Everything you need to know about ranked-choice voting in one spot. Click to learn more!

Jim Evans (Wisconsin)

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
BP-Initials-UPDATED.png
Ballotpedia does not currently cover this office or maintain this page. Please contact us with any updates.
Jim Evans
Image of Jim Evans
Prior offices
Oshkosh Area School District school board At-large

Education

High school

Oshkosh Area School District

Personal
Profession
Business owner
Contact

Jim Evans was a member of the Oshkosh Area School District school board At-large in Wisconsin. Evans assumed office in 2015.

Evans ran for re-election to the Oshkosh Area School District school board At-large in Wisconsin. Evans won in the general election on April 3, 2018.

Evans participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 school board candidate survey, in which he emphasized a focus on "student retention and recruitment." He has also been outspoken on arts education.

Biography

Email editor@ballotpedia.org to notify us of updates to this biography.

Evans is a lifelong resident of Oshkosh. He attended district schools and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Since 1992, Evans has owned a small business, Art Haus, in downtown Oshkosh. He serves on the Downtown Oshkosh Business Improvement Board. He is married.[1]

Elections

2018

See also: Oshkosh Area School District 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.[2][3]

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
Image of Allison Garner
Allison Garner (Nonpartisan)
 
28.9
 
6,164
Image of Kelly Olmsted
Kelly Olmsted (Nonpartisan)
 
26.2
 
5,592
Image of Jim Evans
Jim Evans (Nonpartisan)
 
24.9
 
5,317
Image of Liz Szilagyi
Liz Szilagyi (Nonpartisan)
 
19.4
 
4,142
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.6
 
119

Total votes: 21,334
Candidate Connection = 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.

2015

See also: Oshkosh Area School District elections (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.[4]

Results

Oshkosh Area School District,
At-Large General Election, 3-year term, 2015
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Nonpartisan Green check mark transparent.pngAllison Garner Incumbent 31.4% 4,826
     Nonpartisan Green check mark transparent.pngJim Evans 29.7% 4,566
     Nonpartisan Green check mark transparent.pngKelly 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

Evans reported no contributions or expenditures to the Oshkosh Area School District in this election.[5]

Endorsements

Evans was endorsed by Wisconsin Progress.[6]

Campaign themes

2015

Ballotpedia survey responses

Candidate Connection Logo - stacked.png

Evans 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:

In this time of spending caps and budget slashing, student retention and recruitment will become even more competitive. We must do all we can to keep our current students and find ways to attract students from outside the district to enroll in the Oshkosh School District. My top priority will be to make the Oshkosh School District a quality option for parents and their children.[7]
—Jim Evans (2015)[8]
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
Education Policy Logo on Ballotpedia.png

Click here to learn more about education policy in Wisconsin.
Education on the ballot
Issue importance ranking
Candidate's ranking Issue
1
Balancing or maintaining the district's budget
2
Expanding arts education
3
Improving education for special needs students
4
Improving college readiness
5
Closing the achievement gap
6
Expanding career-technical education
7
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
What is your stance on implementing Common Core standards?
"I support common core and Wisconsin is already operating under these standards. I also believe any changes that may be made to these standards should come from the educational professionals and not the legislature or Governor."
Should your district approve the creation of new charter schools?
"If the charter schools are under local control then yes. If they are under state or private control then no."
Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system?
"No."
Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement?
"No."
How can the district ensure equal opportunities for high and low achieving students?
"Often, low achieving students need to find something that excites them to learn. Often times they find it in the arts or other extra curricular activities. We must do all we can to keep and expand these options for the students who may not learn best by sitting at a desk."
How should expulsion be used in the district?
"Expulsion cases must be viewed on a case-by-case basis rather than the district having an overarching policy."
If a school is failing in your district, what steps should the school board take to help the students in that school?
"Most importantly the board must support the staff and administration in their efforts to turn a failing school around. We must make sure that they have the resources and policies in place for them to succeed."
Do you support merit pay for teachers?
"I support merit pay as a part of over all compensation policy. I feel that it cannot be based solely on test scores, other factors must be part of the equation. A teacher that takes a student that is on pace to flunk out of school and turns them into a C student deserves as much merit as the teacher whose classroom is made up of honor students."
How should the district handle underperforming teachers?
"Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district.
How would you work to improve community-school board relations?
"Communication is important in maintaining good relationships. Involving the community in the design making process and responding quickly when false information is presented are all things the current board and administration have been doing and I would want to continue operating in this fashion."

Campaign website

Evans has spoken out in favor of arts education on his Facebook campaign page, saying:

Despite calls for more art in schools, artistic ability often isn’t recognized as a skill equal to computer coding or engineering by society. Many parents want their kids to study something that clearly leads to a stable job. Until the arts are held in high esteem, they will always come second in traditional schools.[7]
—Jim Evans's Facebook campaign page (2015)[9]

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. Facebook, "Jim Evans For School Board: About," accessed February 4, 2015
  2. Oshkosh Northwestern, "Who's running for office around Oshkosh this spring?," January 3, 2018
  3. Winnebago County, Wisconsin, "Election Summary Report," April 3, 2018
  4. Oshkosh Northwestern Media, "Oshkosh school board candidate drops out of race," March 4, 2015
  5. Margaret Koenig, "Email correspondence with Teresa Collins, Executive Assistant in the Oshkosh Area School District Business Office," August 5, 2015
  6. Wisconsin Progress, "OUR ENDORSEMENTS FOR SPRING 2015," accessed February 25, 2015
  7. 7.0 7.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  8. Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Jim Evan's responses," February 6, 2015
  9. Facebook, "Jim Evans For School Board: Wall Post," January 14, 2015