By Annelise Paczesny, Current Staff
June Kruger is looking to provide a service for the community. She has always been a community-oriented person and wants to give back to West Bend.
Kruger also wants to help the West Bend School Board rightsize the district, especially when it comes to infrastructure. One reason she is running for school board is that she would like to continue moving the district forward and making positive changes for our community.
She has volunteered for many district-related events, such as Biztown. She has been on PTO committees for the schools her children have attended, including Jackson Elementary, Silverbrook Intermediate School, and Badger Middle School. At various times she has served as president, vice-president and treasurer of these committees. Kruger has also served on the West Bend High Schools’ Business and IT Advisory Commitee, and assisted in making personal finance a required course for graduation.
Her favorite thing about the district is the grad walk, because it is a unique tradition that the district participates in and it is a milestone for the seniors and the teachers who had the kids in the past.
Kruger has a husband of 10 years, and has children in the district, including an eighth grader at Badger and a high schooler who just graduated a semester early.
Her favorite local business is Culver’s because she admires their training process for young adults, and the great customer service that she encounters when she visits. She also enjoys volunteering, teaching Sunday School at her local church, reading and watching movies.
How can the district become more safe for students, both physically and mentally?
FULL TRANSCRIPT: Physically, I would say that if there’s not a secure entrance in any of the district buildings, I would say that is front and center for adding physical security. But for the mental security, I feel like helping kids be connected to the community in different ways. There was a recent board meeting, there was talk about how students need five adults in their life to feel connected–four or five–and if it’s the school bus driver, if it’s the custodian, if it’s their favorite teacher, making that student feel comfortable in the classroom and connected is one way to help mentally make the school safer. And then, I think we need to continue to build each other up. Everyone in the community could take lessons on trying to build each other up instead of bringing people down.
What is the greatest challenge the district currently faces? How will you address it?
FULL TRANSCRIPT: I think one of the biggest challenges that our district faces is the fact that we don’t always respect each other. I think we need to use respect and make sure that we are always looking for a win-win situation in all regards, compromise, empathy, stay away from the “I have to win, that means you have to lose” and we need to be cooperative as a board and as a community. So, directly how would I address it is to behave in a professional manner and approach scenarios in that win-win mindset because that’s how we’re going to grow as a community and make decisions collaboratively and respectfully and professionally.
What would you prioritize in the budget that is not currently being prioritized?
FULL TRANSCRIPT: While I’m not familiar with every line item in the budget, I do think that the aging facilities is a concern and that probably needs to be prioritized higher to address immediate concerns as well as look at visionary direction for how we’re going to address aging buildings and make sure that we’re adding secure entrances on the buildings that we keep. But, I do think the facilities need more attention than maybe what it’s getting right now.
Read about the school board candidates at The Current. Five candidates responded to requests for interview by deadline. The school board election is April 4.
(Photo courtesy of June Kruger.)
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