Five candidates vie for seats on Gilman School Board

There is the potential for some new faces on the Gilman School Board this spring. On April 1 voters will be asked to pick three candidates.

Questionnaires were sent to all the candidates. Their responses are listed in alphabetical order by the candidates’ last names.

Holly Bacha

My name is Holly Bacha, and though I'm technically a Gilman transplant, I feel a little like I've lived here forever. My husband grew up here, as did his parents, and his grandparents. It brings us all great joy to have our children continuing the tradition as Gilman Pirates!

I have been working in education for a little over a decade in various capacities, such as K-12 music, HS Social Studies, PK-8 Principal and presently I work from home as an Elementary Special Education teacher for iForward Online Charter School out of Grantsburg, Wisconsin. I am trained and certified in Top Ten Tools, which is a state-approved program following the expectations laid out in the Act 20 Early Literacy Law addressing science-based reading. I am not actively pursuing administrative roles, but I do hold licenses as both a Principal and Director of Pupil Services & Special Education.

I've been selected to present at several statewide conferences, including the Wisconsin State Special Education Conference and the Wisconsin State Reading Association annual conference, among others. I am passionate about innovation and targeted solutions, and I believe that every student has unique gifts and skills to bring to the classroom and to other human beings.

Serving on the Gilman School Board would be an honor and a privilege, and I feel I could bring an experienced and nuanced viewpoint to the table. My children have demonstrated tremendous growth, both academically and socially, since attending Gilman School, and I am in wholehearted support of the academic and social-emotional curricula and interventions being implemented. The school is a welcoming, warm environment, and even though our family is relatively new to the district, we have been treated as though we're part of the school family from Day One. I would love to contribute more formally to the continuing communal support and partnerships that allow this school to flourish.

I anticipate the most common question Gilman families and community members will ask is about funding. While I understand and value the necessity of healthy coffers and balanced budgets for sustainability, I also believe there are creative solutions to every pitfall. It requires an immense willingness to exercise brainpower and constant dedication to forward-thinking. This piggybacks onto the question of attracting and retaining quality educators and staff. The world of education is one unto itself, and I think that's what's caused such disparate outcomes statewide and nationally. There's a cyclical vortex that perpetuates stereotypes and erodes trust in education - amongst staff, families, organizations, and administrations. On the contrary, in order to retain high quality staff - and likewise, in order to retain valued families and generational students - they all have to feel mutually respected and acknowledged. In order to achieve year-over-year and decade-over-decade consistency, you have to retain high-performing administrators, and, maybe most importantly, our partnerships must be retained, both in the local community and beyond. All involved need to feel affirmed and perpetually revitalized. It's incumbent upon all players to come to the field invigorated with purpose, but also able to trust there is a team surrounding them that's ready when they need to momentarily tap out or recharge.

To clarify, I believe the biggest challenges facing the Gilman School District are saturated and over-extended local resources, the subsequent reduced availability of reciprocal partnerships, and depleted coalition opportunities, both within and outside of the school district.

Education, as a topic, has become ubiquitously contentious over time, but I think when we focus broadly, everyone still agrees on its important purpose: to expose, explore, and develop expertise that will guide students into their existence as well-rounded adults. If we focus more on the broad ideas (funding, partnership, and communication/transparency) without muddying the waters - and allow the classroom teachers and staff familiar with the individual situations and goals to focus on those - I think the system will gain rapport both internally and externally, and a Gilman education will be viewed as a rich, worthwhile endeavor in everyone's eyes.

Vonda Kinas

1. What is your background?

Married to my late husband Mike for almost 29 years. Have a daughter, and a son. Grandmother of two grandchildren. Moved to Gilman at the end of 1996. Have been involved in many volunteer positions. Girl Scout Leader, Cub Scout Leader and Cubmaster. PTO President, Gilman Ambulance Driver and EMT 24 years. Occasional photographer for the Star News, Gilman CORE, Gilman Blood Drive, Village Main Street Beautification Committee.

At this time, I work delivering meals on wheels for Gilman when needed. I sometimes deliver on my spyder motorcycle, and the clients seem to love it. I am a chief inspection of elections for the Village of Gilman 25 years, and I fill in for other election polls when needed. I am honored to babysit my 2 year old grandchild one day a week and love it. Love photography and ancestry.

2. Why do you want to serve on school board? I know I will not change the world, and I know there are things that cannot be changed. I would like the chance to support our teachers, the school staff, our district, and ensure each student gets the education they deserve, feed them when they are hungry and with knowledge, guarantee they are able to benefit from the resources provided whether they are in person or online students.

I will start every meeting knowing that I work for the people of the district whether they have a student in school or not. I will make qualified decisions that is best for our students. Whether on the board or not I love my community and district.

We also need a way for the people to be able to contact each school board member with comments and concerns that do not have to go through the school administration. I have contacted school board members in the past and they have no idea what is happening because administration does not keep them in the loop unless its something that needs to be addressed by the board. The only email addresses listed on the school website are school emails and I don’t know how often the board members even check those. The board should be given updates on school activities good or bad.

3. What do you feel is the biggest challenge facing the school district and what will you do as a board member to overcome that challenge?

I believe the biggest challenge our district has is Hitler style leadership starting at the top. Our district has lost over two dozen teachers and other staff due to bullying and other scare tactics pushing them out. No one wants leadership who talks about women in the district like they are a piece of meat and walks away without having to take some kind of sexual/harassment training that I know of.

4. What can the school district do within budgetary limitations to attract and retain quality educators and staff?

Due to our district being a rural area, there has always been issues with obtaining and retaining staff. So many teachers come and go within a short time due to limited housing. They may have continuing education needed and we don’t have anything within 25 miles to address that. Some things just can’t be done online. We have/had teachers who lived in the district and many who lived far away that taught in Gilman for 1 – 25 + years. See question 3 for reasons why they may have left or stayed.

5. Public education has come under scrutiny at the state and federal levels, how can local schools work to restore/reinforce the public’s confidence in local schools?

I really don’t know the answer to this question. So many people have stated to me that they are so grateful their kids are grown and no longer in school, me included. This was before the state and federal governments recent activity. I now know the fear my grandparents had for me and my siblings when we were in public school. My grandchild is now in 3rd grade (not our district) and I’m concerned for the education they may receive.

All we can do is ensure the kids have a safe, bully free environment. Ensure our teachers and support staff are given the tools, supplies and support they need for their own classrooms.

Josh Mann

1. What is your background?

Hi, I am Josh Mann and live in Gilman with my wife Becky and four kids. I am a selfemployed businessman in both farming and trucking of raw forest products. I enjoy spending time with my family doing things like camping, watching sports, grilling out, and community activities. I am an active member of both the Gilman and Jump River Fire Departments. I was born and raised in a small farming and logging community like Gilman not far from here. Growing up I was active in school activities and sports. I always held farming jobs throughout middle and high school and learned the importance of working hard at something till the job was done. I have never shied away from a challenge worth the cause.

2. Why do you want to serve on school board? I want to serve on the Gilman school board because I want to be more involved in my community and the decisions that affect our youth. I still have one daughter in school for a few more years so there is no time better than the present to become involved more. I also believe with small communities there is a great need for younger people to step up to the plate and engage with older generations to progress things forward.

3. What do you feel is the biggest challenge facing the school district and what will you do as a board member to overcome that challenge?

I believe that declining enrollments in small community school districts and financial challenges are the two largest problems facing our school. Working with other board members I believe these challenges can be addressed with some innovative thinking. Increasing enrollment within the district primarily stems from the need to attract young families to our community and with that increase it does also help with state financial aid.

4. What can the school district do within budgetary limitations to attract and retain quality educators and staff?

Attracting and retaining quality educators and staff has a lot to do with the environment they work in and the community they live. Without involving the monetary part of it, if its a pleasant place to live, work, and play most people will stay.

5. Public education has come under scrutiny at the state and federal levels, how can local schools work to restore/reinforce the public’s confidence in local schools?

Restoring the public's confidence in public schools I believe we have to get back to the basics. Families and students alike first and foremost want a school that is safe in today's world. There are always things we can do to help parents feel better about sending their children off each day. Secondly, we need to make sure that when our seniors walk out the doors of the high school their last day, they are prepared for the next step in life whether that is college or not. No student should ever be forgotten. Lastly, we need to do the very best possible job we can managing finances. I will say as businessman that is no small task, but we will need to look at and scrutinize every financial decision in order to make sure that Gilman School District has a vibrant future.

In closing I would like to honestly say that I don't have all the answers to the challenges facing Gilman School District but I would love to have the opportunity to work closely with other board members and staff to come up with common sense solutions for this great school and community.

Derrick Romig

Please tell us about yourself. What is your background? I am Derrick Romig and I am a life long member of the School District of Gilman. I have five children that attend the School District of Gilman ranging from fourth grade to a senior. My background consists of being a member of the Miller Dam Lake