Will Wetzel for School Board 2023

Policy Positions

• School Violence: Will wants to focus on early intervention by putting together volunteer programs with parents & community members, increasing extracurricular & after-school activities, as well as peace-making programs and restorative justice programs that have worked in places with high violence.
• Student expulsions: He says some kids can't function in a regular ed program, and they should get "consequences for their actions", but "no child should be thrown out on the street," and they should go to alternate education programs instead.
• Black History & LGBTQIA+ Curriculum: "First and foremost, we have to comply with the law," set by the Illinois State Board of Education, and "hire administrators and allow them the latitude to choose a curriculum based on feedback from our teachers, from our teaching professionals, and from the Illinois State Board of Education." He says "we need to focus on ... reading, math, and writing," since "only 70% of our children [are] graduating from high school"

Goals

• Promote accountability & transparency; Build up greater transparency and accountability than the law requires
• Take the School Board meetings on the road for the first 18 meetings of his tenure, visiting every School Building in the district, in an effort to reach more families and community members.
• Follow the law, related to FOIA & the Open Meetings Act. Will says the School Board has violated the Open Meetings Act 19 times in the last 2 years.
• Bring stability to the district. Will notes the loss of six principals in the past 18 months and 101 current open teaching positions.
• Get anonymized exit interview data from teachers, to see why teachers are leaving the district
• focus on and fix things within the scope of the board, whether it is pay, time off, admininistrator issues or something else.
• Always put the students first
• Build an inclusive, open, and respectful school district
• Remain "consistently accessible"
• Give the Superintendent realistic goals and the tools required to accomplish those goals
• Ensure the schools are safe for children, teachers, janitors, and other staff.

Concerns

• Will has concerns about the school budget, with CARES funding coming to an end & a shrinking Decatur population leading to less tax revenue. He says Decatur already has high property taxes and the Board will "need to strike a good balance there."

Statements / Quotes

• Will wants to build on things the district is doing right and "focus on what we can build together," and "build up children and make sure they are successful for life," whether that's in trades, in college, or straight into the workforce.
• He says every decision should start with "What does this do for the students? How does this improve their lives?"
• He says it's important the School Board follows the law, in regard to the Open Meetings Act and Freedom of Information Act, but that is the bare minimum and more should be done for accountability and transparency.
• As far as budgeting goes, he says "There's a lot that I don't know," but that the School Board will trust but verify information provided by the district's Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operations Officer.
• "I believe in the power of public education. I believe that we can do better for our students, and everything has to start with student learning and student outcomes."
• He tells the small crowd at Door 4 Brewing Co. that his daughter Ava is "one of the chief reasons I'm running" before getting into his concerns about transparency, accountability, and proper governance.
• "There's a lot of people that will never come to school board meetings, but their opinions are just as valid."
• He said many people get elected then stop showing up in the community. He says he's been showing up for 2 years and that he will continue showing up.
• Will says the board needs to "right our own ship" then "focus on the strengths of our district," find the strategies that consistently work, and hear from those in the classroom. He says building upon that will build a better district and ensure children succeed.
• Will says Decatur needs to "grow its own leadership" and not rely on "some other group of teachers" from a different community to "come in and save Decatur."

Current Roles / Jobs

• Global Technology Technical Analyst II at ADM
• Precinct Committeeperson for Macon County Democrats
• Within the last year, Adjunct Professor for Richland Community College. See his Statement of Economic Interest.

Endorsed By

• Datrice Weathers, who was running for 2023 School Board, but withdrew.
• Decatur Labor & Trades Assembly
• Macon County Democrats. Will is a former Vice Chair of and current Precinct Committeeperson for the Macon County Democrats.
• Decatur Education Association (DEA)
• AFSCME - American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees
• Decatur Federation of Teaching Assistants (DFTA)
• DESPA - Decatur Educational Support Personnel Association
• SEIU 73 - Service Employees International Union Local 73

Will says that AFSCME, DEA, and DESPA all organize around Decatur Political Action Committee for Education (DPACE). Will says these are "part of the conglomeration of unions that uses DPACE" to "do all of their political stuff." We confirmed endorsements from Datrice Weathers, Decatur Labor & Trades, Macon County Democrats, and Decatur Education Association. We are awaiting responses from AFSCME, DFTA, DESPA, and SEIU 73 to confirm their endorsements.

Past roles / Jobs

• Former Vice Chair of Macon County Democrats
• "Over the past six years, I have volunteered with several non-profits by providing free IT, non-profit visioning, and grant writing services."
• Volunteer & disaster response coordinator for the McDonough County Chapter of AmeriCorps VISTA/Red Cross
• Executive Director for Genesis Garden, a non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating poverty in West Central Illinois
• GT Plant Analyst at Levi, Ray, and Shoup, Inc within the last year, according to his Statement of Economic Interest.

Personal History / Info

• Has a daughter in 2nd grade at Michael E. Baum Elementary School
• Married to his wife Tiffany for 10 years, who is (or was in the last year) a Family Support specialist for the Macon County Health Department, according to Will's Statement of Economic Interest
• Born & Raised in Decatur
• 2003 Eisenhower High School Graduate
• Attended Richland Community College and Western Illinois University
• Returned to Decatur in 2017.

Sources

• Meet Will Wetzel - His March 6 Facebook Post
• Will Wetzel Meet & Greet
• School Board Candidate Forum
• Some information was received from Will through direct messages on Facebook.
• Statement of Economic Interest.