Brian Keller
Brian Keller is an at-large representative on the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District school board in Wisconsin. Keller won a first term in the at-large general election on April 4, 2017.
Keller participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 school board candidate survey. Click here to read his responses.
Biography
Keller works as a recruiter for Elite Human Capital Group. He earned a bachelor's degree in human resource management from the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater. His service experience includes being a member of the City of West Allis Board of Appeals and the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District 20 Year Facility Planning Committee. He and his wife have three children.[1]
Elections
2017
Three of the nine seats on the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District school board were up for at-large general election on April 4, 2017. In their bids for re-election to the board, incumbents Dan Bailey, Diane Narlock, and Gail Radonski ran against challengers Brian Keller and Noah Leigh.[2] Bailey won re-election to the board, and Keller and Leigh won the other two seats on the ballot.[3]
Results
| West Allis-West Milwaukee School District, At-large General Election, 3-year terms, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Noah Leigh |
22.73% | 4,455 |
| Brian Keller |
22.61% | 4,431 |
| Dan Bailey Incumbent |
18.51% | 3,627 |
| Diane Narlock Incumbent | 18.23% | 3,573 |
| Gail Radonski Incumbent | 17.92% | 3,513 |
| Total Votes | 19,599 | |
| Source: West Allis-West Milwaukee School District, "School Board Election Results," accessed April 19, 2017 | ||
Funding
Keller filed an exemption statement detailing he would not spend or receive more than $2,000 toward his campaign. Because of this, he did not have to file additional campaign finance reports.[4]
Campaign themes
2017
Ballotpedia survey responses
Brian Keller participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates.[5] In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on March 26, 2017:
| “ | I have a few goals. I want to increase communication and transparency between the district and its stakeholders. I want to work on new and creative ways to attract and retain great teachers. It's important to me to look at ways to reduce the achievement gap and work to improve post secondary readiness. Finally, and just as important, I want to make sure that our budget issues are correct and that we are making smart financial decisions.[6][7] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Wisconsin. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| “ | I think it is important to note that even though we are asked to rank, many of these fall pretty closely together. All of these areas should be important in a district.[7] | ” |
| —Brian Keller (March 26, 2017) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer eight questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| Yes. As long as charter schools are held to the same standards as the other schools in the district, I think this could be a positive. This may allow to provide for programming that some of the traditional schools are not able to. |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. Standardized tests are a good benchmark, but it is important to look at some of the issues associated with them. There are variables outside of the test that can affect performance on a test such as nutrition and lack of proper sleep and possibly stress at home. Additionally some students just don't test very well. I think when used in conjunction with other tools standardized tests can help pave the road for accurate measurements, but alone they really only tell you how much growth a student may have had over time. |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Offer additional training options. Offer additional training options. Put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve. Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| Yes. It is important to recognize teachers for their achievements. However clear guidelines that are based on realistic measurements should be developed. However it is difficult to tie this into student achievement directly as there are many variables year to year that could impact overall student success. The teachers and administrators should work together to identify appropriate standards. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. I feel that by taking state money and using it in this manner it is taking even more away from our public education system. With that being said it is important for public schools to recognize some of the offerings of these schools and make adjustments that will allow them to retain their students. If public money is going to be used then the voucher schools need to be held to the same standards as public schools. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Expulsion should be used for those students who are a danger to others within the school environment or in cases where other behaviors have escalated and all other possible remedies have been tried and exhausted. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers Teachers are the key to overall student success, but it is important not to marginalize the other factors. At the end of the day teachers have the greatest amount of contact and interaction with a student in an educational environment. Their ability to connect with a child and understand their strengths and weaknesses will have a big impact on that students ability to achieve the desired benchmarks. Student-teacher ratio does have a bearing on that as well as the smaller the ration the more time the teachers are able to work with individuals, especially those that may be struggling with some of the concepts. Those that struggle the most often times may due so due there not being enough parental involvement. It is important for a teacher to identify that as a possible issues and work to find the appropriate interventions to assist the student. |
Candidate website
Keller highlighted why he ran for school board on his campaign website:
| “ | First of all, I have been involved in the community in some shape or form for most of my time in West Allis. Whether it was volunteering for PTA sponsored events at Lincoln back when it was an elementary school, being involved in West Allis Little League as a manager and board member, helping to create a new West Allis baseball travel team, being involved with the West Allis Central booster club, and most recently joining the West Allis West Milwaukee school district 20 year facility planning committee, I have largely been involved in areas that have an impact on our youth. Additionally I am also servicing as a member of the Board of Appeals for the city of West Allis. I have a desire to help the community especially our youth as they prepare for adulthood.
Additionally, I, like many of you, have a stake in how successful our school district is. I have children in the school district. My youngest, Logan, is in second grade at Franklin and will be in the district for 10 more years. I also have 2 sons in high school, Dylan who attends Central and Zachary who is enrolled at Hale and part of the GPS program where he gets on the job manufacturing experience. There are many of existing board members who no longer have children in the district. I also think that having children that have attended both of our local high schools gives me a unique perspective that some of the other board members may not have. I feel that I will be able to be a neutral voice that will have the best interests of all of our schools in mind. I want to be a voice for the students, parents and teachers within our district. Finally, and maybe most importantly, I want to help to improve the level of communication from the school board and the district as a whole. I think it is important for students, parents, teachers and the community to be aware of what is going on. There have been many instances where things were being discussed or decided on at a school board meeting. We need to do a better job of letting people know about the things that may affect their family so that they can have a voice in those decisions. It is important that we know the opinion of the many before the elected few makes the decisions that affect them. The community votes us in and we need to represent all of them. These are just some of the reasons that I am running. If you have any questions, thoughts or feedback I would be happy to engage in discussion. Again, I hope to earn your vote in the coming election.[7] |
” |
| —Brian Keller (January 15, 2017)[8] | ||
Greenfield West Allis Now survey
Keller participated in a survey conducted by the Greenfield West Allis Now. The questions provided by the Greenfield West Allis Now appear bolded, and Keller's responses follow below.
School discipline has been raised as a concern, what do you think might be done to keep better order in the classroom?
| “ | Teachers should have the ability to handle their classroom in a manner that minimizes distractions that take away from other students' ability to learn. They need to be supported in those decisions by administration. Ideally, there should be some type of districtwide behavior policy at each level of education.[7] | ” |
| —Brian Keller (March 20, 2017)[9] | ||
School achievement is another concern; do you support any initiatives in that area?
| “ | Everybody learns in their own way. Initiatives that allow students some freedom in their education, while still holding them to the appropriate standards for their level, are important to make sure that each student maximizes their educational path. It is important to set each student up for success.[7] | ” |
| —Brian Keller (March 20, 2017)[9] | ||
Aside from those two issues, do you think the schools need to take a new approach in any area, or is the board on the right track and why?
| “ | We really need to continue to work on our budget and improve the way that we communicate with our families and community. It is important to get ahead of messaging and make sure that families hear important news from the administration and not from the media or other sources.[7] | ” |
| —Brian Keller (March 20, 2017)[9] | ||
What was at stake?
2017
Election trends
- See also: School boards in session: 2015 in brief
The 2017 election for the West Allis-West Milwaukee school board followed a pattern from the district's past three elections in which no seats were unopposed and every incumbent ran to retain his or her seat. The district's 2016 election was the only race from 2014 to 2017 that did not have every incumbent running for another term.
One incumbent was defeated and at least one newcomer was elected to the board in the district's 2014, 2015, and 2016 elections. In 2016, a second newcomer was elected to the board due to an open seat. The 2017 race also re-elected one incumbent and added two newcomers to the board, but the newcomers defeated incumbents to gain their seats.
| School board election trends | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Candidates per seat | Unopposed seats | Incumbents running for re-election | Incumbent success rate | Seats won by newcomers | |
| West Allis-West Milwaukee School District | ||||||
| 2017 | 1.67 | 0.00% | 100.00% | 33.33% | 66.67% | |
| 2016 | 1.33 | 0.00% | 66.67% | 50.00% | 66.67% | |
| 2015 | 1.67 | 0.00% | 100.00% | 66.67% | 33.33% | |
| 2014 | 1.33 | 0.00% | 100.00% | 66.67% | 33.33% | |
| Wisconsin | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.38 | 38.24% | 73.53% | 84.00% | 35.29% | |
| 2014 | 1.40 | 46.67% | 86.67% | 88.46% | 23.33% | |
| United States | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.72 | 35.95% | 70.37% | 82.66% | 40.81% | |
| 2014 | 1.89 | 32.57% | 75.51% | 81.31% | 38.24% | |
Issues in the election
March candidate forum
The candidates in this race participated in a candidate forum hosted by the West Allis Youth Commission on March 22, 2017. A video of the forum can be found below.
February candidate forum
All five candidates who ran for a seat on the West Allis-West Milwaukee school board participated in a candidate forum for members of the West Allis-West Milwaukee Education Association on February 15, 2017. They discussed teacher turnover, performance pay, and the expansion of school vouchers.[10]
Incumbent Dan Bailey told teachers in the audience, "I don't think you have the voice you need to have." Both he and challenger Brian Keller discussed the need to appreciate that teachers know how to do their jobs. Keller also said that the district needed to make a stronger effort to retain teachers.[10]
"We need to get to the root of why teachers are leaving," Keller said. "Tackle those problems and get rid of them." He said reducing turnover would reduce costs.[10]
Incumbents Diane Narlock and Gail Radonski expressed hope that the April 4 referendum would pass and free up more funds for performance pay for teachers. Narlock also said the district "should have more simplified criteria" for performance pay, and Radonski said initial efforts to start a performance pay system had been difficult.[10]
Radonski and challenger Noah Leigh said that the board had little knowledge of what was going on in classrooms on a day-to-day basis. Leigh promised the teachers in the audience that he would "value you like the professionals you are."[10]
On the subject of school vouchers, Radonski said that "taxpayer money should stay in the public school system." Leigh agreed. He said vouchers were "siphoning off dollars we could use in our schools."[10]
Keller said, "Competition can be a good thing." He said district officials should look at what private schools were doing to improve their own schools and keep students.[10]
Referendum
In addition to choosing three school board members on April 4, 2017, citizens of the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District also voted on a $12.5 million referendum to be spread out in $2.5 million increments over school years 2017-2018 through 2021-2022. The referendum asked for the funding to cover rising costs of expenses, to retain staff, and to develop new programming, according to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.[11] Voters did not approve the referendum. A total of 55.68 percent of voters cast ballots against it, according to unofficial results.[12]
The decision to put the referendum on the 2017 ballot came after the district's leaders were informed in December 2015 that $14 million of district funds had been overspent. To replenish the funds, the district borrowed money and sold district buildings. West Allis-West Milwaukee Superintendent Marty Lexmond also said the district had tightened the budget.[13][14]
“But we’re still facing significant financial challenges,” Lexmond said. “We’ve gotten to the point where we’re going to have to start making cuts in the schools.”[13]
The school board voted unanimously on January 23, 2017, to put the referendum on the ballot. A district survey conducted in December 2016 that showed a majority of respondents were willing to pay up to $60 more annually in property taxes for the school district.[13]
Issues in the district
Local activists weigh in on district's transgender bathroom policy discussion
Local activists spoke at West Allis-West Milwaukee school board meetings in January and March 2017, imploring the district to not allow transgender students to use the bathrooms of their identified gender. As of the date of the March 2017 meeting, the district did not have a transgender bathroom access policy on the books, but in December 2016, the school board held a workshop on the issue.[15][16][17]
West Allis-West Milwaukee Superintendent Marty Lexmond said there were at least two students who identified as transgender attending school in the district in the 2016-2017 school year. He said those students were using private bathroom facilities. "When families ask for support, we offer a single use restroom," Lexmond said. "It's what almost every high school across the country has been doing until there is further legal guidance."[15]
Robert Braun, a conservative activist in West Allis, spoke during the public comment portion of both school board meetings. He told the board that if members changed the district's policy to allow transgender students to use the bathroom of the gender they identified with, he would start legal action.[15]
Prior to the board meeting in January 2017, Braun, along with the Christian Civil Liberties Union and the organization Stop the Violence, published a news release on the issue. “There is no law requiring schools to accommodate the special needs of a few sexually diverse students,” the news release said. “It is appalling that this is getting any attention whatsoever. We are all born either male or female, period.”[15]
School board members said they worked with teachers, parents, and students to ensure all needs were met. They did not comment directly on statements about transgender bathroom access as it was not included in the meetings' agendas.[15]
In May 2016, the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Justice sent a guidance letter to school districts throughout the country saying that transgender students should be able to use the bathroom of their chosen gender. The letter said that not allowing students to do so could be considered a violation of Title IX.[18] In February 2017, another joint letter from those two departments rescinded that guidance. In the new letter, officials said that "there must be due regard for the primary role of the States and local school districts in establishing educational policy."[19]
District deals with overspending
The West Allis-West Milwaukee School District sold its administrative offices in January 2017 in order to recoup some of the $14 million that the district spent over budget in the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 school years. Due to the sale, the district had to relocate its central offices, night school, and Learning Center.[14]
District officials proposed moving central office staff to any available space in the district and rehoming the night school and Learning Center to Lincoln Intermediate School. Doing so, however, required moving the sixth through eighth grade students who would have attended the school in the 2017-2018 school year. The students had to be split among three other intermediate schools. The plan was met with opposition from some parents in February 2017.[20][21]
"None of this is fair to kids. It's unfortunate that we have to face this moment, but with declining enrollment, overspending and not enough revenue coming from the state, we have to make hard decisions and this happens to be one of them," said Superintendent Marty Lexmond.[20]
The school board discussed the relocation in a special meeting on February 6, 2017, and they approved the relocation plan at their board meeting on February 27, 2017.[22][23]
The district's leaders were informed through an accounting study about the $14 million that had been spent over what was originally budgeted in December 2015. The additional expenses came from "employee benefits and investment payments to school operations and athletics facility improvements," according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Members of the school board expressed surprise at the total amount that had been spent over budget, which was higher than administrators had warned. The accounting study revealed no misconduct in the report. The overspending was determined to have been from unexpected expenses that had not been included in the budget.[14][24]
Because of the overspending, the district's reserve funds were depleted. The district borrowed money to replenish those funds. Lexmond said the district had a tighter control of the budget in the 2015-2016 school year.[24]
The school board also placed a referendum on the ballot along with the school board election on April 4, 2017, to help pay for increased expenses.[13] Voters did not approve the referendum.[12]
See also
- West Allis-West Milwaukee School District, Wisconsin
- West Allis-West Milwaukee School District elections (2017)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Elect Brian Keller for WAWM School Board, "About," accessed March 23, 2017
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Suzette Zimmerman," January 4, 2017
- ↑ West Allis-West Milwaukee School District, "School Board Election Results," accessed April 19, 2017
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Suzette Zimmerman, Executive Assistant to the Board and the Superintendent of the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District," March 28, 2017
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2017, "Brian Keller's responses," March 26, 2017
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Facebook, "Elect Brian Keller for WAWM School Board post from January 15, 2017," accessed March 14, 2017
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Greenfield West Allis Now, "West Allis School Board candidates differ on discipline," March 20, 2017
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 Greenfield-West Allis Now, "School board candidates express support for teachers," February 21, 2017
- ↑ Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, "Custom Referenda Reports," accessed February 16, 2017
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Milwaukee County Election Commission, "Summary Report: Unofficial Results," accessed April 4, 2017
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Greenfield West Allis Now, "WAWM to place $2.5 million school referendum on April ballot," January 24, 2017
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "After over spending by $14 million, West Allis sells school district offices," January 11, 2017
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 Greenfield West Allis Now, "Conservative activists threaten legal action on transgender issue at WAWM board meeting," January 24, 2017
- ↑ WISN, "Group fights transgender bathroom accommodations in West Allis-West Milwaukee schools," January 24, 2017
- ↑ Greenfield West Allis Now, "Following federal ruling, conservative group urges WA-WM to back away from transgender student accommodations," March 20, 2017
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, "Dear Colleague Letter on Transgender Students," May 13, 2016
- ↑ StarTribune, "Dear Colleague Letter," February 22, 2017
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Fox 6 Now, "'What’s going to happen?' Parents concerned about plan to consolidate Lincoln Intermediate in West Allis," February 1, 2017
- ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Cash-strapped West Allis-West Milwaukee plans school closure," January 25, 2017
- ↑ West Allis-West Milwaukee School District, "Special Board Of Education Work Session Meeting Minutes," February 6, 2017
- ↑ West Allis-West Milwaukee School District, "APRROVED – FEBRUARY 27, 2017: Building Relocation and Transition Plan," accessed March 1, 2017
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 West Allis Now, "Reasons found for $14 million in red ink in West Allis-West Milwaukee," December 3, 2015
| West Allis-West Milwaukee School District elections in 2017 | |
| Milwaukee County, Wisconsin | |
| Election date: | April 4, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Dan Bailey • Incumbent, Diane Narlock • Incumbent, Gail Radonski • Brian Keller • Noah Leigh |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
