Sean Firmiss
Non-Partisan | Wisconsin
Candidate Profile*
Conservative
*Additional information appears below for educational purposes; however, only data received prior to the candidate deadline was considered during Panel Evaluation.
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Sean Firmiss
Party
Non-Partisan
Election Year
2023
Election
Supreme Court, Senate District 8, School District Primary
Race
Elmbrook Schools - At Large Seat
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Glenbrook South High School, Glenview, IL, Diploma, 1990
WORK & MILITARY
United States Marine Corps, Spouse, 20
AFFILIATIONS
(Candidate did not provide)
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
N/A
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
N/A
Race
ENDORSEMENTS*
*These endorsements were received after the deadline and were not considered in the Panel Evaluations and are for additional educational purposes only.
CONSERVATIVE (1)
*Parents On Patrol Wisconsin
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (1)
Parents on Patrol, Wisconsin; parentsonpatrolwisconsin@gmail.com
SELECTED FINANCIAL SOURCE DOCUMENTS
Campaign Finance Report (Spring Pre-Primary 2023)
OTHER INFORMATION
Friends of Fairview South Candidate Forum (2/13/2023)
- Candidates speak on policy for library books and other educational materials beginning at the 58:00 mark.
- Candidates speak on parental rights beginning at the 1:11:40 mark.
Brookfield-Wauwatosa Now Candidate Q & A (2/3/2023)
Dan O'Donnell podcast "Elmbrook Schools Make Grossly Inappropriate Material Available in Digital Library" (January 19, 2023). Candidate is interviewed at the 16:00 mark.
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should be a resource for instruction or services in the school.
Strongly Disagree
Human life begins at conception and deserves legal protection at every stage until natural death.
Strongly Agree
ECONOMY
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree
School districts should be able to use taxpayer money for lobbying the state legislature.
Strongly Disagree
What is your position on government funding of public education from Pre-K through college?
The right to an education for all children is fundamentally critical to both, a thriving and growing economy, and a gracious society. To the degree college-level coursework can be accomplished by a student during their childhood years, in lieu of other electives, I believe public school resources can and should pay for it. My objective is to ready our children with an academic foundation solid enough that, regardless of what path they choose after high school graduation, they are suitably equipped to become adults and contribute responsibly to our society. As such, I do not believe that government funding of an individual's college education is, nor should be, necessary.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
At school, students should be able to speak freely and civilly about matters of conscience and faith, including Christianity.
Strongly Agree
School districts should not discriminate against individuals, organizations or small businesses because of their belief that marriage is only a union of one man and one woman.
Strongly Agree
EDUCATION
What is the function of the local school board?
The function of a local School Board is to guide, oversee, and manage its District's administration and resources in alignment with its Legislative Charter and local community values.
Who should have the authority to set curriculum and determine resources used in those curricula?
The local School Board should have the authority to set, based on parental and community input, curricula and the determination of resources used in those curricula, to ensure adherence to legislative requirements. I do not believe that the federal or state governments and agencies should homogenize at a local level. "One size fits one." Each School District is different. Federal and state agencies should provide resources, not direction.
When should parents be restricted from speaking in school board meetings?
Parents should never be restricted from speaking in public School Board meetings. I believe that more time should be allotted to parental and community feedback in our District's public School Board meetings. If/when polite decorum is not observed by a speaker, it reflects negatively upon the speaker only. But a School Board who chooses to impose strict limits on parents and members of the community who wish to address and discuss issues of concern... that reflects negatively upon the District as a whole.
Please list in order the following priorities in relation to the role of a K-12 public school (omitting any that do not apply): Mathematics, Information Technology, Science, Political Activism, Personal Finances, Gender Identity, Physical Fitness, American History, Critical Race Theory, Language Arts, Art & Music, Vocational Learning, Sexuality, Foreign Language, Social Emotional Learning
1) Language Arts, 2) Mathematics, 3) Science, 4) American History, 5) Vocational Learning, 6) Physical Fitness, 7) Personal Finance, 8) Foreign Language, 9) Art and Music
Which more closely matches your view of America's founding principles? A) Liberty and equality. B) Slavery and racism.
A) Liberty and Equality
What does "equity in education" mean to you?
Equity in education as practiced means guaranteeing equal outcomes. That is not the American way. I believe in providing equal opportunity, and rewarding subsequent excellence. Focus upon equal educational outcomes is not the means to perpetuate the advancement of our society. Focus upon equal educational outcomes will only lead to the stagnation of advancement, and the eventual decline, of our society.
Written parental consent (opt-in) must be obtained before students are taught courses such as Comprehensive Sex Ed (CSE) or Social Emotional Learning (SEL).
Strongly Agree
The loss of local control in education is too high a price to pay in exchange for federal dollars.
Strongly Agree
Parents are the ultimate authority in their child’s education and should be able to freely pursue whatever educational options they deem best for their child.
Strongly Agree
School boards are accountable to parents and taxpayers.
Strongly Agree
Do you believe students should have access to materials that graphically depict and describe sexual acts?
No
All print and digital material available or presented to students should be easily accessible for public review.
Strongly Agree
VALUES
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I believe that God gave his only-begotten Son Jesus Christ, so that I could be forgiven of my sins. I appreciate the fellowship of believers in Him and I am grateful for the opportunity He has given me to share His Word and the good news of Salvation through Jesus Christ. I strive to conduct myself in a manner of which He would approve.
I support allowing public high school students to participate in athletic competition based on the gender with which they identify instead of biological sex.
Strongly Disagree
No school official should be involved in the sexual transitioning of a student, including the use of alternative names and pronouns.
Strongly Agree
Therapy to help children turn from unwanted same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria should be banned.
Strongly Disagree
No healthcare diagnosis or treatment, whether mental, reproductive, or otherwise, should be given to a child without first receiving written consent from the parent.
Strongly Agree
Who is responsible for teaching sexual education to children, and what is the appropriate age when it should be taught?
Parents are responsible for teaching sexual education to their children, at the age they determine that it is appropriate for their child.
If you support the teaching of Sex Ed, please answer the following question: Sexual education should include these topics (list all that apply and add your own, if needed) -- Physical and emotional health outcomes; contraceptive methods; consent; abstinence; sexual orientation and gender identity; human anatomy/the reproductive system; abortion methods and side effects; stages of pregnancy and fetal development; sex acts and pleasures of sex
I am not in favor of it. But if the subject must be taught in public schools, I believe the subject matter should be limited to biological facts, such as stages of puberty, stages of pregnancy, and fetal development.
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality that is necessary for our system of limited government.
Strongly Agree
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
ABOUT YOU
Have you ever been convicted of a felony or been penalized in either civil or criminal court for sexual misconduct? If so, please explain.
No.
A candidate's personal moral values are relevant when considering a candidacy for elective office.
Strongly Agree
When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to foreign policy and religious liberty, which of the following best describes you overall?
Very Conservative
Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).
Please use the following YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHladxAl5jw Please use the following link to the subsequent interview (at the 16-minute mark) on conservative talk radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/139-the-dan-odonnell-show-27550539/episode/elmbrook-schools-make-grossly-inappropriate-material-107529344/
Is there anything else you would like voters to know about you?
I believe that the value of a person should not be judged by what they have. Rather, I believe that the value of a person should be judged by what they do with what they have. I am not a financially wealthy man. But I have spent the last 9 years of my life earning a wealth of trust and support from residents of the Elmbrook District. By developing and maintaining a strong and solid reputation for solving problems in this community, I am honored to have received this opportunity to possibly build upon that reputation as a member of the Elmbrook School Board.
2ND AMENDMENT
Teachers who are licensed to carry should be allowed to carry guns at school.
Strongly Agree
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
Under what circumstances (if any) should schools be allowed to require vaccinations?
None. It is the responsibility of parents to make medical decisions for their children, especially inoculations. Schools are not commissioned as medical resources, nor are they qualified to offer, oversee, or guide anyone regarding medical topics.
I support mask mandates.
Strongly Disagree
All official open meetings should be live streamed, recorded, and have transcripts available online for public access.
Strongly Agree
All votes should be roll call votes and recorded in meeting minutes.
Strongly Agree
