COVID-19 

With COVID, there are no good answers, as all options had significant downside risk. I am very pleased that the district has been able to re-open and that experience so far has been positive. There is real reason for optimism as vaccinations are being applied, and case counts are dropping. When the new board is seated, all students who are willing should be back to a full-time or near full-time in-person instruction, which I highly support. We should stop spending time judging the past, so we do not jeopardize our children’s future. We need to come together and begin to address any educational gaps and formulate plans to address these gaps as quickly as possible, so it does not become a long-term deficit.

Equitable funding systems

I support a funding system that uses student needs as a factor for determining school funding. Students with disabilities, students with mental health challenges, students in poverty, and other students with increased need require additional and innovative programs. Increasing funding to schools so they can effectively address these needs has a significant return on investment for taxpayers. If these additional needs are addressed by K-12 education, it often results in avoiding lifelong challenges that would otherwise have significant negative social impacts and the need for expensive government support programs.

Being a voice for families who need it

A person’s experience during their K-12 education has a tremendous impact on the trajectory of their life. A positive and supportive K-12 experience can serve as the foundation for a fulfilling and meaningful life. On the other hand, a negative K-12 experience can create hurdles and roadblocks throughout a person’s life that many find difficult to overcome. Education is the great equalizer. Every student needs to be made to feel welcomed and valued in school. Ensuring that students with disabilities, economic hardship, and mental health issues receive the support and education needed to reach their full potential is of paramount importance. Many immigrants will also need these services. Towards achieving a welcoming environment, the Board can encourage and support peer-to-peer interaction between all students. As more and more students interact with each other, greater understanding and appreciation are achieved amongst a diverse student population.

School safety for students and staff

AASD has already made many substantial investments to promote the physical security of our schools. If more physical measures are necessary, I support presenting these improvements to the voters as necessary in a referendum, as voters have been very supportive in the past. We also need to focus on the safety of students as they arrive and depart from schools, as many students are now driven to school rather than bused (the drop-off area at Appleton North High School is a bit concerning, for example). Furthermore, all school district employees are in a unique position to interact closely and daily with students, especially our youngest learners. I think it is important that AASD be able to carefully vet all employees, as they will be working closely with our students. The most effective method to vet and evaluate individuals is for the District to be the direct employer. The District must be very careful in their uses of contracted services. The District needs to maintain its authority to evaluate employees and ensure student well-being and safety. Finally, the District should continue to promote the new lifetime licensure as it facilitates the District’s ability to hire retired qualified and licensed teachers as substitutes.

Running AASD like a business 

I have spent more than 25 years in management in private business. From that experience, I believe that the most significant difference between private business and public education is their customers and the services provided to them. A business selects and serves customers who will help the firm meet profit objectives. Public education, in contrast, educates ALL students. A business produces only those products and services for which customers will pay a prescribed price. The K-12 schools provide an array of learning opportunities to ALL students, regardless of the financial resources of their parents.

Where private businesses and public schools can be similar is in the approach to spending and personnel management. Private businesses are often very open to making significant year-over-year investments to meet strategic objectives. Private businesses also focus heavily on attracting and retaining the best team members possible, recognizing that great people make a great business. Businesses celebrate and recognize those team members that make the extra effort to deliver outstanding services, even while meeting highly competitive cost structures. The business practices highlighted above could translate very well to public schools.

Private school voucher program

I support freezing the private school voucher program at current funding levels and enrollment. The state constitution guarantees a free and appropriate public education to every child. Public education has many benefits, not only for the student but for the community at large. As a constitutionally guaranteed “public good” everyone has a responsibility to fund public education. School choice in public education has been available for many years. If the legislature wants to also offer private education at state expense, it needs to pay for it with new funding.

Funding special education

I strongly support restoring the state commitment to funding special education. The funding for special education has been frozen for 10 years and is becoming increasingly inadequate and detrimental. Educational programs have a tremendously positive impact on the life trajectory of a person with disabilities.  The human, societal and economic cost of not assisting people to meet their full potential is simply staggering. The Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2020 reports that 80% of people with a disability are not even considered part of the labor force, as opposed to 30% of non-disabled persons. For the 20% of people with disabilities that are in the labor force, the unemployment rate is consistently double that of non-disabled people. Finally, even for the people with disabilities who are employed, 32% work part-time compared to 17% of non-disabled persons. The lack of employment leads to increased costs for SSI, Family Care/IRIS, and other medical assistance programs. By assisting people with disabilities to reach their full potential through adequately and fully funding special educational programs, we realize tremendous benefits for the person with disabilities and our community and reduce the growing cost of expensive assistance programs, which are quickly becoming unsustainable.

Parent representation 

The Board has embarked on a process to completely revise and reaffirm the district governance policy. The Board has engaged a nationally recognized firm to guide the Board in the development of these policies. The governance policy will clearly define and delineate the roles and responsibilities of the Board and its relationship to the Superintendent and the leadership team. Clear roles and responsibilities will guide parents in understanding how to best advocate for issues that are important to them. The governance policy will also guide the Board and the superintendent in how best to address concerns and issues when raised. Furthermore, one of the unanticipated benefits of Zoom-based Board meetings has been to facilitate virtual attendance for parents and other members of the public. Even if a parent cannot attend the Board meeting, the recording of the meetings is available for later viewing. I will promote and advocate for the continued support of virtual attendance through live streaming even after the Board is able to return to face-to-face meetings.

Lifetime licensure

The lifetime licensure should allow the AASD to address the growing teacher shortage more creatively and ensure that all teachers have the proper training and credentials, without sacrificing quality.

Expanding enrollment affecting quality and quantity of services 

The question highlights one of the greatest challenges for public education. I believe we can best manage the quality and cost of delivery by carefully prioritizing programs and goals. The school district may have to forego worthy but lower priority programs and initiatives to fully support and fund higher priorities. Furthermore, AASD needs to communicate effectively with parents and taxpayers as to the priorities and goals trying to be met. The better taxpayers understand the goals and objectives, and how programs and curriculum achieve these objectives, the more willing they will be to fund the schools. I fully support the Fox Cities Advocates for Public Education’s suggestion that residents should urge their legislators to fully fund public education in the next biennial budget. Schools in the Fox Cities need funding that matches inflationary growth in operating costs. AASD should continuously review its health care and worker’s compensation plans. Already, plan design improvements in health insurance are saving money and are expected to reduce workmen’s compensation costs through accident prevention. The District can use these savings from these two areas to improve staff salaries and keep the salaries competitive.

Accountability and transparency measures for private schools receiving public dollars

I support the implementation of the “Wisconsin Standards”, which are critical to ensure that all children have equal access to high-quality education programs. All K-12 educational institutions that receive any type of public funding should be required to adhere to these standards of knowledge achievement and proficiency.

Diversity on the School Board

The Board needs to ensure that all educators, students, and other stakeholders, regardless of their diversity, feel welcomed, valued, and supported by the District. When our students are educated in an environment that celebrates and supports diversity, they are better prepared to participate in and advocate for a diverse society. Since being a candidate is often a person’s first experience with elected office, I would like to see the Board and superintendent conduct a public briefing each fall for residents who are interested in joining the Board. The session would explain the role of the Board and its members, their time commitment, and how to register for the spring election.

Retaining quality teachers

Districts must offer competitive wage and benefit packages to attract the best people to enter the teaching profession and to retain skilled and talented educators. As we are clearly seeing, fewer college students are opting for a teaching profession, and many experienced teachers are leaving the profession for other opportunities. As part of an overall attraction and retention policy, school districts need to offer wage and benefits packages that achieve these objectives. Also, the Board, working with AASD leadership, can play a leadership role in recognizing, supporting, and celebrating excellence in educators. Districts must begin now to determine policies to address the shortage of high-quality educators. AASD can further leverage the Classroom-to-Careers initiative to introduce high school students to careers in education. AASD also offers career days in which residents with teaching credentials can meet with staff and explore employment opportunities.

Keeping AASD educators involved in the decision-making process

The new governance policy discussed earlier clearly defines and delineates the roles and responsibilities of the Board and its relationship to the Superintendent. The new governance policy places the primary responsibility for the relationship of the District to its educators with the superintendent. By making the responsibility very clear and precise, teachers have a clear line of authority to follow. The teachers already work closely with the superintendent, so advocating their ideas and concerns is facilitated. The superintendent can then become the clear voice for the teachers with the Board and the public. As stated earlier, one of the unanticipated benefits of Zoom-based Board meetings has been to facilitate the virtual attendance of interested teachers. Even if a teacher cannot attend the live Board meeting, the recording of the meetings is available for later viewing.

Act 10 

Act 10 has almost certainly played a negative role in attracting and retaining teaching professionals. The practical realities, however, are that Act 10 is in full effect and likely to remain so during my three-year term. Regardless of Act 10, I believe that AASD needs to offer a competitive wage and benefit package to attract and retain the best teachers possible. AASD simply cannot be a great school district without great teachers. While budgets will continue to be challenging in the future, it should not fall exclusively on teachers to make the sacrifices necessary to meet challenging budgets.