Pierce County voters will once again head to the polls April 1, 2025 to cast their ballots for important local village board, city council, town board and school board elections. 

Local races have a crucial role in shaping the lives of citizens. They determine the leadership and policies that govern schools and communities. Those elected make decisions on education, public safety, infrastructure, services, and what to do with taxpayers’ money. Serving in a public office role is often a thankless task that involves hours of discussions, research, presentations and meetings.

The Pierce County Journal sent questionnaires to candidates in local races. The hope is their answers will allow voters to get to know them a bit, what they stand for and how they would approach these roles if elected. Incumbents are marked with an asterisk*.

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Two incumbents are on the ballot unopposed for two open seats on the Plum City School Board.

Adam Goethel*

Did not respond

Kris Ingli*

Town of residence: Arkansaw

Occupation: Retired teacher

Prior elected office: Clerk

Do you have children who attend the school district? Have they graduated? I have four children, all of which have graduated from Plum City.

Community/civic activities: I'm very active in my church, ONO-UMC, the PC Food Pantry, the Pierce Country Ecumenical Choir, the PC School Board and committees within that entity.

Why are you running for school board? What are your priorities? I am running because I am hopeful to help keep the school open, maintain a high quality staff and continue to deliver a relevant, experiential, quality education to all students.

What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the school district? Funding. Wisconsin has an antiquated, outdated funding rule. It hasn't changed in many years and thus has not kept up with our inflation rate all those years. Thus, the tax burden falls on our districts’ community members because we have to go to referendum every few years to keep up with increasing costs. It is time our legislators recognize and value the future of our country, our youth. Small school funding is not adequate and without meeting the needs of small schools, of which Wisconsin has many, we are severely handicapping our ability to deliver the same educational experience as schools in the large cities. To me, this is a form of discrimination.

What skills/experiences have prepared you for this role? I was a HS science/math teacher for 29+ years.

What do you see as the primary work of the school board? Is there anything you wish the public understood better? We help manage the budget and oversee the Superintendent's performance.

What is the best way to address differences of opinion on the board or between the board/administration/the public? We held many public forums during our referendums; we also provide opportunity for community members to share concerns at our monthly meetings, and we send out two newsletters per month in hopes of keeping our community members abreast of all that is happening at the schools.

How does a school board balance the need to provide a quality education with the need to respond to the local taxpayer burden? We work tirelessly to keep our budget in line with what we share with the public during our referendum meetings. We continuously look for and apply for grants that can supplement our budget.

How can people contact you? They can reach me through the school website which provides the emails of the board members.