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Manawa School District, Wisconsin, elections

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Manawa School District
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District details
School board members: 7
Students: 564 (2022-2023)
Schools: 3 (2022-2023)
Website: Link

Manawa School District is a school district in Wisconsin (Waupaca County). During the 2023 school year, 564 students attended one of the district's three schools.

This page provides information regarding school board members, election rules, finances, academics, policies, and more details about the district.

Elections

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Manawa School District, At-large

General election

General election for Manawa School District, At-large

Stephanie Riske ran in the general election for Manawa School District, At-large on April 1, 2025.

Candidate
Stephanie Riske (Nonpartisan)

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Manawa School District, Zone 6 - Lebanon/Bear Creek

General election

General election for Manawa School District, Zone 6 - Lebanon/Bear Creek

Craig R. Fietzer ran in the general election for Manawa School District, Zone 6 - Lebanon/Bear Creek on April 1, 2025.

Candidate
Craig R. Fietzer (Nonpartisan)

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Manawa School District, Zone 1 - City of Manawa

General election

General election for Manawa School District, Zone 1 - City of Manawa

Incumbent Brianna Coyle ran in the general election for Manawa School District, Zone 1 - City of Manawa on April 2, 2024.

Candidate
Brianna Coyle (Nonpartisan)

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Manawa School District, Zone 2 - Little Wolf

General election

General election for Manawa School District, Zone 2 - Little Wolf

Incumbent Pete Griffin ran in the general election for Manawa School District, Zone 2 - Little Wolf on April 2, 2024.

Candidate
Pete Griffin (Nonpartisan)

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Manawa School District, Zone 3 - Helvetia / Union

General election

Special general election for Manawa School District, Zone 3 - Helvetia / Union

Scott Emmert ran in the special general election for Manawa School District, Zone 3 - Helvetia / Union on April 2, 2024.

Candidate
Scott Emmert (Nonpartisan)

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Manawa School District, Zone 5 - Royalton / Mukwa

General election

Special general election for Manawa School District, Zone 5 - Royalton / Mukwa

Shannon Hansen ran in the special general election for Manawa School District, Zone 5 - Royalton / Mukwa on April 2, 2024.

Candidate
Shannon Hansen (Nonpartisan)

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Manawa School District, Zone 3 - Helvetia / Union

General election

General election for Manawa School District, Zone 3 - Helvetia / Union

Jamie Krueger ran in the general election for Manawa School District, Zone 3 - Helvetia / Union on April 4, 2023.

Candidate
Jamie Krueger (Nonpartisan)

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Manawa School District, Zone 4 - Village of Ogdensburg/Township of St. Lawrence

General election

General election for Manawa School District, Zone 4 - Village of Ogdensburg/Township of St. Lawrence

Sondra Reierson ran in the general election for Manawa School District, Zone 4 - Village of Ogdensburg/Township of St. Lawrence on April 4, 2023.

Candidate
Sondra Reierson (Nonpartisan)

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Election rules

 

Election dates and frequency

See also: Rules governing school board election dates and timing

School board general elections in Wisconsin are held on the first Tuesday in April. The one first class city school district in the state, Milwaukee Public Schools, holds school board elections in odd-numbered years. All other school districts hold school board elections every year.

School board nonpartisan primary elections in Wisconsin are held on the third Tuesday in February. The one first class city school district in the state, Milwaukee Public Schools, holds school board elections every two years in odd-numbered years. All other school districts hold school board elections every year. School board primary elections are only held if there are more than two candidates running for any specific single-seat race or if the number of candidates running for multi-seat races is more than twice the number of seats up for election. Otherwise, the primary is canceled and candidates automatically advance to the general election ballot.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Wisconsin Statute Section 5.02(21) and Wisconsin Statute Section 5.02(22)

Recent or upcoming election dates for all school districts in the state except first class school districts (Milwaukee Public Schools)

Below are the recent/upcoming dates for all school districts in the state except first class school districts (Milwaukee Public Schools). There may be exceptions to these dates for specific districts because of local charters and district-specific exceptions and carve-outs.

  • Filing deadline date: January 6, 2026
  • Primary election date: February 17, 2026
  • General election date: April 7, 2026
Recent or upcoming election dates for first class city school districts, which are districts serving cities with a population of more than 150,000 (Milwaukee Public Schools is the only first class city school district)

Below are the recent/upcoming dates for first class city school districts, which are districts serving cities with a population of more than 150,000 (Milwaukee Public Schools is the only first class city school district). There may be exceptions to these dates for specific districts because of local charters and district-specific exceptions and carve-outs.

  • Filing deadline date: January 5, 2027
  • Primary election date: February 16, 2027
  • General election date: April 6, 2027

Election system

School board members in Wisconsin are elected through a system of a nonpartisan primary election and a nonpartisan general election. The primary election is only held if a large enough number of candidates run for office.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Wisconsin Statute 8.10(2).a and Wisconsin Statute 120.41(1)

Party labels on the ballot

See also: Rules governing party labels in school board elections

School board elections in Wisconsin are nonpartisan, which means party labels do not appear on the ballot for school board candidates. Wisconsin Statute requires school board candidates to file nomination papers before the state's spring primary and for regular school board general elections to occur at the state's April spring election, which features nonpartisan races. Statute defines "spring primary" as "the nonpartisan primary held on the 3rd Tuesday in February to nominate nonpartisan candidates to be voted for at the spring election."

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Wisconsin Statute 8.10(2).a and Wisconsin Statute 120.41(1)

Winning an election

The school board candidate or candidates with the most votes are elected to office in the general election. State law requires a place on the school board general election ballot for write-in candidates.

School board primary elections are only held if (a) for single-seat races, there are more than two candidates for any one seat up for election; or (b) for multi-seat races, if the number of candidates is more than twice the number of seats up for election. If a primary is held, the top two vote getters per seat advance to the general election.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Wisconsin Statute Section 8.10 and Wisconsin Statute Section 120
and Wisconsin Statute Section 8.10 and Wisconsin Statute Section 120

Term length and staggering

School board members for all school districts except first class city school districts are elected to staggered three-year terms.

First class city school district board members are elected to staggered four-year terms. As of 2022, the Milwaukee Public Schools district was the only first class city school district in the state.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Wisconsin Statute 8.10.2
and Wisconsin Statute 119.08(1)(a) and Wisconsin Statute 119.06(3)(a)

School districts other than first class city districts elect as close to equal numbers of board members as possible every year to three-year terms, which means roughly one-third of board members are up for regular election every year.

As close to half of first class city school district board members as possible are elected every two years. As of 2022, the Milwaukee Public Schools district was the only first class city school district in the state and had nine board members, with five elected in the year after each midterm election and four elected in the year after each presidential election.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Wisconsin Statute 120
and Wisconsin Statute 119.08(1)(a) and Wisconsin Statute 119.06(3)(a)

Representation: at large vs. by sub-district

School board members are elected at large by voters from the whole district for all school districts except first class city school districts. By default, board members are elected through multi-seat races. District voters can opt to establish numbered seats with members elected at large in single-seat races, for which candidates must file for specific seat numbers. District voters can also opt to create apportioned areas (sub-districts) and require board members to be elected to represent each sub-district. Under that system, school board candidates must reside within the sub-district for which they are running but are elected at large by all voters in the whole district. Voters in a school district can submit a petition with either 100 or 500 voter signatures, depending on whether the district contains part of a city, to propose electing school board members according to numbered seats or from apportioned residence areas. Upon such a petition the proposal is put before voters at either an annual meeting or election. Once adopted by a majority of voters, the structure can only be changed or reversed by the same petition and voter approval process.

School board members for first class city school districts are elected through a combination of one member elected at-large and eight members elected by voters from sub-districts determined by the school board. State law requires the sub-districts to be substantially equal in population and "reflect a balanced representation of citizens in all areas within the city." As of 2022, the Milwaukee Public Schools district was the only first class city school district in the state.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Wisconsin Statute 120.06
and Wisconsin Statute 119.08(1)(a) and Wisconsin Statute 119.06(3)(a)

Filing deadlines and swearing-in dates

School board candidates must file by 5:00 pm on the first Tuesday in January before elections, which are held every year.

First class city school district board candidates must file by 5:00 pm on the first Tuesday in January before elections, which are held in each odd-numbered year.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Wisconsin Statute 8.10.2

School board candidates cannot circulate nominating petitions until after December 1 of the year before elections, which are held every year.

First class city school district board candidates cannot circulate nominating petitions until after December 1 of the year before elections, which are held in each odd-numbered year.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Wisconsin Statute 8.10.2

New school board members officially take office on the fourth Monday in April.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Wisconsin Statute 8.10.2

 


About the district

School board

The Manawa School District consists of seven members serving three-year terms. To find information about school board meetings, click here.

List of school board members
NameYear assumed officeYear term ends
Brianna Coyle20242027
Pete Griffin20212027
Scott Emmert20232026
Shannon Hansen20232026
Sondra Reierson20212026
Craig Fietzer20222025
Stephanie Riske20222025

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District map

Overlapping state house districts

Manawa School District
Office NameCurrent OfficeholderParty% School District Covered% Other District Covered
Wisconsin State Assembly District 57Kevin PetersenRepublican Party 60% 5%
Wisconsin State Assembly District 87Brent JacobsonRepublican Party 27% 3%
Wisconsin State Assembly District 56Dave MurphyRepublican Party 12% 3%

The table was limited to the lower chamber because it provides the most granularity. State house districts tend to be more numerous and therefore smaller than state senate or U.S. House districts. This provides an impression of the partisan affiliations in the area.

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[1]

Revenue, 2020-2021
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $900,000 $1,505 8%
Local: $4,275,000 $7,149 40%
State: $5,570,000 $9,314 52%
Total: $10,745,000 $17,968
Expenditures, 2020-2021
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $12,245,000 $20,476
Total Current Expenditures: $7,840,000 $13,110
Instructional Expenditures: $4,354,000 $7,280 36%
Student and Staff Support: $713,000 $1,192 6%
Administration: $1,278,000 $2,137 10%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $1,495,000 $2,500 12%
Total Capital Outlay: $2,919,000 $4,881
Construction: $2,601,000 $4,349
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $31,000 $51
Interest on Debt: $372,000 $622

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements. To protect student privacy, percentages are reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five or fewer students were included in a data set, the data will display as "PS."[2]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 23 PS PS <50 PS <=20 20-24
2018-2019 32 <50 PS <50 30-34
2017-2018 39 PS <50 PS <50 40
2016-2017 39 PS PS <50 PS <50 40
2015-2016 37 PS PS <50 PS <50 38
2014-2015 42 PS PS <50 PS <50 43
2013-2014 44 PS <50 <50 PS 46
2012-2013 36 PS PS <50 PS 37
2011-2012 39 PS PS PS 39
2010-2011 78 PS PS >=50 PS 78

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 26 PS PS <50 PS 21-39 25-29
2018-2019 32 <50 PS <50 30-34
2017-2018 36 PS <50 PS <50 37
2016-2017 43 PS PS <50 PS <50 44
2015-2016 43 PS PS >=50 PS PS 43
2014-2015 48 PS PS >=50 PS <50 49
2013-2014 39 PS <50 <50 PS 39
2012-2013 30 PS PS >=50 PS 29
2011-2012 34 PS PS PS 35
2010-2011 90 PS PS >=50 PS 90

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2019-2020 >=90 PS PS >=90
2018-2019 >=90 PS PS PS >=90
2017-2018 >=90 PS PS >=90
2016-2017 >=90 PS PS PS 80-89
2015-2016 80-89 PS PS PS 80-89
2014-2015 >=90 >=90
2013-2014 >=90 PS >=90
2012-2013 >=90 PS PS >=90
2011-2012 90-94 PS 90-94
2010-2011 90-94 PS PS PS 90-94

Students

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[3]

Year Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2022-2023 564 -2.8
2021-2022 580 -3.1
2020-2021 598 -5.7
2019-2020 632 -0.8
2018-2019 637 -5.3
2017-2018 671 -4.2
2016-2017 699 3.3
2015-2016 676 -2.8
2014-2015 695 -1.7
2013-2014 707 -2.4
2012-2013 724 -3.0
2011-2012 746 -0.4
2010-2011 749 -4.8
2009-2010 785 -6.0
2008-2009 832 -1.6
2007-2008 845 0.9
2006-2007 837 -1.6
2005-2006 850 -13.1
2004-2005 961 11.0
2003-2004 855 -5.6
2002-2003 903 -1.7
2001-2002 918 -2.0
2000-2001 936 -1.5
1999-2000 950 0.0
Racial Demographics, 2022-2023
RACE Manawa School District (%) Wisconsin K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 0.5 1.0
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 0.0 4.2
Black 0.4 8.7
Hispanic 4.6 13.6
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.0 0.1
Two or More Races 4.4 5.1
White 90.1 67.2

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Staff

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[4]

As of the 2022-2023 school year, Manawa School District had 40.89 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 13.79.

Teachers, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 2.00
Kindergarten: 2.00
Elementary: 15.12
Secondary: 21.77
Total: 40.89

Manawa School District employed 2.00 district administrators and 2.00 school administrators as of the 2022-2023 school year.

Administrators, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 2.00
District Administrative Support: 1.62
School Administrators: 2.00
School Administrative Support: 3.00
Other staff, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 4.85
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 0.32
Total Guidance Counselors: 1.00
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 1.00
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 0.00
Librarians/Media Specialists: 1.00
Library/Media Support: 0.52
Student Support Services: 5.19
Other Support Services: 9.95

Schools

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[5]

The Manawa School District operates three schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
List of schools
SCHOOL NAMENUMBER OF STUDENTSGRADES
Little Wolf High2059-12
Manawa Elementary244PK-5
Manawa Middle1156-8

About school boards

Education legislation in Wisconsin

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

See also

School Boards Education Policy Local Politics Wisconsin
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External links

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  • Footnotes