Feb. 15 primary to narrow field of candidates
By John Faucher
Five candidates are running for two available seats on the New London School Board in the spring election.
District voters will narrow the field down to four candidates following a primary election Tuesday, Feb. 15.
The four candidates with the most votes will advance to the April 5 election ballot.
The Press Star asked each candidate to introduce themselves, explain why they are running and answer the following question: “What is the role of the school board and what is one major goal you would wish to accomplish if elected?”
The order in which the candidate responses are listed were randomly drawn.
Tina Ruckdashel and Pete Bosquez are incumbents.
Tina Ruckdashel
“I am an alumnus of New London, my husband Earl and I have raised our four children here too. I graduated from UW Madison with a bachelor of science degree in Education. I have worked in the education field for over 30 years teaching preschool and working at UW-Oshkosh Head Start where I supervised a program of 85 children and 15 staff.
I ended my last four years at Head Start as their behavior specialist.
Currently, I work for a nonprofit where I support and train early childhood professionals and programs across the state. My experiences in leadership and education relate well to decisions and tasks that are asked of me on the school board.
I wish to continue my service as a school board member as I value giving back to my community. I also feel that I can build on my experiences, knowledge, and the relationships I created in the last three years.”
Ruckdashel Q2. “I believe the role of the school board is to focus on ways that improve student achievement. This is achieved by having a strong vision which is laid out in our district’s strategic plan, accountability which depends on open decision making so the community can be engaged in new ideas and decisions, setting and reviewing policy which guides the work, community leadership that builds public support, and a strong board/superintendent relationship.
My main focus is to keep our children, families, and staff healthy and safe. I would also like to work on building a stronger board where we can be solution oriented. In a time where there are staff shortages, I want to find ways to keep and recruit a qualified teaching staff.”
Ashley Clark
“My name is Ashley Clark. I’m a mother of four, and I’m an in-home child care provider. I’m running for school board because I’m very passionate about our children and their education. I want to be a voice and an advocate for our local families and our children. I want to keep traditional values and help our district grow and thrive together.”
Clark Q2. “The role of the school board to me is to be a team and set realistic goals, and to also be successful in being a positive impact for our community. It is especially important to me to communicate with each other, and keeping the children of our future our number one focus.
My goal for our community in this district is to encourage each other, and to keep it our mission to simply be on the same team. Helping each other grow is a great way to enhance your own growth, and develop together as a whole. Let’s be the influence we want our children to be.”
Mandy Wilz
“I was raised in this great community and as a parent I am proud to be raising my kids here as well. Between my husband and I, we have three kids. Two of our kids attend public school and our youngest attends Emmanuel.
I’m a value stream manager for a large corporation here in town where I oversee three supervisors and 100 team members.
I jump on every chance to go on adventures with my kids whether it be snow shoeing, hiking or kayaking. Life is about making memories and I want my kids to have a million.
I decided to run for school board because I see a huge gap in trust and connection between the school board and community. I would like nothing more than to see both working together.”
Wilz Q2. “The role of the school board is to review policies and implement change, amongst other roles. However, the board should also be taking into consideration the community input. This is where I hope with new eyes on the board, we can start bridging that gap, change the perception of the school board, regain the trust and thrive as a district.
It is imperative to the success of our community and school district that we all work together and put the personal propaganda aside.
One of several goals I will be pursuing is a teacher’s recognition program. We have the best teachers around! They are the backbone to our district and they are the ones that make our school district so amazing. Let’s work together to reward them for all they do for our kids. This is a great way to get the parents/community more engaged with our school district as well.
I look forward to working with everyone.”
Holly Schweitzer
“I’m a New London native and a Bulldog graduate. My husband and I have five children, three of which are in one of our elementary schools. I have worked in our community for the last 12 years as an administrator at a financial institution and I am a current Bear Creek Lions member. Previously I worked in the healthcare field and volunteered with Hortonville First Responders.
I’m running for school board because there are areas that need improvement, such as board relations with both teachers and the community and to fill a void that was seen and heard in previous meetings and to bring auto tech back in house. I want our school to be the one that other districts want to be like, not the other way around. I want to be a voice for positive change while keeping traditional values.”
Schweitzer Q2. “I feel the role of the school board is to create board policies based on parent, teacher and community input ensuring that our facilities offer a safe learning environment and the best educational opportunities available to our children while budgeting our hard earned tax dollars wisely.
I would like to see community comments taped as part of the meeting so it can be viewed by those unable to attend, this part of the meeting is never made available. Why? There is no reason to keep public comment out of the public view!.
Additionally, according to WASB, during a period of public participation, the school board may receive information from the public and may briefly discuss any matter raised.
See Wis. Stat. $ 19.83(2); OML Compliance Guide page 22.
I want to be a voice for you and our children. I’m a firm believer in spending our hard earned tax dollars wisely, parental rights and health freedom.”
Pete Bosquez
“Hi, I’m Pete Bosquez. I am married and have four children and two grandchildren. Two boys that have graduated, two daughters in middle school, one grandson in middle school and one grandson in elementary school, all Bulldogs.
I was born in New London and graduated from New London Senior High. After graduation I used what I learned in the Tec Ed program to get a job as an industrial mechanic. After a few years I put myself through Fox Valley Technical College and received an Associate degree in Criminal Justice. For 17 years of my career I was an instructor. Teaching officers how to respond calmly and professionally to get through dangerous and chaotic situations was the most rewarding time of my career.
After 23 years in law enforcement I retired and was elected to the Waupaca County Board of Supervisors and currently in my second term. Prior to being elected to the Board of Education I was hired by the School district as a para educator with my license to work with special needs students.
My past experiences have taught me the importance of teamwork, the need to keep learning and how to really listen to others.
If re-elected to the board of education I will continue to pursue programs that move our district forward. An example would be supporting and promoting the automotive program with Rawhide. This collaborative program will allow students to begin as early as next school year to receive a quality education in the automotive field. It will also provide the data we need to determine the level of program expansion that makes sense for the district.”
Bosquez Q2. “The role of the school board is to define the vision statement of the district and set policies that guide the district to that vision. Basically, here is what we want to achieve (success for all) and here are the rules to accomplish that (policies and procedures).
That is the simplest definition without explaining all that goes into making those decisions. A short list of some factors would be parent input, staff input, state guidelines, federal guidelines, employment trends, fiscal responsibility and so much more. Then the board needs a solid administrative team that is trusted to move towards the set vision. Fortunately, our district has that type of administration team.
One goal I have is the development of the tennis court project. I feel building the courts would provide our students with appropriate facilities for the tennis program. Currently the district is falling short of providing what that popular program deserves. Tennis tournaments at the high school would also offer us the opportunity to showcase our school and community.”