Campaign info
- Position sought: Port Washington-Saukville School Board — Representing Saukville
Personal info
- Family: Married, one daughter age 12 at Thomas Jefferson
- Education: BS in Criminal Justice from UW-Milwaukee
- Occupation: Education Prevention Specialist at Starting Point of Ozaukee in Grafton
- Related experience: I have worked in the nonprofit sector for the past 7 years.
Candidate Questions
Why are you running for this office?
I believe in serving the community in which I live. I am passionate about our children's educational experience. The school district's mission is to educate all children to their greatest potential. I want to continue to have a comprehensive array of educational avenues for our students. I want to continue to have highly skilled educators to lead our children to their greatest potential. I will continue to be sensitive to the needs of the taxpayers in order to maintain the fiscally positive status our district has achieved. I believe in working collaboratively with our talented staff members to acheive the highest levels of success for all our students.
What will be your single most important priority if you get elected?
As a school board member, the issue that must take top priority each year is to educate all children to their greatest potential, our district's mission. All the decisions we make in the board room must contribute to the success of each and every child.
What is the biggest problem you see and how will you address it, if elected?
Managing tight budgets are probably one of the biggest challenges school districts face. Schools used to be able to rely on a specific amount of funding per pupil each year. Now we find ourselves trying to make do with what we are given. Because our district has worked as a team, we have overcome these challenges time and time before, which has allowed us to maintain class sizes, keep important programs, and keep vital staff needed to teach those programs.
What is your favorite thing about the school district where you are seeking elected office?
I am very proud of the quality of public education that children in our district receive. Our district operates under a "good to great" mentality, and we are always striving for continued success. It is this type of drive that will result in positive outcomes for our kids, and it is an example for them to live by since we wish for them to be lifelong learners.
What sets you apart from the other candidates, if contested?
I have 6 years of previous experience on the Board of Education. I am proud to have been part of a group of people who have been so child-centered and forward-thinking. It is this combination of characteristics that has allowed us to keep our district is such wonderful financial shape, while providing the very best opportunities for our community's children.
In This Local Fact
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Thomas Jefferson Middle School
1403 N Holden St, Port Washington, WI
Marie
9:03 am on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Ms. Greminger, what are your views on union rights? Are you going to support the unions over the taxpayers like you did last year? Or are you going to support the taxpayers and implement all the provisions of act 10 and disband the union?
Say What?
10:08 pm on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Marie,
Do you mean how she completely supported the Unions' 1.5 million concessions over what the taxpayer? How dare she! And, what measure of ACT 10 allows the School Board to disband the union? Here is what I think, swing for the fences! Lets get some new school board members in, cut all teachers pay to 35k a year, no benefits, no retirement. See what you get then. Seriously, who is showing up to that job?? Please, oh Please, tell me what else we can do with ACT 10!! Can we pull their finger and toe nails out with pliers??? I have always wanted to do that!
Carey Gremminger
9:39 pm on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Marie,
Union rights have nothing to do with my role as a school board member. I can also assure you that it is absolutely not the role of school board members to "disband the union". Our staff gave concessions as of last year that were completely in line with Act 10. Regardless of whether our staff remains a union or not, it is my responsibility to make the best decisions for our school district and it's children.
porttreiss
10:26 pm on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Carrie, This just shows how you are not qualified to be on the school board. When the board backed the union last year by extending their contract it cost the Port Washington and Saukville taxpayers at least 350,000. This is the savings we will see by not going with WEAC insurance. Your vote and the rush to get a contract done before Act 10 was put in place lost our children, which you state you care so much about, that money which could have gone to enriching their educational experience. What everyone has failed to see is that without collective bargaining, the school board is now able to reward the best teachers with higher salaries and bonuses. No longer is the school board bound to give salary increases due to longevity. Teachers who perform exceptionly should be rewarded. This will create an atmosphere of wanting to do better and improve the level of education. Carrie, you and the rest of the board last year failed to see this. You acted on behalf of the teachers, not the taxpayers or the children. How you dealt with the union has everything to do with the election for school board.
Say What?
10:42 pm on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Would you really be willing to keep around insufficient teachers that can't earn or don't care to earn the higher pay or bonuses through better teaching? Would you? What I mean here is that the bonuses for quality teachers is a total ruse. If they aren't quality teachers, you wouldn't want them there. And if they are all quality teachers, you don't want to pay them that much. Maybe you can through 10 bonuses into a ring and have them all fight for it. And, what if a teacher that your son or daughter doesn't like happens to be one that gets a bonus? How much time and effort are you going to spend to make it personal that they don't get the bonus? By what measure would you have the bonuses handed out? You say these things like you were in third grade, talking about "If I was the president, I would make sure everyone had cookies. Gall, I sure like cookies!" The problem is that your armchair school boarding is devoid of the actual work and thought necessary to undertake any of this, and you would surely suffer the same criticism for "not acting" or, on the other hand, acting quite foolishly and costing the district teachers and money. I look forward to the district a year from now, but not with any amount of anxiousness, more with anxiety.
porttreiss
11:18 pm on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Say What? Did I say quality teachers? No! I said exceptional teachers would receive bonuses. The problem is that the majority of people follow the law of physics and take the path of least resistance. If we offer incentives, we encourage better performance. Parents know who the exceptional teachers are as well as the ones who are subpar. There are a number of methods to determine how a bonus or salary increase is determined. Businesses do it all the time. My point to all of this is lost on you and many. What you and the unions deem Act 10 to be a bad thing and a loss of wages and benefits can actually work out in the teachers favor by not following the status quo.
Say What?
11:41 pm on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
You clearly can't comprehend what I was saying, so it comes as no surprise that your position is what it is. I understand your position, but I reject it because it is devoid necessary facts and statistics that would provide you with a reasonable conclusion. Nice talking points, though. You executed them well.
CAB2
3:49 pm on Wednesday, March 28, 2012
by rushing the contract last year was an assault on the taxpayers and common sense we could have saved even more money-the hayes group report and recomendations are in-this could have been done last year-by simply increasing deductibles to $1000.00 we could have saved an additional million dollars and used it for improved education teacher bonuses etc. instead we threw the money at the union and its surrogate WEA trust-what did we get better educational outcomes or more whinning from the teachers union?
Say What?
10:47 pm on Wednesday, March 28, 2012
CAB2,
Using ultimate application of your reasoning, we could have just taken away all benefits and saved the district Millions of money. Then we could have that money to give to the teachers who are good, but ONLY, only the good ones. The rest can eat it! Love it, just love it. Hopefully we can pinch this down to a point where only the best most qualified teachers want to take the chance of going into education hoping they might qualify as "good".
CAB2
9:17 am on Thursday, March 29, 2012
say what?
are you stupid or what? yes we could use the money for the best teachers as well as returning it to the taxpayers who pay the bills-or use it to improve educational materials for the children that you blue fisters say you care about-but your actions show you only care about yourselves and your useless union
Say What?
8:01 pm on Thursday, March 29, 2012
Far brighter than you.
Earl Kelley
10:26 pm on Thursday, March 29, 2012
CAB2 your last remarks are out of line.
CAB2
10:51 am on Friday, March 30, 2012
perhaps, earl, perhaps tired of union teachers/members believing they are better than the rest of us-personally i have a masters degree and more letters after my name than any teacher i have met and i do not expect people to give me a free ride thru my life because i belong to a union i earn my money in the private sector and pay for my own healthcare $5000.00 deductible, provide my own retirement and my taxes pay for the public unions as well!
Say What?
6:44 pm on Saturday, March 31, 2012
So, in that case, do you mind telling me how much you are making? You might as well be honest with what you compensation is so that we don't start thinking that you might be in 6 figures and complaining about taxes. By the way, you pay taxes. YOU don't pay salaries, local municipalities pay salaries. Do you walk into every store that you purchase items from, every restaurant, gas station, etc and tell them how you pay their salaries and benefits?? I hope not, because I am sure that there is spit in your soup. As for the free ride, blow it out the outgoing orifice. So, the public sector literally (I mean this very literally because it is the only way to not be creating fictitious crap to spread your opinion and not facts) does not have to work whatsoever and is provided everything they have free of any charge, straight from your wallet? Where do I hook up to this glorious teet you speak of? No one is believing that they are "better than you" (although, right now I kind of feel awesomely brilliant next to your BS), I would say that there is a broken contract here more than anything. Propose here, in writing, the amount of base pay you would like to see public sector workers have, the benefits (or not), and the method of evaluation and the subsequent bonuses for performance based pay. I am not asking for much, but I think all should have the opportunity to way and measure your true intentions. Public Sector workers' intentions are known, fair and equitable.
CAB2
7:08 pm on Saturday, March 31, 2012
say what?
actually public sector teachers pay is not fair equitable or known by most people-for instance -WEA Trust has been overcharging taxpayers for years-a somewhat dubious relationship and very secretive- removing collective bargaining has allowed us to see how much we were being over charged for benefits Onalaska WI just saved $800,000.00 by simply dropping WEA PWSSD can save the same amount or more by getting rid of the wholly owned subsidiary of the union. What i make is my own affair-what i want to see as the employer of PUBLIC employees is that they make what ever they can based on how they perform their tasks-lets start by comparing PWSSD with mequon, cedarburg, grafton and ozaukee and measure outcomes based on who does best-i don't beleive in limiting how much anyone can earn-i want to make sure they earn it and not simply automatic raises-and seniority basis-and by the way i do and am the employer of PUBLIC employees-by haveing my money confiscated from me in a progressive tax system and used in a manner that is and has always been UNCONSTITUTIONAL.
Say What?
8:14 pm on Sunday, April 1, 2012
You have provided no evidence to your claims and provide no answer to my questions. What you are saying is that you are sure that we make too much, and that you have no clue as to what they should make. In conclusion, what you have provided is a talking point based in opinion and not in fact. Do you care to show the unconstitutional nature of this? PWSSD has not raised its tax levy to the community in 15 yeas (I believe this is what we are continually told by the Superintendent). Help me out on the progressive nature of this. And, for the confiscation. Might I suggest that you move to a place with no taxes and no public services. You pay a fee, taxes, to live in a community. Maybe free market economics can solve this.