Meet the candidates running for Marshfield School Board ahead of the February primary election
Voters in the Marshfield School District will elect three people to its seven-member school board in April. Seven candidates will be narrowed to six in a primary election that will be held Feb. 20. Incumbents Frances Bohon and S.A.M. Steiner will face challengers Nicole Forst, Steven Kizer, Richard Kranz, Charles Ether Norton and Karen Ott.
School District of Marshfield School Board members serve three-year terms.
To learn more about registering to vote and to find your polling place, visit My Vote Wisconsin.
The Marshfield News-Herald asked each of the candidates to address important issues in the district and why they are running for the position.
Frances Bohon
Age: did not respond
Residence: Marshfield
Occupation and education: A small business owner, including a beekeeping business; past work experience as a civil litigation attorney and oncology nurse; earned bachelor’s degrees in psychology and English double major, and in nursing, and a juris doctorate in law
Relevant experience: As a mother and grandmother, I understand the range of student talents and needs. I have grandchildren at our high school, middle school and two elementary schools. My work experiences have taught me to listen, study, consider and weigh issues, to work with others, problem-solve, deal honestly and lead. I know the value of the dollar and hard work through widowhood, single parenthood, remarriage and small family businesses with employees. By legislative appointment, I served on a state professional standards committee for education for six years and have served on our local school board.
Nicole Forst
Age: 41
Residence: Town of McMillan
Occupation and education: I am an IT project manager. I have a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a minor in psychology.
Relevant experience: I have three children in the Marshfield school district. In the upcoming school year of 2024-25, I will have a child in high school, middle school and elementary school. I am very active in our community with volunteering in the classroom and ran many events with the parent-teacher organization over the past five years. I also am involved with many clubs in the community.
Campaign website/Facebook page: My Facebook page is Nicole Forst for School Board.
Steven Kizer
Age: 47
Residence: Marshfield
Occupation and education: I am a cardiovascular technologist in Marshfield’s Cardiac Cath Lab. I have a degree in respiratory therapy and continued education in order to become a registered cardiovascular invasive specialist. In the Marines, I worked in the intel community repairing cryptographic radios. My elementary, middle school and high school life was all here in Marshfield, and I’ve been proud to call Marshfield home for 40 years.
Relevant experience: In my service to our country, I became a non-commissioned officer and leader of Marines. I helped guide and shape young Marines and fine tune their careers. I am now a team lead in my current profession and assist the clinic’s clinical education team on occasion. My adult life has been committed to serving others through protecting, saving and improving lives.
Campaign website/Facebook page: I don’t have either. I’ve been relying heavily on my personal page along with the traffic my interview with Marshfield Broadcasting has generated.
Richard Kranz
Age: did not provide
Residence: Marshfield
Occupation and education: bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Relevant experience: did not provide
Campaign website/Facebook page: My campaign phone number is 715-990-4100 and my email is richardkranz4schoolboard@gmail.com.
Charles Ether Norton
Age: 39
Residence: Marshfield
Occupation and education: director of Honey Suckle Bush Charity and nursing assistant at Marshfield Medical Center
Relevant experience: I deal with big personalities at the hospital where I work and with the charity I work at. I've learned to be compassionate and trustworthy. If I say I will do something, I will do it. The words from my grandmother ring true every day: "Trust is easily broken, treat it like a precious egg. You may never get to repair it" − Ada Rogers
Campaign website/Facebook page: My personal Facebook Page
Karen Ott
Age: 59
Residence: Marshfield
Occupation and education: retired English teacher, bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, master's degree in teaching English from UW-Stevens Point
Relevant Experience: Lifelong member of the Marshfield community, graduate of Marshfield High School, parent of two Marshfield High School graduates, grandparent of current students, teacher in the district for 32 years
Campaign Website/Facebook page: Karen Ott for School Board
S.A.M. Steiner
Age: did not provide
Residence: Town of McMillan
Occupation and education: Parent educator; former speech-language pathologist; ballet instructor; bachelor's degree in zoology and French from Duke University; master's degree in communication sciences and disorders from the University of Texas at Austin; graduate certificate in infant, early childhood and family mental health from the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Relevant experience: Over five years serving on the Marshfield School Board, including on the Employee Relations, Policy/Legislation and Facilities committees; mother of four adult children, two of whom attended the Marshfield School District; 15 years as a pediatric medical speech pathologist specializing in learning disabilities, head injury, neurogenic disorders; founding member of the mentoring program Family of Friends, including 10 years mentoring an at-risk child
Campaign Website/Facebook page: SAM Steiner for School Board
Why are you running for office?
Bohon: I am a cheerleader for our kids and education. I am not a politician. For me, this is about working together to equip our students with knowledge and skills and integrity so they can live as productive, caring citizens.
Forst: One of my motivations in running for school board is to improve the quality of education in our district for our students and teachers. We need our teachers, parents and community to work together in order to build a strong foundation for a successful future.
Kizer: I’m in a rare situation as a parent. My seventh-grader enjoys school so much that she doesn’t even like to go on holiday breaks. I want to help maintain that environment. Post-pandemic, there has been a significant breakdown in the trust and communication between parents and the board and educators. I will examine that breakdown and bring solutions to the table until that trust is restored.
Kranz: My desire is to make a difference in our community and in the future of our public schools. I would work to make as many improvements as possible.
Norton: I get asked this a lot. There are two major reasons I am running. The first being my children. They have had a decent time in the school system, but I can’t think about the kids that struggle. I strive to have my kids take accountability for their actions. Not every child has that. The second is I moved here from New Jersey about 15 years ago and feel in love here. It has so much potential. I want to see it grow and not lose the history and charm. Children are the future of the town.
Ott: As a lifelong resident, I feel a sense of responsibility. I love this city. Marshfield has generously shaped my life. From having grown up here, attending superior schools here, raising my family here with my husband, and teaching in the classroom here for over 32 years, I have gained valuable insights that will help me make informed decisions to support our district. My gratitude toward this community compels me to do what I can to assure our children and grandchildren can experience the same outstanding opportunities offered to all students over the years. It’s time for me to give back.
Steiner: When I first ran, the district needed culture change. While we’ve made progress, I believe the momentum is now in place to further realize our potential in communication, transparency and community engagement. The welfare of children has been the focus of my adult life. I have found great joy in working on the school board team to continuously improve our curricula, policies and handbooks. It has been gratifying to see district-wide improved student services and the daily schedule change at the high school so that students can deeply learn and establish connections with teachers.
What makes you the better candidate in this race?
Bohon: I will listen, learn and lead. I have a continuous improvement mindset. I have spent thousands of hours studying school-related issues so I can assess short- and long-term implications and goals to move forward wisely. I know how to partner with parents, staff and community. Most importantly, I will stay focused on doing the right thing for our students.
Forst: I feel that my drive, passion, outgoing personality, background and enthusiasm along with having children in the district puts me at an advantage for being elected to one of the three open seats available. In addition, my involvement within the schools (volunteering) allows me to connect that experience with my experience outside of the schools.
Kizer: My experience in the Marine Corps and on the front lines in health care has instilled in me a calling to serve those around me. I am very comfortable tackling tough issues and providing transparency throughout the process. My ear will always be open to our community. My belief is that no matter how well we’re doing, we can always look to improve. While the parents, superintendent, teachers and board all have different roles, I will spotlight what everyone should be sharing as a common goal, the success of every single student in our schools.
Kranz: What makes me unique as a candidate is that I don't have current ties or have children in Marshfield schools so I would bring a new and different perspective to the board.
Norton: What makes me better? We all have our strengths and weaknesses. I will say my strength is that I bring common sense to any situation I come across. Working with mental health needs you must prioritize safety and trust. I know that having an approach of building trust though communication will go a long way.
Ott: Being a Marshfield native has primed me for the role of school board member. My involvement in the farming and school communities has given me knowledge and appreciation for both. Working with students and parents throughout my professional life has taught me to value collaboration and all that it can bring about. I am level-headed, compassionate and willing to do the job this district needs me to do. Get out and vote Feb. 20, and allow me the chance to show my gratitude to this community by serving you on this school board.
Steiner: It has been my pleasure to serve the district for six years. I negotiate well and work within the state statutes that govern Wisconsin school boards. I have been part of “the most functional school board I have ever worked with,” said retired administrator Pat Saucerman after decades of service. I have never been aligned with nor funded by any political groups. I am an independent thinker striving for the best decisions for our diverse, delightful students and our excellent teachers. Regardless of whether you go/went to USDOM, strong public schools equal strong workforce, property values and community.
What are residents telling you are the most important issues in the School District of Marshfield and how would you address them?
Bohon: Residents want our district to be vigilant in maintaining strong academics. Marshfield staff and board are tackling this post-pandemic challenge head-on in English and math. Parents want students prepared for a variety of post-high school opportunities. Career and tech ed classes, many with dual credit and industry certification opportunities, have space needs. We must move forward with these needs. The district makes information available through its website, Facebook page, newsletter mailings and news media. However, we need to talk about what is effective or could be more effective for residents, and what resources to devote to that.
Forst: There are many issues that can be addressed but one area of focus is improving our Department of Public Instruction report card score. The DPI report card provides data on achievement, growth, target group outcomes, and on-track to graduation. Our scorecard can be found here: https://apps2.dpi.wi.gov/reportcards. I would like to reach out to schools similar in size and proximity to find out what those districts did to improve their scores. If warranted, I would propose and implement those processes in Marshfield.
Kizer: Trust is the number one issue. I plan to work to get parents involved more in our schools. One idea is to ask parents to volunteer more even when volunteers aren’t necessarily needed. Parents need to feel welcomed and valued by the district in the education of their children. Another large issue is academic performance. Parents don’t want to see budget going toward aesthetic things before going into the function of the classrooms and resources for teaching. Education must come first in the budget.
Kranz: 1) The need for better oversight, transparency and communication between parents, students and staff, including the school board. Also, better transparency between the school district and the general public. 2) The need to improve academic standards due to a decline in the basics such as math and reading. 3) The need to improve security and safety for our students and staff. 4) The need to repair and maintain our facilities in a cost-effective manner.
Norton: The common theme from the community is they feel like they are not heard. With the pandemic, it has caused a lot of ill feeling. I agree there needs to be more information passed to the community in a genuine way. I can't control what other people have done, but I can control my actions. Given the opportunity I can help build the trust back.
Ott: 1) Budget priorities: First, I need to learn our greatest priorities. For maintenance, input from custodial and buildings and grounds staff is crucial. For academics, input from students, parents, teachers and administrators is necessary. Additionally, federal and state mandates must be followed while prioritizing. My job would be to consider all input and determine the priorities. 2) Communication: The district needs to continually reconsider vehicles used to distribute information. When the community needs information about any topic, they should be able to find it relatively quickly. Therefore, collaboration is key to solving the issue of people feeling like they are missing information.
Steiner: Parents and staff are concerned about academics and students’ emotional well-being/connection. We have lost great teachers due to misinformation that festers on social media. Some potential teacher applicants hear that Marshfield is not supportive of our schools. This has a direct and negative effect on our students. Educating our students about healthy, intelligent technology practices helps. At the state school board convention, I listened to presentations from districts with full-time directors of communication. They saw reductions in false information, increased community engagement and positivity about the district. Conversations with administration leads me to believe we can do this.
More election news: Marshfield voters will find few contested races in the spring election for city and county seats
More local news: Marshfield fire department continues to see overtime, fatigue after added positions cut from 2024 budget
Erik Pfantz covers local government and education in central Wisconsin for USA-TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin and values his background as a rural Wisconsinite. Reach him at epfantz@gannett.com or connect with him on X (formerly Twitter) @ErikPfantz.
This article originally appeared on Stevens Point Journal: February 2024 primary election: Candidates for Marshfield School Board
