Waukesha School District, Board Remain Silent on Ad Endorsing Governor

Waukesha School Board Member Karin Rajnicek is not answering any questions about her appearance in a political ad supporting Gov. Scott Walker.

In a brief voicemail, Rajnicek said, “I stand by what I said and I’m obviously for the governor and everything he’s done for education.”

Rajnicek, who said in the voicemail that the recent attention has been overwhelming, referred contact to Tom Evenson, a press staffer with Friends of Scott Walker, prompting the following email response from the Republican Party of Wisconsin:

"School boards across Wisconsin, like the one Karin sits on, have been given the tools to save taxpayer dollars, avoid layoffs, and maintain class sizes.  Governor Walker thanks Karin for providing her personal experiences and knowledge as testimony to the positive results of the Governor's budget reforms with voters across Wisconsin – reforms that have already saved Wisconsin's taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars."

Scott Walker’s campaign reached out to Rajnicek based upon a referral from a grassroots supporter, according to information from the campaign.

Waukesha School Board President Dan Warren told Patch yesterday that he had no comment on the video. Warren also confirmed he was not approached by the Walker campaign to appear in an advertisement.

Superintendent Todd Gray did not reply to calls or emails asking for comment about the video.

Unanswered by the school board or is whether Rajnicek’s support of the governor in this highly charged campaign runs afoul of school board policy, which states:

“When speaking to the public or press, individual board members must state that they are representing their own personal view, as a single member of the board, and should clearly identify the fact that they are expressing a personal opinion and are not speaking or implying that they are speaking on behalf of the Board. Individual board members should defer to the Board President or Superintendent in areas where a district position statement is required.”

At issue is that the 30-second ad opens with Rajnicek, identified as “Karin” and “school board member,” who then speaks about the school district’s financial situation using “we” and “us.”

“We were worried when the state budget was going to mean less money for our school district. And we have 25 schools,” she said in the ad. “But Gov. Walker - he gave us options that reduced our biggest costs so that we could put more money back into our classrooms.”

However, Rajnicek repeats what the school district and other members of the school board have previously said at school board meetings: that the recent statewide changes have helped them save money for the district. By repeating something oft-said in the district, she may be in compliance with school board policy.

Another part of the policy states:

“This policy does not prohibit an individual board member from publicly stating his or her opinion regarding official Board action; however, individual board members must refrain from making statements that could compromise the district’s position.”