8 Running for Gibraltar School Board

Voters will be asked to pick six of eight candidates on the ballot for three Gibraltar School District seats during the Feb. 16 primary election.

One of those, Alan Kroll, has had unforeseen family matters arise and is no longer actively seeking the seat. His name will still appear on the ballot, however.

Voters will be asked to vote for three of the eight candidates during the February election. The six candidates with the highest number of votes will move to the ballot for the April 6 spring election. 

There are elections in all Door County municipalities this year and in all five school districts, but only the Gibraltar race drew enough candidates to warrant a primary election. There is also a primary statewide for State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Of the three Gibraltar board seats up for reelection, one incumbent, Angela Sherman, is running for reelection. The two who are not running for reelection are Lynnea Hickey, who served 12 years on the board; and Mark Weborg, who served 21 years. 

Though voters will see eight candidates on the ballot, Kroll is no longer pursuing the seat.

“As a lifelong learner and trainer, I look for opportunities to give back to the community,” Kroll said. “Helping our students achieve success in life as a member of the Gibraltar School Board would be wonderful. Unfortunately, due to family reasons, I won’t be able to continue the race and ask you to please vote for one or more of the other candidates who best align with your vision for the Gibraltar School District.”

To help voters determine whom they’ll vote for, we sent the candidates four questions and gave them an overall word limit. Below you will find their answers.

Carrie Becker

Carrie Becker, 46, is a Baileys Harbor resident. She works as the membership manager of Horseshoe Bay Golf Club. She has a husband, Mike; and is the mother of two and the stepmother of two, with a fifth-grader at Gibraltar and another child starting this fall. This is her first time running for an elective office.

Peninsula Pulse: What is your primary motivation for running for a Gibraltar School District Board seat?

Carrie Becker: Over the last 10 months, it’s been a struggle to not have a voice in the decisions that have directly affected our family and those families around us. This is why I’ve decided to run for Gibraltar School Board. I feel it’s important to have our children’s needs be the first priority.

PP: Do you agree with how the Gibraltar School District has operated under the pandemic? Please explain specifically what you supported and what you did not, and what you would have done differently.

CB: The struggle that Gibraltar Schools had finding a way back into the classroom this past fall was a frustration for me. I felt they planned well and were able to meet the CDC’s guidelines, Door County Health Department guidance and implemented everything, plus some, when they added extra precautions like the filtration system, but still failed to offer any in-person learning for months.

They had given parents and teachers an option if in-person learning or instruction was not something they wished to risk for their families, which I support. However, I felt they continued to ignore those students that were struggling with the various issues of remote learning, as my son was. The back-and-forth indecisiveness and refusal to reevaluate the requirements of screen time when in-person wasn’t happening would have been something I pushed to resolve.

PP: What are your strengths, and how will those benefit the school district?

CB: Throughout my career in sales, I have had to be organized, responsive and willing to work for the best offering by doing my research and listening to the client’s needs. I feel my relaxed sales approach has helped in many aspects of my life, including becoming a better parent. I now hope to bring these skills with me, if I am elected to the school board.

PP: What’s the district’s most important challenge, and what are your ideas for solving it?

CB: I feel over time, and especially during the pandemic, the district has continued to be focused on its accolades rather than the needs of the students. I would like to see district standards be evaluated and more adaptable as needs arise instead of being focused on being at the top.

Amie Carriere

Amie Carriere, 40, is a resident of Baileys Harbor. She works as a cashier at Main Street Market. She has a husband, Craig; and two school-aged daughters. This is her first time running for an elective office.

Peninsula Pulse: What is your primary motivation for running for a Gibraltar School District Board seat?

Amie Carriere: My primary motivation is my own family and all the families that attend Gibraltar; my daughters have both attended Gibraltar since kindergarten and are currently in sixth and ninth grade. Our sole purpose in moving here was for a better education and life for our kids. I want to ensure that our school continues to offer an exceptional education for all children, while preserving our incredible academic as well as extracurricular opportunities. All students need to have their individual needs met in each area. Programs that benefit students should never be cut or reduced to save money or make room for something else.

PP: Do you agree with how the Gibraltar School District has operated under the pandemic? Please explain specifically what you supported and what you did not, and what you would have done differently.

AC: I support having had a solid plan in place to begin with, but I believe as the situation developed, it should have been reevaluated more often and changed as obvious needs arose. The two three-and-a-half-hour-long block periods per day in the secondary school was a decision that I strongly disagreed with. This was not in the best interest of the students and teachers, and it should have been changed. A five-period-per-day schedule would be much more feasible. I also believe that we should have worked with individual students from the beginning and allowed those who truly needed to be there to attend.

PP: What are your strengths, and how will those benefit the school district?

AC: One of my strengths is having a bachelor of arts in elementary education with an early childhood minor. The knowledge that I gained from my college classes and clinical teaching experiences will be a great asset in regard to discussions about teaching and learning. Another strength is that I have been regularly attending school board meetings for over a year now, as well as having been a parent and teacher’s wife in the district for the last 10 years. This is beneficial because I am aware of school issues as well as the workings of the school board.

PP: What’s the district’s most important challenge, and what are your ideas for solving it?  

AC: We need to work on building strong relationships and trust between the students, teachers, staff, parents, community and administration in order for our school to be successful. Every one of them needs to have a voice and feel heard. Administration has to be expected to continuously build relationships with all these stakeholders. They should be in teachers’ classrooms on a consistent basis so they are aware of the teaching and learning that takes place. They will then be more able to make knowledgeable decisions in these areas.

Jamie Christianson

Jamie Christianson, 35, is a resident of Baileys Harbor. He works as the head golf professional at Horseshoe Bay Golf Club. He has a wife, Christine; and two boys who attend Gibraltar. This is his first time running for elective office. 

Peninsula Pulse: What is your primary motivation for running for a Gibraltar School District Board seat?

Jamie Christianson: My primary motivation for running for the Gibraltar Area School Board is to work with a board that is committed to providing the best opportunities for our kids to learn and grow at Gibraltar; to be a support for the staff, retaining our high-quality teachers; and to hold the administration accountable for their actions and the growth of the kids and the staff.

PP: Do you agree with how the Gibraltar School District has operated under the pandemic? Please explain specifically what you supported and what you did not, and what you would have done differently.

JC: I don’t look at the pandemic situation as pass or fail; I look at the situation as what we can learn from the actions that were taken by the school board. I supported the new rollout of our “at-home virtual learning” as an improvement from the spring to fall semesters. I support the teachers and their hard work. I didn’t support the fact that families weren’t given an option at the beginning of this school year for our kids to be in-person learners or virtual learners. I was told it was safer for my kids to be virtual learners. My kids came with me to work and sat in an office where I had over 1,000 visitors Monday through Friday that they encountered every week while the school was shut down.

PP: What are your strengths, and how will those benefit the school district?

JC: My biggest strength is I listen. I take in all sides of the story, and I am willing to work and put forth mutually agreed-upon decisions. Another strength of mine is support: support for the staff, for the kids, for the administration, etc. I have an open-door mentality. The staff needs to know they are supported from the board and that they can come open-minded with any concerns or ideas they may have for Gibraltar.

PP: What is the district’s most important challenge, and what are your ideas for solving it?

JC: Being young to the district, I don’t know all of the history about Gibraltar. I would say the most important challenge is staff retention and staff morale. Our kids build close relationships with their teachers, which is one of the benefits for living in a small community. When those teachers leave displeased, it hurts the entire community. Ideas for change are things I mentioned in question three: Listen to the concerns and ideas of frontline teachers and support them in those ideas. Assured teachers spread confidence to their students.

Cambria Mueller

Cambria Mueller, 35, lives in Egg Harbor. She works as the community advocacy manager at Destination Door County. She has a husband, Mark; and two school-aged sons. She currently serves on the Village of Egg Harbor Plan Commision, and from 2016 to 2018, she served as a trustee on the Egg Harbor Village Board.

Peninsula Pulse: What is your primary motivation for running for a Gibraltar School District Board seat?

Cambria Mueller: I want to be involved in making changes. Good teachers and families are leaving our district, and that cannot continue. We need to offer our students the best education possible, and that starts with a positive district and a school board that is willing to listen and be involved with pursuing new ideas and suggestions.

PP: Do you agree with how the Gibraltar School District has operated under the pandemic? Please explain specifically what you supported and what you did not, and what you would have done differently.

CM: I agree with the shutdown in March, when the entire world was trying to figure out what to do. But in June, the district should have been preparing for both online learning and in-person learning to allow for all scenarios of learning. The school board and administration dragged their feet and were not prepared. The fact that all other Door County schools worked to ensure the option of in-person learning proves it could and should have been done at the start of the school year. Were there obstacles that other schools faced? Absolutely, but none too great to keep them from doing what was best for the students, which was offering in-person learning.

PP: What are your strengths, and how will those benefit the school district?

CM: I’m never afraid to ask a question, even though it may be controversial, because that question sparks conversation, and conversation leads to understanding many different points of view. I’m also a good listener, and hearing what others have to say is essential to me. That’s how we can find common ground.

PP: What’s the district’s most important challenge, and what are your ideas for solving it?

CM: I believe the current challenge for our district is the school board and administration need to listen – listen to our teachers, our students and our families. I feel the divisiveness that was happening pre-COVID has now deepened, and I want to be a part of repairing that divide. As in-school learning continues, I want to help keep it safe and make it an enjoyable environment where our kids can learn and our families feel confident that our district is making good choices on their behalf.

Marc Savard

Marc Savard, 58, is a resident of Liberty Grove. He works as a painting contractor and farmer. He has a wife and four children – two of whom are school-aged – and two grandchildren. He served on the Door County Board of Supervisors for four terms, 2000-08. 

Peninsula Pulse: What is your primary motivation for running for a Gibraltar School District Board seat?

Marc Savard: I am running to work towards getting our school back to normal, teaching in-person, with all school activities available for participation.

PP: Do you agree with how the Gibraltar School District has operated under the pandemic? Please explain specifically what you supported and what you did not, and what you would have done differently.

MS: I do not agree with the way the board has dealt with the pandemic. We should have returned to in-person learning a long time ago, like all the other districts in the county. They have been too focused on the virus, and not enough on the mental, physical and academic health of our students.

PP: What are your strengths, and how will those benefit the school district?

MS: My family has one of the longest ongoing connections with the school. We have had children in the school consecutively for 23 years. And now with grandchildren coming along, we will have family in the school for decades to come. My history with the district gives me a long perspective on what works, what hasn’t and new ideas for the future. I will take my skills of listening and information-gathering first, then working with board members to craft policies and procedures to make the school the best it can be.

PP: What’s the district’s most important challenge, and what are your ideas for solving it?

MS: The biggest challenge is to get our district back on track to normal operation. We have lost a lot of valuable time with too many of our students. It will take time to find them, reconnect with them and get them back to the habit of school. Routine, firm expectations, achievable goals and positive reinforcement will be in high demand as we work to heal the breach in our community of students.   

Erick Schrier

Erick Schrier, 30, is a resident of Egg Harbor. He works as the chief information officer at Door County Medical Center and also as an online business and technology educator for Upper Iowa University. He volunteers at the Door County Medical Center Dental Clinic and recently joined the Crossroads at Big Creek board of directors. This is his first time running for elective office.

Peninsula Pulse: What is your primary motivation for running for a Gibraltar School District Board seat?

Erick Schrier: My motivation for running for the Gibraltar School District Board is to be the voice for our communities and educators. I have a passion for education and want to bring that enthusiasm to our district. I understand the complexity of rural public education. We are constantly challenged with finding ways that we can stretch the dollar, without that coming at the expense of education.   

PP: Do you agree with how the Gibraltar School District has operated under the pandemic? Please explain specifically what you supported and what you did not, and what you would have done differently.

ES: The Gibraltar School District has taken precautions to ensure that students and staff are safe upon returning back to school. This includes physically distancing desks, cleaning high-contact surfaces, updating the HVAC system and having assigned seating on school transportation. While online education is a good workaround for those that may be deemed a close contact, it is not a sustainable solution for long-term education for the students. The difficult aspect to this is the lack of social interaction. My greatest concern to prolonged online education is the barrier to social interaction, impacting student behavioral health and overall wellness. Our students and educational workforce deserve to have a safe, interactive learning and teaching environment.  

PP: What are your strengths, and how will those benefit the school district?

ES: The strengths that I will bring to the Gibraltar School District include financial management, strategic planning and relationship building. We need to remain fiscally responsible to ensure that the youth in our communities continue to receive the education that they deserve for years to come. My experience in planning will help us achieve short- and long-term goals. Our board needs to ensure that positive relationships are maintained and new relationships are built.      

PP: What’s the district’s most important challenge, and what are your ideas for solving it?

ES: Safe education for the students is the priority right now. We need to work closely with our local and state health officials to ensure that we have the latest guidance. We also need to be willing to communicate with other school district leaders on what works and what hasn’t. We need to work on rebuilding trust in our communities. Trust was broken over the past year, and it will take time to regain that trust. Being available in our communities and bringing their voices forward will help build those relationships again. 

Angela Sherman

Angela Sherman is a 37-year-old homemaker with a husband and three young sons. She currently serves on the Gibraltar School Board, having been elected to that position in April 2018. She is an active volunteer within the school – Destination Imagination, theater and in the classroom – and also serves on various district-wide committees.

Peninsula Pulse: What is your primary motivation for running for a Gibraltar School District Board seat?

Angela Sherman: My involvement began when I asked the Town of Gibraltar and school to stop using chemicals on their lawns. The town stopped, and, once elected, the school stopped as well. During this effort, I found ways to become more involved in school business and saw how my bringing a new voice and perspective was beneficial.

PP: Do you agree with how the Gibraltar School District has operated under the pandemic? Please explain specifically what you supported and what you did not, and what you would have done differently.

AS: I supported the threshold plan our district used to begin the school year. The one resounding goal was to provide continual quality education to our students. The threshold plan allowed our district to do that and gain valuable insight on how we could move forward in a new “normal.” As time went on, it became clear that the threshold plan was no longer serving the district, so I proposed removing threshold data and transitioning into a phase-in plan. In making my phase-in proposal, I tried to combine the desires of all groups into a plan that would make most people able to see parts of their opinions reflected in the plan. While the board was split on when to begin that phase-in, the phase-in plan was unanimously accepted. Now I’m tasked with evaluating the details of the plan to ensure that both goals (continuous quality education and low-incidence virus environment) are being met. I will continue to revisit topics as new information is available.

PP: What are your strengths, and how will those benefit the school district?

AS: I am a detail-oriented and organized individual. I spend countless hours preparing for board and committee meetings, including, but not limited to responding to communications, gathering data, creating lists of questions, drafting statements and proofreading.

PP: What’s the district’s most important challenge, and what are your ideas for solving it?

AS: Communication has been an ongoing challenge for our district. I worked to increase communication by turning my school board candidate Facebook page into a board member page where I post agendas, articles shared by different departments of school, important information about the district, and photos/videos/articles highlighting our students. I support continued availability of virtual participation for all board and committee meetings, make myself available to all stakeholders in the district community and continue to look for ways our district can improve current communications as well as new opportunities for sharing information, both publicly and within the school itself.