Primary set for La Crosse school board after 7 candidates file for 3 seats

LA CROSSE, Wis. (WLCX) – After several years of referendums, consolidation plans, and financial issues tied to declining enrollment, there was strong interest in serving on the School District of La Crosse Board of Education.

Seven people filed paperwork to fill three seats on the board, which will prompt a primary to narrow the field down to six on February 18th.

Incumbent Merideth Garcia is seeking re-election, and will be joined by Joy Buchman, Molly Fuchs, Adam Hoffer, Kevin Hundt, Jeff Jackson, and Sam Morris on the primary ballot.

Incumbents Katie Berkedal and Juan Jimenez, the current board president, filed a notification of non-candidacy and won’t be seeking re-election.

The six people who advance from the primary will appear on the April 1st Spring Election ballot, where voters will pick three candidates. Those three candidates will then serve three-year terms on the board beginning later in April.

Last fall, voters approved a $53.5 million plan to consolidate elementary schools. That comes after a failed plan in 2022 to consolidate middle and high schools at a nearly $200 million price tag as the district grappled with funding issues largely prompted by declining enrollment. Voters did approve a $60 million operational referendum two years ago to take the district through the 2028-29 school year.

The district also recently announced a controversial change to its school calendar, which drew a number of negative comments on the district’s social media pages. The changes include a different school start date for the district due to transportation costs and different starting times for elementary versus middle and high schools.

In the City of La Crosse, voters will also be taking part in a primary to select a new mayor. City Council District 7 voters also have to narrow a field of three candidates down to two on Feb. 18. Every voter in Wisconsin will take part in a primary for state superintendent as well.

Several other La Crosse-area seats will be contested this April without a primary, including five of the eight City Council seats up for election, one Onalaska Aldersperson seat, and Branch 1 for La Crosse County Circuit Court Judge.

To learn more about the election process, to see the paperwork and candidates for state or circuit court offices, or to consider a registered write-in campaign, you can visit the Wisconsin Elections Commission website. To see your voting ward and municipality, as well as voter registration status, polling location, and more election information, you can visit MyVote Wisconsin.

Registered write-in candidates need to file by March 28 at noon, per the Wisconsin Elections Commission.