West Bend, WI – Common Sense Citizens of Washington County held a Candidate Forum at the Washington County Fair Park & Conference Center.
Four candidates are running for two seats on the West Bend School Board including: John Donaldson, Melanie Ehrgott, Paul Fischer, and Erin Dove.
John Donaldson – grad of WBE. Veteran. Want to see us returning to be a safe district. Help dist. retain valuable leader. Be an advocate of parents.
Melanie Ehrgott – want voters to have accurate info. Taxpayer and resident of district. Spoken against second step that promotes socialism and racism. Schools are failing our children. Time to get back to basics. More money is not the answer. Reevaluation is needed.
Paul Fischer – running for reelection. Resident since 1994. Three Kids enjoyed WBSD. Success in district prepared them for life. Excited to apply for next three years. Accomplished a lot. Masks were a major distraction.
Erin Dove – grew up in WB and went to WBW. Lives in Jackson with 3 daughters. Need to refocus on learning. Work hard on curriculum committee so proper learning can occur.
- Concerns have been raised about transparency within the West Bend School District. Artificially created barriers and a lack of timely response to parents and the local media have been identified as a concern. What efforts would you initiate to increase transparency within the district?
- Violence, bullying, and racism appear to be an issue within the West Bend School District. What would your solution to these problems be, and to what extent would you hold school Administrators accountable?
- The Wisconsin DPI has the West Bend School District ranked 9 out of 10 in the conference for academic performance. One publication gave our district administration a grade of D- while others ranked East and West high schools 9th and 10th academically in our 10 team conference. Can you please give specific efforts you will lead, if elected, to overcome administrative and educational shortcomings that currently exist in the district.
- The West Bend School District has considered and may again consider a referendum to fund a new school in Jackson, despite declining enrollment. As background information, a private task force led by constituents recommended building one consolidated school to replace aging schools including Jackson, Fair Park, and Decorah. What approach would you advocate for?
- Do you think a school district should have the power to make Covid vaccines mandatory for staff and students, and under what circumstances should masks be mandated?
- What role should parents play in their child’s education and the school’s curriculum development?
- With falling test scores in the aftermath of two years of lost time due to Covid, how do we catch students up?
- What are your views on the use of CRT and SEL principles in middle school and high school education?
- The National School Board Association has asked the FBI to get involves in school board meetings, claiming an uptick in violence against school board members. Many question whether this is intended to use intimidation to prevent concerned parents from exercising their 1st amendment right to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Do you support or oppose FBI involvement in School Board meetings, are you willing to publicly admonish the National School Board Association for this action, and why or why not?
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Below is a recap of some of the sessions from the Candidate Forum at Washington County Fair Park.
