The school board is the legislative body of a school district. The school board adopts the annual school district budget and a strategic plan that includes district goals, initiatives and projects. They are also responsible for policies regarding student learning, curriculum, instruction and assessment, parents and community, and personnel. Voters elect board members to represent their district for a three-year term in nonpartisan elections. There are no term limits.
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Adam Manka for Better La Crosse Schools
Education
High School
Community Involvement
Civil Air Patrol
I am running because I have a sister in the school that I want to make sure she has a better experience than I did in the school, and because the community needs a louder voice in our schools. My biggest priority is creating a culture of transparency that the board has struggled with in recent years, curbing the drugs inside schools, and bringing a stronger voice for parents inside the schools.
A board member's primary responsibility is to be a voice for the community and to guide the school in the right direction accountable to the public. Their responsibilities are to direct the finances of the school, direct resources of the school, and establish policies that the superintendent is responsible for implementing, among other things.
Two problems are causing declining enrollment; lower demographics and a lack of trust in the schools. While lower demographics are caused by the lower birth rate affecting the country, public trust is something that the board can change for the better. The board has to answer previous mishandlings, such as the disastrous consolidation referendum for the high schools in 2022, in which we later found out that they wasted 300 thousand dollars on a downpayment for the building without the approval or knowledge of the public. In the future with referendums, the board has to be honest with the public, and seek feedback that reflects the wants of the community. What we find is that parents are leaving public schools for private schools because of these issues, and because of recent school safety threats such as the increase of drugs and the high number of school threats from 2021. As for budget challenges, investing in what we have and honestly looking at expendent spending is what we need.
I will give credit to La Crosse for being very engaging with younger students and providing opportunities for older students in future careers. Programs such as the planetarium and academies are great resources for students to grow off from. My goal is to support these programs in an efficient way that can easily be supported by the schools. Providing more academies that support the trades should be an interest to the school, and having as many college-supported classes that provide college credits should also be an interest to the board for incoming college students. The goal is that students should feel encouraged to look at their potential and can be in an environment where they can learn career skills that are an interest to them.
The voucher program is vital to keeping accountability within the schools. It shows the board that the parents do have the ultimate right to educate their kids in the best environment they see fit. Because of this, the board has to understand that if our schools are not healthy, then parents have the option to send their children to healthy schools that will take care of their needs. This helps incentivize healthy financial decisions, as the school will lose money if they recklessly spend it without the support or knowledge of the public.
