Longtime School Board member Kraus resigns

Kurt Kraus’ seat on the Cedar Grove-Belgium School Board isn’t up for election until next year, but the two candidates who ran for an open seat this month gave him the idea to resign.

Kraus knows Mike Sells, who won a spot on the board, and endorsed him. He did not know Dan Derler until he read about him in Ozaukee Press.

“What am I hanging around here for? We’ve got two wonderful candidates,” Kraus said.

“I don’t feel pressured. I feel confident that both would do a tremendous job.”

Kraus said he hopes that Derler seeks his open spot on the board via appointment.

Sells, 56, teaches special education at Bayside Middle School in Fox Point. He ran for the board to give back to the community.

Derler, 43, works in project management for a medical manufacturer and said he wants to continue the district’s path forward. He is especially supportive of the Rocket Academy, the district’s public charter school in Belgium that teaches skilled trades.

Kraus has been on the board for around a decade and has served as clerk the past several years. The youngest of his three children graduated last year.

“The time is right,” he said.

Kraus said he is proud of the district’s high scores on the state school report cards, the development of the Rocket Academy and he loved the board members he served with, the superintendents and the principals. He is thankful to past boards for keeping the district on strong financial ground.

“Unlike some other schools, we didn’t have to make as many tough decisions. We weren’t digging ourselves out of a hole,” he said.

Kraus grew up in Ozaukee County and is an Ozaukee High School alumnus. He lives in Cedar Grove and works as a heavy equipment operator for Ozaukee County.

Kraus’ last board meeting will be May 14. He said he still plans to serve as public address announcer at some school sporting events.