Meg Erler with Jeff Ebel. (City-Times photo)

By Brandi Makuski

Meg Erler says she’s excited to be have been appointed the newest member of the Stevens Point School Board.

“I’ve been interested forever in our local schools and district- I have been involved in local government in the past, with the Village of Plover for a while, and Portage County, and I believe very strongly in giving to the community,” Erler said. “I’m at a place in my life where I have the time and ability to be able to dedicate myself to helping our district move forward in positive ways.”

Erler beat out fellow applicant Pat Hetzel by a vote of 5-3 to fill an empty seat on the board in mid-July after former long-time Board Member Renae Sheibley resigned for undisclosed reasons. Erler has three adult children, with one son in his final year at SPASH, and says she discussed potential involvement with the School Board with her family before applying for a spot on the board.

“My husband has always been very supportive. He’s solidly behind me, as are my children, in this,” she said.

Erler had applied for a School Board appointment in the past but other commitments prevented her from making a solid case for public service. Now she says she’s dedicated to helping the district move forward- and she’s got the experience in both parliamentary procedure and municipal budgets to draw from.

“The school district is a major business in this community, so I know I’ve got a lot of homework ahead of me, but I believe that my past experiences will allow me to be quick learner,” Erler said, adding she’s “excited” to have been appointed at the beginning of the district’s annual budget cycle.

“I know there’s a primarily budget that’s already been approved, and I’ll have the ability to really take a look at that and get a real good sense of what the priorities of the existing board and school district are,” she said. “I’ll also have the ability to weigh in with the finalization of that budget. It’s the perfect time for me to come in and learn about the district.”

Erler said she’s well aware of the divisiveness on the board but noted she’s got experience dealing with those issues, thanks to not only her past public service but also having raised four children to adulthood.

“I’ve served on many boards, and I feel very firmly that nobody runs for an elected position unless they feel very passionately about wanting to make a positive difference,” she said. “So my hope is that I can begin to understand where each of my fellow board members are coming from. We all have different backgrounds and experience; it’s that collective experience that comes together and allows the board to really represent the decisions of the whole community,” she said, adding she expects she’ll both agree and disagree with each Board Member from time to time.

This month Erler also volunteered to take over as the board’s liaison to the Wisconsin Association of School Boards (WASB), the district’s voice in matters relating to education legislation. Board Member Jeff Ebel willingly stepped down from the spot after Erler expressed interest in the spot.

“What I hope I can bring to the board is just the ability to come in fresh, not having any allegiances and look at a lot of things from a fresh viewpoint, and maybe provide that different perspective, and hopefully allow the board to begin to move in a different way,” she said.

Erler’s appointment expires next April, when the seat comes up for reelection, along with those of Board Members Angel Faxon and Jeff Presley. The Board meets next on August 11.