Cedarburg Community for Better Representation

06/08/2025

While not surprised, we are alarmed that our elected school board representative Charland responded to this post with a laughter emoji.

is proud to raise the Progress flag again this year, demonstrating our commitment to supporting LGBTQ+ people across the state, especially our staff. Together, we are working to protect and promote the health and safety of all Wisconsinites.

06/07/2025

In honor of pride month, we want to remind you of - -

--𝕋⧦𝔼 𝕄ᕰℝ⩓𝕃--

TLDR -- The Webster 2021 Student Acceptance Team created the LOVE IS UNIVERSAL painting. Their art work was controversially erased by school board members: Stroebel, Noetzel, Leach, Krier, Padberg, Calzada, and Kennedy. Removing the message that Love is Universal has caused lasting harm to students, families, staff, alumni, and the greater LGBTQ+ community. The mural has not been reinstalled and no other meaningful actions have been taken to have a dialogue with families negatively impacted. Many current students and parents have lost trust in the integrity of the Board and feel unsafe and unwelcome.
Stroebel Leach Katie Claire Krier Padberg Calzada Kevin Kennedy

--𝕋⧦𝔼 𝕄ᕰℝ⩓𝕃--
So what happened?
𝟳/𝟳/𝟮𝟭-- Webster announced the mural was temporarily covered because “there are ongoing conversations across the district regarding what is developmentally appropriate for our younger learners.”

𝟳/𝟴/𝟮𝟭-- Webster announced the mural will be displayed and that the “covered mural caused confusion and speculation. It caused our talented Webster student-artists to question the validity of their work. It caused our community members to question how well we carry out our shared beliefs of respect and compassion. The covered mural sent a message that ANY of the content contained within it was not appropriate, and we are saddened by this. That was not our intention and we sincerely apologize. The mural is now uncovered. It features the diverse races, cultures and genders that mirror and celebrate our Webster school community.”

That last response from Webster felt hopeful. However, shortly thereafter the School Board held 3 𝙚𝙭𝙚𝙘𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 which were closed to the public and not recorded. Each session addressed the mural:
7/15/21-- Special Meeting Executive Session- closed to the public and not recorded
7/21/21-- General Board Meeting & Executive Session at 9:23 PM - closed to the public and not recorded (Stroebel appointed as new member at 7:16)
8/2/21-- Special Meeting & Executive Session closed to the public and not recorded. Present: Rick Leach, David Krier, Kristin Padberg, Laura Stroebel (arrived at 6:33 PM), Kevin Kennedy, Kate Noetzel (joined via phone conference), & Jennifer Calzada. This closed session did not allow for "Discussion regarding the possible options related to the student group mural." That agenda item should have been discussed in open session considering its deep and lasting impact on the community.

The Board later claimed that the action taken to destroy the mural was not technically an "action." In so doing, Board members deemed it not necessary to have votes on record.

School Board officials have not answered community questions like which part of Policy 5722 was violated???? The poor leadership and mismanagement regarding the mural made a mockery of our district nationwide.

What now?--
Our community deserves leaders that truly understand the impact this decision has had and a willingness to work on rebuilding trust and open communication. Do you believe our current board members foster an environment where students, staff, and families feel welcome and safe?

See comments for more information and news links.

06/05/2025

Are the majority of Cedarburg School Board members connected to far right extremist groups?

06/04/2025

Cedarburg voters wouldn't knowingly vote to elect ~or re-elect~ the person behind would they?
See our 6/7/23 post for old SCREENSHOTS from Twitter account --
𝗕𝗮𝗱𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗚𝗢𝗣𝗟𝗮𝗱𝘆
@𝗕𝗮𝗱𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗚𝗼𝗽
Cedarburg School Board held interviews for a vacant seat on July 21, 2021. 𝗕𝗮𝗱𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗚𝗢𝗣𝗟𝗮𝗱𝘆 () was deactivated by July 20, 2021 -- coincidence?
See comments on this post. We have questions!

06/29/2023

Cedarburg School Board member Elizabeth Charland does not feel comfortable with the word “gay” being used in a bullying prevention lesson. Does she want to stop CSD students from learning NOT to bully people for being gay?

Charland was found to have violated board policy during the 2023 election due to using her district email account to express political motives & her unwavering support to elect an alleged predator to the School Board.

Should this Moms for Liberty extremist group member continue to serve on the Cedarburg School District Board as a representative of our community? Does this person foster a safe and supportive learning environment?

06/07/2023

Screenshots from a public Twitter account (now deactivated) --
BadgerGOPLady

04/04/2022

VOTE TUESDAY APRIL 5th

*Polling places will be open from 7am-8pm*

𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐠- 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐁
𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐠- 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫
𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐨𝐧- 𝐕𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥
𝐕𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐨𝐧- 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐋𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡

VOTE TUESDAY APRIL 5th

We hope Jamie Maier, Hani A. Malek, Ryan Hammetter, & Kate Erickson earn your vote!

𝐂𝐄𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐆 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐄𝐒 𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

Important voter information regarding CEDARBURG SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES:

Just before the Primary Election, Mrs. Calzada resigned from the school board and shared that she is no longer running. Her name could not be removed from the ballot and this information was not widely dispersed.

The role of an election is to enable voters to select candidates who will best represent their community. If Mrs. Calzada is elected in April and declines the position then the democratic process would be circumvented and the seat would be filled through board appointment.

In keeping with the integrity of the electoral process we encourage you to vote for 4 of the 7 candidates spending time, effort, and resources actively campaigning for office (listed in alphabetical order):
Elizabeth Charland
Kate Erickson
Ryan Hammetter
Rick Leach
Jamie Maier
Hani A. Malek
Laura Stroebel

04/02/2022

VOTE TUESDAY APRIL 5th!

*Ballots need to be dropped off in person to clerk offices by Tuesday, April 5th.
*Polling places are open from 7am-8pm. You can register at polls with form of identification and proof of residence.

𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐠- 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐁
𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐠- 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫
𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐨𝐧- 𝐕𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥
𝐕𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐨𝐧- 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐋𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡

VOTE TUESDAY APRIL 5th!

Rick Leach, Laura Stroebel, Jen Calzada, and Elizabeth Charland have not instilled a sense of open communication and ability to work with all constituents toward solutions that are in the best interest of our students and community. Instead, we recommend voting for candidates: Maier, Malek, Hammetter, & Erickson.

𝐂𝐄𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐆 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐄𝐒 𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

04/01/2022

“I don't have concerns at this time about CRT or CRT practices.” -Elizabeth Charland

Then why is she running on a platform of keeping CRT out of our schools?

Note: CRT is not promoted by any of the candidates and is not taught in grades K-12.

03/30/2022

Filter out noise, get to know candidates

News Graphic Letter to the Editor-

I’m disappointed that Senator Stroebel unethically inserted himself into the Cedarburg School Board election through an email to followers from his campaign account and in social media posts. He falsely alleged that an open records request to local law enforcement asking for service calls to Stroebel properties is related to the school board election, smearing four candidates that he unfairly refers to as “liberal challengers” in the process. Senator Stroebel should apologize to these four and should also re-read Wisconsin law that prohibits making a false statement which affects voting in an election.

It’s a shame to see this personal attack from someone like Senator Stroebel, because every candidate has something positive to offer and none deserves to be unfairly maligned.

While the race has incorrectly been painted as a group of “liberal challengers” vs. current conservative board members, I look at this nonpartisan election in a more nuanced way. I have been disappointed with several decisions that the School Board has made in the past nine months, so I sought to learn about the five new candidates. Elizabeth Charland’s response to my questions on a position she took showed a lack of critical thinking. However, Hani Malek, Jamie Maier, Kate Erickson and Ryan Hammetter have coalesced on a few issues that are important to me as a parent of two Cedarburg school district students: transparent decision making and communication; treating our teachers and support staff with dignity to attract and retain the best talent; supporting all students, especially the most vulnerable; and modernizing the curriculum to prepare our kids for the world they will encounter after high school.

I encourage you to do what I did: Stop listening to the noise from both political parties and truly get to know each candidate. You might be surprised.

Matt McManus Cedarburg