The Sconi

Christine Stueland is working to turn what many feel started out as a bad situation into what she views as a favorable one.

Stueland, Nina Christensen, and Shelley Holtzman recently started “Moms on a Mission,” to gather support for their Menomonee Falls School Board candidacy, according to a Wisconsin Now report. The trio gathered so much support they received the highest vote totals in the February primary. 

“The pandemic has allowed me to take stock in my children’s education and has highlighted strengths and weaknesses in our schools,” Stueland told Wisconsin Now. “I feel that I can offer a fresh perspective on the board as a mom and speech-language pathologist. My critical thinking skills as a healthcare professional will allow me to think outside of the box when offering solutions.”

All three moms secured endorsements from the Waukesha County Republican Party.

“For the past two years, I have been actively involved with the school district by regularly attending board and committee meetings, speaking at board meetings, writing emails and meeting with school district leadership,” Stueland said. “I feel it is important to fully understand the inner workings of the school board and what is being accomplished. In the past few years, it has become apparent that the community of Menomonee Falls has been underrepresented by our school board. I chose to get involved because I could no longer sit on the sidelines and just discuss my concerns.”

Stueland said trust and transparency must be fostered across the district and parents’ rights must be upheld.

"My priority now that I’m on the school board is to be a fresh voice representing our community,” Stueland said. “I will work to facilitate more balanced governance between the board and administration. I hope to see parents’ rights further defined in our schools, work toward better support and leadership for our teachers, and strive for improvements in our students’ proficiencies and learning.”

Across the state, conservatives and parents have become part of the movement to take back school boards, the report stated. Christensen and Stueland have spoken out against mask mandates, with Stueland stating, “We don’t really know long-term effects from wearing masks all year long, five days a week, in school. There’s opportunity for these parents, teachers, volunteers helping in the schools to get vaccinated.”

The Moms on a Mission group has also raised concerns about books given to children.

“We are not interested in banning books, what we are interested in doing is protecting students from sexually explicit content without parental knowledge,” Stueland stated in a Facebook post in February.