Racine Unified School Board Meets Monday for Swearing In, Officer Election

At least two Racine Unified School District Board of Education members will be seeking the board president post when the group holds its annual reorganization meeting at 4:30 pm tonight, April 25 at the Administrative Service Center, 2220 Northwestern Ave.

Bill Van Atta, who has served as School Board president the past two years, plans to seek another one-year term.

“I would be interested in continuing. But, somebody else may want to step up as well,” he said.

Dennis Wiser, who was re-elected to a second term on April 5, says he plans to toss his hat in the ring “to see how many Board members are unhappy with the way things are.”

Wiser has split with the majority of the School Board during the past year on major issues, including placing three referendum questions on the April ballot and purchasing the former Surgitek complex for use as a new Administrative Service Center.

The nine-member School Board elects a president, vice president, treasurer and clerk each year. Nominations are made by secret ballot and Board members select a president and the remaining officers in the same fashion.

Officer elections will be preceded by the swearing in of three members who were re-elected earlier this month—Wiser, Pastor Melvin Hargrove and Pamala Handrow. The oath of office will be administered by Racine County Circuit Judge Richard J. Kreul.