News & Events

Steve Watson writes “Spring in Whitewater. I’ve been hearing the yellow headed blackbirds for 4-5 days, and finally Sunday morning I found one.

Our thanks to Steve Watson for yet more beautiful wildlife sightings.

— Our Readers Share: We hope that you might have something that you’d be willing to share.  Anything that’s been created by someone else should, of course, be credited, and you should ask their permission if you’re able. We cannot post copyrighted material without permission. We can’t guarantee that we’ll have space for all submissions, and contributions will be subject to editorial board approval. The one definite exclusion is anything politically oriented. We will assume that you’re willing for us to include your name as the submitter unless you indicate that you prefer to remain anonymous. Send to whitewaterbanner@gmail.com. Thanks for thinking about this!

Delta Kappa Gamma, a professional educator group in Whitewater, continues to donate hygiene products to the Community Space. The group collects donations as part of its Comfort Station service project. Pictured are Eileen Busse, project coordinator, and Sue Halbach, a Delta Kappa Gamma member and volunteer at the Community Space.

Editor’s note: The above press release was provided by Eileen Busse.

Editor’s note: An update on the SRO agreement situation will be provided at the Common Council meeting tonight, May 6. The following press release was issued by the School Board President Stephanie Hicks and the Common Council President Patrick Singer at 4:01 p.m. on May 6. Following that statement we will provide background on this matter.

Whitewater, WI – Joint Statement from the Whitewater Unified School District Board President Stephanie Hicks and Whitewater Common Council President Patrick Singer

We acknowledge and appreciate the concerns expressed by parents, students, educators, and community members regarding the School Resource Officer (SRO) contract. Our students’ safety, well-being, and success are a shared responsibility, and we remain committed to working together to ensure our schools are secure, safe, and supportive.

This is to notify you that diplomatic conversations on the Student Resource Officer agreement are ongoing between leadership governance groups, the Common Council, and the School Board.

We aim to rebuild trust, support our educators and law enforcement professionals, and ensure every student feels secure and safe in our schools. By working together in good faith, we aim to strengthen relationships across our institutions and ensure a thoughtful and responsive outcome.

We also want to appreciate the hard work contributed by the staff of both institutions in this complex situation, and their service to the Common Council and the School Board.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

The Whitewater Unified School District School Board voted on April 28 to solicit bids for a contract to provide its School Resource Officer [SRO]. This is a service that has historically been provided by the City of Whitewater Police Department, but District Superintendent Caroline Pate-Hefty had indicated that she felt that it was necessary to consider making a change due to three areas of concern related to recent experiences: 1) Failure of the department to provide coverage when the SRO is absent, which by the end of April would be 27 days. 2) Failure of the department to follow the district’s policy requiring parents to be contacted prior to interviewing students. 3) Disagreement with the department’s new procedure requiring district staff to contact dispatch for all needs related to the SRO.

On April 9, 2025, Police Chief Dan Meyer had received a message from Pate-Hefty, referencing the fore-mentioned concerns and indicating that the district would not be accepting the automatic renewal of the SRO contract that was to occur on July 1, unless red-lined changes made by Pate-Hefty were immediately accepted. That contract had been in effect for five years.

City Manager John Weidl on April 10 responded to Pate-Hefty that the SRO agreement is a formal intergovernmental agreement between the city and the district and consequently any notice of non-renewal must be authorized by action of the school board. Since such action had not occurred, Weidl indicated that the city did not recognize Pate-Hefty’s memo as a valid notice of termination. Both the council and school board were copied on Weidl’s response. He concluded “We remain committed to working with District leadership in good faith and in a manner that honors the spirit of intergovernmental cooperation that has historically benefited both institutions and the families we serve.”

Meyer updated the Common Council on the situation at its April 15 meeting, suggesting that they propose to the school board a short-term extension, perhaps 120 days, to the agreement, which would allow time for further discussion between the entities, consultation with legal counsel, and input from the new district superintendent. In March Pate-Hefty had announced her resignation effective July 1. The council voted to forward the proposed extension agreement to the district.

At the April 28th school board meeting, the parent of a high school student spoke of his concern about the circumstances in which his son was interviewed by the department. Pate-Hefty introduced a proposed SRO agreement that would be used to solicit bids for an SRO to begin service on July 1. It was mentioned that the agreement addressed the three areas of concern that Pate-Hefty had identified. There was no indication of what the deadline would be for bid submissions or the anticipated decision-making process. There was also no mention of the city’s offer for a short-term extension of the agreement, nor there was any discussion of the city manager’s position that the district had not provided a valid notice of termination. The agreement was approved unanimously with a two-year term with an option to give notice by May 1 of termination with documented cause prior to the second year.

The adopted agreement requires that the entity providing the SRO ensure that another law enforcement officer will be provided to cover for any absence of the regular SRO. It requires that “The SRO, or law enforcement officer conducting a student interview, will contact the student’s parent or guardian before conducting the interview unless the interview is initiated by a student, involves child abuse, or concerns an urgent matter of health and safety.” The current agreement with the city provides that the district will pay 60% of the wages and benefits of the SRO. The proposed agreement also includes the district’s share of the SRO cost as being 60%. It is unclear as to what entity would be expected to pay the remaining 40% if the city was not providing the SRO.

The proposed agreement requires the SRO to be a law enforcement officer, which state statutes define as “any person employed by the state or by a city, village, town or county for the purpose of detecting and preventing crime and enforcing laws or ordinances, who is authorized to make arrests for violations of the laws or ordinances which he or she is employed to enforce.” It would appear that a private security firm would not be able to fulfill that criteria unless they employed sworn officers. Further, a number of issues would need to be addressed between an outside entity and the police department in terms of such items as reporting requirements and arrest powers.

The Banner spoke with Dan Meyer, police chief, who indicated that he had inquired of some area law enforcement agencies as to whether they would be interested in an SRO arrangement. They indicated that they would not be interested. Meyer indicated that it is his hope that relationships will be rebuilt and an agreement may be reached between the district and the city/department, as he believes that the use of an outside entity to provide the services would be a mistake. He confirmed that it is his plan and hope to still be able to place a second SRO in the district, as was the expectation in the recently passed referendum. Among other things, doing so would resolve the matter of covering SRO absences, as he would expect to have at least one SRO on duty every day.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Editor’s note: The following press releases were issued by the city manager and district superintendent on April 30. They are printed here, sometimes in slightly different formatting, without editing. Additionally, the Common Council agenda for May 6 includes comments from the police chief on the subject beginning on page 319.

Press release from city manager – 4/30/25

To the City of Whitewater and members of the Whitewater Unified School District community-

Whitewater has always taken student safety seriously. That’s why the City has invested heavily in our
School Resource Officer (SRO) program. That’s why, just months ago, this community passed a public
safety referendum that specifically included funding for a second SRO to support our students better
and bring our officer-to-student ratio down from approximately 1,900:1 to 950:1.

And yet, despite all that progress, our SRO program is now in jeopardy.

Earlier this month, Whitewater Police Chief Dan Meyer received notice from the District’s outgoing
Superintendent that the current SRO agreement would be canceled unless the City accepted a list of
non-negotiable terms immediately. Chief Meyer informed the Common Council, and the City responded
responsibly and unanimously. We offered a 120-day extension to maintain school safety while allowing
time for collaboration on a revised agreement.

That offer was rejected without public discussion. The letter and proposed agreement submitted by the
City were never included in the public board packet. No comments were taken. No information was
shared with WUSD parents, students, or staff. These materials—approved by the City Common Council
in open session—were withheld from public view and discussed in closed session, bypassing any
opportunity for community input.

The District is now pursuing a bidding process for school security services. That path will almost certainly
result in privatization.

Recognizing the stakes, Chief Meyer proactively contacted the other public agencies that could
realistically submit bids. They declined. As Chief Meyer has consistently expressed, law enforcement is
not a service for sale at a discount. The Whitewater Police Department is a professional, accountable
public agency with career officers sworn to protect and serve this community.

The District is now positioned to either replace sworn officers with a private company or remove the
SRO program altogether to save a relatively small amount of money. Yet, based on the referendum
results, families would not expect that, and our students and WUSD staff would not deserve that.

At the May 6, 2025 Common Council meeting, the City will present a revised SRO agreement developed
under Chief Meyer’s leadership. It reflects community values and addresses the concerns previously
raised by the School Board. We remain fully committed to public safety and maintaining a genuine
partnership with the District. We focused on cost transparency, clarified communication expectations,
and offered solutions in good faith. What we need now is a willingness to move forward together.

The newly seated School Board has a clear opportunity to correct this course. We respectfully ask them
to consider the revised agreement with public transparency and shared responsibility. We also
encourage parents, staff, and community members to remain engaged and make their voices heard.

Our WUSD students, parents, and staff deserve more than a rushed bid for privatized school security.
They deserve stability, protection, and public accountability throughout the process.

Sincerely,
John S. Weidl

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Press release from Caroline Pate-Hefty, district superintendent

Response to City of Whitewater Communication

WHITEWATER, WI — I would like to take a moment to clear up some misinformation shared with
our community today by the City of Whitewater regarding the Whitewater Police Department
School Resource Officer Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that guides and governs their
work within the Whitewater Unified School District (WUSD).

To be clear, the claim that our suggested changes are about money is false and misleading. We
are advocating for safety in our schools and for our students’ and parents’ rights, which have been
repeatedly violated.

On April 9, 2025, after a series of failed attempts to address concerns regarding these violations of
student and parental rights, I shared the following memo with the Whitewater Police Department, in
consultation with our School Board attorney and Board President: SRO MOU.pdf
The memo invites the WPD to continue to work with the Whitewater Unified School District.
However, it maintains that the following must be addressed:

1. Failure on the part of the WPD to cover dates of absence for the SRO. While the
   community supported a referendum to increase police staffing, there is still no plan in place
   to provide coverage for our students when the SRO is not on-site. This year alone, we have
   had 27 days of no coverage. This is a safety concern.
   
2. The WPD has failed to follow WUSD Board Policy 445, which pertains to contacting
   parents before interviewing our students. This is a violation of student and parental
   rights in school. When we contacted WPD to address these concerns, department officials
   have repeatedly stated that this policy does not pertain to them. The memo asks that WPD
   address this in its new MOU. Families have shared with us that their children feel that they
   have been targeted at school.
   
3. In April, the WPD implemented an arbitrary new procedure requiring WUSD staff to
   contact “dispatch” for all needs related to the SRO. This procedure creates an
   unnecessary step when district staff are already contracting the SRO full-time on our
   campus. Additionally, considering the public nature of dispatch, we want to protect
   often-sensitive information about students and their families. When we addressed this
   matter with the WPD, the department indicated it would wait until a new superintendent is in
   place to implement the procedure. This is unacceptable.

Rather than address any of these concerns, the WPD and City of Whitewater met and sent the
WUSD School Board a memo suggesting that the MOU be extended by 120 days. The
communication failed to address any of the above points. To that end, on April 28, 2025, the WUSD
School Board reviewed and decided not to extend the service with the WPD until the concerns are
addressed.

Given that the school district attempted to renegotiate this contract and address these issues many
times to ensure the safety of our students and protection of their rights, the WUSD Board
unanimously voted to open up the MOU process to any outside agency that will adhere to these
basic needs and provide for our students’ and staff safety. WUSD will invite both public and private
entities to apply under the new MOU, including the City of Whitewater and WPD.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide clarification and accurate information regarding this
important matter.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Press release from city manager – 4/30/25

Many of you have likely seen the public response issued by Superintendent Pate-Hefty on
behalf of the Whitewater Unified School District (WUSD) regarding the School Resource Officer
(SRO) agreement. I want to directly address and clarify the inaccuracies in that release, and I
encourage you to review Chief Dan Meyer’s detailed draft memo that will be included in your
packet for the May 6 meeting.

Let’s be clear: the district’s public narrative is not only misleading—it omits essential context
while mischaracterizing the role and actions of our law enforcement professionals.

1. Misleading Claims About SRO Absences
   The school district’s claim of “27 days of no coverage” lacks essential context. Chief Meyer’s
   memo outlines in detail the breakdown of these absences:
   
   Many were due to required state and national training—such as sexual assault investigations
   and mass casualty response.
   
   Others involved standard leave time and temporary patrol support due to city staffing needs.
   
   Even during these absences, Whitewater PD maintained availability for rapid response as
   needed.
   
   To address this concern constructively, we proposed transitioning to a per diem rate so the
   District only pays for services actually rendered. This proposal is directly responsive to their
   concern and was included in our redlined contract.
   
2. Lawful Investigations vs. Board Policy
   
   The District asserts that the WPD “violated” parental rights by not following School Board Policy
   445 regarding prior parental notification before interviews. What they fail to disclose is that

Our SRO was involved in a high-priority investigation involving alleged possession of Child
Sexual Assault Material (CSAM) by a student—material that potentially victimized another
student.
The actions taken by the SRO and detective were legal, timely, and necessary to protect
students and preserve evidence.

State law and prosecutorial guidance—not school policy—govern how law enforcement must
act during such investigations. We are always willing to coordinate where possible, but no
school policy can override the legal obligations or judgment of sworn officers.

3. Dispatch Requirement Misrepresented
   The claim that routing contact through dispatch is arbitrary and burdensome misrepresents its
   purpose. This standard practice is designed for:
   
   Ensuring rapid response in emergencies.
   
   Creating a documented chain of communication.
   
   Preventing liability exposure for both the District and the City.
   
   We’ve already seen the risks of circumventing dispatch firsthand, when school staff contacted
   an off-duty officer who was unaware of an unfolding situation—causing delays and confusion.
   The procedure we proposed prevents that.
   
   Final Note
   The district’s press release makes no effort to acknowledge the thoughtful, good-faith efforts
   from the City and Police Department to negotiate a workable, student-centered solution.
   Instead, it selectively frames events to justify a process that circumvents partnership in favor of
   a transactional “bidding” model. That model may serve politics, but it does not serve student
   safety.
   
   Chief Meyer will provide additional context at the upcoming Council meeting. In the meantime,
   I encourage all of you to rely on the facts as laid out in the memo, not selective rhetoric from a
   press release.
   
   Best,
   John S. Weidl

The Greater Whitewater Committee (GWC) is set to host the State Senator Mark Spreitzer, at our upcoming May meeting. Senator Spreitzer will be participating in a ‘Get to Know Me’ round table for the GWC members.

This event will take place on Thursday May 8th, at 7:00 a.m. at the Community Engagement Center Room 105: 1260 W Main St, Whitewater, WI 53190.

Senator Spreitzer was sworn in as the State Senator for the 15th Senate District in 2023. In November, Senator Spreitzer was elected to serve as the Senate Democratic Caucus Chair for the 2025-2026 legislative session. During that session, the Senator served as a ranking Democratic member on the Committee on Government Operations, Labor, and Economic Development.

During the 2023-2024 legislative session, Senator Spreitzer served as the Senate Democratic Caucus Vice-Chair and the Chair of the Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus. In 2024, he received the Council on State Governments 20 Under 40 Leadership Award. He also served as the State Representative for the 45th Assembly District from 2015-2023. 

Senator Spreitzer is an active member of the community, who enjoys the outdoors, and loves spending time with his family.

The GWC’s upcoming monthly meeting is scheduled to take place on Thursday, May 8th at 7 a.m. at the Community Engagement Center: 1260 W Main St, Whitewater, WI 53190. The public is more than welcome to attend this meeting and get involved in Senator Spreitzer’s ‘Get to Know Me’ round table. If you are interested in attending, you must RSVP, to reserve your spot, contact Jeff Knight at jpk@knightpublicaffairs.com or 920.728.0662 by Wednesday, May 7th, at 920.728.0662 or jpk@knightpublicaffairs.com. 

“I’m excited we get to host Senator Mark Spreitzer,” said GWC President Jeffery Knight. “I’m looking forward to learning more about him and his position on the many state issues.” For further details, please contact Jeffery Knight.

About the GWC

The GWC is an action-oriented group committed to collaborating with citizens, elected officials, and policy makers to identify, craft, and implement a pro-business agenda. The agenda advances the economic, education, and social policies needed to energize and secure the Whitewater area’s economic future, as well as protect Whitewater’s quality of life.

Due to construction, the Irvin L. Young Memorial Library is opening late on Thursday, May 8 and Thursday, May 15. The library will open at 11:00 a.m. on both of these days and will then resume normal hours.

The Irvin L. Young Memorial Library is located at 431 W. Center Street in Whitewater.

Contact the library at 262-473-0530 with questions.

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by Whitewater Unites Lives (WUL).

Rachael Benedict is a WUL Hometown Hero, nominated by three people “For volunteering hours of her time to help community members reunite with their lost pets and giving guidance and advice to those who have found stray and abandoned pets.”

Patty Beran said of Rachael, “There isn’t a more compassionate, knowledgeable person in the community helping owners find lost pets and giving guidance to those who’ve found strays and abandoned pets. Rachael makes herself available to help find lost/escaped pets and even transport if needed. In addition to helping residents in need of pet supplies and other resources. Our Whitewater area pets are lucky to have such a caring individual looking out for them.”

Stephanie Goettl said of Rachael, “I just wanted to reach out to nominate someone for your Hometown Hero series. Rachael Benedict has done a tremendous amount of work for our community, not only working to assist with the feral cat population but also ALWAYS being willing to assist anyone with a lost pet. I have seen her go out of her way at late or early hours to assist strangers with finding lost cats, dogs, and more unique pets. Even with a young child at home, she volunteers to help and expects nothing in return. She always offers advice to pet owners for how to avoid these situations in the kindest possible way and is there without judgment when it does occur. As someone who loves my pets like children, I am grateful to know someone like Rachael would be there if something awful like losing them did take place.”

Helen Matteson said, “Rachael does a lot for our furry friends and family. She reunites lost humans with their pets and helps trap our furry friends, attempting to locate their loved ones and getting them veterinary care as needed. I rarely see her ask for help. Permission to trap on various properties, yes, but rarely for help.”

At the time the award was given, Rachael had a stray cat in her care ready to take to a shelter.  This would be her 100^th animal rescue this year alone.  She has been helping pets and their families for six years. 

All of Rachael’s efforts are completely volunteer-based and done in her free-time. She is deeply passionate about making a difference in the community and is committed to creating lasting, positive change. Currently Rachael is working to establish a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to help raise funds and apply for grants to expand her impact. Anyone who wishes to contribute funds to help her with her volunteer rescue activities should contact her at 262-378-1486.

WUL (Whitewater Unites Lives) is a locally-focused civil and human rights group that works to connect the people in our community and to create opportunities for all people to learn and support each other in our common humanity.   

 Anyone who would like to nominate a local hero of any age should send their nomination, with a short description, to whitewaterunites@gmail.com 

The NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Award honors 9th- 12th grade students for their computing-related achievements and interests and encourages them to pursue their passions. Award recipients are selected based on their aptitude and aspirations in technology and computing, as demonstrated by their computing experience, computing-related activities, leadership experience, persistence, and future plans. NCWIT-Wisconsin held their annual awards program at the Milwaukee School of Engineering on Sunday, May 4, and six Whitewater High School students were among the 144 Wisconsin honorees.

Juniors Ace Hudec, Erison Dreksler, and Rae Breisath were named Wisconsin Winners of the Aspirations in Computing Award. Junior Lucinda DiFiore received an Honorable Mention, and junior Margaret Brown and freshman Emilie Bruns were each named Rising Stars. These students will become part of a large Aspirations community network which creates opportunities including scholarships and internships that lead to careers in technology.

Article and Photos Submitted by Laura Masbruch
Whitewater High School Computer Science Teacher
lmasbruch@wwusd.org