A Message from Chris Merker:

I am running for the Wauwatosa School District Board because I am deeply invested in the future of our schools, not only as a resident but as a parent. My daughters, a sixth grader at Longfellow, and a fourth grader at McKinley, are part of the next generation of learners who deserve the best education we can provide. My wife Kayla’s involvement as a former PTO president has given me further insight into the challenges and opportunities within our schools, as well as the importance of collaboration between parents, teachers, and the district.

I am also a proud product of the Tosa School District, having attended Lincoln, Longfellow, and Tosa East. The education I received here laid the foundation for my academic and professional success. In the 1980s, Tosa’s public schools were a model of excellence at both the state and national levels. Today, however, we face significant challenges, with declining student performance and fiscal inefficiencies that demand immediate attention. While we are spending more money on education than ever before, test scores and state rankings have dropped precipitously. For example, McKinley Elementary, despite its new building and investments from recent referendums, has seen a significant decline in state rankings.

As someone with over 15 years of experience in higher education, I bring a unique perspective to the board. I serve as executive-in-residence and co-director of the S-Lab at Marquette University, a program dedicated to sustainability and governance. My academic work focuses on board governance and financial sustainability, including for school districts, and I teach courses that emphasize critical reasoning and strategic decision-making. In addition, my work as a director with Private Asset Management at Baird, a nationally-ranked investment advisory team, has given me extensive experience working with boards, finance, and investment committees to ensure mission alignment, financial sustainability, intergenerational equity, and long-term goal achievement. This background equips me to make thoughtful, informed decisions that will benefit our students, teachers, and community as a whole.

I am committed to addressing the challenges our schools face with constructive solutions. I will work to ensure that decisions impacting classroom teachers and district policies are made by individuals with the appropriate qualifications and expertise. My goal is to support educators with policies that enable them to focus on teaching, rather than being burdened by red tape and mandates that lack classroom relevance. Furthermore, I will advocate for the preservation and enhancement of valuable programs that are critical to student success but have been eliminated or diminished in recent years.

The stakes are high. Quality education is the cornerstone of thriving, safe communities, and we have an obligation to provide our children with opportunities equal to or greater than those we had. I ask for your support in this endeavor to restore excellence to Wauwatosa schools. Together, we can ensure that every child in our district receives the education they deserve, and that our community continues to be a place where families and businesses thrive.

—
Christopher K. Merker, Ph.D., CFA
Candidate for Wauwatosa School Board, Seat 7