MONROE — On May 1, the School District of Monroe Board of Education filled its final open seat, selecting MHS graduate and educator Jim Curran.

After the meeting concluded, Curran took his oath of office and was immediately given access to board member material. His first meeting as a member of the board will be Monday, May 8, with the district expected to discuss the upcoming plan of action for the referendum, which cleared a legal hurdle on Wednesday.

At the end of Monday’s interview, candidates Curran and Mike Davis faced off on multiple rounds of voting by the board, which initially had seven candidates interview and vie for the spot.

The other five candidates were Jennifer Amacher, April Buri, Jami Cregan, Reverend Paul E. Gregersen and Steve Mayer.

The candidates came from a wide array of backgrounds. Some are current or former teachers, a couple had prior school board experience in other districts. Multiple were MHS grads, or have called Monroe home for more than 20 years. 

“If we could make it a board of 15, I think we’ve got all the right people here,” said Rich Deprez, board president. “This isn’t easy to come and put yourself out here right in front of us, so thank you very much for spending that time with us.”

“I would argue that there is not a bad decision here,” echoed Teresa Keehn, the board’s vice president.

Each candidate was given a chance to introduce themselves, and then individuals had to answer three questions:

●  Tell us why you believe you would be a good fit on the school board.

●  What motivates you to want to be a school board member?

●  What are the biggest opportunities for the district, and what is the biggest challenge?

Answers to the questions were sometimes duplicated, with wavering typically in nuance or a slight change due to an individual’s background.

By the time each got a chance for a closing statement, all were cordial to their opponents and thankful to the board to be given the opportunity to interview. 

The entire process was done live in front of an audience of district residents and family members. Several more watched live online on the school district’s YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@monroeschoolswi. The two-part video of the more than 2-hour meeting is archived and available to rewatch.

“I think everybody here tonight would be fantastic additions, and I would take you in a heartbeat,” said Nikki Austin, who was just re-elected to the board in April.

After the first round of voting, Amacher was the only other candidate to receive a vote. With all eight other board members present at the meeting, either one candidate had to receive a majority of the votes (5), or face secondary votes. Prior to the second, third and fourth votes happening, board members discussed among themselves each candidate. If it had gone to a tie after five rounds of voting, Deprez, as board president, would have been able to select his choice.

Before the fourth round of voting, Mike Froseth, Jr. asked both candidates one final question: “What makes you the best candidate for the job?”.

“I’ll be totally honest, I think Mike would be phenomenal,” Curran said before the fourth vote. 

Curran’s approach was humble, mentioning how each candidate brings different attributes to the table. 

“What I was compelled by in hearing him talk is the breadth of experience he has both as a leader professionally, and as an elected leader. That’s experience I do not have. ... I don’t know that I am the best candidate for the job. I’d be thrilled if you chose Mike,” Curran said. 

In his final pitch, he dared the board to dream of better ways to help its students and staff.

“The last thing I will say is that we have to be able to dream into something different. We have to resist the pull to keep doing what has always been done in education. ... We have to look at it and say that something radically different is possible in Monroe, Wisconsin, and we want people to look at this community and say ‘That is where I want to move because of how good the schools are.’”

Davis’ final pitch admitted that there are different generations at play.

“I think he (Curran) would be a very good candidate. I think Jim had an outstanding interview and is an outstanding individual. I don’t think you guys could make a bad decision whichever way you go,” Davis said. “But I think the time commitment is one thing you really need to think about. Being retired — I do have that opportunity. ... I am going to be there, there is no question about that.  I have a passion for the schools. My time on the Omro school board, I truly, truly enjoyed that.”

Before becoming the Omro board president, he and his family moved to Monroe, a place he has called home for more than 40 years.

“It was one of the best moves I ever made in my life. I love the community. I think the heart and soul of a community is the school,” Davis said.

Davis ended his pitch by suggesting he was planning to run for an open board seat in the next election, slated for April 2024. “Whether that makes a difference or not, I don’t know,” Davis said.

In the fourth round of voting, Deprez switched from Curran to Davis, only for Froseth to go the other direction, allowing another 4-4 tie.

After one final discussion of board members, Curran won 6-2, with Deprez, Froseth, Eckdhal, McGuire, Keehn and Montgomery — switching her vote — all choosing Curran.

“For me, you were all exceptional,” said Froseth, who was newly elected to the board in April. Froseth wavered back and forth on Curran and Davis equally. 

Eric Eckdhal highlighted Curran’s experience working on the equity committee, which has been a big push with the board. While teaching in South Dakota for nearly a decade, Curran worked with low-income, high-minority school districts. He and his wife returned to Monroe in 2020. 

Terry Montgomery, also elected in April, said Davis’ experience as a member of the Omro school board played a major roll in her voting for the first three rounds.