Joshua Borzick
Joshua Borzick was a candidate for at-large representative on the Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District Board of Education in Wisconsin. Borzick ran for the seat in the primary election on February 16, 2016.[1] He received the second-most votes in the primary, which allowed him to advance to the general election on April 5, 2016.[2] He lost the general election.[3]
Biography
Borzick works as a librarian and technology coach for the Franklin Public School District. He also teaches statistics as an adjunct instructor at Cardinal Stritch University. Borzick previously worked as a third grade teacher in the Cudahy School District. He is a board member for the Cudahy Family Library. Borzick earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee and a master's degree in instructional technology from Cardinal Stritch University. He and his wife have three children.[4][5]
Elections
2016
Four of the seven seats on the Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District Board of Education were up for at-large general election on April 5, 2016. A primary election was held on February 16, 2016, to narrow the field of candidates from 13 down to eight.[6] Incumbent Frank Carini and challengers Veronica Baricevic, Joshua Borzick, Jeffrey Gassenhuber, Darin Grabowski, Elizabeth Sparks, Amy Mlot, and Beth Waschow won the primary election.[1][2] They faced off again in the general election, where Carini, Sparks, Grabowski, and Mlot were elected to the board.[3]
Two of the four seats on the ballot were up for election to regular three-year terms. The other two seats were on the ballot in order to increase the size of the board from five members to seven. Carini and Sparks, the top two vote-getters, won three-year terms. Grabowski, who came in third place, won a two-year term, and fourth-place candidate Mlot won a one-year term.[1][3]
Incumbent Jonathan Jossart and challengers Rosemarie Annonson, Sean Kingston, Thomas Kroon and Gregory Loreck were defeated in the primary election.[1][2]
Results
| Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District, At-Large General and Special Elections, 3-, 2- and 1-year terms, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Frank Carini Incumbent |
17.20% | 5,131 |
| Elizabeth Sparks |
13.16% | 3,926 |
| Darin Grabowski |
12.42% | 3,705 |
| Amy Mlot |
11.78% | 3,514 |
| Jeffrey Gassenhuber | 11.44% | 3,412 |
| Joshua Borzick | 11.34% | 3,382 |
| Beth Waschow | 11.30% | 3,371 |
| Veronica Baricevic | 10.86% | 3,241 |
| Write-in votes | 0.51% | 153 |
| Total Votes | 29,835 | |
| Source: Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District, "Official Results of the General Election," April 11, 2016 | ||
| Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District, At-Large Primary Elections, 3-, 2- and 1-year terms, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Frank Carini Incumbent |
14.74% | 1,629 |
| Joshua Borzick |
9.20% | 1,017 |
| Veronica Baricevic |
9.14% | 1,010 |
| Beth Waschow |
9.08% | 1,003 |
| Amy Mlot |
8.10% | 895 |
| Darin Grabowski |
7.98% | 882 |
| Jeffrey Gassenhuber |
7.85% | 868 |
| Elizabeth Sparks |
7.19% | 795 |
| Gregory Loreck | 7.10% | 785 |
| Jonathan Jossart Incumbent | 6.70% | 741 |
| Rosemarie Annonson | 5.94% | 656 |
| Sean Kingston | 3.56% | 394 |
| Thomas Kroon | 3.41% | 377 |
| Total Votes | 11,052 | |
| Source: Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District, "Official results for spring primary," February 22, 2016 | ||
Endorsements
Borzick was endorsed by the Wisconsin AFL-CIO.[7]
Funding
Borzick filed an exemption statement detailing he would not spend or receive more than $2,000 toward his campaign. Because of this, he did not have to file additional campaign finance reports for this election.[8][9]
Campaign themes
2016
Yes for Oak Creek Schools candidate profile
The group Yes for Oak Creek Schools published candidate profiles on its website. Borzick's answers to the group's questions can be found below. The bolded text indicates the questions provided by Yes for Oak Creek Schools.
| “ | WHY ARE YOU SEEKING SCHOOL BOARD OFFICE AT THIS TIME? As my children are still young, I would like to help influence the direction of the school district to ensure that they continue to receive a quality education. The Oak Creek Franklin School District is fortunate to be part of a growing, dynamic community and as a result we have the opportunity to take advantage of emerging best practices in education. I want to ensure our school district continues to evolve. I would bring a unique perspective to the board. My passion and life’s work has been working with children. As an educator I know the “behind the scenes” operations of a school and understand what it takes to effectively teach children. As a taxpayer and member of the library board, I know the importance of effectively managing a budget. As I watch my children grow, I see the importance of good schools through their eyes. As a member of the school board, I would be able to make decisions as a parent, educator, and tax paying citizen. WHAT WOULD BE YOUR PRIORITIES AS A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER? |
” |
| —Joshua Borzick (2016)[4] | ||
Oak Creek Now candidate survey (general election)
Oak Creek Now asked the candidates in the general election the following two bolded questions. Borzick's responses are shown below.
Last summer, the school board agreed to spend $4.5 million to build a new auditorium "shell." How would you, as a board member, propose raising the additional $4 million needed to complete the project?
| “ | To raise such a large sum of money, the district needs to elicit the generosity of community residents as well as the business community. A good first step would be to host the business leaders in our community and bring them together in a forum. There, the vision of the auditorium and its positive impact on the community could be presented and explained. These leaders can then form the backbone of our fundraising efforts.[10] | ” |
| —Joshua Borzick (2016)[5] | ||
The school board has been criticized in the past for not being transparent enough. Do you agree? If so, how would you improve the district's relationship with the community?
| “ | The board seems to encourage community participation and education by posting its agendas and meeting notices on the district website, Facebook, Twitter and in the newspaper. This could be improved by also including this information on individual school newsletters, which are widely read by school parents. Furthermore, it is important that potentially controversial agenda items and information, including those from special committees such as the boundary adjustment committee, be highlighted in these same places.[10] | ” |
| —Joshua Borzick (2016)[5] | ||
Oak Creek Now candidate survey (primary election)
Oak Creek Now asked the candidates in the primary race the following two bolded questions. Borzick's responses are shown below.
Why are you running for a seat on the school board?
| “ | As a parent, taxpayer, library board member, technology coach and educator, I have a unique perspective that provides insight into the challenges and opportunities facing the district. My life's work has been in schools, and with my background, I will be an educated voice on the board.[10] | ” |
| —Joshua Borzick (2016)[11] | ||
What is one major change you would like to see within the district?
| “ | We need to increase the amount of technology in the schools, growing toward a one-to-one model as soon as possible. Tools like Chromebooks and tablets allow students to collaborate, create and learn in engaging ways. We need to put these tools in students' hands and provide training to staff.[10] | ” |
| —Joshua Borzick (2016)[11] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Joshua Borzick' 'Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District, Wisconsin
- Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District elections (2016)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Franklin Now, "Franklin, Greendale, Hales Corners and Oak Creek 2016 elections begin," January 5, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District, "Official results for spring primary," February 22, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Milwaukee County Election Commission, "Election Summary Final - Unofficial," accessed April 6, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Yes for Oak Creek Schools, "Candidate Profile: Joshua Borzick," accessed January 27, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Oak Creek Now, "Oak Creek-Franklin School Board candidates address auditorium funding, district transparency," March 22, 2016
- ↑ Oak Creek Franklin Joint School District, "School Board Election Information," January 6, 2016
- ↑ WI AFL-CIO, "2016 Spring Election Candidate Endorsements," accessed March 22, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin State Legislature, "Campaign Financing," accessed January 25, 2016
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Jill Bebeau, Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District," February 15, 2015
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Oak Creek Now, "Oak Creek-Franklin School Board hopefuls state their views," February 3, 2016
| 2016 Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District Elections | |
| Milwaukee County | |
| Election date: | April 5, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Frank Carini • Incumbent, Jonathan Jossart • Rosemarie Annonson • Veronica Baricevic • Joshua Borzick • Jeffrey Gassenhuber • Darin Grabowski • Sean Kingston • Thomas Kroon • Gregory Loreck • Amy Mlot • Elizabeth Sparks • Beth Waschow |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
