By Kim McDarison
While few details have been released by the Whitewater Unified School District regarding an accident occurring within the Whitewater High School’s tech-ed department late last year, the retirement of shop teacher Mike Wintz — which is related to the incident — has garnered disapproval from many of his supporters.
Efforts to reinstate him continue according to Geoff Hale, a Whitewater resident and one of Wintz’s supporters.
Hale is the owner of Home Lumber, 499 W. Whitewater St., and a distribution facility, 960 E. Milwaukee St., both in Whitewater. He has erected plywood signs on both of his properties which state: “Save Wintz and tech ed please call school board.”
The signs went up just before Christmas, Hale said.
Wintz submitted his letter of notice, announcing his decision to retire from the district, on Dec. 13. The letter indicated that his employment with the district would end on that date.
The letter states: “It is understood that I have met the requirements from the Whitewater Unified School District and all WUSD post-retirement benefits as offered to me at our meeting at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021.”
During a school board meeting held Dec. 20, some 20 members of the public addressed the school board, asking for its consideration in reinstating Wintz.
Addressing those in attendance, Whitewater Unified School District Superintendent Caroline Pate-Hefty said: “Please know that with any employee accident or incident I can’t give details specific of the employee. I can confirm that there was an accident at the high school. As with any serious accident or incident, we are required to investigate.”
Pate-Hefty said the aforementioned accident and investigation that followed constituted a process that would be applied by the district to any similar set of circumstances.
Following an investigation, an employee is given an opportunity to review the investigation summary and learn the outcome of the investigation, Pate-Hefty said.
“They are offered due process and union representation at this time. The summary really includes my recommendation, which is not binding, and they are informed that the final recommendations are made at the board,” Pate-Hefty noted, adding that the board is the only entity that can take action on hiring or firing an employee.
An employee, after learning of the investigation’s outcome, is offered several options, Pate-Hefty said, including a board hearing in either closed or open session. Outcomes of such hearings could include no action, a disciplinary action up to and including termination, or an employee can choose to resign and retire.
Pate-Hefty told Wintz’s supporters that she was able to confirm that Wintz chose to retire.
“He confirmed this choice as recently as this weekend through his union representation,” Pate-Hefty said.
Online petition
As word of Wintz’s departure from the district became more widely known, Whitewater High School student Jenna Pope, who was among members of the public addressing the board on Dec. 20, said she made an online petition on Dec. 15, as a mechanism to give other students “an outlet to speak their mind on the matter and just simply show support for the teacher they love.”
The petition reads: “Wintz has been teaching at the Whitewater High School for over 20 years. He recently lost his job due to an accident that happened in the shop. He faced the consequences of a student not following the rules of his class that every shop student is taught before they are allowed to enter the shop. This petition may not get him his job back, but it was also made to show the support we have for a great teacher that impacted so many students at Whitewater High School.”
Within the first eight hours that the petition was available, Pope said, some 1,000 supporters had signed, and within 24 hours, the number had grown to almost 1,500.
The petition remains available for signature through change.org. A link to participate in the petition is here: https://www.change.org/p/sign-here-to-get-winze-his-job-back-petition-to-get-wintz-his-job-back.
To date, the petition has received 1,670 signatures.
On Dec. 20, addressing board members, Pope said: “I started a petition to show support to a teacher who has been teaching at Whitewater High School for over 20 years.”
Citing safety within the high school tech-ed department, Pope said students who take shop must read and sign various worksheets outlining safety rules before they can participate with projects.
Addressing the accident for which Wintz was investigated, she said: “I’m not here to put blame on anyone. I’m here to remind us all that accidents happen and that a wonderful teacher shouldn’t face the consequences of that said accident.”
A value of her petition, she said, was that students, parents and even grandparents made comments and signed it.
“This shows that not only are students at this school conflicted with the decision of Mr. Wintz no longer teaching, but also the community is conflicted,” Pope said.
She read aloud several comments made on the change.org site attached to the petition. Signers spoke of their experiences with Wintz, many of them describing mentoring activities that helped them or family members later in life.
Dec. 20, public comments
Supporters coming to the podium Dec. 20 delivered high praise of Wintz and his 27-year career.
Before supporters spoke, School Board President Casey Judd reminded those in attendance that the accident and Wintz’s retirement letter were not on the agenda. Further, he said: “Just for everyone’s knowledge, the board has not discussed this. When we do, if we do, it will be on an agenda, so, it’s not tonight, we have not discussed it. We will take no action on it.”
Arriving at the podium, Whitewater school district resident Mark Maas thanked Pate-Hefty for her clarifying remarks. He said: “I do think that there are feelings that these options, that Mr. Wintz’s options, were limited, however, we’ll obviously not know the extent of that because we were not at the meeting.”
Maas described the atmosphere in the room as “high charged” and emotional.
Of Wintz, he said: “When we hire someone to teach our children, I believe we want more than just a particular subject area taught and knowledge imparted. We want people in our classrooms who develop meaning, (and) full, impactful and transformational relationships. In a word, we want people in our classrooms who make a difference.
“We have that in Mike Wintz. As we’ve heard over and over this week, Mike has transformed countless lives for the better, inspiring kids who felt out of place, maybe disenfranchised in the normal school setting, helping them find a home in his shop area. He’s known for raising money, often times his own, to provide scholarships so that kids can attend technical schools, helping former students form their own businesses, forging relationships with businesses, not only in this community, but all over southern Wisconsin.”
Maas said Wintz, in his function as shop teacher, had “saved lives,” and “stopped kids from self-harming.”
Addressing board members, Mass continued: “It’s been a heartbreaking week; it has been a gut-wrenching week, and I know it hasn’t been easy for all of you as well. But if you take anything from this week, it should be this: we should all be as loved and as respected and cared for as much as Mike Wintz has by former students and by students that have him right now.
“We cannot ignore all the good that has been done by this man, and maybe most importantly, all of the good that could possibly be yet to come. We have an opportunity to change the decision. There is nothing wrong with that. It’s my personal feeling that Mike should not have to come and plead for his job back, but, once again, I understand that there is a process.
“I’m asking you tonight, whether it’s tonight or over the next week or the next few days to please restore Mike Wintz back into his classroom. I respectfully request that this board choose to not formally accept Mike Wintz’s resignation, as I believe it is, and truthfully always was, his desire to keep teaching at Whitewater High School.”
Addressing the board, Whitewater school district resident Nick Baldwin said: “I was recently made aware of a tech ed job posting in our district. As an auto shop teacher, and an alumnus of WHS, it’s been a life goal of mine to work at my old high school and further give back to the community that gave me so much. I did my student teaching here in this building in 2005. I knew that someday I’d have a chance to take over the program and continue its excellence.
“I’m disheartened to inform you that I would not consider applying for a position at WHS. After speaking with employees at the high school from four different departments, I can’t imagine how a prospective applicant would be persuaded to do so. The work environment sounds like the polar opposite of the wonderful thing it was when I taught here in 2005. I’m not sure how in tune you are with the morale of your staff, but an anonymous survey would benefit you in knowing what the rest of the educators in this building seem to know. While I could not be more proud of the grade school that my children attend here in the district, and the great job that the district does with promoting STEM education at the elementary level, there seems to be a disconnect in how they treat it at the high school.”
Hale, too, addressed the board. He said: “It’s rare to experience such a profound cause and effect on any community. Last time it happened in Whitewater was after the tragic death of Treyton Kilar. Our community rallied. The result is the Field of Dreams. Prior to that you might have to step back over 50 years, when Home Lumber was completely engulfed by fire in 1967. Whitewater rallied then again. Local residents and contractors donated time, trucks, bulldozers and loading machines to form a mile-long convoy to the local landfill. Through this generous community effort, the site was cleared, leveled, and graded in several days.
“There has been a phenomenon working in our school system for the past 27 years. It’s called the ‘Mike Wintz effect.’ Effect means the power to cause results. Also described as the impression made on the mind. The uncountable impressions made and the results caused by Coach Wintz have pouring in by the hundreds in less than a week. Almost a thousand life-changing testimonials by his former students from all across the world; everyone showing Mike’s credibility and leadership. Countless stories about his caring, his compassion and creativity; about his patience, passion and pride, and just as important, his sense of humor. Selfless may be the best word to describe Mike Wintz.”
Hale asked the board to reinstate Wintz, adding: “If you as a board fail to reverse this atrocity, it will simply bring us another notch closer to destroying ourselves and tech-ed in Whitewater.”
At the podium, John Marshall said: “My fear is that we are looking at the tip of the iceberg in what’s going on with this incident. Such as having such a devastating effect and longterm effect on the district, and having these knee-jerk decisions and reactions to uphold an image. What did the teacher do wrong? Where are the kids going with the education that they signed up for now? When a student that doesn’t follow directions has the power to end the teacher’s employment, does this not put a target on other teacher’s backs? Doesn’t this leave the school district open for future liabilities by other not-so-well-intentioned students or parents? Isn’t this what school’s about: make mistakes so we can learn rather than crucify a teacher when a student does make a mistake?
“The teacher was forced to choose the best worst of three options he was presented with, yet the school board says they were simply presented with a retirement letter. It just doesn’t make sense.”
Acknowledging followup questions asked on Jan. 3 by Fort Atkinson Online, the school district responded through email, saying: “The district will not be commenting on this personnel matter.”
A copy of Wintz’s notice of retirement was supplied.
The Whitewater Unified School District Board of Education Dec. 20 meeting can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/659799856.
One of two large signs erected on properties owned by Whitewater resident Geoff Hale show support for Whitewater High School tech-ed teacher Mike Wintz. After an accident that occurred in his classroom late last year, Wintz was offered an option to retire. He submitted his retirement letter on Dec. 13. Supporters have asked school board members to reinstate him. Contributed photo.
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