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Two vie for seats on school board
VOTE

BOSCOBEL - Residents will go to the polls on Tuesday, April 6, to select new  members of the Boscobel School Board. The polls are open in Wisconsin from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.


Cherryl Knowles
Cherryl Knowles

Cherryl Knowles

Cherryl Knowlesis a 50-year-old resident of the town of Marion who lives with her husband Jonathan and works as the School Business Manager for the Wisconsin Heights School District. They have five children: Andrew (20), Treena (19), Sarah (17), Erin (14) and Jonah (13).

 Education:

Went to Boscobel High School, Bachelor’s degree from Carroll University in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance, Master’s degree in Education – School Business Manager from UW-Whitewater .

What are the top issues facing this district/municipality and how would you work to resolve it?

A couple of the top issues the district is facing right now is working through the pandemic that we have been faced with for the last year as well as the ongoing struggle of school funding.

I believe that with the medical studies in the past year, it has been determined that the pandemic does not affect our students as they had once thought.  We need to get our students back in school so they can have some normalcy. 

The second issue is school funding.  Since we are at the start of another state biennium budget there is always a lot of uncertainty, we need to stay in contact with our Legislators in order to keep up our state funding.

What are other key issues facing the district/municipality, and how would you work to resolve them?

We have some facility projects that have been identified as needing improvement that we need to move forward to get them done.  Our district has saved money out of our budget to put into a capital project fund which ties to a capital project list.  I believe we need to review the list, prioritize and move forward.

Our district has been investing employee’s time into Professional Learning Communities (PLC), also known as Wednesday early releases but I think we need to put some accountability into place for making these PLC’s move forward, which in turn will move our academics forward.   

During board meetings in past years, there have been discussions on why we lose so  many students to open enrollment.  There have been cases where it is due to the neighboring school having better extra-curricular opportunities or records.  Our district needs to decide on what our district’s philosophy is.  It seems to have changed over time and now we have lost enrollment because of it.

Finally, our district needs to be more transparent to our community.  We need to have better district wide communication.  It would be nice to have more celebrations from Boscobel Area Schools on the social media platform to show what we have to offer.

Why are you the best candidate for this office?

I believe I am the best candidate for a multiple reasons:

1. I am a native of the Boscobel Area School District

2. I have 14 years of School District experience

3. I have a wealth of knowledge concerning public schools

4. I have participated in planning for student achievement

5. I have knowledge of the general district operations

6. For the last year I have spent over a hundred hours in operational planning meetings due to the pandemic

7. I have also done extensive facility planning for a new Elementary School wing being added to our Middle/High School at Wisconsin Heights

8. I have built and managed a balanced school budget the same size as Boscobel Area School’s budget

9. I am here to represent our community – not just my own interests


Casey Updike
Casey Updike

Casey Updike

Casey Updike  is a 35-year-old resident of the town of Hickory Grove who lives with his wife Angela and works as a Wisconsin State Trooper.They have three children: Avery (11), Brayzen (8), and Everlee (5).  

 Education:

I graduated from Boscobel High School in 2003.  After 3 ½ years, I graduated from UW-Platteville with a B.S. in Criminal Justice and a minor in Accounting.  

 What are the top issues facing this district/municipality and how would you work to resolve it?

The number of students leaving our district during open enrollment continues to be a problem that still needs to be addressed.  This is a multifaceted problem that has developed over several years. While there is no overnight fix, it is an issue that we need to start tackling. We need to be able to identify the reason parents are opting out of Boscobel to other schools.  This requires open and transparent communication from parents to school administration and board members.  I would like to see exit interviews conducted, if possible, along with community engagement meetings. These meetings could be used to communicate with our families on how we plan to further better the schools as well as allowing a platform for our families to voice their concerns and ideas.  I would also like to see some marketing strategies implemented to better promote our school district and students.  We have some very bright students, talented athletes, and great educators at Boscobel Schools, and I hope we can build on that for generations to come.  

 What are other key issues facing the district/municipality, and how would you work to resolve them?

Another issue that I think needs to be addressed is the ability for the City of Boscobel and School District to act as a cohesive unit.  I believe there is a perception that this is currently not the case.  We will not achieve success as a community body unless both the city and the school succeed together.  It is a relationship that must constantly evolve as we continue to grow as a community.  Our interests should be very closely aligned and be more like a partnership instead of two separate entities.  A city not thriving will bring forth declining enrollment for schools which will place a financial burden on the school and the city, as a whole.  I would like to see open lines of communication through the City and School Officials.  School Board members and City Council members could meet regularly to discuss issues of mutual importance.  Two bodies acting together will always be stronger than acting alone. Let us strive to be better for our children, grandchildren and those that will follow us.   

 Why are you the best candidate for this office?

This past year has reminded me why small-town living is great.  Living in a small town has many advantages.  When I graduated from the WSP academy, we could have moved to practically anywhere in the State to raise our family.  It was an easy decision to stay in the area because we both grew up in this area and love it here.  With our children as young as they are, I am invested for the long haul. I will always want better for my children, and you can trust that I will always have your child’s best interest at heart as well. I learned early on in my life of the importance of a man’s word. Honesty and integrity are virtues I strive every day to uphold. They are required of me at my job, and I promise to work hard and carry those virtues with me if I am chosen to serve our schools as well. My only goal is to move our school district forward for the better.