Waukesha School Board Race: 6 Projected Winners

WAUKESHA, WI — Karrie Kozlowski, Mark Borowski, Marquell Moorer, Greg Deets (I), William Baumgart (I), and Sarah Harrison were the projected winners in the Waukesha School Board race as of 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Waukesha County Clerk's election results website.

Voters in Waukesha headed to the polls for the 2022 primary election, casting ballots for several races, including the Waukesha School Board.

The race has eight candidates running for three open seats.

Results

(Final unofficial results from the county clerk's office as of 8:30 p.m.)

School Board Member

• Greg Deets (Incumbent) 4,204 votes
• Sarah Harrison 3,612 votes
• Karrie A. Kozlowski 5,408 votes
• Marquell Moorer 4,912 votes
• William A. Baumgart (Incumbent) 3,853 votes
• Mark Borowski 5,102 votes
• Jaymz Touchstone 702 votes
• Amanda Medina Roddy (Incumbent) 3,470 votes
• Write-in: 31

Below are the candidates who were on the ballot Tuesday:

Greg Deets (incumbent)

Greg Deets was elected to the Waukesha School Board in 2016 and reelected in 2019. He told Patch that a pressing issue is keeping politics out of the board.

"A school board member is supposed to be nonpartisan, which I am. A school board member should represent all residents of a community and not be in debt to a political party," Deets said.

Deets said more needs to be more done to improve student attendance, engagement, accountability and achievement. Early intervention and mental health must continue to be addressed, Deets said.

Sarah Harrison

Sarah Harrison is a first-time candidate for public office. She told Patch that she has volunteered for non-profit organizations dedicated to issues such as hunger relief, tutoring at-need students, athletics and environmental causes.

The biggest issue in the School District of Waukesha is the ongoing achievement gap, Harrison said.

"To close this gap, we must address the opportunity gap and provide fair and equitable opportunities to all students, regardless of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status or ZIP code," she said.

Karrie A. Kozlowski

Karrie Kozlowski is a first-time candidate. According to her website, she has a degree in accounting.

"I have extensive experience balancing budgets and controlling costs. These are skills I plan to use as your Waukesha board member, aligning funding resources directly to the needs of the students," the website said.

Marquell Moorer

Marquell Moorer is a first-time candidate. He is an elementary teacher running for school board.

Issues noted on his website include "elementary reading readiness, creating a culture of unlimited potential, and preparing students early for college and career success."

Patch reached out to this candidate on multiple occasions.

William A. Baumgart (Incumbent)

William Baumgart has served on the school board for more than 25 years. He told Patch he is seeking re-election because "his history and need for reason will benefit the board."

Baumgart said politics has come into play on the board and school practices.

"Simply put, I am committed to having a district focusing on the education and safety of the children," he said.

Mark Borowski

Mark Borowski is a first-time candidate. He has lived in Waukesha for 21 years, according to his website. His area of expertise is finances, which he said he will use on the board.

Borowski, according to his website, said the country has been "too conflicted and contentious."

"Schools are preoccupied with what’s on classroom walls and in lunch halls, and have lost sight of what learning is actually going on inside the classroom. The result? Declining performance in critical areas of education such as reading, writing, math, and college and career readiness," his website said.

Patch reached out to this candidate on multiple occasions.

Jaymz Touchstone

Jaymz Touchstone is a first-time candidate. He worked for 37 years in the military as a large-scale project manager, both in the army and navy reserves. Touchstone was awarded a Purple Heart and a bronze star.

He told Patch one of the biggest issues facing Waukesha is a lack of education.

"The School District of Waukesha is broken with over 60% of the kids below proficient in English and Math for several years. We need Education Freedom to fix the problem immediately," he said in his Patch profile.

Amanda Medina Roddy (Incumbent)

Amanda Medina Roddy has been on the Waukesha School Board since 2016, according to her public Facebook page.

She posted on Facebook her plans to improve academic success rates and said this will help students become lifelong learners.

" I’d say have measurable learning targets, formative assessments, consistent feedback between the student, teacher and parent/caregiver, self-assessment by the student, teacher retention plays a part in this as well these are generalized measures because there are many variables amongst our student body."

Patch reached out to this candidate on multiple occasions.