Get to know the Ripon School Board candidates

Five candidates will vie for four seats on the Ripon School Board in the upcoming Tuesday, April 2 election. 

Among the candidates are incumbents Lori Machmueller and Denise Martinez, who were appointed last April following the resignations of Nate Zimdars and Mellisa Wipijewski, respectively. Newcomers challenging for seats include Katie Grady, Shannon Lampe and Kelly Nielsen. 

Incumbent Andy Lyke and Nicole Dash chose not to run for reelection. Lyke has served on the Ripon School Board since 2003, including several stints as president. Dash was elected in 2017 and served one term as president.

Lampe recently moved to Ripon from Illinois, while Grady is a graduate of Ripon High School and has been on the Barlow Park Charter School Board for many years. Nielsen, also a graduate of Ripon High School, is employed at Ripon College and volunteers with the Journey Charter School on its governance council. All three candidates have children enrolled in the district.

The top-three vote getters will each receive a three-year term and the fourth-place finisher will get a one-year term, expiring in 2025.

Two of those candidates, Grady and Lampe, were present at a League of Women Voters forum Wednesday, March 6 and sat down to answer the following questions. 

Machmueller, Martinez and Nielsen were sent the same set of questions asked at the voter’s forum. Their answers are included in the article.

Q: Are there any specific school programs you are exceptionally passionate about?

Grady: There has been an incredible effort within the past several years to incorporate mental health and social emotional learning into the schools. I know that they partner with a couple of different private entities that have their providers coming in and seeing kids within the school buildings themselves. I was actually one of those providers last school year, and so that’s been great. They have different physical spaces within the buildings themselves for mental health care, regulation, that kind of thing. But additionally, having my kids in elementary schools, I’ve noticed that they have really moved toward an emphasis on social and emotional learning. I think that is so incredible, and I think we all benefit from having our kids learning those important skills. I would say just that incorporation and partnership of mental health within the school district would be a primary passion.

Lampe: I guess just history. I haven’t really known much about Ripon [Area] School District for very long, but that’s very important to learn history and have wisdom and know what happened before us, so I really love that. I like that the school district does the cleaning of the teeth and the fluoride shots because I did that when I was little and that wasn’t even around when my kids were in school in Illinois before I took them out. ... Everything they’re doing, like teaching my son to read and everything, he comes home [and] he’s reading books now. ... They’re doing a really great job [with] what they’re doing there.

Martinez: While there are many programs at all levels, the one I can speak to from an effectiveness standpoint is the Youth Options program. It allows choices for high school students who may want to enter the workforce earlier than after completing a four-year degree. And it is economically advantageous to parents and students who are looking to further their education and career in a specific field that they may be passionate about.

Machmueller:  Yes, there are several school programs that I am exceptionally passionate about. My top-four would definitely be special education [as] I was a special education teacher for 35 years. I feel that those very special students and their families need the voices of their school staff to help be their advocates from ages 3-21; Equitable Multi-Level Systems of Supports, I feel that in a perfect world with no income limits all students would have an Individualized Education Plan developed just for them. This way all students would get the specialized instruction that they require to be successful; early education, as young children we all learn the basic foundations for being good people, how to build relationships with peers and adults, following rules and routines for various settings and to become an independent person from our parents; mental health services, the trauma that some of our students have seen and endured is unspeakable and unimaginable. Our mental health programs are helping these students daily. 

Nielsen: I’ve been very impressed with the growth my children are experiencing from project-based learning (PBL). With Barlow Park moving into a single-school model next year, I’m anxious to see how the PBL curriculum can be applied in the classroom for all students. To see our youngest learners collaborate on research projects and then design and deliver presentations on those topics is comparable to the style of learning we see at the college level. It’s remarkable.

Q: How do you feel the school district is doing to address bullying in the school system? And do you have any other ideas to help?

Lampe: As far as I know, no one is being bullied that I’ve known, but the school district has got their eye on the ball because I do get Dojo messages, like “your daughter or your son was pushed on the playground.” But then I asked him and he’s like, “Oh, that was just my friend, so it wasn’t a big thing.” But the teachers are letting the parents know so that we can actually do something, so that’s great. And I would just encourage that to keep going; that the teachers are like, “hey, parents, this is what’s happening. Do you want [us to] take care of this?” I like that it’s open and letting us know. 

Grady:  I have a few different thoughts on this. One is it’s a very difficult time to be a kid and a teenager and I think bullying has taken on an entirely new face then from when a lot of us were still in school. I think that the school is absolutely doing the best they can. I think it’s difficult to monitor all of the different avenues that people can use to bully each other these days. I do think that kind of playing the long game a little bit, like focusing on those skills of empathy and compassion and things like that with our younger kids and all the way through the school years is going to help with the preventative piece, instead of only trying to put out the fires. ... I think that the school is doing what they can. I think that emphasizing those social skills early is helpful, but then I also think that the community and parents need to take responsibility, too, and be good role models for that behavior.

Machmueller: We do have accounts of reported bullying; the board receives a report once per year. Ideas to help decrease bullying include creating an environment where everyone understands what is appropriate and not appropriate behavior in both verbal accounts and actions, feels safe to report incidents of bullying and feels comfortable enough with at least one adult at school to report any incidents. This directly correlates back to our mental health services.

Martinez: There are avenues to address bullying at all levels of K-12, starting with how to report bullying at each school. Between the teachers, behavioral interventionists, counselors, social worker, principals, SROs, support staff and the superintendent, the process is designed to assist and provide an end game for those involved.  One difficulty lies in the individual(s) who are being bullied not feeling comfortable reporting based on things that might include the fear of retribution for “tattle-taling” and making it worse in their eyes to report to those who could help. I can only speak personally to how issues were addressed based on my own experience. In those cases, I’ve felt that the district took my concerns seriously and spoke to the process to reach an endpoint. My ideas to help would include educating the parents and/or the community on the reporting process and teaching strategies to their children on how to report situations. 

Nielsen: Our family’s experience with bullying has fortunately been minimal. The peripheral information I’ve received is likely not enough to state a strong opinion on the matter, but I can say that thoughtful communication between teachers, administrators and families is essential when addressing behavioral issues. I’d like to know more about the school’s preventative measures against bullying. What programming is in place with the intention of showing students the importance of kindness and the negative impacts of bullying? And what is being done to help students with trauma caused by bullying?

Q: Would you support examining the possibility of adding more social and mental health services to the district?

Grady: Yes, of course I do. I don’t think that there can ever be an excess of that. I think that social emotional learning and mental health is everything. And I think that it impacts everything. It impacts children’s academics. It impacts their ability to interact with each other. It impacts the types of citizens they’re going to be. It impacts their connection to that community and it impacts absolutely everything. And so I think that more would always be beneficial.

Lampe: I would say no because I think that as far as they have now, that seems to be enough. I don’t think that they need to have more umpteenth feelings because at least I know my kids do. I would guess that at school they are already making everyone feel the exact same way that my kids are.

Machmueller: 100%.

Martinez: Absolutely. As a trained counselor, I’m aware of the value of offering a “listening ear” and of providing strategies and avenues to address the many facets of mental health. We hired a social worker this year who has been able to connect families to resources that will address a multitude of family concerns and situations including mental health. If the district were able to afford at least one more counselor per building, I would support it. It is a matter of resources. The resources and staff we do have are amazing and work tirelessly to find assistance and solutions based on individual students. The number of students needing help is growing and even getting outside help is challenging based on numbers and resources available in the community.

Nielsen: Yes. It is my understanding that our local counseling services that serve Ripon families are overwhelmed with those seeking support.

Q: How do you feel the relationship between the school district and the city is? Are there improvements to be made? If so, what are they?

Lampe: No, I think the city is doing a great job. I was just telling the city board members that I absolutely love living in this city and that the school is awesome that the kids go to and the parks are great and everything. I think that everything is wonderful as it is right now with the city and the School Board working together; [it] seems great.

Grady:  I think that the communication that goes out from the school district to the community is excellent. I think that they do it in a lot of different avenues. As a parent of children in the school district, I know that we get several different types of messages; we get updates via the Class Dojo, like Shannon was saying, email, newsletters, things like that. So I do think that the communication is really strong. And I think that from what I’ve seen and experienced from the opposite end of things for the city and how it supports the school district, I do think that we have a supportive district that values our schools and values our teachers. ... I would definitely always like to see more community support for our teachers. What can we do better as parents and community members to help support one of the most difficult professions that there is.

Machmueller: I feel that the school district and the city work well together. An example of this is as a board we recently gave the city first right-of-first-refusal to purchase a piece of land owned by the district. It passed unanimously. One option for improvement would be to attend each other’s board meetings. Have a delegate from City Council attend School Board meetings and vice versa, then report to the other members what they learned. It would be a way to keep up to date in real time.  

Martinez:  I believe we have a strong relationship with the city, meaning we have avenues of communication that provide opportunities to secure information should anyone ask.  An example of one relationship between the city and district is the SROs that support both the community and the school district/students.  Each school (especially elementary-level schools) have field trips and visits to places in the community like the fire department. Events such as community supported youth sports  in the community are communicated through fliers distributed in the schools and through social media. Service clubs such as Kiwanis partner with the city police department to support students through age-related activities (i.e Easter Egg hunt). There is room for improvements in all relationships, especially as the needs of the district and demographics change over time. Making connections between the various community resources and the district was a known need, which is why the district hired a social worker. So, communicating a more intuitive process between all the connections would be one improvement as it is difficult to keep up with changes in resources over time. 

Nielsen: I’ve been so impressed with our student resource officers and their commitment to not only keeping our schools safe, but their enthusiasm for being a part of the school community. This engagement creates trusting relationships and helps bond the city-school relationship.

Q: Across the nation in schools, we have seen an unprecedented amount of censorship, specifically when it comes to book bans. How will you ensure this practice will not happen in our small town?

Lampe: Just communication; let people know that this is what people want to happen. And then let them know like, “this is what it really is.” Just communication, just so that people know exactly what’s happening so that they can voice their opinion and help the School Board help make that decision for them.

Grady: This is a little bit of a tough question. There is a school district that the name of the town is escaping me and I apologize, but very recently they had a number of books pulled off of their library shelves in the school district. The district reviewed every single one of them and ended up putting every single one of them back on the shelves with a new policy that it’s kind of up to the parents to decide what they will allow their children to read or not read. I don’t think that it is within the public school district’s role to censor and filter that information. They put it back as a family decision and I thought that that was a really smart move, so that would be something that could be used to prevent that from happening here.

Machmueller: I am personally 100% against the book banning that I have seen in the news recently. Banning books will curtail our students’ education. Reading about people who have different lives than ours helps grow their imaginations and curiosity about the world. It is very important for our community to attend School Board meetings. Read the agenda. Find out what the board is talking about and voting on. Tell your friends! If there is something that you really feel strongly about, let the board know. Ask candidates what their feelings are regarding book banning.   I have read that some communities have even created Banned Book Clubs, determining a banned book to read and discuss. 

Martinez: It is important to keep up on the state and local legislation regarding any type of change that affects public education.The more detail we can secure early in the process of potential legislative activity regarding censorship/book bans will allow us to collectively strategize a response in the early stages of discussion. I have found it important to provide contextual information to concerning parties (i.e. administrators, parents, etc)  regarding curriculum and course content that might be of concern. The district and the parents/community usually are on the same page of wanting their students/children to receive the best possible education and the knowledge and discernment to make good decisions and choices into adulthood. My experience would indicate that the more we can come together and work through concerns the better the outcome. The hard part of that is that sometimes decisions are made at the legislative level that end up as mandates with not much time to discuss. 

Nielsen: I’m committed to fully understanding what policies are currently in place regarding censorship, as well as the district’s stance on providing access to information and stories that illuminate the experiences of others. I will advocate for civil discourse and information sharing; and I will vote for policies that are in the best interest of preparing our children to be engaged and thoughtful citizens who are excited to explore and positively impact the world around them.

Q: With the increase in school choice and vouchers, how do you feel Ripon can position itself and be competitive? Also, is the increase in voucher programs something to be concerned about?

Grady: I think that the Ripon school district, looking at the different school districts in the area, is highly competitive. And I do think that the Ripon school district is a standout district in the area and a lot of people would like to open enroll in Ripon, so I do think we are already competitive. I think that a lot of the opportunities that are provided to students in preparing them for those next steps is important. I know there’s a great youth apprenticeship program at the high school where a lot of kids are getting that on-site job experience, that type of thing. I think that those engaging opportunities for students really is one of the many things that makes Ripon remain competitive. In terms of the voucher program, I honestly would have to probably get some more information before I could give you a more informed opinion on that.

Lampe: Everything she said really. … It seems like we’re doing all the steps that we need to do, like how she said doing half college when you’re in high school and everything, that’s a great step. I don’t know really much about the voucher program at all, so I would have to get more information and I would like to get more information.

Machmueller: I personally do not feel that an increase in voucher programs is something to be concerned about at this point. Do we want to lose enrollment? Absolutely not. We are absolutely competitive! We have a great track record for high achieving and low spending. Both the staff and parent satisfaction surveys are all well above average. Our graduation rate is very high. We have some of the most beautiful and safe facilities in the state.

Martinez: Ripon has a well-known reputation for being a school of choice based on state and local dashboard data that is available to families who may be relocating or thinking of relocating to Ripon. One example from comments that I’ve personally heard over the years in the community as both a parent and grandparent is the fact that Ripon has a great scorecard and is always in the top tier of the state regarding student achievement (as it is measured now). We also continue to add stretch goals to address learners that need additional support to bring them up to grade level and/or to learn to their full potential. As far as school choice, we also have Odyssey Academy of Virtual Learning, which has over 200 students enrolled from over 20 counties in Wisconsin. In addition, with the help from the past charter school implementation and practices, curriculum and teaching pedagogy has supported a variety of learning styles in order for each student to succeed based on their strengths.

Nielsen: Ripon is one of the higher achieving public school districts in our region. Unlike many neighboring schools — public or private — our size is small enough to encourage strong relationships and personalization, but large enough to offer an array of resources to meet the needs of a diverse student body. We need to lean into our strengths and keep doing the important work that’s kept so many of our key data points — like our high school graduation rate — above the state average. I believe for the majority of our families, the value and accessibility of this education is superior to what they’ll find elsewhere.

Closing statements:

Grady: I would just like to say that I’m very passionate about this community and very passionate about this school district. I would very much love to be a part of what makes it so great, so I would just ask you to please get out and vote in early April.

Lampe: I’m very happy to be participating in a School Board and doing my part and being involved in the school and I would love to be on the School Board, so please vote for me in April.

Machmueller: I have lived in Ripon for almost 11 years. My husband, Todd, is a lifelong Riponite. I have a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and a master’s degree in special education with an emphasis in intellectual disabilities. I was a Special Education teacher for over 35 years, spending the vast majority of my career working for the Adams-Friendship Area School District. Last April I was appointed to the Ripon Area School District Board of Education. Since that time, I have served on the Policy Committee, three principal hiring teams, the fall Strategic Planning Team, and on the 2023 Friend of Public Schools Award committee. With the community’s support, I hope to continue working to keep Ripon one of the best school districts in Wisconsin. I feel that the heart of every community is the school system and it is an honor to serve on this Board of Education. 

Martinez: It is not in my nature to separate from education. It has been my foundation and sounding board for my decision making, career and life choices. I feel connections between education and all facets of work and life experience. I could talk about education all day to those who would care to listen. Having a variety of skill sets and knowledge of a School Board is a bonus. I believe I can bring a communicative and caring style of decision making that will take the district into the next level of high achievement.

Nielsen: I’ve been a reliable and dedicated volunteer for the last three years supporting the Journey Project School teachers and families as president of their governance council. Should I be elected to serve on the School Board, I look forward to leveraging that experience for the entire district.