The top two vote-getters for the Racine Unified School Board District 9 race are Kimberly Hoover and Anthony Hammes. They will face each other in the spring election, which will be held April 2.

In the primary election, Hoover received 233 votes and Hammes secured 114 votes.

Other seats up for re-election include District 1 and District 8. Those running for District 1 include Amy Cibalnik and Jared Bellis. That seat is currently held by Michelle Duchow, who has signaled that she will not seek re-election.

Find your polling location. Here are their answers to several key questions.

Kimberly Hoover

Email Address
KimberlyHoover11@gmail.com

Street Address

8220 Foley Road, Caledonia

Length of time living in the community
14 years

Occupation
Litigation Specialist – Financial Services

What is your spouse’s name?
Ken Hoover Jr.

Please name any civic groups you have been involved with.
Horlick Rebels Football Booster Club, Junior Lighthouse Brigade, Horlick Band Boosters, Caledonia Conservancy, Racine Habitat for Humanity, Racine Santa in a Shoebox

What motivated you to run for office?
A positive education experience is vital to building a solid foundation for a successful adult. I have seen the schools from various viewpoints and believe that strong support from our community is needed. Strong commitment from the school board is vital to support our schools in their process improvement efforts.

If you are an incumbent, what accomplishments are you most proud of?
N/A

Name three challenges the Racine Unified School District is experiencing
(1) Annual budget deficit,
(2) Declining student enrollment,
(3) District performance of “meeting few expectations” on the state report card.

How would you address those challenges?
I believe that forcing cuts in spending works in the short term, but we should be prepared to take a long-term look into overall spending to address the underlying problem(s) for the future to stop this repeating cycle of budget deficits.

I believe declining student enrollment is directly correlated to district performance on state report card. I intend to work hard to support our student in putting their academic education first. Continued process improvement in our educational programs on all levels will ensure improved state report card performance and current students and residents will want to stay within the district

Thousands of jobs are expected to be created in southeast Wisconsin that would involve construction, advanced manufacturing, and other STEM-related jobs. What role does our education system play in developing a prepared workforce and how would you address that?
Our education system plays a huge role in teaching our youth more than the just the academic requirements required to graduate, but also in giving them the appropriate guidance and opportunities necessary to develop the life skills needed for their future success. The recent changes being made to the high school model includes giving all students, whether college or career bound, more opportunities to develop real employability skills through a partnership with our local leaders and businesses.

Racine was named the third worst place for black people to live. How would you address racial disparity as it applies to educational opportunities?
I believe wage disparity and unemployment, one area of measure used in this study, is directly correlated to lack of education and skills gap within our local workforce. The school district is already working diligently, in conjunction with area leaders, to address this issue. RUSD’s Raising Racine 2022 Strategic Plan is committed to process improvements within the school district to ensure all students will graduate college and/or career ready. Its implementation is designed to assist in creating stronger family engagement opportunities and more partnerships with the community and local businesses to impact student success to close that skills gap.

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Anthony Hammes

Email Address
ajmpowers@yahoo.com

Street Address
825 Waters Edge Rd

Length of time living in the community

I spent my first 24 years of life in Racine before moving away for some years and returning 6 years ago.

Occupation
The last 9 years of my life, I’ve had the pleasure of being a stay-at-home-father to our 9-year-old son. I had worked in Marketing & real estate previously.

What is your spouse’s name?
Dr. Diana Turner

Please name any civic groups you have been involved with.
None

What motivated you to run for office?
As a parent of a child in RUSD, I’ve been concerned with Unified’s failing grades & believe the district can improve their quality of education for all students. Therefore, I’ve decided to run for school board to help address the many concerns that parents, students & teachers have.

If you are an incumbent, what accomplishments are you most proud of?
N/A

Name three challenges the Racine Unified School District is experiencing
Budget Deficit
Student migration to other districts
Challenges in managing disciplinary issues

How would you address those challenges?
Budget Deficit:
Better allocation & distribution of funds & complete transparency of spending.
Reducing student migration:
Have exit or follow-up interviews with families who have left the district to find out why & work to get these students back. This would also help with the budget deficit.
Managing disciplinary issues:
Have more mentoring programs with troubled students. Implement sensory processing stations to help with disruptions & keeping students calm.

Thousands of jobs are expected to be created in southeast Wisconsin that would involve construction, advanced manufacturing, and other STEM-related jobs. What role does our education system play in developing a prepared workforce and how would you address that?
It should play a vital & critical role. STEM education should be implemented in all elementary, middle, & high schools. More of our schools need the same opportunities offered at The Real School & Walden III.

Racine was named the third worst place for black people to live. How would you address racial disparity as it applies to educational opportunities?
The way we can reduce disparity is by having equity in education for all students & addressing all issues of racial discrimination in the schools. Also by providing access to mentors, counselors, family counseling & food for breakfast & lunch for those from underserved communities.