School Board Elections
Special Edition of the Iowa-Grant Panther Press
FROM THE OFFICE OF STEPHANIE HUBBARD: TO THE ELECTORS OF IOWA-GRANT SCHOOL DISTRICT, GRANT AND IOWA COUNTIES, WISCONSIN
Panthers,
The annual election of school board members will be held on April 6, 2021. Hours for voting are 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Polling places are as follows:
Village of Cobb – Cobb Community Building; Village of Linden – Village Hall (444 Jefferson Street); Village of Livingston – Livingston Fire Station; Village of Montfort – Montfort Fire/Rescue Building; Village of Rewey – Rewey Fire House; Town of Castle Rock – Castle Rock Town Hall (15070 Hwy G); Town of Clifton – Livingston Fire Station; Town of Eden – Town Office; Town of Highland – Town Hall; Town of Lima – Town Hall; Town of Linden – Town Hall; Town of Mifflin – Town Hall; Town of Wingville – Township Building.
The State Superintendent of Public Instruction will be elected this April. The individual elected to this position will impact the future of education in Wisconsin. Please check out the candidates' websites by clicking on the links below.
Iowa-Grant School Board has two seats this year. Neither of the incumbents will be running. We will have two people on the ballot for Area 4/Livingston. The two candidates are Nate Freymiller and Erin Reddy Wolff. There will be two additional write in candidates for Area 4/Livingston and that will be Tim Lundell and Reagan Collins. We had one filing for the Area 5/Rewey seat. Mary Hirsch will be on the ballot for the Area 5/Rewey seat and Mary Schauff is running as a write-in. The term of office is 3 years. The blurbs that candidates wrote for the March newsletter are below.
Mary Schauff (Area 5-Rewey)
Hello Panther Families,
My name is Mary Schauff. I am running as a write-in candidate for the open seat in Area 5-Rewey on the Iowa-Grant School Board.
I was born and raised in Rewey, the daughter of Bob and Elaine Bunker. I am a proud graduate of the Iowa-Grant Class of ‘96. I am forever grateful to the teachers and staff at Iowa-Grant who, along with my parents, gave me the foundation to be a successful adult.
My husband Mitch and I have lived in Rewey for the past 5 years. We previously lived in Reedsburg, but moved to Rewey in 2016 to be closer to family and raise our three boys (Cole-5th grade, Blake-4th grade, and Grant-3rd grade) on the farm. We also wanted our boys to be a part of the smaller school atmosphere that my husband and I both enjoyed. (Mitch is a graduate of Cassville High School).
I have worked for the past 5 years as a school counselor for the Platteville School District. Prior to that, I was employed as a school counselor with the Royall School District in Elroy, Wisconsin. I believe my education background would be a valuable asset to the school board. I have experience working with a variety of people and listening to different perspectives and opinions. I know that school board members often face difficult decisions, but I will face these challenges with a positive, respectful attitude.
I promise to work hard to continue the Proud Panther tradition. In doing so, I would be following in the footsteps of my late grandfather, Charles Bunker (Iowa-Grant School Board 1967-1972). I have heard stories of difficult, important decisions that he was a part of. I would love to be able to have a similar impact.
I strongly believe in giving back to your community, an example that has been set for me by my parents and grandparents. I believe our schools need to provide our young people with the academic skills to be successful while also instilling character traits such as respect, responsibility, and a strong work ethic. It is important that parents, educators, and community members set this example in our own lives and interactions with others.
It would be an honor to receive your vote as a write-in candidate on April 6th. Thank you.
Meet Mary Hirsch (Area 5-Rewey)
Hello Panthers! I am Mary Hirsch, and I am running for the Rewey school board seat. My husband and I have lived in Rewey since 2006. We have 2 kids that attend Iowa Grant, a second grader and a fifth grader. In my spare time I coach my kids various sports and love to attend sporting events. I believe sports in school is important for many reasons, physical activity, building confidence, learning teamwork and so many more things, so I enjoy supporting all athletics!
I attended UW Platteville for both my bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering and my master’s degree in Engineering Management. I have worked for John Deere in Dubuque as an engineer since 2011, prior to that I worked 5 years for an Architectural Engineering firm designing commercial buildings. My experience as an engineer has allowed me to build project management skills, including project budgets, schedules, and milestones, become detail oriented while at the same time keeping in mind the larger picture. A school district and how it operates is a very complex system and understanding all the functions and people that make it successful and ensuring they have the needed resources is of utmost importance to me. Education in general is one of the most important things in life, and I believe Iowa Grant kids deserve the best. I also understand that traditional 4 year degrees are not for every child and I’m interested in ensuring we are meeting the needs of students who are not going to traditional 4 year schools, but are instead pursuing other avenues. I believe the students that attend Iowa Grant deserve the best we have to offer, and I would like to have a part in helping that happen.
Meet Tim Lundell (Area 4- Livingston)
Hello Panther families,
My name is Tim Lundell and I am very excited to be running as a write-in candidate for the open seat in Area 4/Livingston on the Iowa-Grant School Board.
My wife and I are both Iowa-Grant Alumni, choosing to raise our family in the Livingston area for the past 25 years. My wife has been employed with Lands’ End for over 30 years as a senior paralegal. We have three children; Sydney (2020 IG graduate – now attending UW-Madison), Reid (IGHS junior) and Sam (IGEMS 7th grade). Over the years I have had the opportunity to see firsthand many of the great accomplishments of the Iowa-Grant school district, as well as the issues and concerns facing our school, teachers and students – both academically and across the wide variety of extracurricular programs. I understand the important responsibility and role the school board has in these matters. I know that the decisions are not always easy but feel strongly that I can add a valuable voice to the table.
I have been employed as a consultant for Energy Unlimited for 16 years. Energy Unlimited provides sawdust fired solid fuel furnaces for industrial dehydration systems across the United States and internationally. In my position I offer consulting services, provide pricing/quotes, obtain other 3rd party contractors, create project designs and work as a laborer. All this experience has provided me with a strong business acumen and the communication skills necessary to help run a business and collaborate with our customers.
In addition, my family and I enjoy running our registered beef cattle program and grain farm operations. Our family also participates in our local 4H club, Iowa County fair and FFA. I have been honored to serve on the Wisconsin Beef Improvement Association board for the last four years, including as Director of the Simmental breed, which has given me invaluable experience that would translate well to the roles and responsibility of the school board position.
I believe that Iowa-Grant has a great foundation and so much to be proud of. I hope to be part of building on that foundation and the future success of making Iowa-Grant even better by listening to your concerns and ideas. I would truly appreciate your support in voting for me as a write-in on April 6th. I promise to represent our families and community to do what is best for our children, our programs, our teachers and our community.
Meet Reagan Collins (Area 4- Livingston)
Hello Members of the Iowa-Grant School District,
My name is Reagan Collins. I am a write-in candidate for the Iowa-Grant School Board for Area 4 (Livingston) on April 6th.
I was born and raised in the Iowa-Grant School District, daughter to Bruce and Linda Collins. I’ve resided in the Iowa-Grant School District over 35 years of my life, and at age 42, my family continues to live here. I am raising my almost 10-year-old son as a proud Panther!
After graduating from Iowa-Grant, I received my bachelor’s degree from UW-Platteville in Criminal Justice and Psychology. Fresh out of college, I worked in corrections and adult rehabilitation programs and found my way into the social worker field working in Child Abuse and Neglect and Juvenile Justice.
For the last 7 years, I have been working as a consultant for a Grant county program serving developmentally and physically disabled and frail elder. My career has provided me with great experiences if I am fortunate enough to serve on the Iowa-Grant School Board.
- I appreciate working with our youth, the challenges kids face, and the opportunities presented for them. I work with students in transition from high school to adulthood. Part of my job is identifying barriers and solutions for youth with disabilities by helping them explore employment, postsecondary education, and developing independent and self-advocacy skills.
- I understand fiscal responsibility. My job requires me to work with a predetermined budget and conduct financial planning. I regularly handle health and safety planning, maintain financial records, and support individuals with establishing backup planning.
- I recognize collaboration, communication, and accountability. Over the years, my work and life experiences prepared me to handle conflict resolution and problem solve effectively. It has helped me to develop positive interpersonal skills and given me insight and respect to diversity. It has made me dependable, responsible, and held me accountable to many.
These roles will support my success as a school board member. I would very much appreciate the opportunity to advocate for our students, teachers, and communities. I would be honored to partner with the current team of board members to fulfill obligations for our district, while bringing with me my experiences and passion for people, communication and responsibility. Listening to everyone's opinions, working together, and coming up with the best solution for our cherished school district is a top priority.
As I mentioned in the past, it has been a tough year Panthers, but we are strong when we stay united! As an extension of the board, I will support COMPROMISE and COLLABORATION to bring best possible outcomes to our district.
It would be an honor to receive your vote as a write-in candidate on April 6th.
Meet Erin Reddy Wolff (Area 4- Livingston)
Hello, Panther nation! I'm excited to introduce myself as a candidate for Area 4 on the IGSD Board of Education.
Many of you may know me as a Reddy daughter, a Wagner granddaughter, or as a Wolff mom. I am those things, and they have impacted me. More importantly, so has my formal education and previous career and life experiences. All of these together have prepared me to be educated, experienced, and excited to best represent you!
I am a lifelong Livingston resident, attending Livingston Elementary through 8th grade and graduating from IGHS in 1996. When I finished college in 2000, I chose to return to Livingston to be present as my niece, Kendall, joined the family and grew up as an Iowa-Grant Panther. She and my children, Ella (junior), Harrison (freshman), and Weston (4th grade), are the third generation of my family to graduate from I-G. In addition to the many relatives who have launched into life as Iowa-Grant Panthers, my mother, Judy, spent her entire career in the district office, retiring as the head bookkeeper. It is easy to see why I bleed red and black.
I have earned two Bachelor's degrees, and both have had a focus on education - in public health and at the elementary level with a minor in special education. My work history is with the county health departments in Grant and Richland County, with a child abuse prevention organization, in the IGSD as a sub and volunteer, tutoring and subbing at St. Mary's in Platteville, and student teaching in Mineral Point. As a result, I have a unique perspective to bring to the board that is not currently represented.
Other aspects of my professional life that will be relevant are my time advocating for public health policy, my history of grant writing (all successful), and my experience writing curriculum for a new community-based work training program at Southwest Opportunities Center. I am enthusiastic about creating policies that benefit the most people and about ensuring that the curriculum used in our classrooms is based on best practices and brings out the best in students of all ability and knowledge levels.
My main priorities for my initial work on the board are:
1. Planning and preparing for the wave of mental health issues that are sure to come during and after the pandemic; this includes both investigating how to assist our guidance counselors and teachers and possibly finding and implementing curriculum to assist in teaching coping skills.
2. Ensuring that we are using all available resources to graduate students (both college-bound and those going directly into the workforce) who are prepared for the studies and careers that will exist, most of which haven't been created yet.
3. Familiarizing myself with the board's policies and procedures, especially for financial oversight and decision-making. Especially important is how we are using available dollars to ensure that we are meeting rising special education needs in a time when state budgets have not been supporting districts at appropriate levels since 2006.
To contact me,
email: ereddywolff@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erin.reddywolff
If you include a phone number, I can call or text if that is your preference. I would greatly appreciate your vote on April 6th as you recognize that my education and experience plus my focus on excellence in educating our children makes me the best choice for Area 4.
Meet Nate Freymiller (Area 4- Livingston)
Hello Panthers!! My name is Nate Freymiller and I am pleased to announce that I am running for the Iowa-Grant School Board Area 4 Seat (Livingston). A little about myself and my family, my wife and I are both proud graduates of Iowa-Grant class of '97. We have been living in the I-G district for the past 12 years, with 9 years being in the Village of Livingston. We have 4 children that are all in school now: Montanna (Junior), Nikolei (Freshman), DaCota (4th) and Chloe-Ann (2nd). Our kids are all very involved in and out of school. My wife, Michelle, is a bus driver for I-G and also subs at the school in the kitchen and the office. She is also a cheer coach at the high school. I work for Wick Buildings as a Design Supervisor where I design buildings and also supervise others in doing so. Before I worked at Wick, I worked for Schwan's Home Services as a retail specialist and also was assistant manager of the Fennimore depot. I have served on both the Livingston and Rewey fire departments and am currently an assistant coach for the Iowa-Grant Trap Team.
My work experiences have taught me how to work with others closely and how to foresee and solve problems that may or have come up. I enjoy listening to others opinions and concerns while finding solutions that work for all involved. My background in sales provides me with the experience to work with many different perspectives and personalities. While my work with the fire departments and also at Wick provides me with the knowledge to solve problems as they arise in a timely, and often, "on the fly" manner.
I look forward to helping I-G continue to be the wonderful school it is and has been for our children and future Panthers. I understand the importance of our school to continue to support our students and staff. I also understand that kids need and want extracurricular activities in order to be as well rounded as they can be. I know that our teachers are the best in our area and also deserve the best support possible. I look forward to learning the ins and outs of the school district while making sure that I-G continues to be a strong and leading school in our area. I would love to have your support in the upcoming April 6th election.