Spring Election 2017: Silver Lake-Salem Joint Dist. 1 School Board (Riverview School) candidate questionnaire answers

Voters in the Silver Lake-Salem Joint District 1 (Riverview School) will have the opportunity to vote in a contested school board  election on Tuesday, April 4.

Two seats will be filled by the election in April. A primary in February narrowed the field to four candidates. The candidates with the two highest totals will fill the seats. Voters will be able to vote for two candidates.

Each school board candidate was sent the same request for biographical information and a set of questions before the primary. Following are the answers of the candidates on the April ballot:

Bert Christensen — Age: 49. Education: Central High School, UW-Parkside for BS, UW-Platteville for MS. Occupation: Teacher, Technology and Engineering Department, Central High School, 22nd year. Previous elected/appointed public office: Three years on Riverview School Board.

Joy Corona — Age: 42. Education: Marquette University, BS Civil and Environmental Engineering, 1996. Occupation: Professional Engineering, Water Resource Project Manager. Previous elected experience: None.

Adam Lang — Age: 37. Education: Doctor of Education- Organizational Leadership (Ed.D.) Argosy University 2011, Master of Arts- Teacher Leadership (M.A.) Roosevelt University 2004, Bachelor of Arts- Elementary Education Northeastern Illinois University 2002. Occupation: Teacher. Previous elected experience: No previous elected appointments or elections to public office.

Mary Vozel — Age: 52. Education: Salem Central High School (Westosha) graduate class of 1982. Occupation: Homemaker. Previous elected/appointed public office: I have served as the Clerk of the Riverview (Silver Lake Salem JT1) for over 10 years.

1.) What will be your top priorities if elected to Silver Lake Salem Joint District 1 School Board?

Christensen — Finding solutions to the funding crisis that the state has created and forced onto local school districts.

Corona — The top 4 reasons I’m running: – Communication: The school has experienced many changes over the past several years including a number of staff turnovers, schedule changes and overall building improvements. I would like to assist in improving communication between the families, staff and administration. – Involvement: There used to be a greater sense of family, a feeling that the school was a happy place to work and attend. I feel like the dynamics of that have changed, due, in part by lack of communication and involvement. I hope that by improving communication we can also increase involvement in the school and community. – Budget: We need to ensure that we have sufficient funding to provide a quality education and hire/retain excellent teachers. I have also been working with the Riverview Administration on securing grant funding and providing design guidance on much needed new playground equipment. – Competitiveness: Feeder schools are continuing to offer strong programs in both educational/extra-curricular areas. I plan to identify differences, so as to keep Riverview competitive at every level with the other feeder schools.

Lang — My top priority as an elected board member will be to uphold the integrity of the public school system to ensure that the students and staff of the District succeed.

Vozel — I am running for school board again because at the time I submitted my papers no other female candidates had come forward to run. I strongly believe that there should be a female on the school board and I am the only one on the current board. I strongly believe in smaller class sizes especially at the lower grade levels. I feel as a school board member I am required to be fiscally responsible to the tax payers of the community while still providing the best education possible to our students. I also believe we need to provide our teachers and administration with the proper educational tools and resources to insure that we can provide all children attending Riverview with a proper education.

2.) Why are you the best choice for the school board?

Christensen — My 22 years experience as an education professional.

Corona — My career has provided me extensive experience accommodating differing interests on topics and arriving at mutually beneficial outcomes.  In my current position, I provide municipal engineering services to numerous communities and represent both public and private interests at Board Meetings and other venues.  I have also been the treasurer for the WKCYF Bulldogs for the past several years.  As treasurer I have improved their accounting system sufficiently to allow for a building purchase in our own downtown Silver Lake, significantly improve their fiscal balance and increase their philanthropic donations in the community.  Since 2007 I have been involved with Riverview, when my oldest daughter, who is now a freshman at Wilmot, began attending. I continue to have a vested interest in the school’s success, as I have a 2nd and 6th grader attending Riverview.  I have always been an active parent, helping in the classrooms and at after school activities. By doing so I have developed a good relationship and understanding of the school and staff. My hope, as a school board member, will be to revitalize the community feeling between the administration, staff and citizens, and allow for progress in a fiscally responsible manner.

Lang — As a community member and a professional, I possess the knowledge and experience to establish success of students and staff.

Vozel — I was originally planning on not running for another term on the board. I truly believe that it is good to get new and fresh perspectives to our board and I had felt that it might be my time to go. When I went to the school to submit the form to withdraw from the race I was told that there were no other female candidates running. I decided at that time that I could not in good conscience not run again knowing that there would no longer be a women on the board. I strongly believe that there should be a female on the board and that a women can bring a different perspectives at times to the discussion and decision making of the board. I have served the school district for over 10 years and have truly enjoyed my time. If re-elected I will continue to serve my community and do my best to insure that the children of our community receive a quality education while also being responsible to the taxpayer. Since the time of my submitting my papers two other female candidates have decided to run. I would encourage voters to please at least vote for one of these females.

0 Shares

Comments are closed.

  • Follow us on

  • Archives