The Pecatonica Area School Board of Edcuation has three seats open and four candidates running a chance on the board. They are Marsha Crooks, Steve Acheson, Megan Leonard and Mark Hazlitt. The school district asked the following questions of those candidates. Here are their responses.
Marsha Hermanson Crooks
1. Please share some background information about yourself.
I was born and raised on a 460-acre dairy farm outside of Blanchardville and am a proud Pecatonica graduate. I went on to earn my bachelor’s degree from UW-Eau Claire, majoring in Religious Studies with a minor in Sociology-Family Studies. I moved back to the area 9 years ago and live in the Blanchardville area with my husband Nick, son Henry and daughter Adeline. I’ve worked in the social services field for 12 years and currently supervise a team of social workers and nurses serving Southwest Wisconsin. Outside of my professional work, I’ve dedicated significant time to supporting the construction and opening of the Mckellar Park Swim Pond and am a founding member of the Friends of Mckellar Park, Inc.
2. What is motivating you to run for school board at this time?
I’m motivated to run for school board because I’ve seen meaningful, positive changes in the district-especially over the past year-as we plan for the future and strengthen collaboration between the district and the community. I attended many of the strategic planning and anti-bullying committee meetings, and I want to help see those initiatives through. With my background and experience, I believe I can contribute in valuable ways. Strong communication is essential, and it’s important that we continue working together to make ongoing improvements.
3. How do you define success for our school district, and what outcomes or indicators would help you know the district is moving in the right direction?
A key indicator of success will be the effective implementation of the newly developed strategic plan. This plan has the potential to greatly enhance student and staff satisfaction, improve retention, increase community involvement, and strengthen the relationship between the district and the community. Because the plan was created collaboratively in a series of meetings by a group of community members, teachers, and students, it reflects the priorities of all groups. It includes measurable goals and clear action steps, making progress easy to track. Two especially important outcomes will be increased enrollment and improved communication across the district.
4. What are one or two challenges you believe our district will face over the next few years, and how would you approach decision-making when there are competing priorities or differing community perspectives?
Over the next few years, I believe our district will face continued challenges with declining enrollment and limited funding-both common issues for rural districts. These concerns require careful analysis and informed, thoughtful decision-making.
Throughout my career in social services, I’ve had to make difficult decisions by stepping back, reviewing information objectively, considering all perspectives, and working within the guidelines and limits that must be followed. Not every solution will be perfect for everyone, but with transparency, respect, and clear communication, we can reach decisions that the community understands and that move the district forward.
Steve Acheson
1. Please share some background information about yourself.
My name is Steve Acheson, and I have spent the past nine years in the Pecatonica community with my wife, Stephanie Krueger, raising our two sons. While I have had the unique opportunity to be a stay-at-home dad, Steph has been teaching science for the past ten years at Verona Area High School. Prior to my role at home taking care of the domestic duties, however, I have worn many different hats.
I grew up near Campbellsport, Wisconsin on my step-dad’s 140-cow dairy farm, where I was heavily involved in 4-H in my youth. After graduating in 2003, I joined the Army as a Forward Observer, and deployed to Sadr City, Iraq in 2005. Unfortunately, I injured my spine while deployed, which led to receiving a service-connected disability rating and an Honorable Discharge after five years on active duty. Utilizing my GI Bill education benefits, I completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Structural Engineering at UW-Platteville before returning to my farming roots to start a certified organic produce and livestock farm near Waunakee with Steph in 2013. A re-injury to my back forced us to discontinue farming, and in 2017, we moved to our home just west of Blanchardville.
I’ve also been a founding member of a non-profit veterans advocacy organization and a cooperative agricultural business, performing board duties ranging from vice-president to marketing director. These roles led to experiences advocating in D.C. and the state capitol for both farmer and veteran related legislative proposals and policies.
I’ve spent a good deal of time volunteering in the community; chaperoning field trips, fundraising for various causes, and have volunteer-coached multiple youth sports – flag football, basketball, golf, soccer, and wrestling. I’ve also served on the Construction Oversight Committee, aiding in the recent renovations of our elementary and middle/high school buildings by offering insights on student safety, design modifications, and cost-saving measures within the scope of the project. Recently, I participated in the Strategic Planning process, helping establish future District-wide goals.
2. What is motivating you to run for school board at this time?
Watching our eldest son, Alex, graduate in 2025, and our firstgrader, Aldo, just beginning his journey at Pec, I feel as though I have a duty to continue serving our wonderful community. I want to bring my variety of experiences to the School Board to help solve the current and future challenges of our District, while being fiscally responsible to the taxpayers, to ensure the “Wisconsin Idea” lives on for ALL Pecatonica Area Students. Curriculum development is another area that motivates me to run for the Board in order to ensure that we are preparing all of our students for a rapidly changing future. From the expansion of Artificial Intelligence to an increased need for highly skilled trades, I want to work with the administration and teachers to think critically and creatively about what classes and training opportunities we are offering so that every student can be successful when they graduate.
3. How do you define success for our school district, and what outcomes or indicators would help you know the district is moving in the right direction?
I measure the success of our district in a few different ways. Outcomes for those who earn a High School Diploma are much better over their lifetime than for those who don’t graduate. So, first and foremost, we must identify as early as possible those students who might be struggling, and provide them with the adequate resources they need in order to graduate.
While I don’t believe standardized testing should be the top metric of a school’s success, after reviewing the latest Department of Public Instruction’s (DPI) School Report Cards, it is clear that we have some room to improve our Language Arts and Math skills, both at the elementary and high school level. Having a strong math and science background, I believe high competency rates in these fields are particularly critical for a future that is trending towards major technological advancement. As a member of the Board, I would focus on working within our budgetary means to provide the resources needed to improve in these areas specifically.
Another way I would measure success would be an increase in the number of students completing Youth Apprenticeship (YA) Certifications and School-to-Work programs. As a graduate of a two-year YA certification in Civil Engineering while in High School, in my opinion, nothing beats real-world experiential learning. The more of those types of opportunities we can provide our kids, the better prepared they will be for their futures.
4. What are one or two challenges you believe our district will face over the next few years, and how would you approach decision making when there are competing priorities or differing community perspectives?
From steadily declining enrollment, to net-negative open enrollment numbers, the Pecatonica Area School District (PASD) still faces some future challenges. I would like to focus on ways to effectively survey families in our district to identify the root causes of why some families are choosing to openenroll elsewhere, and to re-focus resources to address those shortcomings. But, before we do any shifting of resources, we need that hard data to inform our decisions.
I believe the long-term financial viability of the District must be paramount to every decision we make as a Board. Fiscally, the PASD is currently on solid ground. We are the only district within our conference that hasn’t had to go to the voters to approve an operational referendum. Of course, we recently went through a rather lengthy, but necessary, capital expenditure referendum to renovate the District’s buildings, but that is quite typical for any district. This has, however, along with other factors, contributed to higher property taxes, and put a strain on some families. While PASD is not immediately in danger of insolvency, we must make financial decisions with the understanding that our tax base feels like it is already stretched to the max, and be intentional and creative when/if we need to raise new revenue.
While at times it can be messy and inefficient, in my experience, the democratic decision-making process and healthy debate typically produces the best results. Everyone should have an opportunity to respectfully express their perspectives, as no one has a monopoly on good ideas. Sometimes difficult but necessary decisions must be made for the greater good, and I’m not afraid to make them, but only after gathering input from the community and those with relevant expertise.
Megan Leonard
1. Please share some background information about yourself.
My husband, Travis, and I are both proud graduates of Pecatonica-class of 2006 and 2010-and we chose to raise our family here because we believe in this community and its schools. We have three children: Audrey (8), Anders (5), and Annistyn (2 months). Our family runs a farm with my in-laws outside of Blanchardville, and agriculture and rural life are central to who we are.
Professionally, I have served as the Business Manager for the Argyle School District for the past five years. In that role, I work closely with administrators and the school board on budgeting, financial planning, and district operations. This experience has given me a strong understanding of school finance, state funding, and the importance of transparent, responsible fiscal stewardship.
Pecatonica played an important role in shaping Travis and me, and I want to give back to the district that gave us so much. I value the close-knit relationships, traditions, and community pride that make Pecatonica special, and I want to help ensure those strengths continue for future generations.
2. What is motivating you to run for school board at this time?
I am running for the Pecatonica School Board because I care deeply about the future of our schools and our community. As a Pec graduate, parent, farmer, and school district business manager, I bring both personal and professional perspectives to this role.
I want to help ensure Pecatonica remains a strong district where students receive a high-quality education, teachers feel supported, and taxpayer dollars are used wisely. My professional experience has shown me how important planning, transparency, and collaboration are in school governance.
This is an important time for public education, with challenges related to funding, staffing, enrollment trends, and evolving student needs. I believe my background in school finance and operations, combined with my perspective as a parent and community member, will allow me to contribute thoughtfully and effectively to board decisions.
3. How do you define success for our school district, and what outcomes or indicators would help you know the district is moving in the right direction?
I define success for the Pecatonica School District as a place where every student feels safe, supported, and prepared for their future-whether that future includes college, technical training, farming, military service, or the workforce.
Indicators of success include:
- Strong academic growth and achievement for all students High graduation and post-secondary readiness rates A positive school culture where students feel respected and included
- Teacher recruitment, retention, and job satisfaction Responsible financial management and long-term planning Strong family and community engagement
- I would look for continued student growth, expanded opportunities in career and technical education, and strong partnerships with families and the community. Maintaining Pecatonica’s small-school strengths-relationships, traditions, and community pride-while continuing to innovate will be an important measure of success.
4. What are one or two challenges you believe our district will face over the next few years, and how would you approach decision making when there are competing priorities or differing community perspectives?
One major challenge facing school districts is financial sustainability. Balancing staffing, facilities, programming, and rising costs while being mindful of taxpayers requires careful long-term planning. Another challenge is meeting the diverse academic, behavioral, and mental health needs of students with limited resources.
When there are competing priorities or differing community perspectives, I believe decisions should be guided by transparency, data, and what is best for students. My approach would be to:
Listen carefully to parents, staff, and community members Review data and financial impacts
Consider both short-term needs and long-term consequences Communicate decisions clearly and respectfully
Not every decision will satisfy everyone, but I believe school board members must act with integrity, fiscal responsibility, and a student-centered focus.
Mark Hazlitt
1. Please share some background information about yourself.
I believe my background working for large companies will bring a different perspective to the board. One of the reasons both public and private organizations have “boards”, is to make sure that a range of opinions are voiced at meetings as leaders know that this is likely to result in an optimum outcome. While it might be nice to have meetings where everyone agrees with each other all the time, this is not likely to produce the best results.
As someone who regularly attends board meetings, I am familiar with the way the board works and many of the key aspects of the role.
I have also been a member of the advisory board on construction of the Elementary School additions. Prior to the project starting I went on the organized trip to view other schools to see how they had approached their construction projects.
2. What is motivating you to run for school board at this time?
I strongly believe that the future of the United States of America depends on a well-educated workforce. There are fewer and fewer jobs where you can simply turn up and start working with minimal training. With that in mind I think it is vital to ensure that every student is provided with the best opportunity so that they can succeed.
I think the strongest aspect of the school district is the staff, both academic and administrative. I have met many of the staff and I am always impressed at the level of professionalism. There always seems a willingness to go the “extra mile”. As a district we are very fortunate to be in the position that we have low staff turnover and a dedicated workforce.
I also appreciate that students have a wide range of capabilities and that is important to ensure that EVERY student has access to the type of education that will allow them to flourish during their adult life.
3. How do you define success for our school district, and what outcomes or indicators would help you know the district is moving in the right direction?
While there is pressure on funding, I also think it is important to see what can be done to reduce costs. Clearly, if the aim is to provide the best education, cost savings cannot impact the district employees. This leaves the “infrastructure” of the school. As we all know energy costs keep increasing and I know at the Elementary School various government programs were used to improve the energy efficiency of the building which will help keep long term costs under control. I expect there are other places where improvements can be justified that over the longer term will reduce costs.
I expect it is difficult for the school district to negotiate contracts with external organization due to the relatively low spend compared to other customers. I would propose that we cooperate with other similar local school districts to see what benefits there might be in aggregating purchasing for items such as insurance.
In conclusion, I think there are many ways to measure success. One may be based on academic outcomes. Longer term success may be measured by the type of employment alumni are able to obtain. Taxpayers may measure success as reasonable annual tax increases, without the need for a special operating referendum.
4. What are one or two challenges you believe our district will face over the next few years, and how would you approach decision making when there are competing priorities or differing community perspectives?
I think the biggest challenge facing the school district is funding. I recently had the opportunity to speak to Senator Marklein, and somewhat fortuitously, the following had been posted on social media earlier in the day ‘ “We are working to guarantee that every child – regardless of where they live – has access to a world-class education and a chance to achieve the American Dream” – PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP’.
After explaining to the Senator that while I did not always agree with the President, on this topic, I was in total agreement. With that in mind, I said that it was my understanding that one of the biggest challenges to education in Wisconsin is funding. I stated that it was my understanding that for most of this century the Wisconsin legislature had limited the amount school boards could increase their levies each year, often by less than inflation. Clearly this has a cumulative effect and over time the amount school districts can raise falls, to a level below that they require to maintain their services. No doubt this is the reason so many school districts are having referendums to increase their operating budget.
I further stated that I believed a good education was essential as there were many good jobs available in the workforce, but many now require a high level of education, and obviously those who do not possess the necessary skills will not be selected for those roles.
I also realize that state aid had been reduced over the years. As I understand it the state finances are actually in good standing and the “rainy day” fund is adequate. One example of the lack of state funding is the Special Education. Due to the way the legislation was passed, which only allocated a specific amount, now that the actual costs have become known, it appears that instead of school districts receiving 42% of their actual funding, they will only receive 35%.
Another point I raised with the Senator was the amount of money going to “voucher schools”. While I fully support the right for any parent to decide their child’s education, I believe that it is vital that the public education system is adequately funded, before any funds are allocated to private establishments, except where exceptional circumstances apply.
One goal I believe the School Board should pursue is ways to work with other districts to get the legislature to recognize the school funding needs, so that they are not beholden to having to ask local taxpayers to approve additional funds simply to function at an adequate level.