Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Oshkosh school board candidates differ on handling $5M deficit as cuts loom
Summary
At a League of Women Voters forum, five candidates for two Oshkosh Area School District board seats debated proposed cuts intended to avert a reported $5,000,000 deficit, with disagreement over priorities, transparency and whether administrative savings should precede classroom reductions.
Five candidates competing for two seats on the Oshkosh Area School District board debated how to respond to deep budget cuts the district adopted to avoid a reported $5,000,000 shortfall and additional staffing reductions scheduled for an April meeting.
Mallory Schneider Burschbach said the cuts were “not something I like to see,” and urged the board and community to focus spending on math and literacy while appealing to state legislators for more funding. “We need to look at students as individuals who have unique needs,” she said.
Incumbent Barb Herzog described the proposals as “gut wrenching,” noting the district has about 1,000 fewer students than a decade ago and calling for minimizing harms to student programs while preserving a long‑range facilities plan. “We need to emphasize math and literacy,” Herzog said.
Paul Molitor blamed a failure of administrative transparency and planning, arguing the shortfall could and should have been anticipated as enrollment declines continued. Molitor characterized the gap as roughly $6,000,000 compared with prior annual budgets and said administrators should have better anticipated and sized services earlier.
Jeffrey Watts criticized a lack of transparency and oversight, warning that personnel such as media specialists and a DEI position were vulnerable. He urged the board to preserve programs parents and students value while “trimming the fat” where necessary. Jacob Wolf urged a fiscal audit of administrative roles and duties to find savings before cutting teachers: “We need to do a deep dive and audit of our administrative duties and positions and see if we can save some money there instead of going right to the teachers.”
While candidates generally agreed teachers and classroom programs should be prioritized, they differed on the immediate path: some urged administrative efficiencies and greater transparency; others emphasized community support and state funding advocacy. The forum did not produce any formal board action; candidates said the administration will present more specific staffing proposals at an upcoming April meeting.
Next steps: voters will choose up to two candidates in a primary on Feb. 17 and the spring election on April 7; the board is expected to address staffing specifics at its April agenda. The forum did not include binding decisions by the board.
