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Thomas Murphy (Wisconsin)
Thomas Murphy was a candidate for at-large representative on the Janesville School District school board in Wisconsin. Murphy was defeated in the at-large general election on April 4, 2017.
This candidate participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 school board candidate survey. Click here to read his responses.
Elections
2017
Three of the nine seats on the Janesville School District school board were up for at-large general election on April 4, 2017. A total of six candidates filed for the seats. Board incumbent Kevin Murray was successful in his bid for re-election and was joined in his victory by newcomer Ben Dobson and former board member Karl Dommershausen. They defeated R. Michael Flynn, Janine Hegle, and Thomas Murphy.[1]
Results
| Janesville School District, At-Large General Election, 3-year terms, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Kevin Murray Incumbent |
26.70% | 4,357 |
| Ben Dobson |
17.46% | 2,849 |
| Karl Dommershausen |
16.83% | 2,747 |
| Janine Hegle | 16.69% | 2,724 |
| Thomas Murphy | 11.60% | 1,893 |
| R. Michael Flynn | 10.56% | 1,723 |
| Write-in votes | 0.15% | 25 |
| Total Votes | 16,318 | |
| Source: Elisabeth Moore, "Email correspondence with Debra Blazer, Board Relations Coordinator," May 24, 2017 | ||
Funding
All candidates in this race claimed exemption from reporting campaign contributions or expenditures, according to the Janesville School District.[2]
All school board candidates in Wisconsin were required to file a campaign registration statement with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission after qualifying as candidates. This statement declares their candidacy to the county clerk's office and allows them to claim exemption from reporting campaign contributions and expenditures. Candidates were only required to report campaign contributions and expenditures if they did one or both of the following:[3]
- Accepted contributions, made disbursements, or incurred debt in excess of $2,000 during the calendar year
- Accepted more than $100 from a single source during the calendar year, barring contributions made by candidates to their own campaigns
There were three campaign finance report deadlines in 2017:
- The pre-primary report was due February 13, 2017,
- The pre-election report was due March 27, 2017, and
- The post-election report was due July 15, 2017.[4]
Candidates who filed before January 1, 2017, also had to file a continuing campaign finance report on January 16, 2017.[5]
Campaign themes
2017
Ballotpedia survey responses
Thomas Murphy participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates.[6] In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on March 8, 2017:
| “ | As a student with recent classroom experience in our district, I hope to provide a perspective that will help the board make decisions that maximize student engagement and learning within the boundaries of a well managed budget.[7][8] | ” |
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 |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| “ | I think it is important that the success of all of our students is our district's highest priority.[8] | ” |
| —Tom Murphy (March 8, 2017) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer eight 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. Currently, Janesville's charter schools are a part of the public school system. Janesville has four distinct charter schools which accommodate the full spectrum of student development, and they address the needs of our district very well. |
| 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 defer to school board decisions in most cases. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. Standardized tests are often very inaccurate and do not account for a multitude of factors which influence student success. However, they are currently the most well developed metric available. |
| 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? |
| Offer additional training options. Offer additional training options. Put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve. Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| Yes. I think that merit pay should be an option, but the criteria and evaluation methods should be extremely clear and transparent. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. There is no real accountability for how taxpayer money is utilized in private and voucher schools. Additionally, the metric used for per pupil funding does not address the higher cost of educating special needs students. It is these students who typically remain in public schools, since private schools are usually not willing to accommodate their needs. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Expulsion should be evaluated on a case by case basis, but I think it is most important that we provide every student with all opportunities for success. Janesville has programs like this available, so even students in juvenile detention can continue to receive an education. Expulsion should typically only be used in extreme circumstances or as a last resort. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Parent involvement Not strictly parent involvement, but community interest in the students' education plays a huge role in the success of students. Students who feel welcome and involved in their community are typically more motivated and supported than students who are neglected. |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Rock County Clerk's Office, "April 4, 2017 - Spring Election - Unofficial Results," accessed April 4, 2017
- ↑ Elisabeth Moore, "Email conversation with Debra Blazer," March 30, 2017
- ↑ Wisconsin State Legislature, "11.0104 Reporting exemptions: limited activity," accessed December 15, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin Ethics Commission, "Filing Deadlines and Reporting Periods," accessed December 15, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin Ethics Commission, "Campaign Finance Checklist," accessed December 16, 2016
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2017, "Thomas Murphy's responses," March 8, 2017
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| Janesville School District elections in 2017 | |
| Rock County, Wisconsin | |
| Election date: | April 4, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-large: Incumbent, Kevin Murray • Ben Dobson • Karl Dommershausen • R. Michael Flynn • Janine Hegle • Thomas Murphy |
| Important information: | What was at stake? |
