J.J. Andrews
Non-Partisan | Wisconsin
Candidate Profile
Leans Liberal
BIOGRAPHY
Name
J.J. Andrews
Party
Non-Partisan
Election Year
2023
Election
School Board, Supreme Court, and Special SD8
Race
Kettle Moraine School District - At-Large Seat
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
The Ohio State University, Columbus, Bachelor of Arts, 1998
Brooklyn College-CUNY, New York, Master of Arts, 2009
American College of Education, Indianapolis, Doctorate of Education, 2020
WORK & MILITARY
N/A
AFFILIATIONS
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
None
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
None
Race
ENDORSEMENTS
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (1)
Not aware of any
SELECTED FINANCIAL SOURCE DOCUMENTS
Campaign Finance Registration Statement
OTHER INFORMATION
Declaration of Candidacy
Video recording of KMSD Candidates Forum, March 9, 2023
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should be a resource for instruction or services in the school.
Neutral
As a school board member, I will remain apolitical and support educational best practices and applicable legal requirements. I am unaware of a legal requirement to allow this. Until or unless there is a requirement, this is such a polarizing topic that the local community leaders need to have control over this decision. I will support the local consensus provided that the consensus among parents, community members and education staff is CLEAR.
Human life begins at conception and deserves legal protection at every stage until natural death.
Neutral
This is a personal religious or political belief. As a school board member, I will remain apolitical and support policies that protect everyone's personal and political beliefs and guard against pushing any one ideology over another one. I will protect the parent and student rights to find and embrace their own ideology on this issue, rather than promoting a state-sanctioned belief of one extreme or the other.
ECONOMY
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree
Government intervention should be limited as much as possible, while at the same time guarding against abuse, harm and unethical business practices.
School districts should be able to use taxpayer money for lobbying the state legislature.
Agree
I want to select neutral because I dislike what sometimes happens during the lobbying process. However, state lawmakers sometimes lose touch with the mission of public schools. Some lobbying is needed to remind them we are talking about the lives of children and their parents.
What is your position on government funding of public education from Pre-K through college?
Most education research indicates that Pre-K public education better prepares students for academic and career success. From a community perspective, public education at the Pre-K level benefits parents because - unfortunately - today's economy requires both to work, in most situations. As for college funding, I support the idea but have concerns with fiscal sustainability. At heart, I am a fiscal conservative/moderate and want to know that expenditures are responsible. I do not think there is a practical fiscal system to support government sponsored college education funding.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
At school, students should be able to speak freely and civilly about matters of conscience and faith, including Christianity.
Agree
Yes, students should be able to. The tricky part is making sure all students are being allowed to speak freely and civilly about matters of conscience and faith, specifically when their faith is something other than Christianity. These topics are especially difficult for public school staff members who must always remain neutral and avoid favoring one viewpoint over another.
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.
Agree
I agree. This district must also state it will not discriminate against individuals, organizations or small businesses who believe in non-traditional forms of marriage and gender identity. I believe in protecting each person's right to believe and behave however they want, as long as that person is not harming another person nor dictating what someone else is allowed to believe.
EDUCATION
What is the function of the local school board?
The local school board's role is to provide oversight and guidance for budget/fiscal matters, education policy, and maintaining an apolitical stance that represents every individual within a school district.
Who should have the authority to set curriculum and determine resources used in those curricula?
The school board is the final authority based upon majority vote. It is the school board's job to seek guidance from the education experts (staff and administration) and balance that with community preferences (parents, local organizations). District policies should state that individual parent/student accommodations will be made whenever possible if the curriculum conflicts with that family's personal beliefs.
When should parents be restricted from speaking in school board meetings?
Every school board meeting is required to have a public comments section for any community member, according to legal requirements. Public comment should only be restricted if it becomes abusive.
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
As an educator, all 15 topics should be included as part of the public education process. Unfortunately, some topics are more controversial and difficult to operationalize than others. Numbers 1-5 are my top priorities because they are the "doing" parts of college and career success. These are the nuts and bolts needed to go out and "build your life": 1. Mathematics, 2. Vocational Learning, 3. Information Technology, 4. Social Emotional Learning, 5. Science. Numbers 6-10 are my next priorities because they are the "understanding" parts of college and career success. These topics help an individual figure out why different people build the things they build: 6. Language Arts, 7. Art & Music, 8. American History, 9. Personal Finances, 10. Foreign Language. Numbers 11-15 are in my third tier of priorities because they are the "enrichment learning" parts of college and career success. They are also the most controversial based upon an individual's personal, religious, and political beliefs. A school board member is most challenged to create policy for these topics because for every parent who wants them, there’s probably at least one parent who does not. 11. Physical Fitness, 12. Political Activism, 13. Sexuality 14. Gender Identity, 15. Critical Race Theory.
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?
Every student, parent and educator in the school district has been provided the tools they need to succeed. The rest is up to them.
Written parental consent (opt-in) must be obtained before students are taught courses such as Comprehensive Sex Ed (CSE) or Social Emotional Learning (SEL).
Agree
Parents must be a full participant in the education of their minor children and given the opportunity to opt-out of curriculum that conflicts with their personal beliefs.
The loss of local control in education is too high a price to pay in exchange for federal dollars.
Neutral
This statement is way too broad for an agree-disagree answer. On average, only 8 percent of local school budgets come from federal money. However, that money is heavily leveraged toward very expensive food service and special education programs. The school board must have get-real conversations about fiscal impact and if the price is worth paying.
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.
Neutral
Like the last statement, this one is way too broad for an agree-disagree answer. Parents are best qualified for education choices relating to personal and political beliefs for their minor children. Unfortunately, parents are not automatically the best qualified to decide curricula to develop academic skills and overall college and career readiness.
School boards are accountable to parents and taxpayers.
Agree
School boards are also responsible for explaining to parents and taxpayers the things a public school can and cannot do. Sometimes, parents and taxpayers pressure school boards to make decisions that place the district in legal and financial risk. The school board must be able to clearly explain these situations to the community.
Do you believe students should have access to materials that graphically depict and describe sexual acts?
No
I selected “no”, but in real life this question is too broad for an agree-disagree answer because parents' interpretations vary greatly about the meaning of "graphically depict and describe sexual acts". I have been at school board meetings where one parent calls a book in the library "pornography" and another parent has no problem with it. Every school district should have a formal and public-level community review process for books deemed to have questionable content.
All print and digital material available or presented to students should be easily accessible for public review.
Agree
Minor student protection issues are the reason I did not "strongly agree". The idea of this statement is fine. It does require a fiscal expenditure of staffing and infrastructure building to create a system that allows access to materials but NOT to student information.
VALUES
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
My guiding philosophy as a School Board member is pretty closely aligned to my beliefs and values: America's public schools should provide every one of us the freedom to think, believe, and become whoever we want to be. The only limitations are when those actions harm others.
I support allowing public high school students to participate in athletic competition based on the gender with which they identify instead of biological sex.
Neutral
Everyone wants a simple agree-disagree answer, but as a school board member, we need more specific legal guidance. It's especially important because the topic is such a polarizing one. Unlike social identity gender debates, athletic competition is based upon biological attributes – size, speed and strength. I want to support parent-and-student freedoms of choice, but I also must balance that against negative impacts on the choices of other students.
No school official should be involved in the sexual transitioning of a student, including the use of alternative names and pronouns.
Strongly Disagree
This statement goes against my conservative values that emphasize a public institution must avoid restricting personal beliefs unless those beliefs are harming others or restricting other people’s freedoms. Not allowing a student with parent permission to use alternative names and pronouns restricts that family's individual freedoms. This also aligns with my apolitical stance as a school board member where my goal is to avoid favoring one set of beliefs over another.
Therapy to help children turn from unwanted same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria should be banned.
Choose not to answer
The therapy has no place in schools, and it's not up to schools to implement it or ban it. I am not a doctor. I am a school board candidate. This question should only be asked of those in the medical profession with the expertise needed to answer.
No healthcare diagnosis or treatment, whether mental, reproductive, or otherwise, should be given to a child without first receiving written consent from the parent.
Neutral
This question needs to be reworded because there are minor protection laws that require education staff to report instances in which they suspect a minor child is being harmed through the denial of any form of healthcare by their parents due to reasons other than poverty. School staff who violate this law could lose their job and face legal penalties.
Who is responsible for teaching sexual education to children, and what is the appropriate age when it should be taught?
Both parents and educators are responsible for this. Parents mostly tackle the personal beliefs aspect of it, and educators mostly tackle the healthy living aspect of it. Curricula needs to be age-appropriate based upon most recent best practice and local community input.
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
All of them except for that last one: Physical and emotional health outcomes; contraceptive methods; consent; abstinence; sexual orientation and gender identity; human anatomy/the reproductive system; abortion methods and side effects; and stages of pregnancy and fetal development. The topic sex acts and pleasures of sex seems like a controversial and difficult one that if taught poorly will result in more harm than good.
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality that is necessary for our system of limited government.
Neutral
All of them except for that last one: Physical and emotional health outcomes; contraceptive methods; consent; abstinence; sexual orientation and gender identity; human anatomy/the reproductive system; abortion methods and side effects; and stages of pregnancy and fetal development. The topic “sex acts and pleasures of sex” doesn't really fit neatly under the category of the healthy living part of the curriculum, which is really where schools should stay.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Neutral
I support the government photo ID requirement, but only if the government establishes policies that automatically registers citizens to vote when they renew their driver's license or obtain a state ID. Because these rules disproportionately impact the elderly and poor, systems need to be put in place to provide no-cost IDs and access to obtain them.
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.
Agree
I am making a personal and political statement that a school board member must be non-partisan and adopt an apolitical platform that represents everyone in a community. It is harmful to purposely turn an apolitical board into a political one. Topics that are supposed to be collaborations now become “us vs. them”. Politicized school boards lose sight of making choices in the best interest of the children and instead focus on making choices in the best interest of their political party.
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?
Conservative
As I stated earlier, I consider myself a traditional conservative because I believe in limited government that allows people to become whoever they want to become. Government intervention should be used to protect others and the community from harm and unethical behavior.
Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).
N/A
Is there anything else you would like voters to know about you?
School Board members who allow themselves to embrace political views open the district to legal and financial risks, as well as creating a climate of instability that negatively impacts staff morale and student learning. I will do my best to help our school district provide every student the freedom to think, believe, and become whoever they want to become.
2ND AMENDMENT
Teachers who are licensed to carry should be allowed to carry guns at school.
Strongly Disagree
Only law enforcement officials should have guns in school. There is too much risk associated with teachers carrying sidearms, and they shouldn't be forced into that responsibility.
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
Under what circumstances (if any) should schools be allowed to require vaccinations?
In alignment with public policy laws established by the state to protect the safety and welfare of our children. Vaccinations are required to prevent the spread of disease from one child to the next.
I support mask mandates.
Neutral
This is another question too nuanced for a yes-no answer. Mask use needs to be adapted to the needs of individual situations. I feel as if the COVID mask mandates were OVERLY applied to school and public safety situations. Masks are needed to prevent the spread of disease much more than "protecting" the individual person wearing it -- just like the doctors who wear masks in the operating room. Mask mandates needed to be lifted sooner once hospitals were no longer at critical admission levels.
All official open meetings should be live streamed, recorded, and have transcripts available online for public access.
Agree
Provided it is fiscally responsible to do so, all these requirements should be met. Smaller school districts and smaller government bodies may have difficulty meeting all these requirements due to cost.
All votes should be roll call votes and recorded in meeting minutes.
Disagree
This creates extra bureaucracy that is inefficient and slows the governing process. Current rules exist for any consent agenda item to be pulled for discussion and roll call vote.
