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Did any of the WBSD Superintendent candidates sign the Walker recall?

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The West Bend School District has narrowed the number of candidates in its search for a new Superintendent to three.
A quick check to see if anyone signed the Walker Recall.  Results posted below.
• Dr. Dean Gorrell, current Superintendent of the Verona Area School District, Verona, Wisconsin  DID NOT SIGN
• Dr. Brenda Lewis, current Assistant Superintendent of the Rochester Public Schools, Rochester, Minnesota (only Wisconsin residents could sign, but her name is not there)
• Mr. Erik Olson, current Assistant Superintendent of Operations and Continuous Improvement of the Sun Prairie Area School District, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin  DID NOT SIGN RECALL
The West Bend School Board conducted a comprehensive search in partnership with the professional recruiting firm, School Exec Connect.

Finalists will tour the school district on Thursday, June 2, 2016. That evening, they will present to various members of the focus groups that helped develop the recruitment profile, and meet with district administrators and principals. Finalists will also participate in a second interview with the Board.

 

 

Next steps for the Board will include a review of feedback from the teams that evening, followed by a background check, and contract development. The Board anticipates announcing the next superintendent in early June.

 

 

 

On a history note: In 2012 there was an attempt to recall Gov. Scott Walker.  Organizers collected over 900,000 signatures.  Both Gov. Scott Walker and Lieutenant Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch won reelection. Walker beat Democrat Tom Barrett by a bit more than he had when he beat him in the 2010 election.

 

3 COMMENTS

  1. What has whether or not they signed the Walker recall got to do with being qualified for the job? I would hope our School Board did not ask this question.

    • I asked this same question at a debate between Sauk County Judge candidates. The answer is pertinent because it allows constituents to know just how strongly a candidate leans one way of the other, and to what extent they will advocate for their position. In my opinion, anyone vying for a position that requires absolute neutrality, outspoken advocacy for or against an elected official should raise eyebrows and red flags. Can the candidate really remain unbiased in all situations, as required? Perhaps. But I would certainly have my doubts.

      As the former mayor of West Bend, Kristine, you, of all people, should know this to be true. Need I say more?

      • You say that you need to know that a candidate will be neutral. But people who did not sign the recall are not necessarily neutral, they might be rabid Walker supporters. People who did not sign the recall likely include the person who vandalized my car in West Bend the day after I put a Scott Free ’16 bumper sticker on it. So you SAY you want neutrality but you only have a test for those who disagree with Walker’s educational policies- and that does include the vast majority of actual educators. You may even say a Superintendent who DID sign the recall is more likely to bring a collaborative atmosphere of mutual respect to the district after years of teacher bashing. Your logic fail is blatantly obvious. You don’t want a person who disagrees with Act 10- you don’t want a person who is neutral on it (and how can a Superintendent be neutral on this game changing bit of policy anyway?). You want a Walker lover but you don’t want to just come out and say it. You don’t want people to be free to express their disagreement with the regime. You want a sheep. Why, though, are you so afraid of intellectual challenge and debate? Is it not through debate and discussion that we can hope to arrive at the best policy?

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