Two people are running unopposed for seats on the Plymouth Board of Education in the upcoming general election:
- Richard York, 19 Hein Avenue, Plymouth, is seeking the seat currently held by Sue Feick, who is not seeking re-election. Mr. York will represent Area A, the city of Plymouth.
- Pam Holzhaeuser, N6580 LaFerme Road, Plymouth, hopes to be re-elected to the seat she has held since 2009. Mrs. Holzhaeuser represents Area B, the part of the district outside the city of Plymouth.
Regardless of where they live, all voters in the school district can vote for either or both candidates. The terms are for three years.
City of Plymouth residents vote at City Hall, 128 Smith St. Village of Cascade residents vote at Cascade Village Hall, 301 First St. Residents of other communities vote at their respective town halls. All polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 3.
Below is information about each candidate.
Richard York
Background
Contact information: home phone 892-6103, email ryork@wi.rr.com
Prior political experience: None
Names and ages of children:
Each of our children received their elementary, middle school and high school education in the Plymouth public schools.
Bryan, 27, graduated in 2003
Laura, 24, graduated in 2005
Marissa, 20, graduated in 2010
Other biographical information: My wife, Sharon, and I have lived in Plymouth for 23 years, serving as pastors at the Christian Life Assembly of God church. My bachelor’s and master’s degrees are in the field of ministry and theology.
Questions
1. Why are you a candidate for the Plymouth School Board?
I recognize the role of a strong school system to the prosperity of our community.
I am impressed that while having to make tough choices in this very difficult economic environment, Plymouth schools have moved forward with some creative initiatives that both make financial sense and are advancing student learning. I want to be part of that.
I have always been interested in Plymouth education. I follow it in The Review, advocate for it with our state representatives and enjoy learning about both the educational processes and funding issues. Others around me have noted that I get energized when discussing education.
2. What skills do you bring to the school board?
I listen intently and carefully analyze information before arriving at conclusions.
My work with the church council provides me a good understanding of the role of a board: to establish sound policies, allocate funding in the most appropriate places and seek to remove obstacles so the educators can do their job with excellence.
My broader involvement in Plymouth may help in the work of developing a shared vision in the community for quality education.
3. What actions and/or policies will you initiate?
As one member of the school board I won’t set the agenda. I look forward to seeking good solutions, along with other school board members, to better equip our educators and to positively impact student learning.
Observing more closely these past couple of months the deliberations of the school board I am developing a deeper appreciation for the complexity of the education process and an awareness of how little I really understand.
Questions I would like to explore include: Is there a fair way to evaluate teachers so as to reward those who excel? How can we cultivate a culture in which every employee of the school district is fully committed to improve Plymouth education?
4. What are the greatest needs of the Plymouth School District?
All shareholders in Plymouth education – community, teachers, support staff, administration and school board – must be steadfastly focused on working together to improve student learning. Continuing to recruit, develop and retain a skilled and motivated teaching corps should be a top priority.
5. What are your ideas for solving the budget shortfall forecast in the near future?
I do not bring ideas that the board and administration have not yet considered. As a member of the team I will join their conversation to wrestle with the tough decisions.
As I understand public education financing, there is little local control over the revenue side of the budget; school districts must largely work with what is handed to them by the state. Public education is the one thing specified in the Wisconsin constitution on which state government should be spending money. That is why I believe our state should increase the amount of money spent on education, especially for a school district like Plymouth, which for decades has been among the lowest spending districts in the state while our students’ test scores are in the higher ranges.
The leadership in the Plymouth school system seems to be doing all things possible to increase our revenues by providing a better quality education than the surrounding districts so as to attract students through the school choice option. I have also seen that our leadership is developing educational partnerships and obtaining investments in education from local businesses.
On the expense side of the budget equation, I believe the leaders of our school district have worked very hard to make budget cuts that will have the least impact on student learning.
I am impressed that in their final contract our teachers demonstrated their commitment to balancing our budget by agreeing to a two-year wage freeze on top of taking significant hits in their take-home pay due to the state mandated contributions they now make toward their health and retirement.
I understand we do have some monies in our fund balance that could help for the short term. I wonder if in the longer term, consolidation of school districts could be a wise course of action to consider.
6. Where do you want our schools to be in five years? How will we know we’ve gotten there?
I would like Plymouth to be the number one school district in the state. Our student test scores will be in the top 90% and all graduates will take advantage of further education or training opportunities. Leaders in other school districts will be copying what we are doing. Many more parents will be selecting Plymouth through the school choice option. Local businesses will seek out Plymouth grads to hire first because they recognize we have well prepared our students.
7. What should high school students know upon graduation?
In addition to proficiency in the education standards, students need to experience the satisfaction found in working hard for their accomplishments as well as understand how to keep learning for their lifetime.
8. Is there anything else you want voters to know about you?
Though we have not had children in the Plymouth schools for a couple of years, I have remained active in the school system. I have served the wrestling program and for five years I have spoken to the freshman health classes about blended families.
Pam Holzhaeuser
Background
Contact information: pholzhaeuser@plymouth.K12.wi.us
Prior political experience: Current Plymouth School Board Member
Names and ages of children:
One child is a graduate of PHS, one is currently enrolled at PHS
Other biographical information: Graduate of University of Minnesota - Twin Cities BA Journalism; Mortgage Sales Manager - River Valley – Sheboygan; Plymouth resident since 1996
Questions
1. Why are you a candidate for the Plymouth School Board?
I am having fun. There are a lot of great things going on in the district and a lot of challenges. I am prepared to continue to serve the community and our students.
2. What skills do you bring to the school board?
The skills I bring to the board are a willingness to serve, listen and learn all aspects of this position.
3. What actions and/or policies will you initiate?
I would like to survey our community and solicit their opinions on public education. I also would like to see the One to One learning expanded to middle school. I’d like to try “Coffee Connections” on a weekend morning once a month to sit down with community members and discuss what’s happening in the district.
4. What are the greatest needs of the Plymouth School District?
The greatest need in our district is to ensure our vision and the delivery of quality, comprehensive education is not lost. Our students must be prepared to compete in the world once they graduate.
5. What are your ideas for solving the budget shortfall forecast in the near future?
Cash flow is a constant challenge. The district leadership team and teachers and staff have done a tremendous job of keeping costs down. We will continue to strive for a balanced budget, which we have experienced in the last couple of years. Kudos to all.
We will continue to explore HSA, wellness programs, high deductible health plans and other ways of reducing expenditures.
Many difficult and painful decisions have been made. I ask our Community to communicate with our legislators and remind them that education is important. I attend a legislative breakfast monthly to keep my pulse on the politics of Madison and Washington. We can’t be complacent.
I see more cooperative efforts with city/county government, businesses and school districts. These partnerships are extremely valuable to all.
We also need to explore sharing of duplicate services across district lines and possible consolidation of districts.
6. Where do you want our schools to be in five years? How will we know we’ve gotten there?
In five years, I’d like to see expanded offerings such as:
a. Orchestra, Dance and Foreign Language
b. Publishing opportunities for students
c. Emphasis on writing skills in all subjects
d. Keep class sizes down
e. Continue providing colorful, healthy food service
f. Community Ed class offerings are full - all the time
g. Professional development is emphasized for teachers.
h. Continued development of the Pillars of Excellence; 21 Century Learning Skills, Community Engagement, Extra- Curricular Activities and Finances
7. What should high school students know upon graduation?
We’ll know we have made it when we are a workplace of choice and continue to hire the best and the brightest teachers. We’ll know we’ve made it when our students graduate and don’t need to take remedial courses in college. Graduates can attend the college of their choice, obtain the job of their choice, and choose the technical education they desire. Having the best teachers and staff, and engaged citizens, gives us the best chance for student achievement.
