Whitewater: School board addresses concerns over faculty resignations, supports superintendent

By Kim McDarison

The Whitewater Unified School District Board of Education Tuesday began its meeting with a statement read into the record by board President Thayer Coburn in which it outlined its concern over recent staff and administrative resignations. 

Within the statement, the board outlined two “factors” which it perceived as contributing to its developing retention concerns. They are: 

• “Unmanageable workloads: Educating Whitewater’s high-needs population, which is uniquely large for a district of our size and growing by the day, is putting a great deal of stress on many of our staff members. The demands of the pandemic and recent turnover have created imbalances. Our superintendent, Dr. Caroline Pate-Hefty, is addressing these imbalances with the board’s support.”

• “Concerns about direction: Some see the challenges we are dealing with and have concluded that our superintendent is leading the district in the wrong direction. Some have even made career decisions based on inaccurate or incomplete facts. We take this issue seriously and have investigated it through our 360-degree evaluation process.” 

Tuesday’s open session meeting followed a closed session meeting, which, according to the agenda, was held for the purpose of “considering employment, promotion, compensation or performance evaluation data of any public employee over which the governmental body has jurisdiction or exercises responsibility; specifically, to review the superintendent evaluation.” 

After the board reconvened in open session and before the floor was opened for public comments, the full statement made on behalf of the board was read. 

Within the statement, the board noted that “the board makes district policy based on our community’s priorities and employs a superintendent to implement those policies, enforce board rules and regulations, and oversee district operations. The superintendent has a 13-person District Leadership Team, or DLT, that consists of building principals and districtwide administrators. The superintendent uses the DLT forum to share and receive feedback and information to help her run the district. 

“The board evaluates the superintendent twice per year. For the most recent winter evaluation, the board was satisfied that our superintendent was working in accordance with its wishes. Sensing a recent change, we sped up the summer evaluation and enhanced 360-degree upstream component of the review by holding in-person  interviews with all 13 DLT members.”

Within the statement, the board said it concluded, after that review, that “our superintendent has many strengths, among them a clear vision for the district, the energy and the organization to execute that vision, the willingness to make unpopular, but necessary, decisions, an approachable and compassionate demeanor, and the fortitude to stand before her staff and the public — no matter what.” 

The statement continued: “These strengths were exemplified in the administrative actions prior to the resignation of a former high school tech ed teacher.” 

As reported earlier by Fort Atkinson Online, tech ed teacher Mike Wintz’s decision to resign sparked controversy. Stories about the resignation and the controversy that followed are here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/whitewater-tech-ed-teacher-watson-resigns-two-tech-ed-teachers-hired/, here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/whitewater-school-board-member-meets-with-wintz-supporters/, and here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/whitewater-teachers-retirement-fuels-controversy-supporters-look-for-reinstatement/. 

According to the statement: “Knowing that the mishandling of the situation could have cost the district hundreds of thousands of dollars or more in legal costs, our superintendent worked closely with the district’s long-term legal council to protect both the district and the employee, all while supporting an injured student and their family and rebuilding the tech ed program into one the district can be proud of. Due process dictated that the superintendent withhold certain details of the case from the board at the beginning of the investigation, which created the misperception that she was hiding something for her own benefit. In fact, she shared the details of the case with the board precisely when the district’s legal team advised it was appropriate.” 

Additionally, the statement noted that the board had identified “areas of improvement” for the superintendent, adding: “We will not list them here, but she has acknowledged and is working on them with the board’s support and input, as well.” 

Addressing allegations within the community about missteps in leadership, the board’s statement included this response: “A well-functioning organization is characterized by constructive communication, which means direct conversations between those who notice problems and those who have the authority to fix them. A poorly functioning organization … is characterized by destructive communication, including a habitual, deliberate circumvention of the chain of command and the spreading of unsubstantiated rumors. Unfortunately, destructive communication is creating disunity in our ‘Unified’ school district. Constructive communication could help define problems and elicit solutions; instead, far too often, destructive communication fosters misunderstandings and erodes morale …”

The board and the superintendent, the statement read, “encourage anyone to share constructive communication directly with the board.” 

In conclusion, the statement noted: “the board does not and will not tolerate retaliation.” 

Citing a board policy, the statement read: “No employee or District official shall, or attempt to, restrain, interfere with, coerce, discriminate against and/or retaliate against any employee who files or processes a grievance in good faith.” 

The statement read: “That anybody even thinks retaliation could happen is bad enough. Still, the board is grateful to have a superintendent who has firm expectations and holds her team accountable. Anybody who believes they have been the victim of retaliation, and not accountability, should immediately contact a member of the school board.

“In the meantime, the board believes our superintendent is moving our district forward, and we are excited for the future.” 

Public comments

The meeting was attended by some 40 people, some of whom were there to receive board recognitions. 

After assessing the number of people in the gallery who indicated they might like to speak, the board approved extending the period for public comments beyond the 30 minutes allocated by board policy. Each individual, per board policy, was allowed three minutes to speak. 

During public comments five individuals addressed the board, with many receiving a round of applause after their comments were delivered.  

Addressing the board, Whitewater resident and business owner Geoff Hale, referring to the recent hiring by the School District of Fort Atkinson of former Lincoln Elementary School Principal Mary Kilar, said: “Another loss for Whitewater schools, another gain for Fort Atkinson. In so many words, I guess, we told you so a very few months back when Mike Wintz was forced to resign.

“As part of the collateral damage, (former Whitewater school district tech ed teacher) Cody Watson took flight and was greeting with open arms by Fort Atkinson’s tech program.”  

Hale said that Wintz was today employed by Generac, where he serves as a teacher and trainer in a “companywide” capacity. 

“A strong culture is key to any institution,” Hale said.  

He talked about the culture fostered at his company, Home Lumber, noting that his company has a culture that is “so strong that 26% of our current staff have left for other careers only to return to us in the long haul.” 

He asked board members: “Is it possible that a different type of culture is being pursued here (within the school district)?” 

He offered some examples, which he said, would illustrate his point. 

“Over the years there have been untold teachers and coaches in our school system who have changed the lives of countless students radically for the better. There are three that dramatically stand out for me: James Crummey, Mike Wintz and Mark Maas. 

“We’ve already exhausted the Wintz story,” he said, turning his comments towards what he claimed were recent events surrounding Maas.  

“Mark Maas slept, dreamt and exampled making a difference every day with whomever he touched within a classroom, as a teacher, or in the field as a coach. Mark forever held … a working school email. A school email that was worthy of being engraved in a stone at our school’s entry. Magically, Mark Maas’ email disappeared. It was taken down, removed the very next day after Mark spoke up at the school board meeting raising concerns about Mike Wintz’s forced resignation.” 

Hale continued: “When faced with the prospect of a school walkout over the Wintz situation, our superintendent chose to shut down the entire administrative building rather than face the protest.” 

Citing a 1977 World War II movie titled: “A Bridge Too Far,” Hale asked board members: Is Mary Kilar your bridge too far?” and: who will be next?” 

Whitewater Unified School District Community Engagement Coordinator Molly Fuller next approached the podium. Emotional at times, Fuller said that she and her husband, Dan, had two children attending school within the district.  

“Over the past several months, numerous community members, staff members from each of our schools, and families have reached out to me regarding their disappointment in where our district is headed. I want to be clear that people, including myself, are not upset with change in our programs or in our workload. I myself understand that for a district to succeed, you must run it like a business; you must increase enrollment and money to survive. What I also know is that this business, this school district, this community is a family. 

“A business cannot succeed if its employees do not get heard or appreciated. Our district will not grow if we have numerous great teachers leaving or just waiting around until a lateral position becomes available. Our district has been built on the community and staff who have given everything for our students,” Fuller said.  

She continued: “I am heartbroken to know so many of us are hurting and disappointed at them being told that what we are feeling is a miscommunication. We are a family. When one, or in this case, numerous people are being shown that they don’t matter, it tells me that we are not following our vision as a district. Our vision is ‘every student, every day, in a unified way.’ Our community is here for our students. We want what’s best for them. In order to do this, we must have our dedicated staff and community members feel supported. We have become a district where the only voice being heard is that of our leader. If people speak up, or against our leader, they are reprimanded, belittled and become fearful of losing their job or demoted. 

“We the people have come to the board to speak our mind through letters, emails and phone calls. I ask the board to take this very seriously and be fully aware,” Fuller said, adding: “if we don’t support our staff, students and families, they will leave our district. If our district is run without the heart, integrity, honesty and trust, transparency and ethics, no amount of programming will save this district because staff and families will not stay, because our core values do not exist.”  

Nick Meinel, who identified himself as a fourth-grade teacher at Washington Elementary School, addressing the board, said: “I recently submitted a letter to the board expressing some significant concerns that I was having.”

Among his concerns, he said, was the rate at which teachers and administrators were leaving the district. He described those leaving as “well-rooted people, who care passionately, deeply about this district and about this community. 

“And they are leaving and I unfortunately understand why. I think it’s a symptom of a larger issue; I think that there is no longer trust and no longer faith in their leadership. I think that the number of things that have happened that seem dysfunctional … the board is well aware of the many instances, I know, that have been shared with them.” 

Meinel continued: “As far as massive decisions about the district moving forward with their early childhood program or English language or special ed … teachers being offered jobs, dream jobs — otherwise would have been dream jobs — but they weren’t comfortable taking a position because they got called on a Saturday morning and the board didn’t know anything about it ahead of time according to board members that I talked to.  I think that that epitomizes the dysfunctional communication, and to say that the board is leading the way, I have a hard time getting on board with. 

“There’s an apparent lack of integrity which will continue moving us towards a demise of this district, one I take a lot of pride in. I have lived here my whole life. I went to school here, my dad taught here; between the two of us, we’ve almost 50 years of teaching experienced, and I never in my life would have imagined questioning my place in Whitewater moving forward, and, unfortunately, it’s kind of come to that. I’m not sure how things are going to go.” 

Meinel said he has a daughter in the school district and her mother is also a teacher in the district. 

“She and I have talked, and we are not quite sure, moving forward, I don’t know I guess at this point what the resolution to this situation is, he said, adding: “If the board is committing to moving forward as is, I do know for a fact that there are many faculty members who are uncomfortable coming tonight who have expressed to me that they don’t want to be the next one, or want to have the target on their back, and that’s a really crummy position to be in. It is really unfair for us as teachers to feel that we can’t respectfully voice … I was going to write a letter to begin with and see it through; it breaks my heart that my pride in Whitewater and in our district has faltered the way that it has.” 

Another speaker, Lexy Maas, said she was formerly employed by the district for 28 years and has served as a substitute teacher. 

“This district is breaking my heart,” she said, adding: “My son was raised here, went to school here, finished college here, and we are committed to this town. And this town is breaking my heart. And I think (earlier speaker) Molly (Fuller) put it all together. I just concur with everything she said. We are family and we are in crisis. And I am pleading with the board to look at this crisis, and please, we have to be better, we have to do better. We are Whitewater. We are Whitewater Unified.” 

Crystal Benes, who described herself as a parent of a high school student in the district, addressing the board, said: “I just kind of want to reiterate some of the things that other people are saying. As a parent, these kids can feel the tension. And I don’t know if people realize that, but there are teachers that are typically happy-go-lucky, wonderful to work with, teachers that I am close with, that are frustrated, hurt, concerned, and they are not taking it out on their students, but these students feel the tension.”