MONROE - On April 4, voters will face a ballot slightly out of the ordinary when they encounter five candidates running for three open seats on the Monroe school board.
The five candidates are Michael Boehme, Brian Keith, Nikki Matley, Cheryl McGuire and Jim Plourde. Boehme, Keith and Plourde are incumbents.
Current board clerk Boehme has served on the board for six years. In what he plans as his final term, Boehme hopes to shift the focus from financial woes to the dynamics of student lives and performance. He said an important step would be to employ a professional outside of the definition of teacher as a way to ensure all kids can improve to their growth potential.
"I think a way we could possibly achieve my goal of higher achievement is to hire someone ... an individual focused on helping each student in a specific way," Boehme said. "We should focus more on the children and less on the financial."
Boehme said in six years on the board, the first three were dedicated to "catching up" with school business and being able to critically contribute to the district.
Plourde, who is in his first term, echoed the sentiment. Plourde said a board member needs the first term just to become acquainted with district operations.
Plourde stated his main priority in seeking re-election is to assure that through financial problems, the district will be able to provide successful programs and draw in students and faculty alike.
"We need to be a school people want to come to, not a school people want to leave," Plourde said. "Monroe is lucky we have a lot of good educators and staff. We should be looking for creative ways to use the money we have available. If someone does leave, we want to make sure we can replace them with people of quality."
Matley agreed with the idea of ensuring quality staff are secured despite financial challenges. Matley said a "strong connection to the community" is vital to a foundation with city residents.
"If people can be involved and have the opportunity to know what's going on within the district ... it's far easier to make it a successful partnership," Matley said.
Matley added that a heavy challenge is "attracting and retaining quality staff" despite financial obstacles and said one of her central priorities if elected would be to ensure a smooth transition for the incoming superintendent.
McGuire said after having worked within the district for 14 years, she wants to take a "hands-on" approach to improving the district. Her work experience includes eight years as building secretary at Abraham Lincoln Elementary School.
With a finance degree from Madison Area Technical College, she also plans to use her expertise to focus on all financial matters the board typically oversees. McGuire said she plans to bring insight as a former employee to board discussions.
"I think we need to listen to the concerns of staff and students and the community," McGuire said. "If I'm elected, I'd be a familiar face in the schools. We need to interact with both students and staff."
Specifically, McGuire said she hoped to address the issue of faculty leaving to pursue positions in other districts.
Current board treasurer Brian Keith echoed the sentiment of retaining staff members, as well as increasing enrollment. Students in the district attending other area schools "has been a point of contention" within Monroe, and Keith said the best way to ensure students continue to attend Monroe is through raising awareness of the district's excellence.
"We need to celebrate and let people know through social media all of the wonderful things our district has to offer," Keith said. "We've done a lot of good things, but we need to make sure we make them better to help the community."
Keith added that support within the district has been "amazing" and that if Monroe schools use public mediums to boast about their music, agriculture and skills programs, the school will draw students looking to excel.
The five candidates are Michael Boehme, Brian Keith, Nikki Matley, Cheryl McGuire and Jim Plourde. Boehme, Keith and Plourde are incumbents.
Current board clerk Boehme has served on the board for six years. In what he plans as his final term, Boehme hopes to shift the focus from financial woes to the dynamics of student lives and performance. He said an important step would be to employ a professional outside of the definition of teacher as a way to ensure all kids can improve to their growth potential.
"I think a way we could possibly achieve my goal of higher achievement is to hire someone ... an individual focused on helping each student in a specific way," Boehme said. "We should focus more on the children and less on the financial."
Boehme said in six years on the board, the first three were dedicated to "catching up" with school business and being able to critically contribute to the district.
Plourde, who is in his first term, echoed the sentiment. Plourde said a board member needs the first term just to become acquainted with district operations.
Plourde stated his main priority in seeking re-election is to assure that through financial problems, the district will be able to provide successful programs and draw in students and faculty alike.
"We need to be a school people want to come to, not a school people want to leave," Plourde said. "Monroe is lucky we have a lot of good educators and staff. We should be looking for creative ways to use the money we have available. If someone does leave, we want to make sure we can replace them with people of quality."
Matley agreed with the idea of ensuring quality staff are secured despite financial challenges. Matley said a "strong connection to the community" is vital to a foundation with city residents.
"If people can be involved and have the opportunity to know what's going on within the district ... it's far easier to make it a successful partnership," Matley said.
Matley added that a heavy challenge is "attracting and retaining quality staff" despite financial obstacles and said one of her central priorities if elected would be to ensure a smooth transition for the incoming superintendent.
McGuire said after having worked within the district for 14 years, she wants to take a "hands-on" approach to improving the district. Her work experience includes eight years as building secretary at Abraham Lincoln Elementary School.
With a finance degree from Madison Area Technical College, she also plans to use her expertise to focus on all financial matters the board typically oversees. McGuire said she plans to bring insight as a former employee to board discussions.
"I think we need to listen to the concerns of staff and students and the community," McGuire said. "If I'm elected, I'd be a familiar face in the schools. We need to interact with both students and staff."
Specifically, McGuire said she hoped to address the issue of faculty leaving to pursue positions in other districts.
Current board treasurer Brian Keith echoed the sentiment of retaining staff members, as well as increasing enrollment. Students in the district attending other area schools "has been a point of contention" within Monroe, and Keith said the best way to ensure students continue to attend Monroe is through raising awareness of the district's excellence.
"We need to celebrate and let people know through social media all of the wonderful things our district has to offer," Keith said. "We've done a lot of good things, but we need to make sure we make them better to help the community."
Keith added that support within the district has been "amazing" and that if Monroe schools use public mediums to boast about their music, agriculture and skills programs, the school will draw students looking to excel.