These are the top issues for the Pulaski School Board candidates
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PULASKI ― In the Pulaski School Board race, two incumbents face challengers in Zones 2 and 6, and the seat in Zone 4 is uncontested.
For Zone 2, incumbent Alisa Anderson is facing Dennis Kaminski for a seat, and in Zone 6, incumbent Heidi Melzer is running against Corey Juelich.
Jennifer Schwarz is the only candidate running for Zone 4 after Michael Voelker, the current seat-holder, filed for non-candidacy.
Board members serve three-year terms and earn annual stipends of $3,055. The president earns $3,550.
More:4 people compete to be Green Bay mayor; Genrich seeks 2nd term. County official, two other candidates pose challenges
More:Green Bay School Board names Claude Tiller the district’s new superintendent
Voters will take to the polls April 4 and the candidate with the most votes wins the seat.
Also on the ballot are county executive, village president, the next Wisconsin Supreme Court justice and multiple advisory referendums.
The Press-Gazette asked all candidates in contested races to fill out a questionnaire with the same seven questions about funding, achievement, curriculum and issues that are top of mind for them. Responses have been lightly edited for grammar and formatting.
Here’s what each of the four candidates said:
Zone 2: Alisa Anderson (i)
Address: Sobieski
Age: 41
Campaign website: None reported
Current occupation: Branch manager at Premier Community Bank; part-time instructor at NWTC College of Business
Education: Master’s degree in finance from Lakeland University
Relevant experience: I am a current member of the Pulaski School Board. Additionally, I serve as treasurer for both the Pulaski Area Chamber of Commerce and the Pulaski Girls Basketball Association. I have a master’s degree in finance and 24 years of experience working in the banking industry. This background helps ensure the board is a responsible steward of taxpayers’ dollars, especially given the complex financial issues a school district of our size encounters.
Zone 2: Dennis Kaminski
Address: Sobieski
Age: 56
Campaign website: Dennis Kaminski – Pulaski School Board 2023 Facebookpage
Current occupation: Small business owner
Education: Some college
Relevant experience: I am a 1984 graduate from Pulaski High School. After high school, I served four years in the U.S. Marine Corps as a jet mechanic. I then had a career as an aircraft tech for Northwest Airlines. I currently own a company that repairs ground equipment for the airlines, and I also own and operate The Patriot Golf Club in Abrams with my wife Synthia. We currently have a fourth-grader in the Pulaski School District. I am also serving on the Pulaski Chamber Board.
Zone 6: Corey Juelich
Address: Hobart
Age: 40
Campaign website: www.corey4pulaski.com
Current occupation: Stockroom clerk and buyer
Education: High school diploma
Relevant experience: I graduated from Pulaski Community School District and have been active in attending monthly board meetings. Throughout my employment, I have graduated from the following courses: Guiding Principles of Leadership and 7S Lean Training through BW University. In my current role, I am responsible for managing our maintenance stock room and ordering parts within our monthly budget.
Zone 6: Heidi Melzer (i)
Address: Green Bay
Age: 45
Campaign website: None reported
Current occupation: Attorney
Education: Bachelor’s degree in learning and organizational change from Northwestern University and a J.D. from Loyola University of Chicago School of Law
Relevant experience: I have been on the school board for the past three years and currently serve as board president. In this role, I am honored to help serve the needs of our students, so they have the best opportunities available to them during their time in school and beyond. During my time on the board, the community recently passed referendums to address the growing needs of our district so we can continue to provide our students with quality facilities, programs, teachers and staff.
Why are you running for School Board?
Anderson: Pulaski has a proud tradition of investing in education, a value that was instilled in me by my parents. I’m running to carry forward our community’s commitment to the next generation.
Kaminski: As a husband, dad, basketball coach and small business owner, I feel that I can contribute a lot to our school board. I will be an advocate for our community and voters.
Juelich: Parents, students and staff have always felt comfort in sharing their struggles with me. As a community member, this is an opportunity for me to represent them.
Melzer: I believe every student deserves the best opportunities through their education so that they can become productive members of the community and explore their goals and dreams, whatever those may be.
What makes you the best candidate?
Anderson: Two strengths are my experience serving on the board of education and my financial background. First, my time on the board has given me critical insight into how the district operates, the challenges and opportunities ahead, and the importance of building relationships among the district’s various stakeholders. Second, my financial background and knowledge of business finance is a valuable skillset, especially given the recent passage of the referendum.
Kaminski: I enjoy working with others to solve problems. I spent many years as a union steward/officer solving day to day issues as well as contract negotiations. I look forward to working with my fellow board members as well as the superintendent and administration to assure our community, students, teachers, taxpayers and all district employees have a voice on the school board so that they can openly approach with concerns or issues.
Juelich: My three generation family has lived in the district for 45 years. I was a student at Hillcrest, Lannoye, the first high school and the current high school. I have two children who are enrolled at Lannoye Elementary. My family has been involved in the community, most recently raising funds for the new Hobart Fire Station. My wife is a current member of the Lannoye PTO (parent teacher organization).
Melzer: While all candidates running for a board seat share the care I have for student success, I bring experience and skills to the board from my professional life as an attorney, including the ability to thoughtfully listen and consider all information and make decisions with students’ best interests in mind. I also have experience as a board member, working to address our growth needs and planning work with the community to envision our future to fulfill our vision and mission as a school district.
What do you believe are the top two issues that need to be addressed, and how would you address them?
Anderson: Two positive challenges I feel we are encountering are careful financial management and sustainable growth within the district. Given our current economic environment, families are experiencing rising costs for everyday needs. This not only affects the students within our community, but also affects the financial well-being of our school. Careful financial management will be important for the school as we navigate the rising cost environment, for everything from school supplies to fuel for transportation. Additionally, the Pulaski School District covers a large geographical area. As we continue to experience growth within our district, financial soundness will be equally important, to ensure we can sustain the positive growth trends.
Kaminski: I think that its very difficult to choose two issues. A school district of this size is very complex and has a sizeable budget of over $55 million a year. As a school board member, I want to make every issue a top priority because every issue is someone’s top concern whether it be the teachers, bus drivers, staff, cleaning, students, parents, etc.
Juelich: The last few years have been a challenge for parents, staff and students. Communication and public involvement is one of the main issues. Community members aren’t aware of many meetings or are unsure where to voice their concerns. As a school board member I would encourage the community to reach out to me with their concerns, and encourage the community to be attend board meetings. Another issue is the lack of general understanding of how public schools operate. As a board member I would work with fellow board members to gain the public trust and involvement. As a board, we should communicate to the public of what is upcoming and share any updates we currently have.
Melzer: First, every employer is struggling to find staff these days and our district is no exception. From custodians to bus drivers to substitute teachers to full-time teachers, the market is very competitive, and we must also be mindful of our budget and the taxpayer’s money. Second, we need to continue to address our district’s strong growth and there will be several building projects undertaken in the coming years to help with that. I am thankful the community overwhelmingly supported our plan to address these issues by passing both the facilities and operational referendums. I look forward to working with my board colleagues, administration, staff and community as we keep our district moving forward.
If you could change one thing about your district it would be ______.
Anderson: If I could change one thing about my district, it would be the level of understanding our community has about our schools. As a board of education member, I have learned so much about the various processes, procedures and what it takes to operate and maintain the schools. I encourage anyone interested in the school district’s success to attend board meetings, ask questions and get involved.
Kaminski: I believe it is very important going forward right now to ensure that the referendum money that was just approved for our district is properly managed. I want the community and taxpayers to know that they are getting everything that they voted for. I also would like everyone that’s involved in the school to see the benefits of these referendums.
Juelich: As a public community school district, we need the support and involvement of the public. We need to show the public that we value their support and their input. As an elected board member, I would encourage the public to attend our monthly board meeting and workshops. To remain transparent we need to video stream our meetings and make them available to the public that wasn’t able to watch at the time of the meeting.
Melzer: If I could change one thing it would be to achieve even greater community involvement in our schools. We know the community supports our schools based on the strong support for our recent referendums as well as the 96% satisfaction rating in our community-wide survey. There are many ways for people to be involved, whether it’s volunteering in the classroom, being part of the “Envisioning Our Future” initiative, or simply attending board meetings. As the saying goes, “many hands make light work!”
What are your thoughts on how the topic of racism and its history in the United States should be taught in public schools?
Anderson: My personal experience when learning history in school, included lessons about the history of racism in the United States. I support continuing to teach students a full account of our history.
Kaminski: I want our students to be taught about the history of America. America is a great country. However every nation has had to overcome tough problems. Every subject in school is very important to make our future leaders successful.
Juelich: As a grandson of World War II veteran, it’s always important to be able to learn about the past. It’s important to look back at generations before for us and learn about that time period. Our county is made of many different races which makes it the greatest country on earth. As a public education system we must value each race and allow everyone to learn the same way.
Melzer: Understanding history is an important part of every student’s education, which is why it is part of the curriculum. The topic of racism is difficult, but difficult topics need to be tackled. It’s important we understand history to avoid repeating mistakes of the past, and it’s important we help students be aware, empathize, listen and ensure our schools are welcoming spaces, particularly as our community becomes more diverse.
Do you have areas of concern about student achievement in your district? What are your specific suggestions for improvement?
Anderson: The Pulaski Community School District’s state report card currently exceeds expectations. To ensure that our students are ready for careers, college and life, the board continues to monitor student achievement within our district. Pulaski offers students a great education and there are always opportunities to make that experience even better.
Kaminski: My goal as a board member will be to make every effort possible to give every student, regardless of ability, every opportunity to be whatever they choose to be in this life. I want every child to be successful as they move through our school system. I want them to be academically ready for whatever they choose after graduation. I also support athletics so kids can learn to work well as a team member.
Juelich: During the pandemic virtual learning was a struggle and our students weren’t receiving the same level of education as being in person. During one of the more recent board meetings results were shared showing what percentage of students were at in their learning. The results were troubling in how behind many students are from where they should be. As a board member, I would value input from our teachers on ideas on how we can catch our students up in their education.
Melzer: Like every school, PCSD experienced some learning loss during the pandemic. Thanks to the efforts of our teachers, staff, parents and community, we have addressed that loss. In fact, PCSD recently earned “Exceeds Expectations” on our state report card, and we continue to rank among the top in our conference for student learning and achievement. There is always the opportunity to be even better, and I will never stop working to keep our focus on “All Means All” when it comes to student success.
What are you thoughts about the state of public school funding in Wisconsin?
Anderson: Unfortunately, funding has not kept up with the rate of inflation. An operational referendum was necessary so programming could be maintained and continue as needed. The issue isn’t a lack of funds for the State of Wisconsin, but instead, the issue is how the funds are allocated under the current system. Revamping the current system is one way we could assure that dollars are being allocated fairly and appropriately.
Kaminski: The Pulaski School District is growing very quickly, which is very exciting for our schools and community. I believe we need to be good stewards of every dollar we receive. If I am elected, I will have the opportunity to get more informed on specifics regarding the public funding for our school district.
Juelich: With a public school district we must be mindful of the spending of taxpayers’ dollars. Public schools are the very core of our community and needs the funding to allow our children to be successful. Community members are looking for an understanding of how the funding is used in each school district. Local communities are in support of public schools such as Pulaski with the passing of two recent referendums.
Melzer: Many people don’t know our school’s funding is set by a revenue limit formula, which hasn’t changed in over 20 years. Additionally, school funding from the state has been frozen for several years. With current inflation, every district is falling behind. Even with the passage of the referendums, PCSD is still a low-revenue, low-spending district. The funding system needs to be reviewed at the state level to ensure it provides each district the resources it needs to help students succeed.
How to register to vote and find your polling place:
The general election is April 4. To find your polling place, see what’s on the ballot and register to vote, visit myvote.wi.gov/en-us.
You can register to vote on the day of the election at your polling place with a valid ID and proof of residence document.
Danielle DuClos is a Report for America corps member who covers K-12 education for the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at [email protected]. Follow on Twitter @danielle_duclos. You can directly support her work with a tax-deductible donation at GreenBayPressGazette.com/RFA or by check made out to The GroundTruth Project with subject line Report for America Green Bay Press Gazette Campaign. Address: The GroundTruth Project, Lockbox Services, 9450 SW Gemini Drive, PMB 46837, Beaverton, Oregon 97008-7105.
