Raabe seeks compromise, fiscal conservancy for school board

Dennis Raabe is seeking one of four seats on the Stevens Point Area Public Board of Education.

Questions submitted by Metro Wire readers.

Q: There has been a lot of communication between candidates and members of the public on social media, particularly on Facebook, that is not available to the general public. Do you believe Facebook is the appropriate place for such communication, and if so, why?

Raabe: I think that people are going to use Facebook no matter what. When Facebook first came out, as a school administrator, you try to make sure everything that goes out is appropriate. You try to control what people see and don’t see. But it’s really almost an impossibility because it’s become a norm of discussion for larger portions of our community. So whether I think it’s appropriate or not, I think it’s a matter of fact. I use social media myself to promote my campaign, and I think most other candidates have done the same. I think the issue is, we used to have the daily newspapers where people would engage in that but those options are a lot slimmer now. I think it’s just another means people use to communicate. I wish there was a better way. I think people are doing everything they can to get their message out to the public when it’s really very difficult to do so.

Q: There are a lot of group pages on Facebook that contain labels like ‘Progressive’ or ‘conservative’ or some variation thereof. Do you think that could be furthering the division in our community—especially considering that none of these positions are partisan?

Raabe: I don’t think so. Honestly, I think the divisiveness is reflective of the divisiveness in our society and our country. I think right now there’s such a polarization, people are being judged by what news station they watch and what flag is hanging outside their doors. It would be nice if everybody could step back and refocus and get on the same page, at least on some issues, but that certainly isn’t happening. The good news is, in terms of the amount of people wanting to run for our school board, and you know this—we’ve gone through periods of time where we were begging people to serve on the school board. And now we have eight people who are very passionate for are vying for four positions. It’ll give people the opportunity to have choices, to listen to different perspectives, that they didn’t have in the past.

Q: You’ve been out in the community, shaking hands, and knocking on doors. Based on your communication with people in the community, do you have any ideas on how we can close that division?

Raabe: I do. I think, first of all, be kinder. Be more open. Be willing to talk to people you don’t agree with, and then disagree with them respectfully. Right now everyone wants their position to win, and right now there are so many people who want it their way. To have an effective government, people have to be willing to compromise and meet halfway. One of my fortes is bringing people together to find common ground. And not everyone has to be enemies, either. You can disagree with each other but we’re still members of the same community. Leaders, whether it be the county board, the school board, the city council…we set the tone for the community, and we should be positive people and thoughtful people.

Q: Can you define Critical Race Theory, and what is your position on it?

Raabe: I think CRT is certainly a complex concept and I don’t think a lot of people fully understand it. The people who talk about it most tend to be the ones who understand it the least. But Critical Race Theory is a movement by academia and civil rights advocates that states race biases are integrated into our laws and social dynamics. And that’s a big mouthful. That may be an appropriate course at the university level, but I’ve never in my 45-plus years seen it a part of any district curriculum. I don’t think it’s age-appropriate for K-12 schools and I’m not aware of any curriculum being used in K-12 schools like that. I think it’s something used by extremists who want to engage their electorate because I just don’t think it’s something we see. I’ve been involved with curriculum for my whole career and I’ve never seen anything similar to Critical Race Theory in K-12.

Q: Did you support the creation of EDI (Equity, Diversity, Inclusivity) positions in the school district, and do you support continuing to fund those positions?

Raabe: I would have supported it of course I’m not on the board. I would have supported it as a component of our strategic plan because it’s a resource that will help achieve the goals of the strategic plan. Ya know, it’d be nice if we didn’t need the EDI position at all. What I want people to understand, in terms of equity, inclusion, and diversity, there’s nothing more relevant to the American experience, or to public schools, than to support those concepts. As Americans, we accept differences and provide equal access to success for all. All it means is that all children are accepted and feel safe and have equal opportunities, and there’s nothing more American than that. Unfortunately, like a lot of other things, I think people are confused about it and they misunderstand it, which is why they’re angry about it.

Q: Where do you think parental authority ends and school authority begins?

Raabe: That’s a tough question because parents have a voice in our public schools. They should have a voice because we serve the parents. On the other hand, there seems to be a small group of people who believe that they should be able to dictate what happens in our public schools. And what we sometimes lose sight of is, for every crowd of 40 people who are voicing their opinions at a meeting, there are thousands of parents who are at home who might not share their perspectives. So it’s important that the public schools represent all people, all parties, and try to find common ground. We also have to realize that public employees are working in the best interest of the public with their expertise and skills. I know not all people trust public educators, but we have to trust them to do what’s best for our students to find success. For those parents who really don’t believe they do, they have other options. Homeschooling and whatnot. But parents have every right to let us know what they approve of and what they don’t approve of.

Q: How should the school board balance the need for providing quality education with the need to respond to taxpayers’ concerns about the budget?

Raabe: I’ve had that experience of having to respond to the public when we’ve had referendums or financial difficulties in three of the four districts where I’ve served. Education and service to the public is not cheap, and having an excellent school system is not cheap. But everyone who knows me knows I’m a fiscal conservative so I’m always looking for ways to cut costs. I am very, very sensitive to necessary tax increases and look at spending every dollar like it’s my own. It’s not just free money, it’s money we’ve worked hard for. That’s something I’ve done my whole career. But we could look at increasing revenue if we had to, I’ve led three successful referendums in my districts and that’s an asset I could bring to the board.

Q: Because of social media, there’s a lot of fake news out there, rumors, etc., that different groups seem to believe, and some people seem to stick with those groups for news, so there’s some “group-think” out there. Some groups in the community have become quite vocal and local government meetings. Based on that, what would you say to people who believe that the district is “indoctrinating” children with certain controversial topics?

Raabe: When I first came into education, it was nothing like it is today, in terms of what we expect from our educators for accountability, content, all these different areas. I know educators are much too busy trying to help kids, to help families, they don’t have a lot of time for indoctrinating anybody. Right now, a lot of people who were interested in public education are no longer interested in public education because of the political stance they personally have. And there’s plenty on social media that undermines that. I would encourage people to get into our schools and find out what’s happening for themselves. Because the truth is so far removed from the emotional stigma, and a lot of good people are misinformed about what’s happening. It would behoove the public school system to be more aggressive in educating the public about what actually is happening. I’m not perfect on social media but I’ve never gone after anybody, but I’ve tried to get information out there about the importance of this election. Elections have consequences.