Tricia Zunker said she knows school board presidents sometimes have a target on their backs. It s part of the job, she said.
But as Zunker led the Wausau School District board over the past year, she said, People were so cruel, you d think I personally brought the pandemic here.
Angry citizens scrawled messages about her on sidewalks around town. A board president in a neighboring district wrote on Facebook that she was a waste of physical space on the planet.
Tuesday s election brought the coup de grace: Of seven candidates seeking four seats on the board, Zunker finished sixth. Three winners, all newcomers, ran as a bloc against what they called Wausau s virtual and hybrid learning nightmare.
Wisconsin school board elections: Incumbents lose after reopening debate
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Wisconsin school board elections: Incumbents lose after reopening debate
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Election results: Wausau School Board returns are in - Wausau Pilot & Review
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Editor s note: This story has been updated to correct the college from which Kay Gruling received her medical doctorate.
WAUSAU - In addition to the statewide superintendent of public instruction race, local residents will also get to vote for who will represent them on their school boards in next week s spring election on April 6.
Seven candidates are facing off for four seats on the board. Current Wausau School Board members Pat McKee and Tricia Zunker are seeking re-election. They will face challengers Karen Vandenberg, Kay Gruling, Jon Creisher, Nicolas Bisgrove and Cody Nikolai.
The Wausau Daily Herald sent each candidate a questionnaire and asked them to limit their responses to about 100 words. Their answers presented here have been edited slightly for length and clarity.