Frances Milburn
Frances Milburn was a member of the Watertown Unified School District school board At-large in Wisconsin. She assumed office in 2015.
Milburn ran for re-election to the Watertown Unified School District school board At-large in Wisconsin. She won in the general election on April 3, 2018.
Biography
After teaching for 26 years, Milburn retired as an educator and turned her attention to her work as an author. She has been associated with Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Shields Township Plan Commission, and the University of Wisconsin Extension - Leadership Wisconsin.[1]
Elections
2018
Three of the nine seats on the Watertown Unified School District Board of Education in Wisconsin were up for at-large general election on April 3, 2018. Incumbent Mark Putra did not file for re-election, leaving one open seat. Incumbents Frances Milburn and Karrie Uttech and candidate Fred Jandt were unopposed and won election to the board.[2][3]
General election
General election for Watertown Unified School District school board At-large (3 seats)
Incumbent Karrie Uttech, incumbent Frances Milburn, and Fred Jandt won election in the general election for Watertown Unified School District school board At-large on April 3, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Karrie Uttech (Nonpartisan) | 35.2 | 2,968 |
| ✔ |  | Frances Milburn (Nonpartisan) | 33.2 | 2,805 |
| ✔ | Fred Jandt (Nonpartisan) | 31.6 | 2,668 | |
| Total votes: 8,441 | |||
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2015
| Watertown School District, At-Large General Election, 3-year term, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Mark Putra |
22.8% | 2,333 | |
| Nonpartisan | Karrie Uttech |
18.3% | 1,865 | |
| Nonpartisan | Frances Milburn |
18% | 1,841 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jason Schwefel | 14.3% | 1,457 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jacob A. Maas | 13.9% | 1,421 | |
| Nonpartisan | Justin Pratt | 12.7% | 1,302 | |
| Total Votes | 10,219 | |||
| Source: Watertown School District, "Board of Education Meeting Proceedings Regular Board Meeting," April 27, 2015 | ||||
Campaign themes
2018
Watertown Daily Times survey
Milburn participated in the following survey conducted by the Watertown Daily Times. The questions provided by the Watertown Daily Times are bolded, and Milburn's responses follow below:
| “ |
What are your goals while on the board of education? I will continue the work I began first term which includes regular visits to schools. I want to see firsthand the daily operation of 4K to high school, and know our staff at every level. I will listen to the staff’s ideas and concerns. Hopefully, the listening sessions before board meetings that I proposed at the February meeting will provide this opportunity. I will continue to have a presence in the community as well. I am always ready to listen to ideas and concerns of the residents and am available by phone or email. I want to do all I can to have a great school district — happy and engaged children, a fulfilled staff and a community that is proud of our public schools. I want to see WUSD continue diverse and ever-broadening academic options and the many extracurricular opportunities for our students. But I also think it’s important to keep abreast of educational needs of the future. What do you think are the biggest issues facing Watertown’s public schools? I believe school safety will continue to be a top concern. We want our students and staff to feel safe in our buildings so they can concentrate on the education process. However, I do not believe arming teachers with guns is the solution. I am concerned about decreased funds, as our public school system must compete with voucher schools for state tax dollars. The Watertown public school system accepts all children and is held to high state standards. But tightened funding has lowered the number of education graduates and caused experienced teachers to seek out jobs in other fields. There are less teachers available. This means our district must compete more vigorously with other districts for top-notch staff. The expectations on our school district are high. We are expected to maintain a system in which our children are challenged academically and show the progress in test scores. But we also want happy and self-motivated children. These dual concerns are not always complementary. We also want to continue our many educational options and extracurricular activities for kids and families, all within the financial constraints of the present situation. And finally, we need to have a vision toward education of the future. How can the school district attract more students through open enrollment? To attract students from other districts, WUSD must stand out. Offering a variety of courses with some that are unique such as our STEM, RMS Academy, Endeavor, our strong tech ed classes, e-school, strong bilingual program, honors and college courses will be a great attractor. WUSD also offers many extracurricular opportunities. But in addition, we must continue to strive for a reputation as a safe, caring, and warm environment in which staff is attentive to the needs of our individual students.[4][5] |
” |
| —Frances Milburn, 2018 | ||
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Watertown Unified School District, "Board Member Profile," accessed March 23, 2018
- ↑ Abbey Smith, "Email communication with district clerk," January 3, 2018
- ↑ Dodge County, Wisconsin, "Spring Election Unofficial Results," April 3, 2018
- ↑ Watertown Daily Times, "Watertown school board candidates answer questions," March 13, 2018
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| Watertown Unified School District elections in 2018 | |
| Dodge County, Wisconsin | |
| Election date: | April 3, 2018 |
| Candidates: | At-Large: Incumbent, Frances Milburn • Incumbent, Karrie Uttech • Fred Jandt |
| Important information: | What was at stake? |
