ELECTIONS: Three vie for two open seats on Altoona School Board

Mar. 27—Nicole Breed

Age: 33

Place of residence: Altoona

Elected experience: one year

Occupation: Instructor and librarian

Education: Bachelor's degree in elementary education and Master's degree in teaching reading

Family: Husband, Nick; two children, Henry (4) and Mollie (2); dog, Scout.

Website: N/A

Lauren Otto

Age: 40

Place of residence: Altoona

Elected experience: None

Occupation: Lawyer/entrepreneur

Education: Bachelor's of Arts in psychology from Luther College, Juris Doctor from William Mitchell College of Law

Family: Husband, Nate Otto, and two sons, Grant (11) and Rowen (9)

Website: www.ottoforourkids.com

Hillarie Roth

Age: 44

Place of residence: Altoona

Elected experience: Altoona School Board Member, 2020-2023

Occupation: Nutrition educator

Education: Associate's degree in nursing

Family: Husband, Dean, and two daughters, ages 16 and 18

Website: Facebook: Hillarie Roth for Altoona School Board

ALTOONA — Altoona School Board incumbents Nicole Breed and Hillarie Roth will square off, along with challenger Lauren Otto, for two open seats on the board on April 4. The two candidates elected will serve three-year terms beginning April 24.

All three candidates were sent identical questionnaires. The following are their responses, organized alphabetically.

Responses from the candidates for Eau Claire and Menomonie school boards will run on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.

Why should you be elected to the Altoona school board?

Breed: I should be re-elected to the Altoona School Board because in my short tenure I have contributed much to the Board's work, including being elected to the CESA 10 Board of Control as a representative of the district. My background makes me well-suited to board service and has been invaluable in decision making.

Otto: I have a wealth of leadership experience that I look forward to putting to work for the students of the Altoona School District. I am a lawyer by trade, practicing family law, and am a small business owner as I own my firm Otto Family Law. I built this firm from the ground up starting in 2011 and now have six employees, including myself. I know what it takes to run a successful business and I believe this will translate well into leadership on the school board. I am very interested in the success of the school district because I have two children in the school, and I want to make sure Altoona Schools continue to live up to the reputation it has earned over the years.

Roth: I am running for the Altoona School Board and am an incumbent with three years of service under my belt. I remain passionate about ensuring quality education for all students. Students are the future of our community and we need to ensure that they receive the best educational opportunities possible. As a former board member for the Wisconsin Association for Talented and Gifted, I have advocated for educational services and funding at a state and national level. As a substitute teacher, I have worked in classrooms, grades kindergarten through 12, and with all levels of student abilities, from special ed, mainstream and advanced placement. I feel that these opportunities have given me an understanding of the unique challenges of education in today's world and that those insights are an attribute to the Altoona School Board.

What do you believe is the primary role and responsibility of the school board?

Breed: To serve the best interests of our constituents — which includes ensuring the best education possible for our students, as well as good stewardship for our community.

Otto: Altoona Schools adopted a "coherent governance" model for its school board a couple years ago, which means that the school board's primary responsibility is to create policies outlining the results the board wants to see, then holding the superintendent and school administrators responsible for achieving those results. I believe the policies we set should ensure excellence in our educational standards while creating a welcoming, inclusive and supportive environment for our students and staff. I further believe the board needs to hold the superintendent and administrators responsible by asking the tough questions when expected results are not being achieved, make sure a specific action plan is created to address the issue, then follow up to make sure the action plan is being implemented.

Roth: The primary role of the School Board is to ensure that every child receives the best possible education. Every student, no matter what. The School Board's role in this is through overseeing policy and policy development. It is our job to support the teachers and the administrative team and ensure that they have the necessary tools to do their job — teaching and supporting kids. They are the experts in their field, we need to let them lead while we support. We need to continue to strengthen our schools to provide the best educational opportunities possible for students and families.

What do you believe are the largest issues facing the Altoona school district, and how would you work to address those issues?

Breed: Growth is the biggest issue currently. If the referendum passes, we have a clear path forward at least for the short-term. The district does now have a long-range plan informed by both facilities and population studies, but this will require continuous monitoring based on actual versus predicted growth and needs.

Otto: The biggest issue facing the Altoona school district right now is accommodating the rapid growth in our student population. There is a referendum on the ballot this April to purchase the NBI building to house grades Pre-K through 1st grade. I have had several conversations with residents in the district who know the school needs to accommodate the additional students, but are unsure about this plan as it feels more like a band-aid than a long-term solution, and the board only considered the issue for two months before deciding to proceed forward. If it passes, then the board will work to purchase the building and renovate it into a school. If the referendum does not pass, then we need to go back to the drawing board and create another plan, one that is in line with the long-term facilities plan implemented after the decision to hold the referendum was made.

Roth: The district is facing some really significant space needs. In the 2021-2022 school year, a comprehensive facility audit and population study were done. The results of these showed that we are hurting for space. In the facility audit, the space, repair, replacement and betterment needs were broken down by building and then prioritized high, medium and low. This helped us develop a long range plan for the district. We need to stop putting band-aid solutions in place and plan for future needs. The population study showed that we are only going to continue growing. Given all of this information, the board put forth a referendum question on the April ballot. You can learn more about this referendum question at: https://www.altoona.k12.wi.us/district/media/future-facility-planning. The results of this referendum will play a pivotal role in how we move forward as a district.

What specific experience and skills have prepared you to serve on the board?

Breed: The coursework and experiences I completed to earn both of my degrees gave me a solid foundational understanding of education and the public school system. Having been an educator for 10 years, I have gained a much deeper knowledge of what children and communities need. Additionally, I am a proven servant leader, which is essential as a board member. Finally, I'm passionate about high-quality public education — both because I want my own children to graduate ready for the future, but also because I know it makes Altoona better.

Otto: In addition to the skills mentioned above, I am a lawyer who is trained to read the laws and ask tough questions. If elected, I plan to spend the first few months learning the ropes of being on a school board and determining what is going well and what is not going well. While I am not afraid to speak my mind and state my opinion, I will work collaboratively and collegially with the other board members. I have experience in this as well because, in addition to what has already been stated, it is my job as a lawyer to help find solutions to the problems facing my clients, often by working together with the attorney on the other side. In summary, I believe I have the exact skills Altoona needs to continue to move this district forward in addressing the needs of its students.

Roth: I am passionate about education, passionate about our kids and I love the Altoona community. Long before serving on the School Board I was very involved in the school district, volunteering in many capacities. I am a former board member for the Wisconsin Association for Talented and Gifted, and in that role I have advocated on a state and national level for education, not just for gifted individuals, but for all students. I spent 2022 as a substitute teacher in a neighboring district and have seen firsthand the challenges in education today. My personal motto is, "I can not change the world, but I can work really hard to make my little corner of it a better place." And I promise you that as a school board member I will continue to work to do just that.

Candidates' responses may have been edited for clarity or length.