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Candidate Profile: Michael A. Boehme
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Monroe School Board

There are three seats up for election on the Monroe school board. Running are incumbents Michael Boehme, Brian Keith and Larry Eakins, and James Plourde and Chuck Vierthaler is running as a write-in candidate.

Name: Michael A. Boehme

Position sought: Monroe School District, Board of Education

Age: 69

City/town of residence: Monroe

Family: Married to Barbara Vieiralves; Three children: Emily, Katie, and Dylan,

Education: Marquette University High School, Milwaukee, 1962; Rockhurst College, Bachelor of Science, Business Admiration, 1967; University of Wisconsin, master's degree, Educational Psychology, 1972; Pace University, New York City, master's degree, Nurse Practitioner, 1987

Occupation: Recently retired from Monroe Clinic after more than 20 years of service

Previous elected positions held: Board of Education, Monroe School District



What are the top issues facing this district/board and how would you work to resolve them?

Number one would be the issue which many districts across the state face and that is the challenge of providing a first-class education to our children in the face of dwindling resources. Number two would be student achievement, I believe we have made consistent progress here and we are definitely headed in the right direction. The challenge will be to insure that all our students will graduate ready to compete in a highly specialized and technical environment. In order to accomplish this we will need the community to be a partner in this endeavor. In this year of 2014 and beyond, it truly is an axiom that it takes a community to raise a child. This means we as a board will need to find improved ways to engage our citizens, our staff, and our students.



What are other key issues facing the district/board, and how would you work to resolve them?

In addition to the comments above, some key issues are the integration of technology into the classrooms, this must be done in a strategic and well thought out manner. I believe we have the correct plan in place and the right people in place, we will need the support of the community and we have already send this support in the form of an extremely generous grant from The Swiss Colony. The last several years have been difficult for our teachers, we are all aware that there are two definites in how well a child performs academically, the first is how engaged their parents/guardians are in the process and the second is the teacher standing in front of them. We need to do more to form a true partnership with our staff and find ways to reward them for this most demanding profession. There are many other issues facing a modern day school district and we have made progress over the time I have served on the board, with your support, I hope to continue to be a par of that progress.



Why are you the best candidate for this office?

I would not know if I am the BEST candidate but I would be a very good candidate, I feel I have done a very good job with my first three years on the board, it is important to remember that an effective school board is not a rubber stamp board. We need a mix of personalities and backgrounds and willingness to be open to all ideas to create the atmosphere that generates a first class school district. I think I am the right person to be on the Board of Education and I feel with my work on the Curriculum, Policy, and Employee Relation Committees I am positioned to continue to serve the community over the next three years. I hope for and ask for your support.