Menomonee Falls school board could be fully backed by Republican Party this spring
Keri Duce is the only member of the Menomonee Falls School Board who wasn't backed by the Republican Party — and she's about to step down.
Voters on April 2 will determine whether the board goes full red.
Though school board seats are technically nonpartisan positions, you wouldn't be able to tell from many campaigns in recent years — especially in Waukesha County, where parties have bluntly endorsed candidates, and Republicans have celebrated flipping school boards.
What's happened in Menomonee Falls represents a major victory for the Waukesha County Republican Party. In 2021, it created WisRed, a political action committee that has endorsed candidates in local races and produced promotional events drawing on star-power conservatives to bring attention to smaller names.
Duce has watched it unfold around her, seat by seat. She reflects fondly on her time on the board, especially the early years, but said she now feels like she can be more productive off the board.
"You're sort of on an island when you're the last one left," she said. "It definitely seems like everybody else is always on the same page."
In the year of WisRed's launch, when the organization backed current school board member Jennifer Grant, it described the Falls school board as having "only one conservative." Three years later, Grant has completed her first term. Her seat is the second one on the ballot April 2, and she's campaigning to keep it, again with the support of WisRed.
Grant is campaigning alongside Travis Langer, a WisRed-backed newcomer hoping to win Duce's seat. They face competition from two candidates getting support from the Democratic Party: Jessica Birkholz and John Witt.
It looks like voters won't have the opportunity to hear from the candidates in a forum. Cathy Olig, co-president of a parent-teacher organization at a district middle school, said she has records of PTO-sponsored school board candidate forums dating back to 2015. In 2022, PTO organizers said the WisRed candidates declined to participate in a forum after the primary election. Last year, they again declined, according to PTO organizers.
This year, Olig said the PTO was not asked to organize a forum. The group did ask candidates to fill out questionnaires that are available online.
Duce, who said she endorses Birkholz and Witt, said she remembers the PTO forums fondly.
"That was one of my favorite parts about running for school board, was to be able to sit up there and talk about the issues so my friends and neighbors could understand what my position is, and we've just lost that," she said.
Here's what to know about the candidates.
Jessica Birkholz
Background: Birkholz, 39, has a bachelor's degree from Mount Mary University in apparel development, and she works as a design team lead for Kohl's. She has one child attending a district school and another who will soon start kindergarten. She has been involved with the Ben Franklin/Riverside parent-teacher organization for about three years.
Website: birkfam.com and bit.ly/JessicaBirkholzforSchoolBoard
Supporters: Birkholz is endorsed by the local teachers union, the Menomonee Falls Education Association. She said she was asked by the Democratic Party if she'd like to be on a postcard and she accepted. She and Witt back each other as candidates.
Birkholz opposes district's removal of 33 books
Birkholz said one of the reasons she ran for school board was her frustration with the district's removal of 33 books from the high school in October.
Superintendent David Muñoz said the book list was compiled by school board president Nina Christensen and other unnamed board members. Muñoz said he met with two administrators and decided the 33 books violated policy related to sexually explicit content and profanity.
Birkholz said she thought there should have been a more thorough review, and she was troubled by the specific titles that were targeted.
"They seemed to be written by women and minorities," she said. "Some of them had adult content, but these aren't pornography books; the message and teachings in them outweighed the scenes that were deemed inappropriate for the students."
Birkholz would advocate for more funding, higher teacher pay
Birkholz said the school district should advocate for more state funding to keep pace with inflation. She said the state's current budget surplus should be put toward schools. She said the district should increase staff pay to keep teachers from going to other districts and recruit long-term subs.
"We have a lot of teachers, when they go on maternity leave, not have a regular substitute, and I think that's a disservice to the students," she said.
Birkholz thinks board needs more balance
Birkholz said she decided to run after seeing a post by the Grassroots Menomonee Falls group saying that board member Keri Duce wasn't running again and encouraging people to run. Duce had opposed the book removals.
"With our school board right now, it's leaning more towards one way, and I think we need to represent Menomonee Falls for the split that it is," she said. "For people to think we're just a red village, that's completely not the case."
Birkholz said she, herself, has moved from a more independent or neutral political standpoint to now identifying as a Democrat because of issues related to education.
Jennifer Grant (incumbent)
Background: Grant has been on the school board since 2021 and has been a Waukesha County supervisor for 11 years. She has three daughters who attend district schools. She is a certified public accountant.
Website: votejennifergrant.com and bit.ly/JenniferGrantforSchoolBoard
Supporters: Grant has been endorsed by WisRed, a political action committee connected to the Republican Party of Waukesha County. When she ran for School Board in 2021, she was backed by Republican lawmakers Alberta Darling, Dan Knodl and Janel Brandtjen.
Grant declined phone interview
Grant declined a phone interview request from the Journal Sentinel, referring the reporter to a questionnaire she filled out for a parent-teacher organization.
"I have found that there are only so many questions that can be asked," she said in an email.
Grant says priorities include security and academic proficiency
On the questionnaire, asked what she thinks the district could improve, Grant listed proficiency scores, school security and long-term budget planning.
Grant said proficiency has been declining due to "curriculum drift," and she praised the district's recent updates to its language arts and eighth-grade math curriculum.
Grant and Langer campaigning together
Grant and Langer had a joint campaign launch promoted by WisRed. Keynote speakers at the event were school board member Shelley Holzman, and Brandtjen, the Republican state representative accused of conspiring to evade campaign finance limits to unseat Assembly Speaker Robin Vos.
Grant and Langer have joint yard signs and websites with the same design.
Travis Langer
Background: Langer served in the U.S. Marine Corps, has a degree in automotive engineering and recently started his own business, Langers Auto Spa. He has two children who attend Menomonee Falls High School. He was a youth sports coach for over a decade and is part of the men's ministry at his church.
Website: votetravislanger.com and https://bit.ly/TravisLangerforSchoolBoard
Supporters: Langer, alongside Grant, has been endorsed by WisRed, a political action committee connected to the Republican Party of Waukesha County. He has also been endorsed by village trustees Steve Taggart and Paul Tadda.
Langer declined a phone interview
Langer declined a phone interview request from the Journal Sentinel, referring the reporter to a questionnaire he filled out for a parent-teacher organization.
"As a new candidate, my free time is limited to focusing on my campaign," he said in an email.
Langer says district should improve test scores, security
On the questionnaire, Langer, like Grant, said three areas for the district to improve were security, budgeting and student proficiency.
Langer said he would like to see STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) introduced to students at a younger age.
"Many other countries introduce it in elementary schools and I believe that is important in order for our country to compete on the international stage," he said on the questionnaire.
Langer says he will advocate for 'parents' rights'
On his website, Langer said he will "advocate for parents’ rights to oversee their children’s education and advocate for curriculum free from ideological influences."
John Witt
Background: Witt, 49, works as a vehicle and equipment mechanic for the Elmbrook School District. He has worked for the district for over 20 years in different positions. Witt has two children who attend school in the district.
Website: vote4witt.wixsite.com/johnwitt
Supporters: Witt is endorsed by the local teachers union, the Menomonee Falls Education Association. He accepted an offer from the Democratic Party to be featured on postcards. He and Birkholz back each other as candidates.
Witt was upset by book bans
Witt's family has lived in the district for 16 years, Witt said, adding: "And I’ve said for 16 years I should run for school board."
More recently, he was he was "deeply troubled by recent events," including the removal of books from the high school.
"Important decisions have been made without input from education experts," Witt said.
Witt says district can improve special education
Witt said the district can better serve students, like his son, who have individualized education plans, which ensure that students with disabilities get any special education services that they need.
Witt said he's noticed a shortage of staff aides, and he would propose a wage increase to recruit and retain more. He would also like students to be allowed more accommodations. For example, he said he wasn't allowed to get his son a "fidget desk" to use at school, a tool that can help some students concentrate.
Witt wants to update technology, "empower" educators
Witt said he'd advocate for technology upgrades, saying he's seen classrooms in Elmbrook with more modern touchscreen monitors.
He also said he wants to make teachers feel more empowered in their classrooms, including the ability to bring in extra material to supplement curriculums. He said there's currently a "fear-based mindset where educators are nervous to get creative."
Contact Rory Linnane at rory.linnane@jrn.com. Follow her on X (Twitter) at @RoryLinnane.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: The Menomonee Falls School Board candidates in April 2, 2024, election
