Juda School Board
There are three people running for two seats on the Juda school board: Tonya Whitney and incumbents Patrick Daniels and Suzanne Trotter.
Position sought: Juda School Board
Age: 47
City/town of residence: Juda, Wisconsin
Family: Husband - Phillip Trotter; Children - Megan (23) - currently enrolled in the Occupational Therapy graduate school program at Concordia University, McKayla (22) - a senior at UW-LaCrosse studying Recreational Therapy and Matthew (22) - a senior at UW-LaCrosse studying Business Management.
Education: Associate Degree in Legal Secretarial Science, Blackhawk Technical College
Occupation: Litigation Assistant
Previous elected positions held: Current member of the Juda School Board
What are the top issues facing this district/municipality and how would you work to resolve it?
The School Board must continue to address issues related to the constant demands of new and ever-changing technology, curriculum and the needs of all students. We must also remain attentive to current and future funding challenges facing all rural schools and do our best to be good stewards of tax dollars and maintaining our budget. All Wisconsin rural schools have had funding challenges to some degree, so I feel that it is our job as a Board and District to do the best we can with every cent we receive from all available resources.
The District recently passed a referendum, which will help to bring many new and exciting changes and updates within the building. It will also continue to help update curriculum as needed and where appropriate. The Board's first priority should always be that we are doing everything we can to make sure that Juda School remains a great place to learn and achieve success.
What are other key issues facing the district/municipality, and how would you work to resolve them?
The Board does an excellent job of working together to assure that we are providing the best education possible for our students. We must also continue to work together to resolve problems and issues that come before us in a way that is fair, consistent and always keeps the best interests of the students, faculty, staff and community in mind. I think it's important that we do our best to understand the needs of the District by working closely with those who spend their days teaching and helping our students. I recently attended a seminar on leadership where the speaker reminded us that every single person within a school district is responsible for "teaching" our students - not only the teachers, but also facilities management, to the kitchen, to finance, the Board, the office staff, etc. Each person plays an integral role in ensuring we are fostering an environment where students always feel supported and can thrive. I recognize and take pride in the fact that we are a unique district. We have an excellent combination of administration, teachers and staff and a strong community of support.
Why are you the best candidate for this office?
As the mother of three children that graduated from Juda School, I understand the challenges facing students, parents, teachers, administrators and rural schools. My children received an excellent education at Juda School and I hope to ensure that our current students and those on the way receive the same high quality, community-based education that they did. Having graduated from Juda School and lived here my whole life, I'm passionate about and dedicated to the Juda School. That passion is why I ran for School Board in the first place and my three years on the Board have only fueled my desire to maintain and improve our school.
During my three years on the Board, I've added an in-depth knowledge of school finance, budgets, curriculum, governance, and policy to my qualifications to serve on the Board. Using my time on the Board to learn as well as lead has given me the knowledge I need to serve our community. I am the best candidate for this position because I understand the need to be good stewards of our tax dollars while providing the necessary resources so our students can achieve academic success as well as real world success after they graduate.
Age: 47
City/town of residence: Juda, Wisconsin
Family: Husband - Phillip Trotter; Children - Megan (23) - currently enrolled in the Occupational Therapy graduate school program at Concordia University, McKayla (22) - a senior at UW-LaCrosse studying Recreational Therapy and Matthew (22) - a senior at UW-LaCrosse studying Business Management.
Education: Associate Degree in Legal Secretarial Science, Blackhawk Technical College
Occupation: Litigation Assistant
Previous elected positions held: Current member of the Juda School Board
What are the top issues facing this district/municipality and how would you work to resolve it?
The School Board must continue to address issues related to the constant demands of new and ever-changing technology, curriculum and the needs of all students. We must also remain attentive to current and future funding challenges facing all rural schools and do our best to be good stewards of tax dollars and maintaining our budget. All Wisconsin rural schools have had funding challenges to some degree, so I feel that it is our job as a Board and District to do the best we can with every cent we receive from all available resources.
The District recently passed a referendum, which will help to bring many new and exciting changes and updates within the building. It will also continue to help update curriculum as needed and where appropriate. The Board's first priority should always be that we are doing everything we can to make sure that Juda School remains a great place to learn and achieve success.
What are other key issues facing the district/municipality, and how would you work to resolve them?
The Board does an excellent job of working together to assure that we are providing the best education possible for our students. We must also continue to work together to resolve problems and issues that come before us in a way that is fair, consistent and always keeps the best interests of the students, faculty, staff and community in mind. I think it's important that we do our best to understand the needs of the District by working closely with those who spend their days teaching and helping our students. I recently attended a seminar on leadership where the speaker reminded us that every single person within a school district is responsible for "teaching" our students - not only the teachers, but also facilities management, to the kitchen, to finance, the Board, the office staff, etc. Each person plays an integral role in ensuring we are fostering an environment where students always feel supported and can thrive. I recognize and take pride in the fact that we are a unique district. We have an excellent combination of administration, teachers and staff and a strong community of support.
Why are you the best candidate for this office?
As the mother of three children that graduated from Juda School, I understand the challenges facing students, parents, teachers, administrators and rural schools. My children received an excellent education at Juda School and I hope to ensure that our current students and those on the way receive the same high quality, community-based education that they did. Having graduated from Juda School and lived here my whole life, I'm passionate about and dedicated to the Juda School. That passion is why I ran for School Board in the first place and my three years on the Board have only fueled my desire to maintain and improve our school.
During my three years on the Board, I've added an in-depth knowledge of school finance, budgets, curriculum, governance, and policy to my qualifications to serve on the Board. Using my time on the Board to learn as well as lead has given me the knowledge I need to serve our community. I am the best candidate for this position because I understand the need to be good stewards of our tax dollars while providing the necessary resources so our students can achieve academic success as well as real world success after they graduate.