Tuesday, March 26, 2013
But Dr. Lowell Holtz said he was assured no Whitnall students were victims and waited to make a statement until he had the most accurate information available from police.
Whitnall Superintendent Dr. Lowell Holtz understands why parents were upset media outlets broke the news that a contractor who had access to students had been arrested for trying to lure a 15-year-old boy before they found out from the district. Holtz answered approximately three dozen parent-submitted questions about how the district handled the communication of the arrest and subsequent firing of James Heidke, and A’viands employee, in front of a crowd of about 50 people and several news stations Monday in the Whitnall High School auditorium. He said he wished he had been able to put out more information sooner, but waited because he didn’t feel comfortable with the facts he had. Holtz said the district did not receive Heidke’s criminal …
Friday, March 15, 2013
The district will hold an open discussion about the arrest of food service manager James Heidke, and the timing of the communication the district delivered to parents.
Updated 3:30 p.m. March 15 Whitnall School District parents and residents with questions about the food service manager's arrest for using a computer to facilitate a sex crime—and the timing of district communication about it—can learn more at an informational session later this month. The district will hold an informational session on March 25 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the Whitnall High School auditorium, prior to a regularly scheduled School Board meeting, to discuss lingering concerns about James Heidke and how the district handled the news of his arrest. Heidke, 55, was arrested after police say he tried to lure a 15-year-old “boy” he met online for sex. That “boy” was an undercover police officer. Heidke was charged with using a …
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Whitnall High School senior Clayton Anderson wants to turn the district's Nature Pod into a free disc golf course and believes it will attract people to the community.
Greenfield disc golf fans soon could have their own course right here within the city. Whitnall High School senior Clayton Anderson, the student senate treasurer and son of School Board member TJ Anderson, wants to turn the district’s Nature Pod into a 9- to 12-hole disc golf course possibly as soon as next spring. Clayton Anderson, with the help of the district’s buildings and grounds supervisor Matt Karshna, made the initial pitch for his proposal to board members Monday. Clayton Anderson told board members there are approximately 3,000 disc golf courses in the country with more than 160 in Wisconsin. Locally, there are approximately 20, the closest being in New Berlin at Valley View Park. Course holes in the Nature Pod would be anywhere…
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Some parents who drop their high school students off in the morning will have issues doing so on late start days, which are the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month.
A little more than a month after the Whitnall School Board approved its 2012-13 calendar, some loose ends still have to be tied. At Monday's School Board meeting, board member Quin Brunette raised the concern that some parents who drop their high school students off in the morning will have issues doing so on late start days, which are the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month. On those days, the high school starts at 8:45 a.m., instead of the normal 7:45 a.m. According to a story on Greenfield NOW, Brunette said several working parents told him getting their son or daughter to school on those days would be problematic. The Board and administration is considering two options, according to the story: having students walk to a spot on a…
Monday, April 23, 2012
Quin Brunette and Eileen Valaitis took their sets on the Whitnall School Board following their wins in the April 3 election.
The Whitnall School Board welcomed its two new members Monday, almost three weeks after Quin Brunette and Eileen Valaitis won their seats in the April 3 election. Before the regularly scheduled Board meeting, Board clerk Suzette Larson administered the oath of office to the newcomers, who finished ahead of Mike Clarizio and Jon Jones earlier this month. Brunette and Valaitis replace Clarizio and Bill Osterndorf, who did not seek reelection. Nancy Zaborowski, who replaced Osterndorf as the Board's president late last year, was the unanimous choice to be president for another term. Bernard Shaw was unanimously chosen to serve another team as vice president, as was Larson as clerk. TJ Anderson won a 4-3 vote over Stephanie Richter to retain …
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
The Whitnall School Board results were not announced until early Wednesday morning, but Eileen Valaitis and Quin Brunette were happy to see their names at the top.
It was a late night, but for Eileen Valaitis, it proved to be worth the wait. Making her first run for the Whitnall School Board, the Hales Corners resident unofficially won Tuesday’s election. But Valaitis almost went to bed Tuesday not knowing the outcome. After the Village of Hales Corners reported its results shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday, Valaitis and the other contenders waited until nearly 11:30 p.m. for Greenfield’s. Franklin's results didn't come in until just before 1 a.m. Wednesday. “It was a late, late night,” Valaitis said. “I was just about to give up, but I checked one more time and saw the final results.” Valaitis unofficially won with 1,568 votes. Also claiming a seat was Greenfield’s Quin Brunette with 1,515. Franklin’s …
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Whitnall School District
5000 S 116th St, Greenfield, WI
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Thursday, March 29, 2012
The candidates discussed myriad topics days in advance of the April 3 election, including the 2012-13 calendar concerns and the district's communications.
Communication between the Whitnall School District and district parents and citizens must improve before the relationship between them deteriorates beyond repair. That was the message four candidates vying for two Whitnall School Board seats shared Wednesday at a candidate forum days ahead of the April 3 spring election. Incumbent Mike Clarizio and challengers Quin Brunette, Jon D. Jones and Eileen Marie Valaitis answered questions for more than 90 minutes in the district’s community room in front of about two dozen people. It was one of their last chances to sway voters’ decisions. All four candidates expressed concerns about messages reaching parents and citizens, and pointed at the district’s 2012-13 calendar issue as a prime example of…
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Whitnall School District
5000 S 116th St, Greenfield, WI
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Saturday, March 24, 2012
Two Whitnall School Board seats are available in the April 3 election. Find out why the four candidates are running, how long they've lived in the district and what they hope to change if elected.
Four Whitnall School Board candidates are vying for two seats in the April 3 election. One seat belongs to former board president Bill Osterndorf, who is not on the ballot. 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. 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…
42.954073
-88.057872
Whitnall School District
5000 S 116th St, Greenfield, WI
/articles/meet-your-whitnall-school-board-candidates
1567424
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Tuesday, January 3, 2012
The Greenfield School Board race has a third candidate with the filing deadline quickly approaching.
UPDATED: 10:25 a.m. Jan. 3 There will be a shakeup on the Greenfield School Board where as of this week, the number of non-candidates equaled the number of candidates. Both Julie Rome and Audrey Ellison, two longtime board members up for re-election, have filed non-candidacy papers and will not seek another term. Rome, who has been a board member for the last 12 years, including nine as the board’s clerk, said it was a difficult decision, but a new job would have made it difficult for her to execute her duties as a School Board member Rome said helping the district build a new high school was one of her highlights as a board member, but the annual handing out of diplomas also ranked high. “It is something only other members will ever …
Friday, December 2, 2011
Bill Osterndorf stepped down as president Nov. 21, and will not seek re-election to the board this spring.
Updated: 1:50 p.m. Nov. 30 The Whitnall School Board has a new president, and come this spring, it will have at least one new member. Bill Osterndorf, one of two incumbents whose terms are set to expire in April, has filed his non-candidacy papers and will not seek re-election for a third term. "When I originally ran, I said I'd serve two terms and then give other people a turn to serve," Osterndorf said. "I think there are people that can be effective board members over a very long period of time, but frankly, I think there is value in bringing new perspectives to the board." Osterndorf has been a board member since 2006 and had been the board president since April 2009 before stepping down at a board meeting Nov. 21. Vice president Nancy…
42.954073
-88.057872
Whitnall School District
5000 S 116th St, Greenfield, WI
/articles/whitnall-school-board-president-will-not-seek-reelection
1567424
/locations/5910103
FranklinParent
10:17 am on Wednesday, March 27, 2013
This isn't rocket science. If he can't come up with a simple statement regarding this, it makes one wonder what else isn't be properly handled. It seems to me his words to parents were chosen very carefully, noting he didn't receive the "criminal complaint" until after the media reported on this issue. Here's all he had to say when he learned of the arrest, which was obviously prior to when he … more ›