By Press Times Staff
DE PERE – There’s a five-way primary Feb. 16 for four spots on the April 6 general election ballot, with only two seats up for grabs on the De Pere school board this spring.
Incumbents Dan Van Straten and Jeff Mirkes are being challenged by Adam Clayton, Angela Hoisington and Chad Jeskewitz.
The Press Times emailed each candidate the same questions and gave them 100 words to respond to each.
Dan Van Straten
Why are you running for the De Pere school board?
My experience on the board and involvement with district decisions over the last eight years will lend itself well as we move forward.
I chose to continue serving as I want to continue to give back.
I was raised in this district, attended school here.
We raised our children here and all are graduates of DPHS and succeeding as adults.
I’m active throughout DPHS as the public address announcer for athletics and also serve as the emcee for grad bash and post prom.
I’m visible and have strong relationships with administration, teachers and families.
This school year, how do you believe the district handled switching between in-person and remote learning?
I felt we handled things the best we could given the changing landscape.
We learned as we moved forward and worked with other school districts sharing ideas and plans.
First and foremost, it was our civic responsibility to keep students and families safe.
While we know the virtual environment wasn’t perfect, it gave teachers the best opportunity to have all students present for class.
How important is social distancing when deciding on full-time, in-person instruction?
Social distancing is a key component of returning to full-time instruction.
We will do the very best we can to maintain proper distance working within the space we have.
Our building and classrooms are what they are, so we will work hard to keep students safe.
What traits should the next superintendent have to ensure success for the district?
Our next superintendent needs to be a community leader.
We need someone with vision.
We need someone who will step up in front of the community and proactively engage our community.
We also need someone who will work to develop relationships with our community.
What needs to happen for the De Pere school district to be successful in the future?
We need to prepare for future student growth by planning for an increase in enrollment and having a plan in place.
We need to continue to be fiscally responsible on behalf of the taxpayers, and we need to position De Pere as a destination for families to settle here and raise their families.
And this all starts with bringing in a strong leader as superintendent and continuing to work in a collaborative effort as a school board.
Jeff Mirkes
Why are you running for the De Pere school board?
I believe that our school district needs proven, dedicated leadership now, more than ever.
I have served on the USDD board for six years, with my greatest priority being the educational needs of our 4,250 students.
I recognize that our 500 faculty, staff, and administrators are our district’s greatest asset.
I also bring 35 years of business and leadership experience and many valuable connections. But the most important experience I will bring to our district is 24 years as a resident and parent of five children who experienced everything this district has to offer.
This school year, how do you believe the district handled switching between in-person and remote learning?
As a member of the board, we exercised a great deal of caution and concern throughout the evaluation of various teaching options.
No decision was easy.
While continually monitoring conditions and discussing options, the safety of our students, staff, and community was balanced with our ultimate responsibility to provide the highest quality of education and growth experience to our students.
How important is social distancing when deciding on full-time, in-person instruction?
If the Centers for Disease Control stresses that hand washing, wearing a face covering, and practicing social distancing is necessary and recommended until this pandemic is under control, I personally believe it is important.
What traits should the next superintendent have to ensure success for the district?
During this year-long process to recruit and introduce a new superintendent to our community, it will be important to identify a leader who has the experience and characteristics to keep our district on a positive trajectory.
Important traits include being a visionary, articulate, confident and genuinely interested in the success of every student.
Passion for this responsibility and a strong desire to connect with our educators and our community is also very important.
I have experience with recruitment initiatives such as this, and I am confident I will contribute effectively to our selection of a new district leader.
What needs to happen for the De Pere school district to be successful in the future?
The phrase “Fly as One” is often used throughout our schools.
I cannot think of a better time for everyone involved with our school community to take that to heart.
As we emerge from the pandemic, we need to address the impacts and residual effects.
Future success requires collaboration and a healthy dialogue among all stakeholders.
We need to plan for growth and be open to new ideas.
As a board member, I will remain driven to offer the guidance, resources and advocacy to ensure that our district continues to provide the best possible education for our students.
Adam Clayton
Why are you running for the De Pere school board?
I am running for school board to foster a strong future for the district.
In this transitional time of hiring a new superintendent, I believe it is an opportunity for a new perspective.
Having three children in the district ties me to the decisions I would make on the board and helps me relate to ongoing struggles and successes of other families.
In addition, infusion of new leaders is an important part of any organization to adapt and meet changing needs.
I believe I can help bring the community together by listening to all ideas and concerns.
This school year, how do you believe the district handled switching between in-person and remote learning?
There is no right answer, and we need grace and understanding for those making decisions that impact so many with so little concrete information.
I believe the decision to move to virtual in September, and back to hybrid in November, were appropriate based on information available to the district.
However, I feel more creativity and advanced planning could have been employed to expedite a return to hybrid and full-time learning.
I will continue to support the board with data and examples so we can safely achieve five-day-a-week education for all our students as soon as possible.
How important is social distancing when deciding on full-time, in-person instruction?
The CDC guidelines are important to minimize spread of the virus.
However, different learning models limit exposure for students, and can allow for closer spacing, as the risk of spread is reduced.
Examples of elementary classroom cohorts, as well as schools with block schedules, may safely accommodate reductions to distancing by limiting student contact.
In instances where these models are not achievable, maximizing student spacing is key, but recognize balancing competing interests is required to return to full-time school.
With community support, I believe we can achieve a return, while still limiting spread and quarantine impacts to learning.
What traits should the next superintendent have to ensure success for the district?
The next superintendent will best serve the community if they are able to guide the district with enthusiasm, strong communication and an ability to foster transparency.
Focused community engagement and a willingness to listen will also be critical.
Out-of-the-box decision-making and independent idea development will promote new opportunities for the district.
Being able to take calculated risks will also be important.
We must avoid “this is the way we have always done it” mentality and remain flexible and agile for a changing world.
Also, taking an active interest and involvement in the day-to-day school operations is a must.
What needs to happen for the De Pere school district to be successful in the future?
The De Pere district is an excellent example of a strong educational team.
To continue our success, we cannot get complacent by riding the current accomplishments we have, but rather continue to evaluate ways to make ourselves even better.
In addition, we will need to keep an eye on changing trends in employment and be ready to adapt our educational models accordingly.
Finally, proper planning for the long-term growth in our district needs to begin now, to ensure we are poised for progress, and can adapt rapidly if necessary.
We need to regain community trust and bring everyone together.
Angela Hoisington
Why are you running for the De Pere school board?
For me, being involved with and concerned for youth in our community is nothing new.
I’m a licensed foster parent, former scout leader and involve myself heavily in a volunteer capacity in whatever activities our children pursue from sports to performing arts to youth groups to community service.
Becoming part of the school board is a natural extension of a very personal mission to serve our community’s youth.
So much of the outreach in our community starts with education.
I seek to pursue excellence, collaborate, communicate, think critically and take decisive action for the teachers, students and community.
This school year, how do you believe the district handled switching between in-person and remote learning?
Without a doubt, the educators and staff at the schools have been heroic in efforts to transition between the two models.
Our school district has been very concerned with COVID-19 rates and CDC guidelines, I’m thankful for that as well.
As schools in the same zip code have found ways to offer more in-person learning opportunities, I have been concerned with our inability to implement practices and approaches to offer this same opportunity to USDD students.
If parents feel safe sending children to school in-person five days each week, that option should have been available quite a while ago.
How important is social distancing when deciding on full-time, in-person instruction?
Social distancing is an important part of the pandemic response protocols.
With our grades PreK-6 already operating five days weekly, and the decision pending on returning grades 7-12 to five days of in-person instruction, it was heavily considered and remains part of the daily routine in each school.
I was surprised to learn our administration didn’t involve space planners until this winter.
To me, social distancing plans for full classes should have been completed in the summer of 2020.
This would have put many teacher, student and parent fears at ease.
What traits should the next superintendent have to ensure success for the district?
Our next superintendent should be a true collaborator and seek to build bridges between teachers, students, families and the community.
An inspirational leader who is interested in acknowledging the opportunities for growth and improvement in our district.
Someone who acknowledges the need to rally everyone around the “Fly as One” De Pere motto.
This is no easy task, we need someone who is very motivated to work through some difficult perceptions, advocate strongly for teacher and student resources and embrace the many technology and facility shortfalls we currently have.
What needs to happen for the De Pere school district to be successful in the future?
Bringing the community together to make sure that our teachers and students have the resources, community and board support to make sure we are meeting the educational needs of our students.
A comprehensive plan for grade-level recovery will most likely be necessary.
Acknowledgement that many other like-sized districts have passed us when it comes to teacher salary and benefits, technology and facility resources.
You can’t overcome what you don’t acknowledge.
I would like to see a more active commitment from the school district to be working to consistently improve.
Chad Jeskewitz
Why are you running for the De Pere school board?
We have six children ages 2-16, two who have dyslexia, another with cognitive delays and one who is gifted and talented.
I want to be an advocate for students who have special needs, including learning disabilities as well as students who are excelling.
Families should not have to fight to get the help they need.
My goal is also to rebuild a stronger community that rallies around our students, faculty, families and businesses.
I feel this can be done by improving the arts, extracurriculars, athletics, technology, academics and assuring competitive salaries for staff.
We need progressive and positive change.
This school year, how do you believe the district handled switching between in-person and remote learning?
COVID-19 is hopefully a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Looking back, no one knew what we would be facing.
Hindsight is 20/20, but to focus on what we didn’t do right isn’t constructive at this point.
We can definitely learn from mistakes made and find ways to improve.
Right now, we need to draw on our strengths, be innovative, and moving forward make sure we have the best technology and resources available to our staff and students in order to succeed and to help the students that have fallen behind to not only catch up, but to excel.
How important is social distancing when deciding on full-time, in-person instruction?
Schools are a safe place for many.
Abuse is often found and reported at school.
Many students learn better in-person and are suffering from isolation.
Parents are juggling careers and the demands of at-home instruction.
Overall, students and staff are a low-risk population regarding COVID-19, and studies have concluded schools being in-person don’t contribute to large amounts of community spread.
Although important, the ability to socially distance alone should not influence the decision on full-time, in-person instruction.
Closer contact leads to more quarantine, but the CDC has released alternative recommendations on shorter quarantine which would offset this problem.
What traits should the next superintendent have to ensure success for the district?
When looking at traits for the next superintendent, we need someone who will build a collaborative culture from the top down.
He/she should also have the desire to be involved with the community and unite our district.
Ideally, the next superintendent is not only passionate about academics, but extracurriculars and gives equal attention to all. We need a leader who isn’t afraid of change and strives for excellence while listening to the voices of students, staff and community members.
What needs to happen for the De Pere school district to be successful in the future?
Since De Pere has been viewed as such an excellent district, I believe we have become complacent.
Continually asking questions and listening to the needs of students, staff and the community, while being proactive and not reactive, will not only provide success, but prove us to be the leaders we are.
We need to ensure competitive salaries for staff, have leading-edge technology, support our extracurricular programs, be innovative in fundraising and community involvement, assess and improve academics and special education/gifted and talented programs, and of course, bring back Homecoming.