Tosa Forward News contacted and interviewed each of the eight candidates to learn more about their backgrounds and to provide an opportunity to share their reasons for running for the school board in the April 7 election.
University of Wisconsin-Parkside in Kenosha has agreed to be the STEM school’s authorizer, allowing it to operate as an independent charter school once its nearly 20-year affiliation with the Wauwatosa School District ends this June.
The Wauwatosa School Board voted at its Jan. 26 meeting on authorizing up to 148 new students from outside the district to attend Wauwatosa schools in the 2026-27 school year.
All voting-age residents can weigh in on five proposed options for upgrading and possibly reconfiguring the four middle and high schools, proposals that could transform the physical spaces where many Tosa students learn.
Three of the four incumbents whose terms are about to expire filed for re-election, and the other five challengers include a candidate who ran last year and narrowly lost.
Jefferson Elementary School, which serves families in southeast Wauwatosa, was again discussed for possible closure in a proposal that was later shot down as violating existing district policy.
The newly released police reports from the incident describe a volatile confrontation between the officers and a group of students and unauthorized visitors who said they were upset because a sibling had been bullied.
Several news outlets have reported on significant Wauwatosa police presence at the school Nov. 19, which resulted in citations issued to three individuals.
The five options are currently being discussed by the Secondary Schools Ad Hoc Committee for reconfiguring and renovating the city's four high school and middle school buildings.
A group of about 30 parents of school-age children, civically engaged taxpayers and some residents old enough to have grandchildren at Tosa East were welcomed to the session by school staff, district administrators and four members of the school board.
Each option would mean dramatic changes for Wauwatosa’s educational facilities and likely would require a significant voter referendum to pay for the changes.
