Some familiar faces and some newcomers will be on the ballot in the April 7 election for Wauwatosa School Board.
A total of eight Tosa residents filed nominating papers by the initial Jan. 6 deadline to run for election seeking one of the four open seats on the school board, though that deadline was extended to Jan. 9, meaning more candidates still may come forward.
The spring election will be the first time the four winners will be determined from the whole pool of candidates by ranked vote, as opposed to the previous system in which candidates had to choose to run for specific numbered board seats. This change to a new "open" system of school board elections was backed by voters in a 2025 referendum.
This year, three school board incumbents have filed seeking re-election. They are Liz Heimerl-Rolland, the board's current vice president; Jason Wautier, and Lynne Woehrle, the board's current president.
Another familiar name, Chris Merker, also is running again. He last ran in April 2025 but was defeated in a close race by Wautier.
The other four candidates for this year's school board election are Heather Birk, Todd Koehler, Melissa Lamers and Dan Stemper. Additional information about the candidates and the election process is posted to the Wauwatosa School District website.
The Tosa School Board has seven members, each elected to three-year terms. The four elected this April will take their seat at the first board meeting after the election, and the board also will choose its new president.
Three of the four incumbents whose terms are about to expire filed for re-election. The exception was Board Member Phillip Morris. He appears to have filed neither nominating papers or a declaration of non-candidacy by the respective deadlines. The school district cited a state law in announcing it had extended the filing deadline to Jan. 9, without specifying whether Morris' inaction was the reason. (The district later confirmed in response to a commenter's question on Facebook that Morris had filed his declaration of non-candidacy late.)
The other three incumbent members will remain on the board, because their terms do not expire with this election. They are Heidi Bach, Christopher Bauer and Sarah Burzynski.
School board elections are nonpartisan, and school board members serve without pay. In each of the seats, the board member represents the entire city, not any smaller geographic district.
"The role of the board is to advance public education, to develop informed policy and to make prudent financial decisions for the Wauwatosa School District," according the district's description of the board's responsibilities on its website. "Its role is also to ensure that effective and visionary leadership is provided by the superintendent through proper selection and evaluation."
The board typically meets twice a month at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Mondays at the Fisher Administration Building, 12121 W. North Ave., and via livestream.
