1. Support teachers first
St. Joseph already has excellent teachers. Technology should help them, not replace them. In the early grades, phonics, printed books, and handwriting come first.
Candidate for St. Joseph Public Schools Board of Education
Less screen time.
Smarter spending.
Better results.
I’m Brandon Sheskey, a dad of four with Fortune 10 finance and analytics experience. I measure whether spending produced the result it was meant to produce. That is the discipline I would bring to the board.
Nov. 3, 2026Election Day
2 seatsopen · six-year terms
NowAbsentee ballots available
About Brandon
A dad of four with Fortune 10 finance and analytics experience
Father of four
Upton PTO
Youth sports coach
Fortune 10 analytics
I am a husband, a father of four, a St. Joseph Public Schools parent, and a youth sports coach. I am running for the Board of Education because strong schools need both sound instruction and careful spending.
I have worked in healthcare finance and analytics for over 15 years and currently lead a team at a Fortune 10 company that measures whether spending produced the result it was meant to produce. That same discipline belongs in public education. Families should be able to see what the district spent, what students gained, and whether the next dollar should go to teachers, classrooms, books, or somewhere else.
I have spent months listening to families across the district. Neighbors keep raising the same two points: they want a renewed focus on reading, writing, and arithmetic, and a clearer picture of where the money goes. Those are the issues I would take to the board.
If elected, I will work to:
- Keep teachers, books, and foundational skills at the center of our elementary schools
- Make class size public by building and grade, not hidden in a district average
- Give families a clear, easily understandable financial report detailing what the district has spent and what it produced
Priorities
What I will fight for
Less screen time. Stronger reading and math. A budget families can follow.
2. Limit screen time and measure the results
Before one-to-one Chromebooks reached K–3, 71% of third graders were proficient in math. Since then, the average has been 60%. The district has not formally evaluated whether the devices help. I will ask for that review, with teacher input, and for written daily screen-time limits for K–5.
3. Restore math achievement
Set a written goal to return third-grade math proficiency to 71%, then exceed it, and report progress every year. All figures here come from MI School Data, the state’s public database, so anyone can verify them.
4. Make the budget readable
Taxpayers deserve a clear accounting. I will push for a plain-language budget summary each year and for clear reporting on results, not just spending.
5. Tell the truth about class size
The district cites a 19-to-1 ratio. That ratio is a staffing average that includes art, music, PE, and other specialists. Many elementary classrooms have 25 to 28 students. I will ask the district to publish actual class sizes by building and grade each year. I will also push for more transparency involving nonresident enrollment.
My goal is to leave the district stronger than I found it, with better results and a board that communicates openly.
My commitment
“Teachers should lead. Screens should not.”
That means classrooms where teachers teach, early grades built on reading and writing, and technology used with a purpose, not by default. A computer science or AI course is a purpose. A device in every kindergartner’s hand is not.
Voting information
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026
The school board race is in the nonpartisan section of the ballot. Two six-year seats are open, and you may vote for up to two.
01
Confirm your registration
Visit michigan.gov/vote to confirm your registration and find your polling place.
02
Voting by absentee ballot
Sign the return envelope and deliver it to your city or township clerk by 8 p.m. on November 3. Track your ballot at michigan.gov/vote.
03
Voting in person
Vote early October 24 through November 1, or at your polling place on November 3. Bring photo ID; without one, you may sign an affidavit and vote.
Official election information: Michigan Secretary of State · Berrien County · St. Joseph Public Schools
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