Medford School Board candidates respond to election questions
There are four people seeking three seats on the Medford School Board for the April 2 election Each of the candidates who filed nomination papers was asked to answer an election questionnaire. The responses received are as follows and appear in alphabetical order:
Dennis Becker
Please tell us about yourself. What is your background?
I grew up on a farm in Little Black, and graduated from the Medford School District, been married for 37 years with 2 kids they also graduated from Medford. My work history includes Weather Shield, Creative Automation and worked as an AEMT on the Taylor County Ambulance. I attended NTC and CVTC for AEMT and HVACR technical diplomas.
Why do you want to serve on School Board? I am interested in becoming more involved in my community, the Medford School District and the impact it has.
What do you think biggest challenge facing the district over the course of the next 5 years will be?
The challenges facing the district are the needs and wants with the money available for the best results.
What do you think the role of the school board should be in relation to administration and staff when it comes to making decisions regarding school projects, improvements and personnel?
The school board’s role should be making sure resources are used for best results, and district is running smoothly. The administration and staff’s role is to follow the school board’s policy and procedures.
What can the district do within budgetary restrictions to encourage recruitment and retention of high quality teachers and staff?
Creating a positive work environment, allowing the teachers and staff input on what is necessary to achieve the desired outcome that is needed. Encourage professional development opportunity, recognize and reward work they do. Making sure there are equal and fair opportunities with no favoritism.
Don Everhard
Please tell us about yourself. What is your background?
My name is Don Everhard and I have lived in Medford for the past 30 years. As a Medford resident I have held many positions all related to public service. I served as a Social Worker for the county for 6 years and continue to provide Crisis Evaluations for Human Services after hours. I was a school Guidance Counselor for 13 years and eventually became a building principal in Stetsonville for 15 years. I served as a deputy for Taylor County previously and I have operated two businesses over the years, Everhard’s Karate and Elite Management Concealed Carry Courses. I retired from public education 3 years ago and currently Pastor The First Presbyterian Church of Abbotsford. I am completing my first 3 year term on the school board and I am on my second 3 year term as a board member for Taylor County Electric.
Why do you want to serve on School Board? I want to serve on the school board because I care about our community and its children. Having been an employee of the school district for 28 years, I have a understanding of its needs, mission and importance. I value being on the school board so I can help provide oversight of the educational system to insure its agenda is inline with community standards. I am a fiscal conservative and I try to reflect this attribute in decisions regarding the appropriation of funds.
What do you think biggest challenge facing the district over the course of the next 5 years will be?
The biggest challenge facing the district in the next five years will be having the financial resources to keep our infrastructure viable and meeting the mandated State requirements that come without funding.
What do you think the role of the school board should be in relation to administration and staff when it comes to making decisions regarding school projects, improvements and personnel?
The School Board is not designed to micromanage the district. The Board hires the Superintendent and he or she answers to the board, all other employees answer to him or her. When issues arise the Board should direct the Superintendent to carry out our directives. The school Board should reflect community standards and always strive to do what’s best for children.
What can the district do within budgetary restrictions to encourage recruitment and retention of high quality teachers and staff?
The district in order to recruit and retain quality staff should offer competitive contracts that are equal to or exceed comparable districts. As a community we should continue to provide entertainment, quality dining, nature venues like the Pine line trail and family events. Medford provides a safe community and partnerships between the school and law-enforcement will keep it that way. The school should continue to partner with the Chamber of Commerce and area businesses and plan for the future work force of our community. A good community, a good school, and good people will hopefully recruit and retain quality staff. It is a team effort.
Dave Fleegel
Dave Fleegel was born in 1975 in Medford. He graduated in 1993 Medford Area Senior High as for my background. I’ve worked concrete, constructed pole sheds, and built two homes from the ground up. Worked for Weathershield Millwork and Customer Relations, began working at WIGM/WKEB Radio in 1995, where I’m still employed part - time. I will have completed 18 years of School Board Service this April. Our family purchased and operate The Broadway Theatre in 2011, and I have volunteered with the Medford Youth Archery Club for over 10 years. My wife Anne and I will celebrate 23 years of marriage this August, and I’m a proud father of 4 children.
I began my service to the school board to ensure my children had the great opportunities that I did in this district. I continue to be available to serve our children, and our community for those same reasons today.
The Medford School District’s biggest challenge in the next five years is to stay relevant. To offer great opportunities to our students with the best staff in the most dynamic setting available.
The School boards relationship to administration and staff should continue to be a discussion and mutual effort. At times the Board has certain projects or areas we want to see improvement in, Other times the administration and staff have the ideas and needs. Wherever we invest our dollars the board must feel it is a good decision for the future of the Medford School district and its students.
The district must continue to do everything it can to encourage recruitment and retention without drastically affecting other areas of the budget. The district must continue to make itself a great place to live and work in all areas that are viable.
Jodi Nuernberger
Please tell us about yourself. What is your background?
I am a mother of two sons, 11 and 9 years old. My husband Joel and I are graduates of Medford. I am the current Board of Education (BOE) Clerk and have served on the BOE for the last 3 years. I have served as the Policy Committee Chair for the past 2 years. I have also served on the Special Education Committee, Administrative Negotiations, and as the Wisconsin Association of School Boards Delegate. I am a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with a Doctorate in Rehabilitation. I have worked as a therapist and clinic director. Currently, I oversee clinical services at an organization that supports children with developmental differences in learning skills to prepare them for school, the future, and improve their quality of life. Throughout my career I have collaborated with educators and families by assisting in classrooms, planning for individual needs, and establishing positive behavior systems. My job in a nutshell is to work collaboratively to set a vision for quality care, strategically plan, manage projects, and support teams in achieving goals.
Why do you want to serve on the School Board?
I think our mission says it all – to ensure all students learn. I’ve spent nearly 20 years devoted to providing children with the best care to prepare them for the future. I want to continue do the same for the children in our district. In my opinion our district does a great job of providing students with a strong foundation, and providing them with opportunities to explore areas of interest. I want our students to have the opportunity to build upon their strengths and feel prepared for their future. I want to support the district in continuing to advance our students’ success in all areas. I believe decisions regarding education should be made with our students social and emotional well-being in mind. Our students mental health is very important to me. In collaboration with community members and BOE I’ve helped enhance our bullying policies and processes. While this is not an end all solution, it has helped keep bullying and harassment at the forefront as an important topic for the district. I believe issues deserve consideration from all perspectives. This community is amazing. Serving on the BOE is one of the best ways I can use my talents, experiences, and passions to give back to the community.
What do you think biggest challenge facing the district over the course of the next 5 years will be?
We will be hiring a new district administrator. Establishing an effective working relationship amongst the BOE, district administrator, staff throughout the district, and the community will be very important. While I do think establishing a culture of mutual trust and open and effective communication is a challenge ahead, I think it is more of an opportunity. We have the opportunity to refresh our strategic plan and understanding of needs within the district. We have the opportunity to strengthen relations between the district and community. We will need to work together to drive our education system forward.
What do you think the role of the school board should be in relation to administrative and staff when it comes to decisions regarding school projects, improvements, and personnel?
It is the role of the board of education to set the vision and goals for the district, to represent the community, and to be accountable to the public for success. The BOE governs. The BOE does not run day-to-day operations. Rather, that is the role of administration. When it comes to school projects, improvements, and personnel, the need and recommendations come from the staff and administrators. They are the experts. The BOE approves hires, and will hire the district administrator. Other hires are recommended by administration. Our administrators and staff have the skill sets for those decisions and ultimately the BOE decides whether that is approved from a budgetary perspective. It is the role of the BOE to assess whether the mission and vision are being carried out, to ensure that vision translates to a strategic plan, and to allocate resources effectively and responsibly to drive success forward.
What can the district do within budgetary restrictions to encourage recruitment and retention of high quality teachers and staff?
Mentorship and introduction into the community can help establish a positive culture that people want to join and be a part of. Furthermore, the way that staff are supported, communicated with, given feedback, and given autonomy also contribute to job satisfaction and retention. We have mentorship programs between experienced and new staff that I’d like to see continue. I am also an advocate of opportunities for professional growth. We have an educational credit reimbursement and advancement plan that I think is important to continue. Our programs for continuing education not only benefit our students, but give our staff opportunities to grow within and across roles which can have positive benefits on retention and succession planning. We also offer opportunities for student teaching which can be important to recruitment.
Don Everhard
Dave Fleegel
Jodi Nuernberger
