John Porco

John Porco

Nonpartisan

Candidate, Verona Area School District Board of Education At-large

Verona Area School District Board of Education At-large

Tenure

2021 - Present

Term ends

2026

Years in position

4

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Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last election

February 17, 2026

Next election

April 7, 2026

Education

Bachelor's

Grinnell College, 2005

Graduate

University of Wisconsin, Madison, 2014

Personal

Birthplace

Madison, WI

Profession

Teacher educator

John Porco is an at-large member of the Verona Area School District Board of Education in Wisconsin. He assumed office on April 26, 2021. His current term ends on April 27, 2026.

Porco is running for re-election for an at-large seat of the Verona Area School District Board of Education in Wisconsin. He is on the ballot in the general election on April 7, 2026. The primary for this office on February 17, 2026, was canceled.

Biography

John Porco was born in Madison, Wisconsin. He earned a bachelor's degree from Grinnell College in 2005 and a graduate degree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 2014. His career experience includes working as a teacher educator.

Elections

2026

See also: Verona Area School District, Wisconsin, elections (2026)

General election

The general election will occur on April 7, 2026.

General election for Verona Area School District Board of Education At-large

Incumbent John Porco (Nonpartisan) is running in the general election for Verona Area School District Board of Education At-large on April 7, 2026.

		Candidate
		John Porco (Nonpartisan)

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
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Nonpartisan primary

The primary scheduled for February 17, 2026, was canceled. Incumbent John Porco (Nonpartisan) advanced from the primary for Verona Area School District Board of Education At-large without appearing on the ballot.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.

2023

See also: Verona Area School District, Wisconsin, elections (2023)

General election

Special general election for Verona Area School District Board of Education At-large (2 seats)

Incumbent John Porco and incumbent Korbey White won election in the special general election for Verona Area School District Board of Education At-large on April 4, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John Porco (Nonpartisan)	52.2	6,766
✔	Submit photo	Korbey White (Nonpartisan)	46.9	6,081
		Other/Write-in votes	0.9	118

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 12,965
= 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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Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled. Incumbent John Porco and incumbent Korbey White advanced from the special primary for Verona Area School District Board of Education At-large.

2021

See also: Verona Area School District, Wisconsin, elections (2021)

General election

General election for Verona Area School District Board of Education At-large (3 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Verona Area School District Board of Education At-large on April 6, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Kalyanna Williams (Nonpartisan)	22.9	2,915
✔	Submit photo	Jennifer Murphy (Nonpartisan)	22.0	2,794
✔		John Porco (Nonpartisan)	16.1	2,054
		Carolyn Jahnke (Nonpartisan)	15.1	1,924
	Submit photo	Nicole Vafadari (Nonpartisan)	15.0	1,909
	Submit photo	Leotha Stanley (Nonpartisan)	8.3	1,053
		Other/Write-in votes	0.6	71

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 12,720
= 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.

Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

John Porco has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to John Porco asking him to fill out the survey. If you are John Porco, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey?

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You can ask John Porco to fill out this survey by using the button below or emailing jbporco@gmail.com.

2023

John Porco did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.

2021

John Porco completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Porco's responses.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a parent of three school aged children, and an educator. I currently work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the teacher education program while finishing up my dissertation research on literacy and social and emotional learning in the classroom. Previously I have been the treasurer and president of both a local pre-school, as well as my children's public charter school. While serving with the charter school, I guided the organization through the process of re-chartering with our district. I have also served on my district's Personalized Learning Committee helping to guide the rollout of our personalized learning initiative. I also served on our district's Strategic Planning Committee, where we charted a vision for the next five years of our school district.

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?

• Inclusive policymaking with clear and honest communication.
• Balancing the needs of our students with the interests of teachers, administrators, and the community at large in a transparent and equitable way.
• Developing innovative community partnerships because our schools do more than just provide academics to our kids.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about developing creative programs that can provide students with the choices they need for success. I am also focused on fiscal responsibility and sustainability.

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

I look up to Patrick Lucey (former governor of Wisconsin) because of his ability to work across different viewpoints to get things done. I am a pragmatist at heart.

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

The ability to listen to all sides objectively, and find common ground or compromise. And, integrity. The courage to say what you mean, and follow through with action that aligns with your values.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To communicate more than just the policies and decisions made, to listen, and when you do make a decision, to communicate the reasoning behind that decision. I also think that people on the school board have an obligation to find the voices that are not being heard at the board meetings. The people who may have to work, or those who are disengaged form the district.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like my kids to be proud of me.

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

To mediate the interests between all the stakeholders in our schools - students, teachers, administrators, and community members at large - in a fair and fiscally responsible way.

Who are your constituents?

Everyone residing within the Verona Area School District.

How would you support the diverse needs of your district’s students, faculty, staff, and community?

By listening first. Too often leaders start with their own ideology. I would listen, and seek to understand. I would also work to find the people and perspectives that are not always present.

How will you build relationships with members of the broader community? Which groups, organizations, stakeholders will you specifically target?

Again, starting with listening and learning, I would work to spend time at all our schools, as well as with local community groups. Specifically, I will work to build relationships between our schools and the people who are geographically removed from the center of our district. This is primarily the neighborhoods that border with Madison, and the rural areas, where students and families may not feel a connection with our schools. I will also look to reach out to form mutually beneficial relationships with local businesses and non-profits.

Do you believe it is important to intentionally recruit with the aim of diversifying the district’s faculty, staff, and administration? If so, what would be your policy to achieve this?

I do believe we need to recruit for all different forms of diversity as our kids will learn best when they get the broadest view of different people, backgrounds, and opinions. To achieve this I think we need to take a broad view of diversity when hiring. We also need to establish policies that support our faculty, staff, and administrations ability to be themselves.

What issues get in the way of quality education? How would you address these obstacles?

Partisanship is the number one obstacle in my mind. We need education policy makers who can work past partisan talking points to find compromise. We need this both because we are a diverse district and only through compromise can we set an example that values everyone. Also, a lack of creativity. We need school board members who will ask tough questions and consider all sorts of various solutions in order to find the best solution. Too often board members are focused on what is allowed, or worse, what is easy, instead of what is possible.

What constitutes good teaching? How will you measure this? How will you support advanced teaching approaches?

Good teaching is engaging teaching. In addition to the more traditionally data driven metrics used by the district, we need to look to student feedback on their experiences. Not necessarily because they know what they want (thought hey often do), but because we need to see how they are engaged. We also need to give teachers the flexibility to teach each student.

In what areas would you like to expand curriculum? For example, do you see a need for advanced technical training or apprenticeships? What sort of innovative programming would you advance if given the opportunity?

We need to provide pathways for students who are aiming to the most competitive colleges, and well as those who seek to excel in the trades. One of the most important ways we do this is by celebrating success according to these different yardsticks. If students see the community celebrating their team winning state, but not the mass recognition of achievements in science, or arts, or the trades, then we are setting an example that only values one form of success. This will not work for every student to be successful.

What strategies or plans would you advance to ensure the schools are properly funded?

I think we have done an excellent job of funding our facilities, we need to shift our focus to investing in our people.

What principles drive your policies for safety in schools?

Safety is fundamental to people maximizing their potential. It must be a cornerstone of what we do. But safety has different meanings to different people. We need to promulgate safety policies that provide safety, but not at the expense of threatening others. This all starts with a solid behavior education plan, which our district desperately needs. Safety is also built on a foundation of inclusion. We need our students to feel like they are a welcomed part of the community.

How might you support the mental health needs of students/faculty/staff?

We need to invest in more people and training to meet the needs of students. We also need to be aware of the burden we place on teachers. We need not only councilors and social workers etc, but we need to give our teachers time and autonomy.

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

Having access to technology is crucial for developing twenty-first century literacies. But we also need to recognize that technology is not a device, but a way of thinking and interacting. We need to do more than give our students access to technology, we need them to think in technological ways.

Tell us your favorite joke.

At what point does a joke become a dad joke... When it is apparent.

What are your views on how to address schooling during pandemic times?

The pandemic taught us the need for clear communication, and creative problem solving. Schools are about much more than the mass infusion of academic knowledge in kids. We need to be flexible enough to provide options to meet the various needs of different families during the pandemic. We also need to think of schooling in broader terms to recognize the many impacts our schools have beyond the academic - like the social and mental health aspects of schools. We have to be able to give people choices within the framework of what is safe for the larger body public. To do this we need to be attuned to peoples needs, and their worries. Too often decisions were made without parental or teacher input. Teachers needed a larger voice in how schools would be open, not to put the brakes on going back, but because they are best equipped to find creative solutions to get people who want to be back in limited and safe ways back.

What will you do to build a relationship with parents in the district? What plans do you have to be inclusive of parental involvement?

I plan to create as many forums in addition to our meetings for families to tell me how the schools can meet their challenges. I will not only set. up listening sessions with local communities, but maintain a presence online.

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