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Panel picks two for board

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Gregory K. Ardrey

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Peter D. Severson

JANESVILLE — Gregory Ardrey and Peter D. Severson are the only applicants recommended by a Janesville School Board committee to fill two board seats.

The committee met Thursday and interviewed all 10 applicants before making its decision.

Committee members Tim Cullen, Debra Kolste and DuWayne Severson each came up with a list of their four favorite applicants.

All three selected Ardrey and Peter Severson—no relation to DuWayne.

Garnering two votes each were Jim Farrell, Julie Gibes and Dale Thompson.

Chairman DuWayne Severson suggested that the committee recommend only two candidates to the full board, and Cullen and Kolste agreed.

The full board is expected to vote when it meets Tuesday, July 22. The board could decide to reject one or both of the applicants, “so it’s not a lock,” said DuWayne Severson when asked why the committee didn’t give the board more choices.

And it’s customary for board committees to give the board one decision, not multiple choices, DuWayne Severson said.

Cullen said his sense of the other board members is that they trust the committee’s judgment.

Whoever is chosen could be sworn in and take his seat that same night, if the board allows, said assistant board clerk Nancy Hewes. DuWayne Severson seemed to be leaning toward that option.

Ardrey, 41, is a senior manager for Alliant Energy. He has lived in Janesville for 19 years, he said.

Ardrey would be the first black person to serve on the school board.

“I thought the school board needs my perspective,” he told the committee.

When the committee asked about his concerns for the district, Ardrey said that although Janesville has “wonderful” schools and teachers work hard, the staff’s perspective is typical of Wisconsin in that it is not very diverse.

District officials know about the problem. Statistics show that black students in Janesville are less likely to be identified as gifted and talented, more likely to be habitual truants and more likely to serve out-of-school suspensions.

And black males are more likely to be identified as emotionally disturbed.

A 2006 district report said those negatives might be the result of “unconscious bias” on the part of educators.

When asked about discipline and expulsions, Ardrey said discipline should be “universally consistent,” adding: “I’m not sure that’s the case today.”

Peter D. Severson is 38. He ran for school board in 2007 and 2008 and has lived in Janesville nearly five years, he said.

Severson works in information technology for the Wisconsin state court system.

Severson was also complimentary of the district and said the passing of the referendum to expand the high schools seems foresighted in light of the current economic situation.

Severson’s concern was that the school board does not get its agenda and related background information out to the public so that the public can have time to contribute to the board’s discussions.

Severson said that computer technology could be used to make the agenda accessible.

Committee members were very complimentary of all the candidates, saying they found it very difficult to narrow their choices.

The two chosen will serve until next April, when voters will fill those seats, as well as three other seats, for a total of five.

DuWayne Severson said the community would be blessed if all 10 applicants chose to run for school board next spring.

Kolste, by the way, mentioned she would not run for a fourth term in April.