‘We need people who understand education’

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Letter to the editor: 

I have lived in Whitewater for 23 years, have two children, and have been a teacher for 27 years in the public schools and university level. My husband is also in education, serving as an elementary school principal in the Kettle Moraine School District. Education is a high priority in our household.

As a teacher, mother, and lover of learning I want a school board to be made up of people who put kids first. Children come to schools in all forms, with a variety of backgrounds, stories, hardships, gifts and abilities. They must ALL be educated,and provided opportunities so they may reach their full potential. I am turned off by candidates who have political aspirations or serve a particular political agenda. This does not lead to flourishing schools or students. A solid board member should not be thinking of what is best for their own child or a select group of students, but are there to serve ALL students. I look for educated, well read, people who have the foresight to see the longterm implications of their decisions. We need people who understand education and how schools function yet are still able to allow teachers to be the experts in their content area. I do not want non-educators making curricular decisions but instead should hold the skills to hire the best people for these roles and then allow them to teach and lead. Teachers need support, not opposition. A great board member has the ability to find, employ and retain great administrators who can then hire the best staff so students can thrive.

The candidates that I feel best contain these abilities and are the strongest candidates are Thayer Coburn, Joe Kromholtz and Lisa Huempfner. Coburn is highly experienced and has served on the Board for 12 years. While change is needed, so is expertise. We don’t want an almost entirely new board that hasn’t experienced a breadth of situations. These positions take time to learn and we don’t want an entire board learning as they go without a guide. The Whitewater Board could use fresh eyes but it also needs the wisdom and experience that Coburn brings.

Kromholtz has a unique skillset as an attorney. A person who has knowledge of the law and legal precedent is invaluable for a school district. He has long term ties to Whitewater and is invested in the entire community.
Huempfner has her own lens which would be highly beneficial for our district. She has expertise in the Latino community, their unique needs, and is fully bilingual. Our Latino community in Whitewater has sadly been overlooked for years and is a growing population here. In my opinion, until the Latino students are strongly supported educationally, linguistically and culturally the Whitewater schools will never fully thrive.

Please cast your vote on April 4th! Support our children and the next generation and vote Coburn, Kromholtz and Huempfner.

Kristen Monday 

La Grange