Gary Knackstedt

This page was current at the end of the official's last term in office covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Gary Knackstedt

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Nonpartisan

Prior offices

Lodi Unified School District Board of Education Trustee Area 2

Successor: Victoria Lenderman

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Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

San José State University, 1971

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Army

Years of service

1970 - 1977

Personal

Birthplace

St. Louis, Mo.

Contact

Personal Facebook

Gary Knackstedt was a member of the Lodi Unified Board of Education in California, representing Area 2. He assumed office in 2016. He left office on December 13, 2024.

Knackstedt ran for re-election to the Lodi Unified Board of Education to represent Area 2 in California. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Biography

Gary Knackstedt was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Knackstedt served in the U.S. Army from 1970 to 1977. He earned a bachelor's degree from San Jose State University in 1971. Knackstedt's career experience includes working as a classroom teacher and as an athletic director.

Elections

2024

See also: Lodi Unified School District, California, elections (2024)

General election

General election for Lodi Unified School District Board of Education Trustee Area 2

Victoria Lenderman defeated Maia Aguirre and incumbent Gary Knackstedt in the general election for Lodi Unified School District Board of Education Trustee Area 2 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Victoria Lenderman (Nonpartisan)	44.1	4,193
	Submit photo	Maia Aguirre (Nonpartisan)	28.4	2,696
	Submit photo	Gary Knackstedt (Nonpartisan)	27.5	2,611

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 9,500
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Knackstedt in this election.

2020

See also: Lodi Unified School District, California, elections (2020)

General election

General election for Lodi Unified School District Board of Education Trustee Area 2

Incumbent Gary Knackstedt defeated Richard Vasquez in the general election for Lodi Unified School District Board of Education Trustee Area 2 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Gary Knackstedt (Nonpartisan)	62.5	6,999
		Richard Vasquez (Nonpartisan)	36.7	4,110
		Other/Write-in votes	0.8	89

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 11,198
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2016

See also: Lodi Unified School District elections (2016)

Three of the seven seats on the Lodi Unified School District Board of Education were up for by-district general election on November 8, 2016. Four newcomers filed for the open Trustee Area 2 seat: Gary Knackstedt, Jeff Seybold, Steve Lopez, and Michele Kimbrough. Knackstedt was elected to the seat. In Trustee Area 6 and Trustee Area 7, incumbents Ron Freitas and Joe Nava were the only candidates to file for their respective seats. Because both ran unopposed, the elections in those trustee areas were canceled. Freitas and Nava were re-elected by default.

Results

Lodi Unified School District, Trustee Area 2 General Election, 4-year term, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Gary Knackstedt	38.40%	3,158
Michele Kimbrough	23.85%	1,962
Steve Lopez	22.72%	1,869
Jeff Seybold	14.69%	1,208
Write-in votes	0.34%	28
Total Votes		8,225
Source: San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters, "November 8, 2016 Official Final Results," accessed December 5, 2016

Funding

See also: Campaign finance in the Lodi Unified School District election

Knackstedt reported $3,050.00 in contributions and $3,050.00 in expenditures to the San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters, which left his campaign with a $0.00 balance in the election.

Endorsements

Knackstedt was endorsed by the San Joaquin County Democratic Party and the community organization Evolve.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Gary Knackstedt did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Gary Knackstedt completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Knackstedt's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I have devoted my entire professional career to the youth of Lodi Unified. For 37 years, I called Lodi High School my home away from home as a business skills and computer technology classroom teacher. Thirty-two of those years also included coaching at the varsity level. I took great pride in becoming Lodi High's Athletic Director the last five years of my career. During that time I was involved in the planning and completion of facility improvement projects of the baseball field, track facilities, and building a new gym. I also served as the treasurer for the Lodi Education Association for five years.

My years of experience as an educator for Lodi USD proves my deep commitment to the education for all our students. It has been my honor to serve as LUSD Board Trustee for Area 2 that included terms as vice-president and president during the past four years.

Now is not the time to gamble with inexperienced leadership. Education is my profession, not just a stepping stone to some other political office.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I want to bring students back to the classroom, athletic fields, theater, band room, play yards as quickly and as safely as possible
• I pledge to keep campus safety a high priority and to successfully work with our district staff and teachers to produce a learning stately that inclusivelyeducates our students under all circumstances.
• Student success is my number one goal. My instincts and perspective a classroom teacher continually remind me how me decisions impacts students of LUSD.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

In addition to the high quality traditional educational instruction, LUSD offers many unique educational opportunities. I am a huge advocate for "Hands on Learning" that students can participate in our Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses. The district has recently started Valley Robotics Academy that teams up with Delta College. These programs are great examples of the types of programs that offer a hands on approach to education.

As a LUSD board trustee I have worked with the City of Stockton committee to encourage the establishment of a state college in Stockton. I feel as if CSU Stockton will help advance Stockton and San Joaquin County to a higher standard of living for all in our community.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My advice to young people is to "hitch your wagon to those that are successful." In my case it was a teacher and coach at Lodi High School-Don Womble. Coach Womble, as most people called him, demonstrated how to get the most out of people. His genuine easy style demonstrated how I wanted to interact with students, colleagues, and the public.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

I see the job of a good board member as three primary skills. 1. LISTEN: A good leader must be able to listen to stakeholders- teachers, staff, and parents. 2. COLLABORATE: A board member must be able to discuss with others about issues that effect the district. 2. DIRECT: A board member needs to be able to use skills to direct staff in accomplishing goals.

My 37 years of experience as a classroom teacher, athletic administrator, and now as a board member has developed those skills and makes me a good board member.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I interact with a variety of people well. This trait has helped me, and those people I work with, accomplish goals and tasks that needed to be completed to a successful end.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

A board member must be an Education Advocate. A board member's primary job is to advance the educational experience of the students in the school district by establishing sound policies that will provide the best educational opportunities possible.

Who are your constituents?

My primary duty is to the students and their parents of the district.

What role do you imagine technology playing in (and outside) the classroom in the future? How would you prepare the district for this?

The pandemic has strengthened the district's use of technology as a teaching tool. Teachers and staff have learned a great deal about the use of technology in the classroom. These skills will continue to improve and will be used to enhance teaching skills when we back in the classroom full time.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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