Candidate Profile: Chris Zirbes For Wauwatosa School Board

WAUWATOSA, WI — The 2023 spring election is heating up in Wisconsin with several key local and statewide races on the April 4 ballot.

Among the races in Wauwatosa, people will be choosing new members for their local district's school board. Seven people are running for four seats on the board; just one is running unopposed. Those who are elected will serve a three-year term.

Patch asked all seven school board candidates to answer questions about their campaigns. We will be publishing profiles as soon as we receive answers from the candidates.

Here is what Chris Zirbes told Patch about why he should be elected to the Wauwatosa School Board:

Age as of election day:

50

Position sought:

Wauwatosa School Board, Seat 5

Party affiliation:

None

What is your educational background:

I have a BA in Finance from UWM.

What is your current occupation and work background?

I am a Senior Vice President of commercial lending at Cornerstone Community Bank in Menomonee Falls. My team and I call on and have relationships with small family owned businesses. We work closely with the owners of these businesses to help grow their companies, improve cash flow, and profitability.

What previous elected or appointed offices have you held?

None

What is your campaign website?

chriszforwsd.com

Why are you seeking office?

I have lived here in Wauwatosa for 20+ years. I was drawn to the city because of the great feel that it had with the small neighborhood community. People told me that the taxes were a little higher, but that Tosa has this great school district meaning your home’s value would always appreciate in value. Since deciding to run – I have talked to a lot of families (both with children and without), teachers, administration who are talking about how things have changed in Wauwatosa i.e. the continuous fighting at the middle and high schools, the teachers leaving, and our drop in proficiency scores.

What is the most pressing issue facing your office, and how do you plan on addressing it?

The district lost 192 teachers last year! That number is amazing and unacceptable to me. I have talked to numerous teachers at all 3 levels. The ones at the upper levels have too many kids in a classroom. They don’t have the room aids that they need to teach students. Teachers are spending more time doing “classroom management” vs teaching our kids. They want to be included on curriculum and given the tools to help them do their jobs. They also have a fear with the lack of safety in some of the buildings from the recent fighting. The teachers at all levels (Elementary, Middle, and High) are the greatest asset of this district. Every family (including my own) have vast memories of those teachers that taught them or their kids and to lose a teacher because they don’t feel safe or don’t have the tools to teach is unacceptable to me.

What are the critical differences between yourself and the other candidates seeking this office?

My job includes working with small business owners to review their historical financials, budgets, and cash flows. Fortunately, our district had additional grant monies from prior years to fund the deficit for the ‘22/’23 school year. The district used Esser funds that end in September of 2024 to fund 3 year contracts. We have declining enrollment and additional spending. School districts across the state are hoping for a piece of Wisconsin’s operating surplus. Our financial department has done an amazing job with the resources that they have in budgeting for the future based on a “what if” scenario, but it has been publically stated by many that there are difficult budgetary decisions coming.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform. What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I am very transparent with people. As part of my job, we go out cold calling, banging on doors, talking to business owners trying to develop new relationships for the bank. I have done that same thing in this campaign. I have walked the streets, knocked on doors, visiting and listening to what families in Wauwatosa have to say – some of those that liked my background and story, and some of those particularly did not. I am 100% local in this campaign and I value what Wauwatosa can be.

What is the best advice ever shared with you?

You will never please everyone.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I have ran a great campaign. I have met with families, teachers, principals, board members – listened to what their ideas are for the district. The top issues are the improved safety in our buildings. We learned a few years back that when a student is hungry they can not learn. We are now seeing that when a student feels unsafe they also can not learn. There needs to be repercussions for the 1% of the students creating these distractions in the classroom.

If you are running for a seat on a school board, do you have any children in the district?

We have 3 children – a junior at West and two 7th graders at Whitman.