From collection Candidates
Meta Berger was elected to the School Board of Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1909. She served on the School Board for thirty years, and as president from 1915-1916. Berger was a prominent member of the Socialist Party, especially in Milwaukee. During her time as a school board member Berger worked for "progressive" measures such as the construction of playgrounds, "penny lunches," and medical exams for children. She also advocated on behalf of teachers, working for tenure, a fixed-salary schedule and a pension system according to the Wisconsin Historical Society. Berger wanted to create a Teachers' Council to give teachers more administrative power, but the Board did not create the Council. The Socialist Party in Milwaukee at the time was trying to elect more Socialists to the school board, and Berger worked with other Socialists on the board, such as Elizabeth Thomas, during their terms there. Berger also worked with Lizzie Black Kander on an initiative against war recruitment in schools, an initiative to raise the compulsory schooling age from fourteen to fifteen, and an initiative to raise the age of military service by one year, all of which failed.
