Allison Garner
Allison Garner was a member of the Oshkosh Area School District school board At-large in Wisconsin. Garner assumed office in 2011.
Garner ran for re-election to the Oshkosh Area School District school board At-large in Wisconsin. Garner won in the general election on April 3, 2018.
Garner participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 school board candidate survey.
Biography
Garner earned a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Oklahoma in 1997. She later received an M.B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in 2006. Garner's professional experience includes working as a chemical engineer with TTC Labs, Inc. and founding an advocacy group in 2010 called Oshkosh for Education (OFE) to pursue more fiscal responsibility in district policies. Garner and her husband have two children.[1][2]
Elections
2018
Three of the seven seats on the Oshkosh Area School District Board of Education in Wisconsin were up for at-large general election on April 3, 2018. Incumbents Jim Evans, Allison Garner, and Kelly Olmsted won re-election, defeating challenger Liz Szilagyi.[3][4]
General election
General election for Oshkosh Area School District school board At-large (3 seats)
Incumbent Allison Garner, incumbent Kelly Olmsted, and incumbent Jim Evans defeated Liz Szilagyi in the general election for Oshkosh Area School District school board At-large on April 3, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Allison Garner (Nonpartisan) | 28.9 | 6,164 |
| ✔ |  | Kelly Olmsted (Nonpartisan) | 26.2 | 5,592 |
| ✔ |  | Jim Evans (Nonpartisan) | 24.9 | 5,317 |
 | Liz Szilagyi (Nonpartisan) | 19.4 | 4,142 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.6 | 119 | ||
| Total votes: 21,334 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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2015
Three at-large board incumbents were up for re-election in 2015. Incumbent Allison Garner ran for re-election against challengers Jim Evans, Huma Malik and Kelly Olmsted. Incumbents Kelli Saginak and Matthew Wiedenhoeft did not file to run for re-election. Their terms expired in April 2015.
In March 2015, however, Malik announced she would be ending her campaign for the board, but it was too late to remove her name from the ballot. While some votes were still cast for her, Malik was defeated. Garner, Evans and Olmstead won the election.[5]
Results
| Oshkosh Area School District, At-Large General Election, 3-year term, 2015 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Allison Garner Incumbent |
31.4% | 4,826 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jim Evans |
29.7% | 4,566 | |
| Nonpartisan | Kelly Olmsted |
29% | 4,463 | |
| Nonpartisan | Huma Malik | 9.6% | 1,476 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.4% | 61 | |
| Total Votes | 15,392 | |||
| Source: Margaret Koenig, "Email correpsondance with Oshkosh Area School District Business Office Executive Assistant Teresa Collins," August 5, 2015 | ||||
Funding
Garner reported no contributions or expenditures to the Oshkosh Area School District in this election.[6]
Endorsements
Garner received no official endorsements in this election.
2014
Allison Garner, Barbara Herzog and John Lemberger sought re-election without opposition to three available seats in the general election on April 1, 2014. The third seat up for election was for the remainder of an unexpired term. The third place winner, therefore, took on a one-year term, while the first and second place won regular three-year terms.
Results
Note: The third seat up for election in 2014 was for the remainder of an unexpired term. The third place winner, therefore, earned a one-year term, while the first and second place won regular three-year terms.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Barbara Herzog (3-year) Incumbent |
35.2% | 7,449 | |
| Nonpartisan | John Lemberger (3-year) Incumbent |
31.9% | 6,746 | |
| Nonpartisan | Allison Garner (1-year) Incumbent |
31.6% | 6,676 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 1.3% | 284 | |
| Total Votes | 21,155 | |||
| Source: Winnebago County Clerk, "Election Results," April 1, 2014 | ||||
Funding
Garner reported no contributions or expenditures to the Oshkosh Area School District in this election. State law allowed candidates to claim exempt status from campaign finance reporting if their contributions and expenditures did not exceed $1,000 in the calendar year.[7]
Endorsements
Garner did not receive any official endorsements for her campaign.
Campaign themes
2015
Ballotpedia survey responses
Garner 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:
| “ | Currently, the Oshkosh Area School District is seeing a net loss of students to other public school districts in the surrounding communities. This results in a decrease of revenues for our district. My top priority is to turnaround this net loss to a net gain. Using the results of a survey that answered why families leave our district, we can prioritize the changes that need to be made.[8] | ” |
| —Allison Garner (2015)[9] | ||
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 Wisconsin. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving college readiness | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding career-technical education | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Expanding arts education | |
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 |
|---|---|
| "It is already implemented in WI. It seems like we should continue to review the data and tweak as needed. On a personal note, I am concerned about the amount of testing that is required." | |
| "Yes." | |
| "Yes." | |
| "They can be accurate for some students, but not all. Additionally, some tests measure proficiency while others measure growth, so this question is difficult to answer with a simple yes or no. I think that testing should be included in the measurements of students achievement along with other metrics." | |
| "For Oshkosh, forming partnerships with local businesses and building a strong relationship with the community has helped to fund educational initiatives for both low and high achieving students. By sharing a comprehensive view supported by data regarding the needs of the district with the citizens of Oshkosh, we have witnessed an uptick in the resources devoted to our district." | |
| "Expulsion should be used for serious offenses to ensure the safety of other students as well as the integrity of education at district schools." | |
| "The school board can be sure to oversee turnaround efforts in a failing school, to support policies that support student achievement and hold the administration accountable." | |
| "Again, this is a very simplified question. In general, humans respond to positive reinforcements. I think that teacher compensation should include more metrics than simply years in the district and educational credits. If merit pay is used to support improving student achievement and is backed by data, then I support it." | |
| "Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district." | |
| "Communication is key to building strong relationships with the community. While Oshkosh has a very favorable relationship with its community, I would like to encourage the district to hire a communications expert that would increase our reach and improve the way we share information regarding the district." |
2011
Garner's 2011 campaign website listed her major themes:
| “ |
I would like to continue the tradition of educational excellence in our district as we set our strategic plan for the future. Second, as a mother of two elementary aged students, I think that our school board can work to stabilize the school district by working with both the OASD and the community to build trust and respect. With a stable district, I think that we can continue to challenge our students to improve their performance and learning. Additionally, I believe we can continue to improve professional development for teachers and administrators. Personally, I have been married for 13 years and have a son aged 8 and daughter aged 6. I am a Midwestern native who moved to Oshkosh in 2000. Prior to 2000, I spent 10 years living all over the country and working overseas. My professional background includes a B.S. in chemical engineering and an MBA. For the past 13 years, I have worked as a chemical engineer in the oil industry and am currently the vice president of a small chemical engineering consulting firm, which is where I learned about fiscal responsibilities. As I have shown in the past two years with Oshkosh for Education (OFE), my analytical problem solving skills have been beneficial to the OASD. In the face of a BOE determined to close schools and fire teachers in 2008, I started OFE. This organization is now comprised of parents, residents and teachers who feel strongly about improving the fiscal responsibility in the OASD. As demonstrated over the last two years, OFE has been successful in:
|
” |
| —Allison Garner's campaign website, (2011) | ||
See also
- Oshkosh Area School District, Wisconsin
- Oshkosh Area School District elections (2018)
- Oshkosh Area School District elections (2015)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Allison Garner," accessed February 7, 2014
- ↑ Allison Garner for Oshkosh School Board, "About Me," accessed February 7, 2014
- ↑ Oshkosh Northwestern, "Who's running for office around Oshkosh this spring?," January 3, 2018
- ↑ Winnebago County, Wisconsin, "Election Summary Report," April 3, 2018
- ↑ Oshkosh Northwestern Media, "Oshkosh school board candidate drops out of race," March 4, 2015
- ↑ Margaret Koenig, "Email correspondence with Teresa Collins, Executive Assistant in the Oshkosh Area School District Business Office," August 5, 2015
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Campaign Finance Overview: Local Candidates," May 2010
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Allison Garner's responses," January 23, 2015
- ↑ Allison Garner for Oshkosh School Board, "Oshkosh Teachers Union Questionnaire," accessed February 7, 2014
| Oshkosh Area School District elections in 2018 | |
| Winnebago County, Wisconsin | |
| Election date: | April 3, 2018 |
| Candidates: | At-Large: Incumbent, Jim Evans • Incumbent, Allison Garner • Incumbent, Kelly Olmsted • Liz Szilagyi |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
| 2015 Oshkosh Area School District Elections | |
| Winnebago County, Wisconsin | |
| Election date: | April 7, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Allison Garner • Jim Evans • Huma Malik • Kelly Olmsted |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
| 2014 Oshkosh Area School District Elections | |
| Oshkosh, Wisconsin | |
| Election date: | April 1, 2014 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Allison Garner • Barbara Herzog • John Lemberger |
| Important information: | Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
