School Board Notes: Jan. 19

Elmbrook board candidates to take part in forum

Candidates running for the Elmbrook School Board's two at-large seats will participate in a candidate forum from 7 to 9 p.m. Feb. 2 at the district's central offices, 13780 Hope St., Brookfield.

The forum, sponsored by the Elmbrook Parent Leadership Council, will feature all six candidates running for both open at-large seats in the Feb. 16 primary election: incumbent Bob Ziegler, Warren Groff, Beth Horneffer, Genevieve Schmidt, Sandra Schultz and Kathryn Wilson.

Another candidate forum will be held March 16 for the two candidates running for the board's Area II seat - incumbent Glen Allgaier and Ilse Frayer - and the four at-large candidates chosen to progress from the primary to the general election, to be held April 6.

Of the at-large candidates, the top vote-getter in the April 6 race will be elected to a three-year term, filling the seat currently held by Ziegler. The candidate with the second-highest number of votes will be elected to a one-year term, serving the remainder of the term recently vacated by Brookfield mayoral candidate David Marcello.

Of the Area II candidates, the top vote-getter in the April 6 race will be elected to a three-year term, filling the seat currently held by Allgaier.

Board members serve three-year terms and are paid $3,600 per year.

Heat at Hillside will be fixed with emergency funds

Elmbrook School Board members on Tuesday approved $27,411 in emergency funds to replace a failed heat exchanger at Hillside Elementary School.

The heat exchanger failed unexpectedly, according to a district memo. The equipment provides heat to the school's kindergarten rooms, and so needed to be replaced immediately.

Elmbrook has $39,559 left in its contingency fund for the 2009-10 fiscal year, which ends June 30. The district budgets $75,000 yearly for contingency spending.

After 42 years, Burleigh teacher Ahrens retiring

Jean Ahrens, third-grade teacher at Burleigh Elementary, will retire in June, ending 42 ½ years teaching for the Elmbrook School District.

School Board members already have approved Ahrens' retirement.

Business office manager post to go unfilled

Jean Kienzle, district supervisor of purchasing and business office manager, will retire June 30, ending 34 years with the Elmbrook School District.

In a memo to the School Board, district Superintendent Matt Gibson said Kienzle is the most senior member of the district administrative team and has saved the district thousands of dollars with her knowledge of cooperative purchasing, requests for proposals for competitive bidding and negotiated vendor contracts.

Kienzle's position will go unfilled, in an effort to reduce the district's budget, Gibson said.

School Board members on Jan. 12 approved her retirement.

Quarles & Brady contract renewed

School Board members have renewed Elmbrook School District's contract for bond counsel with Quarles & Brady.

Bond counsel is typically utilized when long-term debt is financed or refinanced by the district.

The funding of bond counsel is typically one of the expenses of financing or refinancing long-term debt, and so is not included in the district's annual budget.