On Tuesday, Feb. 18, Wisconsin will hold its spring non-partisan primary election. Voters will go to the polls to narrow the field of candidates, in various elections, that will appear on the ballot of the spring non-partisan election, to take place on Tuesday, April 1.

Locally, voters will cast primary election votes for candidates for the North Crawford School Board, and for the State Superintendent of Public Instruction. In the state Superintendent election, voters will vote for one of three candidates on the ballot. Those candidates are incumbent Jill Underly, and challengers Jeff Wright, Sauk Prairie Schools Superintendent, and education consultant Brittany Kinser.

In the North Crawford School Board primary election on February 18, voters will vote for two of five candidates on the ballot. The primary election will narrow the field to four candidates, whose names will appear on the April 1 spring election ballot. Then, on April 1, voters will vote for two candidates to fill two, three-year terms on the school board.

In the running for seats on the North Crawford School Board are incumbents Jerry Coleman and Charissa Richter, and challengers Jesse Swenson, Melany Jelinek and Tyler Olson.

Jerry Coleman

Incumbent school board member Jerry Coleman was first appointed to the school board in 2021, and then elected to serve a three-year term in April of 2022. In May of 2024, Coleman was elected vice president of the school board. Coleman serves on the Personnel, Curriculum, Budget and Audit committees, and as the district’s delegate to CESA-3.

Coleman is a lifelong dairy farmer in the Town of Clayton, which he says is “not so much a career as a way of life.” He and his wife Katrina Johnson, who leads ‘Sources of Strength,’ a best-practices suicide prevention program in local schools, have two children who attend North Crawford. Coleman holds a business degree from UW-Platteville.

“As a dairy farmer, I know how to deal with limited budgets, and the importance of making the right choices,” Coleman explained. “It’s one thing to have to make those choices in my private life, and another to make them in the public sector, where the choices the school board makes affect the community, the taxpayers, and students and staff at the school.”

Coleman emphasized that he grew up in this community, and says “I know the values of this community, and understand its strengths and weaknesses.”

“We have a lot of poverty in our area, which I’ve experienced first hand, and this affects our families and students in multiple ways, from housing to employment,” Coleman said. “All of these challenges in our community become challenges for our school district.”

Coleman says he is seeking re-election to the school board to build on the successes the district has achieved in the last three-to-four years.

“The referendums passed by the district voters in November of 2022 have been huge successes,” Coleman said. “We now have a strong building, and I want to help continue the board’s work to build the staff and the school community. It has been an honor to serve on a board that has done a tremendous job.”

As far as key issues facing the district, Coleman discussed student English Language Arts (ELA) and Math scores, and staff retention as two important issues he wants the school board to focus on.

“With our new ELA and math curriculums, we have seen significant improvements in student scores on standardized tests, but we still have to get better,” Coleman said. “This is my number one objective, and I want to see the district give the staff and the administration the tools they need to continue to improve.”

Coleman said that for him, staff retention is also a key priority, and he wants to see the district make the best use of its limited resources.

“I have lots of faith in our community to make the best choices, and I’m honored that my neighbors and community have invested a lot of trust in me – I know the school board’s decisions aren’t always popular, but as a board member, I’ve always acted in the best interests of our community,” Coleman said. “We have a great staff and an amazing administration, that has done a great job of working with kids who have special needs, and in facing the challenges the district has experienced.”

Charissa Richter

Incumbent school board member Charissa Richter was first elected to the school board in April of 2022 for a three-year term. Richter sits on the Personnel, Budget and Policy committees of the board, and serves as the district’s correspondent.

Richter works as an occupational therapist at Gundersen in Boscobel, and lives with her husband Jimmy, and children Cecil and Bernadette in Gays Mills. Her son Cecil attends North Crawford in the third grade, and her infant Bernadette receives care at the North Crawford Daycare Center. She earned a degree from Xavier University in Cincinnati in occupational therapy.

 Richter grew up in a small town in central Ohio, and after graduating Xavier University, moved to Colorado with her husband Jimmy, where she began her career as an occupational therapist. Her husband Jimmy started their retail shop, Little Boxes Vintage in Colorado.

“About four years ago, we moved to Gays Mills with our son, Cecil, and settled into this welcoming community. We opened our shop, Little Boxes Vintage, in the mercantile in Gays Mills and I started a position at Gundersen Hospital in Boscobel, continuing my occupational therapy career,” Richter explained. “We believe it is important to stay active in our community, and are both active members with the Gays Mills Lions Club and Connect Communities Gays Mills.”

Richter said that experiences that have helped prepare her for service on the North Crawford School Board include time spent in grad school, working as an occupational therapist, and participation in multiple community groups.

“I've learned how to listen, collaborate with others, and critically analyze situations to thoroughly consider a complex situation prior to making a decision,” Richter said. “These are all important skills to have as a school board member.”

Richter says she is highly motivated to continue as a member of the school board, and feels the board has accomplished a lot over the last few years.

“I'm eager to continue with that momentum. The board has a vision, and set goals to increase academic scores, improve communication with the community, retain staff, and maintain our building, all while working within our budget,” Richter explained. “I feel we have made nice headway with these things, but there is still much work to be done. I believe that I can make a positive difference for our students, staff, and community while serving in this role, and would be honored to continue in this capacity.”

“There are always so many wonderful things happening at the school. It's exciting to watch it all unfold,” Richter said. “The staff and administrators do such a wonderful job of seeking out opportunities to improve what the school has to offer our students. I think it helps the staff to know they have a school board that supports their efforts.”

 Richter says she is looking forward to the school expanding what is offered through the school forest. She pointed out that the district still has a capital improvement list to chip away at to keep the grounds in good working order.

“We will also be looking at staff surveys to guide us in our staff retention efforts, and we are always looking at academics as a high priority. We want to ensure that students have excellent curriculum, and the teachers are equipped and supported to utilize it well.”

Richter says that a new Wisconsin biennial budget will be upcoming, and she is hopeful that the state will increase the funding allocated for public schools.

“Either way, we will need to keep a close eye on our budget to ensure we are good stewards of our funds, to best utilize the resources we have,” Richter said.

Jesse Swenson

Jesse Swenson, although not currently an incumbent candidate, has served on the school board multiple times over the years. She has also served as a coach for the track team, is a North Crawford graduate, and has sent her children to the school as well.

“We are a family of North Crawford graduates, operating our beef operation on our sesquicentennial farm in Star Valley,” Swenson explained. “My husband Kurt owns and operates Crooked Creek Construction, and our three children have all been extremely active students and athletes at North Crawford.”

Swenson cites her preparation for serving on the school board as “being involved with North Crawford throughout my life, be it as a student, a volunteer, a coach, a school board member and asa parent. These experiences give me perspective on every aspect of what our district needs from our school board.”

Swenson says she is motivated to run for the school board because of the need for greater transparency for our district members.

“I think a school board can forget who they're representing at times,” Swenson said. “School boards need to represent the entire district, not just their interests or beliefs.”

Swenson says the most important issue facing the district is teacher retention and attracting new, quality teachers.

“I'd like to see teachers, coaches, etc paid more,” Swenson said. “If elected, my priorities would be exactly that. Let's reevaluate where the money is going, and pay staff more.”

Melany Jelinek

Melany Jelinek is the youngest of nine children, and grew up on a dairy farm between Seneca and Eastman.  She married Brad Jelinek in 2001, and they are both Seneca graduates. They have six children - Brent, Beau, Darci, Kaylee, June and Briggs.

“I had an in-home daycare from 2001–2008. In 2009 we moved to a farm in the North Crawford School District, and milked 150-200 goats until 2021,” Jelinek said. “I recently started my own painting and cleaning business, and my husband is employed by Fowler and Hammer, and works in LaCrosse.”

Jelinek says that having children in the school district for 14 years, working at the school for five years as a paraprofessional, along with coaching at North Crawford, have all given her plenty of hands-on life experiences to be prepared to serve on the North Crawford School Board.

“I became motivated to run for the school board after attending numerous school board meetings, and speaking with other concerned parents, community members, and North Crawford School District employees, both former and current,” Jelinek said. “We need more board members that will ask the tough questions and do their due diligence at looking into recommendations that are brought to the board before voting on them.”

Jelinek pointed out that the school already has a strategic plan for 2024-2029 on the school website addressing areas of current issues. It includes student achievement and growth, stakeholder engagement and communication, staff recruitment and retention and fiscal responsibility.

“Having the plan in place is the first step. If elected I would do my part to hold those accountable and make sure we are following through with the plan,” Jelinek said.

Jelinek cites improving the education of all the students that would prepare them for life after high school as a priority.

“Whether they choose a four-year college, technical college, a trade school or joining the workforce, I want them to be prepared,” Jelinek said. “Other priorities would be listening to the concerns of parents and community members,  along with looking into our staff turnover rate and open enrollment out numbers.”

“Ultimately, I truly want a positive learning environment for the students at the North Crawford School District. In order for that to happen, parents need to feel heard and our staff needs to feel supported. Raising responsible, respectful, reliable, resilient students is the ultimate goal. They are our future.”

Tyler Olson

Tyler Olson grew up and has spent his whole life in Gays Mills. He graduated from North Crawford in 2014, and continued his education in Platteville. He has a seven-year-old son, who is currently obsessed with “everything Mario.”

“The biggest thing that has prepared me to serve on the school board is my experiences as a teacher,” Olson said. “I believe that I will work for the teachers and students to provide them with the best possible environment to learn and teach. Being in the school for multiple years, I understand what both the teachers and students want. I believe that I can help make our school a better place.”

Olson said his motivation for running for the school board is the students and the teachers. His sister and girlfriend currently work at North Crawford, plus he has family throughout the school.

“I want it to be the best experience for all who walk through North Crawford,” Olson said. “One of the bigger issues that I see is staff retention, and making North Crawford a place where people want to stay. I have ideas that will make our school even more desirable.”

Olson said his top priorities will be student and teacher focused, finding ways to help all achieve the goals that they are wanting to achieve. 

“I want to provide opportunities for all. Advocating for teachers pay, and providing more support and learning opportunities for the students,” Olson explained.