Monticello School Board
The Monticello school board has three open seats on the April 3 ballot. Incumbents Ronald Blumer, Julie Havens and Tyler Smith are seeking re-election.
Position sought: Monticello School Board Member
Age: 44
City/town of residence: Monticello School District
Family: I am married to Jennifer. We have two high school daughters. Veronica is a senior and Sarah is a sophomore.
Education: Graduated from Monticello High School. Fire Science Degree from MATC Madison.
Occupation: Fire Lieutenant with the City of Madison Fire Department
Previous elected positions held: School Board Member since 2009
What are the top issues facing this district/municipality and how would you work to resolve it?
Over the past several years, Monticello Schools has made many changes to provide more opportunities for all our students. Through collaboration with other school districts, we have added college level classes so our students are earning college credits in high school. We added a tech ed instructor and classes, such as welding, CAD drawing, cnc machine operations, to address the students who are interested in going into the trades. Our teachers have been changing the learning environment to meet the modern student's needs. We are a 1:1 district where all students have their own computers. That is a lot of progress in a few short years.
Now we need to make sure we are delivering a quality product. We need to survey the stakeholders (parents, students, and staff) to get some feedback to make sure we are meeting everyone's expectations. Then we can develop a strategic plan as a district that factors in all the changes we have made so that everyone involved with Monticello Schools will have a positive experience and can be proud and honored to be a Pony.
What are other key issues facing the district/municipality, and how would you work to resolve them?
I am pleased to see the hot topic in education is mental health. Monticello Schools has already recognized the importance of mental health and have established programs to address this concern. Our board will continue to make this a priority so that we can meet our district's educational and mental health needs. My resolution is to continue supporting this initiative and evaluate new studies that address mental health in the school.
Age: 44
City/town of residence: Monticello School District
Family: I am married to Jennifer. We have two high school daughters. Veronica is a senior and Sarah is a sophomore.
Education: Graduated from Monticello High School. Fire Science Degree from MATC Madison.
Occupation: Fire Lieutenant with the City of Madison Fire Department
Previous elected positions held: School Board Member since 2009
What are the top issues facing this district/municipality and how would you work to resolve it?
Over the past several years, Monticello Schools has made many changes to provide more opportunities for all our students. Through collaboration with other school districts, we have added college level classes so our students are earning college credits in high school. We added a tech ed instructor and classes, such as welding, CAD drawing, cnc machine operations, to address the students who are interested in going into the trades. Our teachers have been changing the learning environment to meet the modern student's needs. We are a 1:1 district where all students have their own computers. That is a lot of progress in a few short years.
Now we need to make sure we are delivering a quality product. We need to survey the stakeholders (parents, students, and staff) to get some feedback to make sure we are meeting everyone's expectations. Then we can develop a strategic plan as a district that factors in all the changes we have made so that everyone involved with Monticello Schools will have a positive experience and can be proud and honored to be a Pony.
What are other key issues facing the district/municipality, and how would you work to resolve them?
I am pleased to see the hot topic in education is mental health. Monticello Schools has already recognized the importance of mental health and have established programs to address this concern. Our board will continue to make this a priority so that we can meet our district's educational and mental health needs. My resolution is to continue supporting this initiative and evaluate new studies that address mental health in the school.