Menomonie School Board Candidate Forum

The League of Women Voters of the Greater Chippewa Valley and the Menomonie Area Chamber of Commerce held a school board candidate forum at 7 PM on Feb. 6, 2023 at the Dunn County Judicial Center, 815 Stokke Parkway, Menomonie, WI 54751. 

There are seven candidates running for the three open seats on the school board.  The top 6 winners in the primary (to be held on Feb. 21, 2023) will advance to the general election in April. WIsCommunity is the media sponsor for this event, and the forum will be live-streamed on this page and on YouTube and the Facebook pages of WisCommunity and the LWV-GCV. 

The candidates vying first for six primary slots and ultimately for three school board seats, are:

- Dale Dahlke (i)
- Amy Riddle-Swanson (i)
- Scott Parker
- Amber Kersting
- Stephen A. Machesky
- Charlie Schneider (i)
- Brittany Weiker

All seven of the candidates have agreed to appear in the forum.  Audience members at the Judicial Center will have an opportunity to submit questions to the candidates. 

This is a lightly edited machine-generated transcript of the forum:

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

students, menominee, school district, board, teachers, question, school, scott parker, issue, education, schneider, district, year, amy, community, amber, charlie, budget, policies, people

SPEAKERS

Audience member, Amber Kersting, Brittany Weiker, Dale Dahlke, Amy Riddle Swanson, Ellen Ochs, Audience Member, Scott Parker, Charlie Schneider, Steven Machesky

00:00

Ellen Ochs 02:00

Okay, I see that it's seven o'clock. And I want to welcome you all I am really glad to see all of you that were able to come tonight and actually be here in person again. It feels more real than when we had to be entirely on the screens. But we are on the screen tonight. We do have this is being live streamed. And the recording will be posted afterward for people who couldn't make it tonight, but it's great to see you here. I'm welcoming you on behalf of the League of Women Voters greater Chippewa Valley, and also our co-sponsor Menominee. Area Chamber of Commerce helped us get the word out. I'm sure a lot of word of mouth occurred as well. My name is Ellen Ochs. I'm a co president of the League of Women Voters greater Chippewa Valley, our other co president AnneMarie McClellan is down in. Let's see, she was Dallas. But then I think Memphis Yes, and kind of a long commute. But I wouldn't be surprised if she's watching the show tonight because we were very invested in this kind of service to voters in the community. Like every volunteer organization, the last three years have been hard on us in terms of finding ways to recruit more members. So if you're thinking about joining the League of Women Voters, we're a fun group. And we'd like to have you. Tonight we have tonight, we are proud to be able to present all seven of the candidates who are running for a Menominee Area School Board. There are three seats, and there are seven candidates. That's why we have to have a primary. I think if there had only been six candidates, we wouldn't have to have a primary. But that made us throw this together a bit fast. To be able to give them a chance to speak to the public that they're trying to get votes from. I want to mention that we have our Vice President Steve Hanson is our technology guru over there. He also runs Wiscommunity and that's a place you can find things like the live stream or the posting later, the League of Women Voters greater Chippewa Valley dot ORG that's I have to look at my little notes LWV dash g c v dot ORG that's our website. And you can find on the calendar, the posting of this event as well. So the candidates who are here tonight have all agreed to a sheet worth of guidelines. This is promoted by league of women voters to make sure that we're as professional as possible. Presentations, I'm going to read them to you so that you're in on the secret. Okay? presentation and questions should be continually confined to issues, not personal attacks. And in this community, we do tend to be courteous when we are in person, I like that the order of speaking for opening statements is determined by drawing lots, we already did this, because it's kind of a comedy show when you do it. So it takes it takes time to get it all taken care of, and everybody lined up at the table. So when they're introducing themselves to you, we'll start with number 123. And go down the line, that that helps keep things fair. The closing statements will be given in the reverse order. So we'll start with number seven for closing statements. Each candidate will receive equal time for an opening statement two minutes long, We have someone sitting in the front row with a little cheat sheet. And she's going to show you when you have 30 seconds left. And then she's going to show you when it's time for you to stop so that it's very easy to think that you have more time than you have. And we want to make it as fair as we can. This will be followed by question and answer period, you have a quick card on your chair, you can write a question on the app, there will be someone collecting questions, bringing them up here. It'll be kind of sorted and funneled to me. I have to warn you that if every candidate gets to answer if a particular question that could take seven times to 14 minutes, and we don't want to be here until three o'clock in the morning. So we might not get to every single question though. We'll try to get a broad expression of your interest in being here tonight. Timekeepers will keep close watch, I said that already. Each question will be directed to one candidate who's ever returned, it is way down the line. However, all candidates will have the opportunity to answer the question. And that's why I say it could take as much as 14 minutes on a question, if everybody to speaks for two minutes to it, But sometimes a candidate will say well, we'll give it a pass because it seems like they've said something about that before whatever. That's up to them. The League of Women Voters reserves the right to select questions that will cover a broad range of issues. And I don't know did any of you bring campaign material that has to stay out in the entryway? So if you did that, that's that's where that is. We also have materials about league of women voters out there, and about the the Supreme Court race, which is also a great interest in Wisconsin. Okay, I've gone through that. Now I'd like to introduce our candidates to you. And we'll start with Candidate number one is Dale Dahlke, because that's the number he drew out of this little bucket here. And he gets two minutes to speak to you. Thank you, Dale.

Dale Dahlke 08:36

Good evening, I'm Dale Dahlke, and I've got them when I'm in school district for 47 years. I'm a retired Menomonie high school biology teacher. After that I served as an interim activities director at Menomonie High School and then there was a counselor at UW Stout in the Educational Talent Search Program. My master's degree is in guidance and counseling, and I coached track and field for 42 years. My wife and I have three kids who graduated from Menominee high school with a tremendous, a great educational experience. I applied for the interim board position last August because I thought the board needed a consensus builder. I had had training and experience and team building through consensus. And if elected, I would continue to develop in that role. This position is to be nonpartisan. I hope to foster that attitude and lead by example to squelch this from becoming a political election. As a rookie on the board, I did my best to be a good listener and do my homework on all the points of view and make decisions based on what is best for the education of our students. I will continue to listen to grab hold of the facts to adhere to the ideas that will make our students most successful. My experience as a board member for four different successful nonprofit institutions has taught me to respect the administration that we hire. We must not micromanage. We must establish a strategic plan for the administration and the staff to follow in order to make our district the best and keep the students success as our main focus. As a board, we must provide the resources to our staff and in return, the students will receive the best educational experience. Through this support, we can compete favorably and attract the best and retain the best teachers. This is the strategy to make our schools the best in the state of Wisconsin. Thank you.

Ellen Ochs 10:44

Thank you, Dale. And the next speaker will be Amy Swanson.

Amy Riddle Swanson 10:50

Good evening. First, I'd like to say thank you to the League of Women Voters for providing this opportunity for school board candidates. My name is Amy Riddle-Swanson and I am finishing my 15th year as a Menominee. School board member. I have taken my leadership very seriously. And I've only missed two board meetings in my 15 years for personal reasons. I've been an educator for 39 years, from pre kindergarten all the way to post secondary, and believe that education serves as a great equalizer for our society. I am passionate about education. I started out teaching fourth grade than a school guidance counselor for pre K through 12. And finally to the college level working with first generation students with limited income and students with documented disabilities. The purpose of my current job is to navigate and be retained in college to graduate in order to solve living and give back to their communities. I have two stepdaughters who went to the Menominee School District, receiving an outstanding education. One valedictorian once libertarian, and both have furthered their education and earned their doctoral degrees. I believe in equality and equitable education for all, which means hiring the best and brightest teachers, administrators and staff, making sure that staff is respected and getting what they need in the way of resources to do their job. Well. Having been a board member for 15 years, and an educator for 39 years, I believe my experience and consistency speak for themselves. I also received the highest award from the Wisconsin School Board Association a few years ago. For my service on the board. Thank you.

Ellen Ochs 12:32

Thank you, Amy riddle Swanson. Number three is Charlie Schneider.

Charlie Schneider 12:39

Good evening, everyone. And thank you to Ellen and to the League of Women Voters. This is a very important event. And thank you for all of you as well for coming out tonight in this not so fun, February weather. I'm just finishing my first term on the board. And it's been an interesting three years, when I was elected, that was the start of COVID. And remember how the election was delayed and all of those things. So it's been an interesting three years on the board. But I want to do it, I want to do it again. And I want and I couple of things that I'm most proud of, is I encouraged the administration to start what started out as Mustang Minds. It's now part of the Boys and Girls Club. It's an after school homework club. At the middle school, I think it's very important for kids to have the ability. Some kids don't have parents at home, the parents are working whatever to have the ability to to have a teacher there to help them with their homework and get things done later in the afternoon after school. Additionally worked with administration very hard and wrote the policy in the district for our energy plan. I was very involved in that we saved over 20% of our energy in the first year. And doing even better this year. We also hired an energy manager, something I'm very proud of that we were able to do within my first short term on the board. I'm currently the interim agency administrator at Sisa 10. Over in Chippewa Falls, which is a cooperative of schools. And I have two grown daughters who are alumni of the district who both have successfully went through the district and are out in the working world. My wife also served on the board for 12 years prior to me being on the board. So I would look forward to the questions that you have and and we will go forward and Mrs. Pillman, this is your chance to limit me to two minutes.

Ellen Ochs 14:30

Thank you, Charlie Schneider's. Very good. Number four is Amber Kersting.

Amber Kersting 14:37

Hi, I'm Amber Kersting. Thank you very much for coming out tonight and for listening at home. Thank you to the League of Women Voters for having us. I grew up just north of herre. And went to school in Boyceville, and I traveled around for a couple decades after that, and I came back to this area because this is where I want to raise my family. I've got three kids who two of them are in the Menominee district now and one of them is raring to go. He's three, and he's ready. I graduated from UW Stout in the Applied Social Science program there, studied sociology and anthropology. And I currently work for a local nonprofit that's focused on direct trade, sustainable agriculture and educational scholarships. You know that it's been a couple of really hard years for everybody. I know that there's been a lot of strong emotions tied into every decision that the board had to make. And I think that, you know, there's nobody here that doesn't care about our kids. I'm excited to find ways to work together successfully, despite our differences in backgrounds and our differing opinions to make sure that our students have the best that they need going forward. And, you know, I think that our job is to put students first and to make sure that whatever disagreements we're having, don't get in the way of that student experience. I'm excited to be an advocate for increased school funding at the state level. I respect teachers and staff as professionals, I want them to have what they need to get their jobs done. And as a parent, I really need consistency and stability and decision making. I'm very excited to be working hard to be fiscally responsible with tax dollars and to shape policy that is driven directly by the mission and the goals of the school district. Thank you.

Ellen Ochs 16:32

Next is Scott Parker.

Scott Parker 16:35

Good evening, everybody. My name is Scott Parker. I originally became interested in running for school board in September, when COVID was at its height, started going to school board meetings, and I disagreed with the masking policies. And from there, I just learned a lot about our school district. And I know firsthand that it's a great one. I went to high school in Menominee high school and it was a great time I moved away for a period and then move back to Menominee. When I decided I wanted to start a family. I got married here. I had my first daughter and August last year. It's been a real blessing. And some of the things that I'm interested in doing, should I be elected to the school board is to address our membership to the National School Board Association, to encourage the transparency and make sure that parents in our school district understand where to go to see the curriculum that their children are being taught, and to make sure that the students are receiving a top tier education.

Ellen Ochs 17:44

Thank you, Scott Parker. Next will be Steven A Machesky.

Steven Machesky 17:49

Good morning. Good morning. Good afternoon. Good evening. First of all, I'd like to thank the League of Women Voters for sponsoring the event. It's important that taxpayers who support our students are informed electors. In northern Wisconsin in the early 20th century, a Polish immigrant family settled in a small house on aMontreal river grown up those who chose to remain had two employment opportunities. The minds and logging over the years the family grew five sons three daughters. One daughter, unfortunately died young. At the outbreak of the Second World War two older brothers enlisted in the United States Navy. This the third was ineligible due to loss of four fingers. After the war, unable to wheel an axe, a chainsaw or jackhammer, he turned to education, won a scholarship to the University of Wisconsin. That third son was my father, he instilled in me a lifelong love of learning. I believe each child deserves an opportunity that education provides not from what family they come from, but for determination and individual effort. We're blessed with an abundance of resources, talent, motivated staff and first class facilities. I read a recent article citing a study of more than 1000 participants who were given 57 priorities. The conclusion and I quote, people aren't looking for something better, they're looking for something fundamentally different. They want a way out of the one size fits all approach driven by standardized testing models in elite institution, instead an educational framework geared towards in developing individualized learning and practical skills and preparation for meaningful life. My vision is complete transparency, working with administrators, educators and parents to achieve the highest possible Individual Student Centered Outcomes, Educational Savings Accounts encouraging institutional competition, efficiently and effectively allocating taxpayer resources. Providing an educational environment where students, educators, parents and administrators work shoulder to shoulder establishing a lifelong love of learning building character, inspiring students to develop essential skills and critical into And then thank you. Thank you.

Ellen Ochs 20:02

Thank you. And finally, number seven, Brittany Weiker.

Brittany Weiker 20:10

Good evening, I'm Brittany. And I want to thank all of you for coming out tonight, so you can make an informed decision when voting. I attended Menominee School District, kindergarten through 12th grade. I met my husband at the high school here. I currently have two kids that go to the middle school. My daughter will be in high school next year. My kids are very active within the school district. You know, they do everything from trapshooting club to band to wrestling, softball, basketball. I actually just came from my daughter's basketball game tonight. Straight to here. I attended Stout, and I got a degree in business management with a minor in speech communication there. I think that would probably help me on the board with communicating. I've managed various businesses around the community. And a couple of things I would look forward to working with on the board would be to improve our district ratings, keeping a balanced budget. Without the extra funds going forward. I hear I understand they're set to expire this year, I would like to work on declining enrollment and improving communication with teachers through visiting the schools. Thanks.

Ellen Ochs 21:35

Thank you, Brittany Weicker. So there you have it. We have seven candidates. And we're going to start asking some of your questions. And I will begin, I will begin again with number one, but the next time it will be number two. What do you as a school board member proposed to do to increase student proficiency in math and reading scores?

Dale Dahlke 22:04

Thank you, Dale. Dahlke. Going down the line? Do you have an answer for this question to me? Sure.

Amy Riddle Swanson 23:09

Our math and reading scores, actually are doing are doing fairly well, considering that what we went through with COVID. And I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that we decided no matter what with COVID we had in school, every day, we didn't have any lapses with education that was outside of school or online. I think that was really helpful in a lot of ways to help do that. So considering I think we've done very well report cards show that we've made progress, we've we've exceeded expectations in many of our schools. And in general, we've met expectations in our school district for this this year, as far as contributing, and making him can always do better. We do have interventionists that we have hired, we have a math interventionist. And we also have a reading interventionist and that interventionist, and they both work hard and go throughout the whole district and teach teachers how to help with other, you know, the issues on how to learn and how to grow those things. Also, I would like to just say, a little piece about test scores, they're very subjective, which is what I think, are objective, I think that's what the, the public wants to see. But sometimes test scores are not always the best indicator, because some students do not take tests. Well, I did not take take tests well, but I'm, I feel like I, you know, have have had a good education and do very well. And so I would just like to say that, you know, to be cautious of the test, there might be other ways that we can test that information with our students. Thank you.

Ellen Ochs 24:48

Thank you, Amy response and I'm going to be repeating their names over and over because I find it hard to remember people's names. And if you're going to be in the toll booth voting, it's a good thing to remember. these people's names, so bear with me. Charlie Schneider, do you want to take that question too?

Charlie Schneider 25:06

Absolutely. Thank you. A couple of notes as to how we've done and test scores. And both Dale and Amy mentioned it, but I want to expand a little bit, we actually, the district actually outpaced most of our neighbors on the test scores. And I think Amy also mentioned the, we, as a board decided early on in COVID, that we wanted to teach, we wanted the teachers in front of the students as often as possible during COVID. And I think we did a pretty good job of that. And I think that helped us to have less learning loss than a lot of other districts had. So I think I think that those decisions have paid off for us. We are also, as Scott mentioned, the extra funds, we use some of those extra funds to hire some coaches, to help the teachers and to help the students. And I think that's helped us as well. But one thing that I mentioned earlier that again, I'm most proud of, and I think has been helpful is that Mustang Minds are now part of the the Boys and Girls Club at the middle school to help those students at a time when when they really need that help in middle school, they're really starting to develop as they move into to the to the high school. And many of them need that help because their parents are not available working two jobs, those kinds of things. So I think that's very, very important that and I think that's been very helpful to us to help with with the math and reading scores. But as Dale said, we've done pretty good, but we can do better. And we need to continue to strive to do better, so that we can continue and the scores get get even better. And the students do better as they go in to Odin into life, if you will.

Ellen Ochs 26:43

Thank you, Charlie Schneider. Amber Kersting, do you want to take a shot at it?

Audience Member 26:48

Yes, thank you.

Amber Kersting 26:50

I'd like to just echo some of some of what everyone in front of me has said as bad. You know, we're in a decent place, the gap that could have been there in terms of math and reading scores from COVID isn't as bad as it could be. But as we're talking about prioritizing it, we do we have to make sure that we put dollars behind that idea, and make sure that those interventionists and those coaches continue to get funding when we're looking at the budget. Thank you.

Ellen Ochs 27:17

Thank you, Amber Kersting. Next would be Steven Machesky. You're right. I was just trying to make myself on this that I could read better. Next is Scott Parker. Thank you.

27:35

Yeah, I'll just touch on that Charles, actually, Brittany that had brought up the Esser funds. So I want to give her credit where credit's due. So being on the board is a policy making position. So to improve those scores in math and reading, you know, you'd have to work with teachers and administrators to find creative ways to implement policies that would improve those scores. So it's not something the board can do on its own. It's a team effort, really. And so that's my, those are my thoughts on that. Thank you.

Ellen Ochs 28:06

Thank you, Scott. Parker. Now, Stephen, a much has

Steven Machesky 28:10

been refer to me as Steve, man, that's fine. Steve

Ellen Ochs 28:13

is good. Yeah. Steve Machesky

Steven Machesky 28:14

All right, thank you. Yeah, I'm gonna bring up those two refunds, too, you know, I read that there were, the state of Wisconsin received about one one and a half billion dollars, and that's their funds. And as far as I know, about 33% of the that it's been allocated. And I know Menominee School District has allocated a lot of money for tutoring after school. And, but this is a nation nationwide problem. It's not just here in Menominee. There's a huge gap and read it in the mouth. And I think the only way to catch up actually is to extend it to the school there or the school year, regardless, something along those lines has to happen. And there's funding available to do that.

Ellen Ochs 28:57

Thank you see you. All right, and Brittany, do you want to just describe your response?

Brittany Weiker 29:04

I'm always, you know, I think it's a good idea when students help students, I think when you're teaching someone, you're learning yourself, so I always am, you know, very much behind students helping students. And then, you know, having your having the parents in the classroom, I know that kind of came to a halt with COVID. But having parents you know, especially more so in like the elementary age, having parents in there helping out, you know, teaching the kids where they can to assist the teachers. Obviously, having good communication between the parents and teachers would obviously help as well. And then from there, I would go and ask the teachers how, how the board could support them. Thanks.

Ellen Ochs 29:48

Thank you, Brittany Weicker. Okay, this next question, we'll start with Amy riddle Swanson. What role should our schools play in helping student kids with mental health issues.

Amy Riddle Swanson 30:04

Thank you for that question. Mental health, as we all know, is really going rampid, I think, with COVID, and being isolated, I think has done a lot of damage to a lot of people as far as their mental health is concerned. And it's not just the kids, it's the adults in our community as well. And so you have your parents and you have your students. And I know that it has been really difficult for a lot of families to even afford, the mental health is a service that they need. Also, there's not a lot of service providers out there. One thing that the Menominee school district does well, though, is we have several school counselors. And we also have two social workers in the district, who spend a lot of time and energy in helping students with their mental health needs. We also contract out with others, we also have interns from UW Stout that come in and help with the overload. And I think that's just a really, really good thing. Also, there are some programs out there that I think help like they have counselors and do classroom lessons, you know, to teach about bullying, and you know, maybe some things about, you know, coping skills with things that you know, might be too hard for them to deal with by themselves. The other thing I think that's happening is that every student is we're working on this year is to be able to have a trusted adult in the school that they attend. So all of those things, I think, show that we are doing the best we can with mental health and hoping that we don't have any students that fall through the cracks. Thank you.

Ellen Ochs 31:48

Thank you, Amy riddle Swanson. Charlie Schneider.

Charlie Schneider 31:54

It saddening to me that we that we do need to be involved in the students mental health. It I wish it was something that we didn't have to do. But the reality is that we do. And the reason that we have to do that is because if the student is not comfortable in their place, for whatever reason, it might be whatever mental health issues they're going through, they're not going to learn. And that's our job right as the school district to teach them. So we need to help them to so that they are in that place that they are able to learn. It's also saddening to me that that the clinic, as Amy mentioned, that clinicians are not are not available, schools are having a very, very difficult time. There are places that are closing down that help students on a daily basis around the Chippewa Valley. And it's going to get more and more difficult. Our district has done a lot to create positions like the the social workers and the counselors that that Amy talked about. But we need to do more. And we need to keep doing that to help those students. And it's just one more thing that's being piled on to the schools. But it's something that's an important thing that we need to do. Because if we don't do it, where who will? And where will it be done. And those students really need that help so that they can learn so that they can be at a place mentally every day to be able to learn.

Ellen Ochs 33:08

Thank you, Charlie Schneider. Amber Kersting.

Amber Kersting 33:12

Thank you. Yes. I think that the the counselors and social workers are invaluable in our schools. I also think that there's room to do additional training to recognize mental health and to assess it amongst the students. I think that, you know, it is one more thing that's getting those getting piled on teacher loads and things like that, which is important to recognize and important to compensate them for. But I also think there's a lot of work that can be done with de-stigmatizing mental health problems in the community, so that students aren't embarrassed or ashamed to reach out for help when they need it. So that parents aren't terrified if somebody brings up that, hey, their kid might be struggling in this area and need some help. I think that that we have a long way to go in society in general. And I think that there's some specific things that that we could do to make that easier for for our students. Thank you.

Ellen Ochs 34:10

Scott Parker.

Scott Parker 34:12

Yeah, I think being on the board, working with policies like the policies regarding bullying and making sure they're effective and working with the teachers and the guidance counselor's to make sure that those policies are effective and don't need to be revised or reviewed and making sure the students are in a good place. We can encourage students to join sports. Students who join sports will not only feel like they're part of something, but also they're much more likely to graduate and those things combined will improve mental health. And yeah, we just, it's a team effort. We've all got to work together and find creative solutions to these problems facing our community.

Ellen Ochs 34:57

Thank you. Thank you, Scott Parker. Steve Machesky

Steven Machesky 35:02

Thank you. Um, I guess I'd echo what Amber at Siddhar spent 25 years in the military and destigmatizing was a huge, huge hurdle to get over in the military as well. Another thing I'm sort of curious about you mentioned, volunteer specifically, is there an issue with licensing for for mental health providers in school district or I know there's there's an issue and Wisconsin overall with reciprocal licensing. So if that's an issue that certainly has to be overcome, but I would agree that over the past, particularly over the past three years been a huge, a huge gap in mental health issues, particularly related to the isolation due to the COVID. It would have been going on for about three years. So yeah, I would agree, I think a license means one things destigmatizing seeking care isthe other.

Ellen Ochs 35:54

Thank you, Steve Machesky. And Brittany Weiker.

Brittany Weiker 35:59

Yeah, when this question was first asked, I guess my mind went first to bullying. And obviously, with that the school counselors are, and the, you know, principals, I know a lot of the assistant principals jump in on that. They're obviously completely invaluable for these issues. And kind of what Scott said, you know, the board really needs to, you know, make sure that your policies are in place to support the staff so that they can help these kids with anything that they're going through. Thanks.

Ellen Ochs 36:30

Thank you, Brittany. And Dale, I was looking at a different word, and that word is not a person's name.

Dale Dahlke 36:44

Well, a lot of very good things have already been mentioned, I would, I would just maybe try to add a few extra things that I'm thinking about. Our administrators have actively addressed this issue, it's not going to be a new surprise to them. And they've they've worked real hard with staff and with the students. And the goal. One of the goals that was mentioned previously, was that we've tried to set up a mentor or an adult person that each student can combine with him, and know that they can go to them and have some security. And I think that this is a very important and very important, we must remember that we always have to meet the needs of the students first, I always tried to remember that my classroom meet the needs of the students first before we can expect them to, to accomplish the things that we're asking them to accomplish. And so with that in mind, we have to provide the best professional staff that we can possibly provide that, and that doesn't come without some some issues, and money is one of them. Charlie alluded to that, you know, it's very difficult to get professional, trained staff that's going to help with the mental with the mental health of our students. But we also must remember that by providing the best benefits to all of our students, including those that need some, some mental health help, that this goal is going to have tremendous benefits, it's going to help our school be the best that it can be. And when the school is the best that can be the whole Menominee community is is benefiting, we're going to have more people move their families here and rehab, more industries moved here, because great schools are the foundation of a great community.

Ellen Ochs 38:41

Thank you Dale. Okay, question number three. And we'll start with Charlie Schneider. Several candidates have indicated they wished to improve transparency. What do you believe has not been transparent? That needs to change?

Charlie Schneider 39:06

Great question. Um, one of the things I think that I find as a board member, and I think and also I found as a as a parent, as well, when my students were in school, was was finding the of the resources that are out there. And I think a lot of times the resources are there, we just don't know where to look for them. So I think I think some of the things that that we could do to improve transparency is maybe to put the resources in multiple places, but also redo some of our our resources that we have as in websites and so forth, so that it's easier. And if I were to design a website, I would put it in a certain place, but if Steven, were going to design that same website, he might put it in a different place. And so we need to think about how different people think about things, how different people come at things. But the transparency itself, I think The curriculum piece is obviously kind of front and center, what's being taught to our children. But I have to admit, when I've gone to look for it, it's been somewhat difficult to find, but I've always been able to find it. It's there, it may not be up front and center, but it's there, I've been able to see what I need to see. So I guess from my point of view, it's a getting things available. And maybe also I'm having discussions, public discussions about transparency and, and the curriculum and, and those kinds of things so that we can talk more directly and and talk about it, rather than talk at each other about it. Thank you.

Ellen Ochs 40:44

Thank you, Charlie Schneider. Amber Kersting?

Amber Kersting 40:47

Thank you, would you mind repeating the question for me?

Ellen Ochs 40:50

Sure. Just sitting down. Several candidates indicated they wish to improve transparency. It's handwritten, and I can read it. But what what do you believe has not been transparent, that needs to change.

Amber Kersting 41:17

I feel like the idea that things haven't been transparent, sort of implies that they've been hidden. And I don't feel like that's the case with this district. I feel like we have some things that we could do, like Charlie said, to improve communication and to make things a little easier to find and to access. I, some of transparency just feels like such a trigger word where everybody's already decided how they're like, I feel like shoulders went up all the way across the room. As soon as someone said that. And I don't feel like we're on wildly different pages. I feel like we want to know what's being taught to our kids. And we want to have parents involved. And I hope that I'm not mis-speaking, if I if I assume that that's the way that most of us feel. But I do think that that there is room to make, to make those gaps where it's an extra search. You know, we could we could make that easier for people. And I think it's it is important to get more perspectives in order to do that.

Ellen Ochs 42:22

Thank you, Amber, Kersting, Scott Parker.

Scott Parker 42:25

So transparency, not in that the information is not available, or it's deliberately hidden, but more so that the curriculum, for example, is behind a veil, where say you're a parent or a guardian, where you're a grandparent raising a grandchild, you're maybe not as tech savvy, it might be there, but you don't know how to access it. So I think the issue of transparency can be solved by simply making sure that all the parents and guardians in our community going to our school district understand exactly where to go exactly how to access that information, so that there's not some perceived lack of transparency. And I think that would go a long way in our community and improving relations between parents, guardians, and the school district, teachers and administration. Thank you.

Ellen Ochs 43:13

Thank you, Scott. Parker, Steve Machesky.

Steven Machesky 43:16

Yeah, thank you. I, you know that that's been a national problem. Obviously, there's been a number of elections based just based on, you know, the educational staff hiding things from parents. And I'm not saying that's the case here in Menominee. It's certainly it's not the case. But it's a point I made and I would, I would echo what Scott just said, and the fact that I, I was I've been looking for curriculum, I've been looking for dates, published, published materials, specific things on and what's being taught in specific classes. I'm not sure if that's available, honestly. And, again, I I've been a manager and a leader over a number of years, and you can never over communicate, particularly issues that concern parents and or children. So I would, as Scott said, try to survey the population, how to see perhaps what they're missing and a better way to reach them.

Ellen Ochs 44:13

Thank you, Steve Machesky, Brittany Weiker. Yeah,

Brittany Weiker 44:17

I'll probably just kind of echo what's been said with, you know, making sure that the information is in one place, you know, at the beginning of the school year, maybe send out a list of, you know, where the where the parents can find exactly what's going to be taught. Just keep it easy, and, you know, right at their fingertips so that they can access everything easily. Yep, I would agree with pretty much what has been said already.

Dale Dahlke 44:47

Well, I don't know of anything that's not really transparent to him. So the first part of the question, I think, transparency has improved tremendously since I was in the classroom. And we used to send home Course Syllabus at the beginning of the year with the student whether or not that ever got into the parents hands. It's a big question mark. But But now, you know, our curriculum is online. And you know, and the opportunity to connect the staff is really quite open their email addresses are all published and available often. And and in our staff in our, in our administration, I have found to be very, very open and very easy to talk with.

Ellen Ochs 45:30

Thank you, Dale. Dahlke. Amy riddle Swanson.

Amy Riddle Swanson 45:34

Yes, I think everybody that has spoke about this, I think he has said kind of what I would like to say, I think our transparency has gotten a lot better in the last couple of years, I think things are moving towards that curriculum is online for anyone to look at certain classes. And teachers, I also think that it is easier for teachers and parents to collaborate and figure out ways to talk to each other and figure out that that kind of thing. Also, I think communication sometimes gets a little mixed up sometimes. And so sometimes we there might be something that's communicated that doesn't quite come out the right way. And sometimes I think that's where we can be where we need to make our administrator accountable to make sure that what is being said, you know, in being communicated, is what is the right thing that's been communicated, because in this community, something can start out and then pretty soon, it's, it's, it's become huge. And so I like to see, you know, let's make sure that, that when those things happen, that we make sure that we make people accountable for making sure that they explain it or if there's, you know, some issues about it, that they kind of, can kind of complain and say, Well, this is why this is happening or, or whatever, which might make a big difference in the way it's perceived. Thank you.

Ellen Ochs 46:58

Thank you, Amy. Riddle Swanson. I'm going to interject here that I think that our community has suffered by a lessening of news organizations that you can get information from in our local area. And that's something that league is interested in. Helping to look for solutions. Sorry, that's a that's an editorial comment, and I shouldn't do that. All right, we're going to start the next person who starts out will be requesting and your question. How do you plan to support the rights and needs of black and brown students, LGBTQ plus students and students who are not Christian?

Amber Kersting 47:56

I'm so glad you asked. Think that? I think that the this is a really important topic. Because we, you know, Abe, in a few school meeting, school board meetings back said, reminded me that we're not teaching children to just be children, we're teaching them to become adults. And they're going to likely be adults in towns that don't all look like Menominee. The Trevor Project, which is a group that does crisis intervention, did a survey that that said, you know, for LGBTQ students, even one affirming space can make the difference in lowering suicide rates. So I think that that schools are a really important space to let kids be who they are, and give them give them the room to, to grow and to, you know, be their authentic selves. I think that that is critical before, you know, because, as Charlie said, a little bit back, if somebody said somebody excellent, said, You know, if, if the basic basic needs aren't being met, they're not going to be able to learn and if kids are struggling with mental health, and they're not, not feeling safe, where they are, I think that they're going to have trouble, trouble learning anything. So I want to make sure that staff and teachers are trained to support students, and that they really feel like they're coming into a space that celebrates their differences. That's part of that's part of the SDMA mission. You know, it talks about the unique needs and the strengths of our diverse community. And I think we need to, to, you know, put our put our money where our mouth is in make steps to celebrate the differences.

Ellen Ochs 49:52

Thank you, Amber. Kersting, Scott Parker.

Scott Parker 49:55

Yeah, I'm not aware of any discrimination in our school district along those lines. since the Civil Rights Act of 1964, protects all people, regardless of their race, religion, creed, sexual orientation, all those things, Title Nine protects gender discrimination. So if there were things in our school district that were happening, that were preventing students from being able to do things along those lines, that would be like a potential lawsuit. So obviously, our administration, our administrators, our teachers, they're not going to engage in that sort of behavior. So I don't see that as much of an issue and it would be a legal issue where it to come about so I'm confident saying that the Menominee Area School District is a good place for all students to learn. Thank you.

Ellen Ochs 50:48

Thank you, Scott. Parker. Steve Machesky?

Steven Machesky 50:52

Yeah, you know, I was gonna say something almost similar to that. I'm not sure if there is a problem, honestly. And there are laws on the books that protect sexual orientation, sexual identity, that discriminate discrimination laws. And I guess, personally, I'd like to see if there are issues if there is there is a statistical a statistical anomaly, you know, in the school district, and I kind of doubt that, but I just don't know. But again, I think we have laws on the books that protect, protect people on those two issues.

Ellen Ochs 51:29

Thank you, Steve Machesky, Brittany Weicker.

Brittany Weiker 51:34

Can we switch seats because I feel like these guys are stealing my thunder I would agree with what's been said here with Steve and Scott. And along with that, I you know, that's one another thing that I would go and talk to the teachers, you know, and actually be in the school to be in the schools and, you know, talk to the teachers talk to the, you know, principals, assistant principals, everyone in the schools. And, you know, I that's something that I would like to get a feeling for, but I don't know at this point that it is an issue. Thank you, Brittany, Weiker, Dale Dahlke?

Dale Dahlke 52:14

Well, equity and diversity and inclusion are the three words that are that are really sticking out here in our goals, the board has to hire administrators who, who will model these tenants, and will hire staff that support the policies that are established by the board and, and that will really strive for excellence in all three of those areas. Firstly, if I was made aware of negative behaviors concerning any disrespect, I would report this to the superintendent and in turn, expect appropriate action. And I think about myself growing up in central Wisconsin, pretty white community, totally white community may have had some Native Americans, the other issues were never discussed. And then I went into the United States Army. Basic Training, taught me a lot about equity. And hopefully, our students at Menominee don't have to have that kind of a shock in their life. And I think, I think, from what I've observed, things are are really pretty good.

Ellen Ochs 53:34

Thank you, Dale Dahlke, Amy Riddle Swanson.

Amy Riddle Swanson 53:39

We are public public schools. That means everybody is welcome, and needs to have a safe place to learn, and to grow and have the best education they can. All of us took a oath, or all of us that are on the board took an oath, and it is part of the Constitution, that we do not discriminate against these people. But I don't want to hide behind the law either. Because, yes, it's a law. But they're also their mental health and the and their, their psyches. And the way they learn and the way they grow and become adults is very, very important. And so it's to me, it's not just because it's the law, but it's because they deserve to be respected. And to be a member of society, is how I feel also, um, just a little side note, I worked in Alaska for two years, I was a school guidance counselor there. I worked in small villages where I worked with nothing but like it was like, like 99.9% and you'll get Iñupiat Eskimos. And when you're a minority, you can certainly understand what it feels like to be in a situation like that. Most of the educators that came into those villages were white, and my my job there when I was there, as a counselor, I really tried to get students to go into teaching. So they could come back to their villages and have somebody that look like them teaching them. I would hope we could do that in Menominee. But as we've talked about, this is a very white community. But it would be really nice if we could have some staff that reflect all the different nationalities that we have. And races and black, brown LGBTQ. Thank you.

Ellen Ochs 55:24

Thank you, Amy Riddle Swanson. Charlie Schneider.

Charlie Schneider 55:30

Again, a very important question. I think overall, our district has done a pretty good job. Could we do better? Yes, absolutely. We could, I think the community has done a pretty good job. But again, we could do better. But the reality is, there is a group of people in the community that has asked us as a board to violate Title Nine, First Amendment and many other state statute, one 1.13, and many other issues that related to this subject, so it's there. So if you're successful and get on the board, you will need to deal with it. And I guess I'm going to stop there. As Amy said, I don't want to hide behind the law. But but it's really something that we need to do as humans, to treat everyone as as they deserve to be treated. And to treat everyone equally. I guess I go back to just one very simple thing. They're all God's children, all of them, and we need to treat them all with respect. No matter what color or nationality or orientation they are. Everyone needs to be treated the same. So with that, thank you.

Ellen Ochs 56:38

Thank you, Charlie Schneider. Okay, this time, we're going to start with Scott Parker. And these two questions, I'm going to read them as if they're one because they're the same topic. With the current uncertainty over school funding in the state legislature, what should the board do to ensure a quality education and student learning? And how can we as a district support our hard working teachers and staff under such a tight budget?

Scott Parker 57:13

Well, obviously, the board hires great teachers, and they have to work within the budget. And if that budget were to, obviously, it's going to fluctuate from year to year, depending on the funds available. So we've got to rely were I elected to the board, we'd have to rely on the administrators and everyone in charge of the finances to give us the assessments of the school's budgets, and find out where those cuts need to be made, or where we can expand on the learning without sacrificing obviously, our children and the community's education. So on the board with the policies, it would be a lot of we would have to rely a lot on the administration of the school district to accomplish those goals and be a lot of learning. Thank you.

Ellen Ochs 58:07

Thank you, Scott Parker, Steve Machesky?

Steven Machesky 58:11

Well, I'm no expert on school funding, obviously. But if cuts need to be made, cuts need to be made, I've managed budgets in excess of 340 million and $150 million. And what I usually do is say to solicit priorities one to infinity and start it start at the top and work your way down to where your funding line stops. And you just got to get rid of programs below that line. I don't know, frankly, if the if the school district here has budget budget issues. If it does, they need to prioritize one through whatever, and take a look at the bottom rung in there and see if there's things that just can't be funded anymore.

Ellen Ochs 58:57

Thank you, Steve Machesky, Brittany Weiker.

Brittany Weiker 59:01

I know this is it's obviously very important for the board. I don't have a ton of budgeting, you know, in my past, I have managed businesses and such, but this is something I would cannot rely on, you know, previous board members, but obviously make it a priority. I know that they're currently doing a good job. I believe we have extra funds currently, but with Esser funds expiring. I think things are gonna get tight. So it'd be kind of a learning curve for me, but it's definitely something that I would prioritize.

Ellen Ochs 59:38

Thank you Brittany. Weiker. Dale Dahlke?

Dale Dahlke 59:43

Well, this is probably the biggest, most important issue facing the board this budget issue and I think that the School District's Board of Education has done a tremendous job, or extremely From what I've seen fiscally responsible, and I really commend our superintendent for his leadership in this area. The future is a big question mark, the surplus at the state level could be distributed in such a way as to really benefit public education. But politicians are going to determine that outcome. Meanwhile, we need to support our staff salaries, the benefits the working conditions of our staff in order to reduce turnover, in order to recruit the best new staff and compete with others areas schools favorably, we need to maintain an environment that will allow each one of our staff to perform at the highest level and have the best learning environment possible. I am not one for cutting, cutting things, we have all different kinds of programs, because we have all different kinds of students, they all have different needs, different things are going to inspire that. And so we just have to remember that it might be very hard, but we have to somehow come up with the money needed to make our school the best. Like I said, great schools are the foundation of a great community.

Ellen Ochs 1:01:17

Thank you do that. Okay. Amy Riddle Swanson.

Amy Riddle Swanson 1:01:21

Yes, this is a very big issue, and there is the surplus. And it will be up to the politicians, which in my mind is that's why we need to contact them, and tell them that, that our stories and what we need. One thing that really bothers me a lot is when you start having to decide which program that you have to cut or which teacher or whatever. And it really bothers me because there should never be a competition, everything should be able to be fully funded, from sports, to you know, education, to our interventionist to our counseling to our mental health, all of it should have proper funding to make sure that every student has a quality education, it's going to be difficult, because we usually give raises based on our consumer price index, last year was about 4.4%. This year, it's 8%. So it's going to be a really difficult situation on getting the money that we need to operate. I would hope that we would never have to go to referendum, but there is what they're calling a fiscal cliff. Because right now, it looks like legislation legislation is is, is positioning themselves to give probably very little inflation cost per student, it's been zero the last couple of years. And I'm guessing that that's what they're gonna try for this year. Hopefully, with the budget, there can be a compromise, but it's going to be really tough. So I would ask every one of you if you care about your public schools and your teachers, that you contact your legislators and let them know that we need the money for all and that it shouldn't be an issue of fairness, or should be an issue of fairness, because there should be no competition, in my mind. Thank you.

Ellen Ochs 1:03:08

Thank you, Amy Riddle Swanson. Charlie Schneider.

Charlie Schneider 1:03:14

I find it somewhat humorous. A couple of people have mentioned the politicians and we are them. So be careful there. But I think what you really meant was the politicians in Madison. And they're the ones that are going to going to draw up the rulebook on this one. And we have to advocate for our schools. Actually, next week, I am taking a group of school administrators from the central part of the state down to Madison to advocate for school funding as part of my day job, if you will. So I although I wouldn't consider myself to be an expert in school funding. I'm pretty knowledgeable about it. And that the funding cliff that they've been talking about is real, depending on what the legislature does, as everyone said, has said, you know, there is that surplus in Madison. But what happens to it? If it comes towards schools? Well, then the funding Cliff magically goes away. If it goes to something else, well, then we're going to, then we're going to be dealing with some some real cuts. One of the things I guess that I where I disagree with some of the others aren't at the table is I think sometimes this is a good time to cut certain things. We need to look at it we need to prioritize. I think Steven said that, and and maybe there are some things that that aren't as effective as others, and we could be more effective by doing something else. I'm not saying that we slash and burn things. But it's all it's a good time to take a look and really evaluate what's out there and what should be done could be done. How effective is it? Could we be doing something more effectively. In the end, though, again, Madison is going to make that decision at some point here between now and theoretically the first July. We'll know what that budget is and then we'll have to deal with it as a district will have to go through The process if what the Governor proposed stands in the legislature, which I think chances are probably not real good that that will stand. But if that stands, we won't be in too bad of shape. But But if that if they cut deeper than that, then then we're going to be in trouble. So we're just going to take a take a look at it and see what happens in July and then deal with it.

Ellen Ochs 1:05:24

Thank you, Charlie. Schneider. Amber Kersting.

Amber Kersting 1:05:30

Thank you. Yeah, a lot of it's going to come down to do what happens in Madison. But regardless of of the size of that pool, we still get to set priorities at this level. And so hopefully, we can, you know, all the all the advocates and make the pie bigger before we start cutting it up. Because schools need more, we've been fighting for scraps for for a long time. So I think, you know, really being being an advocate with the state legislature is huge. But then I also think that we need to make sure that we're treating our teachers and staff as an investment, and putting some of that into really taking solid steps to retain and recruit and support excellent teachers. Menomonie has got some some fantastic teachers and celebrating that great teaching is important. Making sure that there's a clear communication with expectations and evaluations and how that works. Creating a culture that has fair leave policies and adequate benefits and a process for shared decision making so that teachers feel like their voice and opinion matters. We we talk a lot about how much we appreciate them. And it would really be great to make sure that we have things in place so that the feedback is going both ways, and we're hearing from them. So yeah, I think I think we've got a lot of work to do. And there's a lot of great work that's already been done. Thank you.

Ellen Ochs 1:07:03

Thank you, Amber, Kersting, before we move on to the next question, is there anybody who has a question that they've written up and they just haven't had collected, I, I think it'd be a really good idea if anyone who wishes to do so would stand up and then just sit down in order to feel a little bit more. A little bit more attentive, in all cases, because I myself respond well to that. So if you want to do that, this is your moment, you've got like 15 seconds. We're going to we're going to be answering questions until about 830. And then you'll have an opportunity to meet the school board candidates. And converse, while some of us pack up some things to be out of your by nine o'clock. So you want to know what the schedule is. That's how it goes. taken care of

Audience Member 1:07:58

so on and as we've heard, in this diversity aspect, you know, Christians, things like

Ellen Ochs 1:08:05

that, could you write this down as a question? That would be awesome. Yeah. Thank you, and she'll be right on it. So people are having a hard time hearing. I think the mic maybe stopped traveling didn't work, but we would probably appreciate hearing the Canada's. Okay, so be aware when you're speaking before that microphone. Yes, you can move it around a little bit. Okay. That's good. Okay, so the next question goes to Steve Machesky. First, I had this read it read read at one point. Okay. And you could always move forward to there are empty chairs of high up higher. A recent study showed that administrative positions have increased by a high percentage in recent years in schools while student population and teachers have not increased by more than a few percent points. What is a school board member? What as a school board member? would you propose to limit the growth in administrative positions and to redirect money and attention to student programs? smaller class size?

Steven Machesky 1:09:33

You know, I'm trying to remember what those statistics were I think the administrators staff had grown by at close to 88% over the past decade or believe it was and the student population has increased by 7.7% and teachers by less than that 7.5. That's a good that's a good question. Why, why why in fact our administrator So I've gotten so grown so locked in, in opposition to students and in teachers that I, honestly, I don't know, I think I would, I would take a look at all those positions and develop position description on those and identify exactly what those jobs are doing. Not nothing, nothing against the people, but exactly what functions are they fulfilling and administrative stuff. And it's not only in schools that this is occurring, obviously, it's been happening in the healthcare industry as well. So I guess that would be my take on it to identify exactly what those positions are responsible for. And if they're not fulfilling a purpose, get rid of them. I mean, I remember writing, writing proposals and sending it off to headquarters. And it would be a totally fictitious narrative that some sort and nobody read it. But they still requested it. So somebody somebody was making work.

Ellen Ochs 1:10:59

Thank you, Steve Machesky. Brittany Weiker.

Brittany Weiker 1:11:04

I guess I'm not I'm not sure that this is an issue in Menomonie, this would be something that I would probably need to look at look into, it'd be something that I would, I guess I kind of agree with what Steve was saying is, you'd have to kind of see what's going on and see, you know, get your get your foot in the door and figure out where we're at with Menomonie. And kind of, you know, figure out what the what the different positions are doing and what's going on. And so at this point, I don't know how much I can speak to this issue. But obviously, you know, it'd be something to look into and see where we're at.

Ellen Ochs 1:11:48

Thank you, Brittany, Weiker. Dale Dahlke.

Dale Dahlke 1:11:54

Well, I pulled out some information that I received from the school district, and I'm looking at, I'm looking at the district administrators and assistant superintendents, and looking at the Director of Business Services and human resources and student services, and instruction, and technology and food services. And there weren't that many when I was an active teacher. But truthfully, I don't see any of them that are that are a waste of money. I think that they all have very intense jobs, I think they'll do a good job. And in serve our district well. And then hopefully,

Ellen Ochs 1:12:50

thank you. Thank you, Dale Dahlke when you said enough, you've said enough. Amy,

Amy Riddle Swanson 1:12:58

this is a this is a point that that I struggled with quite a bit. And that is the fact that our administrators, whenever there's a percentage, that goes to all staff, teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, from the bottom of the barrel of salaries all the way up to the top, obviously, the higher percentage, the higher salaries somebody makes, in administration, the percentage of that is going to be a lot more than a percentage for a teacher. And so actually, I did propose something this year, and there was a compromise made. The teachers got their 4%. And got there, it actually I think it might have been 4.7%, I'm not sure. But anyhow, they all got their raises and all their step raises, you know, for years of service, and so forth. And then the administration took a 3% instead of all of that to try to maybe broaden the gap just a little bit. And that went through an eight to one vote in open session after being in closed session discussing that issue. And so I would just like to say that, that I don't know if that's going to happen again. But I think that that it kind of helps. Maybe the community see that in especially teachers that they are valued. It's not that our administrators aren't. But with the difference in salary, sometimes it looks better for a teacher if they're getting a little more percentage than what maybe an administrator might be getting. So thank you.

Ellen Ochs 1:14:36

Thank you, Amy Riddle Swanson. Charlie Schneider.

Charlie Schneider 1:14:40

I'm not aware of the study. I don't know if it's a local study or national study, so I can't comment on it. Exactly. But Have any of you heard of a gentleman by the name of Jamie Volmer? Jamie Vollmer was a executive at an ice cream company in Iowa. And he was very Much of a detractor in a public education, I urge you to take a look go on the internet and search out the blueberry story by Jamie Vollmer. And he changed his his thought process on public education. And what he came up with after he changed his thought process is a list of mandates that have been put on schools since the 1940s. And that list, if I had it here in very small type, it would be at least five feet tall. All the different things that schools are now teaching that they weren't teaching in the 1940s and 50s. Okay, I think that has a fair amount to do with the increase in administration. We're we have a lot of mandates that we're that we're required to do, and a lot of testing and those kinds of things, a lot of reporting back to the government. I would guess I'm only surmising here from my experience, that probably is related to a lot of of what's going on in the increase in in administration. Again, I don't know if that's here locally, I haven't seen the study. But that's just my thought process. But again, take a look at Mr. Vollmer's list. The blueberry story is very interesting, and I think will be very enlightening. Thank you.

Ellen Ochs 1:16:17

Thank you, Charlie Schneider. Amber Kersting?

Amber Kersting 1:16:21

Yep. I didn't know about the blueberry story. But that's that was that was my my train of thought too, is that there are there's a lot more in terms of bureaucracy in terms of technology, there's there's just a lot more going on. And that requires people to manage it. I think it's important to always be assessing what what jobs there are, and looking at that when it's time for contract renewals. And when we're figuring out budget priorities, and, and things like that, I don't think we should just assume that because it exists, it needs to exist. But I do think that it's it's, you know, these aren't fluff jobs. They're coming with all of the other things that we've added. So thank you.

Ellen Ochs 1:17:02

Thank you, Amber, Christy, Scott Parker,

Scott Parker 1:17:04

everybody sort of touched on the same thing where schools never stopped teaching, they just started doing more and more things over time, requiring more employees who are non teachers. So I don't know that there's any redundant positions in our school district, obviously, that would be the administrator at a higher level, who's responsible for the people underneath them to ensure that we don't have redundant positions where we're paying individuals for work that doesn't. That doesn't exist. So if that were something in our school district, obviously, it would be addressed on a policy level. So we'd have discussions and collaborate and find out what needs to be done. But I'm not aware of an inflated administration being a problem in our district. So that's, those are my thoughts. Thank you.

Ellen Ochs 1:17:52

Thank you, Scott. Okay, next question. This will be starting with Brittany Weiker. I haven't finished reading this one yet. We'll get to it. What is your stand on allowing biological males in biological female shower rooms? And bathrooms are biological females and biological males, shower rooms and bathrooms? And I think that needs to be amplified that question, but I present that to you, as it was written by a member of the audience.

Brittany Weiker 1:18:35

I'm not okay with it. I mean, this is, you know, obviously school specific, but within the Menomonie school district, I don't think that they need to be in each other's showers. And that that's that. Dale,

Dale Dahlke 1:18:51

we read that again, please?

Ellen Ochs 1:18:54

What is your stance on allowing biological males biological female shower room and bathrooms, or biological females in biological male showers and bathrooms?

Dale Dahlke 1:19:07

Well, it's gonna sound like a cop out. But it really isn't. Think that if I don't think my opinion necessarily makes a whole lot of difference. I think that we have all kinds of mandates at the state and federal, and by our policies that are controlling this issue. I think that those are the things that we need to abide by. And if we each had our own opinion, and struggled over that there wouldn't be a lot of team building and there wouldn't be a lot of consensus. So I think we just need to sometimes put our own personal feelings aside And, and do what's best.

Ellen Ochs 1:20:05

I think an additional question can be added to that to clarify how how this question is intended. That is to say the person who wrote this was specifically referring to something. And this question also refers to that. A biologically male high high school student who identifies as a woman wears a skirt and goes into the girls bathroom. That's fitting into this question if you understand me. Okay, next up, Amy Riddle Swanson.

Amy Riddle Swanson 1:20:44

Again, as Dale mentioned, they are mandated to do this. Also, if you go into any bathroom, that you go into female or male, there are private spots where you can go to the bathroom, so nobody is checking to see who's going where, or what. They're just trying to go to the bathroom. And and, you know, whatever their gender identity is, and I don't think it's a big issue for our students. I mean, I think they understand it, and it you know, it's okay. Now when it comes to you said something about, you know, the shower rooms, again, they have the the idea that they can have a private spot if they're uncomfortable. So that's my take on it. Thank you.

Ellen Ochs 1:21:30

Thank you, Amy Riddle Swanson, Charlie Schneider.

Charlie Schneider 1:21:32

I think Dale, hit it. When you're on the board, there's a lot of times you have to kind of check your own personal beliefs and do what's best for the district and do what's best for the entire community. The reality on this particular situation is that there are there are many things if we restricted that, that we would violate the Kenosha school district as a for instance, paid $6 million in legal fees, because they did not allow a biological female into a male bathroom. And, and that would be devastating to our budget to have to have to absorb something like that, of course, insurance pays for a fair amount of it. But nonetheless, it was very devastating to the budget of a large district like Kenosha. So but there are things that we can do, I work in fiscal facilities, we can make those restroom stalls that Amy referred to more private. We can we're working right now with schools to make them if you think about the new Kwik Trips, if you've been in them, the the toilet stalls are much more private than the stalls were five or 10 years ago with the crack that somebody could look in by the door can't do that anymore. There's an actual door there, we can do things like that, to make it less intrusive, if you will. Because the reality is right now where we are. It's not our job. It's not we cannot fight that fight. Because we just can't afford to fight that fight even if we wanted to. But but there are other things that we can do, and that we should do and should be looking at, to make it a better, safer space. We talked earlier about mental health and so forth. And just doesn't matter who's in that restroom. But they need that to safe, that needs to be a safe place, right? You need to be able to feel safe there. And so we need to do for those kids, something so that they can feel safe there. And so I think as we move into the future, instead of talking about the the how we want to do this, and allow this, we need to make it safer for them and make it better for them. Thank you.

Ellen Ochs 1:23:45

Thank you, Charlie Schneider. Amber Kersting.

Amber Kersting 1:23:49

Thank you. I agree with Charlie, I think that it's the job of the board to create policies that keep all students safe, and provide an equitable educational experience. I don't think that anybody is going to have an equitable educational experience if they're afraid to go to the bathroom. And so I think that, that we need to focus on setting up policy, physical spaces, and things that make it so that recognizing the humanity in another person shouldn't be up for debate. And so I think that some of these things that are that are hot topics, lose sight of what the board can do to make tangible changes that benefit everybody. And so I don't think it's my job to gatekeep anybody else's experience. But if I was elected to the board, I do think it would be my job to talk about policy and figure out what we could do so that every student was was feeling safe in bathrooms and locker rooms, etc. Thank you.

Ellen Ochs 1:25:02

Thank you, Amber Kersting. Scott Parker.

Scott Parker 1:25:05

So, obviously, not a lawyer. I'm not aware of what the federal and state laws are regarding this. On a personal level, I would not vote for a policy allowing individuals born male into the female restroom. The example given was a male went into a bathroom wearing a skirt and assaulted a female that's referring to the issue that happened in Loudoun County that actually predated the outrage about it. There was a father of the female student, got into a verbal altercation with the school board and was physically restrained by the police at that meeting, that led to the National School Board Association sending a letter to the Biden administration asking the FBI to investigate parents attending school board meetings as domestic terrorists using that as one of their examples, among many others, that many of which were not violent. So if we get to bullying, obviously, allowing men and women to share locker rooms are male and female students, that's gonna lead to problems. Obviously, the Kenosha lawsuit, you know, that we can all justify anything with our preconceived notions of morality. So you could be sued for not allowing males into female locker rooms. But then, in the Loudoun County situation, you had a male student assault a female student in a bathroom, so you could, you know, these situations, they're so fluid, you, you never know how it's going to turn out. But I for one would not be in support of allowing biologically male and female students to choose the opposite restroom, locker room, whatever it might be. That's my position. Thank you.

Ellen Ochs 1:26:54

Thank you, Scott Parker, Steve Machesky.

Steven Machesky 1:26:59

Yeah, I just echo what Scott was talking about. In Virginia, there was also a lawsuit as a result of that, actually, that that the individual assaulted two people, two females and two separate bathrooms. In two separate schools, he was expelled from the first one, attended the second one and assaulted another female and female bathroom. Because he identified as a female, I think, as easy it is to write a policy to allow biological opposites to allow them in opposite bathrooms. It's easy, it's just as easy to write a policy signifying that you've used the bathroom of your biological sex. It sort of reminds me of a story of archaeologists or a forensic scientists, they unearth some human remains, the first thing to do is identify the sex and it's one of two to male or female. It's not one of 82. So again, it's I think it's a fairly easy answer, you develop a policy that prohibits up.

Ellen Ochs 1:28:00

Thank you, Steve Machesky I think we have time for one more question. And I'm not picking one where everybody will take their full two minutes. But it is an important question. And I might be wrong about that. Starting again with Steve Chesky.

Amy Riddle Swanson 1:28:21

No, Dale Dahlke

Ellen Ochs 1:28:26

shored up here, sorry. Starting again with Dale Dahlke who actually taught my daughter to do you, do you feel that school vouchers take money from public schools? And is this okay?

Dale Dahlke 1:28:58

My wife told me I shouldn't mention this, but I was a chairman of a school board. Prior to this. It was a private school, a parochial school. And I'm not on that board anymore. Because that did not agree with the voucher system. And I just thought it was very harmful to public schools. So there you have my stance. Now since that, I have learned a little bit that it doesn't affect our budget as much as I thought it did. While they do receive money that otherwise would come to the public schools. It is in some manner of logistics returned to the school in the following budget cycle. And I am going to anticipate Charlie's going to be able to clear you off more than I am But I told you how I feel about it. And I guess that's enough said.

Ellen Ochs 1:30:05

Thank you, Dale doll, keep me real Swanson.

Amy Riddle Swanson 1:30:09

Okay, um, I am not in favor of vouchers for a number of reasons. Number one, if they're religious, there should be a separation of church and state. That's one thing. The other piece is that Menomonie I think maybe even last year, maybe a year before was that $350,000 came right out of the top of our budget, which Charlie can explain some comes back. But of that three, that $300,000 is now raise to half a million dollars that comes off the top this year, we just had a budget hearing. And that's what we were told that we have about a half million dollars going out to our vouchers. And I don't think that's fair. Also, the issue with voucher schools is they don't necessarily have to follow the standards of a public school, with their testing and all of that. They also can refuse to take any students. You know, if you don't, you know, fit their mold, they can say, No, we don't you we're not going to have you come to our school. And so to me that, you know, it's totally wrong. Also, if vouchers were to be available, if you think about it, for instance, I'm just going to give an example. I religious schools charges $3,000 tuition for a year for their students to go to that private school. But the voucher is like $7,000, based on you know what vouchers are? Now, if you think about that, where does that $4,000 Go? Well, I found out that goes right back into the schools, the private school. So they're actually getting more per student than what we would be getting as a public. It's public education. Thank you.

Ellen Ochs 1:31:48

Thank

Dale Dahlke 1:31:50

you so much. Can I just say one twenty second thing? I just have to agree with what Amy said about separation of church and state. And I feel so strongly about that. And that's the root of the problem.

Ellen Ochs 1:32:06

I think I'll accept that. It was brief. Thank you, Amy. And Charlie Schneider, you've got a lot riding and yeah,

Charlie Schneider 1:32:13

I guess. Can you quickly repeat the essence of the question to me, please?

Ellen Ochs 1:32:18

Do you feel that school vouchers take money from public schools? And is this okay.

Charlie Schneider 1:32:25

Okay, I'll answer the second part of the question first. No, the first part of the question. Um, yes, it does take money from public schools. There are different kinds of voucher programs. We have the Milwaukee Racine voucher program, which was money that was put into the state budget a few biennium ago, and that was never money that was going to come to public schools. The reality was, the legislature just said, we're going to send this money and vouchers to those schools. So to think that they took money away from schools is really not an accurate statement, in my opinion. The other kind of ultra program is the kind of Amy and Dale were talking about here in our community, where a school can get voucher money for their students. And as Amy said, they get an average dollar amount, even though they may not charge that whole dollar amount, they get that amount for their students. So in essence, if they get enough for one student, they nearly pay for two, I think is the is the math, if I remember correctly. But does that take money away from us? It depends on that. On your definition of that. What that does is in this year's budget, let's just say it's $300,000. That's $300,000 that's out of our budget this year, that we can then tax our local taxpayers next year, that $300,000 And bring that back into our budget. So we're a year late. But we get the money, but it comes from you all. All right. So how so I'll let you decide how, whether that takes from from us or not. As I said, I'm not in favor of vouchers. But um, but that's how the system very roughly works. It could be a graduate program, and I did it in about a minute and 30 seconds. So but very roughly, that that's how it works. And it it is it is something that that is there. It's reality. We're dealing with it and we're by the makeup, the legislature, we're going to have to continue to deal with it for at least the foreseeable future.

Ellen Ochs 1:34:30

Thank you, Charlie Schneider. Okay, Amber Kersting.

Amber Kersting 1:34:35

In the interest of time, I am not in favor of vouchers. I feel like it was my reasons why I've been very clearly covered.

Ellen Ochs 1:34:44

Amber Kersting, Scott Parker,

Scott Parker 1:34:47

I would not be opposed to vouchers. Obviously having a plethora of choice is going to increase quality across the board. So to say that a student based on their zip code has to attend a specific school gives that school absolutely no incentive to improve upon itself. I'm not familiar as Charlie is with the voucher program, my personal belief, obviously, this isn't our local school district is more about the candidates themselves. So I believe that each student should have the tax dollars associated with them as a student, follow them to wherever they want to go, regardless of if that's a public, private or religious school. I do not believe that sending your kids to a religious school with taxes that you paid is a violation of church and state. I think that's a mischaracterization of that statement. And that's my opinion. Thank you.

Ellen Ochs 1:35:41

Thank you, Scott. Parker. Steve Machesky.

Steven Machesky 1:35:44

Yeah, so I agree with Scott, let's be clear that this is your money. And my money we're talking about here, I pull some statistics down on this. And in a vote, your student gets just over $9,000 in credits, to educate or the public school system currently is per student is at $14,596. So the voucher school is actually doing us a big favor. They're educating people, people are our students at a lower cost. And generally at a better outcome, too. So let's be clear about this. It's your money, it's my money. I don't have a child in school here. But I still pay about $5,000 here to the school system here and I have no choice and where that money goes.

Ellen Ochs 1:36:33

Thank you, Steve Maciejewski, Brittany Weicker. Yeah.

Brittany Weiker 1:36:41

I was gonna pretty much say what Scott said, you know, it's kind of it makes it a free market, and it forces the schools to be better and produce a better product, better learning environment, and, you know, product, you know, the kids coming out. So it doesn't, you know, like he said, It's not based on Here's your zip code. This is where you're going to school, you know. So, basically, Scott kind of hit the nail on the head there with what I was thinking.

Ellen Ochs 1:37:13

Thank you, Brittany Weicker. Well, that that leaves us with 25 minutes, where you can speak to the candidates individually together and close.

Audience member 1:37:25

Didn't you say each one? Oh, you're e right. 30 seconds.

Ellen Ochs 1:37:31

Thank you. Thank you. Nobody's perfect. I even told them that they get 32nd closure. So we will do that starting with Brittany and coming this way. Just to mix it up a little.

Brittany Weiker 1:37:46

Brittany, will keep it short and sweet. Thanks, everyone for attending. And don't forget to vote primary is February 21. And the actual election is April 4. Thanks, guys.

Steven Machesky 1:37:59

Steve. Okay. Oh, lucky. Brittany just said vote for me. Name is Rector and it's nice to meet you. I'll see you again.

Scott Parker 1:38:07

Thanks, everybody for coming. Keep it in the back of your mind for when it comes around September 17. Constitution Day, our nation's first Supreme Court Justice. He said his name was John Jay. He said each student in our nation should be taught the Constitution as an individual who knows their rights will more easily perceive when they are infringed upon. And that's a quote that stuck with me. I use it as my closing statement last year during this League of women voters forum. Love it. Don't forget to drive safe, slippery out there.

Ellen Ochs 1:38:40

Thank you, Scott Parker.

Amber Kersting 1:38:43

Thank you again, for coming tonight. I just want to say this isn't me being here isn't about me wanting to be a politician. It is about wanting to serve the community that we live in. I think our schools are facing really big challenges. And we need to find a way to work together locally with parents and folks we've seen in the grocery store and other kids games and you know, I don't have all of the answers. But I think the real work is what gets done after elections. And I would be excited to do that work.

Ellen Ochs 1:39:15

Thank you, Amber. Kersting, Charlie Schneider.

Charlie Schneider 1:39:20

I'm going to host a a couple of listening events. this coming Wednesday, the eighth and next Wednesday, the 15th. From seven eight, go on my on my Facebook page, you'll find a link. Charlie for SDMA board. I think one of the very important points made a couple of times here but I want to reiterate, the administrators job is to run the district. The board's job is to make sure that the district is well run. And I'm going to stop

Amy Riddle Swanson 1:39:57

thank you again. League of Women Voters With my experiences- as educator in many areas and experience as a school board member, I believe that consistency and my passion for education stands out and makes me a viable board candidate for another term. Please vote on February 21. And April 4. Thank you. And just to add one quick little thing, I am not against school choice. I'm just against the voucher system.

Ellen Ochs 1:40:23

Thank you, Amy Riddle Swanson, and Dale Dahlke

Dale Dahlke 1:40:27

Well, there's a very important passage that says the first will be last and the last will be first. And so here we are, I am last. And I want to thank the League of Women Voters for sure for hosting this forum. I appreciate the opportunity to participate in a nonpartisan atmosphere. I also want to thank Steve over there for recording this for all the people who were not able to come tonight. And I urge all of us to get out and vote on the 21st. And on the fourth of April, as well and bring a neighbor along as well. Vote for board members that will work together as a team and give our students the best possible education.

Ellen Ochs 1:41:09

Thank you, Dale, I want you all to look at these seven people who really care about our local school system enough to go to a lot of work before they even get elected. And when three of these people get elected, a lot more work. And I want you to give them a round of applause. Thank you all for coming. I thank you all for coming. We're going to be celebrating the 100 and third birthday of the League of Women Voters on Valentine's Day at 430 in the afternoon, with cupcakes at the First Congregational Church, UCC on 420 Wilson Avenue. Anybody can come and talk to some League of Women Voters and have a cupcake is that 103 years since two years since since we got the right to vote, because before that all these women's organizations were fighting hard to get women the right to vote. And when we actually got it, Carrie Chapman Catt, who was born in Wisconsin, she's Iowa but she was born in Wisconsin. Okay. She said, We need to educate women about how to get registered to vote, and about the issues that people are voting on. So that's what we're doing.