Incumbents, challengers take opposite sides in School Board race
By Jennifer Eisenbart
Staff writer
Late last August, the Burlington Area School District became a battleground between the current School Board and a group citizens upset with the board’s tax levy hike.
Now, with the primary election for two available spots on the board less than a week away, six candidates – two incumbents and four challengers – have their eyes set on making a difference with the budgetary challenges the district will face in the coming year.
With BASD looking at somewhere around a $2.5 million cut in state aid, Superintendent David Moyer has already public conceded that the budget process will have to balance the needs of the students with the prospect of raising taxes.
Depending on who you talk to, the battle could just be getting started. Viewpoints differ on
what the district needs in terms of education, and also on how the current board balanced the 2011-12 budget with a 3.67 percent tax levy increase.
Incumbents John Anderson and Susan Kessler are challenged by newcomers Scott Elbein, Philip Ketterhagen, Roger Koldeway and Megan Shuemate. The election is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 21, with the top four finishers advancing to the general election in April.
Here is a look at the candidates and their positions, in alphabetical order:
John Anderson
A 13-year veteran of the School Board, Anderson has insisted throughout the whole controversy this fall that the board did what it had to do to maintain the integrity of its
school system.
“The board got a bad rap,” said Anderson. “I think we tried very hard to keep the tax rate as low as we could and to keep the educational system in place.”
Anderson also stressed that the board is not taxing referendum-approved debt when it could, and that the district is working with a two-year budget cycle that requires a two-year plan.
“There isn’t an easy answer for this problem.”
Anderson said his record – and that of the School Board – over the past 13 years should stand for itself, and he should be judged for his performance that entire period of time, not just the difficult budget situation of the past year.
“I personally feel there is a financial attack on education,” Anderson said. “I think there’s a middle road to be found, and I
think my personal experience puts me in a good place to be on that middle road.”
Anderson did say he agrees with Moyer’s plan of weighing tax increases with change, and that the “road map” that Moyer has put into place for instructional improvement is the “direction I’m going in.”
Scott Elblein
Elblein is one of four challengers in large part because of the tumultuous budget process that occurred this fall.
“I saw taxes going up, and it really drove me into being involved,” Elblein said at the candidate forum last week. “I don’t mind money being spent, but I’d like to see it spent a lot more responsibly.”
Elblein also said at the forum that he would listen to everyone – not just administrators and not just voters.
“We can’t be swayed by the opinion of the few, or the many, if it’s not the right thing to do,” he explained.
Elblein questioned the district’s reserve fund – about $3.2 million, or 9 percent of the operating budget – saying it wasn’t needed. However, a financial consultant last week actually advised increasing that fund balance if possible.
“I don’t have an issue with a reserve,” Elblein said. “I would be more prone to allowing a one percent reserve.”
He also added that taxes need to drop to draw more people into the district, and that charter school options might increase the educational opportunities available in the district.
Susan Kessler
Kessler, the other incumbent on the primary ticket, makes a simple, impassioned plea.
“I have learned that we must work together as a board if we are going to make progress toward finding answers to our current budget dilemma,” she said. “We need people on the board who do not have a political agenda. We make decisions examining the data objectively and this is not possible for members with a specific agenda.”
The notion of a political agenda is what prompted Kessler to decline to participate in the WeVoteBurlington candidate forum last week, saying that since a specific action group was running the forum, it was inherently biased.
“It just really wasn’t fair,” Kessler said. “People will know what I’m about when they read the paper.
“What I’m about is kids – and keeping kids in mind all of the time when we make decisions.”
Kessler pointed out that she has two master’s degrees and 39 years in the educational system, and that while the budget dilemma is a problem, so is keeping priorities straight in the district.
“We need to find the balance between keeping the tax levy low without compromising the integrity of our schools,” she said. “Historically, we have been fiscally conservative with our citizen’s dollars, as we already are one of the lowest costs per student districts in the state.”
Philip Ketterhagen
Ketterhagen, whose wife, Bonnie, is one of the founding members of WeVote Burlington, went on the offensive immediately this fall to fight the tax levy increase.
And as soon as he had decided to run for school board, Ketterhagen launched a website that defines his views and his ideas on how to run the district: http://www.philipketterhagen4schoolboard.net/
Ketterhagen urged at the candidate forum that people listen to what was said and draw their own conclusions – and then vote their conscience.
The long-time Burlington resident wants to see fiscal decisions made with the interests of the students in mind. However, Ketterhagen has said that he wants a three-year moratorium on tax levy increases, the elimination of paying into the Wisconsin Retirement System and establishment of a 401K plan in its stead, as well as cutting dental and long-term disability insurance. He also wants to see cash payments in lieu of taking health insurance ended.
With all of the changes he proposes, Ketterhagen said the district can avoid further tax hikes.
Roger Koldeway
Koldeway made an important point last week at the candidate forum: he’s not running because of the annual meeting controversy, he’s running because of what has happened since.
“I have asked questions recently on how the budget is being drafted,” Koldeway explained. He said he has been told by Moyer the budget is being crafted and will be ready for discussion in April.
“Here I am, asking to be a part of it, yet the school board is keeping the process internal, which in turn does not include the community in the budget planning,” he explained. “This doesn’t reflect transparency.”
Transparency is something Koldeway is stressing. Along those lines, he wants better answers from the district as to why teachers aren’t paying a portion of their health insurance premiums, as well as further using the tools given by Act 10 to balance the budget – rather than a tax hike.
Koldeway also wants to see teacher pay based at least in part on merit. He said a uniform curriculum is a good thing, but teachers also need room to adjust for unique needs in the classroom.
Megan Shuemate
Shuemate, the single mother of two children, wants to see the district not only reign in its tax levy – which she called an assault on Burlington taxpayers – but also seriously consider other options for education.
Among those options is the idea of extending voucher programs in BASD, which could, she said, could expand options for students. She also wants the district to increase test scores and place an emphasis on math and science.
“We really need to start building,” Shuemate said of improving math and science education.
She also stressed that the economy should be behind tax increases – not costs in the district.
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