Election Preview: Wauwatosa School Board (Seat 1)

Newcomer Carmela Rios is challenging two-term incumbent Phil Kroner for Seat No. 1, which is a three-year term. All School Board seats are elected citywide.

Click here for biographical information on Carmela Rios

Click here for biographical information on Phil Kroner

To provide residents with the most information about the election, Patch asked candidates for their positions on key issues facing the School District.

Here are their answers:

Why are you running for School Board? Phil Kroner I am running for re-election to the Wauwatosa school board to serve my community, and to ensure every student in Wauwatosa achieves at the highest level. During my 6-year tenure significant accomplishments in the school district include a complete review of all curricular areas, selection of reading for district-wide focus, expansion of summer school, and compleation of security upgrades at all buildings, all while maintaining low class sizes and music, art, and theater programs. I approach this job with the seriousness it deserves. I study issues carefully before voting and, applying my background as a research scientist and post-secondary educator, make reasoned decisions in the best interest of the students and taxpayers of Wauwatosa. I will continue to do so.
Carmela Rios I have built my career as a high school science teacher and curriculum facilitator. I made a promise to myself long ago, that one day I would take my life’s work as an educator and put it to use for the district my children attend. Now, with my oldest in first grade, I am seeking a seat on the school board. There is a need in this time of change to have someone on the board that has working knowledge of public schools in order to connect how policies the board votes on directly impact the classroom.

What is the biggest issue facing the district, and how would you address that issue, if elected?

Phil Kroner The biggest issue facing the school district is the underperformance of students who struggle to learn. This group includes not only special needs students, but also students with learning disabilities, and students who simply fail to thrive in our classrooms. We must identify these students early, apply the best research-based intervention programs, and rigorously monitor their progress. These students deserve the best we have to offer. By helping these students reach their true potential, we will raise the achievement of all students in the district. We need strong leadership on the school board to meet the needs of struggling students. I will provide that leadership.
Carmela Rios Working in the Greendale school district I witnessed the gathering of a “perfect storm” of challenges, which also affects Wauwatosa: students coming from diverse backgrounds, newly adopted standards and assessments , higher expectations for learning outcomes, and increased attrition among teachers, who felt overburdened and micromanaged. To ensure that public education in Wauwatosa continues to improve in spite of dwindling financial resources, we must attract, support and retain the best staff — including teachers, administrators, and counselors— and give our best educators leadership roles in mentoring of young teachers and on topics of curriculum. As state aid continues to decline, how can the district continue to provide quality education while continuing to keep a lid on property taxes? Phil Kroner Despite recent funding challenges, strong long-term financial management and responsible stewardship by the school board allowed our school district to not only strengthen existing programs, but to grow in new areas. This includes expansion of the STEM program at the middle schools and high schools, increased online learning for district students, and district-wide wireless computing, among others. This is accomplished by focusing on high-quality, cost-efficient programs that maximize student learning. This approach, coupled with the goal of providing comprehensive benefits to our employees in a cost-efficient manner, allows the school district to continue to provide a high-quality education, even in this challenging environment.
Carmela Rios Practices that ensure quality education do not require increase of funds. Just recently two changes were adopted in the district with the potential of providing improved education without increasing costs. The adoption of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), allows for the use technology in the classroom in an affordable way. The second, a change in the science course sequence and structure allows for more meaningful science instruction. Here, I especially value the inquiry-based approach, where reasoning takes preference over memorizing information. If implemented correctly, changes in curriculum that do not require increased spending can improve the quality of education.

Has Act 10 been good or bad for the school district? Explain your answer.

Phil Kroner From the school board perspective, Act 10 has both positive and negative effects. On the positive side, Act 10 gave school boards more freedom to make decisions that promote student learning. On the negative side, Act 10 provisions led to reduced pay for teachers, and that, coupled with the negative tone of the overall legislative process, was very damaging to teacher morale. As the continued success of our students relies on our ability to attract and retain exceptional teachers, and there are many in our district, it is an important board priority that we maintain a strong, supportive, and respectful relationship with them. Students won’t reach their highest potential unless we help teachers reach theirs as well.
Carmela Rios Whether good or bad, the full impact of Act 10 will not be clear for years to come. In the short term, it provided a way to deal with the reduced state aid. It also lowered teacher morale due to reduction in pay, security, and group voice. The district can implement positive change by establishing a new salary structure and evaluation procedures. If done with the input of all stakeholders--administrators, students and their families, teachers and taxpayers--this can work to retain our best educators, attract new ones to our district and maintain or improve the quality of public education in Wauwatosa.