Here are our answers.

01 — What is your relevant experience?

Melinda: I have held various age-level positions from elementary through technical college in multiple education settings. As a community member, I was on one of the hiring committees for the Village Police Chief, took part in the start of training for Neighborhood Watch in Wrightstown, taught high school religious education for several years, and sub for discipleship as much as my schedule allows.  As a teacher and parent, I served on one of the past school-community committees, was a DPI teacher lead for curriculum work, volunteer(ed) for concessions, team mom, etc. as much as possible, coached various sports and led school related activities and groups.

Jonathan: In my role at Aspen Tech, I conduct research and create plans for our long-term development roadmap and business planning.  The school board should function similarly to a board of directors at a corporation with the superintendent functioning as the CEO.  They should understand the long-term goals of the district and lay the direction for the superintendent to operate the day-to-day activities while moving the district together toward a shared goal. Within the community, I volunteer as a baseball coach through the Wrightstown Area Baseball Association helping t-ball, machine pitch, 9U and 7U players develop into well rounded players with a love of the game and respect for their teammates, competitors, coaches, and officials.  I also volunteer with the Wrightstown Wrestling Club to help raise funds for the wrestling program as well as chaperone field trips for my boys.

02 — Why are you running for school board?

Melinda: I have been working in education for over 25 years and feel I have strong attributes that add value to our school board. With my knowledge and background, I can make a positive impact in this district. Right now, it is of great importance to have someone who understands students, staff, and the Wrightstown community and their needs. School board members with various educational backgrounds and experiences allow for insightful perspectives and effective decision-making.

Jonathan: I have a lifelong love of learning.  Wrightstown is a well-educated community with a mix of manufacturing, technology, and some of the largest farms in the state.  With my experience in operational excellence and my current role in strategic planning, I feel there are tools I can bring to the school board to continue the academic excellence throughout all the programs offered within the district.

03 — What do you believe are the top two issues that need to be addressed in the district?

Melinda: The top two issues that need to be addressed in the district are maintaining a focus on continuous improvement and finding ways to serve all students in order for them to reach their greatest potential.  I would address them by reviewing resources available in our district, being sure there are plans that are best for the students, staff, and that they can be maintained by the district.  The district has strayed from this, and it’s time to return to our high expectations, strong values, and student focus.

Jonathan: The biggest issue facing the district will be handling the aftermath of recent events surrounding both the retirement of our superintendent and the recall effort for the school board president.  The board needs a calm and steady voice with the skills needed to better bridge the various viewpoints within the board while keeping what’s best for the kids top of mind.  I frequently work across different product and development channels working to build solutions that fit customers’ needs.  I am able to look at the bigger picture and find real solutions for customers versus what may be a preferred ask from an individual team within my company.

The second top issue in my opinion will be the new superintendent that the district will be hiring this year.  We’ve recently hired and lost a superintendent that was only 1.5 years into the role.  I had noted at a school board meeting in December, that this may put a dark mark on the district and limit the candidate pool for a future hiring.  I would work to ensure we can get the best available people in to interview for the position and look for an excellent long-term hire with positive experiences and departures along their journey into Wrightstown.

04 — What would be your priorities when looking for a new superintendent?

Melinda: The first priority would be to start the next school year with a new superintendent who is fair, knowledgeable, well-respected, and comes well-recommended with a history of school success. We need someone that leads  with empathy to help the district heal, works collaboratively with all stakeholders, and understands what it means to empower students, staff, and families for success. My suggestion would be to establish an interview committee consisting of board members, administrators, staff, students, and community members to brainstorm skills needed for a new superintendent. The process would be outlined and shared with the community. After hiring, the superintendent could maintain this committee, in part, as a way to get to know the district.  This would support the transition to a new superintendent and set them up  for success.

Jonathan: I would be looking for a superintendent who has experience in successful districts.  WCSD is consistently in the top 50 schools in the state of Wisconsin and often the top school in the Green Bay area.  I believe having a good administrative team that supports its staff creates a positive environment to work in, which leads to successful classrooms.  Ideally, I’d be able to reach out to staff in districts that the superintendent worked in prior and hear how well they were supported by the superintendent and how much they enjoyed coming in every day to educate their students.  We have excellent teachers and staff here in Wrightstown with some of the best facilities.  I’d ensure the new superintendent would be successful by helping make the connections needed within the small, tight-knit community we are.  I’d want to ensure the superintendent has the resources and time they need to connect with the staff, ask about the work that needs to be done to be successful, and work in whatever way needed to ensure their team has what they need.

05 — Some of the allegations surrounding the former superintendent’s retirement included open meeting law issues, board/staff relations and insubordination. Do you believe that process was handled well?

Melinda: This process was not handled well.  The community have a lot of questions.  An investigation was started before all the board members were made aware of any concerns. A performance review was not conducted and expectations and concerns were not shared with the superintendent, nor was he given time to correct the allegations as outlined in district policy. There was a lot of secrecy and questions around the whole situation.

The process would have been better if expectations and concerns were openly discussed with the full board before a lawyer was contacted.  Concerns should have been addressed with the former superintendent in a transparent manner. If no progress was made addressing the concerns, a decision should have been made as a full board to seek legal counsel and pursue an investigation. 

Jonathan: I do not believe this process was handled well.  The school board president had spent nearly $40,000 investigating these allegations.  I feel this spending was excessive and unnecessary.  The route I would have gone would have been to bring the allegations to light, be more transparent with the community in what was going on, and then work toward ensuring any wrongdoing was corrected.  Wherever possible, look to save the district money by avoiding double payments for a service like we have currently (paying both a buyout for Mr. Space as well as an interim superintendent).

06 — Do you have children in the district?

Melinda: I have 4 children. My oldest just graduated from Wrightstown in 2024 and is now in the Air Force. The other three attend Wrightstown middle and high school.

Jonathan: Yes, 3 boys!  I currently have a 3rd grader and 1st grader at Wrightstown Elementary with my youngest excited to start 4K next year.