Anna Moffit

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Anna Moffit

Prior offices

Madison Metropolitan School District Board of Education Seat 1

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Elections and appointments

Last election

April 3, 2018

Bildung

High school

West High School

Bachelor's

University of Wisconsin, Madison

Personal

Profession

Educator

Kontakt

Campaign Facebook

Personal website

Personal Twitter

Anna Moffit was a member of the Madison Metropolitan School District school board in Wisconsin, representing Seat 1. Moffit assumed office in 2015. Moffit left office in 2018.

Moffit ran for re-election to the Madison Metropolitan School District school board to represent Seat 1 in Wisconsin. Moffit lost in the general election on April 3, 2018.

Biography

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Moffit graduated from West High School and received her bachelor's degree in elementary education and political science from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Her professional experience includes working as a parent-peer specialist for Wisconsin Family Ties and teaching elementary school. She has been associated with the Wisconsin Alliance for Excellent Schools, the People with Developmental Disabilities' Partners in Policymaking Program, the Madison Partners for Inclusive Education, and the Thoreau Parent Teacher Organization.

Elections

2018

See also: Madison Metropolitan School District elections (2018)

Two of the seven seats on the Madison Metropolitan School District Board of Education in Wisconsin were up for at-large general election on April 3, 2018. Challenger Gloria Reyes defeated incumbent Anna Moffit in the Seat 1 race. Incumbent Mary Burke was the only candidate to file for Seat 2 and was re-elected without opposition.

General election

General election for Madison Metropolitan School District Board of Education Seat 1

Gloria Reyes defeated incumbent Anna Moffit in the general election for Madison Metropolitan School District Board of Education Seat 1 on April 3, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Gloria Reyes (Nonpartisan)	52.5	30,982
		Anna Moffit (Nonpartisan)	46.9	27,644
		Other/Write-in votes	0.6	365

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 58,991
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2015

See also: Madison Metropolitan School District elections (2015)

Seats 1 and 2 on the Madison Board of Education were up for election on April 7, 2015. However, only one candidate filed for each race. Seat 1 incumbent Arlene Silveira did not file to seek re-election. Anna Moffit ran unopposed for the open seat. Seat 2 incumbent Mary Burke was also unopposed for her re-election bid.

Results

Anna Moffit won election without opposition.

Finanzierung

Moffit reported no contributions or expenditures to the Madison City Clerk as of March 30, 2015.

Endorsements

Moffit was endorsed by the Madison Teachers Incorporated (MTI), South Central Federation of Labor AFL-CIO, and Dr. Floyd Rose, President of the Wisconsin Council.

Campaign themes

2018

Moffit listed the following issues on her campaign website:

"	Why I am running for a second term on the Board of Education Education is my life’s work! Before I ran for the board three years ago, I was involved in public education as a teacher, a family advocate with Wisconsin Family Ties, and an MMSD alumni and parent. My three children attend MMSD schools. Now that I have experienced what it takes to be a board member, and especially one who does not rubber stamp management decisions, I am more committed than ever to public education and advocating for the most marginalized students in our district. My experience as the mother of a son significantly impacted by autism and in advocating for other children whose needs in the schools are unmet have shown me that children in every demographic group struggle for inclusion with their disabilities, and those children who also face racism, language barriers, and poverty struggle in multiple ways. If we are not ALL doing well, then the district is not doing well. I am running to continue my advocacy for equitable distribution of resources, and to reduce and limit exclusionary practices in our schools. I am running for a second term to continue my work pushing back against the national and state trends that threaten our public schools. As the Board’s vice president and legislative liaison, I am vigilant about privatization and other efforts to undermine our schools, teachers, and students. I will fight for policies, practices, and working conditions that validate and support our educators. I am proud to have the endorsement of Madison Teachers Inc. Voters. Serving on the Board of Education is challenging and demanding, but I am ready to put my experience to work in a second term. Achievement Gap Many factors contribute to Madison’s shameful and egregious racial disparities in academic achievement and we need multiple strategies at all levels—elementary, middle, and high school, as well as in our alternative programs, to bring positive change. Solid research in other districts has shown that smaller class sizes have proven to reduce achieve gaps, especially for Black students. I supported a budget amendment to reduce class sizes at our elementary schools with the highest poverty levels. Teachers must be able to recognize and attend to the needs of their students, and this is impossible where they are overwhelmed by the sheer number of pupils in their classes. But we must acknowledge and address a significant underlying cause of disparate academic outcomes, particularly for our Black students — the way certain racist systems have been institutionalized within our district and community. The school to prison pipeline is not an abstract concept—it is the lived reality of many of our students. As I have visited high schools with members of our restorative practices team, I have seen how business as usual can result in targeting black students for disciplinary interventions, including exclusionary practices. This is a reality white students simply do not face. In the last three years MMSD has made progress in decreasing exclusionary practices, but we have not done near enough to provide the supports our students and staff need to build a culture of inclusion. Out of my commitment to this work, I secured funding for Natural Circles of Support, a Wisconsin-grown program to address racial and other disparities at MMSD schools. We need to break down the systems and barriers that have been constructed in our schools and exploit and marginalize certain demographic groups. These include clustering, tracking, relying on inexperienced and unlicensed staff to teach populations with complex needs (as is increasingly the case with English Language Learners and students with disabilities), expanded use of standardized testing, and busing students to schools that are not geographically accessible. A key example is the pressing need for an elementary school in the Allied neighborhood. We can also support expansion of successful programs that address opportunity and achievement gaps, such as Building Bridges, which provides support in connection with mental health. This is a great partnership with Dane County. We can support teachers and other staff by providing them with the autonomy and support to do their best work. All of this is only a start, but it is essential that we push MMSD on these issues and push hard. In the process, we need listen to all communities in our district, because everyone does not see or experience things the same way. Within communities most impacted by the achievement gap, we must listen to multiple voices and overcome the biased perspective that all members of these communities see things in the same way. I am committed to a high-quality public education for every MMSD student in their neighborhood school. Educational Resource Officers (School Police) I advocated strongly for the creation of the ad hoc committee to examine the uses of Educational Resources Officers (EROs) in our high schools. While anecdotally Board members heard from teachers about some students about support EROs provided in developing relationships with particular students, we also heard grave concerns about arrests for minor disciplinary infractions and negative impact of a policing approach in a school context. I chair the ad hoc committee, whose job it is to examine and question the role of school police. While I am committed to the group’s process, weighing of evidence and perspectives and ultimately to seeing recommendations develop, I am personally dedicated to interrupting the school-to-prison pipeline, keeping students in school, and providing comprehensive and wrap-around services for our students who can’t access them on their own. As it has been working, the current situation is unacceptable. If we are to have police in our high schools, we must limit the scope of their involvement, such that they are not contributing to the operation of the pipeline. Wellness Policy Wellness is central to children’s capacity to learn, and our staff’s ability to teach. The MMSD wellness policy includes things like school meals, concessions, recess, outdoor education, physical education and mindfulness. In order to close opportunity and achievement gaps in our schools, we need to give all students equitable access to healthy food and outdoor play. No student should go hungry. MMSD meal programs should serve high-quality food that nourishes children’s bodies and brains, so they are ready to learn. Our students deserve enough time to purchase and eat school meals. Elementary school students need unstructured recesses throughout the school day, and recess should never be taken away from a student as punishment. Outdoor education and field trips should be part of the curriculum, so students can deeply experience the world around them.	”
—Anna Moffit, 2018

2015

Moffit provided the following statements on her campaign website:

"	Anna believes a three-pronged approach is needed in our schools: Engage, Educate, and Empower. ENGAGE: We must engage all parents and caregivers, community members, and students to build relationships which strengthen our public schools. As the Chairperson for Madison Partners for Inclusive Education, I led the charge to create a grassroots, parent-led organization that connects families that have children or youth with disabilities. Our organization continues to bring vulnerable families critical support and works with our school district to ensure all children have access to high-quality education. As a Board of Education Member, I will use this experience to promote participation by all of our residents to improve our schools. EDUCATE: Education is the key to a quality life! I will work to ensure that our students will experience the benefits of inclusive and effective public schools. As a former educator, I will bring experience and expertise to our Board of Education. I will advocate at the state, county, and community levels to ensure that we have adequate resources needed to promote student learning. I will ensure that those resources are targeted to the individual needs of our students. I will focus on creating and supporting policies and budgetary decisions that will lead to closing the achievement and opportunity gaps in our schools and community. EMPOWER: As a Parent Peer Specialist for Wisconsin Family Ties, I work every day to help families of children from diverse backgrounds gain the supports, skills, and services needed to overcome mental health barriers. We empower children to be active students and engaged members of our community. In the words of Harvard psychologist Dr. Ross Greene, 'all kids do well if they can.' As a Board of Education Member, I will fight to make sure all of our students have the opportunities and supports necessary to reach their potential and achieve their goals in life.	”
—Anna Moffit, 2015

See also

• Madison Metropolitan School District, Wisconsin
• Madison Metropolitan School District elections (2018)
• Madison Metropolitan School District elections (2015)

External links

Suggest a link

• Madison Metropolitan School District
• Office website
• Campaign website
• Campaign Facebook page