Michael Ford
Candidate, Oshkosh Area School District school board At-large
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Michael Ford ran for election to the Oshkosh Area School District school board At-large in Wisconsin. He was on the ballot in the general election on April 1, 2025.
Ford completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
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Biography
Michael Ford provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on March 15, 2025:
- Birth date: March 4, 1982
- Birth place: La Grange, Illinois
- High school: Lyons Township High School
- Bachelor's: Marquette University, 2004
- Graduate: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2009
- PhD: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2013
- Gender: Male
- Religion: Christian
- Profession: Director
- Prior offices held:
- Oshkosh Common Council (2020-2024)
- Incumbent officeholder: No
- Campaign website
- Campaign Facebook
Elections
General election
Election results
Endorsements
Ford received the following endorsements.
Ratings
Ford received ratings or grades from the following organizations.
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Michael Ford completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ford's responses.
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My name is Michael Ford and I live in Oshkosh with my wife of 19 years, Allyson, and my two sons, Charlie and John. My son Charlie attends Oshkosh North and John attend Vel Phillips.
My day job is the director of the Wisconsin Institute for Citizenship and Civil Dialogue at the Universities of Wisconsin. In that role I work across all 13 UW campuses to support free speech, viewpoint diversity, and civil dialogue. Prior to that I was a professor of Public Administration and Director of the Whitburn Center at UWO where among other things I developed research-based trainings on how to connect school board governance to academic outcomes. Previously I worked as the VP of operations for School Choice Wisconsin, where I worked to advance educational opportunity for low-income mostly minority students in Milwaukee.
- A strong Oshkosh region requires a strong OASD, and that requires a high-functioning school board that is its role, which is to improve academic outcomes in a manner consistent with the values of the community.
- 1. I am the only candidate in this race not working with a political party in any fashion. I have never been in the local Democratic or Republican Party headquarters. If I wanted to engage in partisan politics I wouldn’t be running for non-partisan office. We can only move this district forward by choosing to focus on the 90% of things we are aligned on rather than getting bogged down in national issues and culture wars that we can’t control, and do nothing but divide us. Now to each their own, I don’t judge, but I do think my approach can make me a unifying presence in a time when it is deeply needed.
- 3. I have a unique background and skillset in the areas of education finance, educational policy, school choice, education data, and the link between school board governance and student achievement. Throughout my career I have worked with public schools, private schools, charter schools, superintendents, school boards, and policy makers to improve student outcomes. If we are serious about raising achievement, embracing transparency for parents and taxpayers, reversing negative open enrollment trends, and attracting and retaining the best teachers, and I hope we are because we are falling behind, I have the unique skills and knowledge to be an asset to the board on day one.
Education policy obviously! If elected my main issues will be:
1) Improving academic outcomes for all OASD students.
2) Addressing our unacceptably high racial and socioeconomic achievement gaps.
3) Increasing trust and transparency between OASD and its stakeholders.
I will pursue these objectives by professionalizing our school board governing practices. Specifically I will work to:
· Align our board around a data-driven approach tracks student achievement goals and holds leadership accountable.
· Demystify education finance.
· Streamline communication
· Empower parents and teachers
In short, I will work to build the high-functioning school board that a successful school district demands. I look up to my parents. They have taught be to be honest, non-judgemental, hardworking, and kind to others. They are great people
Yes. My TedX Oshkosh talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPLJi6HkQX0&t=13s
It is most important that an elected official understands the job they are applying for. I have dedicated much of my career to studying and working with school boards. I understand what school boards can and cannot do.
Hence, I will not make empty promises that are not the job of a school board member. I will not indulge in national issues or culture wars that distract from our core mission of improving educational outcomes for Oshkosh's children.
I will be open, honest, and committed to bringing people together around the 90% of issues we do agree upon.
All of this is a long way to say that a school board member must know how to govern, and not get distracted by state and national politics that distract from that core mission. I love learning. I love people. I love progress. Those that have worked with me in the past know I take my work seriously, and care deeply about the impact of my decisions, and will admit when I am wrong and learn from it.
I believe the role of a school board member is to work to maximize student outcomes in a manner consistent with the values of the community. My most important objectives will be:
1) Improving academic outcomes for all OASD students.
2) Addressing racial and socioeconomic achievement gaps.
3) Increasing trust and transparency between OASD and its stakeholders.
I will pursue these objectives by professionalizing our school board governing practices. Specifically I will:
· Align our board around a data-driven approach to setting and tracking student achievement goals.
· Work to build a fiscal transparency dashboard that demystifies education finance.
· Work to streamline communication so that all information is presented in an easy-to-understand format.
· Empower parents to be partners in creating district goals that align with their values.
· Empower teachers by giving them the freedom they need to engage in high-impact practices.
· Balance the needs of the district with the fiscal realities facing taxpayers.
· Listen. I want to leave the OASD board better than I found it. That can look many ways, but I am focused on a positive impact. Ideally that means we are focused on the 90% of things we agree on rather than allowing national culture war issues tear us apart at the expense of our kids.
I remember the Challenger disaster. I believe I was 4 or 5.
I started as a gold caddy and a paperboy at the same time. I did both from the ages of 12 to 17 or so!
Phillip Roth's American Pastoral. It shows how our political, cultural, and generational divides can bleed into our family dynamics. It also teaches the hard lesson that decency is not always enough.
I was just singing Accidently Like a Martyr by Warren Zevon!
I don't give up easily, I always think there is positive path forward, which makes it really hard facing the truth that some problems just cannot be fixed.
To improve student outcomes in a manner consistent with the values of the community.
Every single student, parent, and taxpayer in OASD.
It begins with listening. I have done over 5,500 doors on the campaign trail to understand what OASD residents want out of their schools.
Specifically, I will introduce research supported governance practices to professionalize our school board. A focused professional board sets clear measurable goals consistent with the values of the community, communicates those goals and metrics to the superintendent, communicates results to the public in a transparent fashion, and holds district leadership accountable for results. A focused board can also be held accountable by voters.
A vote for me on April 1st is a vote for Proactive transparency, Real accountability, empowered teachers, civility, and a focus on improving student outcomes. Like I said in my previous answers, it begins with grass-roots work to build a broad coalition that crosses ideological lines. In terms of formal groups I will meet with anyone to find common ground and listen to their needs and hopes for OASD. I will specifically work to improve communication and move toward collaboration with our partners in the City, County, UWO, and the nonprofit and private sectors.
Good teaching produces results. I will not micro-manage teachers. We as a board must set goals, provide resources, and listen to teachers and respect their ability to get results. If those results are not met, we need to change course. I will not meddle in operations as that is not the job.
There are many paths to quality education and life. I want the board to react to the needs of the community (including employers) to understand what skills are currently lacking in the workforce so that we can focus on them. All students must get a well-rounded education, but we cannot be afraid to specialize so students are well-prepared for life after K-12, whatever their path looks like.
We have to be good stewards of the public's money but building a fiscal dashboard so everyone understands how their money is spent. So much of school funding is dependent on the state. I will use my expertise and background to ensure we are responsible with the funds we do have, and participate in any initiatives to improve the funding situation at the state level.
This is easy, students must feel safe in school or they will not learn as much as they can. We need to make sure we have modern facilities, SROs with clear roles and clear supervision, and a culture of accountability so we are all partners in keeping our schools and community safe.
For students it begins with good support staff and an inclusive culture where students know they can get assistance from trusted teachers/staff. A positive school culture can also do wonders here. I also support employee programs that offer counseling and mental health supports as they are needed. Once again, health concerns are a barrier to our schools being as successful as they can, so we must take them seriously.
On a scale of 1 to 2, how are things going?
I want to review our policies around school bullying, SROs, communication to parents, and collaboration with external partners. I think we have fairly strong policies in these areas, but not enough awareness throughout the organization to ensure they are actually followed.
I do want to update our board policies to align with the highest performing practices out there. Right now there are not enough policies around key areas like accountably, performance definition, and achievement measures. These policies would help get the public, the board, and the administration on the same page.
One that produces student results! There is no perfect environment for every child. That is why I am supportive of parents who want to use the district open enrollment program or E-Academy to find the school that works best for their child. But all kids need the foundational elements of safety, inclusivity, physical comfort, and basic necessities. We cannot get to the next level of learning if basic foundational elements are not met.
Schools were closed too long. I cannot judge anyone as I think there was so much chaos and confusion, and so many unknowns. If I was on the board at the time I honestly don't know what I would have done. I know now, having seen the learning loss and mental health concerns from the COVID era, that priority one must be keeping our schools open.
Proactive communication. Showing up. Whether that be at events, at doors, or anywhere else. I have shared more information about my campaign than anyone in this race, and that level of communication will continue should I win. It breaks my heart to hear from parents who say their emails and calls are not returned. I will always pick up and respond. That is the job.
Teachers and staff are the most important employees in a school district. Nothing the OASD board does will impact students if teachers do not but into it. Too many school boards in Wisconsin attempt to micro-manage teachers. We need to make it knows that OASD has a board that respects teachers by letting them do their jobs, by empowering them to share what is working and what is not, and by making our compensation and working conditions competitive. I truly believe that making teachers a partner in the governing process will signal that OASD is a place where teachers can fully realize their craft without undue interference from the board. As a board member I will be focused on data, accountability, and supporting teachers, not micro-managing. I’ve worked with a few districts on performance-pay, and we should at least have that discussion too.
Everyone should know what OASD is doing with their money, why they are doing it, and whether they are doing it well. I will demand a culture of proactive transparency where the onus is on OASD to produce information in a format and venue that is easy for the public to access and understand.
Accountability is key to everything we do. The role of a school board is to set a plan, establish measurable goals, provide resources to district staff, and hold district leadership accountable for meeting those goals. Laying out a clear plan with clear measurable goals also allows the public to hold board members accountable.
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Other survey responses
Ballotpedia identified the following surveys, interviews, and questionnaires Ford completed for other organizations. If you are aware of a link that should be added, email us.
See also
External links
- ↑ [Email with Wisconsin Secretary of State Election office, "Candidate list," March 12, 2025]
