I Am 2030: Community Voices

"I am a former staff member of the WSD. I was privileged to work with great students, families and colleagues. I left, because I and many of my colleagues were not heard at all. If we took our issues to a building administrator, the response was often 'that’s a district issue.' When we proceeded to the district, we were told 'that’s a building issue.' We witnessed this happening to parents’ concerns also. If we questioned anything at the district level, we usually received a very negative, defensive response. There was very little respect from district administration. There was little support from the school board. In fact, an amazing colleague confided in a school board member some professional mistreatment. The school board member breached that trust, and my colleague lost their job. I then started to witness too many other fantastic colleagues and families leaving the WSD. I finally left too after being dismissed by district administration too many times. Personally for me, the grass is now greener - a higher salary, great insurance plan at a much lower cost and administration who listens, respects and values me and my colleagues. I have heard the same response from so many others who have left. I still care about the WSD students, their families and colleagues left behind. Education is a caring profession and should be governed that way."

- Former WSD Staff

"I grew up in Wauwatosa. My parents moved here for one reason: the quality of the schools. Looking back, I’m filled with nostalgia for the teachers who invested in me — people who saw my potential before I could see it myself. I felt so strongly about those experiences that I was adamant about sending my own child here. I hoped for a school system that would be a launchpad — a place where our kids have every opportunity to be happy, are treated like they matter and upon graduation are truly ready to face their adventures and chase their goals as they grow into adulthood.

Today, I am barely hanging on financially to stay in this community. When the last referendums came to a vote, I voted 'No' on both. I want to be clear about what that vote was not: I am not anti-LGBTQ, I do not believe in Project 2025 and I am not an election denier. Rather, I am a product of the great teachers I had here — teachers who taught me to think critically and ask hard questions. It is because of the values they instilled in me that I am speaking up today.

​Asking hard questions of the Board does not mean you hate this district. On the contrary, expressing concerns about the conduct, choices and the quality of work by the Superintendent is a sign of being deeply engaged and caring about our community’s future.  I am not a blank checkbook but I truly wish I were. I would love to give more but the reality of my situation doesn't allow for it. Instead of 'blind trust' and 'group think,' we need leadership that actually listens so that better choices can be made to prevent serious harm to our schools. We must strategically invest in our kids by investing in the people who have the greatest impact on them: our teachers.

My 'No' vote was a demand for a change in culture within the Board Room and the Central Office. Our teachers deserve more than snacks, cookies and fake platitudes. They deserve a sustainable system where they are treated as true partners in this work — not just numbers on a spreadsheet to be balanced.

​In November 2024, our community was asked to pass a $64.4 million operational referendum on the explicit promise that it would provide financial stability and prevent the very 'painful cuts' we are seeing today. Yet, despite that funding, the district is staring down a $3 million deficit for the 2027-28 year — a hole that will continue to grow by that same amount annually. This has not been communicated to our families, but the impact on our kids is real:

• ​Forced Schedule Changes: High schools are moving toward block scheduling, not based on a long-term study of a better model, but as a desperate cost-cutting measure.

• ​Staffing Reductions: We are looking at losing up to 25 staff members at the high schools alone over the next two years.  

The teachers only learned the truth this week. They have been given a window of barely two weeks to provide 'input' before a district team decides on a new model.  Ultimately, this team will decide which educators will be asked to leave through no fault of their own, all because of the financial mismanagement of the last few years.

Since the current administration took over, the district has seen a 20% increase in staffing alongside a loss of over 500 students. It is time to be clear: Cuts must be prioritized in areas that are the least impactful on our students. The chaos that the Board and the Superintendent have created should not land on the shoulders of our teachers. Too many current Board members have simply been asleep at the wheel, ignoring the very problems they helped create. We must prioritize cutting administrative roles that were created during the pandemic and positions that do not work directly with students before we ever touch our classrooms. 

If you seriously support the teachers and support our schools take this as a warning. Each day, our teachers show up for our kids. As a community, we need to think about how we do right by them. We must demand school board members that protect the classroom experience above all else. We need a serious conversation about what we value. Because right now, instead of cutting the fat, our district leadership is cutting the meat."

This story is a first-person statement from Heather Birk candidate for Wauwatosa School Board.

"Last year, the only thing I looked forward to was leaving Wauwatosa. After more than a decade of advocacy, I knew that speaking up would come with consequences. I questioned decisions. I challenged inequities. I stood up for staff and students. I told the truth. The response was predictable, but extreme. Exclusion, retaliation, and the dismantling of a support system I had spent years building. There are good things happening in this district. But progress that ignores harm isn’t progress. You cannot build trust without acknowledging pain. You cannot strengthen a community by silencing the people in it. After speaking publicly about my child being used as leverage, I connected with new people. We do not agree on every issue, and that’s exactly the point. Independent thinkers should not agree on everything. What matters is that we engage directly, challenge each other respectfully, and move forward where we align: responsible financial stewardship, academic excellence for every student, and a culture that supports staff instead of eroding them. Real community isn’t built on forced agreement. It’s built on courage, accountability, and the willingness to stay at the table even when it’s uncomfortable. It’s choosing connection over division, clarity over comfort, and unity without uniformity." 

- Heather Birk (Candidate Statement)

"We ultimately made the difficult decision to remove our children from the West Tosa schools due to ongoing concerns about leadership and a lack of vision for meeting student needs. The schools have not demonstrated a commitment to academic rigor for advanced learners, nor do they have the capacity or flexibility to adequately support students who need help but do not meet narrow definitions of 'struggling.' We moved to Tosa specifically for its reputation for educational excellence and now find ourselves paying both a high tax bill and private school tuition. Private high school is not financially feasible for our family, so we hope to return our children to Tosa West for high school. To do so with confidence, we need decision-makers who are willing and able to restore the schools to the level of excellence they once had."

- Parent

"I am an educator outside of the Tosa public school system. I have preschool children. Our plan is to enroll them in the WSD, when they are of age. I recently heard though about changes to secondary curriculum that is not supported by the educators that are “in the trenches.” I feel for my education colleagues. Even though the teachers, who have expertise in their field, spent months reviewing and recommending curriculum; their voices were shut down. Instead curriculum coordinators, who haven’t taught in years and have 6 figure incomes - way more than teachers make, are paying even more money to outside consultants for direction! The curriculums that are being chosen in Tosa are not the ones that many successful surrounding school districts are choosing. My family has some  hope for sending our children to the WSD for elementary school. We love the community, but if these secondary curriculums are still in place when our children finish elementary school; our children will be attending school elsewhere. Very sad and wrong for the students in the secondary schools right now."

- Tosa Resident

"Whenever my husband and I talk about buying a home, we always come back to Wauwatosa. We have family there. We like the neighborhoods, the community feel, and we can see a future there. But as we’ve looked more seriously, I’ve become increasingly aware of the challenges with the school district, rising property taxes, steep home prices, and ongoing financial uncertainty. The more I learn, the more complicated the decision becomes. I find myself asking: Is it really worth it? Being able to even afford a home in Wauwatosa feels difficult — especially when layered with continued tax increases and unanswered questions about long-term planning."

- Hopeful Future Resident

"In 2018, the district convinced community members to vote yes to the referendum, tugging at our heartstrings by highlighting the need for ADA updates in our buildings. This was repeated in 2024 with the capitol referendum.  It has been 8 years since the first referendum and many of our buildings are still not accessible or ADA compliant. The district claims to value and prioritize DEIA.  This is incredible upsetting for voter who supported the referendum for ADA updates. Community members also voted yes to the operating referendum in 2024 believing that this money would go towards teacher salaries and that if the referendum did not pass, there would be devastating cuts to programs and staffing. The referendum passed yet teachers still had to negotiate with the school board and fight for their raises this year. We need school board members that will ensure our tax dollars are being spent appropriately, our buildings are accessible for all students and teachers have the salaries we deserve and the resources we need in their classrooms."

- Parent

This story is a first-person statement from Chris Merker, candidate for Wauwatosa School Board and member of the 2030 Slate.

"It was heartbreaking to watch McKinley — once one of Wauwatosa’s and Wisconsin’s strongest elementary schools — fall from grace.

Our family wasn’t on the sidelines. We were deeply involved. My wife served three years as PTO president. I volunteered at the chess club, coached soccer on the grounds, and spoke at High Interest Day. We loved the staff and trusted the culture. Then we watched things change fast: talented educators leaving, teachers coming out of meetings in tears, and a school community that had been stable and proud suddenly feeling shaken.

For many of us, it felt like a direct hit to the heart of our neighborhood — our kids, our teachers, our sense of safety and belonging.

Parents came together in force. We asked direct questions. We showed up. We documented. And we were pushed off, dismissed — at times even threatened — for simply insisting on accountability. But we persevered. After eight months of sustained effort, change finally happened—but it shouldn’t take that long for leadership to respond when a school community is hurting. The former principal at the center of the school's climate and culture crisis remains in a leadership role in the District — one of the reasons families are still asking for clearer accountability.

We took that energy and funneled it into the ongoing work of the 2030 Task Force and the community candidates now running together as the 2030 Slate. Along the way, we learned something simple: no one was going to come save us. We had to do the work ourselves — steadily, respectfully, and in the open.

Now we’re at the edge of an election. With the support and backing of this community, we intend to win—and then do what we said we would do: restore trust, strengthen stewardship, and deliver measurable results for students and families.

That’s why I’m running with the 2030 Slate: Heather Birk, Todd Koehler, Dan Stemper, and me. Join us." 

- Chris Merker (Candidate Statement)

"I returned the recent survey back to the board. It does not apply to our future. Our immediate family has 5 generations of Wauwatosa residents. Our large family sent dozens of children through the school district. I and my wife have a combined 125 years residency in Wauwatosa. At this time, we are the only two remaining in Wauwatosa. The school district has a history of outstanding management, excellent student education and academic performance. The district was a top-tier educator. We are proud our children experienced a quality education. That excellence disappeared. The golden age of the Wauwatosa School District is over. As seniors we are willing to pay for children's education who are residents of Wauwatosa. But we are not going to pay for the declining student achievement, groupthink-driven leadership and the mismanagement of the district's real estate. We will no longer be your piggy bank payable in outrageous, out-of-control real estate taxes, some of the highest in the Nation. We decided to downsize 12 years ago with the goal of aging in place in our third Wauwatosa home. We regret that decision. It's time to vote with our feet. We started a relocation project to explore our options with the goal of leaving Wauwatosa and Milwaukee County. There is a strong possibility we will be taking our time, talent and money elsewhere." 

- Retiree and Former Tosa Parent

"We have multiple kids in the school system and more starting soon. We found a program that challenged and helped our son enjoy school: USTEM. This program was dismantled because - as was told to us by Dr. Means at a PTO meeting - it “wasn’t diverse enough”. Just like other successful STEM programs throughout Tosa, it was dismantled and morphed from full-time STEM to just a few dozen minutes of meaningless “STEM for all”. Rather than expand on something that was successful and make it more accessible and diverse, they opted to dumb it down or eliminate it entirely. The school district isn’t producing the high level of results that the residents desire and command. Certainly nothing that warrants the floating of yet another referendum for a school district that lacks fiscal accountability or responsibility. I’m sick of political party blaming instead of the honest truth: the district spends too much, reserves too little, and uses phony “surveys” and “task forces” to advance superintendent-led reforms, all with a school board that acts on his behalf and views him as a boss that must be pleased, rather than representatives for us. The spending - both current and planned - is ridiculous. You could build an entire skyscraper that’s houses every single student and provides every technological resource needed for less than we’re spending. Yet, we’re going into extreme debt and producing average results 'for the kids.'" 

- Parent

"I am a taxpayer and alum with no children in the system. I support the 2030 Task Force because I've been frustrated with the school district's actions with respect to the buildings ever since SOS. The decision and implementation process surrounding the SOS campaign to destroy or revamp four schools seemed to be corrupt and lacked a comprehensive long term master plan. Voters more recently approved another referendum and still we seem to lack long term, fiscally responsible plans. Citizens polled registered a preference to close schools and yet there are no plans to close elementary schools. The current befuddling survey is another example of piecemealing issues, and I'm not convinced it will yield meaning input. But then the Board can say that it asked the community, when it feels like I'm being steered to agree to a predetermined and undisclosed agenda that is driven by a disproportionate share of residents." 

- Taxpayer and Tosa Alum

"I feel the current leadership has minimized legitimate, well supported concerns of parents around school and district decisions. Further, I am concerned about yet another request for hundreds of millions of dollars of additional funding through an unclear process. I support the 2030 Task Force because I believe their mix of business and education expertise will help ensure that funds are most effectively used for improving student performance and wellbeing, and I also think they represent a needed "back to basics" approach that understands that a strong school community involves retaining and supporting our talented teachers." 

-Community Member

"At a recent school board meeting, we were told the district plans to bring in 148 open-enrollment students to help close a budget gap. The headline number sounded good -- $1.6 million -- but we also learned the district would only net about $1 million because the state doesn’t fully reimburse open enrollment.

Then came the warning: without those students, 10 teachers would need to be cut. I’m tired of hearing fear presented as the only option.

What makes this harder to accept is that teacher pay was supposed to be a priority. While the district points to a 31% salary increase over the past few years; rising healthcare premiums and deductibles - which are higher than in neighboring districts - have left many teachers with take-home pay substantially less than the 31% raise. 

Voters approved a referendum with $8 million set aside for teacher salaries because we want to attract and keep great educators. Yet negotiations dragged on for months, and in the end, the district initially imposed a contract instead of honoring what voters supported. Only after teachers spoke up did the board approve a contract aligned with the referendum.

We’re not naive. There are smarter, more responsible ways to manage $1 million than threatening teachers or relying on open enrollment as a fix. Our community deserves honesty, better planning, and leadership that actually listens to community voices - not just its own.

- Jean Parulski, Retired Special Education Teacher (MPS & Elmbrook) & 40+ Year Tosa Resident 

"As a parent, I never expected to feel this disconnected from our school district. Over the past few years, it has been painful to watch a once respected school board become broken, petulant, deferential, and driving agendas that have little to do with educating kids. I’ve attended meetings where basic educational concerns (class sizes, curriculum quality, student support) were sidelined while political posturing took center stage. Instead of thoughtful leadership, what I see now is a strong political machine protecting itself, not listening to families. What hurts most is the growing feeling that there is no longer a place in Tosa for families like ours; families who simply want excellent schools, transparency, and leaders who put students first. We’ve raised concerns, asked questions, and tried to engage in good faith, only to feel dismissed or labeled as a problem for not falling in line. That’s why Tosa 2030 matters so much to me. It represents a reset and a reminder of what our schools are supposed to be about. Tosa 2030 is focused on education first, not politics, not power, not personal ambition. It’s about restoring trust, centering decisions on students and learning, and rebuilding a school board that actually serves the community. As a parent, that focus gives me hope that Tosa can once again be a place where families feel welcomed, heard, and proud of their schools." 

- Parent

"I am a retired taxpayer, and I have major concerns for our Tosa community. Three neighbors on my block are planning to or already have sold their homes. Another told us that she will be forced to sell if her property tax bill continues to increase. Friends in different neighborhoods are seeing this same trend including young families with children. The reasons are affordability and the poor test scores in math and reading. My own son will be moving his wife and son this summer and stated, 'We cannot afford Wauwatosa and the schools do not meet the standards we are looking for.'" 

- Retiree

"As a parent in the district for over 20 years, I have seen a steady decline in the quality of my kids’ education, especially most recently. I want to preface my story with the fact that there are some excellent teachers and teaching assistants in this district. My experience is different than most parents because two of my kids are part of the special education program. Their teachers and assistants are truly the best of this district, yet they are not given the recognition or support they deserve. The core problem in this district is the bloat of administrators and the school board. In my experience, concerns raised to administration or at board meetings are met with lip service — feigned concern but no action. Spending on ineffective programs and positions has been plentiful, while the programs that need focus are forgotten. Even worse, funding promised for special education programs and student improvements has been broken, delayed, or abandoned.

I am deeply disappointed in this district. When we moved here over 25 years ago, the schools were among the best in the Milwaukee area and the reason we chose to live here. Now, my family is ashamed to say that we stayed." 

- Parent

Disclaimer: The 2030 Task Force is nonpartisan and does not endorse any political party or candidate or advance a partisan agenda. “2030 Slate” is a label used by candidates to signal alignment with the Task Force’s principles and findings.