Editor’s note: information below has been provided by a political candidate announcing his intention to run for office. Other candidates wishing to run for political office will have equal opportunity to announce their intentions.
Brian Schanen, a resident of Whitewater, has announced his intention to run for a seat on the Whitewater Unified School District Board of Education.
He is one of 12 candidates running for three seats. The full field necessitates a primary election which will be held Tuesday, Feb. 21.
According to his announcement, Schanen has lived in Whitewater for “a little over a decade,” noting that he originally came to Whitewater in 2011 to attend the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He graduated in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in communication and in 2017 with a master’s degree in mass communication.
“I have worked with a variety of small businesses and organizations in the region on their video and marketing strategy. I now teach public speaking, video production and audio production at UW-Whitewater, and lead their award-winning speech team,” Schanen was quoted as saying in the announcement.
Additionally, he noted that he met his fiancée, Heather, while in college, stating that she earned her degree in biology and went back to school a couple years later to get her teaching certification. She teaches high school science and engineering and is in her fourth year.
Said Schanen: “We are setting down roots, and our hearts, in Whitewater, and being more involved in the community has made us fall in love with the city even more. I have served on the Community Involvement and Cable TV commission for the past two years. I was about to run for Common Council, however, Heather and I found a house just before Christmas, that moved us out of that aldermanic district. While having to leave that race was tough, I knew from the get-go that I wanted to be more involved in the community.”
According to the announcement, Schanen grew up in Port Washington, north of Milwaukee, where he said he saw “the positive impact of having strong school district-community relations.
“I have an older sister. Both her and my brother-in-law work in the education space as well up north. Growing up, my parents placed a high priority on education, knowing it was vital for whatever path my sister and I chose to embark on. They also instilled the importance of hard work. One of the memories that stands out most is helping my father on his hobby farm.
“Heather and I often talk about how much education and students have changed in the last decade. I want to make sure that as a district we are setting up our students for success, and that we are fostering healthy, constructive relationships with the community,” Schanen stated.
Brian Schanen
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