Three parents – two with extensive background in education – have been elected to serve on the Board of the La Crosse Public Education Foundation.
Andrew Borgert
Andrew Borgert is a data scientist in the Department of Medical Research at the Gundersen Medical Foundation. He has two daughters in the La Crosse school district, and his wife is a professor of biology at UW-La Crosse. For the past two years, Andrew has been serving as a community volunteer member on the LPEF Grants Committee. Originally from Saint Cloud, Minn. Andrew received his Ph.D. in medical physics from the University of Minnesota and has lived in La Crosse for the last eight years. In his time off, Andrew enjoys spending time with his family outdoors and drinking coffee while he surveys all of his half-finished home improvement projects.
Tracie Bosch
Tracie Bosch is in her 18th year of teaching and is currently teaching 3-year-olds at Congregational Preschool. She grew up in Wisconsin Rapids and attended UW-La Crosse, where she met her husband, Bill. They made La Crosse their home before moving to Minnesota and living in Apple Valley for 13 years. While living in the Twin Cities area, Tracie obtained her master’s degree from Concordia- St. Paul, as well as a Culturally Responsive Teaching certification from St. Mary’s, and she taught various grade levels from 1st-grade through 4th-grade at Oak Ridge Elementary in Eagan. Tracie and her family moved back to La Crosse in August 2019. Her husband is the president of Trust Point and they have two boys: a 7th-grader at Lincoln Middle; and a 5th-grader at Emerson Elementary.
Richard Breaux
Richard Breaux is an Associate Professor of Ethnic & Racial Studies at UW-La Crosse. He has a Ph.D. in History of Education and Education Policy and Leadership studies from the University of Iowa. He is currently on the Board of the Mid-America American Studies Association, the La Crosse Historical Society, and is past co-chair of La Crosse Area Martin Luther King Jr. Day Committee. Richard and his wife, Deborah-Eve, live in La Crosse and have two children: the eldest is a recent School District of La Crosse alumnus; and the other is currently in a La Crosse public high school.
The new members replace departing board members who made a tremendous difference for LPEF in the past six years: Angela Strangman (a past president); Cari Mathwig Ramseier (past chair of the Grants Committee); and Roger LeGrand (co-chair of an endowment fund campaign).
The mission of the La Crosse Public Education Foundation is to enhance learning opportunities for students in the School District of La Crosse and to promote community understanding and support for public education. LPEF was founded in 1988 by some very forward-looking La Crosse residents who were passionate in their support of public education in La Crosse.
The Foundation expects to provide more than $300,000 in support in 2021 to students and staff in the School District of La Crosse. This includes about $80,000 in Gold Star Grants to promote classroom innovation and about $30,000 for Random Acts of Kindness to meet needs of students in areas such as nutrition, hygiene, clothing, and transportation.
