HERE IS JANET EVANS' SUMMARY OF HER INTERVIEW WITH FRANKLIN SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE LINDA WITKOWSKI
Linda Witkowski
414-630-1892
www.witkowskiforschoolboard.com
A Franklin resident for 20 years, Linda Witkowski and her husband Chuck, are the parents of three Franklin High School graduates and a current FHS Senior.
She has a Bachelor of Science Degree from UW-Green Bay, magna cum_laude.
Linda has worked in Waukesha County for 20 years with the County Executive, Department Administrators, County Board and the public. She has analyzed budgets and programs for quality and cost effectiveness, coordinated capital plans and bond funding for roads, buildings and technology, reviewed state budget, and pushed for prudent spending and taxation and measurable program results.
She has also worked in Milwaukee County for seven years developing, analyzing and reviewing department budget and fiscal reports for the Department of Social Services.Linda is Treasurer of the Learning Disabilities Association – Wisconsin, a Religious Education Instructor at St. James/St. Alphonsous, and has been Boy Scout/Cub Scout leader.
A member of the Key Communicators Group, Linda has also been on the District Strategic Planning Committees, District Citizen Committee to re-district Grade Schools, Vice President and past President of the FHS Goal Club, a member of Forest Park Middle School PAWS group, and a member of the FHS Saber Spirit Club.
Linda is a person with high expectations. This was made clear to me when I asked why she was running for School Board. Linda conveyed that she had high expectations for the Franklin Public Schools; including high expectations for all students regarding achievement, for facilities, including no trailers for our classrooms, for our teachers, who should be well trained, and for our administrators, who should be held accountable for keeping high standards.
Linda believes the role of the School Board is to set policy for the district. This is accomplished by discussion and consensus-building within the Board and with the community. As a School Board member, she would be expected to make good choices for our students, our community and our future.
I asked Linda what issues she thought were in the greatest need of being addressed in the district. She believes those needs are to look ahead, rebuild trust in the board, and define future needs. Growth in the district is an important issue and isn’t expected to go away. Linda believes growth must be anticipated and leveraged to provide the facilities that are needed at an affordable cost and at sustainable staffing levels.
I questioned Linda on Student Achievement. How would she rate the achievement of the students in our district? How do you measure achievement? What would she do to increase achievement and at what cost?
Linda sees Franklin Public Schools as a high performing district overall, as measured in the school performance reports. She believes achievement is more than just test scores. Achievement also includes graduation rates, expulsions, extra/co-curricular activities, truancy and retention rates. Past performance is no guarantee of future success and the district must stay current in addressing an ever changing student population with new demands in the workplace and world.
She supports research based methods to increase student achievement. One example of this would be smaller class sizes in the early grades, which have been shown to make a difference. Regarding technology, Linda believes more frequent assessment of student learning, with the use of technology, will allow for more effective instruction. Online grading with open access by students and parents will redirect energy to the learning process.
When asked about taxes, Linda said it is easy to say taxes are too high and spending must be reduced but the challenge is deciding what that means. Her expertise as a budget analyst with Waukesha County has given her good insights on the difficulties and opportunities of tight budgets.Linda believes budgets are about choices and managing the partnership. The partnership is with the State of Wisconsin and the City. The State controls 2/3 funding and the City controls growth, affecting property values and student population. This partnership needs to be better understood.
To contain costs, Linda would look for smart use of technology, partnerships and avoiding duplication:
Use technology to reduce the costs of the business side of the education enterprise:
Younger parents can’t appreciate the significance of the electronic lunch account but this is the kind of efficiencies we need. Why do I receive a paper billing statement each year? Why is the parent information card printed each year? Can we go to textbooks on line in the future?
Partnerships:
Can we look to more partnerships in funding curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular activities? Can we look for community and business sponsorships of athletic and cultural facilities.
Avoid duplication:
We don’t need two auditoriums. Can we utilize the Sports Complex to increase recreational opportunities?
I asked Linda which curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular activities contribute to student achievement, and which could be eliminated? Also, would it be fair to charge parents of students in these activities extra fees to maintain these programs.
Linda maintains that data shows activities outside the classroom contribute to student achievement. Strategic plans for the district have always included a commitment to extra-curricular activities. In her 20 years in the district, she has seen sports added – boys volleyball, boys and girls tennis, hockey. It is not a question of if we will have them, but how. We already charge for these activities and I expect that to continue.
Linda said the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation made schools accountable for student achievement of all children. School accountability is not going away. NCLB does not magically solve educational difficulties but it changes the questions we ask and gets us to think about solutions in different ways and that makes it possible for things to change for all children. Linda is the parent of children with learning disabilities. She has been involved for more than 10 years with the Learning Disabilities Association which provides information, promotes understanding and funds research of learning disabilities.
Academic success for these students is a fine line between remediation and accommodation. Academic fairness is not everybody gets the same but everybody gets what they need.
On matters of accountability, Linda believes the superintendent is responsible for the organization, staff and facilities. Any parent concerns regarding staff should be referred to the principal or district personnel.
A superintendent’s effectiveness is measured by the success of the organization. Are students achieving? Is the budget that is passed supported by the community? Is staff morale high?
In response to my question regarding how well Linda thinks the district currently communicates with the community, she conveyed that listening is important in community engagement. She has appreciated various parent advisory sessions with the superintendent and building principals in past years and would seek opportunities to be involved with citizens informally and formally at various community and school events.
I asked Linda how she would handle differing opinions on the board. She believes opinions will differ on the Board, however consensus can be achieved if the focus is on children.
Finally, I asked the candidates a few questions that they were not required to answer.
When asked how she felt about the current situation with the School Board, specifically, the issue with the Vote Yes flyers and the Senior assembly during the referendum, and the possibility that there could be a recall, Linda indicated that we should look forward. She thinks the Board needs to get out and talk to the public whenever possible.
When asked if elected, are you willing to be an independent thinker and vocally express your opinions to other Board members, Linda said, she is definitely an independent thinker. While she would express her independent thoughts as a Board member, she would want to work together as a Board in the best interests of the students.
