WAUPUN — Karen Gibbs and Jodi Schultz won their seats on the Waupun Board of Education this week following the election held Tuesday.
The two seats up for election were an at-large seat, and the seat representing the City of Fox Lake and Townships of Fox Lake and Westford. The incumbent for the at-large seat decided not to run for office this year, leaving it open for Karen Gibbs and Stephen Chené. The other seat was between incumbent Jodi Schultz and challenger Rebecca L. Doessler Mersch.
Karen Gibbs received a total 1,452 votes for the at-large seat, beating Stephen Chené with a total of 548.
Incumbent Jodi Schultz received 1,201 votes, beating Rebecca L. Droessler Mersch with 549.
The results were certified at a meeting held Thursday morning.
“I felt very called to this role, and I appreciate all the support from the community,” Gibbs said about her victory. “Everyone has been reaching out and I’m excited to get to work.”
Gibbs said that she will be attending CESA6 training classes for new members to school boards and hopes to quickly get caught up on what the Waupun School Board is currently working on.
“I’m going to go to the trainings that they suggest and get to know my fellow board members even better and get to work on a positive impact in our school district,” she said. “I’m going to continue to work on supporting the staffing that’s going on, from Ag, tech, to nursing, and have a better understanding to dig deep into the budget into ways that can continue to market our wonderful School District. I feel there’s a lot of opportunities that we’re missing out on in telling our story.”
Gibbs also plans to continue her work in the Waupun FFA and Agriculture Department, as a member of the FFA Alumni group that’s been looking to support the current program in the schools.
Gibbs will be seated at the next Board of Education meeting later this month.
Last week Katrina Pokorny resigned from the Waupun School Board due to moving out of district, leaving a vacancy for the seat representing the Townships of Burnett, Chester, Oakfield, Springvale, and Waupun.
