Jeff Kocha
Jeff Kocha was a candidate for at-large representative on the Wausau School District school board in Wisconsin. Kocha was defeated in the at-large general election on April 4, 2017.
Kocha previously ran for a seat on the board. He was defeated in the general election on April 7, 2015. Kocha participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates, in which he emphasized his opposition to the Common Core State Standards Initiative.
Biography
Kocha is the director of facilities for Interim Healthcare of Wausau. He was previously employed with Philips Lighting, Best Buy and United Defense. He attended the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire from 1987 to 1991.[1] Kocha served a term on the Rib Mountain Zoning Board of Appeals that expired in April 2017.[2]
Elections
2017
- See also: Wausau School District elections (2017)
Three of the nine seats on the Wausau School District Board of Education were up for at-large general election on April 4, 2017. In their bids for re-election to the board, incumbents Yvonne Henning, Jeff Leigh, and Lance Trollop ran against challengers Jeff Kocha and Lee Webster.[3] Henning died on March 12, 2017. Her name still appeared on the ballot.[4] Leigh and Trollop won re-election to the board, and Webster won the other seat on the ballot.[5]
Results
| Wausau School District, At-large General Election, 3-year terms, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Lance Trollop Incumbent |
24.94% | 4,072 |
| Lee Webster |
19.98% | 3,263 |
| Jeff Leigh Incumbent |
19.83% | 3,238 |
| Jeff Kocha | 19.47% | 3,179 |
| Yvonne Henning Incumbent | 15.79% | 2,578 |
| Total Votes | 16,330 | |
| Source: Wausau School District, "2017 Certificate of the Board of Canvassers," accessed May 2, 2017 | ||
Funding
Kocha reported $5,075.00 in contributions and $150.02 in expenditures to the Wausau School District, which left his campaign with $4,925.98 on hand in the election.[6]
2015
- See also: Wausau School District elections (2015)
Three at-large seats were up for election on April 7, 2015. The terms of Patrick McKee, Michelle Schaefer and Kathi Whalen-Geiger ended in April 2015. Schaefer, however, did not file to seek re-election.
McKee and Whalen-Geiger faced challengers Bart Hobson, Jeff Kocha and Jean Martin.[7] McKee and Whalen-Geiger retained their seats, and Martin won her first term on the board.
Results
| Wausau School District, At-Large General Election, 3-year term, 2015 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Kathi Whalen-Geiger Incumbent |
24.2% | 5,869 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jean Martin |
23% | 5,574 | |
| Nonpartisan | Patrick McKee Incumbent |
18.9% | 4,569 | |
| Nonpartisan | Bart Hobson | 17.3% | 4,198 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jeff Kocha | 16.6% | 4,028 | |
| Total Votes | 24,238 | |||
| Source: Wausau School District, "2015 Certificate of the Board of Canvassers - School Board," accessed May 28, 2015 | ||||
Funding
Kocha reported no contributions or expenditures to the Wausau School District in this election. He filed as "Exempt from Filing Campaign Finance Records" on his campaign registration statements.[8]
Endorsements
Kocha did not receive any official endorsements in this election.
Campaign themes
2017
Kocha highlighted the following statement on his campaign website:
| “ | As your representative, I hope to be a part of common sense policies that empower our students while keeping them safe. The goal is that our community once more runs our schools.[9] | ” |
| —Jeff Kocha (2017)[10] | ||
2015
Ballotpedia survey responses
Kocha participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | Providing appropriate facilities are on the top of the list. Our schools currently cannot support the numbers of students in our district, and currently the upcoming referendum seems to best address the issue, so I support that. I don't see the voucher system impacting greatly any outstanding school district, so instead of focusing on the symptom (vouchers), I intend to focus on the cause (dissatisfaction). Part of the reason Wausau hasn't seen more problems with the vouchers is because it currently offers a very good product, and we need to ensure we continue on the same path or it will become our problem.[9] | ” |
| —Jeff Kocha (2015)[11] | ||
He also included the following statement with his responses:
| “ | This is our school district. I am opposed to voluntarily participating in any program that requires us to yield any of our authority as a community to anyone outside of our community. That is why I oppose common core. No one will know better than our community if we are succeeding or failing in our task of preparing our children for their future's. There is no standardized test that tells us how well prepared an individual is to face the trials of adulthood and the burden of responsibilities.
The opinions expressed above are based solely on my perceptions and experiences. The only way for my opinions to change is through additional experiences as well as constructive discussion with those who have differing viewpoints. I crave the input of those who have a well thought out position so that I can make decisions that are the best for our children. People of Wausau, please, get involved and let my choices include your voices![9] |
” |
| —Jeff Kocha (2015)[11] | ||
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 | |
| Expanding career-technical education | |
| Improving college readiness | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
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 |
|---|---|
| "They should not be implemented." | |
| "No." | |
| "Yes, with restrictions." | |
| "No." | |
| "Through the empowerment of our teachers, the involvement of our families, the meeting the physiological needs of our students, and outreach to our community." | |
| "As a last resort." | |
| "Every child has the right to learn and prepare themselves for their future. The role of the school is to maximize the academic potential of each child and the role of the school board is to maximize through policy the ability of each school to perform. No child should be subjected to sub-par instruction, facilities, or opportunities. The school board must hold accountable each asset (staff, curriculum, facility, etc...) in each step of the process to empower our systems. Once the problem has been identified, you fix or replace as needed." | |
| "Yes." | |
| "No single solution works for all situations. Every option above may have it's place in the process."* | |
| "Encourage 'after-meeting' sessions open to community members, work with parent groups to develop additional volunteer programs, and develop school pride through family/community programs at the schools." | |
| *The options Kocha references in this response were the following: (1) set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district, (2) offer additional training options, (3) put underperforming teachers on a probationary period while they seek to improve and (4) terminate their contract before any damage is done to students. | |
See also
- Wausau School District, Wisconsin
- Wausau School District elections (2017)
- Wausau School District elections (2015)
- Hot tub Gatorade, turnout in Peoria and the Wisconsin state...
- Wisconsin school districts 2014 review
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Jeff Kocha," accessed February 5, 2015
- ↑ Rib Mountain, Marathon County, Wisconsin, "Zoning Board of Appeals," accessed February 5, 2015
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Cassie Peck," January 5, 2017
- ↑ Wausau Daily Herald, "Wausau School Board member Yvonne Henning dies," March 14, 2017
- ↑ Marathon County Clerk, "Election Results Summary Report," accessed April 5, 2017
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Cassie Peck, Wausau School District" April 3, 2017
- ↑ Margaret Koenig, "Email correspondence with Cassie Peck, Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent of Wausau School District," January 7, 2015
- ↑ Margaret Koenig, "Email correspondence with Cassie Peck, Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent of Wausau School District," August 25, 2015
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Jeff Kocha for Wausau School Board, "About," accessed March 14, 2017
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Jeff Kocha's responses," March 24, 2015
| Wausau School District elections in 2017 | |
| Marathon County, Wisconsin | |
| Election date: | April 4, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Yvonne Henning • Incumbent, Jeff Leigh • Incumbent, Lance Trollop • Jeff Kocha • Lee Webster |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
| 2015 Wausau School District Elections | |
| Marathon County, Wisconsin | |
| Election date: | April 7, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Patrick McKee • Kathi Whalen-Geiger • Bart Hobson • Jeff Kocha • Beth Martin |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
