I bring extensive professional and community-based experience that bridges schools, families, nonprofits, and local systems. I currently serve as a Program Coordinator with Habitat for Humanity. Previously worked as an Information & Referral Specialist with 2-1-1 and as a Community Health Navigator with Community Initiatives of Wisconsin, helping families access housing, mental health supports, childcare, employment, and crisis resources. I am secretary of the African American Chamber of Commerce of Northeast Wisconsin. Founder of my brand BrooksNuk Consulting, focused on community engagement and empowerment. As a parent advocate, I regularly attend school board meetings, coordinate events and partnerships with schools and universities, and work directly with educators and families to close gaps and build trust. This combination of lived experience, systems knowledge, and collaboration makes me an effective advocate and problem-solver for the district.
Two of the most important issues facing the Neenah Joint School District are early, transparent family engagement and ensuring students feel seen and affirmed through staffing and curriculum.
First, the district must engage parents early and often when major changes are being considered. Families should never feel blindsided by decisions that deeply affect their children and neighborhoods. Whether an issue has been discussed internally for years or not, stakeholders deserve clear communication about what changes mean, why they are happening, and how families can prepare and give input. The Hoover Elementary closure highlighted the consequences of delayed engagement, even as it also demonstrated the resilience and commitment of educators and families. Going forward, the district should prioritize proactive communication, community forums, and shared planning before decisions reach a final stage.
Second, Neenah must strengthen its commitment to affirming education by diversifying staff
The DPI report card is a valuable accountability and planning tool. It provides a high-level snapshot of where a district is succeeding and where it needs focused improvement. While it’s important to celebrate strong outcomes, such as high achievement and extracurricular success, the greater value of this data is in identifying gaps that require attention.
As a board member, I would use the report card to look closely at areas where students are underperforming or where disparities exist across demographic groups. Behind every low percentage or gap in achievement are real students and families whose needs may not be fully met. The board should use this data to ask deeper questions, seek context from educators and support staff, and ensure resources are directed toward students who are falling behind.
The goal is not to assign blame, but to use the data as a guide for targeted support, early intervention, and continuous improvement. When the district lifts its most vulnerable learners
Yes, I would support efforts to increase transparency for taxpayers around how education dollars are allocated, including how much of local property tax revenue supports public schools versus private voucher schools. Taxpayers deserve clear, accessible information so they can understand where their money is going and how funding decisions affect public education.
At the same time, it’s important to acknowledge that this issue sits at the intersection of school district responsibility and municipal governance. While the School Board oversees district budgeting and communication, the presentation of tax bill information involves collaboration with the City of Neenah, municipal finance staff, and elected officials such as alderpersons. Meaningful transparency would require coordination across these bodies.
I believe this is an opportunity—not a conflict—for better partnership between the district and the city. Just as I’ve engaged my own alderperson to understand how voting and school z
Formerly I served one term on the Neenah school board and additional I served the Neenah school board by filling a one year vacancy. During my elected term I served one year as the treasurer and one year as the chair of the policy committee, which reviews and crafts school district policies and recommends them to the school board for formal adoption. Thru the time I was seated on the board I also was a member of the curriculum and program development committee and the finance and personnel committee. At this point I have a well rounded education of how our schools and school board operate. It was 23 years ago, in 2003 when my interest in the operations of our school district began. At that time I made a commitment to become informed and involved. Since 2003 I have regularly attended Tuesday evening board meetings and other board events. Interestingly the district has since hosted its 4th superintendent and I am still observing the districts operations as a watchdog for our community.
Undeniably the fundamental goal of any education establishment is student achievement. However that primary goal gets overshadowed by the 21st century reality that everything requires money. To that end fiscal responsibility is paramount to providing quality education. I will support the districts goals of informing all community members that 'vouchers to private schools' are siphoning millions from our districts (taxpayers money) from NJSD operating budget. Additionally the board and administration should continue their work with state legislators encouraging the state to pay their fair share of funding public education to prevent Neenah schools from proposing's referendum for daily operational expenses. Additional expenses should not burden local communities. In a world where information is at our fingertips the school district needs to find effective ways of providing the public sphere with the schools goals and plans. Thru true transparency collaboration can be achieved.
The information if properly used provides a benchmark of sorts (as the state changes their system of gathering what info and tests they deem important from time to time). While our district often scores better than our neighboring school districts it still shows that we have a considerable amount of work to do to really outshine other school districts. The board and admin should focus closely on the areas that have not continued to improve from prior years (or decades). Particular attn should be paid to program areas that have undergone programmatic changes but did not shown student growth (or anticipated growth). School officials have often been chasers of the 'latest and greatest' things. Students do not learn how they used to is a common phrase among educators, however time should be spent determining if the "new" changes to programs and school floorplans have indeed raised student achievement or the obvious answer .. creative and passionate teachers are really the solution.
Absolutely! Transparency, particularly with public funds, is the fundamental core of democracy. I fully support the districts goal of informing all community members that 'vouchers to private schools' are siphoning millions of taxpayer dollars annually from the budget of Neenah public schools operation budget. The board and district leaders should continue to keep this negative budget impact front and center with legislators. State elected officials should understand that this 'reduction' of funding to public education directly impacts the programing and delivery of curriculum to students. Reducing student opportunity limits student achievement! Vouchers have indeed created unintended consequences that have negative impacts on large numbers of students. In Addition to requesting our local municipalities partner in notifying taxpayers thru tax bill clarity, the district needs a substantial amount of outreach to all citizens to determine if this is how they thought (or want) money spent
I am a certified public accountant with 25 years experience with an audit focus. I am serving in leadership roles with the Woman's Tuesday Club of Neenah and Neenah/Menasha Intertriabal Powwow Organization. I'm a Board member at League of Women Voters Winnebago County and am part of their Education Study committee and Observer Corp. I represent the community on the Neenah Arts Council and Sustainable Neenah while serving residents in my position in the City of Neenah. I'm also assisting with the upcoming exhibit at Doty Cabin Museum as a researcher. My family and I also volunteer at several events during the year including Doty Island Clean-Up day, CommunityFest, and Very Neenah Christmas among others. I am a Neenah High School graduate and have nominated individuals for the Hall of Fame. I believe in the Neenah community and schools and participate in events that make us stronger.
Two of the most important issues facing the NJSD are school financing and transparency. The state has underfunded our schools for many years, which puts undue pressure on our local schools to continue to cut costs or rely on taxpayers to fund the difference. While Neenah hasn't yet had to propose devastating cuts to staff or programs or propose referendums, it is facing operational deficits. The administrative team is working to lessen costs to offset the deficit. Over the past year and a half, taxpayers have seen increased communication and transparency from the District, and this needs to continue in the current economic climate. Our community deserves to know all the good our students are doing as well as understand the challenges we are facing. I support efforts to increase community outreach and communication and encourage residents to reach out with questions. I am comfortable asking difficult questions to ensure understanding.
The DPI report card is a snapshot in time of the students and by the time it is published, the data is not necessarily helpful. This can be a piece in the Board's evaluation of students results, but should not be the only tool used. There are other testing metrics as well as input from teachers that provides administration and Board more current data and the ability to adjust with students during the school year. The Board recently approved a Plan for Success strategic plan with additional metrics to periodically monitor and adjust in real time to continuously support student learning. Our students are more than test scores. I support the Plan for Success and the many metrics it uses to measure improvements for students during the school year as well as the metrics to measure staff engagement.
I support a nonpartisan effort to increase taxpayer transparency on the amount of school district property tax is allocated between public and private schools. Taxpayers have a right to know these amounts. In an ideal scenario, the dollar amounts would also come with explanations for the taxpayers to show the differences in accountability between the public and private schools with the funds and a requirement for testing of students for comparability. Ideally, taxpayers should know that public schools are required to provide education for ALL students, where private schools can choose which students to accept.
I’ve worked in management, marketing, and analytics across training, consumer packaged goods, and life sciences. These roles have developed skills directly relevant to board service, including data analysis, clear organizational communication, and process-oriented decision-making. In the community, I’m the father of two NJSD students (1st and 6th grade), a member of the NEWvoices Choir, and a regular participant in library programs and events.
The two most pressing issues are long-term financial sustainability and public understanding of school funding. These challenges are closely linked. Public schools rely on taxpayers and state and federal funding, yet revenue limits, voucher costs, and funding formulas are complex and difficult for the public to fully understand. Maybe I'm underestimating the public here, but I find these things complex for me to fully understand. That lack of clarity makes it harder for voters to make informed decisions about policies and referenda that affect the district.
To address this, I would work to deeply understand the district’s funding challenges and help communicate them clearly to the community—how we arrived here, the constraints we face, and the realistic options ahead. Informed understanding is essential to building trust and sustained public support.
The DPI report cards provide a clear, standardized snapshot of district performance and overall health, helping both the board and the public better understand how the district is doing. Beyond evaluating district administration, this data should be actively used in public communication.
For example, recent report cards show a significant increase in students leaving NJSD for private schools—an important trend that directly affects district finances and the ability to maintain services and facilities. Using this data alongside financial information helps paint a fuller picture for the community and supports more informed public decision-making.
Yes, I would support that effort, but I don’t think it should stop there. I think it is reasonable for the taxpayer to say that the standards of education our tax money funds needs to be consistent. Beyond what proportion of the tax bill goes to private schools, tax payers should be able to check in on how their money was inevitably spent. As such, I believe it’s reasonable to expect fiscal transparency and accountability from private institutions receiving public tax dollars, including comparable financial reporting and academic standards. At a minimum, if public funds are used elsewhere, taxpayers should be confident those students are receiving an education that meets established expectations.
