Combined, Board of Education Members Kristin Bennett and Kevin Walriven have invested over 30 years in the New Richmond Exempted Village School District as Board of Education members.
Though their approaches were sometimes different, many of their goals were the same. Their expectations for academic standards remained high. They were also fiscally conservative with district dollars in the face of a significant decline in revenue.
On Dec. 20th, 2021, the night of their final Board of Education meeting as members, a special reception was held in their honor.
Before their departure, Mrs. Bennett and Mr. Walriven generously shared their thoughts about their accomplishments during their tenure and plans for the future.
Mrs. Bennett
First elected as a Board Member in 2013, Mrs. Bennett, mom to a NRHS graduate (2017) and a current student, is not a district alumnus but has been a district resident since 1997. She has served with all of the passion and care of a lifetime member of the New Richmond Schools community.
Why did you first run for the Board of Education?
I wanted: to help improve school safety; to be active in the direction the district was going; to ensure that our students were getting a quality education; continue to improve on the strengths of the district and ensure our in-district students were the priority.
Did you accomplish what you set out to do?
I believe so. I think safety is improving every day, for example, this school year we had our first ever staff safety day. This was a longtime priority for me, and I will continue to do what I can to ensure we are doing our best at providing a safe learning and working environment. We made reductions to our budget to make the district as solvent as possible, passed a levy, and sold unneeded property.
Can you please share one or more highlights/major accomplishments from your tenure?
Reestablishing a School Resource Officer in the district. We were without one for years. It’s an important position and is money well spent. Along the line of school safety, I helped to establish the Safety Committee and pushed for getting our playgrounds replaced or enhanced. I also pushed for us to move to an online agenda. Prior to BoardDocs, our agenda was a massive stack of papers provided to board members each month. It was nearly unmanageable. Another accomplishment was the hiring of Tracey Miller as superintendent and different treasurers including Matt Pritchard. Both of them are well-rounded and strong leaders - exactly what the district needs, especially at this time of pandemic and ongoing revenue decline. The most memorable moment (and emotional) was being able to recommend naming our Leading Lion Award after Beth Webster. Her dedication and commitment to her students and our schools exemplify what this award stands for.
Will you remain involved with the district?
Absolutely. I want the district to thrive. I will still be working on the Safety Committee and will assist within the schools when asked.
Any final thoughts?
I just wish the district the best. That’s all we should be here for. We’re definitely changing the direction of our academics and curriculum for the better. Our hires over the summer of Dr. Jill Hollandsworth as director of curriculum and technology, High School Principal Joseph Stewart, and High School Assistant Principal Larry Kozlowski will help accomplish this. These hires were big wins for our district, and they are all playing vital roles in changing the academic landscape of our schools for the better.
Mr. Walriven
As if a precursor to his last years as a Board of Education member, in the spring of 2020, Mr. Walriven received the Dale Creamer Friends of Athletics Award. The award, presented by the Southwest District Athletics Board, celebrates individuals who give of their time and talent for the benefit of their schools’ youth athletic teams.
For over a quarter-century, Mr. Walriven has given generously of his time, talent, and treasure for the benefit of not only student-athletes but all New Richmond Schools students.
Why did you first run for the Board of Education?
My entire family has attended New Richmond Schools for as far back as I can remember. I ran for the board because I wanted to keep the same type of school system I experienced in place for my children, grandchildren, and entire school community. It was my way of giving back, and I wanted to maintain New Richmond as a top-notch school system.
Did you accomplish what you set out to do?
For the most part, I did. Our schools were in academic watch when I started on the board after being elected for the first time in 1998. During my first term, we were able to not only accomplish getting out of academic watch but we were able to get to an Excellent school district rating. That method of rating public schools has since been replaced by letter grades. But we maintained the Excellent rating for multiple years.
At the time I was elected, we also knew that financial challenges were ahead due to deregulation in the energy industry. As a board, we focused our efforts on building a nest egg. At one point we had a cash balance of $30 million. We were intentional about saving money because, by that time, there were also rumors about Beckjord closing. The downside to the large cash balance was the risk of having to share power plant revenue with other neighboring districts. Feeling that the revenue stream was in jeopardy we also began to prepare for the day when we wouldn’t have abundant funds. The board opened a new Locust Corner Elementary School, built without the need for a bond levy. From there we built the football stadium, the bus garage, rehabbed New Richmond Elementary School (now the middle school), and renovated the high school complete with a new facade. We did all of this and more without asking for a tax issue, and we did it anticipating the end of or at least a significant decline in revenue from the local power stations.
Initially, the financial changes didn’t happen as soon as projected. When it finally happened, devaluation along with the closure of Beckjord, it hit harder than we expected. We had to balance the money and make significant reductions to maintain programs.
Can you please share one or more highlights/major accomplishments from your tenure?
I was involved in so many things, and each had its time and place and was important at the time, it’s impossible to pinpoint one thing. We were always on the pathway to the betterment of the district.
Will you remain involved with the district? I will to some degree because my grandchildren are involved in it.
Any final thoughts?
I stuck to what I believed in and what I felt the people of New Richmond believed in. I wasn’t swayed by all of the other factors that tried to take away from that goal. You have to function within the limits of what you believe and do what’s best for kids. During my tenure, we did our best to manage the ongoing financial challenges stemming from the ever-evolving changes in the local power plants. The challenges are not behind us as the new board must now address the closure of Zimmer. I wish them luck and encourage them to always do what’s best for students.