Michael Sleeper was chosen Monday to fill the Shawano School Board seat vacated last month by Jim Heinz.
Sleeper was one of three candidates who expressed interest in filling out the term, which expires in April. The others were Dawn Bahr and Kevin Godfrey.
The School Board on Monday interviewed all three before choosing Sleeper by a vote of 4-3. Bahr received two votes and Godfrey received one.
Sleeper, who participated in the interview via telephone hook-up from South America, will be sworn in at next month’s board meeting.
Sleeper has been active in various district activities, as well as ad hoc and citizens committees, during the 16 years he has lived in the district. He served on the district’s Needs Assessment Committee and was part of the team responsible for passage of the referendum for the Hillcrest Primary School.
Sleeper works for Cooperative Resources International in Shawano, where he is associate vice president-international marketing. He is on the board of Shawano Dollars for Scholars, which offers a variety of scholarships to area students, and was elected to chair the district’s annual meeting in August.
“The role of being a member of the board of education is a balancing act between all the needs and opportunities that we need to present to our young people … balanced against the resources and wishes and expectations and values of the community,” Sleeper said, adding he would address the board’s tough decisions with that balance in mind.
Bahr touted her business experience and love for kids as reasons for seeking the seat.
“Right now I have time, and I wanted to do some community-effort type of a thing,” she said. “I think it’s very important to keep the kids in mind, and also the taxpayers.”
Godfrey recently retired after 29 years as a teacher in Clintonville.
“I felt my educational expertise as a licensed principal and teacher may be something that you would value,” he told the board.
Heinz resigned last month after 15 years on the board, saying that he wanted to support the district and its employees but does not agree with the direction it is going.
“My resignation is not about Act 10, taxes, new or old board members or even brand X toilets,” Heinz said in a written statement to the Leader. “It’s about respecting our staff and their input. It’s about working as a team again. It’s about getting to know your staff and how your district is being run, not how you heard it was run.”
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