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Jim Evans (Wisconsin)
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
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
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 | ||
| ✔ |  | 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. | ||||
| 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
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 |  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
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
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 |
|---|
 |
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 arts education | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Improving college readiness | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Expanding career-technical education | |
| 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 |
|---|---|
| "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." | |
| "If the charter schools are under local control then yes. If they are under state or private control then no." | |
| "No." | |
| "No." | |
| "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." | |
| "Expulsion cases must be viewed on a case-by-case basis rather than the district having an overarching policy." | |
| "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." | |
| "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." | |
| "Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. | |
| "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
- Oshkosh Area School District, Wisconsin
- Oshkosh Area School District elections (2018)
- Oshkosh Area School District elections (2015)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Facebook, "Jim Evans For School Board: About," accessed February 4, 2015
- ↑ 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 Progress, "OUR ENDORSEMENTS FOR SPRING 2015," accessed February 25, 2015
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Jim Evan's responses," February 6, 2015
- ↑ Facebook, "Jim Evans For School Board: Wall Post," January 14, 2015
| 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 |
