Seven candidates running for two seats on Cudahy School Board
The Cudahy School Board election is a crowded one this year, as seven candidates are running for two open seats on the board.
Current City of Cudahy alderman Randy Hollenbeck, along with Justin Knash, Jason Kuchenmeister, Charles Parkinson, Ellen Price and Lissa Skoglund, are the six challengers running for the board. Michael Johnson is the lone incumbent running. Incumbent board member Laurie Ozbolt is not running for re-election.
Due to the number of candidates, a primary will be held Feb. 20 for district voters to cut the field down to four. The top four vote-getters will advance to the general election, which will be held April 2. In the general election, the top two vote-getters will earn three-year terms on the board.
The Journal Sentinel sent the candidates two questions, one asking for their top priority for the Cudahy School District, and the other asking for their position on book removals and restrictions. Their responses were limited to 100 words per question.
Randy Hollenbeck
Age: 54
Past political experience: Four-term Cudahy Alderman (current)
Community involvement: Former MJS Community Blogger (2007-2014); leader of the Cudahy Citizens for Walmart grassroots action committee (2007); selected by the MJS Community Now in 2008 as one of three influential people in Cudahy making a difference; organized and ran citywide Mayoral debate in Cudahy (2010); helped shape and improve the Cudahy Sex Offender Ordinance (2008); went to Madison to testify at the Capitol Senate hearing as the only citizen from Cudahy to defend Cudahy’s home rule and keep our Sex Offender Ordinance intact (2009); Cudahy Alderman (2013-2021, 2023-2024); Citizen Chair of the Cudahy Community Development Authority (2021-2023); helped reestablish Cudahy Night Out; financial sponsor of Cudahy Night Out and Cudahy Farmer’s Market; completed Cudahy Citizen’s Police Academy; member of the Cudahy Neighborhood Watch.
Occupation: IT Architect and Cudahy Alderman
Contact info: 414-881-1686; hollenbeck4schoolboard@gmail.com
What is your top priority for the Cudahy School District if elected to the school board?
Students! Reverse the low DPI scores and increase enrollment as well as, Gifted & Talented, AP and foreign language programs and marketing of them. Rebalance programs as needed. Add an IB program. Market CHS as multiple high schools with student programs depending on track chosen (2/4 year college, career, military, standard diploma). Retain good teachers. Reduce administration costs and increase efficiency. Search for a new Superintendent with the correct priorities, focus, and values. Stop the DEI/CRT focus. Stop the School Board from being a rubberstamp, they don’t work for the School District, they work for the taxpayers, parents, and students.
What is your position on book removals/restrictions?
I am against bans, which are dangerous, whether they are books, movies, or historical flags/statues. Curtailing and curating age-appropriate school material not suitable for children isn’t irresponsible. I do support making responsible decisions about what materials/curriculum are age-appropriate for schoolchildren and restricting them based on age appropriateness. Who in their right mind, would claim that all content, including pornographic or sexually graphic, are appropriate for all ages? To have accountable adults filtering materials/curriculum that our children are exposed to through the lens of age appropriateness is reasonable, the right thing to do and responsible education.
Michael Johnson
Age: 45
Past political experience: Has served two terms on the Cudahy School Board; first elected in April 2018
Community involvement: Friends of Pulaski Parks
Occupation: Special education teacher with MPS
Contact info: 414-334-6243
What is your top priority for the Cudahy School District if elected to the school board?
My top priority is to maintain and then expand course offerings to our students, especially in middle and high school. I’d like to also improve our math scores now that we have implemented the Science of Reading.
What is your position on book removals/restrictions?
I trust that our staff are professionals when they choose age-appropriate and effective books for our students. I’m dead set against book bans and removals. If a parent doesn’t want to have a student read a specific book, we have options for those students. The parents need to communicate with the staff to find a suitable alternative.
Justin Knash
Age: 44
Past political experience: None
Community involvement: Cub Scouts; school board meetings; PTO events
Occupation: Chief Technology Officer at X-Centric IT Solutions
Contact info: 414-573-6266; justin@knashes.com
What is your top priority for the Cudahy School District if elected to the school board?
My top priorities are to figure out how the district can overcome the budget shortfall we’re facing without cutting programs, teachers, or support staff and to improve test scores across the district.
What is your position on book removals/restrictions?
Banning books prevents children from learning uncomfortable ideas and limits their ability to learn valuable critical thinking skills. I believe restricting access to certain ideas or parts of history makes for a less educated society and limits people’s ability to process and analyze information when they get older.
Jason Kuchenmeister
Age: 40
Past political experience: None
Community involvement: Born and raised in southeast Wisconsin. Volunteer district family engagement liaison for Cudahy Schools. I help to foster tie up's between the school, parents, staff and the students. By helping all collaborate, this leads students to further success.
Occupation: IT Director
Contact info: JKuechenmeister@me.com
What is your top priority for the Cudahy School District if elected to the school board?
The most important item, as faced by many districts, is the budget and programming. As we know, funding provided by the State to schools continues to diminish because of many reasons. It isn’t one person that will 'address it.' We need to focus on transforming our schools and community into something even better, so we can all look back and say, “Oh my, they graduated from Cudahy, they were my neighbor and now look who they are today.” Additional priorities are, immediate communication and organization improvements needed in the school board to foster great leadership and decision making abilities.
What is your position on book removals/restrictions?
Each student learns in different ways. Our youth need access to what will make them successful. With that, we need to embrace how diverse of a community we are and curriculum should support every student, where possible, as long as such material doesn’t enlist further conflict. Additionally, we should harness different means of learning mixing printed and electronic materials, where possible to strengthen everyone’s different style of learning. This will help educators pivot where needed to meet the variety of needs in the classroom and see even more students become tomorrow’s leaders.
Charles Parkinson
Age: 44
Past political experience: None
Community involvement: I serve on the Cudahy Traffic and Safety Commission. Have served for many years on the school PTO, most recently as the vice president.
Occupation: Fire Protection Services
Contact info: 414-852-4805; Melodiousdrummer@yahoo.com
What is your top priority for the Cudahy School District if elected to the school board?
If elected to Cudahy School Board, my top priority is to find ways to reduce open enrollment out of Cudahy School District. Fixing that will also help with the budget issues the district is currently facing.
What is your position on book removals/restrictions?
I am absolutely against book removals and restrictions.
Ellen Price
Age: 36
Past political experience: None
Community involvement: Lincoln Elementary PTO
Occupation: Health and Safety Inc.
Contact info: ellenprice.cudahy@gmail.com
What is your top priority for the Cudahy School District if elected to the school board?
My top priority for the District is to address its financial standing without negatively impacting students. I am committed to making data-driven decisions, communicating more effectively with the community, and enhancing academic programs for all students in Cudahy.
What is your position on book removals/restrictions?
I am firmly against removing or restricting books. It is critical for all people to see themselves reflected in literature and other visual mediums as they navigate the world.
Lissa Skoglund
Age: 44
Past political experience: None
Community involvement: Lincoln Elementary PTO member and volunteer; community organizer
Occupation: High school English teacher
Contact info: lissaskoglund@gmail.com
What is your top priority for the Cudahy School District if elected to the school board?
Finding responsible solutions to current budget challenges without cutting programming while also improving academics at the middle and high schools. All students in Cudahy deserve a high quality education preparing them for college or skilled trades. Our elementary schools are successful, and there are unique strengths to be celebrated at the upper level, but test scores and college readiness indicators are low. As an educator, I have seen students thrive when opportunity, academic rigor, and diverse experiences are accessible. If elected, my decisions would be grounded in ensuring all students in Cudahy receive a high quality, diverse education.
What is your position on book removals/restrictions?
In schools it is standard practice to involve teachers, administrators, and parents in researching, proposing, and adopting or creating curriculum. This process typically applies to books, vetted for age appropriateness and academic value, and often board approved prior to students accessing them in class. I believe that when a district bans books already approved by a team and board, they reduce a student’s access to a free, equitable education. And, when a district removes books from a library, they reduce the student’s rights to choose what they read and access. In a free society, we should not be banning books.
Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AlecJohnson12.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Seven candidates running for two seats on Cudahy School Board
