Four candidates to fill three Gillett School Board seats

GILLET – Four candidates are running for three seats on Gillett School Board. The Peshtigo Times published information on Tonia Kruschke, Trisha Ondik and Lorie Beyer in previous issues and continues the coverage with responses from incumbent School Board Vice President Robin Banaszynski.

Why are you running?
As a Gillett resident, it has been a priority of mine to be involved in my community. When I was approached to run for the school board three years ago, I could not think of a better and more meaningful way to achieve this goal. Every child, no matter where they live, deserves a solid education. Being a member of the Gillett school board allows me to do my part to ensure that Gillett is doing our very best in providing this opportunity to every child in our community.

What are your top priorities?
My top priorities for our district include attracting and keeping quality teachers for our students, providing a safe environment—physically and emotionally—for our children to learn in, and ensuring board members, administrators and staff use commonsense principles when making decisions that will impact our youth.

How do you measure success in education?

Student testing is the first thought that comes to mind when considering a measurement. Standardized test scores provide valuable data regarding student achievement. It is also important to acknowledge that these test scores represent only one facet of a student’s overall success. There are many other ways students can demonstrate success, like through projects, teamwork and how they handle challenges.

In my opinion, a successful K-12 education sets a student up for success, regardless of the life path they will choose. Some young adults will choose to pursue a career that requires a college degree. Others may choose to start a career in the trades, join the armed forces or raise a family. Regardless of that choice, we have served that student well if we have provided the tools they needed to ensure their future success.

What experience or qualifications do you bring?
As an incumbent member of the school board, I have spent the past three years immersing myself in every training opportunity that has been provided for me to learn more about how to be an effective board member and serve our district well. This is an investment that the school and community have made in me, and I’m grateful for it and hope to continue utilizing the skills I have learned.

How would you involve parents and the public in the discussions?
Communication is the key to success here. First, are we doing a good job of getting information out to the parents and public? Using newsletters, social media posts, town hall meetings and board meetings are just some of the ways to achieve this. However, communication is a two-way street, and we must be sure we are providing an opportunity for others to share their thoughts and ideas with us on an ongoing basis as well. One way is to encourage committee involvement where parents or community members can provide input for decisions we will make. Another way is to simply just be available to listen.