HERE IS JANET EVANS' SUMMARY OF HER INTERVIEW WITH FRANKLIN SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE EDWARD HOLPFER

West Allis Rotary Club

I can sum up Ed Holpfer this way, “What you see is what you get.”  At least, that’s my take on him after my interview.

Ed is running for School Board because he is not happy with the direction the Board has taken over the past few years and he believes he has the knowledge, experience, leadership skills and vision to help the Board become more effective.  There can be a large learning curve for new people coming in, making it difficult to be an active participant at first.  Ed believes his previous experience as a Board member would allow him the opportunity to have an immediate impact.  He has a good command of the process and how the district operates and he would be an active and contributing member immediately. 

He believes a School Board member supports the functions of the Board by being well informed and active.  While two major functions of a School Board are policy making and evaluation, they also serve as executive management for the district, and as such, provide strategic vision and direction to the Administration.  They act as a liaison between the school district and the community to ensure that the community’s educational requirements and desires are met, as well as State and Federal requirements.

As a School Board member, Ed hopes that his experience and business background can help the board to function more effectively and more in tune with the citizens of Franklin.  He hopes his perspective helps people see things in a different light and perhaps he can challenge the Board and the district to stretch beyond their comfort levels to reach higher and try harder.  Ed also hopes he can help to foster a feeling of openness and trust, as well as communication and accountability.

I questioned Ed about what issues he felt were in the greatest need of being addressed by the Board.  He responded that in the short term, the Board needs to regain the confidence of the community and get on with the business at hand.  Obviously, at some point the district’s space needs will have to be addressed in both the short and long term.  He believes there needs to be some discussion regarding the budget process and how that information is disseminated among the board and the greater community.  Given his past experience and knowledge of the District, there are many issues that Ed would like to see addressed over the course of a three-year term.

I asked Ed what his vision is for the performance of the Franklin Public School District.  He responded by saying his vision of the District's performance really only counts if it is a shared vision with the rest of the Board.  He would like to establish a set of criteria by which to judge performance against the surrounding Milwaukee metro area districts on core competencies with an additional subset of criteria comparing only schools of same size and budget.  Ed would work in conjunction with the Board, the staff and the community to establish what is important to be measured, how we would measure it and what percentile of proficiency we want to achieve.  More importantly, what level would the community support financially?  For example, if the goal is to be in the top 10% in all competencies, but in the lowest percent for salaries and benefits, then the goal of top 10% would probably be unrealistic.

Regarding achievement, Ed said he would rate our district at a “B.”  He feels it is a little above average, but certainly not the best it could be.  When asked how he would measure achievement, he said some of the benchmarks that he feels important are, in no particular order, grades, test scores, participation, graduation rates, extra curricular participation, community service, college acceptance, trade school acceptance, employability, attainment of district goals, and meeting Local, State, and Federal standards.

On taxes, while he does not agree with the Board on all budgetary issues, Ed believes the Franklin Public Schools have generally been fiscally responsible.  He has first-hand knowledge as to the complexities and limitations of the budgeting process.  He said there was a time when he was very vocal in his opposition to the way this district spent its money, but over the years, the district has done a much better job in how it has handles the budget.  While there are some current concerns over how things were done in the last budget, publicly calling the board fiscally irresponsible would, in his opinion, be a misstatement.

I asked Ed if he saw any areas where cuts in spending might be made.  He said, when you look at the large percentage of the budget that goes to cover mandated programs and costs, the percentage of discretionary spending is pretty small by comparison.  He is not prepared, at this time, to name areas that he thinks could be cut without performing some due diligence and looking at a cost/benefit analysis. 

When asked, if necessary, how he would convince others that cuts in spending needed to be made, Ed responded that to sit on a Board and just vote no to spending issues (especially if you’re the lone no vote) really won’t accomplish anything.  The key to positive change is to come to some consensus on priorities and by defining the differences between wants and needs.  When the due diligence is done and the facts are presented, you need to have an honest and open discussion of what the priorities are and what options are available, as well as a comparison of costs to benefits.  All parties need to have an open mind and some room for compromise.  Ed said, throughout his career, he has demonstrated an ability to build consensus and help to move things along.

Regarding reducing spending without adversely affecting student achievement, Ed said over the years he has heard candidates and the general public say, “we need to cut the fat” or “eliminate waste” and yet he has not really seen any major results.  As he mentioned previously, the discretionary portion of the budget is relatively small.  In his estimation, the way to reduce waste is to reduce or eliminate activities that provide little or no value.  If they are mandated activities, how do you meet the needed requirements in less time with lower costs?

Whether you use Lean methodology, continuous quality improvement practices or some other performance enhancing discipline, these require a total commitment from the top to the bottom of the organization and should not be taken on half-heartedly, and without extensive research to find a process that fits our application and gives the most likely chance for success.  By eliminating activities with little or no value you would not have a negative impact on student achievement.

On the issue of programs and extra-curriculars, Ed feels that as a candidate, and not an active member with current knowledge of the effectiveness of all the activities and programs available to students, he can’t say with certainty that a particular activity or program makes absolutely no contribution to student achievement and could or should be cut.  He would prefer to look at how many students are involved and at what cost to achieve what benefits when reviewing potential activities to cut or reduce.  Ed would also like to look at what could be combined with other schools to keep an activity available if it was providing a benefit.

Having put two children through the district, he remembers the fundraisers he participated in over the years.  As inconvenient as it was at times, we did it because it was for our children.  The district already has in place activity fees to help offset some of the costs of these activities.  Ed said he would probably support some increase in these fees if it were necessary to keep these activities available.  However, as an elected official, he would need to consider the impact of higher fees on families that may find those fees prohibitive.  As a member of a public Board you have responsibilities to a very diverse constituency.

Ed feels the Superintendent is responsible for the operation and effectiveness of the district and serves to fulfill the goals and objectives of the district as determined by the Board (reflecting the desires of the community) the staff and all appropriate regulating bodies.  He feels it is the hiring of a Superintendent with the same core values and philosophies that represent those of the Board and the community is essential in achieving success in the district.  You need to have the right person in place and the last Superintendent was certainly not the right fit.

As a Board member, communicating with the public would be a priority for Ed.  He feels there is currently room for improvement.  He also believes that no matter how hard you try, there will always be someone that says “nobody told me.”  You have to do the best job you are able to do and listen to the public and find out the best ways to share the information, documenting all of your efforts and making them public.  Public input is critical in Ed’s decision making process because he believes the direction, standards and expectations of the district should reflect what the community expects from their school system.  That input needs to come from all stakeholders in the district, including those residents that do not have students in the system, the businesses in the community that may employ our students, and the colleges that will continue their educations.  That public input serves as a filter to help evaluate and prioritize information in conjunction with input from internal sources, as well as other external sources.  

Ed closed by saying he has served on and worked directly for several Boards.  He knows how to conduct Board business.  He has a vision of how good this district could become and would be a good steward of citizen tax dollars.  His desire is not to focus on the mistakes of the past.  That won’t solve the issues we face.  He would rather spend his time and energy making sure those mistakes are not repeated and that we are focused on making the best district possible given the resources available. 

We need a school district that is open and completely transparent in its dealings. 

We need a school district that reflects the standards and expectations of the residents of Franklin. 

We need a school district that performs at a high level, achieving high results while operating as efficiently as possible. 

If elected, those would be Ed Holpfer’s goals.

 HERE IS JANET EVANS' SUMMARY OF HER INTERVIEW WITH FRANKLIN SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE DAVID WORKS

• Scheduling regular listening sessions (perhaps on a monthly basis) at the Franklin Public Library.
  
  
  
• Discuss with city officials, about having an outdoor Community Calendar with key dates and events. One possible location for this would be at the intersection of Drexel and Loomis Ave.
  
  
  
• Have a Board representative attend organization meetings in Franklin (such as PTA/PTO, Lions, Women's Club) at least once during the year.
  
  
  
• Have an information table at the Civic Celebration to meet and discuss questions from residents.
  
  
  
  
• Treat all constituents with respect and address their concerns in an honest manner.  
  
  
  
  

David believes Student Achievement is important for Franklin School district students and currently rates our district at 3.5 on a scale of 1 to 5.  He measures achievement by Standard test score comparisons from similar school districts.  Possible avenues to increase achievement might be found by accessing the current methods and determining what immediate improvements could be made.  He used an example from Ben Franklin, where the PTA helped to initiate the increased use of hands-on learning aids with the creation of the “Discovery Laboratory”.  The cost of this was funded by a combination of PTA funds, grant money and budgeted school funding and it is expected some improvement on State Achievement tests, on an annual basis, will be the result of these efforts.


Discovery Lab Overview Ã  read here


David said the No Child Left Behind Act (NLCB) is a federally mandated program that requires schools to ensure that all students achieve set minimum standards for each grade level.  He believes it is a matter of debate as to whether NCLB is effective and, if he had the ability, he would demand that the Federal and State governments provide the funding that was deemed necessary for the success of the program.  He would do this by lobbying with the State Legislature and Senate.

While student achievement is one of the greatest needs to address, David believes the Board must also gain the trust of the community in order to be effective.  Improving communications is a must.  Also, there are some changes in the organizational structure of the administration involving personnel and specific responsibilities that could greatly improve the effectiveness of the district. 

On matters of accountability, David feels that the Superintendent is the chief managing figure in the district.  He must ensure that his direct reports provide the necessary due diligence for their decisions.  David would measure the Superintendent’s effectiveness by how well he manages his staff to fulfill the district educational goals.

David is very adamant regarding ethics and believes the Board should agree on a “code of ethics.”  Board members should be held accountable for their actions.


When asked how he would handle comments from the community that might question his statements or actions, David said he would address them to the best of his abilities, noting that it would be unrealistic to believe that 100% of the community will agree with you 100% of the time.  But, rational people can have rational dialog if both parties really have that desire.

He feels the current communication between the district and the community has been below average and can certainly be improved, as evidenced by last year’s failed referendum and other district issues.  David believes community input is essential to his decision-making processes.  He said the taxpayer’s viewpoint must be respected because they are the ones who elect the Board into office, and he has confidence in the judgment of the citizens of Franklin.

Regarding fiscal issues within the Franklin School district, David believes there may be areas of opportunity where savings may be made.  Spending could possibly be reduced by the use of “Lean techniques” that demand efficiency.  Administration structure and designated responsibilities should be evaluated to ensure that the most effective structure is used, without redundancy.  This could be done without affecting student achievement.  David thinks that the "zero based" budgeting approach will be a progressive move in the right direction.  Requiring a comprehensive review of all expenditures will help identify areas of cost reduction and potential cuts.  By revisiting and justifying each department's expenses that are actually needed on an annual basis, each area will have to establish a legitimate need for the expense.

When questioned which curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular activities, contribute to student achievement, and which he felt could be eliminated, David responded that the core subjects, such as math and reading are essential for the success of other subjects.  A well balanced education, with such subjects as art, music, and physical education is important because it enhances creativity and confidence in the student.  He would not recommend any eliminations at this time.

When I asked whether it would be fair to charge parents of students who are participating in these types of activities extra fees to maintain these types of programs, if it became a necessity, David responded that if it meant that funds might be taken away from core educational needs, then yes, he would consider charging for these activities as a last resort.

Finally, I asked the candidates a few questions that they were not required to answer.  David was forthright in his responses.

When asked how he felt about the current situation with the School Board, specifically, the issue with the Vote Yes flyers and the Senior assembly during the referendum, and the possibility that there could be a recall, David said, from what he knows about the situation, he felt some type of public apology should have been made.

When asked if elected, are you willing to be an independent thinker and vocally express your opinions to other Board members, David said, absolutely, he would follow his own better judgment regarding what substantiation is required for any issue at large.

David believes that he is a good team participant and one who sets his goals towards the desired results and maintains the focus on them.  Many of the recent issues in the District can be attributed to poor communication and lack of cooperation between Board, Administration, and staff members.

We have many personality types in our community, and the ability to work effectively with them will determine our success or failure.  

 HERE IS JANET EVANS' SUMMARY OF HER INTERVIEW WITH FRANKLIN SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE LINDA WITKOWSKI

Linda Witkowski
414-630-1892
www.witkowskiforschoolboard.com



A Franklin resident for 20 years, Linda Witkowski and her husband Chuck, are the  parents of three Franklin High School graduates and a current FHS Senior.

She has a Bachelor of Science Degree from UW-Green Bay, magna cum_laude.

Linda has worked in Waukesha County for 20 years with the County Executive, Department Administrators, County Board and the public.  She has analyzed budgets and programs for quality and cost effectiveness, coordinated capital plans and bond funding for roads, buildings and technology, reviewed state budget, and pushed for prudent spending and taxation and measurable program results.

She has also worked in Milwaukee County for seven years developing, analyzing and reviewing department budget and fiscal reports for the Department of Social Services.Linda is Treasurer of the Learning Disabilities Association – Wisconsin, a Religious Education Instructor at St. James/St. Alphonsous, and has been Boy Scout/Cub Scout leader.

A member of the Key Communicators Group, Linda has also been on the District Strategic Planning Committees, District Citizen Committee to re-district Grade Schools, Vice President and past President of the FHS Goal Club, a member of Forest Park Middle School PAWS group, and a member of the FHS Saber Spirit Club.

Linda is a person with high expectations.  This was made clear to me when I asked why she was running for School Board.  Linda conveyed that she had high expectations for the Franklin Public Schools; including high expectations for all students regarding achievement, for facilities, including no trailers for our classrooms, for our teachers, who should be well trained, and for our administrators, who should be held accountable for keeping high standards.

Linda believes the role of the School Board is to set policy for the district.  This is accomplished by discussion and consensus-building within the Board and with the community.  As a School Board member, she would be expected to make good choices for our students, our community and our future. 

I asked Linda what issues she thought were in the greatest need of being addressed in the district.  She believes those needs are to look ahead, rebuild trust in the board, and define future needs.  Growth in the district is an important issue and isn’t expected to go away.  Linda believes growth must be anticipated and leveraged to provide the facilities that are needed at an affordable cost and at sustainable staffing levels.

I questioned Linda on Student Achievement.  How would she rate the achievement of the students in our district?  How do you measure achievement?  What would she do to increase achievement and at what cost?

Linda sees Franklin Public Schools as a high performing district overall, as measured in the school performance reports.  She believes achievement is more than just test scores.  Achievement also includes graduation rates, expulsions, extra/co-curricular activities, truancy and retention rates.  Past performance is no guarantee of future success and the district must stay current in addressing an ever changing student population with new demands in the workplace and world.

She supports research based methods to increase student achievement.  One example of this would be smaller class sizes in the early grades, which have been shown to make a difference.  Regarding technology, Linda believes more frequent assessment of student learning, with the use of technology, will allow for more effective instruction.  Online grading with open access by students and parents will redirect energy to the learning process. 

When asked about taxes, Linda said it is easy to say taxes are too high and spending must be reduced but the challenge is deciding what that means.  Her expertise as a budget analyst with Waukesha County has given her good insights on the difficulties and opportunities of tight budgets.Linda believes budgets are about choices and managing the partnership.  The partnership is with the State of Wisconsin and the City.  The State controls 2/3 funding and the City controls growth, affecting property values and student population.  This partnership needs to be better understood.

To contain costs, Linda would look for smart use of technology, partnerships and avoiding duplication:

Use technology to reduce the costs  of the business side of the education enterprise:  

Younger parents can’t appreciate the significance of the electronic lunch account but this is the kind of efficiencies we need.  Why do I receive a paper billing statement each year?  Why is the parent information card printed each year?    Can we go to textbooks on line in the future?  

Partnerships:  

Can we look to more partnerships in funding curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular activities?  Can we look for community and business  sponsorships of athletic and cultural facilities. 

Avoid duplication:  

We don’t need two auditoriums.  Can we utilize the Sports Complex to increase recreational opportunities?  

I asked Linda which curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular activities contribute to student achievement, and which could be eliminated?  Also, would it be fair to charge parents of students in these activities extra fees to maintain these programs.

Linda maintains that data shows activities outside the classroom contribute to student achievement.  Strategic plans for the district have always included a commitment to extra-curricular activities.  In her 20 years in the district, she has seen sports added – boys volleyball, boys and girls tennis, hockey.  It is not a question of if we will have them, but how.  We already charge for these activities and I expect that to continue.

Linda said the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation made schools accountable for student achievement of all children.  School accountability is not going away.  NCLB does not magically solve educational difficulties but it changes the questions we ask and gets us to think about solutions in different ways and that makes it possible for things to change for all children.  Linda is the parent of children with learning disabilities.  She has been involved for more than 10 years with the Learning Disabilities Association which provides information, promotes understanding and funds research of learning disabilities.   

Academic success for these students is a fine line between remediation and accommodation.  Academic fairness is not everybody gets the same but everybody gets what they need.

On matters of accountability, Linda believes the superintendent is responsible for the organization, staff and facilities.  Any parent concerns regarding staff should be referred to the principal or district personnel.   

A superintendent’s effectiveness is measured by the success of the organization.  Are students achieving? Is the budget that is passed supported by the community?  Is staff morale high?

In response to my question regarding how well Linda thinks the district currently communicates with the community, she conveyed that listening is important in community engagement.   She has appreciated various parent advisory sessions with the superintendent and building principals in past years and would seek opportunities to be involved with citizens informally and formally at various community and school events. 

I asked Linda how she would handle differing opinions on the board.  She believes opinions will differ on the Board, however consensus can be achieved if the focus is on children. 

Finally, I asked the candidates a few questions that they were not required to answer. 

When asked how she felt about the current situation with the School Board, specifically, the issue with the Vote Yes flyers and the Senior assembly during the referendum, and the possibility that there could be a recall, Linda indicated that we should look forward.  She thinks the Board needs to get out and talk to the public whenever possible.

When asked if elected, are you willing to be an independent thinker and vocally express your opinions to other Board members, Linda said, she is definitely an independent thinker.  While she would express her independent thoughts as a Board member, she would want to work together as a Board in the best interests of the students.