Tamarra Coleman
Tamarra Coleman was an at-large incumbent on the Kenosha Unified Board of Education in Wisconsin. She was first elected to the board in April 2012. Coleman won re-election to a second term in the general election on April 7, 2015. She did not run for re-election in 2018.[1]
Biography
Coleman is a lifelong resident of Kenosha, Wis. She attended Kenosha Unified schools and graduated from Bradford High School. She attended the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Her background is in project management and finance; she is certified through the Project Management Institute. She and her husband, Michael, have three children.[2]
Board membership
2016-2017
The members of the Kenosha Board of Education voted unanimously on 95.4 percent of their agenda items from April 25, 2016, to January 12, 2017. The voting data indicated that Tamarra Coleman, Gary J. Kunich, Mary Snyder, and Dan Wade were the governing majority, just as they were from April 2015 to March 2016. The other three members of the board—Mike Falkofske, Tony Garcia, and Rebecca Stevens—did not vote together consistently enough to be considered a minority faction.[3]
2015-2016
The Kenosha Board of Education voted unanimously on 92.08 percent of its agenda items between April 27, 2015, and March 22, 2016. The voting data indicated that Tamarra Coleman, Gary J. Kunich, Mary Snyder, and Dan Wade were the majority faction on the board. The other three members of the board—Mike Falkofske, Kyle Flood, and Rebecca Stevens—did not vote together consistently enough to be considered a minority faction.[3]
Elections
2015
Three at-large seats were up for election on April 7, 2015. Mike Falkofske and Tony Garcia challenged incumbents Carl Bryan, Tamarra Coleman and Mary Snyder in the general election.
Bryan withdrew from the race as he was moving outside of the district, but the withdrawal was not in time to have his name removed from the ballot. If he had won in the general election, the vacancy on the board would have been filled by appointment. Such an appointment was avoided as Falkofske, Snyder and Coleman won the election.
Results
| Kenosha Unified School District, At-Large General Election, 3-year term, 2015 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Mike Falkofske |
23.7% | 6,724 | |
| Nonpartisan | Mary Snyder Incumbent |
23.2% | 6,583 | |
| Nonpartisan | Tamarra Coleman Incumbent |
20.7% | 5,874 | |
| Nonpartisan | Tony Garcia | 20.4% | 5,784 | |
| Nonpartisan | Carl Bryan Incumbent | 11.2% | 3,184 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes* | 0.6% | 179 | |
| Total Votes | 28,328 | |||
| Source: Margaret Koenig, "Email correspondence with Stacy Busby, Executive Assistant at Kenosha Unified School District," August 7, 2015. *The write-in votes total provided here comes from the unofficial results reported by Kenosha County on election night. The official report of canvass provided by the school district did not include write-in votes. | ||||
Funding
Coleman reported no contributions or expenditures to the Kenosha Unified School District as of March 30, 2015. She filed as "Exempt from Filing Campaign Finance Records" on her campaign registration statement.[4]
Endorsements
Coleman was endorsed by Kenosha Educators Politically Active and Concerned (KEPAC).[5]
2012
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Carl Bryan |
21.6% | 10,014 | |
| Nonpartisan | Mary Snyder |
18.8% | 8,749 | |
| Nonpartisan | Tamarra Coleman |
16.1% | 7,470 | |
| Nonpartisan | Todd Jacobs | 15.2% | 7,042 | |
| Nonpartisan | Steven Davis | 15% | 6,979 | |
| Nonpartisan | Shanon Molina | 12.8% | 5,940 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in candidate | 0.5% | 225 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in candidate | 0% | 3 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in candidate | 0% | 2 | |
| Total Votes | 46,424 | |||
| Source: Kenosha County, Wisconsin "2012 Election Results," accessed September 23, 2014 | ||||
Campaign themes
2015
Coleman provided the following statement on her Facebook campaign page:
| “ | An effective school system needs a strong “Stakeholders’ Triangle” that brings together schools, parents, and the broader community. Together, we help students achieve their greatest potential.
In my first term as a school board member, I engaged these stakeholders and utilized a student-centered approach in my work. My guiding principle is that ALL students will succeed, regardless of race, economic status, ethnicity, gender, language or disability. My contributions, perspectives, and initiatives during my first term have enhanced the board’s work on our school priorities and policies. As the current School Board President, I have lead the Board in hiring a new Superintendent, updating the HR Policies and Board Policies, all while promoting a positive and professional atmosphere. Support the candidate that VALUE'S education and our educators. As a current school board member who is seeking re-election, I will continue to keep a positive energy to the board with a laser focus on student achievement. I will continue to promote an environment of Communication, Collaboration and Commitment. I am an already involved parent, community and Board member currently working within the district.[6] |
” |
| —Tamarra Coleman's Facebook campaign page (2015)[7] | ||
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Tamarra + Coleman + Kenosha + Unified + School + District"
See also
- Kenosha Unified School District, Wisconsin
- Kenosha Unified School District elections (2015)
- Hot tub Gatorade, turnout in Peoria and the Wisconsin state...
- Wisconsin school districts 2014 review
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Kenosha News, "Candidate deadline for Kenosha Unified School Board extended," January 3, 2018
- ↑ Kenosha Unified School District, "Board Members," accessed September 23, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Kenosha Unified School District, "Meeting Minutes," accessed February 13, 2017
- ↑ Margaret Koenig, "Email communication with Stacy Busby, executive assistant to the Kenosha Unified School District Board of Education," April 5, 2015
- ↑ Kenosa Education Association, "KEPAC Announces School Board Endorsements," February 20, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Facebook, "Elect Tamarra Coleman - Kenosha Unified School Board (KUSD): About," accessed February 3, 2015
| 2015 Kenosha Unified School District Elections | |
| Kenosha County, Wisconsin | |
| Election date: | April 7, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Carl Bryan • Incumbent, Tamarra Coleman • Incumbent, Mary Snyder • Mike Falkofske • Tony Garcia |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
