Q & A with Clintonville school board candidates

CLINTONVILLE - Seven candidates will face off in the Feb. 18 primary for the Clintonville Board of Education, with the top four candidates receiving votes moving on to the April 1 spring election.
Board members up for reelection include Laurie Vollrath and Mark Zachow. They are being challenged by David Battenberg, Christopher Hoffmann, Patrick Huss, Tanya Netrefa, and Marie Vandenberg.
The Clintonville Tribune-Gazette recently sent a list of questions to the seven candidates to get their views on issues important to the district. To help inform voters on where the candidates stand on these issues, the questions and their responses are listed below.The Tribune-Gazette tried several times to contact Huss, but did not receive answers to the questions that were sent to him.

Why do you want to serve on the Clintonville Board of Education?
David Battenberg: I retired last spring after a 36-year educational career. I have experience as a 6th through 12th grade agriculture teacher, a K-12 principal and an athletic director. My son and daughter spent their complete K-12 educational experience in Clintonville and are successful teachers because of it. This experience is only helpful to the community if I get involved. I can help the district continue to offer and enhance quality educational opportunities for district students.

Christopher Hoffmann: I am compelled to run for the school board to contribute to the community and help our teachers and students in educational excellence. The goal of education is to allow students to seek their full potential in a safe environment.

Tanya Netrefa: I am looking to contribute to the school board to foster positive change within the district, supporting both the students and staff.

Marie Vandenberg:I believe issues and concerns need to be addressed so issues can improve. I want to encourage families to bring their concerns to me so we can address them because nothing bad ever comes from an open conversation. I am approachable, a good listener, and easy to talk to. I am a parent, a business owner, and an aunt with kids in the district. I have a vested interest in seeing our students and school district improve and thrive.

Laurie Vollrath: I am a firm believer in service over self. I realize that one board member cannot solve all of the school district problems, but I have ideas and can point people in the right direction. I am a positive supporter of staff, students, and community.

Mark Zachow: I would like to continue to serve the people of the district of the board of education. The district faces many challenges in the future. I believe in service to the public and will be a positive representative of my constituents.

What are your qualifications to serve on the Clintonville Board of Education?
Battenberg: I had a varied and diverse educational career. I taught high school agriculture for eight years in Elkhart Lake, worked in the Clintonville School District for thirteen years serving as an Assistant Principal and Athletic Director. I worked as the K-12 principal for the Tigerton School District and as the agriculture teacher at Bonduel. I have lived in the Clintonville School District since 1996 on a small hobby farm in the Town of Larrabee.

Hoffmann: After graduating from Clintonville in 1996, I have spent my career in the mechanical trades. I have managed multi-million-dollar projects as a sales project manager. I have served in trade education organizations. I served three terms on the board of directors for the N.E.W. International Facilities Association. These experiences have taught me to listen, be transparent, gather all the information before decisions are made, and be accountable for the decision.

Netrefa: I was born and raised in Clintonville, graduating from Clintonville High School. I currently have a son enrolled in the school district. I was employed in the district office, where I managed payroll and benefits for the staff, and contributed to the budget development. I left the district on good terms to pursue a new opportunity that better aligns with my current circumstances.

Vandenberg: I am a parent of school-age children, a small business owner, and a board member for Onward Clintonville. I have an accounting degree and excel with tight budgets. I can see both the big picture and the small picture on issues, and am a team player in resolving issues for the larger goal.

Vollrath: I currently serve on the school board. But more importantly I am a mom. I have two daughters that graduated from Clintonville, a son at the elementary school, and a son in the special education program at the middle school. I have lived in Clintonville for 25 years. I am an avid volunteer for a variety of organizations in the community. I have a great relationship with staff, administrators, and community.

Zachow: I have served the board for nine years. Knowledge and experience are a critical part of this position. I was an officer with the Clintonville Police Dept. for 39 years and placed a high priority on serving the community. As a graduate from Clintonville Senior High and now having grandchildren in the Clintonville School District, I want to ensure that they have the same educational opportunities that I was offered.

How closely do you follow the happenings in the Clintonville School District?
Battenberg: During my employment I was involved in the management and leadership of the district through the planning of the new high school, the planning and construction of the football stadium and the management of the Rec Center. I have attended concerts, sporting events, musicals and always read the local media reports of board meetings to keep up with new initiatives like the day care, middle school construction, and sale of the elementary school.

Hoffmann: I have three children in the district. Educational items are very important to me, and I follow closely. The Clintonville School Board streams the board meetings. This is an amazing resource that I encourage all to utilize.

Netrefa: I have been monitoring the school board meeting on YouTube. Additionally, I am actively involved in my son’s education, which requires periodic interactions with district staff. Also, my time working at the district allowed me to stay well-informed about district matters.

Vandenberg:I follow the happenings in the district very closely. As a business owner, I am connected to the district in many facets. I have children enrolled in the schools. I attend as many school and city meetings as possible either in person or virtually. I get the meeting packets for the city and school e-mailed to me, so I am able to see how decisions are connected. I also use my platforms to encourage community members to attend meetings when I see agenda items that are of great interest to the community.

Vollrath: Being a board member since October 2017, I have never missed a meeting. I currently serve as the clerk. I follow what is happening very closely. The superintendent keeps the board updated through email and text messages when necessary. I have kids in both buildings so I am in the schools several times a week.

Zachow: Being a current member I am closely involved with what is happening in the district. As a member of the board you are notified by the superintendent of current matters. We are kept up to date by text or email.

What do you feel is the most important issue that the Clintonville School District will need to address in the next three years?

Battenberg:The recruitment, mentoring, and retention of staff in the district is the most important issue. I include all staff in this issue; teaching, administration, para-professional, day care, rec center, and all other support staff. In a people-centered pursuit like education, stability of employees is critical.Facilities are very important, but our district facilities aren’t truly functional if there aren’t engaged and inspiring people willing to be employed.

Hoffmann: The district has some financial issues to overcome. The “shell game” of transferring funds is a short-term solution. Clintonville School District should be in the business of education first and foremost.

Netrefa: A pressing concern for the district over the next three years will be staff turnover and the subsequent need to recruit qualified teachers to assume those roles.

Vandenberg:I believe the biggest issue is communication and transparency. Residents in the Clintonville School District have the right to know what is happening. I want families to feel comfortable raising their concerns and discussing issues. Topics should not get pushed aside to be dealt with later. I started “coffee with a candidate” and “meet your candidates”. I plan to continue those types of events if I am elected, as it is important to have residents know the people who are representing them. I believe as we work through this issue, it will help resolve several of the other large concerns.

Vollrath: One of the most important issues is teacher retention. We need to start paying our staff what they are worth. If we cannot keep up with other districts we aren’t going to be able to keep teachers, we already see this happening. We need to stay competitive with wages and benefits. This needs to be worked on now or in three years we won’t have any teachers. Happy staff equals happy students.

Zachow: The district priority needs to be ensuring competitive salaries and benefits for our staff. Our staff needs to be brought in line with other districts’ compensation. Enhancement of professional support and development programs and provide career growth opportunities. We need to create a positive work environment, reducing administrative burdens so teachers can focus on teaching, improve work/life balance, ensure manageable class sizes and workloads. We need policies that support teachers at all levels.

If you were elected to the board, how would you help the district deal with that issue?
Battenberg: The school board can strive to offer a fair wage and benefits package for employees and continue to improve facilities. I would encourage the board to expand the recognition of staff, student, and district achievements and encourage the board to develop a plan to determine the reasons staff members leave the district. I would help the board continue to build a culture of trust and exchange of ideas between all staff and the school board.

Hoffmann: I have a lot of questions. I can’t change where the finances are today. The district needs to come up with and adhere to a long-term budget plan. This process requires looking into operational, replacement, life expectancy and beneficial use of all district entities. The financial shortfalls need to be uncovered but not at the expense of our educators. An operational referendum should be viewed by the public as mismanaged funds.

Netrefa: By identifying the root cause of the staff dissatisfaction in our district and developing strategies to address these concerns. Also, to be more involved in the hiring process to ensure the recruitment of qualified staff members.
Vandenberg:As stated above, I will continue to make myself available to the community as a bridge to help with communication. I firmly believe nothing bad comes from open communication and I regularly say that I haven’t turned down an offer to get a cup of coffee yet.

Vollrath: If elected I will continue to serve on several committees in the district. I will continue to work on prioritizing the budget. We need to make teacher pay a top priority. We need to catch up the teachers that are behind in pay. We need to keep the morale of the buildings up. To do that we need to keep the staff happy.

Zachow: I will work diligently to ensure that our educators are compensated and brought up to economic standards. Wages and compensation packages will be one of my primary goals when reelected.

Why should district residents vote for you?
Battenberg: I’ve lived in the Town of Larrabee since 1996. I have direct experience working in the Clintonville School District. I have worked in neighboring rural districts that have the same concerns and constraints Clintonville has. The focus of any school district should be the education of the district’s students and the decisions I make will always be based on what I have determined through meaningful thought and discussion to be the best educational decision.

Hoffmann: I believe our greatest resource of the future is the children of today. I believe in common-sense economics; don’t spend money you don’t have. I believe every child should have the ability to seek their full potential in a safe environment. If you share my beliefs, please vote Christopher Hoffmann on February 18.

Netrefa: My previous experience as a district employee and education in accounting would make me a valuable asset on the school board.

Vandenberg: I am passionate about the Clintonville School District, and I want the district and its students to excel. We are a small town and we should be proud of it. We should be using our small town strengths to our advantage. I will consider what is best for everyone, and help the Clintonville School Board create a strong and flourishing school district.

Vollrath: I have experience on the board. I offer a diverse prospective as a member. I have kids in the public schools. I am dedicated and involved in several community programs. I deliver meals on wheels to elderly, I deliver nutrition meals to kids, I am the PTO president. I coach soccer and help with flag football. I serve on the Planning Commission. I am a Clintonville Lions member. I am a positive community member.

Zachow: With my knowledge and experience I would like to continue to serve the district for the next three years. I have proven leadership and experience. During my tenure I have had a positive impact on the district. I will continue to implement new programs, improve school policies and improve resources for students and educators. I have a forward-looking vision for the district academic improvement, safety, and preparedness for college or the workforce.