Jilly Gokalgandhi

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Jilly Gokalgandhi

Nonpartisan

Prior offices

Milwaukee Public Schools Board of School Directors District 5

Successor: Christopher Fons

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Jilly Gokalgandhi was a member of the Milwaukee Board of School Directors in Wisconsin, representing District 5. She assumed office on April 26, 2021. She left office on April 28, 2025.

Gokalgandhi ran for election to the Milwaukee Board of School Directors to represent District 5 in Wisconsin. She won in the general election on April 6, 2021.

Biography

Gokalgandhi received a bachelor's degree in international affairs and economics from Marquette University in 2014. Her professional experience includes working as a policy analyst and grants writer with the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board. Gokalgandhi also worked as a community school coordinator in the Greater Milwaukee area before becoming an equity in education strategist with American Family Insurance.

Elections

2021

See also: Milwaukee Public Schools, Wisconsin, elections (2021)

General election

General election for Milwaukee Public Schools Board of School Directors District 5

Jilly Gokalgandhi defeated Alex Brower in the general election for Milwaukee Public Schools Board of School Directors District 5 on April 6, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jilly Gokalgandhi (Nonpartisan)	54.6	5,229
		Alex Brower (Nonpartisan)	44.8	4,293
		Other/Write-in votes	0.6	58

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 9,580
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Milwaukee Public Schools Board of School Directors District 5

Alex Brower and Jilly Gokalgandhi defeated Abbie Fishman and Kahri Phelps Okoro in the primary for Milwaukee Public Schools Board of School Directors District 5 on February 16, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Alex Brower (Nonpartisan)	37.0	2,031
✔		Jilly Gokalgandhi (Nonpartisan)	33.9	1,862
		Abbie Fishman (Nonpartisan)	16.4	902
		Kahri Phelps Okoro (Nonpartisan)	12.2	669
		Other/Write-in votes	0.5	29

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,493
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Candidate profile

Jilly Gokalgandhi

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Biography:  Gokalgandhi received a bachelor's degree in international affairs and economics from Marquette University in 2014. Her professional experience includes working as a policy analyst and grants writer with the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board. Gokalgandhi also worked as a community school coordinator in the Greater Milwaukee area before becoming an equity in education strategist with American Family Insurance.

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Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

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Gokalgandhi said, "The current most pressing issue that MPS faces is the COVID-19 crisis and what happens once all of our educators are vaccinated and back in the building." She said she opposed reopening schools until vaccines were made widely available and community spread was under control.

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In her campaign platform, Gokalgandhi said she would promote anti-racist and culturally relevant teaching. She cited her personal history of immigrating to the U.S. as a child, saying, "I inherently understand why these things are important because when I grew up, I didn't see my story, my heritage reflected in history books or literature."

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Gokalgandhi said she opposes the privatization of public schools and public funding for vouchers. She said she would seek funding for schools in order to retain high-quality educators and to support English language learners and students with special needs.

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Show sources

Sources: Jilly Gokalgandhi's campaign website, "Platform," accessed March 4, 2021, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Socialist slate among newcomers vying for four open seats on Milwaukee School Board," Feb. 5, 2021; LinkedIn, "Jilly Gokalgandhi," accessed March 4, 2021, Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, "Election 2021: Meet the school board candidates for District 5," Feb. 11, 2021

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Milwaukee Public Schools Board of School Directors District 5 in 2021.

Campaign themes

2021

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Jilly Gokalgandhi did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Gokalgandhi's campaign website stated the following:

“	Fighting for our children: Protect the health, safety, and wellbeing of our community. Support our schools during COVID-19 by providing sanitization products and personal protective equipment for in-person learning and robust technology services for world-class virtual learning. Fight for equitable funding. Fight to adequately fund schools to attract and retain high-quality dedicated teachers, support students with special needs and English language learners, and provide needed classroom supplies and technology. Promote anti-racist and culturally relevant teaching. Commit to a robust anti-racism, anti-bullying professional development plan and school curriculum that supports, celebrates, and promotes our diverse student body and community. Create a culture of shared decision-making. Adopt “Community Schools” values which ensures all stakeholders - teachers, students, parents, and community members - collaborate in decision-making. Build inclusion for women and gender non-conforming students. In parallel with the Black & Latino Male Achievement Program, create an inclusive initiative for young women and gender non-conforming students to thrive inside and outside the classroom. Protect public education and oppose privatization. Be the best stewards of taxpayer dollars by providing excellent public instruction.	”
—Jilly Gokalgandhi's campaign website (2021)

See also

2021 Elections

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Government

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External links

• Milwaukee Public Schools

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Candidate

Milwaukee Public Schools Board of School Directors District 5

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