GREEN BAY, Wis. (NBC 26) — Throughout the pandemic, school boards are tasked with issues like masking, quarantining and keeping kids in class.
The Wisconsin Association of School Boards declared early October Wisconsin School Board Week to show appreciation to members statewide.
2021 School Board Week has begun.
— WI School Boards (@WASBWI) October 4, 2021
Browse our webpage to find plenty of ways to honor your school board and tell the public what they do: https://t.co/1hzA7Q46cJ
Or check out the options in this thread (1/6):
So we asked local parents to examine the performances of their district officials since March of 2020.
As an Appleton parent, Abbey Grosskreutz is grateful.
"I think they've done a really good job," she said. "I think the purpose of the school board, first and foremost, is the safety and the well-being of the kids and the families in the district."
Grosskreutz says it seems like an impossible job.
We're joining @WASBWI in celebrating School Board Week in Wisconsin! We so appreciate the countless hours that our Board spends working to ensure Success for Every Student, Every Day! pic.twitter.com/wu6GvERMd2
— AASD (@AppletonSchools) October 6, 2021
"I don't really want to put myself in those shoes to be honest with you," she said. "I commend them for what they do. I imagine they're under a lot of stress and a lot of pressure in a normal year. I cannot imagine how much that grew exponentially."
But as an Oshkosh parent, Kristy Walsh is unsatisfied. Citing unanswered questions on issues like masking, she rates the experience with her local board a one out of ten.
"2020 was a complete disaster because of the previous superintendent," she said. "It was just a disaster. And this year, it's a disaster."
Putting herself in the shoes of a member, Walsh has a plan.
"I would surround myself with the like-minded people who are not money driven, who are driven to make our kids the priority," Walsh said.
And since becoming a Manitowoc board member this year, Stacey Soeldner understands where parents are coming from, unhappy or not.
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"It has become more disheartening about what is really going on in a school district and in a community that I call home," she said.
Though she says she hasn't received much recognition during Wisconsin School Board Week, Soeldner says that's not why she took on the job.
"[Our job is to do] whatever we need to do to make sure that each kid gets the best education," she said. "And if we have to make a lot of hard decisions to make that happen, then I'm okay being part of that team to do that."
