Don't Vote On Tuesday . . . Until You Read This Post

Dr. Bill Hughes, the now-retired Superintendent of Greendale Public Schools, once called me "A great champion for public schools," but at a school board academy in which I was the only attendee two years ago, he also cautioned me against running for the school board because he thought it never a good idea to take any kind of public office with an agenda or apparent, extremist views.

Everyone and their mother (who reads the Greendale Patch) knows how I align politically and how I feel about Scott Walker and ACT 10, so I took Dr. Hughes' advice and have since passed on trying to become a member of the school board, at least until the political air around here clears up and I manage to moderate myself, politically. But the advice he gave me runs in direct opposition of his own actions of endorsing school board candidate, Katie Mevis.

While Katie Mevis is a fine person and mother, and she has every right to run for school board and hold her own political views, she enters the school board race under the wrong pretexts, whether she knows it or not...

The Mevis family is very close to the Kapocious family. Judge Kapocious, though popular and influential in certain circles, was passed bye for the job of Superintendent in Greendale by the current school board because he was not qualified, or even properly licensed for the job. Kapocious was apparently Dr. Hughes' first choice to replace him, but when the school board wisely went against his wishes, the poo-poo hit the fan, so to speak. Now some of Hughes' closest followers have been stirring the poo-poo pot and making a grand and sour stink throughout the village - and some of those blind followers have left, via resignation or otherwise.

And it has been no secret that this small, vocal group has not taken kindly to the hiring of Tharp over Kapocious, manufacturing crisis after crisis and making mountains out of mole hills.

The fact is that the Greendale School District is continuing to improve and move forward with its current leadership. We are still a magnet district for students, parents and good teachers alike, and we continue to be the envy of surrounding suburban districts. 

• Greendale Public Schools just had all five schools in the district rated as "Exceeding Expectations" by WI School Report Card 
• We have increasing Advanced Placement classroom enrollment and test scores 
• GHS is ranked in the top 5% of all American high schools by Newsweek Magazine 
• The GSD has fought over-crowding in the elementary schools by opening up additional space at Highland View and moving the district office to unused space at the high school
• The current school board has reacted to ACT 10 in a respectful manner to tax payers, teachers and students, alike and have not burdened us with short-term borrowing, or by disrespecting the educational professionals who teach our children, like neighboring districts have done.

So the question in front of us as parents of children in Greendale Public Schools is: "If it's not broken, should we try and fix it?"

I feel the answer should be a resounding, "NO."

As a parent who is VERY involved in and concerned with the future of my childrens' public education, I feel very comfortable with Dr. Slota, Vicki McCormick and Melanie Kuzmanovic as members of a school board whose only goal is to move us forward with only the best interests of the students in mind. With that being said, I also would feel comfortable with Kathy Wied-Vincent and Roger Dalkin being elected to the school board as well...

Dr. Slota has said, "The Greendale School District is a partnership that works," and that the job of the school board is "...not to get in the way of the professionals." Dr. Slota also does not take pay for his role in the school board and believes that, "Everything I got in life I received through education."

Vicki McCormick has been a Greendale Education Foundation board member, has 15 years experience on a great school board and has said, "I have a great belief in public education," and that "Public education is the foundation of a democratic society."

Melanie Kuzmanovic has been a high school guidance counselor for 23 years, a member of Partners in Community Action, and has said, "I care about kids greatly," and "I am impressed with the district office and personnel."

Roger Dalkin seems to bring a common sense approach with no agenda against current employees or members and looks like he will act in a professional manner at all times. He has also successfully addressed the issue of his daughter's position in the district and will recuse himself in future votes if needed, if he is elected.

Kathy Wied-Vincent has the necessary educational experience and passion demanded by this job and has said, "I have walked in the shoes of an educator and I'm proud of that." I also feel she would work only to move our schools in a positive, forward direction.

The other challenger, Mevis, is by no doubt an outstanding citizen, involved parent and friendly person, but she lacks any education-related experience, her extremist religious and political views are too far out there for a public school board, and her close ties to those who hold sour grapes against Dr. John Tharp would bring only discontent and chaos to the school board, which is the last thing we need as a public school district trying to move forward instead of dwelling on the past. 

If you respect Dr. Bill Hughes and his advice - as I do, then we should not elect a candidate with one-sided, polarizing views, or who enters a race with an axe to grind or an agenda of any kind, whether that candidate be Katie Mevis or Jason Patzfahl.

Since I plan on living in Greendale until I'm back in diapers, I don't wish to make any enemies, but I cannot simply stand bye and watch the wrong candidates get elected for the wrong reasons. I very simply want what is BEST for my children and yours, and to continue the recent success of our public school system.

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As parents of children in public schools we also have the chance this year to ensure the existence and forward progress of public schools altogether. Incumbent State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Evers is facing challenger Don Pridemore, a far right-wing extremist representative out of Erin, WI.

Dr. Tony Evers graduated from Plymouth High School and earned his bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree in educational administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He then began his educational career in 1976 as a classroom teacher in Tomah and has served as a public school principal, school district administrator, CESA administrator, and deputy state superintendent — before being elected to Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Tony Evers is not opposed to charter and voucher schools, or even having the state help fund them, but he is against the freezing of funding for public schools while extending tax-payer funding of vouchers and charters, which do not have to be as accountable or transparent as their public school counterparts, and often have poorer results.

Evers' challenger, Don Pridemore has never sent any of his children to public schools, has never served on a school board and has never taught inside of a classroom, and is an openly anti-public school candidate. Pridemore is also for sending more of our taxpayer dollars to private religious vouchers who often have worse test results, can discriminate in student enrollment, are not held to the same testing standards as our public schools, and can be more of a for-profit business than a school.

Electing Katie Mevis to the Greendale School Board or Don Pridemore as State Superintendent of Public Instruction would be the equivalent of electing me President of the local chapter of the NRA or as a representative of the Tea Party . . . counterintuitive.

Sincerely,

Jason Patzfahl