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Sean Kingston
Sean Kingston ran for election to the Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District Board of Education At-large in Wisconsin. Kingston lost in the general election on April 3, 2018.
Kingston responded to Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey in the 2016 election. To see his responses, check out the "2016 Campaign themes" section.
Biography
Kingston has 18 years of experience working in the technical field, and he has worked as a program director for SC Johnson and Son. He has also served as a den leader for the Cub Scouts. Kingston earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh. He has two children who attend school in the district.[1]
Elections
2018
Three of the seven seats on the Oak Creek-Franklin School District Board of Education in Wisconsin were up for at-large general election on April 3, 2018. Incumbent Kathleen Borchardt did not file for re-election, leaving one open seat. Incumbent Sheryl Cerniglia and newcomers Jeffrey Gassenhuber and Leah Schreiber Johnson defeated incumbent Darin Grabowski and candidates Sean Kingston and Thomas Kroon in the general election. A primary election was held on February 20, 2018, after more than two candidates filed per seat. Juli Murphy and Jeffrey Sischo did not advance to the general election.[2][3][4]
General election
General election for Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District Board of Education At-large (3 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District Board of Education At-large on April 3, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Jeffrey Gassenhuber (Nonpartisan) | 19.2 | 2,846 |
| ✔ |  | Leah Schreiber Johnson (Nonpartisan) | 18.8 | 2,786 |
| ✔ |  | Sheryl Cerniglia (Nonpartisan) | 18.8 | 2,783 |
| Darin Grabowski (Nonpartisan) | 15.3 | 2,270 | ||
| Sean Kingston (Nonpartisan) | 14.5 | 2,146 | ||
 | Thomas Kroon (Nonpartisan) | 13.5 | 1,997 | |
| Total votes: 14,828 | |||
 = 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. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District Board of Education At-large (3 seats)
The following candidates ran in the primary for Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District Board of Education At-large on February 20, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jeffrey Gassenhuber (Nonpartisan) | 17.0 | 1,437 |
| ✔ | | Sheryl Cerniglia (Nonpartisan) | 16.7 | 1,406 |
| ✔ | | Leah Schreiber Johnson (Nonpartisan) | 15.9 | 1,337 |
| ✔ | Darin Grabowski (Nonpartisan) | 11.9 | 1,003 | |
| ✔ | Sean Kingston (Nonpartisan) | 11.7 | 990 | |
| ✔ | | Thomas Kroon (Nonpartisan) | 9.5 | 805 |
| Juli Murphy (Nonpartisan) | 8.8 | 739 | ||
| Jeffrey Sischo (Nonpartisan) | 8.5 | 717 | ||
| Total votes: 8,434 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2017
Two seats on the Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District Board of Education were up for at-large general election on April 4, 2017. In their bids for re-election to the board, incumbents Amy Mlot and Mark Verhalen defeated challengers Sean Kingston and Juli Murphy.[5][6]
Results
| Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District, At-large General Election, 3-year terms, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Mark Verhalen Incumbent |
32.87% | 1,924 |
| Amy Mlot Incumbent |
30.63% | 1,793 |
| Juli Murphy | 20.16% | 1,180 |
| Sean Kingston | 16.33% | 956 |
| Total Votes | 5,853 | |
| Source: Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District, "District News: Official Spring General Election Results," April 10, 2017 | ||
Funding
Kingston 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.[7]
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.[8] Incumbent Frank Carini and challengers Veronica Baricevic, Joshua Borzick, Jeffrey Gassenhuber, Darin Grabowski, Elizabeth Sparks, Amy Mlot, and Beth Waschow won the primary election.[9][10] They faced off again in the general election, where Carini, Sparks, Grabowski, and Mlot were elected to the board.[11]
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.[9][11]
Incumbent Jonathan Jossart and challengers Rosemarie Annonson, Sean Kingston, Thomas Kroon and Gregory Loreck were defeated in the primary election.[9][10]
Results
| 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 | ||
Funding
Kingston 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.[12][13]
Campaign themes
2018
Journal Sentinel questionnaire
Kingston participated in the following survey conducted by Journal Sentinel. The questions provided by Journal Sentinel are bolded, and Kingston's responses follow below.
The school district is set to embark on a series of energy-efficiency projects totaling nearly $17.5 million. Do you agree with the scope of improvements and dispute that spending did not go to referendum?
| “ | No, I do not agree with this scope of improvements. This should have gone to referendum and should NOT have been actioned solely by the school board. This is an example of the board overreaching and following whatever administration asks them to do.[14][15] | ” |
| —Sean Kingston, 2018 | ||
Should public education mainly be a resource for general education or should it take on a more aggressive role in vocational job training?
| “ | Public education should offer the option to prepare for vocational training to set up students for moving into a technical school or to get a four-year degree. Public education should offer a good mix of general education with options to get some vocational job training.[14][15] | ” |
| —Sean Kingston, 2018 | ||
2017
Kingston participated in the following survey conducted by South Now. The questions provided by South Now are bolded, and Kingston's responses follow below.
1. What do you think are some of the biggest issues facing the district and how would you address them?
| “ | I think the biggest opportunity for the district is making sure we are providing a safe environment for learning in a financially responsible manner for all students that sets them up to be contributing members of the community.[15] | ” |
| —Sean Kingston (March 14, 2017)[16] | ||
2. Oak Creek is experiencing a development boom and Franklin has development in the works as well. With that likely brings more children to the district. Do you feel the district is ready for this influx in the years to come, or what do you think could be done to better serve these new and existing students?
| “ | I feel the district is ready for the influx of students with the recent additions. However, I feel that the district lines are not well set up for this future growth, and we will likely need to redraw these lines in the future.[15] | ” |
| —Sean Kingston (March 14, 2017)[16] | ||
3. What makes the Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District stand out to you – why should parents want to have their child in this school district?
| “ | I feel the district provides a great opportunity for our kids to learn and there is no reason to pursue a private education when living in the district. There is room for us to improve, and we should strive to create the best environment for learning in southeastern Wisconsin.[15] | ” |
| —Sean Kingston (March 14, 2017)[16] | ||
2016
Ballotpedia survey responses
Sean Kingston participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates. In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on January 29, 2016:
| “ | I want to make sure that the school board is focused on representing all the residents of the district in Oak Creek and the east side of Franklin. I will focus on fiscal responsibility while creating the best environment for students to learn so they can develop into productive citizens.[17][15] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| 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 | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| “ | It is important that a quality learning environment is created in the district while maintaining the budget to control costs for taxpayers.[15] | ” |
| —Sean Kingston (January 29, 2016) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer nine questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| No. |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| Yes . |
| What is your stance on the Common Core State Standards Initiative? |
| I think it helps provide guidance on what students should be able to achieve to at the end of each year and provides a goal for school's to try to achieve through their selected curriculum. |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| Yes. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Expulsion should be used for students that continually distract other students from learning or when they threaten other students safety. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| The curriculum |
Yes for Oak Creek Schools candidate profile
The group Yes for Oak Creek Schools published candidate profiles on its website. Kingston'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? I feel the school board has the important role of representing what is in the best interest of the community. I feel that this is not always considered when the board makes decisions. I intend to be a voice for the community. WHAT WOULD BE YOUR PRIORITIES AS A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER? |
” |
| —Sean Kingston (2016)[1] | ||
Oak Creek Now candidate survey
Oak Creek Now asked the candidates in this race the following two bolded questions. Kingston's responses are shown below.
Why are you running for a seat on the school board?
| “ | I want to make sure that the school board is focused on representing all the residents of the district in Oak Creek and the east side of Franklin. I will focus on fiscal responsibility while creating the best environment for students to learn so they can develop into productive citizens.[15] | ” |
| —Sean Kingston (2016)[18] | ||
What is one major change you would like to see within the district?
| “ | I would like to see the board focus more on representing the whole community. I feel the recent focus has been on the vocal minority. The board needs to make sure they are doing what is in the best interest of current students, future students, and the entire community.[15] | ” |
| —Sean Kingston (2016)[18] | ||
See also
- Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District, Wisconsin
- Oak Creek-Franklin School District elections (2018)
- Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District elections (2017)
- Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District elections (2016)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Yes for Oak Creek Schools, "Candidate Profile: Sean Kingston," accessed January 27, 2016
- ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Candidates line up for Oak Creek, other school board seats in the southern suburbs," January 3, 2018
- ↑ Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, "2018 Election Results - Spring Primary (Unofficial Results)," accessed February 20, 2018
- ↑ Milwaukee County Elections, "Spring Election Unofficial Results," accessed April 3, 2018
- ↑ South Now, "A matter of choices: Enough candidates file to prompt races for spring elections," January 3, 2017
- ↑ Milwaukee County Election Commission, "Summary Report: Unofficial Results," accessed April 4, 2017
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Jill Bebeau, Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District" March 29, 2017
- ↑ Oak Creek Franklin Joint School District, "School Board Election Information," January 6, 2016
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedcandidates - ↑ 10.0 10.1 Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District, "Official results for spring primary," February 22, 2016
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Milwaukee County Election Commission, "Election Summary Final - Unofficial," accessed April 6, 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
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Journal Sentinel, "Oak Creek-Franklin schools race fueled by no referendum in approved $17.5M energy projects," February 2, 2018
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 15.7 15.8 15.9 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Wauwatosa Now, "Oak Creek-Frankin Joint School District candidates discuss issues," March 14, 2017
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2016, "Sean Kingston's responses," January 29, 2016
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Oak Creek Now, "Oak Creek-Franklin School Board hopefuls state their views," February 3, 2016
| Oak Creek-Franklin School District elections in 2018 | |
| Milwaukee County, Wisconsin | |
| Election date: | April 3, 2018 |
| Candidates: | At-Large: Incumbent, Sheryl Cerniglia • Incumbent, Darin Grabowski • Jeffrey Gassenhuber • Sean Kingston • Thomas Kroon • Juli Murphy • Leah Schreiber Johnson • Jeffrey Sischo |
| Important information: | What was at stake? |
| Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District elections in 2017 | |
| Milwaukee County, Wisconsin | |
| Election date: | April 4, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Amy Mlot • Incumbent, Mark Verhalen • Sean Kingston • Juli Murphy |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
| 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 |
