My name is Mike Janke: husband, father of four, veteran, and concerned citizen. I am declaring my candidacy for the Appleton Area School District school board.
Two of my sons graduated from the Aces Xavier system, one from Appleton West this year and one who will graduate next year from Appleton North. I am proud of the men they have become, and I know they will be successful in their adult lives.
I decided to run for school board because I saw a definite difference in the academics between the Aces system and the public system. I researched published reading/writing and mathematics scores and found that the number of school kids who met or exceeded grade-level standards has declined over time, while high school graduation rates are 88 to 90 percent. How can so many students be graduating if they cannot read, write, or do math at grade level?
I have spoken to parents of graduates, and they expressed the same concerns. This makes me question the value of a high school diploma, and I wonder if we are losing the ability to prepare our children for the challenges of life.
There is no doubt that COVID changed the educational landscape. But when you look at the student achievement data, you see that COVID was an accelerant—NOT a cause for what we’re seeing.
I don’t want to run a campaign that places blame on why performance has gone down. Rather, I want to concentrate on how we can improve education performance and prepare our children for life’s challenges. Passing students from grade to grade even though they are not performing at grade level may make them feel good—and make our schools’ reported statistics look like there isn’t a problem—but eventually we are letting them down both on an educational and moral level.
I also want to address the cost of education. Enrollment is decreasing yet costs continue to rise. We are spending more money to get the same or worse results. We must look at different methods to educate that are cost- and performance-effective. This is why I will be hosting listening sessions with educators. I have already spoken to several teachers and heard their concerns and suggestions.
The current model is broken, and increasing spending will only produce more of the same. I will use my position to create a districtwide plan that maps out a strategy to improve basic education achievement (reading, writing, and math) and ensure that high school graduates are prepared for the challenges of life.
This will not be an easy campaign. I want to have a frank public discussion and expose defects and problems that may be uncomfortable to address. I want to discuss the problems facing us and not assign blame. To get better we must understand where and how the problems arose and only then move forward.
I am asking for your support this spring. Together we can be effective. My campaign motto will be “Demand Better Results.” I hope that my message resonates with you.
Michael Janke MBA
920-470-0908
m_janke2@aol.com