MONROE — Area school board elections have a shallow pool of challengers and voters have much fewer referendum decisions to make than in the fall as voting is set to commence Tuesday, April 2.
In Monroe, longtime school board member Les Bieneman will not be seeking re-election. Bieneman announced in December that after eight years on the board, he will step down. At the time, he noted that pro-education sentiment was high. He said he knew that someone who finds public education important would be able to fill the spot.
Board President Dan Bartholf and treasurer Rich Deprez are also up for re-election. There are three open seats, with Deprez and Bartholf running on the ballot in addition to newcomer Dylan McGuire.
Albany has plans for a referendum on the spring ballot. It asks voters to authorize the district to borrow no more than $2.75 million for school building improvement costs, like renovating the space to have a multi-purpose programming space and replacing roof portions over the music and technical education areas of the building that have reached the end of usable life after decades. Plans also include installing bathrooms for use by those with disabilities on the ground floor near the gymnasium.
The main project would be an addition facing the parking lot along Vinton Street, which would be a designated front door with a secure entrance as a way to ensure those coming in are blocked off from entering the main building unnoticed. The secure main entry would be in front of the newly designated district office and visitors would enter through the community commons before having access to a main hallway.
District Administrator Bill Trow said the bathrooms are especially important for people of all ages, and noted the secure entrance would be a welcome improvement since the district building currently has no clear entrance.
The referendum is tax-neutral, meaning homeowners will not see an increase in their portion of district taxes. It will not impact the tax rate of property owners because debt from a past referendum will be paid off this year. The district will pay between $395,000 to $400,000 annually from Fund 39, which is designated by the state Department of Public Instruction to be used for general obligation debt, over eight years.
President of the Albany board, Steve Elliott, is seeking re-election for his seat and will be on the ballot with candidate Gary Armitage. There are three open seats due to incumbents Barb Briggs and Phil Kubesh stepping down. Though he will not appear on the ballot, Justin Monson has registered as an official write-in candidate.
Argyle’s school board has two open seats. Board Clerk Keith Ritschard and Vice President Julie Ostby are both running for re-election. No other candidates have declared an intention to run.
In Brodhead, there are two seats open as well. Incumbents Al Schneider and Jodi Kail are seeking re-election.
The Pecatonica Area School District also has two openings on its school board, but its race is one of the few local elections crowded with four candidates. Incumbents Dave McSherry and Richard Rolfsmeyer are seeking re-election, but both will have a fight for their seats against each other as well as candidates Steve Cary and Jerry Bredeson.
Darlington’s school board has three open seats. Incumbent Jody Huntington is stepping down, while Teresa Siegenthaler is seeking re-election. Her name will appear on the ballot along with candidate Bob Hermanson and fellow incumbent R.J. Brunkow.
The School District of Black Hawk has two openings on its school board, but only one name on the ballot: incumbent Jason Herbst. Fellow incumbent Gary Signer will not be seeking re-election. The board race has an official write-in, Dee Paulson, to fill the other seat.
In Juda, there are three candidates vying for two open seats. Incumbents Stefanie Baum and Joanne Salzwedel are running in addition to candidate Jessica Matzke.
New Glarus School District also has three people running for two seats. Incumbent Debra Fairbanks is seeking re-election. Candidates Bill Oemichen and Mark Smith will also be on the April 2 ballot. Incumbent Keith Steffen is stepping down.
Monticello’s school board has two people running unopposed for their current seats. Incumbents Randall R. Smith and Becky Clark are seeking re-election.