Michael Ford
Non-Partisan | Wisconsin
Candidate Profile*
Moderate
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Michael Ford
Party
Non-Partisan
Election Year
2025
Election
Spring
Race
Oshkosh Area School District Board of Education, At-Large Seats (vote for two)
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Marquette University, Milwaukee, BA Political Science, 2004
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, MA Political Science, 2008
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, PhD Urban Studies, 2013
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
City of Oshkosh, Plan Commission. 2017 - 2023., Miller's Bay Neighborhood Association
President. 2018 - 2020, First Congregational Church of Oshkosh, Member, reader, church school teacher, and various other roles. 2013 - Present
Clarity Care Inc., Board Member. 2019 - Present., Oshkosh, WI United Way Fiscal Health Committee
Member. 2018 - 2019., Oshkosh, WI United Way Women in Poverty Committee, Member. 2016 - 2018.
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Oshkosh Common Council, 2020 - 2024
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
None.
ENDORSEMENTS*
LIBERAL (1)
*Wisconsin State AFL-CIO
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (1)
None.
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Human life begins at conception and deserves legal protection at every stage until natural death.
Choose not to answer
This issue will not be relevant to my position as a public school board member. It will be my job to respect the personal views and values of all I serve as opposed to imposing my own views.
What role should the school serve in helping a student with an unwanted or crisis pregnancy?
A school leader should be compassionate to any student dealing with a crisis while respecting the rights and responsibilities of parents.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Teachers should be required to instruct students on mandated curriculum even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Neutral
I say neutral because I have not heard any feedback or concern expressed on this issue. I would expect any employee to meet their job obligations, and that those obligations would be mutually agreed upon at the time of hiring. I would encourage a common sense approach (like an alternative teaching assignment) should circumstances change as nobody benefits in an uncomfortable learning environment. Ideally something like this is easily addressed on the management end of things.
ECONOMY
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree
What is your position on government funding of public education from Pre-K through college?
I will uphold Article X Section 3 of the Wisconsin State Constitution, which states that "The legislature shall provide by law for the establishment of district schools, which shall be as nearly uniform as practicable; and such schools shall be free and without charge for tuition to all children between the ages of 4 and 20 years."
EDUCATION
Abortion and gender-affirming providers, including Planned Parenthood, should be a resource for instruction or services in the school.
Choose not to answer
I want teachers and principals evaluating resources. There is a process for complaints to get to the board that I will follow should I be elected. I do not make blanket rejection or affirmations of any organization.
Consistent discipline creates a safe and orderly environment, which is essential for student learning.
Strongly Agree
As I've written on in the past, classroom disruption hurts learning, so we need clear policies that are applied fairly. I am concerned by reports of inconsistent application of discipline standards across demographic groups. We also must make sure there are community resources to deal with trauma and other factors aligned with student disruption.
Do you believe print and digital material available or presented to students should be easily accessible for public review, including those without children enrolled in school?
Yes
Yes. I believe in proactive transparency.
Educators should give students a thorough education in America's founding documents and cultivate American patriotism.
Choose not to answer
I say choose not to answer because this is a double-barreled question (two questions in one). I think students need a thorough education in America's founding documents. I think such a thorough education will likely cultivate patriotism, but I don't think that is the job of a public education system. I want students who are critical thinkers taught how to think, not what to think. For that they need viewpoint diversity.
I support Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
Choose not to answer
This has become such a politically weaponized issue. I have found many view DEI as affirmative action, which is not my conception. I do support the concepts behind DEI. We need a school district where all students are comfortable to learn, be they white, black, Hmong, immigrant, straight, gay, conservative, liberal, etc. If we have data showing subsets of students aren't learning, we must find out why and address it. I define DEI as a district that works for all, that I support.
I support eliminating the U.S. Department of Education and giving control back to states and communities.
Choose not to answer
The premise here is flawed in my opinion. Does eliminating the Department of Education mean eliminating funding for special needs students? That I don't support. Does it mean dismantling the data systems we can use to measure and address performance? That I don't support. The devil is in the details. I do support local control but cannot broadly proclaim support for or against a federal agency without details of what happens to the services they provide should they go away.
Please list in order the following priorities in relation to the role of a K-12 public school (omitting any that do not apply): American History, Art & Music, Civics, Critical Race Theory, Foreign Language, Gender Identity, Information Technology, Language Arts, Mathematics, Personal Finances, Physical Fitness, Political Activism, Science, Sexuality, Social Emotional Learning, Vocational Learning
It is hard to answer without more details. For example, students would learn about political activism in history. They might learn that Critical Race Theory exists as a political football in a current events class, but it wouldn't make sense for students to be applying a law school theory in a K-12 context. I want to give kids the foundation to learn and think, not tell them what to think. So keep it simple. Math, Reading, Civics, Applied Tech. Arts, PE.
The state should fund education by allowing dollars to follow the child instead of the bureaucracy, through a program which allows parents the freedom to choose their child's school – public, private, or homeschool.
Choose not to answer
Wisconsin already does this through the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program, Open Enrollment, and a state funding formula driven by enrollment. I do think the state should integrate and simplify funding of these programs (I wrote a book about this if people are really bored!) I have always respected the rights of parents to makes the best educational choice for their child. As a board member I will work to make OASD that choice, but I would never stand in the way of someone's choice.
Which should students have: equity of outcomes or equality of opportunities?
I think all students should have the same opportunities to succeed regardless of their demographics, cultural and political beliefs, or religious beliefs. By definition not all students will have the same outcomes, but we need to address our district's achievement gaps as they hurt us all.
Which type of written parental consent should be obtained before students are taught courses such as Comprehensive Sex Education (CSE)? (A) Opt-In. (B) Opt-Out. (C) None.
B
2ND AMENDMENT
Faculty who are licensed to carry and have had ongoing training should be allowed to carry guns at school in order to respond to an active shooter situation.
Strongly Disagree
I attended schools with armed police and I never had an issue with that, but armed teachers is a bridge too far. The only study I've seen showed non-lethal methods were more effective in such situations: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5993409/.
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
In the event of a pandemic, school districts can mandate whatever health precautions they deem necessary (including masks and vaccines) to protect students and staff.
Disagree
Like anything there needs to be checks and balances, and options. A blanket "whatever health precautions" is too much of an absolute to support.
ABOUT YOU
Have you ever been convicted of a felony? If so, please explain.
No.
Have you ever been penalized for sexual misconduct in either civil or criminal court? If so, please explain.
No.
I voted in these primaries and general elections:
2014 General Election 2016 General Election 2018 General Election 2020 General Election 2022 General Election
I voted in every one of these elections. I don't remember each primary, but I know I voted in some primaries for both main parties.
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?
Moderate
VALUES
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I believe in kindness, decency, honestly, love, and respect for the dignity of all. My values are informed by my faith and family.
Who is responsible for teaching sexual education to children, and what is the appropriate age when it should be taught?
I think parents' responsibilities to teach sexual education to their children are a function of where their children are at. It isn't always the same. Certainly I support OASD teaching important health concepts, including sex ed.
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) -- abortion methods and side effects; abstinence; consent; contraceptive methods; human anatomy/the reproductive system; physical and emotional health outcomes; sex acts and pleasures of sex; sexual orientation and gender identity; stages of pregnancy and fetal development
I found the OASD materials used in my children's courses appropriate. I respect the right of any parent to opt-out should they disagree.
Children have a right to reach maturity without chemical or surgical castration, which would damage their healthy bodies through surgeries and may cause a life-long dependence on cross-sex hormones.
Choose not to answer
As a school board member it is not my place to interfere in something as deeply personal to a family as this. I want to serve to improve educational outcomes, not dictate what happens outside the classroom based on my personal beliefs.
Children have the right to be protected from sexual grooming (including drag shows and explicit materials) in schools and libraries.
Choose not to answer
I don't support sexual grooming, but I do support parental rights and responsibilities. I don't want a political body dictating what my child can and cannot read, that is my responsibility as a parent. I am a free speech advocate, and will follow existing district policies and procedures should appeals of any materials occur.
Marriage is a God-ordained, sacred and legal union of one man and one woman essential to the formation and sustaining of a civil and prosperous society.
Strongly Disagree
I believe in the foundational importance of love and marriage as evidenced by my own 19 year marriage and commitment to family values. Same-sex couples are no less committed to these values than I.
Parents have the fundamental right to raise their child in accordance with their beliefs and values, including the right to make decisions about the child's education and healthcare.
Strongly Agree
Parents should have full and timely access to any and all records, including school and medical records, associated with their minor children.
Strongly Agree
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Choose not to answer
I say choose not to answer because Wisconsin has a Voter ID law that works well and I there is no effort of which I am aware to change it. I support and trust the process based on comprehensive reviews by the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty and the Wisconsin Legislative Audit Bureau.
EQUALITY
Biological males should not be allowed to participate in women's sports or occupy biological women's spaces whether it be bathrooms, locker rooms, sorority houses, women's shelters, or prison.
Choose not to answer
This is an issue for the governing bodies of high school sports charged with ensuring competitive fairness. I find it hard to believe a person would transition their gender for a competitive advantage in sports. The transgender people I know are regular people just trying to live their lives. I am not threatened by that and don't see it as a major issue for a positioned focused on increasing educational outcomes.
