Wisconsin School Board Appreciation Week set for Oct. 3-9

Editor’s note: The following information has been supplied by the School District of Fort Atkinson in conjunction with the school districts of Jefferson, Johnson Creek, Lake Mills, Waterloo, Watertown and Whitewater. 

The Wisconsin Association of School Boards has set Oct. 3-9 as Wisconsin School Board Appreciation Week as a time to build awareness and understanding of the vital function an elected board of education plays in our communities. The Superintendents from Fort Atkinson, Jefferson, Johnson Creek, Lake Mills, Waterloo, Watertown, and Whitewater are joining together to celebrate Wisconsin School Board Appreciation Week to honor local board members for their commitment to our area school districts and the children and families they serve. 

The seven area superintendents share the sentiment that it takes strong schools to build strong communities, and the men and women of our school boards devote countless hours to making sure our schools are helping every child learn at a higher level. Our school boards make tough decisions every month and spend many hours studying education issues and regulations in order to provide the kind of 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;
• Establishing standards for what students will be expected to learn and be able to do;
• Ensuring progress is measured to be sure the district’s goals are achieved and students are
  learning at expected levels;
• Being accountable for their decisions and actions by continually tracking and reporting
  results;
• Creating a safe, orderly climate where students can learn and teachers can teach;
• Forming partnerships with others in the community to solve common problems; and
• Focusing attention on the need for continuous improvement by questioning, refining, and revising issues related to student achievement.
• All seven superintendents further state, “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. Even though we make a special effort to show our appreciation 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 

Mark Chaney, President (6 years)
Kory Knickrehm, Vice President (2 years) Adam Paul, Treasurer (3 years)
Amy Reynolds, Clerk (2 years)
Rhona Buchta, Member (1 year) 

School District of Jefferson 

Terri Wenkman, President (7 years) Matthew Peltier, Vice President (1 year) Richard Lovett, Clerk (7 years)
Tanya Ball, Treasurer (5 years) 

Seth Ebel (1st year)
Thomas Condon Jr. (1st year) Glenn Fleming (2 years) 

Johnson Creek School District 

Richard Wrensch, President (11 years) Mark Siewert, Vice President (6 years) Janelle Kwarciany, Clerk ( 2 years) Duane Draeger Treasurer (13 years) June Kolaske, (18 years) 

Ken Johnson ( 3 years) Wesley Trapp (1 year) 

Lake Mills Area School District 

Robert Dimperio, President (17 years) Amy Litscher, Vice President (1 year) Dawn Delaney, Clerk (8 years)
Brianna Behselich, Treasurer (1/2 year) Ken Eimers, Director (1/2 year) 

Waterloo School District 

Nancy Thompson, President (36 years) Kate Lewandowski, Vice President (2 years) Deb Stein, Clerk ( Years)
Karen Stangler, Treasurer ( Years)
Jim Setz, Director ( Years)
Matt Schneider, Director (3 years)
Charlie Crave, Director (1 year) 

Watertown Unified School District 

Tony Arnett, President (7 years)
Doug Will, Vice President (2 years)
Paul Van Den Langenberg, Clerk (5 years) David Smith, Treasurer (1 year)
Jennifer Bakke (7 years)
Steve Kauffeld (8 years)
Tina Johnson (Elected in April 2021) David Schroeder (Elected in April 2021) Katie Najarian (Elected in April 2021) 

Whitewater Unified School District 

Casey Judd, President (12 years)
Thayer Coburn, Vice President (11 years) Steve Ryan, Clerk (11 years)
Jim Stewart, Treasurer (27 years) Jennifer Kienbaum (3 years)
Larry Kachel (1 year)
Maryann Zimmerman (1 year)