Voters pick experience, youth in school race

Port Washington School Board veteran and president Brenda Fritsch was elected to a fourth term but it was Danielle Mayer, a 23-year-old teacher and Port Washington High School graduate, who polled strongest in Tuesday’s tight, four-person race for two board seats.

Incumbent Aaron Paulin fell short in his bid for a second term on the board and Robert Brooks’ first run for elected office was unsuccessful despite the endorsement of his father, State Rep. Rob Brooks, R-Saukville.

On Monday, the senior Brooks sent an email blast endorsing a slate of conservative candidates, his son among them, running in state and local races.

Mayer, a sixth-grade teacher in the Cedarburg School District, received 1,647 (25.8%) votes, just 12 more than Fritsch’s 1,635 (25.7%), according to unofficial results from the Ozaukee County Clerk’s Office.

Brooks received 1,579 (24.8%) votes followed by Paulin’s 1,487 (23%) votes.

“I kind of felt like the underdog in this race, so to not only win a seat on the School Board but receive the most votes is really exciting,” Mayer said Wednesday morning. “I think a lot of people want a new, fresh, young perspective on the board.”

The unusually crowded race, which before the February primary election had five candidates vying for the two seats representing the City of Port Washington on the School Board, was born out of frustration with the blend of online and in-person instruction the district provided for the first semester of this school year. 

Brooks was the most outspoken critic of the hybrid teaching approach, calling it a “debacle” and faulting the board for being out-of-touch with its constituents. 

Mayer said during her campaign that the district’s approach to teaching during the pandemic illustrated the need for better communication between the board and community. Whatever role the controversy played in the decision making process of voters, it certainly captured their attention, she said Wednesday.

“It was amazing to see how engaged the community was in this election,” Mayer said. “It was definitely a hard-fought race, but an exciting one.”

Voter turnout for the School Board race was 31%.

Fritsch, 52, who has served on the board since 2012, said she hopes her re-election is a reflection of her leadership style.

“I think the residents of this district want a leader who is going to listen to all sides of issues and is going to make decisions based on the facts and what’s best for our children and our community,” she said. “These were difficult times filled with difficult decisions, and after hearing the concerns of parents it was very important to me to reach out as quickly as possible and involve everyone in the process.”

Politics, and whether they belong in a nonpartisan school board race, was also on the minds of voters in Tuesday’s election, Mayer and Fritsch said.

“A lot of people asked me about this,” Mayer said. “I think it’s very important to keep the School Board nonpartisan.”

Fritsch agreed, adding that she believes voters don’t want School Board members making decisions that affect their children based on their political affiliations.

“Politics has become a daily conversation, and I think it inserts itself into all elections, even School Board races that are nonpartisan,” Fritsch said.

Mayer, whose brother has Down syndrome and inspired her run for the board, also campaigned on the issue of special education, saying she would be an advocate on the board for students with special needs.

“I want to give our special education community a strong voice as well as provide more programs and opportunities for the special education community,” she said last month. “I want to see a more inclusive environment. It’s so important that students are not isolated from their peers.”

Fritsch said she had considered stepping down from the board but decided to run for re-election because she wants to make sure students recover academically and emotionally from the pandemic and are prepared for next school year.

Tuesday’s election came in the middle of the School Board’s search for a successor to Supt. Michael Weber, who after 21 years at the helm of the district will retire on June 30.

The re-election of Fritsch, who has led the board’s efforts to find a new superintendent, ensures the continuity of that process.

“Her re-election certainly came at a critical time,” Weber said. “She has assumed a leadership role in the process as the president needs to do, and now we can continue the search and stick to the timeline without missing a beat.”

After briefly considering an internal candidate for superintendent, the board decided to hire School Exec Connect, a consulting firm that specializes in the hiring of top school administrators, and directed the firm to conduct an online survey and host a dozen focus groups to involve the public in the selection process. 

The board is scheduled to select a superintendent by June 4.

Fritsch, Mayer and incumbent Doug Miller, who  ran unopposed for a board seat representing the Village of Saukville, will be sworn in on April 26.

School Board members serve three-year terms.