| By Lynn Binnie Whitewater Banner volunteer staff whitewaterbanner@gmail.com At the May 24 meeting of the Whitewater Unified School District School Board, President Thayer Coburn prefaced the public comment section with an approximate seven minute statement from the board, stating, “The school board is concerned about the recent staff and administrative resignations in the Whitewater Unified School District. Research shows that long term educators boost student achievement. Nothing can replace the years of experience not to mention the personal connections and institutional knowledge that is leaving our district. We understand the long term impact this could have and are committed to doing what we can to reverse the trend.” Coburn indicated that the board is conducting exit interviews with departing employees to get the full picture as to why they are leaving. Though the board recognizes that some factors are beyond their control, the board is committed to addressing those factors that are within their control. These include “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 is addressing those imbalances with the board’s support.” Coburn indicated that a second concern is about “direction. Some see the challenges we are dealing with and have concluded that our superintendent is leading the district in the wrong direction.” The board evaluates the superintendent twice per year. Coburn indicated that in the most recent winter evaluation the board “was satisfied that our superintendent was working in accordance with its wishes. Sensing a recent change, however, we sped up the summer evaluation and enhanced the 360 degree upstream component of the review by holding in person interviews with all 13 District Leadership Team members…The board concluded that our superintendent has many strengths, among them a clear vision, energy to execute that vision for the district, the willingness to make necessary but unpopular decisions, an approachable and compassionate demeanor, and the fortitude to stand before her staff and the public no matter what. These strengths were exemplified in the administrative actions prior to the resignation of a former high school tech ed teacher. Knowing that mishandling 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 counsel to protect both the district and the employee all while supporting an injured student and their family and rebuilding the district’s 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 legal counsel advised that it was appropriate.” Coburn stated that the board also identified areas of improvement for the superintendent, which would not be discussed publicly but have been acknowledged by Dr. Pate-Hefty, who is working on them with the board’s support and input. He stressed the importance of constructive communication versus some disruptive communication that has been occurring, including failure to use the chain of command and the spreading of unsubstantiated rumors. “We are committed to constructive communication, and the board will not tolerate retaliation against anyone who expresses concerns in good faith,” Coburn concluded. Following Coburn’s comments, three community members and two district staff members spoke. Geoff Hale spoke of the importance of a strong culture in a place of employment, and how many teachers and coaches have changed the lives of students. Expressing concern over the loss of two high school tech ed teachers, he also referenced the recently announced departure of Lincoln’s principal for Fort Atkinson. Molly Fuller, district Community Engagement Coordinator, described the district as a family. Indicating that many staff feel that they are not being heard, she urged the board to take seriously the concerns that have been expressed. Nick Meinel, Washington 4th grade teacher, expressed concern about the amount of teachers and administrators who are leaving, “people who are well rooted, who care passionately about the district and the community.” Lexi Maas, a former district employee, said, “We are family and we are in crisis…We have to be better, do better.” Crystal Benes, parent of a high school student, said that the students can feel the tension that teachers are feeling. As is always the case, the video of the meeting has been posted. Thayer Coburn’s comments begin at 14:20, and the public comments, at 21:40. At the school board’s meeting on May 24, nine staff resignations were approved. The agenda for the board’s special meeting on Tuesday, June 7 includes the approval of seven staff resignations. The tables below depict the number of district resignations and retirements over the past six years. Editor’s note: [June 7, 6:15 a.m.]This article was revised to add additional details to the third paragraph after it was published. [June 7, 8:23 a.m.] The tables shown below were provided by Michael Maas, not Mark Maas as was previously stated. The Banner regrets this error. [June 8, 9:45 a.m.] A second table was deleted, as it has been superseded by the updated table. |
This table was provided by Michael Maas using data that has been confirmed by the district.
