Monroe School Board
There are four candidates running for three spots on the Monroe school board. Incumbents Robert Erb, Mary Berger and Amy Bazley, as well as newcomer Nikki Saugstad, are on the ballot.
Position sought: Monroe school board
Age: 52
City/town of residence: City of Monroe
Family: Wife, Wendy; daughters Avery, 19, and Ellis, 16
Education: B.B.A., Finance, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Executive M.B.A., University of Wisconsin-Madison
Occupation: Vice president, Colony Brands
Previous elected positions held: Monroe school board, 2006-2015
What are the top issues facing this district/municipality and how would you work to resolve them?
Continuing to build a district that is a strong asset for economic development in our community - great schools are the cornerstone of great communities, and Monroe is no different. It's important that our schools offer a solid education and a range of program choices that help our student grow inside and outside the classroom. Great schools are a key asset for community stability and growth, and will ensure that Monroe remains a great place to raise a family.
Managing our resources effectively - state mandates coupled with cuts in funding have made it difficult for schools to balance budgets, and we face the same issues in Monroe. The state has decided to fund education at a "bare bones" level, and let communities decide if they want to provide more financial support to their schools. It will be important to work more closely with the community in the future to understand how they want their schools to respond to school funding challenges coming out of Madison.
Recruiting and retaining outstanding staff - with many retirements over the past few years, it is more important than ever to bring in great new talent to fill positions vacated by experienced staff. A school is only as good the people who work there, and competition for talented professionals is increasing. Great staff can help kids do great things, and it's important for our district to be attractive for people who can choose to work anywhere, but want to be part of our team. Without great staff, we will never accomplish great things.
What are other key issues facing the district/municipality, and how would you work to resolve them?
The path toward implementing new academic standards has been very rocky, and the future of these initiatives is uncertain. Fortunately, our district has worked hard over the past few years to prepare to implement these new and higher standards, so we will be ready for whatever comes our way. Moving away from old standards, which were less rigorous and challenging, is a good thing, regardless of how we get there. Our new standards move kids toward a higher bar and challenge them much more than in the past, and in the end, that helps all kids. Ultimately I hope that the current political battles and agendas don't wind up leading to 'watered down' and inconsistent standards that ultimately hurt our kids.
Why are you the best candidate for this office?
Education has provided me with opportunities I could have never imagined for myself when I was just another kid in school. Fortunately, my teachers challenged and encouraged me to set continually higher goals for myself, and their confidence and guidance set me on a path to get me where I am today. I have never forgotten that, and believe to this day that teachers have a profound ability to change lives every day, which is why I believe so strongly in education. Because I know firsthand how powerful great teaching and mentoring can be, I also feel very strongly that to be successful, we must all hold ourselves relentlessly accountable for what we do and how it impacts kids, for better or worse. Because what we do has so much impact, we have the responsibility to do all we can to make it count. Because education impacted my life so profoundly, I believe without any doubt that, in schools everywhere, each day offers an opportunity to do the same for others.
Age: 52
City/town of residence: City of Monroe
Family: Wife, Wendy; daughters Avery, 19, and Ellis, 16
Education: B.B.A., Finance, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Executive M.B.A., University of Wisconsin-Madison
Occupation: Vice president, Colony Brands
Previous elected positions held: Monroe school board, 2006-2015
What are the top issues facing this district/municipality and how would you work to resolve them?
Continuing to build a district that is a strong asset for economic development in our community - great schools are the cornerstone of great communities, and Monroe is no different. It's important that our schools offer a solid education and a range of program choices that help our student grow inside and outside the classroom. Great schools are a key asset for community stability and growth, and will ensure that Monroe remains a great place to raise a family.
Managing our resources effectively - state mandates coupled with cuts in funding have made it difficult for schools to balance budgets, and we face the same issues in Monroe. The state has decided to fund education at a "bare bones" level, and let communities decide if they want to provide more financial support to their schools. It will be important to work more closely with the community in the future to understand how they want their schools to respond to school funding challenges coming out of Madison.
Recruiting and retaining outstanding staff - with many retirements over the past few years, it is more important than ever to bring in great new talent to fill positions vacated by experienced staff. A school is only as good the people who work there, and competition for talented professionals is increasing. Great staff can help kids do great things, and it's important for our district to be attractive for people who can choose to work anywhere, but want to be part of our team. Without great staff, we will never accomplish great things.
What are other key issues facing the district/municipality, and how would you work to resolve them?
The path toward implementing new academic standards has been very rocky, and the future of these initiatives is uncertain. Fortunately, our district has worked hard over the past few years to prepare to implement these new and higher standards, so we will be ready for whatever comes our way. Moving away from old standards, which were less rigorous and challenging, is a good thing, regardless of how we get there. Our new standards move kids toward a higher bar and challenge them much more than in the past, and in the end, that helps all kids. Ultimately I hope that the current political battles and agendas don't wind up leading to 'watered down' and inconsistent standards that ultimately hurt our kids.
Why are you the best candidate for this office?
Education has provided me with opportunities I could have never imagined for myself when I was just another kid in school. Fortunately, my teachers challenged and encouraged me to set continually higher goals for myself, and their confidence and guidance set me on a path to get me where I am today. I have never forgotten that, and believe to this day that teachers have a profound ability to change lives every day, which is why I believe so strongly in education. Because I know firsthand how powerful great teaching and mentoring can be, I also feel very strongly that to be successful, we must all hold ourselves relentlessly accountable for what we do and how it impacts kids, for better or worse. Because what we do has so much impact, we have the responsibility to do all we can to make it count. Because education impacted my life so profoundly, I believe without any doubt that, in schools everywhere, each day offers an opportunity to do the same for others.