Spring 2025 Election Results - Voters Choose Selle, Lewis for School District of Fort Atkinson Board of Education

Registered voters in all 13 Fort Atkinson wards cast their ballots for School Board and City Council on Tuesday, April 1. The Office of Jefferson County Clerk provides the following “unofficial results” as of the closing of polls last night. Fort Atkinson Independent Reporter provides City Council election results in a separate featured article, along with other relevant election outcomes.

School Board Ballot Results

For the School District of Fort Atkinson Board of Education, voters chose from a field of three candidates to fill two open board seats. Individual candidate results in order of total votes cast were as follows:

• Incumbent Robynn Selle, 3,659 votes

• Newcomer Kurt P. Lewis, Jr., 2,627 votes

  
  

The third registered candidate appearing on the ballot, Chevon N. Bowen, finishing with 2,478 votes, was not elected.

Robynn Selle (incumbent) and Kurt P. Lewis, Jr.

For the School Board race, when looking at voter results, it is vitally important to recognize that the Fort Atkinson school district has 8 precincts – it extends beyond Fort Atkinson itself, to include the Towns of Cold Spring, Hebron, Jefferson, Koshkonong, Oakland, Palmyra, and Sumner.

According to the Office of Jefferson County Clerk, the 8 school district precincts account for 16,984 registered voters. The 10,797 ballots cast for School Board district-wide represent 64 percent of district registered voters – fewer than 2 out of 3 registered voters participated.

What Does the Board Do?

Despite only 2 out of 3 registered voters in the district casting ballots for their school board candidates, it may be useful to look at what the school board actually does – what the newly organized school board will be doing.

According to the Board’s Policy Manual, the Board exists for the purpose of providing a system of free, public education for children in grades “EC” through grade 12. “EC,” or “early childhood,” is a program starting for children at age 3 who may require special education services provided by the school district.

The supervision of the District is conducted by the Board, which is constituted and governed by the laws of the State of Wisconsin. The Board adopts bylaws and policies for its own organization and operation including those needed to meet education standards set by the state. It delegates to a District Administrator the function of specifying required actions and designing the detailed arrangements under which the District will be operated, consistent with the Department of Public Instruction.

Composition of the School Board and Term of Office

The school board consists of five total at-large members representing the school district as a whole. Members serve for a term of three years each. School board bylaws state that the term of each member shall be three years commencing on the 4th Monday in April which will be April 28.

Note for your calendar: Although swearing-in and board reorganization occurs on April 28, a regularly scheduled monthly school board meeting remains scheduled for Thursday, April 17th – there are two school board meetings in April.

As newly elected board members, Selle and Lewis will be sworn in on April 28th, joining presently-serving members Kory Knickrehm, currently serving as board president; Amy Reynolds, currently serving as board vice-president; and Matt Loup, currently serving as clerk. Incumbent school board member Christopher Rogers filed a Notification of Noncandidacy on November 21, 2024.

The April 28th meeting is an annual reorganization meeting, where the board elects, from among its members, a President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and Clerk. Except for those appointed to fill a vacancy, officers shall serve for one year and until their respective successors are elected and shall qualify.

Another note for your calendar: The board’s post-election annual reorganizational meeting on April 28th differs from the school district’s annual meeting which is held on the fourth Monday of July.

Regular Meetings

Regular meetings of the School District of Fort Atkinson Board of Education occur on the third Thursday of each month, starting at 5:30 p.m. Meetings may be attended in person at the Luther Administration Center (Luther Elementary School), 201 Park Street, Fort Atkinson, or may be accessed virtually via video link.