Franklin School Board candidates talk teacher retention, classroom behavior, ahead of election

Six candidates are running April 2 for three seats on the Franklin School Board.

Angela Bier, Maqsood Khan and Ann Sepersky are the three incumbents up for election this year. They are being challenged by Jaclyn Gaffney, Angela Kallay and Jon Peccarelli. A seventh candidate, Jay Pereira, was eliminated in the Feb. 20 primary election.

The top three vote-getters win the seats, with each receiving three-year terms. All six candidates have children who attend Franklin schools.

Issues related to teacher retention and recruitment are top of mind for Franklin candidates. There were 42 resignations and nine retirements of certified staff last spring in Franklin schools, or a turnover rate of about 16%, according to a statement from the district.

Angela Bier (incumbent)

Past political experience: Franklin Board of Education

Community involvement: Franklin Educational Foundation, volunteer; Franklin Historical Society; Whelan school teacher; St. Thomas of Canterbury, altar guild member and choir member; Forte Theatre Company, board president; Door County Published Authors Collective, treasurer and member; library presenter of books, writing and genealogy; pet therapy volunteer with Obi (double doodle)

Occupation: Former pediatrician; author

Contact info: 414-477-0976, [email protected]

Website: angelabierfps.com

A former pediatrician turned author, incumbent Angela Bier said the Franklin School Board's recent work to hire a superintendent has ushered in a culture change in the district she wants to continue supporting.

"I would like to continue to be a part of encouraging that culture change, and then hope to see it bear fruit," she said, referencing priorities like improving student test scores, better recruiting and retaining teachers and developing a public long-range facilities plan.

Franklin should invest more in classroom-level supports, decision-making power and pay for teachers, she said, to increase recruitment and retention.

"I want our teachers to not only be highly qualified and effective, but I want them to feel like they are working for a district that cares for them, both personally and professionally," Bier said.

Franklin is lucky to be a growing district, she said. The board's role is to help decide which buildings to keep and update — and which ones not to — to avoid wasting money on upkeep of spaces that are past their prime. Indoor athletic facilities and career and technical education spaces in particular are are too small, she said.

As an author, Bier said she wants to act as an advocate for literacy in Wisconsin at the state level. She's also passionate about increased funding for public eduation, especially for special education.

Bier said her understanding of the role of a school board, especially in how it relates to the school district, sets her apart from other candidates. Boards function best with clear priorities, goals and policies, she said; their role is to hire good people, then "let them do the work" they were hired to do.

Jaclyn Gaffney

Past political experience: Member of Franklin Public Schools Key Communicators Group

Community involvement: Franklin Lacrosse Club, board president and girls coach; voting citizen; volunteer at local school and community events

Occupation: Global senior risk analyst

Contact info: https://bit.ly/JaclynGaffneyforSchoolBoard

First-time candidate Jaclyn Gaffney enrolled her two elementary kids in schools in Franklin, her hometown, for an in-person school experience during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I realized how passionate I was about the community, and the kids, and the decisions that districts are faced with," she said. Now, with a run for the board, she's advocating for unified, clear behavioral expectations and follow-through from the district related to related to safety and order in the classroom. She's also focused on improved academics, teacher support and retention, and fiscal responsibility.

Gaffney said she wants to see clearer behavioral expectations and consequences for students who act out in the classroom, as well as more transparency from the district about its plans to address behavior. A lack of discipline in the classroom, she said, is contributing to teacher turnover.

As a lacrosee coach, Gaffney said she knows Franklin's athletics facilities are too small to fit current needs. She connects big-picture questions about facilities planning to those about budgeting.

"I think all of this comes with fiscal responsibility wrapped around it, because I think we are in a city where we pay high taxes. I think there is a portion of the community that is feeling like, 'What are we getting for those taxes?'" she said.

Gaffney said she values parents' rights to make decisions about their kids' education. Related to state-level K-12 policies, she said she believes in funding for programs like open enrollment and special education and knows districts benefit from state and federal funding.

"However, I want the decisions as to whether we accept or seek out funding to be need, not money-, motivated, and in alignment with the district's plan and vision," Gaffney said.

Angela Kallay

Past political experience: Bachelor's degree in political science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2003; College Republicans at UW-Madison; intern for Republican Party of Wisconsin, Rep. Glenn Grothman

Community involvement: Southwood Glen PTA; Franklin Youth Boys Basketball Board, volunteer; Franklin Jr. Sabers girls volleyball fifth- and sixth-grade team, coach; Franklin Gridiron Club; South Suburban Chamber of Commerce

Occupation: Broker-owner, Benefit Realty; co-owner, Advance Title & Closing; co-owner, A3 Travel Group with Dream Vacations

Contact info: [email protected]; (414) 412-4088

Website:  www.facebook.com/AngelaKallayForFPS

Although she's long considered running for a school board seat, first-time candidate Angela Kallay decided to do it this election cycle in response to her struggles to find support from the district for one of her children. She also said, attending board meetings, there was not enough back-and-forth discussion or questions asked on agenda items by board members.

Kallay referenced issues like an "unhealthy" school environment as well as classroom behavior management and bullying. Due to teacher turnover, she said there are fewer experienced teachers in Franklin to handle classroom issues as they arise.

"But I would say it goes further, in that, 'Are we doing the things that we need to do to make sure that children who are making environments unsafe are getting appropriate consequences? How are we dealing with these things on that one-on-one level with students?'" Kallay said.

Current high school facilities are not reflective of the "standards and expectations" of the district, taxpayers or families, Kallay said, referring to upgrades needed to make certain facilities ADA compliant and expand the gym and pool. Another point to consider, she said, is that lack of investment in district facilities today could lead to lowered property values in the future.

She said, given her two decades of experience as a Realtor, she knows that people moving into Franklin choose the area because of the schools. But she said she "expected more" from the district.

Kallay said she is running as nonpartisan in the school board race, but also identified herself as a conservative. That's something she said is important to voters. She said there are no state-level policy issues that she's invested in.

Maqsood Khan (incumbent)

Past political experience: Franklin School Board

Community involvement: Participated in July 4 parade and Franklin Night Out; attended events hosted by South Suburban Chamber of Commerce; graduation ceremonies of middle and high school students.

Occupation: Gastroenterologist

Contact info: [email protected]

Website: khanforFranklinschools.com

Incumbent Maqsood Khan says he's running for a second term on the Franklin School Board to continue ongoing work on teacher retention and facilities planning, among other priorities. A gastroenterologist, Khan said his experience in leadership in the medical profession sets him apart from candidates. He wants to act as a "liaison" between Franklin administration and the community during a second term.

"(Given) the needs of the needs of the school district, I felt the need to continue on the school board," Khan said.

Khan said he's proud to have supported the district's "Better Place to Work Task Force" on teacher retention, and wants to see the district invest in professional development opportunities, mentorship programs and fair pay for teachers.

He also wants to put a focus on academic achievement, and said he's proud to have advocated for now-implemented changes to Franklin's grading policy.

Khan stressed his commitment to fiscal responsibility, and, as board treasurer, said he's proud to have contributed to a balanced budget. At the state level, Khan said he's concerned that reimbursement rates for special education are too low to cover actual costs of running programs.

Related to facilities planning, he said it's important for community members to understand why money is needed and how it's being spent, whether for repairs or new schools.

"We have to continue to work to help the community understand that. If we don't (do that work) on our end, that leaves a lot of mistrust from the community perspecitve," Khan said. "I definitely want to work on having a transparent, efficient, open-minded board."

Jon Peccarelli

Past political experience: None

Community involvement: First student representative on the Franklin School District Strategic Planning Team (June 1993); SecureFutures (formerly Make A Difference Wisconsin), volunteer classroom presenter beginning in 2008 at several high schools; Franklin Little League girls softball, volunteer coach; Franklin Recreation Department youth basketball, volunteer coach

Occupation: Information technology, various roles, including leadership, with same same company since 1997

Email: [email protected]

Website: voteforpeccarelli.com

A first-time candidate, Peccarelli said his campaign revolves around "raising expectations" about issues of classroom behavioral management, transparency and data, and student academic performance.

Although every incident is unique and behavioral issues will arise in any school, Peccarelli stressed that he sees a pattern of poor behavior across schools and families' experiences. On his campaign website, Peccarelli refers to student-to-student contact and "aggressive" behavior, like throwing objects, especially in elementary schools.

"This is the same type of event happening over and over again, and not making enough changes to what's going on for other students to see that there's any change," he said. "The students don't necessarily feel safe, after awhile, when those (disruptions) continue to occur."

He wants to see a stronger response to classroom-level issues by administration, as well as more support for teachers. Unaddressed issues with student behavior, he said, are contributing to teacher turnover.

"We have five elementary schools. If a teacher at one finds something that's really working well, and has really seen a big improvement, we need to get that applied to the rest of the schools. I don't really feel like we do a great job at that, today," he said.

Peccarelli works in information technology. He wants the school board and Franklin administration to put a stronger focus on using data, and measurable goals, to address behavioral issues and set goals for raising kids' test scores.

"My leadership style is to use not only data to make decisions, but to engage with others to understand that's truly going on," he said. "That's something I regularly do, and I think from a board standpoint, that's something that would be very useful."

Ann Sepersky (incumbent)

Past political experience: Franklin School Board

Community involvement: Franklin United Music Parents, current co-president; Ben Franklin PTO, past presudent; Franklin Parent Advocates for Gifted Education, past co-chair

Occupation: Registered nurse

Contact info: Phone: 414-588-1574; email: [email protected]

Website: tinyurl.com/voteforann

A registered nurse and incumbent, Sepersky said what sets her apart from other candidates is her long-term experience with the district in various roles, beginning as a classroom volunteer in 2009. She became involved with board work in 2018 in advocating for changes to a policy on class sizes.

"I understand the inner workings of the district and how all the pieces fit together. I think it's really important that a school board candidate not come in with just one issue that they're really passionate about, because there's so many more things that happen in a district beyond just a single issue," she said.

Sepersky said she's proud of what she described as the board's work on increasing communication between the Franklin district and community. Hiring a new superintendent, maintaining a stable tax rate, and beginning long-range facilities planning are all accomplishments she pointed to from her recent years on the board.

Looking ahead to a second term, she would like to focus on teacher retention as well as increasing student achievement. She mentioned achievement gaps among students learning English as a second language, students with disabilities and others.

"Each student has a different need," she said. "We don't take a one-size-fits-all approach to education, we're going to meet each student with what they need."

She said one of the biggest challenges facing Wisconsin K-12 schools, including Franklin, is the level of financal support from the state Legislature. It's difficult for a district to plan in the long-term and address achievement gaps when the state plans budgets for K-12 education in two-year cycles, she said.

"Schools are being asked to do more, but without, necessarily, getting the additional support (from the state)," she said.

Cleo Krejci covers higher education, vocational training and retraining as a Report For America corps member based at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact her at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @_CleoKrejci. Support her work with a tax-deductible donation atbit.ly/RFADonation.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Teacher turnover is top of mind for Franklin School Board candidates