2017 School Board election.  We have a big list and quite a few races! A 5-way race in Milford, 4-way in Red Clay, and 3-ways in Appo, Caesar Rodney, Christina, and Lake Forest.  2-ways in Brandywine, Capital and Smyrna.  NO filings in Cape Henlopen as of this writing.

Appoquinimink: Charlisa Edelin, Trevor Tucker, Keinna McKnight

Brandywine: Alma Gillis, John Skrobot

Caesar Rodney: Alan Claycomb, Tawanna Prophet-Brinkley, David Failing

Cape Henlopen: No filings as of 4:46pm

Capital: Andres Ortiz, Joan Loewenstein-Engel

Christina: Jeffrey Day, Kimara Smith, Meredith Griffin Jr., *Shirley Saffer withdrew

Colonial: Leo Magee

Delmar: Thomas Elliott

Lake Forest: Austin Auen, Phillip Thomas, Stephanie Justiniano-Johnson

Laurel: Linda Wintjen

Milford (Area D): Judith Purcell

Milford (At-Large): Ronald Evans, Michael Firch, Jason Miller, Michael McKain, Michael Wells

Red Clay: Ashley Sabo, Henry Clampitt, Thomas Pappenhagen, James Startzman Jr.

Seaford: Michael Kraft

Smyrna: Vetra Evans-Gunter, Karin Sweeney

Woodbridge: Paul Breeding

*Indian River has no open board seats this election year

 

 

Christina Board Race Down To Three. Is There A Concern With One Of Them?

Shirley Saffer withdrew as a candidate for the election of the Christina School District Board of Education seat today.  This leaves it down to three: Jeff Day, Meredith Griffin Jr., and Kimara Smith.  There will be no incumbent for the race since Saffer withdrew.

I’ve met both Day and Griffin before.  Smith is a relative unknown.  One of the candidates concerns me… A LOT!