Incumbent David Miller Seeks Menominee Indian School District Board Seat in 2026

David "Jonesy" Miller, who serves as president of the Menominee Indian School District Board of Education, sought to retain his Keshena Area seat in the April 7, 2026 spring election, running as the listed incumbent for the board position he has held for years in the Keshena community.

Miller ran in the general election for the Menominee Indian School District Board of Education, Keshena Area, a seat he previously contested in April 2023 as well. Miller holds the role of MISD school board president. Fellow board member Lloyd Frieson Jr. is listed as Member at Large for the district.

During the 2024 school year, 991 students attended one of the district's four schools. The Menominee Indian School District consists of seven members serving three-year terms. The district, based in Keshena along State Highway 47-55, serves a student body that is nearly entirely Native American and operates four schools spanning prekindergarten through grade 12.

Miller's connection to the district runs deep. When longtime superintendent Wendell Waukau announced his retirement in February 2024 after more than two decades leading the district, Miller praised Waukau's commitment to incorporating the Menominee language, culture and traditions in MISD's schools, saying: "As a Menominee, he knows how important that is to preserve who we are and ensure future generations embrace our ways as well. You can walk into any of our schools, and you'll immediately know they are a Menominee Indian public school. Our students are proud of who they are."

His engagement with MISD governance predates his board presidency. A 2007 Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin annual report placed him as a member of the MTL/MISD Task Force, a collaborative body that brought together tribal legislators and MISD representatives including Lisa Waukau as chairman alongside legislators Karen Washinawatok and Regina Washinawatok.

For the 2026 election cycle, filing requirements called for candidates to submit a Campaign Registration Statement and Declaration of Candidacy by 5:00 p.m. on January 6, 2026, with the school district clerk. Nomination papers could first be circulated beginning December 1, 2025. Under Wisconsin election rules, school board primary elections are only held if there are more than two candidates running for any specific single-seat race or if the number of candidates running for multi-seat races is more than twice the number of seats up for election. If a primary had been necessary for the Keshena Area seat, it would have been held February 17, 2026.

Voters with questions about the race or the district's school board can contact MISD clerk Christie Isom at 715-799-3824, ext. 6011, or cisom@misd.k12.wi.us.