Meet The Candidates: Whitnall School Board 2022 Spring Election

GREENFIELD, WI — Among the April 5 elections in Greenfield, Hales Corners and Franklin, there are two seats for the Whitnall School Board. Four people are running for the spots, and each has shared ambitious goals and ideas for how they would serve if elected.

The candidates also spoke in a candidate forum organized by the Whitnall School District and moderated by the Whitnall High School Student Council. That forum can be watched on Youtube here.

Getting To Know The Candidates

Four people are seeking to fill two seats on the board this election cycle. Two of them are currently incumbents on the board.

The candidates are, as they will appear on the ballot:

• Steven Butz (incumbent)
• Jason Craig
• Jon Cohn
• Karen Mikolainis (incumbent)

Board incumbent and current candidate Karen Mikolainis faced a proposed resolution to censure her during a Whitnall School Board meeting Monday. The conversation came just about one week before the spring election, in which she is a candidate. The Board did not vote on the resolution to censure, instead choosing to move on. More on that below.

Candidates Answer Questions From Patch

Ahead of the February primary vote, we asked each candidate to share more about their platform and ideas. Here are excerpts from what each candidate had to say.

Why are you seeking elective office?

Steven Butz: It is important to me to continue to provide leadership in the continuous improvement program we developed. By being transparent, we discovered and reported student achievement we wanted to improve. I believe that our board has helped deliver the personnel and direction needed to improve the trajectory of our student performance.

John Cohn: To continue to serve our community and ensure students are prepared for their future.

Jason Craig: I want to have the opportunity to help lead the board to act decisively to create a superior environment to learn with dynamic curriculum, retained teachers, and a true return to the high standards that were the norm at Whitnall.

Karen Mikolainis: I want to help our schools achieve excellence. I want to see Whitnall students learn, thrive, and succeed in life.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Steven Butz: "Student achievement. The board developed a strategic plan 18 months ago with 3 goals. The parts for school culture and financial responsibility make up a smaller portion of the plan. Comprehensive learning is the larger portion and the one that takes up most of our focus. The pandemic was a challenge. As part of the Medical Advisory Committee, I worked to keep the schools open beginning Fall 2020."

"We have both state test scores and a review of our internal assessments to direct interventions to improve lost learning from the pandemic and address a decreasing student performance. I support the need for additional educators and training resources and coaches to address both."

Jon Cohn: "The need to ensure students receive the best education and experience that prepares them for their future. The question is how? (See my thoughts below.)"

Jason Craig: "Student achievement. I intend to examine the work on the edges. Are the students that have special considerations being taught in a way that they are able to learn, process, and retain in a way that they can demonstrate mastery of the subject matter? Also, is there enough challenge to the gifted and talented students that they will still be captivated by topics that will ignite their curiosity and lead them to become captains in their fields of study?"

Karen Mikolainis: "Increasing student achievement is my top priority. In the past five years, our student proficiency declined and our district average composite ACT score fell below the state average. I will push for detailed reports about our classroom-level improvement efforts. Our current early literacy curriculum is outdated. I recommend shifting to a science-based reading model with code-based, systematic, and explicit instruction that supports struggling readers and increases reading proficiency."

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

Steven Butz: "I am one of 2 incumbents seeking re-election. What sets me apart is I serve an officer of the board as treasurer. I lead the Finance and Facilities Committee. I also used my medical expertise to serve on the Medical Advisory Committee and helped to keep our school in person entirely this year and as an option for our district in the previous year. I have extensive experience as a board member one local and two national organizations. Hence, I understand the role of a director and can work more effectively with my colleagues. My quality improvement experience is useful and will continue to be helpful on our continuous improvement journey to meet our strategic goals for comprehensive learning, unifying culture, and financial responsibility."

Jon Cohn: "Leadership. My professional life places me in a position of; leadership, oversight, creating mission/vision/goals, advocating, oversight and accountability. Everyday, I lead and manage our members and our organization. Our organization has been agents of change and innovation despite critics. We have become a looked to organization. I understand the general oversight responsibilities of a Board member (do not micromanage) and want to bring this insight to the district."

Jason Craig: "Working in the private sector for over 30 years, I have learned how to balance different performance indexes to hit metrics, limit at risk dollars, grow customer satisfaction, and strengthen team dynamics. I will bring those same skills to the board. I work well with others and will do my best to forge strong relationships with the community. I have high goals for proficiency, and I am good at working within the budget. I plan to help reestablish the district as the center of the community again and revitalize that community "Falcon Pride."

Karen Mikolainis: I ask questions. I am committed to accountability and two-way communication. I am an independent thinker, and I work for the residents of the Whitnall community.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Steven Butz: "I have served on two national boards and for my pediatric specialty practice at the Medical College of Wisconsin. I am very aware of principles of an effective board and that the place of a board member is not in the details of daily function, but in strategic planning and making sure the funds, people, and processes are in place to achieve our goals. I did the detail work to improve opportunities for my daughter while she was in school by working alongside my wife as room parent, club parent, team parent, and booster club member serving concessions to all of our community at football, basketball and volleyball games. I know the difference between a specific problem and a district action. I address the grander themes and give the tools to have available for educators and administrators to solve the daily problems."

Jon Cohn: "Create an environment for learning. Address mental health, wellness, bullying , social media and build resiliency. Recruit. retain the best staff, build a positive culture. Prepare students for their future, despite not knowing what that exactly looks like and change happening fast. Exposure to other post high school opportunities including vocations and trades. Increase job shadowing and mentoring by partnering with the community and businesses. Be fiscally responsible. A vast majority of residents (tax payers) do have students in the district. We must be fiscally responsible and efficient to ensure we are providing value while maintaining a good district vibe as this is an important component of where we choose to live."

Jason Craig: "I want to bring a high level of accountability and transparency to the board. I believe that the community should be well informed about issues and thought processes of those on the board to the 'why' they vote the way they vote. I promise to issue at a minimum a quarterly recap of the issues facing the board, why I vote the way I vote, and the next steps on the items that I want to see improved on in the district. I want those in the community to hold me accountable to the promises I make as a candidate, and the actions that I take as a member of the board."

Karen Mikolainis: "We have to make Whitnall an excellent place to work to recruit, develop, and retain great people. The district must fully commit to continuous improvement in teaching and learning. We must ensure that our classroom teachers are supported, valued and respected. Teaching in the pandemic has been incredibly difficult and we must show great appreciation for our team. Our professional development must be personalized and relevant to classroom learning in core subjects, and we must have fidelity to a proven, research-based curriculum. I support teachers' lifelong learning and growth and I encourage educators to pursue advancement and content expertise through national board certification."

You can read the full responses, including more questions, from each candidate through these links:

Steven Butz: Patch Candidate Profile

Jon Cohn: Patch Candidate Profile

Jason Craig: Patch Candidate Profile

Karen Mikolainis: Patch Candidate Profile

An Incumbent Faces A Proposal To Censure The Week Before Polls Open

Board Member and candidate Mikolainis faced a proposed resolution to censure her during a Whitnall School Board meeting Monday. The Board did not vote on the resolution, and instead chose to move on, but they discussed the agenda item.

The resolution draft alleges Mikolainis had in posts on social media "represented herself as speaking on behalf of the School Board, views that are not reflective of the Whitnall School Board as a whole and outside her authority as an individual." During the meeting, some board members accused Mikolainis of violating terms of previous censure by not having certain social media posts or comments vetted by other board members.

"Voters should know that I remain committed to improving Whitnall's student achievement and working for the best interests of students and families despite some board members' ongoing preoccupation with my individual speech," Mikolainis told Patch in a statement after the meeting.

A post Mikolainis made to Facebook on March 22 with her re-election account was brought up during the meeting. The post was about the district's public database for student curricula, called Curriculum Hub. A link on the district page redirects you to a Google folder.

In the post, Mikolainis asked parents and community members to "take a look — does this work for you? Does this look... complete?"

Mikolainis told Patch she had accessed the page in a certain way that did not show all of the information for each school. The page Mikolainis linked in the post was: https://www.whitnall.com/district/curriculum-hub.cfm, which as of writing leads to a blank page that reads "This web page is not currently published." She said she later found the correct website.

Mikolainis commented on the post she made, saying the district had changed the Curriculum Hub, according to Quin Brunette, the board's vice president.

"That's an incorrect statement," said Brunette in the meeting, "there is no one that changed the hub. This to me is what this is all about."

"Going public was our last resort because all of the other work we tried to do wasn't getting anywhere. And so, we've gone as far as we can with trying to enforce it," Board President Jonathon Cagle said in the meeting. Cagle had asserted the public discussion only came after consultation with lawyers, and the drafted resolution claims Mikolainis' conduct in the past has been contrary to policy. Previous discussions on conduct had occurred largely in closed session.

During the meeting, Mikolainis said when Cagle "reached out to me with concerns, I went and I modified that comment."

Mikolainis said she thought the post about the curriculum was a reasonable conversation to have. She noted in her edited Facebook comment she would like to see "all human growth and development curricula" and more details about social-emotional learning. She told Patch her question to community members was posted after Steven Butz, who is also running in the race, had posted something on Facebook about critical race theory.

Two members of the public spoke during the meeting in support of Mikolainis, including Jon Jones, who said he was a former member of the board. Jones said the timing of the resolution to censure Mikolainis was disappointing. One member of the public had claimed that the board was looking for a "gotcha." Letters in support of Mikolainis were read into the record.

You can watch the conversation the board had during that meeting on Youtube. Public comment is at the beginning of the meeting.

How To Vote

A photo ID is required to vote.

Early in-person absentee voting has already begun within local clerk's offices during regular business hours, and the last day to vote absentee in person is Friday.

Polls will open on Tuesday at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.

Election ballot dropboxes are no longer allowed under a recent court ruling, but ballots can be handed directly to the clerk. Additionally, only you can drop off or mail your own ballot. Another court ruling has made it so people are not allowed to drop off or mail other people's ballots.

If you live in Greenfield, here's what to know about getting to the polls:

Wards 9-13 in Greenfield will have the Whitnall School Board election on the ballot. Wards 1-9 have their polling place at the Greenfield Community Center, 7215 West Cold Spring Road. Wards 10-13 have their polling place at Whitnall High School, 5000 South 116th Street.

To check which ward you live in, see this map on the City of Greenfield website.

If you live in Franklin, here's what to know about getting to the polls:

Wards 20 and 21, which are in aldermanic district 6, will have the Whitnall School Board election on the ballot. Both wards have their polling place at the St. Martin of Tours Church on 7963 South 116th Street.

If you live in Hales Corners, here's what to know about getting to the polls:

All voting will take place at the Hales Corners Village Hall, 5635 South New Berlin Road.

Registering To Vote

Some municipalities have advised that you register to vote at their clerk's office before election day to save time. Early registration for voters is open until Friday. Fortunately, you can also register to vote on the same day of the election at your polling place.

When registering, be sure to bring a photo ID and proof of residency. Here's what can count as proof of residency.