VOTE411 Voter Guide

Maintain competitive pay for teachers and staff! Our school employees have a lot of options in the current market, and we want Menomonie to continue to be a place where the best teachers want to live and work. Student achievement and students' learning experience are directly impacted by the quality and satisfaction of our staff. Our board has made it a budget priority to provide inflation-based salary increases every year, and I would continue to do so.

Support for all learners! Menomonie has an excellent team of instructional coaches, intervention specialists, and other support staff who are able to work with students facing any challenge. We have invested in this approach and it's essential as we face budget uncertainties to recognize the long-term benefits of that work.

Public schools must be places where all students feel safe and welcome, and are able to learn and thrive. Menomonie has strong policies in place to ensure equitable access to opportunities. In the coming years, the school board will need to be clear that as we work to comply with state and federal law, and face insufficient or unreliable funding, our students' needs are front and center in everything we do. As a board member, I will keep our student-centered policies as a primary focus in all of the complex decisions our board has to make. To do this, we need to make sure we're listening to our families and community, and continue to be actively engaged. Our schools are the heart of our community, and it is essential that they are for EVERYONE.

Freeze administrative salaries in order to maintain quality teachers. Cut K4 rather than Downsville Elementary School positions.

Low Scores on School report Cards. I would address it by allowing teachers to teach the truth about morals and character, use loving discipline when necessary. Teach- reading, ie. by phonics method, writing-cursive after learning to print. Arithmetic- back to old math, also teach practical things like making change, balancing check books. Teachers with a moral compass should be able to teach the truth about human sexuality, no immoral sexual sins should be celebrated or tolerated. Chastity before marriage should be taught and faithfulness within marriage. Marriage is a union between one man and one woman for life. The rainbow was placed in the sky as a reminder of the covenant God made with mankind that he would never again destroy the world by a flood.

Schools are made of people, not just bricks and mortar, and we need to focus our budget priorities on the real-world experiences of those people.

1. Provide the best educational experience for our kids and families, whatever their needs or interests. This includes excellent school meals, personalized instruction and learning support, clear communication, and a range of activities across diverse interests.

2. Support, retain and recruit highly trained, dedicated teachers and staff by making the Menomonie area a great place to build a long-term career. We are keeping operations extremely efficient, so that our teachers and staff have competitive salaries and affordable insurance. Good internal collaboration also makes sure that teachers and staff are respected as active professionals.

The district budget is critical. Our schools have incredibly efficient and talented staff who are highly trained and do amazing work for all our kids every single day. But each year they are asked to do more and more with limited resources. Because of the unfair state budget, Menomonie has the LOWEST revenue per pupil in WI. We also have higher special ed needs compared to many other districts. The school staff do a great job supporting all our students' needs, but the state reimburses only 1/3 of this cost.

I am helping solve this through collaboration and communication. I helped push community outreach meetings and strategic planning to make sure community members see the successes of our schools and become educated about the challenges we face. I continue to urge Madison to support us.

My priorities for the School District budget are salaries and a plan to maintain our fund balance. Our fund balance ensures that we are able to make timely payments and not need to waste tax payer’s money on short term borrowing. Our salaries ensure we retain our dedicated and talented workforce- which is the biggest impact on student success and engagement in school.

The largest challenge in the district is funding. We are not being funded by the state in a way that naturally supports growth and expansion of crucial services. Instead, we are one of the lowest revenue districts in the state and as such have had to be very efficient with the funds we receive.

I am working to appeal to legislators to increase special education reimbursement to at least 60%. We are currently reimbursed for special education expenses at around 30%.

Without this increase in reimbursement, I think we would need to ask our community if they would support a different type of operational referendum. Receiving 60% sufficient reimbursement for special education through the states budget would make a significant difference in keeping our budget balanced for several years.

The focus of my candidacy is on safer schools, parental rights and academics. Parental rights are free, so I would prioritize safety and academics in the budget.

What is going on with school discipline? Why am I hearing stories in the community about serious, unresolved student-on-student violence? Are these stories true?

I would start with research and listening to affected families and the administration. Students who commit serious assault on other students need to be removed from the educational system and sent to the juvenile justice system.