Partisan support divided among six candidates for Cedarburg School Board
Incumbents Laura Stroebel and Elizabeth Charland, along with challengers Paul Demczak, Brooke Justinger, Heidi Laurila and Gina Tozer will face off in the April 1 general election, after advancing from the Feb. 18 primary.
The candidates appear to be running in two blocs, with Charland, Demczak and Stroebel on one side and Justinger, Laurila and Tozer on the other.
Charland, Demczak and Stroebel appeared together at a campaign event March 3 at Rebellion Brewing in Cedarburg that advertised former Wisconsin Republican Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch as a special guest.
The three support each other and are also supported by the Republican Party of Ozaukee County. Demczak and Stroebel are also supported by the Patriots of Ozaukee County, a conservative-leaning group. Demczak said he's also supported by Moms for Liberty and Wisconsin Family Action, whose website says its mission is "to advance Judeo-Christian principles and values in Wisconsin by strengthening, preserving, and promoting marriage, family, life, and Religious liberty."
Justinger, Laurila and Tozer appeared together at a campaign event March 7 at the American Legion Peter Wollner Post 288 in Cedarburg. The three support each other and are also supported by the Ozaukee County Democrats, the Cedarburg Education Association and current Cedarburg School Board members Connie Kincaide and Kate Erickson and former Cedarburg School Board member Hani Malek.
The Journal Sentinel asked each of the candidates the same three questions. Their responses were limited to 100 words per question.
Charland: Ensuring students are proficient in math and reading is the district's most important responsibility. We owe it to them to provide a rigorous academic foundation that prepares them for success. While the DPI is quietly lowering standards and my Democrat-backed challengers want to shift the focus to nonacademic agendas, I remain committed to maintaining high expectations. Since 2022, iReady math and reading proficiency has grown, and I will continue supporting strategies that drive strong academic outcomes. Cedarburg has a tradition of excellence, and I will keep working to uphold and improve it.
Demczak: My platform of staying on track with academic excellence and fiscal responsibility addresses the two most pressing issues. The first is to provide students with a solid educational foundation to build their future on. That consists of maintaining high standards and focusing on core subjects of reading, writing, math and science, along with building up critical thinking, reasoning and teamwork skills. The second is to accomplish these goals with limited financial resources faced with unpredictable revenue and expenses. The key is to operate under a balanced budget that provides teachers and staff with competitive wages and plans for future expenditures.
Justinger: I am passionate about several issues that directly impact students, and therefore the district as whole. The most important to me is balancing academic rigor with inclusive environments. One way to do this is by building upon programs that benefit learners at all stages of development. Another is by reimplementing social emotional learning curriculum. Teachers and students deserve to use every tool in their toolkits. The Cedarburg School District has many devoted families and individuals that give so much time to see the schools succeed. I believe the board can provide clearer leadership and set a better tone of collaboration.
Laurila: Our district has been successful at producing excellent outcomes in math and reading, an important priority that I support. However, this performance does not come without tremendous pressure on students and staff. There are ways to remediate this: One, prioritize student health and well-being, and two, address teacher satisfaction, compensation and retention. For students, we can reinstate the social-emotional learning curriculum in the elementary grades, and ensure that we are providing all students a holistic education. For educators, we can increase dialogue, rebuild trust and treat them as professionals.
Stroebel: The Cedarburg School District's core mission is to educate its students. Their continued academic success and individual growth should be the board's priority. Providing all students with strong reading, writing and math skills is foundational to anything they want to pursue. We need to continue enhancing students' creativity and problem-solving skills. As every student is unique and different, the district must continually work to maximize each student's individual learning potential. We need to attract and retain high-quality teachers and maximize our financial resources while maintaining our facilities. Finally, kindness and respect must be embedded in everything the district does.
Tozer: There are several priorities that I believe are pressing and need to be addressed by board members. The first is actively rebuilding trust with the CSD community. One way of doing this is by recording all committee meetings to allow greater transparency and allowing more opportunities for public comment. Board members can also invest intentionally in educator retention and think outside the box for ways to make sure great staff members stay here in Cedarburg.
Charland: I voted for this decision. Inflation made this a tough budget year, and the board prioritized sustainable teacher compensation while maintaining financial stability. Instead of one-time bonuses, funds were directed toward salary-accruing pay, resulting in an average 4.5% salary increase — exceeding this year's CPI and providing a higher average salary increase than Mequon and Grafton. Additionally, we invested in long-term building maintenance to avoid future referendums. I support competitive teacher pay, balanced budgets and responsible planning. While I would like to see retention bonuses return when fiscally possible, this year's approach best supported teachers while respecting taxpayers.
Demczak: I reviewed the budget presentations and video from the fall board meeting. I saw that salaries, benefits, and related Fund 27 transfers accounted for about 80% of the budget. The board considered many factors in their decision, including unexpected expenses during the budgeting process and the need to fund future capital expenses. The board reluctantly decided not to provide the retention bonus in order to be able to balance the budget; however, they did provide an average 4.12% salary increase that was competitive with other districts. I would like to return to providing a bonus in the future, if possible.
Justinger: I disagreed with how the negotiations process was handled and believe that there are ways that the board can work together in more effective ways moving forward. Some of the hardest-working and most-dedicated people that I know are educators in our Cedarburg schools. All members of our community should feel that their voice is heard and valued. I look forward to setting a more positive tone if elected to serve.
Laurila: I do not agree with the board's decisions regarding the compensation structure. Providing appropriate compensation and ensuring a fair negotiations process is both prudent from a staff-retention perspective and vital for the culture within our district. Where we choose to spend taxpayer dollars in our schools directly correlates to reflecting what we value. Reaffirming the work that teachers do each day and the impact that they have on the success of the district should be at the top of that list.
Stroebel: The Cedarburg School District approved a 4.46% salary increase to the overall teachers' wages for the current school year, surpassing neighboring districts Grafton and Mequon. Historically, the teachers' compensation has been comprised of multiple components. If a portion of the increase had been characterized as a retention bonus, starting salaries in future years would have been lower since retention bonuses are not included as part of a teacher's wage base. Our teachers are highly valued, and we prioritized teacher compensation through a highly inflationary period that impacted the entire country.
Tozer: Budget balancing requires weighing a multitude of real time needs with future projections. Still, our district has included retention bonuses as part of the compensation packages awarded to our staff for decades. Some members of the current board have not been transparent to the CSD community about the cuts that were made to make the balancing of 2024-25 budget possible. This distortion of fact demonstrates a breach of trust not only between the board and the CEA, but between the board and our community at large as well.
Charland: While many districts struggle with declining enrollment and financial instability, Cedarburg remains in a strong position because of steady enrollment and responsible budgeting. Unlike districts turning to referendums, we've made smart, long-term decisions to avoid that path. This year, we balanced an average 4.5% teacher raise with a $500K investment in Fund 46, which pays for major building expenses like roofs and HVAC. Funding it appropriately keeps our buildings safe and prevents costly referendums. I promised to be fiscally responsible, making tough choices to keep taxes reasonable while ensuring our schools remain strong and well-maintained.
Demczak: Cedarburg has not had a school referendum since 2018, and even that was for facility improvements, not operational expenses. I have been very impressed with this fact based on my experience with another school district that had a referendum almost every year. The referendum did not always get approved, which caused even more issues like large class sizes and temporary classrooms with much educational disruption. The fact that the Cedarburg School Board has historically budgeted conservatively and planned for the future is a good thing. I would continue that discipline and explore all other options before going to a referendum.
Justinger: I had the opportunity to work in Cedarburg schools during the most recent referendum process, and I know how challenging the decisions were that board members and community members faced at that time. There are potential changes at the federal level that may impact our district and others across the state. As a board member, my goal would be to seek input from the community, from the CSD business administrator and to have respectful dialogue with fellow board members that can share their own expertise.Visit: brookejustinger4csd.com. Thank you for your consideration on election day.
Laurila: The school finance landscape is in flux, especially given a potential loss of funds from the federal government. Our board will need to work collaboratively to address potential budget shortfalls. This includes determining key priorities, asking difficult questions about what projects may need to wait and considering seeking outside funding sources. These decisions should be informed by conversations with district professionals, research on the part of board members and a willingness for more open and transparent dialogue with stakeholders. To learn more, visit HeidiLaurila4schoolboard.com, and make a plan to vote from March 18-28 or on April 1.
Stroebel: As a current Cedarburg School Board member, I want to highlight our commitment to maximizing every dollar in our budget. We prioritize our staff and their salaries and benefits while valuing our students' classroom experience. We also prioritize educational resources going directly to the classroom. In 2025, we transitioned to a self-funded insurance plan, which helped mitigate substantial premium increases. Additionally, we have been funding a reserve for future maintenance and technology expenditures, ensuring we are prepared for upcoming needs. Thanks to years of prudent financial planning, the district is well positioned financially to support both staff and students effectively.
Tozer: Public education must be advocated for by all board members. The board must intentionally pursue more funds to be released at the state level so that all our students are given the opportunity to succeed academically. The board needs to demonstrate that all avenues have been exhausted before going back to the community for a referendum. Referendums alone are not a sustainable plan for financially supporting the business of the district; some current board members are choosing to sit on their hands when more can and must be done. Have your voice heard: Vote on, or before, April 1. Ginatozer4cedarburg.com
Age: 40Past political experience: Cedarburg School District Board member since 2022Family: Husband of 13 years, David; mother to three daughters ages 7, 9 and 11Community involvement: Ozaukee 4H Cloverleaf Club volunteer, family involved in Girl Scouts, town of Cedarburg Soccer and Cedarburg Crush softball
Supporters and/or endorsements: Did not provideOccupation: Healthcare IT senior consultant and project managerContact info: CharlandForCedarburg@gmail.com, www.CharlandForCedarburg.com
Age: 61
Past political experience: First time running for office
Family: Married for 32 years with three children
Community involvement: Student mentoring through Acadia Academics
Supporters and/or endorsements: Republican Party of Ozaukee County, Patriots of Ozaukee County, Wisconsin Family Action, Moms for Liberty
Occupation: Business professional
Contact info: DemczakForCedarburg@gmail.com
Age: 43
Past political experience: N/A
Family: Husband, James; and two daughters, Lilah and Cici, in the Cedarburg School District
Community involvement: Volunteer for sports, shops, and events in Cedarburg
Supporters and/or endorsements: Cedarburg Education Association, Democratic Party of Ozaukee County, current and former school board members Kate Erickson, Connie Kincaide and Hani Malek. Endorsements are not representative of the Cedarburg School District, Cedarburg School Board of Education or any boards, committees, or offices that these individuals serve on or hold.
Occupation: Academic support specialist, school psychologist
Contact info: friendsofbrookejustinger@gmail.com
Age: 39Past political experience: NoneFamily: Jay Laurila (husband); three elementary aged children in the Cedarburg School District (Claire, Mia and Hannah)Community involvement: Administrative vice president, Mom's Club of Cedarburg (2017-2018); Cedarburg Friends of the Library Board (2019-2020); content coordinator of the Cedarburg Bridge (2019-2021); Girl Scout Troop leader for Troop 8516 (2022-present) and Troop 8545 (2023-present)Supporters and/or Endorsements: Current and previous school board members Kate Erickson, Connie Kincaide and Hani Malek. Endorsements are not representative of the Cedarburg School District, Cedarburg School Board of Education, or any boards, committees, or offices that the above individuals serve on or hold. She is also endorsed by the Cedarburg Education Association and the Democratic Party of Ozaukee County.Occupation: Stay-at-home parent currently; previously, educator, nonprofit professional, philanthropy professional, and writer/editorContact info: heidi4csd@gmail.com; 262-228-6155
Age: 63
Past political experience: Current Cedarburg School District board member since July 2021, current vice president
Family: Husband, Duey; children Spencer, Maggie (Keegan), Trevor, Stewart, Mitchell, Lewis, Wesley, Mary; grandchild Jack
Community involvement: Past member and president of Cedarburg High School PTO, past board member and treasurer of Cedarburg Booster Club, active member of First Immanuel Lutheran Church
Supporters and/or endorsements: Republican Party of Ozaukee County, Patriots of Ozaukee County
Occupation: Small business owner and accountant
Contact info: laurastroebelforcedarburg@gmail.com
Age: 38
Past political experience: None
Family: Partner Tim Chapman; one infant, and one elementary aged child in the Cedarburg School District
Community involvement: Parkview Elementary School PTO member (four years), committee co-chair (one year)
Supporters and/or endorsements: Cedarburg Education Association (CEA), Democratic Party of Ozaukee County; current board members Kate Erickson and Connie Kincaide and former board member Hani Malek. Endorsements are not representative of the CSD, CSD Board of Education or any boards, committees, or offices that are held by Erickson, Kincaide, or Malek.
Occupation: Global treasury analyst
Contact info: friendsofginatozer53012@gmail.com
Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on X (Twitter) at @AlecJohnson12.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Six candidates running for three seats on Cedarburg School Board
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