Colfax graduate among 8 candidates on ballot for WI DPI Superintendent

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By LeAnn R. Ralph

COLFAX — All together, eight candidates have filed nomination papers for state Superintendent of Public Instruction, including one who grew up in Colfax and graduated from Colfax High School.

A primary election will be held February 16, and the general election will be held April 6.

Troy Gunderson of West Salem, who attended Colfax Public Schools from kindergarten through twelfth grade and is the son of Sharon and Del Gunderson of Colfax, filed his campaign registration statement August 13 and filed his declaration of candidacy statement and nomination papers January 4 with 2,277 valid signatures, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission website.

Gunderson’s ballot status is “approved” according to the WEC.

Gunderson graduated from the University of Minnesota and then started on a 35-year career in public education, according to his campaign website.

Gunderson was a classroom teacher at Melrose-Mindoro High School for seven years and then served 16 years as a high school principal, one year at Princeton and 15 years at West Salem.

He went on to serve as school superintendent for 12 years, including two years at Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau School District in Galesville and served for 10 years as superintendent at the School District of West Salem.

Gunderson currently serves as an adjunct professor of school finance for the superintendent certification program at Viterbo University in La Crosse.

He and his wife, Jill, who is retired from her position as a middle school science teacher at Melrose-Mindoro Middle School, live in West Salem. They have two children, Kelsey and Kirsten, both graduates of West Salem High School and of UW-Madison.

The other candidates for state Superintendent of Public Instruction include Sheila Briggs of Deforest (ballot status approved); Deborah Kerr of Caledonia (ballot status pending); Joe Fenrick of Fond du  Lac (ballot status approved); Steve Krull of Milwaukee (ballot status approved); Carolyn Stanford Taylor of Madison (incumbent state superintendent) (ballot status pending); Shandowlyon Shawn Hendricks-Williams of Milwaukee (ballot status approved); and Jill Underly of Hollandale (ballot status approved).