Candidate Profile: Scott Jentsch For New Berlin School Board

NEW BERLIN, WI—The 2021 election is heating up in Wisconsin and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office. Voters will also decide the outcome of state representative, senate seats and local government and school boards.

Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Two people will be elected to the New Berlin School Board in April.

Scott Jentsch of New Berlin hopes to be elected for the New Berlin School Board.

Age (as of Election Day)

52

Position Sought

New Berlin School District School Board Member

Party Affiliation

n/a

Family

Amy (wife, teacher in neighboring school district), Amanda (grad of New Berlin Eisenhower, attending UW-Madison), Lauren (attending New Berlin Eisenhower)

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Bachelors - Electronics Engineering

Occupation

Business Owner - SVJ Designs (32 years)

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

n/a

Campaign website

https://www.scottjforschoolboa...

Why are you seeking elective office?

After years of experience participating in School Board meetings as a member of the public, I can effect greater change by serving on the School Board. Getting involved in making things better is important, and it’s imperative for good people to stand up and serve, especially at the local level.
The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Communications - Effective communication builds trust and draws upon the resources of the entire community.

Without effective communication, the School Board and the School District is working at a disadvantage. Every achievement is less successful. Opportunities for improvement are missed.
Rather than suppress public participation, I want to increase it. Rather than ignore public input, I want to encourage it. When community members see themselves as partners in this process, it allows us to be better than we would be alone.

The School Board needs to improve its communications with the public to make it more understandable and more effective when delivered to an audience that is inundated with information. I would like to work with the District Administration to revise the website and present information on issues (such as the Long-Range Plan), as well as the E-Mail communications that are sent, to make it easier to understand what activities are happening and what opportunities and challenges are being discussed. I would also like to encourage greater public participation in the School Board activities so that we can draw from the strengths of our community members.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I've been attending School Board meetings and every Annual Meeting for 10+ years. I've attended more Board Committee meetings than any other candidate, including the incumbent. My children have experienced every level of education in New Berlin, and I also now have the perspective of how that education translates when attending a major university.

My wife teaches in a nearby School District. This gives me a very good understanding of what it's like to be responsible for 20-30 students on a daily basis. Our experience through every level of New Berlin's education system, we also have connections with staff at every school in the District. I can use those connections to develop strong working relationships with the staff to work together to improve the educational experience for everyone.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

The School Board has failed to respond adequately to a petition submitted in June 2020 by 1,258 students, alumni, parents, and former staff with concerns over the lack of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the School District. Recent comments by the incumbent and another (outgoing) Board member and the ensuing news coverage of those comments, as well as the community response thereafter, make it obvious that we need greater empathy, awareness, and action when it comes to important issues. The School Board needs to set the tone and spearhead those efforts in order for them to be effective.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

The fact that we have been fortunate enough to have gotten through a majority of the school year without a long-term school-wide or district-wide closure speaks to the effort put forth by everyone involved, from students and parents, to teachers, other school staff, and District Administration. Everyone deserves credit for working under unprecedented circumstances and for their efforts to provide students (both in-person and virtual) the best education possible. We also got lucky. It could have gone differently. This goes to show the inaccuracy of using the end result alone to judge the decision process. The right decision could still have been made for the wrong reasons, and that could very easily have had a different outcome.

In July 2020, I addressed the School Board and emphasized the need for safety if we were to return to in-person education, which included a mask mandate for teachers and students. That night, the Board approved a plan that did not include mandatory mask-wearing for students. A week later, the Superintendent added that provision.

The approach that I advocated is the one that the district eventually implemented, and I believe that it is the primary reason for the success of in-person education in the School District of New Berlin.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I want to invest in our schools so that we can ensure a strong future for our School District that will provide an excellent education to our students for many years to come. I believe in getting the most value possible for our money and that responsible financial management benefits us all.
I have been advocating for years to fund our Long-Range Plan better. After years of not funding long-term maintenance projects in the Annual Budget, funding may finally reach adequate levels (if approved for the next budget).

I want to be part of the process that makes sure that happens.
Our current School Board is dysfunctional at times. An effective Board must focus on the mission of the School District and work together to accomplish its goals. I want to use my relationships with the members to help the Board to move forward on the important issues at hand.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I have extensive experience in marketing and communications. I know what it's like for teachers in their classrooms. I have many years of experience attending School Board meetings and discussing issues with the School Board members and the Superintendent. I have attended multiple committee meetings, and communicated with staff to ask questions and learn more about the issues at hand. By using a Growth Mindset, I am open to the ideas of others in conversations, and I use research and facts to arrive at my decisions instead of bias and assumptions.

I have built sets and taken photos for Ike’s theater program, and I have volunteered at many events and extracurricular activities. I have cheered on our students at basketball, soccer, and football games at both Ike and West. I have served as the President of the Eisenhower Band Booster Association for 2 years, Vice-President for 1 year, and have been a pit crew Band parent for 6 years.

In 2012, I helped to inform and organize residents near Elmwood Elementary when an industrial park was planned nearby. We communicated the facts and stopped the expansion,. My efforts led to the city increasing its communications with the public and that area is now two residential subdivisions full of families and a city park is being planned.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Everyone you meet has something to teach you. Listen and learn.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I have heard your concerns about our School District, when it comes to issues such as diversity, finances, investing in our schools, and communications. I promise that I will be a voice of reason, not a voice of division. I will seek information with a Growth Mindset, and not assume that I have all the answers. I will make decisions based on facts and I will not let personal feelings get in the way of serving our students and our community.

If School Board members do their jobs right, our names will never be mentioned in the news, and that will allow our students and our staff to shine as examples of what we do and who we are. I would be honored to serve on the School Board. I look forward to working together with the School Board members to ensure our future!