Cindy Elsbernd
Cindy Elsbernd was an at-large member of the Des Moines School Board in Iowa.
Although the school board election is nonpartisan, Elsbernd identifies as a Democrat.
Elsbernd participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates.
Biography
Elsbernd is the executive director and founder of Iowa Kidstrong, Inc., a nonprofit that promotes active lifestyles for children. She is the recipient of the 2010 Healthy Iowa Visionary Award presented by the Academy for a Healthy Iowa. Elsbernd obtained her B.A. in individual studies with a journalism emphasis from the University of Northern Iowa in 1993.
She serves on the Polk County Early Childhood Iowa Board, Iowa Urban Education Network Steering Committee, Council of the Great City Schools Board of Directors, Great Outdoors Foundation Board and the Des Moines Marathon Committee
She is also assigned to the board development committee, youth advisory committee, policy committee, superintendent evaluation and compensation committee and the head start policy committee as part of her role on the Des Moines School Board.[1][2]
Board membership
2015-2017
The Des Moines school board voted unanimously on 96.35 percent of its motions between the annual organization meeting on September 15, 2015, and the regular board meeting on July 11, 2017. The voting data indicated that Rob Barron, Connie Boesen, Cindy Elsbernd, Dionna Langford, and Teree Caldwell-Johnson were the governing majority on the board, and Natasha Newcomb was the sole member of a minority faction. Heather Anderson did not vote consistently enough with Newcomb or the majority to be considered part of either group.[3]
Elections
2019
Cindy Elsbernd did not file to run for re-election.
2015
Four of the seven seats on the Des Moines Public Schools School Board were up for election on September 8, 2015. The available seats included an at-large seat with a four-year term, seats with four-year terms in Districts 1 and 3, and a seat with a two-year term in District 2.
Prior to 2013, all representatives on the school board represented the district at-large. Voters approved a proposal to incorporate four district representatives on the school board in 2011. In 2013, residents voted for representatives in District 2 and District 4. In 2015, residents voted for a representative in District 1 and District 3. Toussaint Cheatom won the election for the District 2 seat in 2013, but he resigned due to health concerns. Nathan Blake was appointed to the open seat. The District 2 seat was open in 2015 for a two-year term.[4]
Incumbent Cindy Elsbernd defeated Royce Turner for the at-large seat. Newcomers Heather Anderson and Shane Schulte ran for the one available seat in District 1. Anderson defeated Schulte. Dionna Langford defeated challengers Ed Linebach and Edgar Ortiz for the two-year term seat in District 2. In District 3, Rocio Hermosillo was defeated by Natasha Newcomb. Incumbents Nathan Blake, Bill Howard, and Pat Sweeney did not run for re-election.[5][6][7]
Results
This election was held September 8, 2015.
| Des Moines Public Schools, At-Large, 4-Year Term, General Election, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Cindy Elsbernd Incumbent |
67.7% | 3,202 |
| Royce Turner | 32.3% | 1,527 |
| Total Votes | 4,729 | |
| Source: Polk County Auditor's Office, "Regular School Election," accessed November 12, 2015 | ||
Funding
Elsbernd reported $6,725.00 in contributions and $6,134.99 in expenditures to the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board, which left her campaign with $590.01 on hand during the election.[8]
Endorsements
Elsbernd received no official endorsements during the election.
2011
| Des Moines Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2011 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Cindy Elsbernd |
28.3% | 3,873 | |
| Nonpartisan | Pat Sweeney |
28.1% | 3,846 | |
| Nonpartisan | Bill Howard |
24.3% | 3,333 | |
| Nonpartisan | Felipe Gallardo | 17.9% | 2,448 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 1.4% | 189 | |
| Total Votes | 13,689 | |||
| Source: Polk County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections, "School Board Election Tuesday, September 13, 2011: Official Results," accessed July 19, 2017 | ||||
Campaign themes
2015
Ballotpedia survey responses
Elsbernd participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display her responses to the survey questions. When asked what her top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | My top priority is ensuring support of continued student growth and closure of achievement and opportunity gaps, but this cannot happen without continued advocacy for adequate state funding and sound state education policy, including parent and community engagement around these efforts, as well as ensuring continued fiscal and operational practices that support students and generate efficiency and stability.[9] | ” |
| —Cindy Elsbernd (2015)[10] | ||
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the school district, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important:
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Idaho. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving college readiness | |
| Expanding career-technical education | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer 10 questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are in the left column, and the candidate's responses are in the right column of the following table:
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| "DMPS has implemented the common core standards via the Iowa Core. The next step is ensuring that the state assessment aligns with and actually measures achievement and growth toward these standards." | |
| "No" | |
| "No" | |
| "No. This is particularly so in Iowa where the Iowa Assessment has low alignment to common core standards." | |
| "The district can do this by maintaining high expectations for all students, by providing access to rigor for all, and by holding students accountable and measuring according to standards with behavior monitored separately. DMPS is committed to this through their board belief statement and student expectations policy which influences decision-making throughout the District." | |
| "Expulsion should be reviewed on a case by case basis with consideration for a balance of safety for all students and continued support for the student recommended for expulsion. Those offenses most serious and potentially harmful to student safety should be recommended for expulsions and others considered for deferment to an alternative school so students can receive the behavior supports they need while staying on track with their education." | |
| " The school board can help by clearly maintaining the shared understanding that we believe in every child, and no matter their circumstance, we will support them in achieving at their highest level. This is currently a board belief statement codified into board policy and a lens for decision-making throughout the district. When a school falls short of this and fails in improving outcomes for our children, as does happen at times, the board should, with this understanding in mind, provide the necessary resources for staff to develop and implement a school improvement plan based on data, to provide supports around those improvement plans, and to facilitate communication and collaboration with families in the school community around improving outcomes for their students." | |
| "No. Not if it is tied to standardized tests, isn't objective, the process isn't transparent, and if it is too costly for the district weighed against the real potential of incenting for improved teaching effectiveness to improve student outcomes." | |
| "Set up improvement plan in collaboration with the teacher, provide support for that teacher via mentorship &/or additional professional development, and monitor progress with feedback for continued improvement toward SMART goals set in improvement plan." | |
| "Improving community and school board relations is contingent on cultivating relationships between school board members. This does not translate into the need for constant agreement or even friendship, rather open and honest communication between board members materializing around the shared desire for every student in our district to have the best possible opportunities to learn. This produces a board's ability to function cohesively and effectively which is foundational in earning and maintaining the public's trust. From there the board is in a position to execute effective outreach, collaboration, and communication with the community." |
Political philosophy
Elsbernd issued the following statement regarding her bid for office:
| “ | I am running for re-election because I believe all children can be successful given appropriate opportunity and support. I am proud of the work that has been done during my tenure and want to ensure we continue moving in the right direction on a positive and student-focused path and can provide the stability in leadership to do so. I can promise you that my passion for this work is strong and I will remain a diligent advocate for the students and families of our community and for the vital American institution, public education.[9] | ” |
| —Cindy Elsbernd (2015)[1] | ||
See also
- Des Moines Public Schools, Iowa
- Des Moines Public Schools elections (2015)
- Newcomers and incumbents share the victories in Iowa's largest school district elections (September 9, 2015)
- Analysis of incumbency advantage in the 2014 school board elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Information submitted through Ballotpedia's biographical submission form on August 24, 2015
- ↑ Des Moines Public Schools, "Cindy Elsbernd," accessed August 4, 2015
- ↑ Des Moines Public Schools, "Meetings," accessed August 8, 2017
- ↑ Des Moines Public School, "School Board Election Information," accessed March 27, 2015
- ↑ Polk County Auditor's Office, "Regular School Election," accessed September 8, 2015
- ↑ Des Moines Public Schools, "2015 School Board Candidates," accessed August 3, 2015
- ↑ Office of the Polk County Auditor, "Candidate Guide," accessed March 11, 2015
- ↑ Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board, "IECDB State/Local Campaign Disclosure Reports," accessed February 2, 2016
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Cindy Elsbernd responses," August 24, 2015
| 2015 Des Moines Public Schools Elections | |
| Polk County, Iowa | |
| Election date: | September 8, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large: Incumbent, Cindy Elsbernd • Royce Turner District 1: Heather Anderson • Shane Schulte |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
