Angela Kretchmer is running to sit on the KUSD school board. Part of being a school board member is accurately communicating to the community about the decisions the school board makes.
Kretchmer has already proven she isn't capable of doing that.
In her Facebook post on Sunday, January 28th, Kretchmer falsely stated the following:
"Did you know tucked away in the right sizing committee there is a provision for:
KUSD to open up a new school for students AND their parents who are NON-ENGLISH speaking? It is called the Newcomers School, it will be in Stocker Elementary....
Hmm "
The Problem With Kretchmer's Facebook Post?
It is FALSE.
- KUSD is not opening a new school;
- KUSD will not be opening a school for parents of non-English speakers.
As part of the Rightsizing decision, the KUSD school board shifted school boundaries, voted to six schools and shifted some of the districts specialty schools into other buildings.
Kretchmer made this post SEVEN WEEKS after the KUSD school board voted to make changes, plenty of time for a person who says they are interested in serving on the school board to familiarize themselves with the facts about the Rightsizing decision.
Kretchmer failed.
The Truth:
The Dual Language program at EBSOLA has been a part of KUSD for almost 20 years
KUSD has an existing specialty dual language school, currently located at the Edward Bain School of Language and Art (EBSOLA).
In 2004, Bain Elementary School and KUSD's Kenosha School of Language merged to form the dual language program at EBSOLA.
While non-English speaking students can attend the dual language program at EBSOLA, it is a program available by lottery to ANY student in the KUSD district, so it has linguistically diverse students. It also has a linguistically diverse staff.
Being a dual-language speaker is considered a desirable skill in our global economy and has many other benefits.
As part of the dual language program at EBSOLA, families in the program, regardless of language, have access to a Community Book Room to engage in literacy and language learning for the whole family.
As part of the Rightsizing process, the KUSD school board voted to MOVE the dual language program from EBSOLA to the Stocker Elementary School building.
Students from Washington Middle School will be moved to the old EBSOLA building as part of the Rightsizing process.
KUSD is not opening a new school for non-English speakers and their parents.
What Are Newcomer/Welcome Centers?
Kretchmer's social media post also inaccurately said Stocker School would be renamed the "Newcomer School."
Many school districts across the country are including 'Welcoming Centers' as a resource in their school districts.
Each year, children and families from around the globe enroll students in Wisconsin public schools after immigrating to, and resettling in, our state.
Many of these children and families are refugees who have fled their home countries for a variety of reasons, including persecution, violence and/or natural disasters. Students from immigrant and refuge families bring a wealth of assets that benefit their classmates, schools and communities. At the same time, these children may face unique challenges related to language, interrupted schooling, trauma and more.
Many school district Welcome Centers help guide families with registering their children for school, assessing the student’s language, academic and social emotional needs, and pointing families to community resources they may find helpful.
Welcome centers also help minimize the disruption felt by existing students and teachers in classrooms when new students arrive in the middle of a school year.
The KUSD school board is looking at this option to compassionately meet the needs of people entering the KUSD community to make it a successful transition for the children, families and to prevent disrupting the education of currently enrolled students.
What Do We Find Problematic About Kretchmer's Post?
- Kretchmer is applying to Kenosha voters for a job on the KUSD school board to make important decisions for the district, its students, families and the community. Yet this post shows Kretchmer isn't willing to do her homework but is willing to spread false information through her social media about KUSD decisions. We've included her full post above which includes a plea for parents to vote for her. This indicates her post is not only lacking in correct information, but is also politically motivated.
- Kretchmer chose the wording "tucked away" to describe the school board's decision to move the EBSOLA program; she appears to be implying the decision to move the EBSOLA program is one the school district is intentionally attempting to hide from parents and the community.
- Kretchmer capitalizes the words "NON-ENGLISH" in her post, a what appears to be a political dog-whistle to people who are anti-immigrant / xenophobic. Should voters choose her to serve on the KUSD school board, it will be Kretchmer's responsibility to advocate for the education of ALL KUSD students, including children who do not speak English.
What Do We Find Problematic About Kretchmer As a Candidate?
Angela Kretchmer is a member of Moms for Liberty.
You can hear her public comments during a state legislature hearing on a Moms for Liberty-sponsored bill here.
According to the Global Network on Extremism and Technology, members of Moms for Liberty are successfully using social media to advance a Christian Nationalist agenda. Part of that agenda includes promoting the value system of White Christian Nationalism in public schools.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has identified Moms for Liberty as an anti-government extremist group.
Pictured above is the current leader of Kenosha Moms for Liberty, Amber Infusino at the group's national conference in Philadelphia
Kenosha Moms for Liberty has engaged in disrupting KUSD school board meetings in the past when the district has made decisions they don't agree with. You can watch vidoes of Kenosha Moms for Liberty engaged in shutting down a KUSD school board meeting in 2022 here and once again in 2023 here.
Angela Kretchmer's 1st Fundraiser as a KUSD School Board Candidate Was Screening an Anti-LGBT Film Banned as Hate Speech
Kretchmer's first fundraiser for KUSD School Board (flier above) was the screening of an anti-LGBT movie, Gender Transformation: the Untold Realities. The film has been banned on most social media platforms as hate speech. The film contains medical disinformation about LGBT people.
Kretchmer's organization, Moms for Liberty, regularly engages in 'othering' groups of people based on their race and gender identity.
Moms for Liberty supports anti-LGBT legislation, including taking away the rights of trans children and trans parents.
Moms for Liberty is driving the wave of book bans that are sweeping the nation. Members of Moms for Liberty, along with the extremist group MassResistance, have filed numerous challenges to books in KUSD libraries. KUSD recently was forced to change its book challenge policy to handle the wave of book challenges and the Wisconsin ACLU is also scrutinizing the book challenges filed with the KUSD school district due to their anti-LGBT rhetoric.
Moms for Liberty has engaged in quoting Hitler on more than one occassion.
Kretchmer has vocally supported removing books of which she doesn't approve from KUSD libraries, speaking about this regularly during citizen comments at school board meetings.
At the September KUSD school board meeting, Kretchmer attempted to give her speaking spot to Jose 'Rocky' Rodriguez of Gays Against Groomers, an anti-LGBT organization. Later that same week Rodriguez was slapped with a four-year restraining order from a judge due to his actions and threats against the Pulaski School District over books of which he didn't approve.
Kretchmer's social media posts not only include outright misinformation, but she is advancing other culture war issues through her campaign page (example below) that have nothing to do with being a responsible school board member.
Kretchmer is endorsed by the anti-LGBT hate group, MassResistance
MassResistance tweeted their support of Kretchmer for KUSD school board at the end of January.
MassResistance has been engaged in harmful activities in Kenosha since August, 2023. You can read more about this anti-LGBT hate group here.
You can read statements from Kenosha's mayoral candidates last November regarding MassResistance's activities in Kenosha here.
MassResistance and Moms for Liberty maintain close ties, with membership overlapping.
With Kretchmer's first fundraiser being the screening of an anti-LGBT film banned as hate speech on most social media platforms, it should come as no surprise the anti-LGBT hate group MassResistance has endorsed her campaign.
A recent social media post from WI MassResistance, which has close ties to Kretchmer's Kenosha Moms for Liberty group
Kretchmer is Pushing Right-Wing Propaganda for KUSD Schools
Kretchmer has suggested bringing Brave Books into KUSD schools as a replacement for the inclusive Scholastic books. Brave Books are thinly veiled right-wing political propaganda.
We need to elect people to the KUSD school board who are interested in good governance, who will take the district's education and current challenges seriously, and not interject culture wars into our school policies.
There are four seats on the KUSD School Board that will be filled in the April 2nd election (there is no primary for this race.)
There are currently four Moms for Liberty-aligned candidates running for KUSD school board:
There are also four common-sense candidates running for KUSD school board:
Write-in candidate Robin Cullen
Make sure you are registered and ready to vote for KUSD school board candidates who will work for the good of ALL KUSD students on families on April 2nd!
VOTE APRIL 2nd!
