Meet Your Whitnall School Board Candidates

Four candidates are vying for two seats in the April 3 election.

One seat belongs to former board president Bill Osterndorf, . The other belongs to incumbent Mike Clarizio, who is running again.

So, Greenfield, meet your School Board hopefuls and be sure to cast a vote in our poll at the bottom of the story.

Quin Brunette

Age: 52

Employment/occupation: owns and manages Quin Brunette Pro Painting and owns and manages three rental units

Personal: wife Kelly; daughters Ashley (WMS) Kayla (EES)

Has lived in the district between 4-5 years

Previous experiences that would come in handy: Whitnall Block Party 2010 committee member, 2011 and 2012 co-chair; Whitnall Finance Committee Fundraising sub-committee member in 2011-12 member; WMS PTO and Whitnall Youth Baseball Director of Umpires, 2010-11

Why are you running? Kelly and are committed to be involved with our children’s education. I believe I can bring a different energy and outlook to the board. I am willing to listen to district parents and communicate their feelings on issues back to the board. I am willing to put the work into the position in hopes of bettering our community.

One thing you’d like to see the district or School Board do differently: We need to communicate better, from the administration to the parents and from the teachers to the parents. We do a good job with the elementary kids but there is lack of communication with the middle and high school students. I believe we need to use the “Infinite Campus” more. I will seek permission, if elected, to write a synopsis after each school board meeting as to what transpired and what is coming up, and post it on the “Infinite Campus.

Mike Clarizio

Age: 49

Employment/occupation: I am the Service Department Manager at American Signal Corporation in Milwaukee.

Personal: My wife, Carrie, and I have been married for 17 years and we have four beautiful children, Taylor (15), Nicholas (13), Daniel (12), and Brooke (9).

Has lived in the district for 13 years

Previous experiences that would come in handy: I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from UW-Milwaukee, 1992. I have served on the Whitnall School Board for just over 2-1/2 yrs.

Why are you running? I am running for school board to continue to represent the members of the Whitnall School District. I am a parent of four Whitnall students and have owned a home in the district for over 13 years. I volunteered in the EES library for a year, assisted in second grade reading class for a semester, and volunteered to conduct Junior Achievement courses in the classrooms many times at different grade levels.

One thing you’d like to see the district or School Board do differently: We need to keep pushing the academic achievement bar higher and higher by increasing academic rigor in all subject areas while simultaneously meeting and exceeding any and all standards by which we will be measured; local, state, federal, and global.

Jon D. Jones

Age: 47

Occupation/Employer: Part-time relief veterinarian; Pilot / Aircraft Commander, United States Air Force Reserve — Lieutenant Colonel with over 20 years experience

Personal: married; one child at Hales Corners Elementary school

Has lived in the district 13 years

Previous experiences that would come in handy: No previous formal political experience other than running for the School Board before. However, I have extensive experience in leading and working within groups of individuals to keep them focused and moving in a common, consistent direction to achieve desired goals. 

Why are you running for School Board? The Board needs to take a new and different approach in how they identify problems and goals, and develop solutions for the district. Additionally, the Board needs to improve the communication of issues and ideas with the community. I believe I have the necessary background and experiences to bring about these changes to the Board. Doing a better job in including the public in upcoming issues can lead to a better collection of possible solutions and ultimately result in less stressful decisions and changes that continue to move the district in the right direction.  The direction we take needs to be based on that which will improve and maintain the highest level of education for the children of our district while being fiscally responsible to the taxpayers of the community.

One thing you'd like to see the district or School Board do differently: The School Board needs to fundamentally change how they communicate and interact with the administration, staff and public. In doing so, I think the way in which the Board and the administration sets goals and develops ideas to achieve those goals will improve, and ultimately lead to a more effective use of taxpayer dollars to educate the children of our district.

Eileen Marie Valaitis

Age: 47

Employment/occupation: Packaging Sales and Marketing to College Book Stores for Regal Poly-Pak Industries

Personal: married 24 years to Mark Valaitis; two sons Alex (17) and Austin (14)

Has lived in the district for 16 years

Previous experiences that would come in handy: I was an active member in the Hales Corners Elementary PTO all eight years my sons were students at the school. I held the position of VP and President of HCE PTO. I volunteered many hours in the classroom, chaperoning field trips, coordinating PTO sponsored educational programs and Artist in Residence Programs. I developed many relationships with students, district families, teachers, staff and administrators and shared many educational experiences. I will bring that background along with the leadership and teamwork skills developed during my HCE PTO years.

My additional experience as an active member of the Friends of the Hales Corners Pool Committee and Christmas House Coordinator has also broaden my interaction with community residents.

Why are you running? I am running for school board because I know the education and the educational experience is so important for our children. Education not only impacts our children's futures but also impacts our community. Good schools, good educators and good students are good for our community. It would be interesting to be more deeply involved in the process.

One thing you’d like to see the district or School Board do differently: I would like to see our district take a look at the students "in the academic middle;" are these students being challenged appropriately?

Second, there's a lot of national attention on future jobs requiring strong STEM skills (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). I would like to make sure our district is doing all we can to develop these skills with in our curriculum and extra-curricular. Are our Math and Science programs as strong as they could be/ should be? Should we, for example, add a Robotics club at the WMS and high school level?