Six willing to take on Elmbrook's challenges

Six candidates will vie for two at-large Elmbrook School Board seats in the Feb. 16 primary, which will narrow the pool of contenders in the April 6 general election to four.

The primary election for the at-large seat will feature incumbent Robert Ziegler and newcomers Warren Groff, Beth Horneffer, Genevieve Schmidt, Sandra Schultz and Kathryn Wilson.

Board members serve three-year terms and are paid $3,600 per year.

Warren Groff

Elmbrook is an excellent district with leaders who work well together, Warren Groff said, but he does have some concerns. For one, the district will need to respond carefully to reductions in state aid. Another: Elmbrook got off to a strong start early in the digital era, but must continue to take advantage of evolving technology. Groff said one way to do this might be offering online courses.

If elected, he said, he will seek to tighten relations between Elmbrook and Brookfield's municipal government, particularly with the city's economic development initiatives. He also would focus on developing the Project Lead the Way program and seek partnerships with nearby companies developing the engineering and medical fields.

Beth Horneffer

Decreasing revenues are going to force difficult decisions in Elmbrook's future, Beth Horneffer said, but Elmbrook must remain fiscally responsible while making student learning a priority.

If elected, she said, she'll focus on eliminating inefficiencies to save costs and consider all means of generating revenue and increasing enrollment - including Open Enrollment, 4-year-old kindergarten and improved marketing - while preserving the quality of Elmbrook's education and programming. Horneffer also said she'd promote core academics and the fine arts.

Serving on multiple district committees made her want to stand up to protect the education of district students, she said. That work gave insight into issues facing the district, she said, specifically the need to address decreasing enrollment and shrinking state aid without negatively impacting student learning.

Genevieve Schmidt

If elected, Genevieve Schmidt said, she wants to help keep the board focused on student learning, specifically in regards to how curriculum builds from grade to grade. Another of her goals would be to find innovative ways to attract and keep students and quality employees. Schmidt said she plans to push for an increased marketing and outreach effort to tout what Elmbrook does well, and that would include a focus on word-of-mouth marketing.

The district's growing budget deficit will make for big decisions during the coming years, and Schmidt said she wants to be a part of them. While finances are the issue at hand, district leaders need to remember it's all about student learning, she said.

Sandra Schultz

Sandra Schultz has served on Elmbrook task forces and volunteered in classrooms. Now, she has the time to get involved with the School Board, she said.

District leaders will make critical decisions in the near future, and she thinks her perspective could help. Those decisions will mainly be the product of financial and economic concerns, but, Schultz said, she wants to ensure that quality of education remains an equally prominent concern. While addressing Elmbrook's financial issues, she said, officials can't forget that the students are the reason the district exists.

If elected, Schultz said, she will look for new ways to increase enrollment and generate revenue to avoid cuts. Elmbrook must maintain or improve its standout reputation, she said, or enrollment issues will become a greater concern.

Kathryn Wilson

Kathryn Wilson said her awareness and understanding of instruction, curriculum and cognitive theory will help round out the skills already present on the board.

Wilson said, if elected, she will push to keep focus on the district's mission of giving every student an excellent education. Elmbrook is a short distance away from regaining its status as the region's premier district, Wilson said, and she's got the intentionality required to get back to that point.

However, that will mean a focus on Elmbrook's financial aspects. Wilson said her biggest concerns are revenue, employee compensation and enrollment management.

While sometimes necessary, budget cuts can have unexpected ripple effects that negatively impact educational quality, Wilson said. That's something officials must guard against.

Bob Ziegler

Elmbrook is at a point in time when long-reaching decisions must be made, incumbent Bob Ziegler said. With enrollment and state aid decreases impacting district finances, officials must decide how they can maintain or enhance student learning, he said.

If re-elected, Ziegler said, he'll work with the rest of the board to pursue long-lasting solutions to the district's enrollment dilemma. He said he's prepared to make decisions about issues including charter schools, multi-age classrooms, adjustments to the middle and high school schedules, distance learning, 4-year-old kindergarten, Open Enrollment, Chapter 220, school closures and class sizes.

By making those decisions now, the board can shape a direction that will allow Elmbrook to preserve student learning, he said.

Warren H. Groff

AGE: 76

ADDRESS: 16525 Gebhardt Road,

Brookfield

TIME IN DISTRICT: since Nov. 30, 2009

FAMILY: wife Mary, two adult children, five grandchildren

JOB: semi-retired; adjunct professor and consultant at Nova Southeastern University

EDUCATION: doctorate in education, Temple University

ELECTED OFFICES: none

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: participated in discussions before various Elmbrook

committees and made reports to the School Board since 2007

CONTACT: (262) 786-4888, groffw@nova.edu

WEB SITE: none

QUOTE: "(I have an) extensive background of experiences that can assist the district in this unusual period."

Beth Horneffer

AGE: 45

ADDRESS: 17755 Parish Drive, Brookfield

TIME IN DISTRICT: 17 years

FAMILY: husband Mark, three school-age kids

JOB: former pediatrician, currently stay-at-home mom

EDUCATION: doctorate in medicine, University of

Michigan

ELECTED OFFICES: none

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: school volunteer, member and curriculum chairwoman for Burleigh Elementary Parent Teacher Organization, served on district's elementary school five-year financial planning committee, has coached several children's sports, member at Community United Methodist Church in Elm Grove where she is a Sunday school teacher, involved with Milwaukee food pantry Despensa de la Paz

CONTACT: (262) 783-7996 or horneffer@wi.rr.com

WEB SITE: none

QUOTE: "I am running for the Elmbrook School Board to promote quality education for all students as we find ways to resolve our district's financial challenges."

Genevieve M. Schmidt

AGE: 42

ADDRESS: 21620 Ann Rita Drive, Brookfield

TIME IN DISTRICT: 13 years

FAMILY: husband Don, three school-age children

JOB: program manager of continuing professional

development, Quad/Graphics

EDUCATION: masters of science in continuing and vocational education,

UW-Madison

ELECTED OFFICES: none

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: member, St. Dominic Parish

CONTACT: (262) 796-0609 or genschmidt15@yahoo.com

WEB SITE: Blog currently in development

QUOTE: "As a parent and a professional - in both roles in my life - I'm a people

developer. As a parent, I'm helping to develop my children's skills to be successful in life. As a professional, I help to develop adult leadership skills in the workplace. I have 10 years of management experience utilizing resources efficiently and

effectively while staying aligned to the goals of the organization."

Sandra Schultz

AGE: 46

ADDRESS: 4755 Shagbark Court, Brookfield

TIME IN DISTRICT: 23 years

FAMILY: husband Jim, three adult children, one school-age child

JOB: stay-at home mom, volunteer

EDUCATION: associate degree in public relations, Patricia Stevens College

ELECTED OFFICES: none

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: has served on several district task forces and committees, classroom volunteer, financial director and president of

Burleigh Elementary Parent Teacher Organization, director of events for Elmbrook Parent Network, serves on Waukesha County Drug-Free Communities Coalition

CONTACT: (262) 781-8588 or sandraschultz@wi.rr.com

WEB SITE: Facebook group "Sandra Schultz for School Board"

QUOTE: "I believe that a strong school district benefits not just the students, but the whole community. We need to look at the big picture. Keeping

Elmbrook No. 1 and our

students No. 1 is our primary goal."

Kathryn L. Wilson

AGE: 46

ADDRESS: 1185 Simon Drive, Brookfield

TIME IN DISTRICT: 14 years

FAMILY: husband Farshid Farrokhnia, four school-age kids

JOB: stay-at-home mom

EDUCATION: bachelors in literature, Michigan State

ELECTED OFFICES: none

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: school volunteer, district

five-year financial plan study teams, chairwoman Gifted and Talented Parent Advisory Board, member Class Rank Committee, member Community United Methodist Church in Elm Grove, chairwoman church's adult education, member Executive Board of United Methodist Women, member of church's Christian Education Committee and Board of Ministries, Sunday school and Bible study teacher

CONTACT: (262) 797-8857 or katy.wilson@wi.rr.com

WEB SITE: in development

QUOTE: "I'm running because I believe in this community. I believe in outstanding

education, and I believe we can be the premier education

destination in southeastern Wisconsin. I'm working for that every day and would be honored to continue to do so as a board member."

Robert J. Ziegler (i)

AGE: 59

ADDRESS: 14360 Corona Court,

Brookfield

TIME IN DISTRICT: 19 years

FAMILY: wife, Joan, two adult children

JOB: investment compliance consultant, Northwestern Mutual

EDUCATION: masters of science in mathematics,

Marquette University

ELECTED OFFICES: appointed to at-large School Board seat in October 2003, elected twice thereafter; during that time has chaired and sat on several committees

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: member of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in New Berlin, director of Brookfield TOP Soccer Program

CONTACT: (262) 784-2422 or ziegler4@tds.net

WEB SITE: none

QUOTE: "I'm looking for

answers to these two questions: How does Elmbrook maintain or enhance our levels of student learning, both breadth and depth, in a climate of declining enrollment and reduced state funding? Can we find ways to maintain the 'Elmbrook

experience?' "

Candidate forum

FEATURING: candidates competing for the at-large seat

WHEN: 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday

WHERE: Elmbrook Central

Administrative Offices, 13780 Hope St.

SPONSOR: Elmbrook Parent

Leadership Council

Ask the candidates

Have a question you'd like NOW to ask the candidates? E-mail it to news@cninow.com, and write "Elmbrook election" in the subject line. We may use your question in future coverage.