Two running for Stratford School Board

By Casey Krautkramer

Stratford School District residents will vote in the April 1 election for one of two people running for a single seat on the Stratford Board of Education. The Record-Review provided the same four questions to incumbent Kitty Guyer and her challenger Christine Hollatz-Polzin to answer.

Why are you running for the Stratford School Board?

Guyer: “I am running for re-election on the Stratford School Board because I have a passion for education and like politics as well. Being on a school board has been a dream of mine since I was in college.”

Hollatz-Polzin: “Being a fellow graduate, I think that Stratford is a great school, and now I have children that currently go to school here – Hayden, who is a sophomore, and Peyton, who is in eighth grade – which gives me a vested interest in their environment for learning. I also have a son Cole, who graduated from Stratford and has just completed his journeyman as an electrician, benefitting from the shop classes offered here. I look forward to the opportunity to serve my community and be part of a great team, focused on the success of the students, the school and to support the staff that work with them.”

Please tell me about your background and experience.

Guyer: “I grew up an Army brat and, due to that, I lived in 11 states. After graduating high school in a small Iowa town, I went to the University of Northern Iowa and obtained a degree in education.”

“I taught in Iowa for several years before moving to Arcadia, Wisconsin, where I was a substitute teacher and then a stay-at-home mom. In 2003, my husband, our five children and I moved to Stratford and decided to make this our forever home. After moving to Stratford, I was a substitute teacher for several years before becoming a kindergarten teacher at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Colby. After eight years there, I resigned to stay home and take care of my grandchildren.”

“I originally was on the Stratford School board from 2006-2013. I didn’t run for reelection because my husband was considering a job change. On April 26, 2021, I was appointed to finish a term on the school board and then elected to the position in 2022. I have been on the CESA 9 Board of Control from 2008 to 2013 and then again in August of 2021 to the present. I am currently the vice president of the CESA 9 Board of Control.”

Hollatz-Polzin: “I was born and raised in Stratford and graduated in 1991. I have moved at different times in my life but always come back. I believe that we have a terrific community and exemplary education system for our children. Stratford is a nice, safe place to raise a family. I have held different positions within my career, from bartender to registered nurse, and one thing is always the same: I like people and getting to know them.

“I have degrees from NTC in both business, marketing and advertising, and nursing. I enjoy a challenge and went back in 2014 for my bachelor’s in nursing. With a full plate, I hammered 32 credits in 10 months, pulling a 4.0! I have been a hospice nurse, case manager, in-patient RN, and currently a cardiac RN working in the Ambulatory Cardiac Unit at Aspirus Wausau Hospital. It is a privilege to do this line of work and such a rewarding act of service.”

“Come voting time, I can also be found working the voting polls for the township of Eau Pleine. That has been a great opportunity to meet my neighbors and put faces and names together.”

What would you say makes you a better candidate than your opponent?

Guyer: “To be honest, I do not know my challenger, so I can’t say what makes me a better candidate in comparison to her. What I can say is that I knew definitively that I wanted to run for the position so I filled out the paperwork at the first possible opportunity, which was Nov. 26. I also have experience being on the school board here, the Board of Control for CESA 9 and being on the hospital foundation board when we lived in Arcadia. This, plus my experience in education and understanding the different aspects of curriculum, are things that I feel make me a good candidate.”

Hollatz-Polzin: “As I mentioned earlier, I look forward to being part of a great team and my opponent has been part of that. I feel that my background and education offer another perspective to conversations and discussions. I was a graduate of Stratford and spent most of my life here. I’ve been involved in activities with the school and community and currently have children that are enrolled in Stratford schools – giving me a vested interest in the success of the school, students, and staff, from academics to sports. I am a fast learner and up for the challenge.”

What do you think about proposals at the federal level to eliminate all DEI programs in schools and possibly do away with the Department of Education?

Guyer: “Eliminating the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs in schools may be likened to eliminating participation trophies in sports. It does not benefit society to lower standards and expectations for certain groups. I feel that a government program aimed at equity for all actually ends up discriminating as well. For these reasons, I do not feel eliminating the DEI programs would negatively impact our district.”

“As for the second part of the question, eliminating the Department of Education, I feel that this could only positively impact the Stratford School District because it would give back the authority to govern schools at the state level and eventually at the local level. However, it would take an act of Congress for this to happen.”

Hollatz-Polzin: “I believe that people should be hired based on qualifications, regardless of their race, color, sexual orientation, etc. To hire someone, who ‘checks the boxes’ not only is a disservice to the employees that worked hard to earn their position, but is unsafe.”

“Regarding the Department of Education, there’s debate on where the U.S. truly ranks, but consistently it is middle of the road and behind other countries that are advanced industrial. There’s a lot of money that is paid to the people in positions within the Department of Education. Realize that the Department of Education does little to educate our students, improve our scores, produce college- or career-ready students. They merely have oversight on some programs but often pass unnecessary regulations that cost our schools money. The financial assistance they offer for school lunch, special education, etc. is truly minor (about 10%) compared to our local and state financing and could easily be moved under another department for far less cost. If positions are eliminated within the Department of Education, I would hope that money would then be directed to the schools, staff, and students.”

Kitty Guyer

Christine Hollatz-Polzin