Newcomer Lacey strives for long-term focus

Chris Lacey is a relative newcomer to the Sheboygan Falls School District, but he is no stranger to taking on difficult financial issues, which lie at the forefront of this year’s school board race.

The Sheboygan South High School graduate is one of five school board candidates on the ballot for the upcoming April 6 spring election.

After living in the Milwaukee area for 15 years, Lacey has resided in Sheboygan Falls for the past eight years.

He has been employed as a certified public accountant and corporate accounting manager at Kohler Co., since 1999.

This is his first run for public office.

“I would like to get more involved in the community, and I felt this was a great opportunity to do so,” he said. “I thought about running about three years ago, around the time the board was deciding on whether to build a new middle school, but I decided against it then.

“I feel I know more about the school district and the community. Now the time is right. There are a lot of financial issues facing the district. With my background in finance and accounting, I think I can be an asset.”

Lacey believes one of the biggest challenges facing the district is developing ways to fund key programs.

“I have three kids that will be enrolled in the district next year,” he said. “Each of my kids has very different needs, so I think it is very important to maintain as many different programs as possible, while at the same time staying fiscally responsible.

“That means we need to have a good long-term financial plan in place, in order to successfully move forward. We must have solid rules, guidelines and standards and hold everyone accountable. That means we must set specific measurable goals for all teachers, staff, administrators and students.”

He lists fiscal responsibility as the top priority of the district.

“The district will be facing some huge budget issues in the next few years,” he said. “It is my opinion that we need to review all alternatives, before cutting staff and programs.

“It is too easy to go about it that way. We need to dig deeper to find better solutions to our financial issues.”

As an accountant, Lacey is well accustomed to making decisions based on facts.

“I think it is very important to base all decisions on facts,” he said. “Problem solving is such a big key right now.

“School board members need to be in touch with the financial implications of each decision they make. I am the kind of person that does not make decisions based on emotion. It can be a difficult process, but I think I have the ability to take on those kinds of challenges.”

He has singled out parental involvement as an area for improvement.

“If I am elected, one of my main goals would be to increase parental involvement,” Lacey said. “We need to balance the needs of the students of our district by engaging parents in a continuing dialogue.

“I think we need to work better with parent organizations to gather insight into what parents are feeling and what they think should be improve upon,” he said.

Lacey said a strong school district lies at the heart of all successful communities.

“I really like Sheboygan Falls a lot,” he said. “It is a great community to live in.

“If we want our community to continue to grow and improve, we must have an exceptional school district. That is normally the first thing a family with school-age kids considers when deciding where to move.”

Joining Lacey on the ballot are incumbents John Mauer and Tom Bigler, newcomer Dieter Juedes and former District Facilities Manager John Raml.

The candidates will be vying for three seats on the board, each of which carries three-year terms.

“I have been out meeting with people and talking about the election,” he said. “People definitely have an opinion on what the school district should and shouldn’t be doing.

“We need to listen to those people, and get them more involved. I think the more feedback we have and the more information we are able to gather, the better informed we will be when making important decisions.”