Incumbent Brian Epley, Alex Corrigan, and Susan Garcia Franz defeated Chari Long, Jeb Pfeifle, and Roxanne Schwandt-Knutson in the nonpartisan general election for three at-large seats on the Neenah Joint School District Board of Education on April 2, 2024. Incumbent David Williams did not seek re-election and incumbent Kristian Sahr lost in the primary, leaving two seats open. As of April 3, 2024, Epley had 18.9% of the vote, followed by Corrigan and Garcia Franz with 16.9% of the vote each. Schwandt-Knutson had 16.0% of the vote, Long had 15.6%, and Pfeifle had 15.5%.
The Wisconsin Education Association Council and the Democratic and Republican parties of Winnebago County supported different sets of candidates. Epley, Corrigan, and Garcia Franz ran with support from the Wisconsin Education Association Council and the Democratic Party of Winnebago County. Long, Pfeifle, and Schwandt-Knutson ran with support from the Republican Party of Winnebago County.
Epley was a parent who was first elected to the board in 2018. Epley said he was running to provide “thoughtful, compassionate, and responsible leadership for our schools…through our District’s transition to a new Superintendent.” As of March 27, 2024, neither Corrigan nor Garcia Franz had publicly-available campaign materials. The Wisconsin Education Association endorsed all three candidates. The Democratic Party of Winnebago County did not issue endorsements but did encourage members to vote for all three and provided volunteers to conduct outreach on Corrigan’s behalf. The Wisconsin branch of the AFL-CIO endorsed Corrigan and Garcia Franz.
Long was, as of the election, a parent, project coordinator, and yoga instructor. Long said her priorities were allowing easier public access to information on spending, improving standardized test scores, and creating a panel to review books in school libraries for vulgar content. Pfeifle was a parent. Pfeifle said his priorities were improving standardized test scores and ensuring public access to board decision-making, curricula, and budget information. Schwandt-Knutson was, at the time of the election, a parent and realtor. Schwandt-Knutson said her priorities were ensuring each individual student’s needs were met, “emphasizing the need for fiscally responsible decision-making”, and promoting partnerships with local business owners, nonprofits, and technical schools. The Republican Party of Winnebago County and 1776 PAC endorsed all three. The county Republican Party funded mailers in support of all three.
In the February 20, 2024, nonpartisan primary, the three Democratic-supported candidates received a combined 47.4% of the vote and the three Republican-supported candidates received a combined 33.2%. In the general election, the Democratic-support candidates received a combined 52.7% to the Republican-supported candidates’ 47.1%.
There are seven seats on the Neenah Joint School District Board of Education. Candidates are elected to three-year terms.
