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Letter to the editor:
Two weeks ago, I had the privilege of listening to six candidates running for the Whitewater School Board speak at a City Hall open forum. I was troubled by a few and deeply impressed with three of them!
First, Joe Kromholz impressed me as he spoke about policy and how he would support the policies in place. He did not use language like “I feel” or “I believe” clearly; it was not about him. As an attorney, he pointed out the importance of listening, supporting school policy, and addressing “all students'” needs. He was clearly an advocate for the teachers and administration. His blend of professionalism and care struck me, and it was clear he would be an excellent School Board member.
Thayer Coburn also impressed me as an objective yet an invested candidate. He has served the Whitewater School Board and contributed through the most difficult days. He has already proven collaborative and willing to work with diverse community members, teachers, and stakeholders. His work ethic and dedication to the Whitewater School District and community are admirable. Like Mr. Kromholz, I did not hear him speak about his ideas or what he believed students needed to be and/or receive. He is open to listening and hearing from the administration, teachers, and students.
Finally, Lisa Huempfner impressed me as a strong advocate for students and teachers. Through her years as a professor at UW-Whitewater in the Spanish department, she has been an integral part of helping to bring language and culture to the table. This is a critical and necessary expertise at the Whitewater School Board. Also, her compassion for students struggling with mental health issues and seeing this as a reality for students across the country, not only in Whitewater, is critical.
It was frightening to me to hear a candidate claim that suicide and depression would go away if we stopped talking about
it. According to Pew Research, depression has become increasingly common among American teenagers – especially teen girls, who are now almost three times as likely as teen boys to have had recent experiences with depression. In 2017, 13% of U.S. teens ages 12 to 17 (or 3.2 million) said they had experienced at least one major depressive episode in the past year, up from 8% (or 2 million) in 2007.
A link to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health is here: https://nsduhweb.rti.org/respweb/homepage.cfm.
Mary Sue Reutebuch
Whitewater
File photo.
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