By Press Times Staff

DE PERE – Four candidates are running in the April 6 general election for two seats on the De Pere school board.

Incumbents Dan Van Straten and Jeff Mirkes are being challenged by Angela Hoisington and Chad Jeskewitz.

When Adam Clayton was eliminated in the five-candidate primary Feb. 16, Van Straten was the top vote-getter (1,124 votes, 24.82 percent), followed by Mirkes (1,037 votes, 22.9 percent), Hoisington (1,036 votes, 22.88 percent) and Jeskewitz (957 votes, 21.14 percent).

De Pere school district voters will be allowed to select up to two candidates in the general election.

The top two vote-getters win three-year terms.

The Press Times emailed each candidate the same questions and gave them 100 words to respond to each.

Dan Van Straten

Why should people vote for you?

I’ve served on our board for the last nine years.

As the business development director for the Einstein Project, where we provide STEM education curriculum and resources, I work with school districts and educators.

As a lifelong resident of De Pere, I’m also involved in our district outside of the board, serving as the PA announcer for athletics, emcee post prom and grad bash, in addition to band and music events.

I grew up here and our three children are graduates of De Pere High School.

I have solid relationships with staff and community members I greatly appreciate and value.

Dan Van Straten

What should be the district’s educational priorities the next three years?

We need to hire the right person as superintendent and make sure we do our due diligence.

We need to continue to plan on growth.

We anticipate 400 new students attending our schools in the next two years.

What will that look like?

We’ve been working on that by evaluating buildings and exploring scenarios.

We need to continue to challenge students through course offerings and make sure we continue to be a leader in test scores and graduation rates.

We need to make sure we have the right programs and people in place to meet the needs of students.

How would you attract educators to De Pere with an anticipated teacher shortfall?

If you look at the overall historic performance and success of our district, you will see we are an attractive destination for educators.

We have done a good job at retaining quality educators.

We proactively plan for and recruit anticipated needs.

While we aren’t seeing the number of students pursue a career in education as we once did, we will see more applicants reaching out to us who bring experience in the classroom.

We will continue to work collectively with the De Pere Education Association as well to ensure we are meeting their needs.

Does De Pere need to move to a block schedule? If so, how should this be accomplished?

A block schedule brings advantages and disadvantages.

A shift like this needs to have the input from teachers and administration.

We would need to look at how this has worked in other districts.

But this isn’t something we wouldn’t implement without communication, study and input from all involved.

I would recommend we commit to a thorough study before presenting it to the board.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected educational quality in De Pere, and what should be done regarding educational quality post-pandemic?

No. We continue to offer quality education to students and be a leading district in the state.

Now did learning look different? Absolutely.

No one anticipated the pandemic affecting education the way it did, and teachers, staff and administrators did an exceptional job navigating through this.

We’ve learned so much from this that we’re better prepared moving forward.

The best education happens in the classroom, and we’re committed to make sure that continues.

We’ll work with students closely and identify gaps so we can help.

It’s our responsibility to make sure we’re challenging the students academically and holding them accountable.

Jeff Mirkes

Why should people vote for you?

I believe 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 4,500 students.

I recognize 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.

Jeff Mirkes

What should be the district’s educational priorities the next three years?

Our approach to our educational priorities requires a mindset educators are preparing students for careers that have not been created yet.

The quote by educator A.J. Juliani is very applicable, “Our job as teachers is not to prepare students for something; our job is to help students prepare themselves for anything.”

Our district’s curriculum leadership is outstanding and has created a strong culture for learning and student engagement.

This focus has sharpened even more during the challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

How would you attract educators to De Pere with an anticipated teacher shortfall?

Our school is fortunate to be a high-performing school district, and there are many ingredients that contribute to this success.

Attracting and retaining the best educators needs to be a priority.

Each day in our schools, teachers impact lives beyond our understanding.

Along with competitive compensation, it is just as important teachers are valued and respected for the expertise they bring into the classroom.

Fortunately, there is very little teacher turnover in our district.

Numerous programs are in place to provide support to new teachers, such as the new teacher mentor program.

Does De Pere need to move to a block schedule? If so, how should this be accomplished?

The middle school currently utilizes a block schedule for math and English language arts resulting in 80 minutes of instructional time for these courses versus a typical class period of 40 minutes.

For these foundational courses, educators have witnessed benefits.

The remainder of the curriculum is built around this commitment.

In the high school, there is limited use of block scheduling, but it is used at times when students would benefit from the extra support.

Currently, our district is not evaluating deviating from this scheduling model, and I support the current arrangement.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected educational quality in De Pere, and what should be done regarding educational quality post-pandemic?

The challenges of a world pandemic cannot be minimized.

COVID-19 prevented face-to-face instruction until mid-February.

Our board exercised appropriate caution and concern throughout the evaluation of various teaching options.

While continually monitoring conditions, 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.

Our educators and students adapted. Ingenuity and technology was utilized effectively, which will have lasting impact and opportunities post-pandemic.

Angela Hoisington

Why should people vote for you?

My background and experience personally and professionally bring something different to the board it’s currently lacking.

I am able to understand many viewpoints and situations due to my work with the foster care system and as a professional walking customers through process development and improvement.

The ability to bring many groups together in collaboration, making sure all voices are heard and acknowledged will be a primary focus.

We are underutilizing some of the best resources in De Pere when we don’t engage the entire community and mobilize around the education of our children and support of our educators.

Angela Hoisington

What should be the district’s educational priorities the next three years?

Our district should focus on grade level achievement recovery following the pandemic, Future Ready Framework implementation and encouraging more private sector and community involvement.

A specific and measurable plan to recover from shortfalls due to pandemic distance learning is crucial.

Future Ready Framework learning develops lifelong skills and knowledge through education that prepares all students for career and/or college.

For our district to continue the tradition of excellence, we need to encourage more community collaboration and private sector involvement.

Building a more collaborative and inclusive culture will be a benefit to all students, educators and the community.

How would you attract educators to De Pere with an anticipated teacher shortfall?

Positive culture building and extensive appreciation of educators will be a focus area.

Constant review and awareness of compensation and benefits packages, pursuing being the best in the area.

Providing the best resources in curriculum, technology and well-being support are important as well.

Encouraging our educators to always share their ideas and making sure administrators are trained to foster this kind of collaboration and not squelch it.

As a board member, I would look to hear from teachers on a regular basis in listening sessions, engagement surveys and spending time in classrooms.

Does De Pere need to move to a block schedule? If so, how should this be accomplished?

Block scheduling has many advantages.

It facilitates more in-depth understanding and expertise on a subject.

With fewer subjects at a time, it yields lower stress to the student and creates a wonderful learning environment.

To transition to this model, the district would need to carefully evaluate feasibility, if it aligns to the current pandemic response and if it wouldn’t be disruptive to our students and teachers.

If deemed to be a positive change that students, parents and teachers are in favor of, I would fully support it.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected educational quality in De Pere, and what should be done regarding educational quality post-pandemic?

As students fully return to in-person instruction, we are just beginning to get data on the impact of the pandemic.

The quality of our teachers has never been more evident.

They continue to be fully dedicated to pursuing the best for our students.

Our district needs to implement a specific grade level achievement recovery plan, supply students with needed resources from curriculum to mental health support and relentlessly pursue being the top district in this area.

Supporting and appreciating the educators will be key to this effort being successful.

Chad Jeskewitz

Why should people vote for you?

I have six children, ages 2-16, seeing first-hand what students’ and teachers’ real-life experiences and needs are.

I also have a long history of being a leader both in my business career, as well as in my community.

I am a board member at Willow Tree (helping children who have been physically or sexually abused), a licensed foster parent, and a coach within our school programs.

Most importantly, I am a good listener, strong leader, transparent and ready to drive innovation and change.

I will advocate to rebuild community trust, community involvement and bring back student activities like homecoming.

Chad Jeskewitz

What should be the district’s educational priorities the next three years?

The board immediately needs to assess the impact that COVID has had on our students and their education, as well as teachers and staff. It is imperative we catch up those who have fallen behind, continue to struggle and need extra attention.

Secondly, we need to evaluate any gaps in technology and resources to make sure we are set up for success moving forward.

I would also advocate for additional resources and programs for those students who suffer from dyslexia and other learning disabilities, as well as those students who need accelerated learning opportunities.

How would you attract educators to De Pere with an anticipated teacher shortfall?

Over the past several months, I have spoken to dozens of teachers. We need to evaluate our teachers’ salaries and make sure we are competitive with surrounding districts.

We can’t afford to lose our current staff, nor the ability to attract new talent.

The teachers also shared they would like funds for conferences and furthering their educational opportunities, proper technology in the classroom and throughout schools and field trip/outside-the-classroom activities for students.

Over the past years, these funds have either been taken away or decreased.

Lastly, we need to come together as a community and support our teachers.

Does De Pere need to move to a block schedule? If so, how should this be accomplished?

Block scheduling is something we should look at as we evaluate what schooling looks like moving forward, but not immediately.

I know this has been discussed in light of less quarantining, but I don’t think jumping into anything would be beneficial. There are other ways to decrease quarantine, such as adapting the current CDC recommendations for shorter quarantines.

There are both benefits and drawbacks to block scheduling, and those would need to be assessed as a whole.

I would like to understand what students’, teachers’, and parents’ interests in that would be and to make sure we best serve our students.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected educational quality in De Pere, and what should be done regarding educational quality post-pandemic?

The pandemic absolutely affected the educational quality of not only De Pere students, but all students.

In order to address post-pandemic education, we first need to address the extent to how the students were affected.

More testing and evaluation would need to be done to find where any gaps in learning exist and which students have been affected the most.

Based on these results, we need to take immediate action and bring in all resources we need to not only catch the students up, but to help them thrive.

The board needs to be proactive and leave no student behind.