The information below was shared by the Spooner Advoacte.
The information below was provdided by the candidates for the Spring Election to be held on April 5, 2022. The names below are listed in the order they will appear on the ballot from a random draw on 2/17/22.
Scott Smith
1. What is your professional background?
My background is in chemical engineering, and I currently work for a U.S. Department of Energy contractor supporting waste characterization operations and regulatory compliance.
2. Why are you running for this position?
I’m running for this position to continue serving the Shell Lake School District and community. One of the reasons my family moved to Shell Lake was to ensure our children receive an outstanding education. We believe in Wisconsin public education and the Shell Lake School District is one of the best.
3. What qualifies you to seek a position on the Shell Lake School Board?
I believe in public education and giving our children as many opportunities to thrive as possible. I have served on the Shell Lake School board since 2015. Over these last seven years, I have learned how to be an effective board member. Experiences as a board member include revitalization of the district strategic plan, building referendum and addressing the effects of the pandemic.
4. What do you think are the most important issues facing the district, and how would you address them?
I think addressing all impacts to student achievement, as well as the physical and emotional well-being of our students, staff and families related to the pandemic, is one of the most important issues facing the district. The district has added interventionists utilizing the additional federal and state funding to help increase student achievement. However, I think social and emotional issues stemming from the pandemic will continue to surface for many years to come. The board needs to be prepared to work alongside administration and staff to provide the resources and support necessary for the district to continue to thrive.
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Angie Bodzislaw
1. What is your professional background?
I have been employed at the Spooner Memorial Library for almost seven years and have had the privilege to lead an amazing team as library director for the last six. Prior to my position there, I was employed as a behavioral treatment technician, working one-on-one with autistic youth. I also have several years of experience as an at-home caregiver for seniors. For almost 12 years, I have had the honor of being called “Mom.”
My educational background includes a master’s in library and information services from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a bachelor of science in human development and family studies from UW-Stout. I graduated from Shell Lake School in 2003.
My leadership positions in the community and state include president of Northern Waters Library Network, chair of Wisconsin Small Libraries section of the WLA, co-chair of the Wisconsin Association for Public Libraries conference committee, advisor to the Children’s Cooperative Book Center, leader and board member of Community First Washburn County and steering committee member for Spooner Health’s Community Health Improvement Plan.
2. Why are you running for this position?
I am running not because I think our school is broken, but because I want to be a part of leading our school to a new level of excellence. The health of a community can be gauged by the health of its school. I want our school to be healthier; for teachers to be empowered, supported, trusted and listened to; and for our school to be safe.
I want our school to provide more learning options: increased college credit, creative hands-on, civic engagement and volunteer and intentional virtual/hybrid opportunities, and opportunities to learn through play. I want to invest in the organizational culture of the school and encouraged a culture that laughs and leads together.
I value the importance of having mental health support in the school and believe it should be a safe place for all. I value stories more than voices. It seems, especially lately, that there are a lot of loud voices. It’s important for a board member to pay attention to who is quiet. I believe in the power of literacy in education and want to continue to see that reflected in the curriculums.
I am also running because I am invested both as a Shell Lake graduate and a parent of two students in the district.
3. What qualifies you to seek a position on the Shell Lake School Board?
My qualifications include: strong leadership and work ethic; dependability; collaborative and community-mindedness; educational and board experience; a history of transparency in leadership; and a growth mindset. Community members have said I am calm, thoughtful, dedicated to the community, a fierce advocate for students and teachers, diplomatic, nonpartisan, empathetic, courageous in leadership and collaborative.
4. What do you think are the most important issues facing the district, and how would you address them?
Issues facing the district: inability for compromise on the school board; a struggling organizational culture; lack of empowerment, trust and support for teachers; lack of transparency and communication outside of the district and within; poorly timed changes during COVID response; lack of futurist and creative thinking; a heightened sense of urgency in the community due to the current political climate; and the transition of a new superintendent.
My response: Be intentional about not rushing through motions during a meeting where the board is split. Offer creative solutions to help the board find common ground for the sake of the students. Be a voice that bridges, not divides. Encourage, empower, trust and appreciate teachers. Foster an environment that encourages school leadership to be the best leaders they can be. Be mindful of the voices that are not as loud. Represent all stories when making decisions. Be proactive and not reactive. Support the transition of the new superintendent by checking in with the school team often and providing ongoing support. Collaborate with the outside community, other schools and DPI to bring our school to the level of excellence our students and community deserve.
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Jonathan Brown
1. What is your professional background?
In 2013, I earned an associate’s degree for business management from Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College. I’ve used that degree and other experiences to work in a few different management positions. For roughly the past 10 or so years, I have been working at and managing auto parts stores and a parts department at a dealership. I am currently running the wholesale side of a parts store, using time management, communication, logistics and organization skills, along with product knowledge to help local repair and body shops and other organizations and businesses.
2. Why are you running for this position?
This is where my heart is. I’ve been attending almost all board meetings for some time now because I care deeply about what’s going on in the school. I attend because I want my kids’ school experience to be pleasant and as fulfilling as possible.
It goes beyond my own children, though. I want all the students and the whole community to be united within the district and continue to have a great school that we all can be proud of. Our kids really are our future and doing everything possible to ensure our students leave the district as prepared as possible for the world is something I can take great pride in.
3. What qualifies you to seek a position on the Shell Lake School Board?
I want to be the voice of the parents in the community. I know a lot of my beliefs are shared with other parents, such as consistency in learning, finding the balance between a safe school environment yet still being able to learn in an efficient manner, strong curriculums and ensuring our children are properly prepared for life after high school. Not everyone is going to agree on some topic, but my ability to listen to parents’ concerns and to take into account their beliefs goes a long way in keeping the district united and, along with a lot of hard work, will keep the school growing and flourishing.
4. What do you think are the most important issues facing the district, and how would you address them?
The past couple years have been quite chaotic to our schools – for the students, parents and staff. With so much inconsistency in how students are being taught, they have fallen behind. Our teachers are doing a great job on getting the kids back to where they need to be, but the work needs to continue. Let’s get caught up by keeping kids in the classroom so they can have the consistent learning environment that is paramount to a strong education.
I’ve been impressed with some of the new curriculum chosen for our elementary students, and I believe we need to continue to be on top of finding strong, engaging and efficient curriculums for students. Keeping parents involved in their children’s education also needs to be focused on and has been proven to have a very positive impact on kids’ overall education. I will always encourage and support programs that have parents involved in the school
Perhaps one of the greatest concerns is the increase in mental health issues in the school. We need to make sure we get those struggling with mental health issues the help they need, whether that’s within the school itself or helping the students find the right resources within the community.
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Christine Foust
1. What is your professional background?
I was a manager/owner of Subway restaurants for 12 years with my husband before we sold and moved back to Wisconsin to be closer to family and friends and raise our family. I then was a dental assistant for River Street Dental for awhile before deciding it was more important at the time to stay home with our youngest children.
2. Why are you running for this position?
I’m running because I believe we need to work with our board to represent what more parents and families in our community would like to see happening in our schools, and honestly, as a parent we don’t always feel heard.
3. What qualifies you to seek a position on the Shell Lake School Board?
I ran a business with my husband for quite a few years and while doing so, we dealt with monies coming and going out and managing the day-to-day operations, so I have at least a basic understanding of the funding side of what is necessary to make a school run.
4. What do you think are the most important issues facing the district, and how would you address them?
I think we already have a great school board and I’m just looking to help and improve from where we already are. I think sometimes as parents we forget to get involved and input into what our children’s education looks like, and hope to encourage families to do this moving forward.
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Jill Dunlavy
1. What is your professional background?
I spent 22 years handling the financial aspects of shared Medical Technology, Inc. All things cash-related (payroll/accounts payable/accounts receivable/month-end financial statements/monthly and quarterly tax payments and reports) passed through me before heading out the door. In 2017, I opened Live Fast Fit Free, a 24/7-access strength and conditioning facility in the Shell Lake Industrial Park. Just about a year ago, my husband, Leo, and I started Fossil Fuel, LLC, a propane delivery service currently serving a 30-mile radius of Shell Lake.
2. Why are you running for this position?
I am running to serve our community and students, to help ensure all of our students are served, setting them up for success no matter what path they choose going forward.
3. What qualifies you to seek a position on the Shell Lake School Board?
Honestly, I am not sure if I am qualified. Voters can review minutes and agendas (https://go.boarddocs.com/wi/shelllake/Board.nsf/Public) to see if I have been meeting their expectations up to this point in my time on the School Board. I believe I have been and will continue to be a fair and consistent voice for our students, staff and community.
4. What do you think are the most important issues facing the district, and how would you address them?
Currently, we need to continue to be diligent about doing what we say we are going to do. We need to continue to follow the policies and strategic plan we have created and approved. We also need to continue to focus on supporting our school staff in closing the learning and engagement gaps within our student body. By supporting and assisting our committee, we can do this work, along with ensuring our superintendent has the support and resources needed to support his staff and all of our staff members.
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Jake Anderson
1. What is your professional background?
Let me tell you a little bit about myself and my family. Our family lives on a hobby farm in Barronett. My wife, Lauralei, is an RN in Shell Lake, and we have two children, Chase and Lily, who attend the Shell Lake School.
After college, I spent numerous years in the construction business. For the past 10 years, I have been in real estate as a sales agent and broker associate for RE/MAX 4 Seasons out of Spooner. I love meeting new people and helping others in need, personally and professionally. This job has allowed me to make many connections with a variety of people in the local area. Being self-employed has also strengthened my organization and time management skills due to tight deadlines. These experiences have equipped me to be a vital member of the Shell Lake School Board for the past three months as an interim board member.
2. Why are you running for this position?
As a community member, I believe in volunteering my time to sustain local resources. In my past, I have served on the Cumberland and Shell Lake fire departments. I was supervisor for the Township of Barronett for two terms. In addition, I served on the committee to promote the most recent building referendum.
Another way that I have served the school throughout the years is through athletics. I have coached youth baseball, basketball and softball over six years. I have also served on the sports’ booster clubs and sponsored and helped manage several raffles and fundraisers.
I believe that continuing to serve on the Shell Lake School Board is another way to give back to the community. This school has always put the students before everyone else, and I want to help carry that on.
3. What qualifies you to seek a position on the Shell Lake School Board?
I got appointed to the Shell Lake School Board in November 2021 and have really enjoyed my time being on the board. If reelected, I am here to support the school district as a whole. I will also be a voice for the community and parents through my vast network. Friends of mine in the community would also tell you that I am a problem solver. I can take information from both sides of an issue and process it for the best possible outcome. I feel this will be a great asset to the board. I look forward to serving the district as a proud parent, community volunteer and board member.
4. What do you think are the most important issues facing the district, and how would you address them?
Our School Board has done a great job dealing with major and minor issues over the years, but one of the major issues that all school boards are dealing with is teacher retention and the rising costs of everyday operation. We have to make Shell Lake Schools the place teachers want to build their career and enjoy their days working with our future leaders.
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