Two seats are open on the Spring Valley School Board, with two incumbents running unopposed.

Sandy Jacobs*

Did not respond

Jennelle Wolf*

Residence: Cady Township

Occupation/profession: Social Worker, Pierce County Human Services, Child Protection Unit Manager

Prior elected offices: I am currently in my third year of the first term on the Spring Valley School District Board; I have been the Vice President the last two years. I am currently on the Policy and Finance (chair) committees within the school board. I previously served one term (three years) on the Elmwood School District School Board, when we lived in that community.

Do you have children who attend the school district? Have they graduated?  My husband Jeff and I have three children; Addysen (25), Brayden (21), and Masyn (17). Addysen graduated from Menomonie High School and then UW-Eau Claire. Brayden graduated from Spring Valley High School in 2021 and is now a junior at UW-River Falls. Masyn is a junior at Spring Valley High School this year.

In what school district or community activities/organizations have you been involved?  My family is involved in the Spring Valley community. I was previously active in the Junior Redbirds youth football program, serving on the board as treasurer for many years. I am now involved with the parent Booster Clubs for both football and baseball. You will often find me setting up or working in the concession stand during football and baseball games in the Valley. I enjoy helping out with events, such as Post-Prom planning and youth sporting tournaments. Our family loves attending school and community events, especially all levels of sports (football, basketball, wrestling, baseball/softball) and music concerts.

Why are you running for school board? What are your priorities?  I have really enjoyed by first term serving on the Spring Valley School District Board. I feel I have learned a lot and can use all of that in serving an additional term. This is one way I can “give back” to the district and community that has been so wonderful to my family. My priorities continue to be to provide a quality educational experience in a safe environment for all students. We have wonderful educators and staff in the Spring Valley District; we need to continue to support them. We need to continue to provide opportunities for our children to participate in extracurriculars/activities/clubs, as they only enhance their positive learning experience while in school. We need to continue to make financially sound decisions in order to work towards a balanced budget within a broken state education funding system.

What do see as the biggest challenges facing the school district?  The biggest challenge continues to be to work within the broken state education funding system, while providing a quality education and adequately compensating our staff. Simply put, there needs to be wide-spread changes to the way the state funds our public school system. A vast majority of districts are finding the need to ask local taxpayers to pay more to support the needs of the district. Spring Valley had a failed referendum last year for operating expenses. The board will need to continue to make financially sound decisions in the best interest of the district as a whole. The district has many needs to support—equipment, technology, staff compensation, curriculum, building repairs/upkeep, facilities. We have a high quality school district with incredible staff; we need to continue to build on our district, so we will continue to attract more families to come to the Valley.

What differentiates you from the other candidates/board members? I'm not sure this differentiates me from other members, as it is true of many. I'm not afraid to make difficult decisions, even when they aren't popular with others. I am a strong communicator; I will speak up for what I believe in and advocate for what I feel is right. I think these are some of the same qualities of others on the board as well. I have made a wonderful career over the last 25 plus years as a social worker. I am able to use many of these same social work skills in my work on the school board.

What has the previous school board done well?  The current board works very well together; we all come from different professions and experiences but listen to one another to understand different perspectives before making decisions in the best interest of all. Many members of the board are new in the last few years, but have worked to better understand the role of the board and worked through some difficult situations together in the last few years. Some of those issues in the three years I have served: onboarding a new superintendent, everchanging Covid restrictions and keeping our schools running in-person, failed referendums (facilities upgrades and operating expenses), negotiating and supporting staff pay and benefit packages to be more competitive in the area, a serious school safety incident, new curriculum and focus on increased student test scores, upgrades to furniture and outdated facilities, and so much more. The board has now started a restructuring and review of all school district board policies; I serve on the Policy sub-committee.

What do you see as the primary work of the school board?  The primary work of the school board is to support and provide direction to the school district administrator, currently John Groh. The superintendent is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the district and reporting back to the board. The board is also responsible for managing and enforcing board policy, as well as working with administration in making sound financial decisions in the best interest of the district. The board works together to do all of these things.

What is the best way to address differences of opinion on the board or between the board/administration/the public? Open communication with all, listening with an open mind to a difference of opinion, and seeking information to best understand before making a decision. All board members have an equal voice and deserve to be heard on their opinion and thoughts. It is important to follow the "chain of command" – encouraging everyone to talk directly with those involved in the situation. The board is really the last stop if there is an issue that needs resolution. I always welcome individuals to contact a board member but understand we will direct you back to whatever school staff/administration that is directly involved in the situation, first.

How does a school board balance the need to provide a quality education with the need to respond to the local taxpayer burden?  Our administration team and district office staff do a great job of providing the board with the information needed to make financial decisions in the best interest of the district. As I stated earlier, the state funding system for public school education is broken. Administration and finance staff do the hard work to work towards a balanced budget within that broken system. The district didn't pass a referendum for operating expenses by only nine votes last year; that was difficult for the board and district as a whole. There has been some positive change to the funding system in the last year, but much more is needed. It is important for the district to keep up with expenses like facilities improvements and wages/benefits for staff, so we retain quality staff and have facilities we can all be proud of. We have incredible staff that work hard day after day to provide a quality education for our students. Ultimately, we will need to continue to make decisions that give our district the best overall educational experience, within the confines of our set budget. If we aren't able to do that, we may have to seek another referendum if the state funding system doesn't make the necessary changes to adequately support districts financially. Nobody wants to pay more in taxes, but we do need to support our school district so they can continue to provide a strong education for our students.

How can people contact you?  I can be contacted via email at my school board email: jennellewolf@springvalley.k12.wi.us; or call my cell phone: 715-495-7653.