Incumbent Kirsten Sayra and challenger Matt Reamer outline priorities at Port Washington‑Saukville school board forum

Kirsten Sayra, an incumbent school board member and classroom teacher, and challenger Matt Reamer, a parent and construction professional, presented competing priorities Tuesday night at a League of Women Voters forum for Port Washington‑Saukville School District board candidates.

Sayra said the district must continue building relationships with local businesses to expand apprenticeships and internships while pressing for legislative changes to secure fairer state funding. “We are not fairly funded in this state, and we need to advocate for that change,” she said, arguing that advocacy at the legislature is necessary to address long‑running funding pressures.

Reamer focused on data and operations, saying the board should use key performance indicators to forecast and address a shortfall created in part by state funding. “Those challenges are something that we are being mandated and faced with from the state,” he said, adding that the district should pursue grants and community partnerships to bring in additional revenue.

Both candidates prioritized smaller primary‑grade classes. Sayra, who said she currently teaches third grade, called for reduced class sizes in the early years and said upper‑20s classrooms make “a distinct difference.” Reamer said he was “concerned this year when [he] found out that we had class sizes of 23 in the kindergarten class,” and cited research he said links crossing a 20‑student threshold in early grades to long‑term learning loss.

On budgeting and personnel, Sayra noted the school board and administration previously addressed a roughly $1,200,000 deficit by asking administration to propose cuts across the district to minimize impacts on students. Reamer urged a careful review of roles and gaps before pursuing administrative cuts, noting some administrators hold dual responsibilities and separating roles can increase costs.

Both candidates emphasized social‑emotional learning and programs to support students from diverse racial, cultural, socioeconomic and ability backgrounds. Sayra described classroom practices that accommodate students observing Ramadan and said the district’s policies set a zero‑tolerance expectation for intolerance. Reamer praised a school “kindness retreat” and called for policies that ensure funding for SEL programs.

Asked how they would use a hypothetical anonymous $2,000,000 donation, Reamer suggested using seed funding to leverage grants and to invest in staffing for early education and career‑technical initiatives. “If we can work towards that and start building more opportunities beyond just the CTE…we can give our students the best opportunities,” he said. Sayra said she would distribute funds to schools and let teachers decide classroom needs, arguing that small classroom‑level purchases can have direct student impact.

The nonpartisan forum, cosponsored by the League of Women Voters of Ozaukee and Washington counties and the Port Washington‑Saukville School District, is being recorded for the district’s YouTube channel and the election is April 7. The forum provided voters with candidates’ views on funding, class size, equity and district priorities.

The forum did not include formal votes or board decisions; it was a candidate event to inform voters ahead of the April election.