Commentary: Area superintendents recognize School Board Appreciation Week

Editor’s note: Saturday marked the conclusion of Wisconsin School Board Appreciation Week. In advance of the week, superintendents from several school districts, including Fort Atkinson, Jefferson, Johnson Creek, Lake Mills, Waterloo, Watertown, and Whitewater offered a joint news release, to “celebrate and honor local board members for their commitment to our school districts and the children and families they serve.” Following is the information they provided. 

Seven area superintendents share the belief that strong schools build strong communities, and the people serving on our school boards devote countless hours to making sure our schools are helping every child learn at a higher level. Boards make tough decisions every month and spend many hours studying education issues and regulations to provide the accountability our communities expect.

The key work of school boards is to raise student achievement by creating a vision for what the community wants the school district to be and for making student achievement the top priority, while establishing standards for what students will be expected to learn and be able to do. Boards ensure progress is measured to be sure the district’s goals are achieved and students are learning at expected levels. They also must be accountable for their decisions and actions by continually tracking and reporting results.

Additionally, school boards create a safe, orderly climate where students can learn and teachers can teach, forming partnerships with others in the community to solve common problems. And, they focus attention on the need for continuous improvement by questioning, refining, and revising issues related to student achievement.

School board members give the Cambridge, Fort Atkinson, Jefferson, Johnson Creek, Lake Mills, Waterloo, Watertown, and Whitewater community members a voice in education decision-making. Although a special effort to show appreciation takes place in October, their contribution is a year-round commitment.

The members serving our districts and their years of service are as follows:

School District of Fort Atkinson

Kory Knickrehm, President (5 years) 

Amy Reynolds, Vice President (5 years) 

Robynn Selle, Treasurer (3 years)

Matt Loup, Clerk (1 year)

Chris Rogers, Member (3 years)

School District of Jefferson

Matthew Peltier, President (4 years)

Terri Wenkman, Vice President (10 years) 

Georgia McWilliam, Clerk (2 Years)

Seth Ebel, Treasurer (3 Years)

Thomas Condon Jr. (3 Years)

Lisa Fox (1 Year)

Robin Salopek (1 Year)

Johnson Creek School District

Mark Siewert, President (9 years)

Richard Wrensch, Vice President (13 years) 

Natasha Steenbergen, Clerk (2 years) 

Christina Norby, Treasurer (2 years)

Duane Draeger, Member (16 years)

Ken Johnson, Member ( 6 years)

Wesley Trapp, Member (4 years)

Lake Mills Area School District

Amy Litscher, President (4 years)

Brianna Behselich, Vice President (3 years) 

Ken Eimers, Clerk (3 years)

Andrea Graham, Treasurer (2 years)

Kirk Lund, Director (2 years)

Waterloo School District

Matt Schneider, President (5 years) 

Charlie Crave, Vice President (4 years) 

Sara Cummings, Clerk (3 Years)

Susan Quamme, Treasurer (3 years) 

Chad Yerges, Director (2 years) 

Jeremy Dolfin, Director (1 years)

Bill Farrey, Director (2 years)

Watertown Unified School District

Fred Jandt, President (1 year)

David Schroeder, Vice President (3 years) 

Mike Higgins, Treasurer (3 years)

Tina Johnson (3 years)

Lori Holland (2 year)

Craig Wortman (2 year)

Diana Johnson (2 year)

Sam Ouweneel (Elected April 2024)

Dan Voeltner (Elected April 2024)

Whitewater Unified School District

Jennifer Kienbaum, President (6 years) 

Maryann Zimmerman, Vice President (4 years) 

Stephanie Hicks, Clerk (1 year)

Miguel Aranda, Treasurer (4 years)

Jeff Tortomasi (elected April 2024)

Lisa Huempfner (1 year)

Christy Linse (1 year)