For more information, contact: Rob Abbott, School District of Fort Atkinson; Charles Urness, School District of Jefferson; Mark Gruen, Johnson Creek School District; Tonya Olson, Lake Mills Area School District; Brian Henning, Waterloo School District; Jarred Burke, Watertown Unified School District; or Caroline Pate-Hefty, Whitewater Unified School District
October 1-7 is Wisconsin School Board Appreciation Week. The superintendents from Fort Atkinson, Jefferson, Johnson Creek, Lake Mills, Waterloo, Watertown, and Whitewater are joining together to celebrate and honor local board members for their commitment to our school districts and the children and families they serve.
The seven area superintendents share the belief that strong schools build strong communities, and the people serving on our school boards devote countless hours to making sure our schools are helping every child learn at a higher level. Boards make tough decisions every month and spend many hours studying education issues and regulations to provide the accountability our communities expect.
The key work of school boards is to raise student achievement by creating a vision for what the community wants the school district to be and for making student achievement the top priority, while establishing standards for what students will be expected to learn and be able to do. Boards ensure progress is measured to be sure the district’s goals are achieved and students are learning at expected levels. They also must be accountable for their decisions and actions by continually tracking and reporting results.
Additionally, school boards create a safe, orderly climate where students can learn and teachers can teach, forming partnerships with others in the community to solve common problems. And, they focus attention on the need for continuous improvement by questioning, refining, and revising issues related to student achievement.
School board members give the Cambridge, Fort Atkinson, Jefferson, Johnson Creek, Lake Mills, Waterloo, Watertown, and Whitewater community members a voice in education decision-making. Although a special effort to show appreciation takes place in October, their contribution is a year-round commitment.
The members serving our districts and their years of service are as follows:
School District of Fort Atkinson
Kory Knickrehm, President (4 years)
Amy Reynolds, Vice President (4 years)
Robynn Selle, Treasurer (2 years)
Chris Rogers, Clerk (2 years)
Rhona Buchta, Member (3 years)
School District of Jefferson
Terri Wenkman, President (9 years)
Matthew Peltier, Vice President (3 years)
Georgia McWilliam, Clerk (1 Year)
Seth Ebel, Treasurer (2 Years)
Thomas Condon Jr. (2 Years)
Lisa Fox (1st Year)
Robin Salopek (1st Year)
Johnson Creek School District
Mark Siewert, President (8 years)
Ken Johnson, Vice President ( 5 years)
June Kolaske, Clerk (20 years)
Duane Draeger, Treasurer (15 years)
Christina Norby (1 year)
Natasha Steenbergen (1 year)
Wesley Trapp (3 years)
Lake Mills Area School District
Amy Litscher, President (3 years)
Brianna Behselich, Vice President (2 years)
Ken Eimers, Clerk (2 years)
Andrea Graham, Treasurer (1 year)
Kirk Lund, Director (1 year)
Waterloo School District
Matt Schneider, President (3 years)
Charlie Crave, Vice President (2 years)
Sara Cummings, Clerk (3 Years)
Susan Quamme, Treasurer (1 year)
Chad Yerges, Director (1 Year)
Jim Setz, Director (16 Years)
Bill Farrey, Director (1 year)
Watertown Unified School District
Tony Arnett, President (9 years)
David Schroeder, Vice President (2 years)
David Smith, Treasurer (2 years)
Tina Johnson (2 years)
Lori Holland (1 year)
Craig Wortman (1 year)
Mike Higgins (1 year)
Diana Johnson (1 year)
Fred Jandt (Elected April 2023)
Whitewater Unified School District
Larry Kachel, President (3 years)
Maryann Zimmerman, Vice President (3 years)
Stephanie Hicks, Clerk (Elected April 2023)
Miguel Aranda, Treasurer (3 years)
Jennifer Kienbaum (5 years)
Lisa Huempfner (Elected April 2023)
Christy Linse (Elected April 2023)
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