KUSD School Board Election FAQ

goddess422
5 hours ago
6 min read

The February 17, 2026 Spring Primary Election & the April 7, 2026 Spring Election are much more important than you may think, & here’s why:

What is This “School Board?”

The KUSD school board oversees the operation of the schools in the Kenosha United School District. These are the public schools in Kenosha, Somers, and Pleasant Prairie. It has seven members, one of whom chairs the board, and is non-partisan (in theory, at any rate).

What Does the School Board Do?

The board represents the citizens of Kenosha to the school system’s administrators. The board’s principal responsibilities are to:

Set policies.
Oversee the budget.
Ensure that educational standards are met.
Hire and (occasionally) fire the superintendent.

Why Should I Care Who’s on the Board?

Three reasons come to mind:

The first reason is that the KUSD school board is spending your money—and a lot of it. The schools are funded primarily through property taxes, and, according to the web site Property Tax 101, the median property tax bill in 2025 was $3,520. Of the 72 counties in Wisconsin, Kenosha County’s property taxes are second highest in terms of tax as a percentage of median income—in other words, people in Kenosha County pay a bigger chunk of our income in property taxes than do the people in all but one other county in Wisconsin. For many people, the property tax bill is the biggest single tax bill they have to pay – bigger, even, than federal income taxes.

The percentage of property-tax money that goes to schools varies, depending on where you live: Kenosha, 26%; Somers, 36%; Pleasant Prairie, 47%. So, for example, if you live in Pleasant Prairie and pay the county average of $3,520 in property taxes, then roughly $1,750 of your money goes to the KUSD. How much of your money actually goes to schools depends on where you live and what you paid; but it’s a non-trivial amount.

The second reason is related to the first: How tax money is spent here has a powerful effect on the quality of life here, and the KUSD spends more tax money here than almost any other governmental agency. Ensuring that that money is spent prudently will help preserve the quality of life in Kenosha County.

The third reason is simpler: KUSD educates most of the children in Kenosha County, and those children are our future. They are the future’s care givers, first responders, STEM workers, taxpayers, parents—the people who will continue life in our county after we have moved on. They are our legacy. It’s our duty to see to it that they are educated well.

But I Don’t Have Kids in the KUSD. Why Should I Care?

Because the KUSD is still spending your money. And even if your own children are grown and gone, the children now in the KUSD system are still our future, and we still have a duty to see to it that they are educated well.

But I Rent, so I Don’t Pay Property Taxes. Why Should I Care?

You should care because some of your rent goes to pay your landlord’s property taxes. So, the KUSD is spending your money, even if the bill doesn’t have your name on it. Soaring property taxes aren’t the only reason your rent is skyrocketing, but they’re part of the problem.

OK, I Should Care. What Are the Issues Facing the School Board?

There’s a number of pressing issues:

Schools’ poor performance academically: According to the web site Public School Review, 30% of students in Kenosha public schools test as proficient in mathematics (versus 40% statewide), and 33% are proficient in reading (versus 38% statewide). In response, the state legislature passed Act 20, which mandates testing of all students from kindergarten through third grade, and requires a reading plan for every student who scores below the 25th percentile. The district goal for student achievement is that by 2027, the district will increase the percentage of students scoring at median or advanced in reading and math by 12%. It remains to be seen whether that goal will be met.
Security: At present, seven schools do not have secure entrances.
Absenteeism: If students lives within two miles of a school, they have to walk to school. In bad weather, some students simply don’t show up. Students who are chronically absent aren’t learning.
Disruptive Behavior: Statistics on this are hard to come by, but anecdotally, disruptive behavior is a problem. If the classroom is disrupted, nobody learns.
Teacher Prep Time: For more than a decade, when KUSD faces budget pressures, teacher preparation time has often been reduced. During the most recent referendum, prep time was effectively leveraged as part of the funding discussion, creating tension between financial decisions and classroom quality.
Student Recess Time: This is an important issue, yet is often often overlooked. Wisconsin state statute requires at least 30 minutes of recess per day for elementary students, yet there are concerns that this requirement is not being consistently met across KUSD schools. Recess is critical for student health, behavior, and learning readiness, and compliance with state law should be a priority.
The AST Agreement: This is the agreement—in effect, a contract—with the school system’s administrators, supervisors and technical staff (AST). The agreement not include a clear, publicly available price tag, so it’s hard for taxpayers and board members to grasp how much it’s going to cost. In addition, negotiations are handled primarily by school board president Mary Modder and the superintendent, with limited opportunity for the full board to review the agreement in advance of being asked to approve it.
The Superintendent’s Contract: The superintendent’s current contract will expire soon, but the board has not been given sufficient time to review the draft contract.

What is the February Election About?

The upcoming election on February 17 will be to nominate four persons out of the current field of six candidates. Those four will then face each other in the general election on April 5 to elect two members of the school board.

If that sounds a little complicated, well, it is. It may help to think of this as being like a season of “Survivor.” In February, you will vote for two the six candidates to “survive” to the April election. The four candidates with the most votes in February will “survive” to appear on the April ballot. In April, you’ll vote for two of the four “survivors” to be elected to the board. The two with the most votes in April will then become members of the board.

Bear in mind that the school board is non-partisan. So, on the ballot, candidates are not identified by party—there’s no “Democratic” or “Republican” candidates. However, each party has candidates that it supports.

Who’s Running in This Election?

Incumbent members of the board who are seeking re-nomination:

Yolanda Adams – Far-left member of the board.
Bob Tierney – The only conservative and the only Republican on the board.

Challengers who are seeking nomination:

Robin Cullen – A mental-health therapist and liberal activist, and board member-at-large for Kenosha County Democrats.
Jeremy Oster – A student at Indian Trail high school.
Patrick Juliana – A former Kenosha alderman.
Jack Lira – A resident of Kenosha County.

So, Who Should I Vote For?

The Republican Party of Kenosha County endorses Bob Tierney and recommends Patrick Juliana and Jeremy Oster.

I’m Just One Person. Does It Really Matter if I Vote?

Yes! It does! Because if you don’t show up to vote, the other guy’s vote counts double—one for their vote, and one for the vote that you didn’t cast that would balanced their vote.

Consider this: In 2025, the Republican Party of Kenosha County endorsed Valerie Kretchmer and Andreas Mamalakis for the school board. They were one of the four candidates selected in the February primary, but both were defeated in the April election—for the simple reason that the voters who had come out in such great numbers to vote for Donald Trump the previous November didn’t show up in April. Democrats and the Left in general show up for these elections, because they know that power resides where money spent. Republicans and Conservatives in general don’t: and breaking that trend begins with each of us.

It matters for you and for everyone else who is reading this to take a few minutes to step over to city hall and perform your civic duty by casting a ballot—or, if you prefer, wait until election day, then go to your local polling station and perform your civic duty there. It takes only a few minutes, you’ll get free sticker (probably), and you’ll feel better for having done the Right Thing (almost certainly).

OK, I See Your Point. How Can I Learn More About the Schools & the School Board?

For more information about KUSD, check its website.

I want to help. Who do I talk to?

Check for the Republican Party of Kenosha County upcoming events here. The monthly “Politics and Pints” events feature good company and interesting speakers. You may well find something that interests you.