Whitewater: School board candidates weigh in during forum

By Chris Spangler

Inclusivity, community input and boosting test scores were among the topics covered during a Whitewater Unified School District Board of Education candidate forum Saturday.

Six candidates — Incumbent Thayer Coburn, Stephanie Hicks, Christy Linse, Joseph Kromholz, Lisa Huempfner and Chuck Mills — are on the April 4 general election ballot, vying for three school board seats.

They were the top vote-getters emerging from a field of 11 in the February primary. A 12th candidate, Nathan Vander Pas, withdrew from the race, although his name appeared on the ballot. 

Saturday’s candidates forum was held at the Whitewater Municipal Building and sponsored by the League of Women Voters-Whitewater Area.

Fifty-five people attended the forum, which was moderated by league member Lynn Binnie. Candidates were given two minutes for opening and closing remarks, as well as to answer the questions, all of which were submitted by audience members.

Questions and answers

Questions and candidates’ responses follow. 

Q:  Are you committed to a yearly survey of families, students, graduates, community residents, faculty and staff about what they see as major strengths and shortcomings of the district’s schools and are you committed to publicly sharing in the results?

Coburn

Coburn said that the short answer was yes.

“The long answer is there’s several different surveys,” he said, citing input from constituents, voters, residents and parents.

“Those surveys are kind of hard to glean usable data from. There’s a lot of anecdotal stuff comes through those surveys, and with our new administration, we haven’t been able to get in the rhythm of doing that, but I definitely support doing that on a regular basis and I will commit to doing that in my next term,” Coburn said.

He also noted that he would support a survey of staff, district employees and administrators.

“The district has embarked on professional development called professional learning communities … it’s a way of collaborating with teachers in like subject areas and like grades across the district, so (for example) you have fourth-grade teachers talking to each other in a way that they haven’t in the past,” Coburn said. “This … has a huge impact on employee satisfaction and, obviously, the biggest impact on student achievement.”

Coburn explained that teachers are surveyed at both the beginning and end of the school year to monitor growth and development, and those results will be shared with the board of education and public.

Hicks

Hicks said she is 100% in favor of doing yearly surveys.

“As far as the school board, we are voted in by our constituents. They deserve to have a voice and to make sure that those things are done — hopefully more than yearly, but at least yearly — so that we are able to take that information and formulate a strategic plan and start to prioritize the things that not only make our students successful, but our community successful,” she said. “You can’t have one without the other.”

She said she would have separate surveys for constituents and staff.

“The staff would be a little tricky,” she said. “We want to make sure that staff voices are heard and we want to make sure it’s unbiased for them to be able to freely and openly communicate some of the concerns that they have, so I think we would have to be able to come up with a platform where they are able to do that.”

Hicks pointed out that she is a teacher and it is not always comfortable to fill out a survey about an administrator or school board.

“So there has to be a way to make it feel as natural and comfortable as possible … Honesty is where it’s going to get us moving forward,” she said.

Hicks said it equally is important to survey the students.

“I think we don’t give them enough of a voice, and we have some amazing students and some students who are severely struggling and some students who are good at advocating. I think that sometimes we assume, but we don’t know (their views), so it would be really beneficial to get that feedback,” she said.

Mills

Mills said that he, too, supports surveys, but he would like to see more hands-on communication between teachers, the administration and the board. It should be  “unrestricted, unintimidated, so that these ideas can be brought forward and used in a most efficient way.

“We’ve got a lot of resources out there, a lot of money being spent,” he said, adding, “There is a serious problem between the board, superintendent, administration and the teachers. I think we can do a lot better and a lot quicker. Surveys are good, but we need more hands-on when it comes to these issues and everything that is going on.”

Linse

Linse said she “absolutely” supports seeking input.

“We can’t change what we don’t know, so it’s important for all of us to get honest feedback from people,” she stated. “I can tell you that it’s not always easy to get up and speak in front of a group of people, whether that’s at a school board meeting or different meeting of the city, so if we we’re to give people a chance to share their thoughts in a survey-type forum, I think we would get more honest answers.”

Huempfner

Huempfner said that surveys can be a very valuable instrument by which to gather information.

“I think is very important for the school board, the superintendent and the leadership of the district to consider what the constituents want and are voicing,” she said. “I always think that those surveys need to be designed correctly. I’ve learned that sometimes there is a bias that is in surveys, so who creates those surveys is important.”

She continued: “I also think that, from what I’ve learned in the short time I’ve been running for school board, there’s also a lot of misinformation in the community and I think the results of surveys may have to be unpacked sometimes. It may be the job of the school board to explain to the community some things that the community may be misunderstanding.”

She agreed with Hicks that the students also should provide input, adding that she has learned a lot from her son, who graduated last June. 

Kromholz

Kromholz responded that communication always is necessary.

“I’m an attorney. The only way you solve things is by talking to each other, and the community needs to have an open line of communication to the board. That said, we can’t trade in rumors. We have to trade in facts,” he said.

He said everything that can be disclosed, legally and ethically, should be disclosed.

“If we take surveys, if they’re properly designed, we should disclose that data because it strengthens everybody and that leads to good communication,” Kromholz explained. “If people want to trade in rumor, I’m not going to do that and I will be very blunt to tell people I don’t do that.”

He said context is important to the conversation.

“But I will always listen to the community, I will always listen to the parents. I think parents really see how their kids are doing. I think it is important for the board members to listen to the parents and do what they can in conjunction with the parents to make sure these kids are getting the best education possible in a safe environment,” he said.

Q: How do you plan to address low ACT scores and low-proficient scores in math and reading?

Hicks

Hicks said that student achievement should be a top priority in the school district.

“Last year, I think, in the area of reading, we had … 27% of students being able to read at proficient or advanced-proficient levels,” she said, adding that at the middle school, 24% of pupils were proficient or higher in math.

“Those are alarming rates,” she said. “Now, I do know that since COVID-19, yes, student achievement has dropped, but in the Whitewater school district alone, it has dropped significantly more than some of the surrounding areas,” Hicks continued. “I think that, if anything, that needs to be at the foremost front line of our next conversation of how are we are going to do that. And it’s not simply a discussion and it’s not simply ‘here are some ideas we’re going to do and this is what we’re going to tell our community.’ It’s how we’re going to do it.”

Hicks said the district needs a strategic plan on how it will address student achievement. In addition, the board must work diligently with the administration and curriculum instruction director.

“What are those pockets of students? Is it our curriculum? Is it the way we teach our curriculum? Is it that we don’t have a multi-tiered system when somebody isn’t getting it at the universal level, which means the way all instruction is being delivered? We have to have multi-tiered strategies and interventions in place,” she noted.

She emphasized that student achievement is not just a problem among the newcomer or lower socio-economic populations.

“I’m an educator, and we are a middle-class family, we are white and we still are having those difficulties,” Hicks said. “So we have to figure out what it is that we need to improve on. And that’s going to have to take a village; it is not going to take just one area.”

Mills

Mills said that he thinks some administrators and faculty are “distracted” by concerns about LGBTQ, suicide, critical race theory and identity issues, and the district needs to “get back to academics and reward the high achievers.

“We have to set goals for these children; we have to step back from some of these distractions. You’ve got to take a chance. If you’re advertising suicide (prevention on posters) all day long, that’s what they’re going to think of. Most of them would never think of it if they hadn’t had it plastered over every wall in the building. And if there is such a thing, then everyone knows what 911 is. The teachers and faculty are trained to support it, but we don’t have to reiterate it on a daily basis on every wall in the school,” Mills said.

He said he saw one poster, in the high school weight room, that celebrated achievement.

“Everything else was distracting and had no positive meaning to it,” Mills stated. “I think we need to take a little step back and concentrate on academics, take a chance. The kids will … get over it on their own. We don’t have to intervene on every little thing that goes wrong.”

Linse

Linse said that the proficiency scores in math and English Language Arts (ELA) are pretty low.

“I know other districts also to be hit, but ours are a little lower …,” she stated. “We probably have some additional challenges, and I think we’re trying to work toward them.”

Linse cited the i-Ready program at Whitewater Middle School.

“In the way it was described, it’s specific for math and reading and it works with each individual child to determine their needs and kind of personalizes their learning path and then it monitors their success,” she said.

At parent-teacher conferences, Linse said, she was pleased to see how her son, Thomas, is progressing.

“I would hope that if this new program is successful, then we will see all the kids bump up their scores, and if not, I guess the district might look at a different option. But I think we’re headed there,” Linse added.

Huempfner

Huempfner said it is no secret that the schools are not performing as they should.

“One of the things that I saw last year when I was looking at the initiative to get more multilingual specialists into the schools was the performance of ELLs (English Language Learners), and what it showed was they were right where they were supposed to be right through elementary school, but the minute they hit middle school, they dove down way below where they should be,” she said. 

Huempfner said that No Child Left Behind “does not do justice to the school districts that have a large portion of ELLs and MLLs (Multilingual Learners), and we have a high poverty level in our district as well. I’m not trying to use those as excuses, but those are things we have to address. As a community, we need to support these families with multilingual learners and also our poverty families to help them do a better job.”

As a member of the Whitewater LEADS literacy committee, Huempfner attends school registration in an effort to get pupils signed up for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which sends them free books on a regular basis.

“I think we need to extend our efforts — that’s more of a community effort — to help these kids before they get to school, but we also need to support the programming that helps these kids, who arrive in our community and have had almost zero education before that, to be able to get up to a higher level of performance,” she said.

Kromholz

Kromholz said the district needs to focus on assisting children wherever they need help.

“I don’t care what color they are, what problem they have or where they’re from, but if a kid needs focus on his studies, we’ve got to find a way (for the) kid to focus on his studies,” he said. 

“When you disaggregate for our non-economically disadvantaged students to remain competitive within our peer group, who’s right in the middle on ACT scores, that doesn’t mean that that’s good; that just means we’re right in the middle. We can do better, but I agree we need a policy and a plan that says ‘let’s focus where we’re weak and let’s improve.’ It’s like any sports team or coach. If you’ve got a guy who can’t catch a football, you spend time with him so he can catch a football.”

Coburn 

Coburn said that achievement won’t be improved by applying a bunch of Band-Aids.

“It needs to be done comprehensively as part of a program to make sure all the district’s resources are working in alignment toward the goal of maximizing learning,” he said.

He said the No. 1 way to improve student outcomes is to improve what is called collective teacher efficacy, Coburn explained.

“With the professional learning communities we’ve implemented this year, that allows collaboration time that’s focused on data and outcomes. We’ve gotten strategic about creating time for teachers to learn, collaborate and adjust our practices together to improve our outcomes,” he said. “So professional learning communities enable better coordination of curriculum …, which helps reduce the amount of doubling back and keeps everyone moving forward.”

He said that when pupils from the three elementary schools get to middle school, they often are learning things over again because they were taught subjects three different ways in elementary school. Professional learning communities help coordinate multilingual education efforts, and that will assist all students, not just non-native English speakers.

“It also facilitates attention to social and emotional learning considerations,” Coburn continued. “That helps children cope with the pressures that can make education challenging. LGBTQ kids, newcomers, even kids in poverty all bring a different set of challenges that need to be addressed before they can learn. If a child is fearful of discrimination or doesn’t feel physically safe in school or is worried about where his next meal is coming from, their achievement plummets and it drags down all the students around them. So I believe it’s not only our community’s moral obligation to help kids in crisis, but it also boosts achievement.”

Q: Would you support a dual-language program in schools and does our district and community have the resources to to put in dual-language and learning?

Mills

Mills asked whether this would be an elective or across-the-board program.

“I’m all for an elective program, but not a mandatory program,” he said. “We can’t even teach them to speak English and read and write English at a level that they’re supposed to, so taking on a second language as mandatory, there’s no way we could accomplish that.”

However, he supports this as an elective.

“I think that the overachievers should be integrated in with the Spanish-speaking or any other language and be given credit — high school credit, college credit … as an elective. I’m 100% behind that. But not as a mandatory. There’s just no way possible that would happen,” he said.

Mills said he visited the Lincoln Elementary School cafeteria and saw youngsters eating, having a good time and socializing.

“So … when they come into school, it’s a mind walking through the door. Not a color, not an identity, no matter how much money they have, what religion they are. I don’t care. It’s a mind walking through the door and they’re all the same. They’re all treated the same. Nobody’s treated better than others and nobody’s treated less,” Mills said. “It’s not that hard to do. We need to concentrate on academics and bringing the score up.”

Linse

Linse said she does not see dual-language learning as a priority right now.

“I wouldn’t be opposed to it if the district were in a different place as far as our academic scores and the resources we have available to us now. I see we’re lacking in both of those. If the majority of our kids are already below proficient in math and English Language Arts, I don’t think it is a good time to introduce a whole new curriculum model,” she said.

Linse noted that at the middle school, the 30% proficiency level does not align with it being just non-native English speakers. 

“It’s more than that,” she said. “I also am concerned that if something like this were to be implemented, it might give some families a reason to choose to open-enroll out. And I don’t think we can afford to lose anymore families. That’s just going to cost the district more money.”

Linse noted that most of the students who have left Whitewater due to open enrollment have been going to Milton, Elkhorn and Fort Atkinson, and those districts do not have dual-language programs. Rather, the district should focus more on social-emotional and behavioral assistance, counseling and perhaps some mentoring. 

“If this isn’t addressed first, kids are not going to learn in any language,” Linse concluded.

Huempfner

Huempfner noted that she has done a lot of research on a dual-language program and it is the No. 1 model of learning a language.

“But I think a lot of people feel it’s a subtractive method, that if somebody’s into a language, they’re not learning to read or they’re not learning math,” she explained. “The whole idea of dual-language learning is that students are learning content in two languages. They’re not missing out on content at all.”

She noted that in Tucson, Ariz., and Chicago, where she has resided, the schools that offered dual-language programs were in such high demand that children had to be registered before they were born to ensure a spot.

“It is shown that people who learn a second language do better on all cognitive level assessments. It grows your ability to think, and I’ve thought since I first moved here that this is the perfect place for dual-language because of our large ELL/ML population,” Huempfner said.

She acknowledged that undertaking a dual-language program takes time and is not done overnight. She also said that it typically is a student/parent’s choice and not mandatory.

Kromholz

Kromholz said he, too, is in favor of a dual-language program.

“We already have movement toward multilingual programs within the school,” he said. “I would point out that if you’ve never tried, you’re going to fail 100% of the time.”

He said he always has felt that not knowing a second language has been a big detriment in his life. However, his son is fluent in Spanish, and that has opened many doors for him.

He acknowledged that it takes several years to develop such programs.

“But if we never do it — if we only act out of fear — then we never achieve anything,” Kromholz said. “When I sat on the Governance Council at Lincoln School when it was a charter school, the kids who had the toughest problem with mathematics were the kids who came to us as English Language Learners, and when they got to the level of where word problems started to occur, usually in the third grade, their math scores started to drop off. 

“So there are lots of ways to approach this problem, but I think we can strengthen our entire community and our entire student body and give them the great gift of learning two languages well, but it will take time,” he added.

Coburn 

Coburn said that he is concerned about children facing challenges, and there is no bigger challenge than not speaking the language of instruction.

“Those children fall behind and those around them fall behind as well,” he said.

The incumbent noted that the district is anticipating 280 ELL newcomers at the end of this year. 

“Dual-language almost is here already. We have had to hire new staff to handle this influx. We need instructors who can handle this population now and we’re already hiring those instructors,” Coburn said, noting that he speaks from a place of experience as a board member.

“Do we have the resources? Yes, we’re already showing we have the resources and we can address these issues by hiring the right people, by hiring the people who have dual-language abilities.”

He said there is no termination involved. Rather, when filling open positions, the district should emphasize dual-language abilities in the application and interview process to address the needs of the changing district.

Hicks

Hicks said she worked in the Delavan-Darien School District when it was starting a dual-language program. 

“There are a lot of barriers to it. Now, I am not against it. I do think that there is a place for it. However, it is not a one-fit-all; it is not even a one-fit-all for our ML population,” she stated. “Some of the biggest barriers that we came up with when we first started down there was retaining teachers who are strong in teaching literacy, bilingual, and understand the process of becoming bilingual and biliterate. You can not just put any teacher in there or a teacher who teaches Spanish or knows Spanish into a bilingual program. You have to have the ability to teach and to understand how literacy and math work.”

She said teacher retention is a concern. The district has openings now for bilingual teachers, and they are very hard to come by.

“Again, I’m not against it; I think that there is room for it. One of the things that I do think that Delavan did a really good job of highlighting is the fact that there is a monolingual track and there is a bilingual track, which I think is good because it is not a one-fit-all for everyone. We have students who have many other barriers and struggles beyond just this. I mean, I would love every student to be bilingual, but I want them to be literate first. I want them to get in a classroom and know how to read and know how to write and get their needs met first.”

Q: Minority and LGBTQ students live in this community and deserve respect and to not feel ostracized. Can you commit to supporting all Whitewater students in making sure they have a voice and how would you work to make sure all students are accepted and supported?

Linse

Linse said that her answer seems like a “no-brainer.”

“I think all students should always be supported and feel welcomed by all the teachers, leadership, people in the community,” she stated. “I think that (discrimination) does happen. I would tell some people to maybe get off social media and ignore some of the things that are happening around (the country) because it is not the representation of the people in the schools. I know all the teachers we hire value and appreciate all of the kids, and that’s essential.”

Huempfner

Huempfner said inclusivity has to start early on.

“We need to be working with students — seeing in books and examples by the adults around them — that all people should be accepted. I think that when there are kids that are demonstrating needs in areas of feeling left out and marginalized, the schools need to identify those kids and try to get them support,” she said.

Teaching inclusivity from an early age and showing LGBTQ and minority students as a community are ways children can feel they belong, Huempfner said.

Kromholz

Kromholz said that bigotry is never acceptable, and he read the district’s current nondiscrimination policy.

“I will work to ensure that we have policies that support that policy and I will work to ensure that we have the services to support the kids in our community who, let’s be frank, are just trying to get through life at a very difficult time. I believe our LGBTQ community has been especially oppressed in this matter. And I will be always standing there with them,” he said.

Coburn

Coburn said he has demonstrated a commitment to all students during his tenure on the board and will continue to do so.

He recalled sitting in on the superintendent interviews a few years back, including that for Dr. Caroline Pate-Hefty, the successful candidate.

“The thing I remember most from those interviews was her emphasis on all learners. She said that enough that I remember it. She’s demonstrated that commitment to learners, regardless of race, language, ability, gender, any of those things, through policy, through practices, through support both official and unofficial of these marginalized communities,” he said.

Coburn added that he would continue to listen to the experts — the principals, administrators and faculty — to know what issues look like on the ground and how to respond.

Hicks

Hicks said she, too, would do all she could to support LGBTQ and other marginalized students.

“These are children 18 years and younger … coming to our educational institution desiring to learn,” she said. “(They have) the desire to learn, the desire to be included, the desire to make friends, and of course, we have to be able to support all realms, whatever it is in.”

Hicks emphasized that no matter students’ sexual preference, religion or race, they still are children.

“We have to be welcoming to all who enter our schools. We have no idea of what happens outside our walls — well, some we do — during the other 20 hours that they’re at home,” Hicks said. 

She said the district must have policies in place that make sure that every student who walks through the door is safe and feels supported and welcome.

“Sometimes the only safe haven a child has is school, because when they leave that school, we have no idea what things they are facing,” she said, noting that many children face adult issues on a daily basis. “And so we have to make sure that there is at least one place those children feel safe.”

Hicks said the district must ensure it has the right practices in place, such as teaching character education and citizenship. When children start talking about race or sexuality, they need to know how to ask questions. 

In addition, the district needs to have counseling and student services in place to assist those who are struggling, she said.

Mills

Mills said he does not believe in micromanaging “every single little aspect of every different group that attends the school.

“It’s easier just to promote the fact that we aren’t going to have anarchy in the school. (Students should be told) ‘we’re going to have law and order, and there will be people to answer to and you will be reprimanded,’” he said. “Mind you, you can’t stop all bullying; that’s impossible. But we’re all sitting in this room right now and we’re getting along (by following) the same rules.”

Mills said that students should know that no one will be more or less than anyone else and anybody who steps out of line will face consequences.

He added that coming to school should be the highlight of a student’s day. If a student is hungry, then the schools should have a food cart on hand when (they) get off the bus.

“Things are just way out of hand,” he said. “We can’t keep up with all of this. We’ve got to get back to academics. I keep reiterating myself. We have to have a model for teaching children. We are not their parents, their neighbors or their churches.”

Q: What is CRT (Critical Race Theory) to you and how does it differ from teaching the sometimes real and harsh truth of American history and what is your opinion of having CRT, woke and DEI (diversity/equity) in the Whitewater United School District schools?

Huempfner

Huempfner said that a couple weeks ago, her son asked her what CRT is, so they looked it up.

“Basically, my understanding of CRT is that it recognizes that there are things within the systems of our country, our society, our governance, that discriminate by race or ethnicity and that have done so historically,” she said, citing as an example, policies circa the 1930s against investing in districts in poverty.

“That right there puts those neighborhoods and communities at a disadvantage to move forward,” she said.

Gerrymandering is another example, she said, because “it divides up groups of people so that their vote doesn’t have any weight. And when their vote can’t have any weight, then the needs of their communities can’t get addressed. And so I do believe that’s something that should be taught at some level. It’s not trying to create a sense of privilege for one race; it’s recognizing that historically, there are things in place in our country that discriminate, like groups of people.”

Kromholz

Kromholz said that CRT is the technique that law schools use to see whether legislation has an adverse impact on different racial or ethnic groups. He said the 1994 crime bill did that with different sentencing for crack and cocaine violations.

“CRT is stylized today as fear … there seems to be a group of people who are upset that they can’t announce their bigotries anymore,” he said. “… My father worked for the civil rights movement in the 1960s. He registered people to vote, he believed in nonviolence, he took beatings as a result of that. He cared about people being treated equally. So it disheartens me a great deal when I hear arguments being made today that somehow we cannot have open discussions about race and why people should be treated equally and fairly.”

Kromholz said that the schools must teach history accurately, warts and all. 

“Slavery happened. Jim Crow happened. The civil rights movement happened. We have to put an end to bigotry and we have to teach our kids about our history so we can eliminate this scourge,” he concluded.

Coburn 

Coburn agreed that CRT is not a K-12 concept, and it never has come before the local school board as something a teacher wanted to teach or as a citizen concern.

“If anybody doesn’t like the way things are being taught, talk to the teacher first. You don’t have to bring it to the board necessarily. That’s not the best way to get the solution …,” he said.

Coburn said racial inequality and exclusion is a fact and students would be unprepared for the responsibility of democratic citizenship, especially in an increasingly diverse society, if they can’t have informed discussions about the meaning of race.

“I fully support age-appropriate, but uncomfortable, conversations in our classrooms, because that’s where education happens,” he said.

Hicks

Hicks agreed that CRT theory is a university concept and that many people don’t really even know what it is.

“But here’s what I do know: In school, history’s important. It has defined who we are. It has defined where we come (from) — the good, the bad, the ugly — and where we want to go,” she said. “I think that it has shown us things that (teach) who we want to be and don’t want to be.”

Age-appropriate discussions of race and history foster critical thinking and hopefully help students come up with their own ways of how they want to change it as they continue to grow and become adults, Hicks said. 

She continued: “They are going to take our spots; we’re not going to be here forever. So it’s our opportunity now to be able to teach them, ‘yep, this is where we come (from), and yep, it hasn’t always looked pretty, but you know what? I know that we can do better than this, and this is how I’m going to do better. And it’s going to hopefully give me passion and drive to become that better person when I become an adult and I can teach others that.’”

Mills

Mills said there is “too much emphasis put on the race thing.”

He shared that he grew up in Detroit during some tumultuous times.

“I was eight when Dr. King was killed; it took the breath away from everyone. I went to a junior high where I was a minority — it was 10% white. I lived one block off the projects; my paper route was in the projects. And I don’t ever remember race being an issue. And they burned the town down around me. But with all my friends and classmates, I don’t remember race being an issue,” he said.

There was a pecking order, and “every now and then I’d get my butt beat, but color was never a factor,” Mills said.  “… I know there’s some bad actors out there, but there’s bad actors everywhere, and we just have (to) learn to deal with this. It’s not as bad as everyone thinks. Everybody’s safe in Whitewater. We don’t have anybody running up and down the streets running for their lives because of their race. Nobody’s being disrespected, at least not out loud … because of their race. 

“Again, we don’t need anarchy. We need law and order. Let these kids grow. Let the administration loose so they can teach these kids with all the talents that they have and let’s get back to academics,” he added.

Linse

Linse also agreed that CRT is more of a law school discussion. She said it is important to continue to teach youngsters about the nation’s history, race, injustices that have happened to people.

“We don’t do it to cast blame on one person. We do it to kind of highlight how far we’ve come and these are the things we’re working for to make it a better place,” she said.

Q: As a member of the school board, will you support a future referendum to exceed revenue limits and, if so, where would you direct the additional funding, and what will you do to address the rural community’s discontent with board spending habits and stop the 30-plus years of continuous referendums?

Kromholz

Kromholz pointed out that districts go to referendum because the state Legislature has not adequately provided funding. Until that changes, he will support operational referendums.

“What will they be covering and where will funds be directed? That depends on what the administration indicates we need to do. You have to work with our budgeting officer and you have follow the policy so we can provide the support that’s necessary for the kids,” he said.

Coburn

Coburn said Kromholz was right about the reasons for the increase in operational referendums, adding that there is a $7 billion state budget surplus and it would help if legislators would “loosen up” some of that money for schools.

“I was board president when we went through this last referendum and I fully supported that effort,” he said. “These are not handouts. These are questions that are considered very seriously by the board. We’re not just asking for money because we think we can get it; we’re asking for money because we need it.”

Had the most recent operational referendum failed, the board would have had to cut the budget by $4.4 million.

“We have a $25 million or so budget; that would have been a 17% or 18% cut in our services. We’re talking about bigger class sizes, loss of staff in support areas. The mind kind of boggles at what happens when you cut $4.4 million out of a budget that size,” Coburn said.

As for addressing rural residents’ dissatisfaction, he said there is a dissatisfaction with the schools in general. He encouraged constituents to ask questions of the board.

Hicks

Hicks said she always is in favor of a referendum when it is needed.

“I think the biggest thing to take away from that is what is needed and being able to prioritize what that is,” she said. 

She said that honesty, transparency and educating constituents on the need for a referendum are paramount. And, she noted, programming comes with a price.

“I’m a taxpayer; I get it. It’s always hard when it comes to a referendum. But the biggest thing that makes it so muddy is that it’s not communicated enough or effectively enough that people can specifically see the breakdown of what it is and where that money is going,” Hicks said,” adding that there also must be follow-through, showing the public what is coming out of the investment.

Mills

Mills said he isn’t a money guy. 

“I can promise you I won’t waste your money. And I can promise you … that it would not be misappropriated as it has been. We have resources for people to do finance; I will work closely with them to spend the money the best that we can,” he said.

“The referendum that we just passed doesn’t add up to a Friday night dinner for me and my wife. As long as it goes to good things, to teaching these kids, I’m all for it,” he added.

Mills acknowledged that the cost-of-living goes up and the economy is wild, “but as long as we do good things with the money, I don’t have a problem with it. As long as we’re good stewards of the tax money that’s given us to teach the children, and we use all the resources …  Let’s just be good stewards of the money we’ve got and if we need more, let’s ask for more.”

Linse

Linse said she has both supported and opposed referendums throughout the years, and that she will support and push for a referendum if there is a need and the board has a clear vision of the money would cover.

“But then I would also expect to see the results,” she said. “Where a lot of contention in the community now is, (is that) we’ve had these referendums and they aren’t seeing the results that they are expecting. I think we need to do a little bit better there,” she said.

Concerning reaching out to the rural community, Linse said dissatisfaction is not just the townships, as there are people throughout the community who do not have children in the schools and want to see their taxes well spent.

She cited the aquatic center. 

“I think people would want to see a referendum for that, even though it’s going to probably increase taxes. They don’t have kids in the district, but it’s a benefit to them, and I think there has to be a balance,” Linse said.

Huempfner

Huempfner said that healthy schools make a healthy community.

“That said, I am a taxpayer and I don’t have a huge pocketbook and I don’t like to see increases in my property taxes,” she said. “We have to, as a community, first put pressure on state legislators to do a better job of funding schools.”

This is a statewide problem, with many school districts holding operational referendums each year.

“But I think that is a sacrifice we have to make. If we want to have a strong community, we have to support the schools,” Huempfner said.

As for the rural community, she suggested using the surveys to connect referendum initiatives to what people want and hopefully quash some of the negativity around the referendums.

Closing remarks

Each candidate was given two minutes to provide opening and closing remarks. As the microphone setting initially made it difficult to clearly hear opening remarks by all of the six participants, only their closing remarks are being reported here.

Huempfner

Huempfner said the process for running for board of education has given her an opportunity to learn more about the community.

“I think there are a lot of good people in this community who want to see strong schools. I hope you see in me a candidate who really cares about all students. It’s true I’m a voice largely for the ELLs because that’s my background, but I come from a working-class family in Green Bay, Wis. Neither of my parents had a college education and I have a real understanding of working class values and those concerns,” she said.

Huempfner said she wants all students in the school district to have an opportunity to thrive, and she wants “to support school leadership and teachers to have the proper environment and resources they need to be successful in raising our school performance and making us proud of the very important job of our community, which is our schools.”

Linse

Linse said it is clear that the district is facing a lot of challenges. The areas she feels need to be focused on are academics, teacher retention and support, social and emotional support, open enrollment, more ELL support and financial responsibility.

“We have a strong foundation for a successful district. We’ve got excellent teachers, excellent students and a community that’s willing to help. But that doesn’t mean that the work is done. We need to continually work on this,” she said.

Linse said she is committed to seeing this vision through.

Mills

Mills said the district needs to build morale in the schools.

“We’ve got to pick it up. We’ve got to make people proud of what they’re doing. We’ve got to make people look forward to coming to work every day and teaching and learning. We need to reward the exceptional people — students, faculty, administration … We need to celebrate this,” he said.

Mills continued: “We need to get away from all these distractions. We have a lot of resources, a lot of good teachers, faculty and administration, and we need to get back to a model of simply educating. And let’s make it fun. Let’s not worry about micromanaging every little single thing that’s happening around us, or following a narrative, whether it be federal, union or whatever. It all comes down the pipeline and sounds the same in every community.

“Can we be the first ones to say ‘no, we don’t want to do it anymore?’ That’s kind of where I’m at with this thing. If we could all just get along and get back to teaching these kids, making them feel comfortable, we won’t have any problem” he concluded.

Hicks

Hicks called her candidacy for school board a “wild ride,” adding that it has given her time to reflect on who she is and who she is not.

“I’m not someone who’s trying to push one political side or another; this is and always should be a nonpartisan position. I’m also not somebody who has some hidden agenda or personal agenda to push as a school board member. To be honest, those partisan games by some here today embolden me to work even harder for the school district and for our students. These partisan games are sad, disheartening and, frankly, toxic when we look at our school board and community as a whole,” she said.

Hicks said it is the school board’s responsibility to always do right by students and make every decision student-entered.

“Now I am going to tell you what I am. I’m a community member for 23 years who’s seen this community and school board’s relationship dismantled, and I’m willing to step up to repair relationships get back where they need to be,” she said.

She also said she is a mother who, like every other family in the district, wants the best possible education for her child, and that starts with ensuring that the district is performing at nothing less than the highest standards.

In addition, Hicks is and has been a special education teacher for 20 years.

“I have spent my entire career advocating for children and their families. I am a person who is not afraid to ask hard questions, and there will be many, and demand clarification and not settle for anything less than the best. So if elected April 4, I vow that I will never lose sight of that,” Hicks concluded.

Coburn 

Coburn said that he is offering steady, knowledgeable leadership in times of change. 

“As an incumbent, I know full well that people are concerned about the district’s direction. I know we aren’t happy about our measures of achievement. The need for improvement forms everything I do and every vote I make,” he said.

Coburn noted that although he is a sitting board member, he does champion change.

“The things you hear about the district being in disarray are all symptoms, in my opinion, of one big change that had to happen before anything else: installing a more cohesive leadership structure so we can utilize our resources more efficiently to address our district’s needs,” he said.

In that process, Coburn noted, several staff members chose to leave and others were told they had to do things differently going forward.

“Fortunately, the district has retained lots of great administrators and staff through this change, and found new energized people to join them in addressing the issues that really matter: getting our children ready for an ever-changing world,” he said.

Coburn added that Whitewater has seen a culture change in recent years.

“The Whitewater Unified School District has laid a foundation of trust so our people can clearly and fearlessly respond to our district’s needs. I will continue to support efforts that work to support this culture and the better outcomes it encourages,” he concluded.

Kromholz

Kromholz thanked the 55 people for attending the forum.

“Abe Lincoln believed that persistence was perhaps the most necessary virtue, and I believe that that’s important for us to understand now,” he said. “We need to see the programs that we have ongoing and the structure that we have in place through. We shouldn’t be changing horses midstream. That’s how everyone ends up wet.”

He continued: “I believe that if we continue with the current programs in the school district, our students will receive a quality education that will enable them to be successful in whatever endeavor they choose to pursue. We have to demand that effort from our administrators … and I will work every day to ensure that every kid is treated properly and equally and that all the core values of this district are met.”

Additional information

Voters within the Whitewater Unified School District include residents living, in part or whole, within the city of Whitewater and the towns of Cold Spring, Koshkonong, Johnstown, LaGrange, Lima, Richmond, Sugar Creek and Whitewater. 

Information received from each of 11 candidates who ran during the February primary election and responded to a Fort Atkinson Online candidates questionnaire is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/whitewater-primary-voters-guide-eleven-school-board-candidates-share-views/. Information received from the six top primary election vote-getters who have advanced to the April general election ballot is included. 

In addition, information released by the league notes that a forum, during which voters will have opportunity to meet two candidates running for the position of Whitewater municipal judge, will be held Sunday, March 19, at the Whitewater Municipal Building, at 1 p.m. 

The candidates are incumbent Patrick Taylor and challenger Art Coleman.