WAUPUN — The 2023 Wisconsin Spring Election will be held on April 4th, 2023 and will include two open seats for the Waupun Area School District Board of Education. Waupun Pioneer News reached out to the three candidates running for the seats.
The Waupun Area Board of Education is made up of seven members who are elected to three year terms. Two seats are up for election in 2023, both representing the City of Waupun on the Board of Education. Voters will choose two of the three candidates on the ballot.
The three candidates running in the School Board election are incumbents Stephen Chene and Jennie B. Patrykus, and challenger Dustin Gassner.
Steve Chene is the current president of the Board, and was first elected in 2020 after serving the remainder of a term after the previous member resigned due to falling ill. Chene is a retired teacher who first moved permanently to Waupun in 2010 after teaching theater at UW Whitewater.
“My heart and soul is in teaching,” Chene told Pioneer News. “Teaching is my calling, and to be on the school board I was able to stay in the industry.”
Chene also served as the former president of the Education Foundation of Waupun, but stepped away from the position due to being chosen as new president of the School Board. Chene also serves as the Vice Chair of CESA6, an educational service agency that operates out of Oshkosh.
Jennie B. Patrykus is currently the longest serving member of the Waupun Board of Education, having been first elected in 2014 and served as Board Clerk for her last two terms. Patrykus and her family have lived in Waupun since 1996 with all five of their children attending the Waupun Area School District. While Patrykus is a Registered Nurse by trade, she currently serves as Assistant Children’s Ministry Director at Edgewood Community Church in Waupun.
“I’m a big believer in the quality of life of a smaller community, and my family and I enjoy very much the many different activities and events that are a part of our city of Waupun, and have been blessed to develop life-long friendships here,” Patrykus said in a press release.
Patrykus explained that when she first ran for School Board she did not have any agenda items she wanted to change, but wanted to be a part of her childrens’ education and help improve the District as a whole. Over her years she’s developed strong relationships with the teachers and members of the community, as well as developing the experience necessary for her role.
“Looking back, I, as I believe most people, did not have a grasp on what it takes to run a school district,” Patrykus said. “It has been, and continues to be, a huge learning experience. That experience will be extremely valuable, as I seek my fourth term. I have learned so much about the legislative process, both state and federal regulations that affect us, public school funding, etc. I also have learned a lot about best practices in teaching techniques and approaches, in order to educate our kids, which is our clear priority and mandate; to teach our young ones to the absolute best of our ability.”
Dustin Gassner is a relative new-comer to the City of Waupun, having moved to Waupun from Lomira about five years ago. While Gassner doesn’t have any previous experience in the education system, he said that he wanted to be more involved in his children’s education.
“This is all kind of new to me, I’m throwing myself in head-first,” Gassner told WPN. “These kids are our future and it’s important that we are involved in their education.”
Gassner emphasized the importance of keeping students in school and learning without unnecessary interruptions from further mandates or lockdowns.
“I’m standing for the kids and standing for the future,” Gassner said. “You can trust me to make the right decisions to further your kids in school. To use common sense, to say what I think is true even if it goes against the grain.”
The School Board election will be on the ballot for the 2023 Spring Election, which will take place on April 4th. Individuals interested in finding out more information about where they will vote and which races they will be voting in can be found at https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/.
