Candidate Profile: Steven Butz For Whitnall School Board

GREENFIELD, WI— The 2022 election is heating up in Wisconsin and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office. Voters will decide the outcome of state representative and senate seats, plus local government and school boards.

Patch asked the candidates for the Whitnall School Board, which will have a primary vote on Feb. 15, to answer questions about their campaigns. The Whitnall School District is comprised of Hales Corners, part of Greenfield and part of Franklin.

Steven Butz

Age (as of Election Day)

54

Position sought (including ward or district number if applicable)

Whitnall School Board

Party Affiliation

none

Family

Wife Nancy, daughter Isa (21)

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

BS-University of Georgia, MD-Northwestern University

Occupation

Physician

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Whitnall School Board member 4 years

Campaign website

https://www.facebook.com/ButzW...

Why are you seeking elective office?

I am seeking re-election to the school board so that I can continue the work I have started. I became passionate in my involvement with the District during the time my daughter was a student there. All through her years, my wife and I worked as volunteers for school dances, Girl Scout Cookie parents, Falcon Booster Club, team parents, concessions, and Music Boosters. You haven’t lived until you chaperone band camp or a take a bus trip to Florida for a performance! 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. I want to be part of the consistency needed to see this process through.

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

The single most pressing issue facing our district is student achievement, and this is what I intend to do about it. 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. As a board member, I whole-heartedly supported a new program to assist families in crisis. It provides support for emotional crisis for students and their families. I can also direct community resources for other needs such as counseling or financial support. The plans for federal ESSER dollars are being made now. Part of these have to be directed for at-risk groups. In our community, these can be special needs families, low income, or English learners. Even our gifted students had less ability at times to continue to be challenged. There are upcoming votes to be me made by me in support of educators, materials, and programs to catch our students up. Community input is further being sought for these funds. Part of my wishes are for a more robust summer program.

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

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.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

n/a

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

My platform is very simple. I believe that kids belong in school to follow their dreams and be the best version of themselves that they can. I want to provide direction to the school district to maximize our student performance. I keep in my mind that only 30% of our district has students at our schools. Therefore, we need to keep their interests at heart in making our district a destination school for appeal to the local housing market and be responsible in maintaining a low tax levy. Lastly, I would like to make our district a best place to work. That means having competitive wages, as fair system of pay increase, and the ability to advance.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

As I previously stated, 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.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

It is very hard to limit this to the best, single piece of advice. One thing I learned was that if you do what you love, you will never work a day of your life. I followed my passion to medical school from a very young age. I also apply that to the things that make me happy now—like supporting and leading organizations that are meaningful to me. Education for all is definitely one of those passions. The other thing I learned from my wife was to “be generous” in all that I do and am. That means with my time, talents, energy, and blessings. It makes for a happy and fulfilled life.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I believe the way I have voted and how I have answered questions makes very clear what I believe in. All people are complex and there are few litmus tests in a race for a school board that goes uncontested the majority of the time. For a body that does most of its work unacknowledged and without an audience, it is important to know that this work is significant and done by people that don't have agendas. The best districts and boards work with their primary focus on the students. The other pieces that make a strong educational staff, achieving students, and good financial stewardship all follow what is needed to be done to make our district premier in the state.