Jenn Donath
Jenn Donath was a candidate for at-large representative on the West Bend District School Board in Wisconsin. Donath ran for the seat in the primary election on February 16, 2016. She was one of the top four vote recipients in the primary election and advanced to the general election that was held on April 5, 2016. Donath was defeated in the general election.[1]
Donath participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates.
Biography
Donath is a lecturer and composition instructor at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. She has worked in similar positions at Marquette University and Wisconsin Lutheran College. She is involved in the PTO at McLane Elementary and Benders for Better Public Education. Donath obtained a master's degree at Marquette University.[2]
Elections
2016
Two of the seven seats on the West Bend School District school board were up for general election on April 5, 2016. A primary election was held on February 16, 2015. Incumbent Randy Marquardt ran for re-election, Incumbent Karen Betz did not file for re-election. Marquardt faced challengers Ken Schmidt, Jenn Donath, Robert Miller and Tiffany Larson in the primary election. All of the candidates, with the exception of Miller, advanced to the general election. Larson and Schmidt defeated Marquardt and Donath in the general election.[1]
Results
| West Bend School District, At-Large General Election, 3-year terms, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Tiffany Larson |
27.56% | 7,790 |
| Ken Schmidt |
27.56% | 7,789 |
| Randy Marquardt Incumbent | 24.85% | 7,022 |
| Jenn Donath | 19.57% | 5,532 |
| Write-in votes | 0.46% | 129 |
| Total Votes (100) | 28,262 | |
| Source: Tiffany Rouse, "Email correspondence with Executive Assistant to the Superintendent Deb Roensch," June 13, 2016 | ||
| West Bend School District, At-Large Primary Election, 3-year terms, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Randy Marquardt Incumbent |
24.33% | 2,453 |
| Ken Schmidt Incumbent |
23.66% | 2,385 |
| Tiffany Larson |
23.45% | 2,364 |
| Jenn Donath Incumbent |
19.96% | 2,012 |
| Robert Miller | 8.18% | 825 |
| Write-in votes | 0.43% | 43 |
| Total Votes (100) | 10,082 | |
| Source: Tiffany Rouse, "Email correspondence with Executive Assistant to the Superintendent Deb Roensch," March 28, 2016 | ||
Funding
Donath reported no contributions or expenditures to the West Bend School District in the election.[3] Any candidate spending or receiving less than $2,000 was not required to file a campaign finance report.[4]
Endorsements
Donath received no official endorsements for her campaign during the election.
Campaign themes
2016
Ballotpedia survey responses
Jenn Donath participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates. In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on March 8, 2016:
| “ | I want to improve communication among the community, staff, school board, and administration. This is especially important as the West Bend School District hires a new high school principal and school superintendent. There will be a lot of changes, and communication will be a key component to address concerns. Also, as new state laws and amendments are created to impact education and change school funding, it is important to share this information--and its consequences--with the community.[5][6] | ” |
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 |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| “ | In the West Bend School District better communication is needed to empower our teachers so they can better teach our children. Teachers should have more of a voice in major decisions like curriculum changes.[6] | ” |
| —Jenn Donath (March 8, 2016) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer nine 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.) |
|---|
| No. Our Pathways charter school is very successful and an important component of our district. I'm concerned that additional charter schools may not have the same standards or complement our district as well. Because of the problems that occur when there is a lack of transparency and accountability (the numerous charter schools that have shut down overnight) I would be hesitant to approve other schools. |
| 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. Students are so much more than the answers they give on a test and there are so many factors that could affect a student's test-taking abilities. Memorizing information to take a test does not help students develop critical thinking skills, and most students learn from hands-on experiences that are actually fun. Yes, tests are necessary for quantifiable data, but a lot of student achievement is simply not quantifiable. Student achievement can be anything from being able to get to school on time that day with completed homework to reading a poem and really liking it. |
| What is your stance on the Common Core State Standards Initiative? |
| I like the theory of it--benchmark standards to ensure students in every state are receiving a comparable education. However, in practice it has been problematic to say the least. Some states already had equal standards in place, while in other states students were struggling to catch up. It would take 5-10 years for Common Core to truly start "working," and those years would be incredibly difficult for educators and students. In the meantime, politicians are using Common Core as a weapon in the continuous Republican vs. Democrat fights. |
| 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? |
| Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. It is important to determine why the teacher is underperforming. Is this a new hire, extenuating circumstances for an experienced teacher, or a morale issue? If a teacher is struggling, it is important to identify why since this can be systemic of bigger issues in the school or district. A mentorship program is a useful way these teachers to seek advice and share concerns, and additional training options are another way to help a teacher get back on track. These things must be done before terminating a teacher's contract. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| Yes. Yes, teachers should receive merit pay. However, it is important that the process doesn't negatively affect students. For example, a teacher should not feel pressure to teach to a test because the results are a factor in determining merit pay. Administrators may look at student opinion surveys, but that could negatively affect student education if a teacher feels pressure to inflate grades, assign less-challenging homework, etc. On the flip side, administrators must acknowledge the problems for teachers if merit pay is based on the test scores and opinion surveys of students. Test scores are not "an accurate metric of student achievement" and students cannot always appreciate a teacher's high standards, which comes out in these types of surveys. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. I agree with WI State Senator Luther Olsen that we if we can hardly afford even one educational system, it is going to be difficult to afford two or three. When districts could levy property taxes based on the total number of students who live in the district that was an acceptable compromise that still allowed public schools to be properly funded. However, if voucher students are not factored in the property tax equation that will negatively influence the amount of revenue for public schools. Yes, to a certain extent voucher systems help alleviate strain on class sizes in public schools. However, significant revenue is still needed to "keep the lights on," and I'm concerned with the amount of money some school districts will lose, especially if the voucher system expands. The West Bend School District is a strong district, but if it continues to lose revenue the quality of education will decline. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| The safety and education of the majority is the most important factor to consider. Expulsion is a case by case situation, and as a school board member my goal would be to get the student back to school as soon as possible and to discuss other alternative strategies (online learning, a different school if it is a better fit for the student, counseling sessions, tutoring, etc.) to help that student succeed. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers All of these things are important. Parent involvement is key, but not all parents have the resources to successfully advocate for their children. The teachers are the ones in the classroom working with students every day, and they know how to bring out the best in our students. In addition to motivating students and making learning fun, teachers also fill the roles of parent, mentor, and coach for students, and this also contributes to classroom success. Also, educators should have a voice in curriculum changes, and school administration must advocate for teachers to ensure they have the support needed to do their job. |
Candidate statement
Donath gave the following statement to The West Bend Current:
| “ | Hello! My name is Jenn Donath and I am running for school board because I want West Bend to remain a destination district. I will do this by promoting better communication among teachers, school board members, administration, and the community. For the past three years I have volunteered in my son’s classrooms at McLane, and I am a board member of McLane’s PTO, and I see first-hand how important it is to listen to our teachers since they are the ones in the classrooms with our children. As a member of the Benders for Better Public Education group, I have been contacted by over 40 parents who are frustrated with the lack of communication between administration and families. Some feel uncomfortable with, or even dismissed by, administration and the school board. As a composition instructor at UW Oshkosh, I work with students with strong critical thinking skills who graduated from high schools with rigorous academic standards and experienced, caring staff. I’ve also seen the opposite, as I work with students who struggle to get themselves caught up with college’s academic requirements.
If I am elected to serve on the school board, I want community members to feel welcome to share their perspectives by emailing me and attending board meetings when it fits into their schedules. Even if I have a different perspective, I will listen and have an open mind. Positive change happens when we are willing to work together, consider different ideas, and compromise for a greater good. I want “suggestion boxes” put into all of our schools so teachers can feel safe writing quick messages to school board members. The writing prompt can be as simple as “I want the school board to know that…” and this can allow teachers a quick way to share accomplishments and challenges. As a member of the Benders for Better Public Education group, I have also been contacted by over 25 teachers who are afraid to contact administration with their concerns because they fear negative repercussions. If a teacher has a suggestion or concern to help him/her to be a more effective educator who engages students and teaches them to be critical thinkers and engaged citizens, this is a necessary conversation to have.[6] |
” |
| —Jenn Donath (2016)[7] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Jenn Donath' 'West Bend School District'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Tiffany Rouse, "Email correspondence with West Bend School District Board Clerk Therese Sizer," January 11, 2016
- ↑ Facebook, "Jenn Donath for West Bend School Board," accessed January 26, 2016
- ↑ Tiffany Rouse, "Email correspondence with West Bend School District Board Secretary Deb Roensch," February 12, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin State Legislature, "Campaign Financing," accessed January 25, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2016, "Jenn Donath's responses," March 8, 2016
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ The West Bend Current, "Meet the Candidates for School Board," February 9, 2016
| 2016 West Bend School District Elections | |
| Washington County, Wisconsin | |
| Election date: | April 5, 2016 |
| Candidates: | Incumbent, Randy Marquardt • Jenn Donath • Tiffany Larson • Robert Miller • Ken Schmidt |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional measures on the ballot |
