Artistic map of Sheboygan Falls

Academic focus in Sheboygan Falls schools

Teaching excellence

Focus on attracting and retaining the best educators, with pay based on merit.

American heritage

Focus on the core academics that built our nation – not special interests or DEI.

Focused spending

Bring transparent, thorough planning to building projects – not subsidies.

Contrasting approaches

Issues

Issues facing Sheboygan Falls schools, our views, and school board candidates’ positions and responses

Focus spending

The spring referendum includes important upgrades and maintenance, especially in infrastructure, science, and technology. However, the cost averages about $13,000 per household and should be reduced with more transparent, thorough planning and by avoiding subsidies.

  • Ed Brey: Supports major school improvements with careful spending.
  • Incumbents: Voted to place the $99.8 million and $70 million referendums on the ballot.

Learn more

Safe Zone sign

Proposed location for the CTE rebuild (#4), planned at 57% of the inflation-adjusted cost of the entire middle school

Professional staff salaries

2024-2025 professional staff salaries.
Teacher compensation is 7.2% above state average.

Pay teachers based on merit

Our pay system is flexible for hiring and transfers but afterward goes by seniority. Research focused on Wisconsin schools shows that merit pay attracts and retains the best educators at wages fair to teachers and taxpayers.

A more market-driven pay system would build on our new reading and math curriculums to improve student proficiency rates and offer more advanced and dual-credit classes.

  • Ed Brey: Voted to retain merit pay and supports improving it.
  • Incumbents: Voted to eliminate merit pay.

Learn more

Teach America’s heritage

Our new academic standards omit the previous standards’ requirements for precise language and standard English. They also embrace DEI, prioritize “social justice”, and include 30 instances where teachers must incorporate “power in inequitable practices” and use students’ “home languages and dialects”.

Also gone is analysis of “works of exceptional craft and thought” and foundational U.S. documents such as the Declaration of Independence. We should eliminate DEI and teach about America’s heritage as a great nation from a balanced historical perspective.

  • Ed Brey: Voted against the new standards.
  • Incumbents: Voted for the new standards.

Learn more

Academic standards graphic

“Equity”-centric approach to education in the approved standards

Planned Parenthood services

The bottom of a Sheboygan Falls sex ed curriculum web page

Remove Planned Parenthood agenda from sex ed

The high school sex ed curriculum uses Planned Parenthood web pages that offer students to book an abortion or “gender-affirming care” appointment, and tout Planned Parenthood affiliates as “trusted sources of health care and education for people of all genders”.

Missing from the curriculum is instruction on adoption and the sex binary. The sex ed content should better align with science, student safety, and community values.

  • Ed Brey: Supports realigning the curriculum.
  • Incumbents: No response.

Learn more

Ensure sex ed content review

Counseling material presented to all 5th graders taught there are three sexes using a “Genderbread Person” and referred students to LGBTQ websites presenting far-left sex ed material.

In the high school, the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) teaches sex ed topics and glorifies trans identities, which contribute to a bandwagon effect that magnifies mental health problems in at-risk youth.

All forms of sex ed instruction should undergo community review and school board approval to ensure it is scientifically accurate, unbiased, and age-appropriate.

  • Ed Brey: Introduced a resolution to end the bypass of sex ed review.
  • Incumbents: Blocked the resolution from consideration.

Note: The counseling material was replaced when the counselor involved left the district, but this was well after the resolution was put forth.

Learn more

School presentation of the Genderbread Person
Gender and Sexuality Alliance display case

Stop sponsoring political activism

The district-sponsored Gender and Sexuality Alliance, which meets during school and is led by paid teachers, promotes its political viewpoints to students. It also furthers the school-to-clinic pipeline by advertising LGBTQ “affirming care” services, even while clubs like the Boy Scouts aren’t allowed to advertise.

Taxpayer-funded schools should remain neutral. The best way for our schools to foster a safe and welcoming environment that shows dignity and respect to all students is through clubs that focus on building character, not politics.

  • Ed Brey: Introduced a resolution to prevent taxpayer funding of political activism through district-sponsored clubs.
  • Incumbents: Blocked the resolution from consideration.

Learn more

Welcome everyone, without identity politics

Our schools display the “Progress Pride” flag, which per the Wisconsin DPI represents “trans people” and “non-white individuals”. Learn more

Certain classrooms label themselves as “Safe Zones”, a disservice to all the other teachers continually ensuring every classroom is safe. Learn more

We should ensure classrooms are welcoming to everyone by keeping discrimination and identity politics out of the classroom.

  • Ed Brey: Introduced a resolution to remove discriminatory flags.
  • Incumbents: Blocked the resolution from consideration.
What is the Progress Pride flag?
Activist signs

Signs posted in a Sheboygan Falls High School classroom

Increase academic depth

Some students learn in classrooms with walls lined with polarizing political signs. Civics education should emphasize objective data and critical thinking, not one-sided surface-level slogans.

  • Ed Brey: Supports replacement with analysis of competing considerations.
  • Incumbents: No response.

Learn more

Stats

Statistics about the Sheboygan Falls School District

Proficiency

English: 36.8%
Math: 41.6%

Percent of students who met proficiency standards

State comparison

Proficiency: −2.4%
Teacher pay: +7.2%

Student proficiency and teacher compensation compared to state averages

Data sources

Referendums

Fall: $19,141
Spring: $13,472

Average cost per household of the proposed referendums

(Total cost divided by number of district households – learn more)

Spending

Spending per student graph

National statistics showing the value of Career & Technical Education

Trades boost

Electricians: +$614,480 (+33%)
Machinists: +$184,480 (+10%)
Welders: +$108,480 (+6%)

Median additional 40-year-career income over high school diploma baseline

Data sources

Candidates

Ed Brey

Ed is an 18-year resident of Sheboygan Falls, self-employed software engineer, and natural problem solver. Whether in the classroom or chaperoning trips, his decade-plus of hands-on involvement has contributed to the education of his children and other students in the district. In his free time, Ed enjoys officiating high school sports, playing ultimate frisbee and volleyball, and joining his wife and kids in all things backyard.

Ed has an MS in computer engineering from NTU, has a BS in electrical engineering from Marquette University, and graduated 2nd in his class from New Berlin West HS. Thankful to be an American and for the doors his education opened, he strives to prepare today’s students for their land of opportunity.

Experience

  • Past school board member (3 years)
  • Managed engineering teams in large corporations (6 years)
  • Small business owner (13 years)
  • Leader in the PTA and Middle School Robotics (4 years)
  • Volunteer for Junior Achievement and Special Olympics (15 years)

Endorsements

  • Devin LeMahieu Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader (Senate District 9)
  • Terry Katsma Retired Wisconsin State Representative (Assembly District 26)
  • Amy Binsfeld Former Wisconsin State Representative (Assembly District 27)
  • Al Mayer City of Sheboygan Falls Alderman (District 1)
  • Jacob Immel City of Sheboygan Falls Alderman (District 3) and Sheboygan County Supervisor (District 19)
  • Micah Pearce Republican Party of Sheboygan County Chair
  • Russ Otten Former Republican Party of Sheboygan County Chair
  • Abbie Palenske Former Sheboygan Falls Middle School Parent-Teacher Association President
  • Tegan Gonzalez, Todd Stoffregen, …Sheboygan Falls Residents
Ed Brey

You can contact Ed by email or at 920‑912‑2852.

Ed is a thoughtful, engaged and concerned local school board member. The Sheboygan Falls School District is well served with board members like Ed Brey.

Terry Katsma

Terry Katsma

Retired Wisconsin State Representative (Assembly District 26)

I always appreciate the knowledge that Ed brings to the conversation. He cares about his community and is always well informed on matters when it comes to our youth.

Amy Binsfeld

Amy Binsfeld

Former Wisconsin State Representative (Assembly District 27)

Ed is friendly and caring. He is compassionate and also intelligent. He is a problem solver who approaches the issues facing our community like a scientist. He dissects the issue and does thorough research. Full statement

Jacob Immel

Jacob Immel

City of Sheboygan Falls Common Council Member
Sheboygan County Supervisor (District 19)

I recommend Ed to be elected as a school board member. Ed’s dedication to education and commitment to the welfare of our students makes him an ideal candidate for this position. His proven track record of effective leadership and community involvement have greatly benefited our school district. Ed is very responsive to questions and always open to discussing issues. I am confident that Ed will contribute significantly to the continued success and improvement of our schools.

Abbie Palenske

Abbie Palenske

Former Sheboygan Falls Middle School Parent-Teacher Association President

Ed is dedicated to making the Sheboygan Falls School District a place where kids are safe, excelling academically, and learning the values that make this community great!

Russ Otten

Russ Otten

Former Republican Party of Sheboygan County Chair

Other candidates

No other candidates have provided bios or endorsements.

About Us

Falls Forward helps schools in Sheboygan Falls better focus on teaching the skills, character, and wisdom students need to build strong families and careers.

We are a community group dedicated to fostering a school environment that prioritizes educational excellence, fiscal responsibility, and student safety. We advocate for policies to hire and retain the best educators, empower parents, promote transparency, and teach America’s heritage to its next generation of citizens.

Our immediate focus is informing the community about the issues and candidates for the April 1 election. Beyond that, look forward to community service projects such as book drives.

Leadership

Stephanie Arndt

Stephanie Arndt

Chairman
Jacob Immel

Jacob Immel

Vice chairman
Ed Brey

Ed Brey

Treasurer

Partner organization

Get Involved

Bank your vote

Tell others

Share this page with friends.

Stay connected

I’d like to: