South Winn school board elections Sept. 8

Zakary Kriener

News Writer
zkriener@fayettepublishing.com

Polls will be open for the 2015 school elections beginning at noon on Tuesday, Sept. 8, for South Winneshiek Community School District.

The polling location for South Winneshiek school district voters will be Calmar Lutheran Church. The polls will officially close at 8 p.m.

There are three seats up for grabs in the district this year, two at-large positions and the District Two director.

Three current school board members are running for re-election. Jenny Johnson will be running unopposed for the director of District Two, while Bob Busch and Don Schroeder will be vying to retain their at-large positions.

A third candidate for an at-large position will be Bridget Adam. Voters will vote for two of the three candidates for this position.

Bridget Adam

Bridget Adam, a former teacher in the South Winneshiek school district, is running for one of the two vacant at-large positions this year.

Adam, along with her husband, Scott, and three children, Chance, Chase, and Caylie, live in Calmar. All three of her children are currently enrolled within the district.

While Adam was unavailable for comment at press time, her Facebook campaign page notes that her main goal is to increase the level of communication among the school board, teachers, and parents. 

Bob Busch

Bob Busch will also be challenging for one of the at-large positions this year. He has served on the South Winneshiek school board for eight years and will be looking for a third term.

Bob and his wife, Sharon, live near Festina. They have raised three children, Scott, Michelle, and Travis, who have all graduated from South Winneshiek High School.

“South Winneshiek is in a transition period,” shared Busch. “We need to work on a plan and decide where we want to go as a district. As things begin to stabilize, we (as a district) need to keep our finances in line and continue to improve the quality of education for our students.”

Don Schroeder

Don Schroeder is also vying for one of the at-large positions within the district in 2015. Schroeder has served four years on the South Winneshiek school board.

Don lives in Calmar with his wife, Karen. Together, they have raised three children, Jordan, Nicole, and Jared, who have all graduated from South Winneshiek High School.

“I firmly believe in the process of striving to provide the highest quality educational and social environment for our students while working on a goal of fiscal responsibility for the district,” noted the candidate. “I would consider it an honor to be re-elected to serve the district and to work on these initiatives.”

Jenny Johnson

Jenny Johnson is running unopposed for the District Two position. She was appointed to the position in the last election and carries two years of experience with the South Winneshiek school board.

Jenny lives in Calmar with her husband, Marty Faldet, where they have three children. Nathan Maloney and Mac Faldet are graduates of South Winneshiek High School, while youngest son Noah is currently a sophomore.

“The common response for candidates is to ensure quality education for our youth,” said Johnson in regard to her goals. “I think we need to maintain that, but we need to encourage the highlights of our community to help allow the district grow and continue to attract people to South Winneshiek.”

Following the closing of polls, a county canvass of votes will occur on Friday, Sept. 11. Written requests for a recount must be filed by Monday, Sept. 14, with the deadline for a notice to contest the election set for Thursday, Oct. 1.