Editor’s note: There are more contested races this year than any other time I can remember. So many that I can barely keep up!
One of those is on the Wausau School Board, where seats have always been up for grabs since I started covering Wausau in 2014. This year is no exception, with six candidates up for three seats, narrowly avoiding a primary.
Thankfully I have the help of writer Devon Welsh, who is cutting his teeth on his first-ever election season. Welsh interviewed each of the candidates, except for Cody Nikolai who didn’t respond to him. (He also didn’t respond to me the last time he ran.)
As with all of our election posts, this post is free of the paywall. It’s part of our mission to keep you as Wausonian voters informed.
With that, here are your choices for Wausau School Board:
Sarah Marie Brock, 48, is both a manager at Vino Latte in Wausau and and a PhD student in Leadership Studies at Gonzaga University. Brock is running because she believes that education is the most important function of society and the best tool with which to change the world for the better. Brock is also a former teacher and school administrator. Her goal is to rebuild trust in the board by putting on emphasis on listening to the community, studying the issues, and communicating effectively. Brock says that the search for a new superintendent is a top priority, and she would be looking for a candidate who understands the Wausau community and will work hard to build a relationship with area residents. She also supported the board’s recent hiring of a demographer, Mark Roffers of MDRoffers Consulting, to study the issue of enrollment and school restructuring. She appreciated that Roffers’ plan is thorough and involves the community in the decision-making process, and says it should have been done prior to the board making an issue of school restructuring.
Frederick J. Tealey, 75, is a retired teacher who teaches exercise classes part-time at the YMCA. He taught for thirty years at Merrill High School. Tealey is strongly against school restructuring and says his candidacy should be considered a referendum on that issue. He says that Wausau East should be kept open and any elementary school closures should be done slowly with community input. Tealey says that if re-elected, incumbent candidates Karen Vandenberg and Cody Nikolai would both vote to close Wausau East. In addition to the school restructuring, Tealey also says that a lack of transparency from the board has led to a loss of trust, and that he would restore trust by involving the community more in decision-making. He also mentioned teacher retention as a problem to be solved. He suggests that solving the restructuring issue will help attract new teachers, and also suggests raising teacher salaries. Tealey also would like to look at cutting down on the number of administrators in the district.
Jane Rusch, 63, is a retired former correctional officer and school volunteer. Rusch previously served a number of terms on the Wausau School Board before being defeated for re-election in 2022. Rusch is running again to provide a voice of reason and to restore trust and integrity on the board. She says that trust in the board was shattered after they ignored the mandate of the 2022 referendum and acted without the consent of constituents. She is open to studying the issue of school consolidation, but she doesn’t think closing Wausau East is a viable idea right now and highlights that busing would become a big problem. She says that while Pat McKee was the only one to speak out against the plan, he sat on his hands too long. Rusch says the board is largely composed of wealthier, more educated people that tend to think in the same way, and she would like the board to have a greater diversity of viewpoints. On the topic of hiring a new superintendent, Rusch emphasizes caution and says the board should be willing to take the time it needs to find the right candidate. She also says the board should avoid getting too cozy with the superintendent.
Karen Vandenberg (I), 50, is a physical therapist in Weston. Vandenberg was first elected to the Wausau School Board in 2022 after running on a combined platform with Jon Creisher and Cody Nikolai that set a record for campaign spending. Vandenberg initially supported the school restructuring plan, even voting against a proposal by Pat McKee for a referendum on the issue. After intense pushback from the public, Vandenberg changed course and supported McKee’s revised plan in November that took the school merger off the table. Vandenberg says she is running for re-election to promote a strong, healthy school district and a positive culture on the board. She acknowledges changing her position on school restructuring, and says she shifted after realizing that the plan could not be carried out without spending referendum funds. Vandenberg says that the closure of Wausau East is now off the table, and that the media and challengers are wrong for suggesting that this election is a referendum on high school restructuring. She says her top priorities include the ongoing superintendent search, healing the broken trust in the board, and staying involved with Mark Roffers’ demographic study of the school district. Vandenberg feels that negative stories about the school district and board get too much attention, and she would like to work on highlighting the accomplishments of the district.
Pat McKee (I), 53, is a vice president at UnitedHealth Group. McKee was first elected to the board in 2012. McKee was the most vocal critic of the school restructuring plan and eventually proposed an alternative plan which was passed by the board in November. McKee says that any elementary school consolidation plan must be data-driven and based on careful analysis, which is why he supports the hiring of demographer Mark Roffers. The results of Roffers’ work can then be shown to the public and can lead to an informed public discussion about elementary school restructuring, which McKee thinks needs to be addressed. McKee says the idea of consolidating the two high schools was initiated without proper analysis, and that his revised plan addresses the problems without as much expense or disruption. McKee says the current board is very professional and comes together to support all majority decisions. He says that superintendent Keith Hilts’ departure is a natural transition point with the restructuring plans off the table, and that the board is looking for a candidate who can build trust and operate with transparency. Aside from the aforementioned issues, McKee says his top priority is student behavior in the elementary and middle schools. He has received a lot of feedback about this issue from teachers and parents and plans to look into it.
Cody Nikolai (I), did not respond to requests for this interview. If he does eventually respond we will update this post.
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