School board to see mix of new and returning members

By Brandi Makuski

The Stevens Point School Board of Education will welcome two new members.

Unofficial results of the April 5 nonpartisan election put incumbent Barb Portzen at the top of the mountain with a total of 6,504 votes.

She’s followed by a newcomer to local government, Jen Bushman, who garnered 6,367 votes. Dennis Raabe, who has extensive experience in school administration but is also new to the school board, earned 6,224 votes, and incumbent Jeff Ebel rounds out the top four with 6,201 votes.

All four won seats on the nine-member school board. Board members serve three-year terms and are re-elected on a staggered basis.

The school board race had the largest pool of candidates in Tuesday’s election. Rob Manzke won 6,036 votes, while Miguel Campos garnered 5,553 votes, Alex Sommers earned 5,736 votes, and Kari Prokop brought in 4,642 votes.

Bushman, who made a splash at last month’s City Council meeting by giving a detailed account of her experiences of being harassed and bullied during the highly-contentious school board race, was watching the results come in with her supporters Tuesday night at Sky Club in Plover.

“I am humbled by the votes, and by my supporters,” Bushman told the Metro Wire by phone shortly after midnight on Wednesday. “I’m surprised by the spread, given that we ran as a trio. I’m so grateful, at the same time, I guess I’m a little bewildered, to be honest. We ran such a cohesive campaign together.”

A message seeking comment from Portzen was not immediately returned.

The results are not official until they are certified by the Board of Canvassers early next week.