oconomowoc school board

I dont think we need some new program or initiative to get us there. It will take years of rebuilding and recovery as people continue to live in fear. "For those who voted for my message I say thank you," Schweitzer said. Stay up-to-date on all the latest Oconomowoc news with a print subscription to The Enterprise: https://bit.ly/ocoent_sub. Now, nearly half the board is . Schmitz:I like to call my priority number one Student Mental Fitness instead of student mental health. The district should focus on advancing these programs to meet the needs of the current times or we will be missing the boat. Oconomowoc superintendent search narrows to three Apply today! [1][2] They were unable to collect enough signatures by the deadline. Nondiscrimination: The Oconomowoc Area School District provides assurance that no student is discriminated against because of the student's sex, race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, creed, pregnancy, marital or parental status, sexual orientation, or physical, mental, emotional, or learning disability. Six compete for four seats on Oconomowoc School Board, Submit an Obituary Wash. & Oz. However, virtual learning for most students is not as effective as in-person learning. In a statement, the trio wrote, "The OASD board has now been dragged into partisan culture wars by some members of the board" saying "Board work has become toxic and impossible to do.". I am excited to continue the momentum that the board has established. Steitzer was one of three current school board members that the groupOconomowoc Citizens Represented attempted to recall in September. OCONOMOWOC, Wis. - Divisive, bullying, partisan tactics are among the reasons why three Oconomowoc Area School Board members said they resigned Sunday night, Aug. 15. Oconomowoc has had an optional mask policy since the start of the 2021-2022 school year. "Anytime you try to make a change we went to block scheduling, we might have done a little grading change your boardroom fills," said Phillips. Since August, the board has seen four resignations in the wake of a reportedly toxic work environment. All rights reserved. If the pandemic showed us anything, it is that kids learn the best in the classroom with a teacher. Counties, Kam Jones scores 23 as No. Our district is equipped for this and should respect and adjust to every students learning style and personal circumstances. Black Mental Health Professionals panel discusses representation Technicians of Tomorrow competition showcases high schoolers MATC apologizes for sparking frustration after announcing major Plans to extend Milwaukees downtown metered parking to 9pm Oconomowoc School Board meets following abrupt resignation of 3 members, Three Oconomowoc School Board members resign as board 'dragged into partisan culture wars', Medical Examiner called to fatal shooting near 84th and Bender, Multiple families displaced after fire breaks out in West Allis apartment building, Cars removed from third level of partially collapsed Bayshore Mall parking structure, Long Covid is associated with significantly increased risk of death, heart and lung problems, study finds, Yao Ming caught in the cross-fire as Chinese basketball team leaves top league on eve of Covid reopening, Kam Jones scores 23 as No. Collected signatures for speedier repairs of the pavement in the parking lot across the street from the Post Office, which was in the core area of downtown Oconomowoc, full of potholes. When three school board members in Oconomowoc resigned together on Monday, it wasnt solely because of board disputes over COVID-19. Kim Herro, Rick Grothaus and Dan Raasch had been trying to change the boards approach to governance and leadership, which they felt was toxic and made it impossible to collaboratively work on solutions, for over a year. Alexandra Schweitzer garnered 3,200 votes and was followed by Steitzer with 3,010. Some want masks to be optional in schools, while others don't. The effort failed after the group did not get enough signatures. One thing that really helps now is the open debate and discussion that happens between board members, without becoming personal or offending other members. The current make of the board has moved past the previous issues and is focused on policyand governance and supporting the work of the administration and teachers. Schmitz:Based on the priorities I outlined in my previous answer, I am developing a proposal, a comprehensive plan that includes creative and innovative programs, initiatives and strategies to meet the needs of our students after the pandemic. "We will never know if we did too much, but we will most definitely know if we did too little," said one parent. Thankfully, masks are no longer mandatory. Since there is no ability to engage in meaningful dialogue, even on the issue of the health and safety of our students and staff, we cannot be part of an organization that is so non-responsive to every constituents concerns, not just a minority segment, and is so cavalier about our students, staffs and communitys health and safety, the letter states. The county seat is Waukesha. Oconomowoc schools to hold 4 more meetings on referendum Schraufnagel:If I am elected, I will continue to prioritize the following: 1.) Supporting teachers is the first step towardbringing stability. Schick:Our resilient district has improved our ability to provide virtual learning during the challenges of the COVID pandemic. The district also must continue to pursue the sale of the old Meadow View School site. "When Juliet lost her seat, then we lost the majority, and once we lost the majority, the culture became caustic.". A great group of administrators, staff and teachers. Look at our band andtheater programs, our internship and apprentice programs, all top in the state. Kim Kaukl, president of the Wisconsin Rural Schools Alliance, said his member districts mostly opened fully in-person right away last school year largely because limited access to the internet meant virtual learning wasnt feasible. Student Mental Fitness should be the top priority in the district. Students need to take in oxygen to learn and stay perky at school, not carbon dioxide by exhaling inside a mask. | First off, sell MeadowviewSchool. I will continue to work with the community and administration to keep our schools open for in-person learning. Oconomowoc School Board hires Elmbrook's Michael Sereno as next After the board meeting, the district immediately began receiving dozens of requests for religious exemptions, which Grothaus said completely undermined the teachers authority. I have been an educator for 21 years, the last 16 of them as an administrator, I felt this background would be a benefit to the board and school district. "It created immediate, aggressive reactions, not only by those two board members, but also a faction of the community that they were aligned with," said Grothaus. The OASD School Board voted to authorize both referendum questions at the Jan. 18 meeting. "We have in the past seen national issues bleed into local government issues, but now were seeing a more sustained effort, and a more explicitly ideologically motivated effort, thats all-encompassing.". I have also served on both local and national boards of directors. Therefore, we choose to no longer be subjected to the negative, noxious effects, especially when we are not allowed to engage in any meaningful work to improve the Board and our schools.. The results are not official until they are canvassed. We need to bring this same level of excellence to the areas that still need improvement to get us there. Covid mitigation methods are what now-former board members expressed concern about in submitting resignation letters this week. 6 Marquette edges St. John's, Crime Stoppers: Dispute on city bus leads to shooting, CBS 58's Feel Good Friday: Free zoo admission, inflatable animals and more. OCONOMOWOC, Wis. Three Oconomowoc Area School Board members have resigned together, citing toxic behavior within the board. Oconomowoc Area School District Board of - Livestream Ford said conflict in school boards isnt a bad thing, but it becomes a problem when people are so dug in on their beliefs that they cant find compromise, or even have productive discussions. "You want conflict on a governing board, it brings more voices to the table and it can lead to a solution that can be supported by even a divided group," he said. Mar 24, 2022 Updated Mar 24, 2022. Continue to implement our district strategic plan and our athletic strategic plan. One of our top priorities will be to review and respond to enrollment fluctuations by continuously focusing on investing in our teachers, buildings and curriculum both financially and through policy updates that give autonomy to district leadership. The board vice president said the news caught him by surprise as he turns his focus to the future. There are six candidates for four seats on the Oconomowoc School Board. This is my first attempt at elective politics. SHARE. Thiel:We are very fortunate to have an excellent district to start with. Schraufnagel:Since the appointment of myself and the threeother new board members, our meetings are focused on improving the school district. Divisive, bullying, partisan tactics are among the reasons why three Oconomowoc Area School Board members said they resigned. Wood said the current HVAC system at Oconomowoc High School is from the 1960s and not up to today's . "Its not a specific group thats necessarily capturing the board, but its the ideological conflict itself thats capturing the board," he said. Community involvement: Five O's Baseball coach, youth football coach, and we lead the annual Anderson Family Holiday Gift Drive supporting local families, Contact info: 414-426-4114;andrew1anderson@hotmail.com, Address:N64 W37630 Woodcrest Drive, Oconomowoc, Community involvement:Current appointee to Oconomowoc School Board since September 2021;volunteer, Downtown Business District, past board member, OconomowocArea Baseball Club, Past political experience:19+ years on the school board Oconomowoc Area School District, Community involvement: Oconomowoc Area School District, Okauchee Lions Club, Boy Scouts former merit badge counselor, Contact info:schick.sandy@yahoo.com; 262-567-2725 (home), Address: N53 W37160 E. Madison St., Oconomowoc, Past political experience: Sat on the HeadStart Board, Champaign, Illinois, 2003-05. The boards job is to focus on getting our students the best education possible and work (as our vision states) to become Unrivaled.. R- Realistic Spending- Dont spend what you dont have. I have no personal agenda and will work solely for the community, parents and our students. As a mother of two high-schoolers, an educator, and an online course developer in health and wellness, I have been researching programs and interventions used successfully by other districts that we can bring to the OASD to support students who are hurting. Bill Thiel received the most votes with 5,311 (22%), Neal Ninmann was second with 4,989 votes (20%),. Phone. The district needs to ensure that all students are given the opportunity to learn. Counties, Place An Ad - Call 262-306-5000/email: Conleyclass@coneynet.com, Kam Jones scores 23 as No. In May, after Gov. 2023 by Wisconsin Public Radio, a service of the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Sandy Schick (i); (bottom row, left to right). If we fail to support the best teachers, then we will miss them when they are gone. A majority voted to keep requiring masks indoors through the end of the year, though kids could ditch them when they were outside. There is a list of health precautions including daily sanitizing of . Board members say the data has changed since they moved to a mask-optional policy as of last month. The appointmentrequires re-election. On May 13, attorneys for the Oconomowoc Area School District School Board issued the letter to Alexandra . [2] [3] Results General election DIGITAL ONLY: JUST $5 PER MONTH Oconomowoc has been mostly optional since the start of this school year, and we intend to remain that way. School Board Meetings and Agendas Meeting Schedules. In August 2020, five of the seven board members voted to start the school year with a combination of virtual and in-person learning. It will notbe my last.". Contact info: pschmitz06@gmail.com; www.facebook.com/PaulaSchmitzCampaign; 262-490-7048, Address:N56 W35146 Pondview Lane,Oconomowoc, Past political experience:Current board member. Were losing some really good people because of the contentiousness, and Im concerned that we may lose some more teachers in the process, or more administrators, that we already know we have a shortage of. The 2,656 sq. All content Copyright 2023 WDJT. We are doing it in many areas already. Application Contact Address. The candidates are (top row, left to right):Andrew Anderson,Neal Ninmann (i),Sandy Schick (i); (bottom row, left to right)Paula Schmitz,Chad E. Schraufnagel (i) andBill Thiel (i). OCONOMOWOC, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Dozens of Oconomowoc area school district parents are getting heated on the issue of face masks. The meeting schedule for the Finance, Operations, and Advancement (FOA) committee and Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment (CIA) committee are available by clicking the link below. Bill Thiel was appointed in Januaryto Roehl's former seat to finish out the term and will run for the seat this spring. Some of the activities include Boy Scouts, robotics, band, choir, theater, soccer, ski team, gymnastics, track, tennis, and we even hosted quite a few exchange students. Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Waukesha County was home to 395,118 residents in 2014, according to the United States Census Bureau. Federal courts | Because of the contentiousness around COVID-19, Ford said things that would ordinarily fall in that "operational" category are instead being decided at the board level like mask requirements. I look forward to continuing my involvement as a parent and community member in selecting a new superintendent, addressing transportation safety concernsand long-range planning for our educational spaces.". "I have gotten to know many people in our beautiful Oconomowoc area, and I would not trade this experience for anything. Two of the seven at-large seats on the Oconomowoc Area School District school board were up for general election on April 5, 2016. There is a place for some virtual learning, but I will always work with our district to provide in-person learning whenever possible. "He's not vaccinated and your decision not to require masks is going to mean that he's not going to be able to attend in-person school this fall," said parent Scott Drummond. It is intrinsic to its mission: Unless students are mentally fit and emotionally stable, they cant learn and therefore, they will not be able to lead. With a background as a VP of a college and with my current role in senior management at an HNW investment firm I wanted to leverage my professional experience to help our board operate as a high functioning group. Now, nearly half the board is vacant, with some major decisions ahead. Roehl said the climate surrounding school board meetings has become polarizing amid the pandemic and debates over safety. There is an opportunity to advance learning opportunities through improved online platforms that can serve both students and assist parents. Calendar . "They were shooting for her, there was a bullseye on her back," said Herro. [7] The district was the 30th-largest school district in the state in the 2013-2014 school year and served 5,224 students. Additionally, we are lacking a significant strategic initiative to address why families who live in our district are actively opting out of keeping their children at our schools. I am running to continue to move our school district in the positive direction. As they say, Keep School REAL. Our actions have an impact. In 2020, there were 87 COVID-related recalls against 89 officials, and in 2021, there were 131 against 214 officials. My own kids have spent time in robotics, drama and athletics and I want to help promote the passion of students to the greatest extent possible. more, Rick Grothaus, Kim Herro and Dan Raasch resigned from the board, filled the three vacant seats in September, Candidates for Oconomowoc mayor share views on growing inflation, infrastructure and public safety, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Schmitz:I believe in democracy and diversity. Community involvement: Volunteered at the local parish church, lobbied for street resurfacing and got it done in our neighborhood of Oconomowoc Heights, which was prone to flooding. OCONOMOWOC - Oconomowoc Area School Board member Scott Roehl announced via his candidacy Facebook page that he would be resigning from his seat on the board due to his family moving out of .

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