Partisan endorsements, donations back Green Bay area school board races. What to know before you head to the polls

Yahoo

27-03-2025

School board races are one of the few nonpartisan races in Wisconsin. But despite candidate pledges to represent constituents across the political spectrum, toeing the partisan line in the modern political environment isn't so simple.
This school board election cycle has seen attack ads, endorsement changes and thousands of dollars in partisan spending amid a shifting education landscape. Green Bay's races are just one example of local school boards becoming more political as candidates face increasing partisanship and partisan hostility.
Green Bay's school board race is arguably the biggest local race this election cycle. With that comes partisan endorsements and spending. The race has also seen at least one ad opposing Democrat-backed candidate Jeanette Knill and promoting Republican-backed candidate Katie Gentry.
Request your absentee ballot now through March 27! Don't let Knill's playbook take over Green Bay schools—vote Katie Gentry for school board! https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/My-Voter-Info
Posted by The Republican Party of Brown County on Tuesday, March 11, 2025
James Lyerly, Knill and Rick Crosson are currently endorsed by the Democratic Party of Brown County, and Gentry, Elliot Christenson and Alex Mineau by the Brown County Republicans.
However, these endorsements have changed since the beginning of the race. Crosson was originally endorsed by both Brown County parties; however, Republicans changed their endorsement to Mineau in late February. This change came after Crosson publicly opposed changes to DEI-related language in district job descriptions, though it's not clear whether they were related.
Lyerly, Knill and Crosson each received a $500 donation from the Brown County Democrats and a $1,000 donation from the Green Bay Education Association PAC. Crosson and Knill also received in-kind consulting services and other support from the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.
Gentry received $1,363 from the Republican Party of Brown County — contributions were listed as in-kind, but no information was given on what those funds were used for. She also received nearly $350 from Christenson's campaign.
Christenson, himself, received $1,530 from the local Republican party: about $607 of that is consisted of in-kind donations, leaving $923. He also received donations from former school board candidate Darin Kane and Green Bay city Ald. Melinda Eck, among others.
Despite being endorsed by local Republicans, Mineau didn't receive any donations from the party. However, he did receive support from former school board member Laura Laitinen-Warren, who resigned last year after the resignation of former superintendent Claude Tiller amid a board investigation.
In Howard-Suamico, the Republican Party of Brown County endorsed the three incumbents: Amy Rubright, Allen McGuire and Scott Jandrin. The Democratic Party of Brown County endorsed Pooja Bambha-Arora. One candidate, Kim Moran, is not endorsed by either party.
Bambha-Arora received $500 from the local Democratic party and nearly $350 of in-kind donations from the Wisconsin Democrats. She also received a $52 donation from state Rep. Ryan Spaude, who represents Ashwaubenon and west Green Bay.
Rubright, McGuire and Jandrin all claimed a filing exemption for candidates who didn't anticipate receiving or spending more than $2,500 per year.
Wrightstown has seen input on the Republican side only: Jeff Nelson and Amber Cox were endorsed.
Jonathan Curtis and Melinda Lemke claimed a filing exemption for candidates who didn't anticipate receiving or spending more than $2,500 per year.
Nelson and Cox didn't claim the campaign filing exemption, but still didn't submit campaign finance documents, according to district clerk Hillary Sweere.
Wisconsin, like most states, holds nonpartisan school board elections, but all that means is there's no 'D' or 'R' on the ballot. Local, nonpartisan elections are becoming increasingly nationalized, tying them closer to party politics each year, said Aaron Weinschenk, associate professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
This partisan-nonpartisan trend is clearest at the state level. This year, the best example is the state Supreme Court race, which may break the $51 million national spending record that was set in the last race in 2023. Nationally known billionaires like Elon Musk and George Soros have thrown their dollars into the ring.
The correlation between presidential and Wisconsin Supreme Court election results in 2020 — basically, whether someone voted for the Supreme Court candidate that their chosen presidential candidate or party backed — was the strongest it had ever been, Weinschenk wrote in a PBS article that same year.
It's a similar situation at the school board level. People now see even local races as 'battlegrounds,' Weinschenk said, attracting outside groups like Super PACs, social media campaigns and endorsements. It's particularly relevant in Wisconsin, which is a traditional battleground state.
'The fact that there is real competition in many places in Wisconsin (and in statewide races) may amplify partisan politics,' Weinschenk wrote in an email to the Press-Gazette.
In addition, with major shifts in education happening at the federal level under President Donald Trump, there's an easy link to partisan politics. Those who support the Trump administration changes generally lean right, while those who oppose them lean left: For example, at a Green Bay candidate forum, candidates' answers to questions on federal issues like the abolition of the Education Department or diversity, equity and inclusion in schools were largely split based on who had donated to the candidates.
Contact Green Bay education reporter Nadia Scharf at [e-mail] or on X at @nadiaascharf.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Partisan endorsements, donations back Green Bay area school board races