The Press emailed a candidate questionnaire to the three candidates running for reelection to the Verona Area School District (VASD) Board of Education: Jennifer Murphy, Korbey White and Meredith Stier Christensen.
All three candidates are running unopposed for three-year terms.
Murphy, who serves as the vice president of the board, was elected in 2021. White was appointed in 2022 and elected in 2023. Stier Christensen, the current president of the school board, was elected in 2016.
Candidates were required to limit their responses to 50 words, with the exception of one question where they could write up to 100 words. Responses may have been trimmed to meet word requirements.
Jennifer Murphy – At Large
Murphy
Biographical Information
Age: 47
Years in Verona: Fitchburg VASD resident since 2011; VASD teacher from 1998 to 2020
Education: Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education Mathematics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1998); Master’s degree in Education Technology from Lesley University (2002)
Occupation: Self-employed – Online yoga studio owner/instructor; Substitute teacher
Family: Sixth-grade daughter at Savanna Oaks Middle School and two rescue pups
Political Experience: VASD school board member since April 2021
Essay Questions
Q: Why are you running for reelection to the Verona Area School District Board of Education?
A: “It has been an honor to serve our district community for a first term. The rich work I have been involved in thus far has equipped me with even more knowledge to continue ahead with a greater sense of commitment and purpose – to elevate the goals and future of our district.”
Q: What are your top three priorities for the Verona Area School District, and how will you work to address them?
A: “First: continuing to support the implementation of a variety of educational pathways for learners, K-12; ensuring that we are meeting all needs of all learners by looking beyond traditional school structures and thinking creatively as a district team. Second: improving our use of student outcome data to prioritize budget decisions that elevate the identified needs of students and staff – particularly to ensure that we have staffing and classroom resources where we see identified gaps. Third: continuing to elevate the voices of families and students, which has been a strength of the current administration with an ongoing focus to always grow.”
Q: The Verona Area School District is on a mission to become a national model for educational excellence grounded in equity. As a school board member, how will you ensure that every student has equal access to educational opportunities?
A: “By continuing to analyze student results data and student feedback data, as the academic outcomes and perspectives of our scholars is the key information to drive the changes needed to meet that mission. And, by making budgetary decisions that serve our mission of equity – our spending shows our commitment.”
Q: The Verona Area School District launched its Strategic Framework during the 2023-24 school year, which will guide the district through 2028. How will you help ensure the successful implementation of the district’s Strategic Framework?
A: “Through our monitoring reports, we hold the superintendent accountable for our policies and the implementation of the Strategic Framework. The accountability gives transparency to the community and goes beyond implementation to measuring the impacts the framework, in practice, has on the academic and personal development of our students.”
Q: Can you explain the importance of the Board of Education’s governance policies and how they guide your work as a school board member?
A: “Our governance structure elevates the roles and responsibilities for all of our district staff and leadership. Our policies provide a frame for the superintendent to work within – through which district operations and educational practices are then implemented. This allows our educational professionals to use their expertise where it matters most.”
Q: How will you work to improve or maintain communication with district families and the broader Verona community?
A: “Through conversations, connections and collaboration with district community members thus far, I hope our board has established the reputation that we are open and available. We have goals around growing in our communications with the community, and I look forward to being a part of putting those goals into action.”
Korbey White – At Large
White
Biographical Information
Age: 47
Years in Verona: 24
Education: Bachelor’s degree in International Business/African American Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison; Certificate in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion from Cornell University
Occupation: State of Wisconsin’s Health Program Manager (Department of Employee Trust Funds)
Family: Married to Dr. Regina Fuller-White (Rotary International)
Political Experience: Appointed to the VASD Board of Education in November 2022 and elected in April 2023
Notable Affiliations: Board member of the 100 Black Men of Madison; Vice Chair of the Sherman Phoenix Foundation; Board member of the Dane County Immunization Coalition; Board member of the Dane County Falls Prevention Task Force; Member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated; Member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
Essay Questions
Q: Why are you running for reelection to the Verona Area School District Board of Education?
A: “I’m running for reelection to continue acknowledging and addressing the opportunity gaps that exist with some of our students of marginalized socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. Unfortunately, life factors like family dynamics, economics, language and race can also contribute to lower rates of success in education, job or aspirations of a career.”
Q: What are your top three priorities for the Verona Area School District, and how will you work to address them?
A: “First, conducting a district wide equity audit to ensure our policies, procedures and curriculum are operating through the lens of equity. Secondly, the inception of staff networking groups (ERGS) centered on inclusion. Finally, leveraging relationships of community-based organizations I’m affiliated with to mentor students in need.”
Q: The Verona Area School District is on a mission to become a national model for educational excellence grounded in equity. As a school board member, how will you ensure that every student has equal access to educational opportunities?
A: “To ensure every student has the tools necessary to be successful, we must complete a district wide equity audit (which the district has in the works). Looking at the district’s policies, procedures, operational expectations and curriculum through an equity lens will allow us to allocate resources in an equitable manner.”
Q: The Verona Area School District launched its Strategic Framework during the 2023-24 school year, which will guide the district through 2028. How will you help ensure the successful implementation of the district’s Strategic Framework?
A: “Being on the Value and Belonging Committee allows me to help with implementation of the Strategic Framework, and also, I’ll leverage relationships with other community-based organizations to mentor students – providing them with a sense of belonging. I will implement staff networking groups to help build community for all staff.”
Q: Can you explain the importance of the Board of Education’s governance policies and how they guide your work as a school board member?
A: “It’s because of our important governance model, where we work collaboratively with the district’s administration – including Superintendent Clardy – to develop and implement the district’s operational expectations, that the board is effectively efficient. It is important to note that the district’s operational expectations guide us rather than issuing initiatives.”
Q: How will you work to improve or maintain communication with district families and the broader Verona community?
A: “By serving on many of the district’s advisory councils, I am able to hear the voiced concerns and suggestions of parents directly. As a member of the 100 Black Men of Madison, I am able to collaborate and get ideas from our surrounding school districts and parents of the surrounding districts. Lastly, as a current VASD school board member, I have heard and seen some of the most compelling issues be addressed and policy implementations be made as the result of public comments stated at board meetings by parents.”
Meredith Stier Christensen – Portion 1, Outside Cities
Stier Christensen
Biographical Information
Age: 51
Years in Verona: 23
Education: Juris Doctor – University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School; Master of Arts in Teaching – National Louis University; Bachelor of Arts – University of Iowa
Occupation: Attorney
Family: Jeff (husband) and Graham (son)
Political Experience: Member of the VASD school board since 2016; Board president 2021-present; Board vice president 2017-2021
Notable Affiliations: Wisconsin Pro Bono Honor Society, 2019-2023
Essay Questions
Q: Why are you running for reelection to the Verona Area School District Board of Education?
A: “The VASD community is one that I care deeply about. It’s been a privilege to serve my community and support our students and staff through my work on the board over the past eight years, and I’m very excited to see what our district will achieve as we move forward.”
Q: What are your top three priorities for the Verona Area School District, and how will you work to address them?
A: “We must continue to eliminate opportunity gaps, maintain high academic standards for all students and ensure necessary supports are in place so all students can achieve at their highest potential. Our district is very fortunate to have strong leadership in this area through our superintendent and our outstanding teachers and staff, who are likewise committed to achieving these same goals. As a board, we must continue to rigorously assess the district’s progress towards attaining these goals and ensure that the district’s budgetary allocations are in full alignment with these top priority areas.”
Q: The Verona Area School District is on a mission to become a national model for educational excellence grounded in equity. As a school board member, how will you ensure that every student has equal access to educational opportunities?
A: “As a board, we regularly review student data to evaluate the district’s progress towards achieving our expected student outcomes. This allows us to timely identify, understand and address the obstacles and challenges that VASD must overcome on our journey to becoming a national model of excellence grounded in equity.”
Q: The Verona Area School District launched its Strategic Framework during the 2023-24 school year, which will guide the district through 2028. How will you help ensure the successful implementation of the district’s Strategic Framework?
A: “Through significant community input, our Strategic Framework further expands on the board’s Operational Expectations and Results Policies and brings into greater focus the necessary metrics that must be monitored to ensure that the needs of the whole student are being met at each step of their journey through our district.”
Q: Can you explain the importance of the Board of Education’s governance policies and how they guide your work as a school board member?
A: “Our governance policies outline the scope of the board’s critical oversight work. Through regular and rigorous monitoring of key metrics, the board ensures that the district is meeting our Operational Expectations and making acceptable progress towards achieving the Student Results that are set out in the board’s policies.”
Q: How will you work to improve or maintain communication with district families and the broader Verona community?
A: “Effective communication with our Verona area community is an area where continued improvement is always important. The board must continue to work to identify effective means to inform – and be informed by – all voices within our community.”
