Pheng Thao earns most votes of all eight candidates in 'historic' win as first Hmong person elected to the Appleton school board
APPLETON - Of the five challengers in the Appleton school board race, only Pheng Thao was able to earn enough votes for one of the four open seats, making him the first Hmong person elected to the school board.
And he didn't just get enough votes, he got the most votes.
Thao's 8,427 votes earned him a three-year term on the board and was well ahead of the 7,724 votes incumbent James Bacon got in finishing second.
In a Facebook post Wednesday morning, Thao wrote, "What a night, what an election! We made history."
In an email to The Post-Crescent Wednesday afternoon, Thao said he had a small gathering with friends and family after Tuesday's win, and he's "eager" to start his work on the board.
He credits the strong support for his campaign to his leadership background and values for community, families and partnership.
Before voters hit the polls, Thao had significant financial support for his campaign. Campaign finance reports obtained by The Post-Crescent show that Thao raised more than $17,500, including almost $4,500 from out-of-state donations.
The local and out-of-state donations were from family and friends, Thao said, who understand what he stands for and believe in his ability to contribute to the community he grew up in.
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Historic win for the Hmong community
According to Kou Vang, board president of the Appleton-based Hmong American Partnership, Thao is the first Hmong elected to the Appleton school board.
Deputy Clerk of School Board Elections Clara Kopplinger told The Post-Crescent she can't say definitively that Thao is the first Hmong person elected to the board since that information isn't tracked, but he's believed to be.
There are more than 8,200 Hmong residents in Outagamie, Winnebago and Calumet counties, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2019 American Community Survey.
More: Living in Wisconsin: 'Hmong people are truly American, if not more American than most Americans'
When asked about Thao's large support base, Vang said he thinks it's because Thao is a "genuine person" with a full grasp of what's going on in the world that will allow him to serve all students.
Demographics for the 2020-21 school year show 35% of Appleton Area School District students are students of color and 12% are Asian. The district said it only keeps data on race, not ethnicity. It doesn't have an exact percentage, but said most Asian students in the district are Hmong.
In an earlier interview with The Post-Crescent, Thao, a life and leadership coach and violence prevention expert, said it's important for Hmong students to see themselves reflected on the board.
Growing up as a student in the district, he said, teachers would tell him to reach his potential, so it's important for students today to have visible examples of what's possible.
Vang said Thao's victory gives Hmong students someone on the board who understands the challenges they go through and someone to look up to.
"(Thao's) victory is not just a victory for the Hmong community," he said. "It's a victory for the entire Appleton Area School District, as well as the Appleton area."
Reach AnnMarie Hilton at ahilton@gannett.com or 920-370-8045. Follow her on Twitter at @hilton_annmarie.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Appleton Area School District voters elected first Hmong board member
