Benjamin Roskoskey - Rhinelander School Board

I would encourage everyone in the Rhinelander area to vote for Jacqui Zivko this April 1st for the Rhinelander School Board. Go follow her page, and like and share her posts.

https://www.facebook.com/share/1ETJfLK9o3/

Jacqui Zivko for Rhinelander School Board Jacqueline Zivko- Rhinelander School Board Candidate for the 2025 Election.

GET OUT & VOTE!!! April 1, 2025

Close but not quite. I have faith that the Rhinelander School District will be able to continue the good work and momentum that it has been building. On the bright side, the technical education referendum passed with a 67% yes vote!

Remember to vote "Yes" on the School District of Rhinelander referendum tomorrow and while there, for for me to remain on the School Board!

My candidate profile from a local Newspaper:

What prompted you to run for another term on the school board?:

I want to continue the good work that I've been involved with on the board since 2017 and ensure that all students within the district are able to be successful.

What qualifications/experience/attributes do you have that have been beneficial to serving on the school board:

I have served two terms on the Rhinelander School Board and have learned a lot about how the board and district function. I will continue to work with the other members of the board and the district employees to continue moving the district forward! I have also attended the state education convention each of the past three years, where I was able to interact with board members and educators from around the state. Lastly, I have been a member of the State Superintendent's Reading Advisory Council since its inception in 2022, which focuses on reading advancement and improvement in the pre- kindergarten through 2nd grade levels.

List three top priorities for the School District of Rhinelander over the next four years:

Recruitment/retention, reading at the elementary level, and state-level school funding.

Recruitment and retention: I believe that the best way to support our students is through the supporting of our teachers, specifically in ensuring that they are adequately paid for their work. In this way, we will reduce turnover and keep our highly-skilled employees. We need to continue to provide salary increases that are at or above inflation.

Reading: The ability to read and to comprehend what you are reading is the one skill that can best set a student up for a successful educational career as well as a successful life. To this end I believe that my participation on the State Superintendent's Reading Advisory Council has given me a better understanding of the reading process as well as a deeper empathy for the challenges involved in both teaching literacy and learning to read. We must continue to put focus on our early-elementary reading efforts and ensure proper supports for our emerging readers.

State-Level School funding: I am concerned that the school funding formula hasn't been adjusted in the past 30 years. This has resulted in districts receiving unequal amounts of state funding (Rhinelander for example only receives about 30% of our school funding from the state, while the other 70% is covered by our local taxpayers). We need to keep pushing on our legislature to update the formula and provide for more funding to reduce the burden on our local taxpayers.

I'm up for re-election this year for another 3-year term on the Rhinelander School Board. Please vote on Tuesday, April 2nd. See my answers below to questions from the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin and go to vote411 to see that's on your ballot: https://www.vote411.org

Voting Information: See below for important deadlines regarding voting and visit www.myvote.wi.gov to learn more!

Dear Community Members and SDR Families,

WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

In an effort to measure our engagement and connectedness with community members and SDR families, the School District of Rhinelander invites you to take a brief six-question survey.

To access the survey, please visit the link below.⤵
https://forms.gle/YVH9jxdt4bJENxvV9

➡This survey is for ALL community members.

➡The survey will be open through April 9, 2023.

Thank you very much for taking the time to provide us with feedback.

Rhinelander School District residents will vote on renewing the operational referendum on Tuesday, November 8th, 2022.

https://www.rhinelander.k12.wi.us/referendum/

While the School District of Rhinelander offers a top-notch educational experience that prepares students for the next stages of their lives, the state of Wisconsin's school funding formula presents us and many other districts with challenges.

We have been able to manage these challenges in recent years thanks to the support of our community. Understanding the district’s funding situation, residents have approved operational referendums in 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2018. This support has been critical to maintaining high-quality programs and services.

Still, the district operates in a very lean way. We are one of the lowest-spending districts in our region. While we continue to seek efficiencies, budget cuts would directly impact vital educational services.

It’s important to note that the amount of the November 2022 referendum question is smaller than each of the previous two referendum solutions. This is the result of conservative fiscal management by the board and administration.

Furthermore, the district will pay off the balance of its debt in 2025. The district also has a healthy fund balance, which means it does not need to engage in expensive short-term borrowing.

Learn more and find additional answers to FAQs: https://rhinelander.k12.wi.us/referendum