Over the past three years, the Republican Party of Waukesha County and its WisRed campaign have helped elect conservative majorities to almost every school board in the county.
One of the only Waukesha County districts WisRed hasn't flipped is Elmbrook, an affluent district in Elm Grove and Brookfield.
But that could change after the April 2 election.
The Elmbrook school board has two open seats with two candidates running for each: one at-large seat, and one representing Area 4, the southeast part of the district.
Two candidates, Nicole Hunker (at large) and Peter Machi (Area 4), are supported by WisRed. The other two, Mary Wacker (at large) and Jean Lambert (Area 4), identify as nonpartisan.
If Hunker or Machi is elected, WisRed candidates will have a majority on the seven-member school board. Board members Kathy Lim, Sam Hughes and Linda Boucher were also supported by the local GOP.
Some Elmbrook parents, including Danielle Linn, are worried about that.
"We moved here partially because of the schools and school district being so highly rated," says Linn. "And my concern would be that if this school board gets flipped like so many in our area have, that’s going to affect the quality of the schools and the day-to-day impact on my kids and on their teachers."
In other communities where school boards have been flipped by WisRed, patterns have emerged — many related to LGBTQ issues.
Boards have passed “parental rights” policies that require permission if a student wants to use a different name or pronoun. They’ve removed books with LGBTQ themes from schools.
Republican lawmakers are pushing similar policies at the state level.
Elmbrook hasn’t been immune to these trends. In 2021, it removed a portion about equity from its strategic plan. In 2022, it removed seven LGBTQ-themed books from its schools.
Waukesha County GOP leader Terry Dietrich says these changes are what voters want. He says Elmbrook is a priority for WisRed this April.
"The folks that we’ve talked to in that district are very interested in seeing a more conservative approach toward the school," Dietrich told WUWM. "The board is at a critical point. You know, the majority can be obtained for conservatives and that’s what we’re there to support."
The Waukesha County GOP has contributed about $3,000 in in-kind donations each to Nicole Hunker and Peter Machi’s campaigns.
The conservative 1776 Project also sent out a mailer supporting Hunker and Machi.
Hunker and Machi did not respond to interview requests. In a candidate forum, Machi advocated for parental control over certain aspects of education.
"Faith, marriage, sexuality — education on those issues — I think parents should be able to determine what that looks like for their own families," Machi said.
Jean Lambert, one of the nonpartisan Elmbrook candidates, has served on the school board for 15 years. She’s proud that Elmbrook is one of the top-ranked districts in the state.
"The thought of WisRed coming in and dismantling what’s been built so painstakingly and carefully over the years, it just it upsets me a lot and makes me want to come back for another term," Lambert says.
Lambert is also worried about staff leaving. In some other school districts that were flipped by WisRed, superintendents resigned amid the divisive environment.
Lambert and candidate Mary Wacker are refusing to take money from political parties.
"I’m intentionally running a very nonpartisan race and I’d love to get votes from left and right leaning members of the community," Wacker says. "Because I think public schools are nonpartisan by nature, because we open the doors and let every child in."
Dietrich, with the Waukesha County GOP, says school boards were already political before WisRed came on the scene.
"We are simply supporting the conservative candidates in this county, and we win," Dietrich says. "And now that we win, the Democrats are sour grapes."
Some groups have mobilized to counter the influence of WisRed. Blue Sky Waukesha is one. That group is hoping to unseat a couple WisRed-backed Waukesha school board members this election. It also endorsed Wacker and recommended Lambert.
Those two elections — in Elmbrook and Waukesha — could show how communities are responding to the growing conservative influence on school boards.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that Jean Lambert is recommended, but not endorsed, by Blue Sky Waukesha. Blue Sky Waukesha's website states: "Endorsements are stronger than recommendations."
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