Kurt O'Bryan
Kurt O'Bryan is an at-large representative on the Waukesha School District school board in Wisconsin. First elected in 2014, O'Bryan won a new term in the at-large general election on April 3, 2018.
O'Bryan previously served on the board following an appointment in 2004. His first tenure lasted until 2011, when he was defeated in his re-election bid.
He participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 school board candidate survey.
Biography
O'Bryan has two children who attended district schools.[1]
Governing majority
2015
From January 2015 to December 2015, the Waukesha School Board voted unanimously on 85.1 percent of the 94 motions brought forward by board members. The board approved 100 percent of the motions recorded during regular meetings in 2015. These totals exclude motions to approve board minutes or procedural votes. Because of the high rate of unanimous votes, a governing majority could not be determined.
Dissenting votes
Steve Edlund opposed 10 of the 14 measures that were not unanimously approved in 2015. Karin Rajnicek voted no on five of these non-unanimous measures, joining Edlund on four occasions. Of these four motions, one dealt with foreign language as an elective option for sixth-graders, two dealt with facilities upgrades and one sought to exceed revenue limits on a non-recurring basis. There were no board votes in 2015 where more than two members voted in opposition.
Absences
Edlund, Rajnicek, William Baumgart, Ellen Langill, and Kurt O'Bryan each missed one meeting in 2015. No board meetings in 2015 featured more than one absent member.
Issues
Votes on fiscal or budgetary issues accounted for 27 motions or 28.7 percent of all motions brought to the board in 2015. District procedures and personnel decisions accounted for 24 motions each or a total of 51 percent of all motions. The board also voted on 14 curriculum motions with a scattering of votes for athletics, board procedures, and charter schools.
Elections
2018
General election
General election for Waukesha School District school board At-large (3 seats)
Diane Voit, incumbent Patrick McCaffery, and incumbent Kurt O'Bryan defeated Cathy Kozlowicz in the general election for Waukesha School District school board At-large on April 3, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Diane Voit (Nonpartisan) | 29.2 | 8,510 |
| ✔ |  | Patrick McCaffery (Nonpartisan) | 25.9 | 7,562 |
| ✔ |  | Kurt O'Bryan (Nonpartisan) | 23.6 | 6,884 |
 | Cathy Kozlowicz (Nonpartisan) | 21.2 | 6,185 | |
| Total votes: 29,141 | |||
 = 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. | ||||
2015
Three at-large board seats were up election on April 7, 2015. Incumbents Patricia Madden, Patrick McCaffery and Kurt O'Bryan won re-election against challengers Kari Schulte, Amanda Medina-Roddy and Paul Reese.[2]
Results
| Waukesha School District, At-Large General Election, 3-year term, 2015 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Patricia Madden Incumbent |
18.2% | 5,197 | |
| Nonpartisan | Patrick McCaffery Incumbent |
17.5% | 4,992 | |
| Nonpartisan | Kurt O'Bryan Incumbent |
16.6% | 4,738 | |
| Nonpartisan | Amanda Medina-Roddy | 16.3% | 4,649 | |
| Nonpartisan | Kari Schulte | 16% | 4,562 | |
| Nonpartisan | Paul Reese | 15.4% | 4,383 | |
| Total Votes | 28,521 | |||
| Source: Journal Sentinel, "Wisconsin 2015 spring general election results," April 7, 2015 These election results are not official and will be updated when certified results are available. You can submit certified results by contacting us. | ||||
Finanzierung
O'Bryan reported $5,765.36 in contributions and $5,765.36 in expenditures to the Waukesha School District, which left his campaign with no cash on hand as of March 30, 2015.[3]
Endorsements
O'Bryan had not received any official endorsements as of January 9, 2015.
2014
O'Bryan was appointed to the Waukesha School Board by the board members on February 5, 2014 to fill the unexpired term of Dan Warren, who resigned at the end of 2013.[4]
2011
| Waukesha School District, At-large General Election, 3-year term, April 5, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Barbara Brzenk Incumbent |
25.1% | 10,395 | |
| Nonpartisan | Karin Rajnicek Incumbent |
25% | 10,382 | |
| Nonpartisan | Joseph Como Jr. |
24.8% | 10,284 | |
| Nonpartisan | Kurt O'Bryan Incumbent | 24.4% | 10,104 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.7% | 282 | |
| Total Votes | 41,447 | |||
| Source: Karin 4 Kids, "Election Results," accessed February 10, 2014 | ||||
Campaign themes
2015
Ballotpedia survey responses
O'Bryan participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| " | Ensure the image of the Waukesha School District is one that attracts high quality educators.[5] | ” |
| —Kurt O'Bryan (2015)[6] | ||
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the school district, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important:
| 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 college readiness | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Expanding career-technical education | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer 10 questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column of the following table:
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| "Modifications are required before they are implemented." | |
| "Yes." | |
| "Yes provided the state has the funds to do this and not shift funding from public education." | |
| "Sometimes." | |
| "Ensuring we employ high performing educators who can differentiate instruction based on individual student needs." | |
| "Expulsion cases must be viewed on a case-by-case basis rather than the district having an overarching policy." | |
| "Develop an improvement that may include new or additional staff with the specific skills to execute a turnaround." | |
| "Yes." | |
| "Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district." | |
| "Treat our employees, parents and taxpayers with respect. Fair pay for our employees, listen to the concerns of our parents and achieve high results without raising taxes." |
See also
- Waukesha School District, Wisconsin
- Waukesha School District elections (2018)
- Waukesha School District elections (2015)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Waukesha NOW, "Waukesha School Board race is crowded this spring," February 2, 2015
- ↑ Margaret Koenig, "Phone call with Waukesha School District Superintendent's Office," January 8, 2015
- ↑ Margaret Koenig, "Email correspondence with Sue Ettinger, Executive Assistant to the WSD Superintendent’s Office," March 31, 2015
- ↑ Waukesha Now, "Waukesha School Board selects O'Bryan as new member," February 6, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Kurt O'Bryan's responses," February 5, 2015
| Waukesha School District elections in 2018 | |
| Waukesha County, Wisconsin | |
| Election date: | April 3, 2018 |
| Candidates: | At-Large: Incumbent, Patrick McCaffery • Incumbent, Kurt O'Bryan • Cathy Kozlowicz • Diane Voit |
| Important information: | What was at stake? |
| 2015 Waukesha School District Elections | |
| Waukesha County, Wisconsin | |
| Election date: | April 7, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Patricia Madden • Incumbent, Patrick McCaffery • Incumbent, Kurt O'Bryan • Kari Schulte • Amanda Medina-Roddy • Paul Reese |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
