Dana Kelley

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Dana Kelley

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

April 6, 2021

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Dana Kelley ran for election to the Milwaukee Board of School Directors to represent District 4 in Wisconsin. Kelley lost in the general election on April 6, 2021.

Biography

Kelley received an associate degree in biblical studies from Midwest Bible College and completed courses at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Milwaukee Area Technical College. At the time of the election, Kelley was an assistant pastor of the Reviving Faith Movement Church and a lead organizer of North Side Rising, a Milwaukee branch of Citizen Action of Wisconsin.

Elections

2021

See also: Milwaukee Public Schools, Wisconsin, elections (2021)

General election

General election for Milwaukee Public Schools Board of School Directors District 4

Aisha Carr defeated Dana Kelley in the general election for Milwaukee Public Schools Board of School Directors District 4 on April 6, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Aisha Carr (Nonpartisan)	57.2	2,001
		Dana Kelley (Nonpartisan)	42.3	1,479
		Other/Write-in votes	0.5	19

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,499
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Milwaukee Public Schools Board of School Directors District 4

Aisha Carr and Dana Kelley defeated Cheryl Hayes and Victor Nwagbaraocha in the primary for Milwaukee Public Schools Board of School Directors District 4 on February 16, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Aisha Carr (Nonpartisan)	44.7	880
✔		Dana Kelley (Nonpartisan)	30.8	607
	Submit photo	Cheryl Hayes (Nonpartisan)	14.0	276
		Victor Nwagbaraocha (Nonpartisan)	10.0	197
		Other/Write-in votes	0.5	9

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,969
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Annie Woodward (Nonpartisan)

Candidate profile

Dana Kelley

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Biography:  Kelley received an associate's degree in biblical studies from Midwest Bible College and completed courses at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Milwaukee Area Technical College. At the time of the election, Kelley was an assistant pastor of the Reviving Faith Movement Church and a lead organizer of North Side Rising, a Milwaukee branch of Citizen Action of Wisconsin.

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Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

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In a candidate questionnaire, Kelley said, "The most important issues facing the board and District 4 in particular is equality." Kelley cited the privatization of public schooling as a main factor, saying, "we must work and fight against parasitic privatization ... We must also work to encourage parents to bring their children back to MPS."

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Kelley described herself as a servant leader, referencing her pastoral and volunteering experience. She said, "I am someone who believes in radical change ... I am running for this office as a democratic socialist, which means that I hope to empower regular people to make economic decisions that affect all of us. Socialism means community control."

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In her campaign platform, Kelley identified her four key points for the district: ensuring quality education for children of color, advocating for public schools and increasing accountability for charter schools, implementing a Green New Deal for the district, and democratizing education by opening up school decision making to the broader community.

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Show sources

Sources: Dana Kelley's campaign website, "Platform," accessed March 5, 2021, Dana Kelley's campaign website, "Meet Dana," accessed March 5, 2021; Dana Kelley's campaign website, "Meet Dana," accessed March 5, 2021, Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, "Election 2021: Meet the school board candidates for District 4," Feb. 10, 2021

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Milwaukee Public Schools Board of School Directors District 4 in 2021.

Campaign themes

2021

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Dana Kelley did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Kelley's campaign website stated the following:

“	I am running for Milwaukee Public School Board Member of District 4 because it is time for a change. We need a change in the quality of education that is offered to the students of District 4. There are so many obstacles to providing quality education in District 4: lack of funding and concern for our students, parents, and educators are key factors in the disparities between Milwaukee School District 4 and other parts of the city. When I'm on the board, I'm going to fight for four things - I call them The Four Points for District 4: 1. Ensure quality education for children of color. 2. Fight for public schools. 3. Green New Deal for MPS. 4. Democratize education. Let me tell you more about them... The Four Points for District 4: 1. Once elected, I will advocate and lobby to ensure quality education for children of color by reinstating Music and Arts as mandatory parts of the student curriculum. Music and art serve as therapy for students who have tremendous life obstacles to overcome. Removing creative opportunities from our community of learners is a huge hindrance to providing a quality education. Too often, our black students do not get the quality education they deserve. We need to empower our black students and their educators so we can ALL benefit from public schools. In addition, black students deserve an environment that supports their health – with quality and healthy food programs, mental health support in the schools instead of an unqualified police presence, and buildings free from toxic infrastructure such as lead and particulate matter, which affect the community of color disproportionately. 2. I will fight for public schools and hold charter schools accountable. Our community-owned public schools are under threat from privatization efforts. We need to strengthen our public school system in Milwaukee by keeping funds in MPS through an Accountability Clause for charter schools that are funded by MPS. My campaign manager, Tyra Thomas, has worked previously within charter schools and has a bird-eye perspective into the damage that charter schools have caused for MPS funding and test scores. 3. I will implement a Green New Deal for MPS by working to achieve MPS’ energy independence from fossil fuels and providing every student with an environment that supports their health. This includes providing high quality, healthy foods; providing mental health support instead of an unqualified police presence; and removing toxic infrastructure like lead. 4. I will democratize education by opening up school decision making to all stakeholders – parents, students, school staff, and community members. I will advocate for participatory budgeting and a citizen policy initiative process to bring decision making power to regular people. Everyone will have a voice that will be heard and valued to ensure that MPS does justice to the education of the bright and intelligent students who live in District 4.	”
—Dana Kelley's campaign website (2021)

See also

2021 Elections

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Candidate

Milwaukee Public Schools Board of School Directors District 4

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