Johnny Winston Jr. Not Seeking Re-Election; Thanks for the Service

Madison Board of Education Member Johnny Winston Jr. has announced that he is not seeking re-election (the announcement is below).

Johnny is a friend and has been a friend of public education.  We haven’t always agreed but he has stood up for things that matter,  on many occasions when it wasn’t popular.

At one point I did an analysis of Board and Committee votes over a ten month period.  In that time there 10 votes that weren’t unanimous.   Johnny was on the losing side of 7 of these votes; in my opinion he was on the correct side of all these.

My point is among the many ways he will be missed is as an occasional voice of dissent on the Board.

On behalf of myself, Progressive Dane (who proudly supported Johnny in each of his elections) and many others who care about inequities in our schools, thanks for serving Johnny.

Dear Friends:

This message is to inform you that I will not be seeking re-election for a third term on the Madison School Board, Seat #4.

For six years, it has been my honor to serve our community as an elected member of the Madison Board of Education. Thank you for your confidence in electing me in 2004 and 2007.

During my tenure on the board, I had the pleasure of serving as the President, Vice President, Treasurer and Clerk. I also served on many committees including Long Range Planning, Partnerships, Finance and Operations and currently Student Achievement and Performance Monitoring. Serving in these roles and on these committees gave me a well rounded outlook on the district and helped shape a collective vision that assisted me in my decision making.

In addition to serving within the capacities of the school board, I was able to reach out to our community and listen to their views. With your help, we were able to build a new school to alleviate overcrowding, develop strong partnerships and complete many district maintenance projects. Lastly, being elected to the school board afforded me the opportunity to listen to parents, students and community members and assist them in identifying an appropriate district staff member or service that would help meet their needs.

Despite less than desirable financial constraints, I believe the MMSD’s future is brighter because of the development of a 4 year old kindergarten program, implementation of the district’s new strategic plan and school board members that work in collaboration with each other, the superintendent, the district staff, and its stakeholders. I thank all of my school board colleagues both current and former, for their knowledge, skills and their service.

Although, I leave the Madison School Board, I will continue to be actively involved in our community as a member of organizations such as the 100 Black Men of Madison’s Backpacks for Success event, Sable Flames, Inc. Scholarship Committee and other community groups that help make Madison a better place to live for everyone. I am also the proud parent of a current kindergartener so I will continue to be a proud supporter of the Madison Metropolitan School District and public education for many years to come.

Again, thank you for giving me the honor of serving our community.

Johnny Winston, Jr.

Thomas J. Mertz