Fear and Intimidation in the Stevens Point School District

Last nights school board meeting was as contentious as I have ever seen.  Complete with a uniformed police officer to help control this unruly crowd of over 100 teachers from the district.  Yes, these teachers were out of control, some actually spoke up.  Oh no!  Maybe they can park the sheriffs personnel assault vehicle (known as the "Peacekeeper" by some deputies) in the parking lot of the next meeting to deter people from actually showing up.  It is my understanding that the police presence was out of concern to keep a charitable donor from speaking too long or off topic.  (I really hope there is more to it than that.) 

15 of 17 people scheduled to speak told stories of intimidation, coercion, threats, and a refusal to openly discuss problems and issues directly effecting students, teachers, and their working conditions.  

Some of the teachers who spoke were very intimidated, you could hear it in their voices.  I know that it can be difficult to speak in front of a large group of people, and your voice may quiver through nervousness, but these are trained orators.  Teachers speak to large groups of students every single day.  No, These teachers are fearful of retribution that will effect their careers.  They said so clearly and plainly.

The lack of transparency by refusing to meet with teachers, the silencing of dissent through intimidation,  and putting people who are about to retire in the worst possible position by creating a deadline while not making financial information available to them so they can make an informed decision were all brought up to the school board.

These issues were brought up to convince the board of education to not renew the contract of Attila Weninger.  Dr. Weninger's tactics have gone unchecked and out of control with the advent of Act 10.  Apparently, Dr. Weninger thinks that since teachers no longer have a union he doesn't have to speak to them at all.  One of the teachers last night correctly pointed out that no law has ever been passed that keeps a supervisor from speaking to his employees if he chooses to do so.

 The AUTOMATIC renewal of any contract is wrong and must be addresed.  Dr.Weninger's contract on the otherhand should not be renewed due to his overbearing, iron-fisted management style.  Since the board of education is unable to act in this manner because of an imbalance on the school board, it is time for the public to speak out against this style of leadership. Maybe it is time for the superintendent's position to be held directly accountable to the voters who pay his salary.  (155,500 dollars plus a 24,000 annuity for not taking health insurance as reported by the Stevens Point Journal on 1-12-12)

Just Cause: What it is and what it does.

Just Cause is essential for fairness in the workplace. It protects employees from arbitrary or unfounded disciplinary action and those employees know this. This will lift the the morale, spirits, and attitudes of the employees and thereby create a more productive workplace.

Just Cause actually legitimizes disclipline in the eyes of the employees and takes the emotion out of an otherwise emotionally charged decision and substitutes fairness, reason, and order.

Just Cause is consistent with the American values of due process and being innocent until proven guilty. If it works for the Constitution of the United States it should do pretty well in the workplace. Oh yeah, it has worked in the workplace for decades prior to a certain governor taking away so many worker rights.

There will be a Just Cause seminar on February 12, 2013 at Kristens Riverwalk in Stevens Point, WI at 5:15 pm. We will introduce the idea of Just Cause and what we can do to make Just Cause part of our policies, handbooks, and ordinances.

Spring Election Time

Are you involved in local elections yet? Spring elections are underway with the spring primary right around the corner (Feb 19th). Some of these elections include School Board members, City Council members and State Supreme Court Justices.

Get involved, get informed. These offices are where tomorrows Governors, Senators, and National Leaders come from.

We Are Central Wisconsin Endorses John Moe for Stevens Point City Clerk

We Are Central Wisconsin is proud to endorse John Moe for the office of City Clerk for the City of Stevens Point.

John Moe was first elected to the office of City Clerk in 2005. Since that time, Mr. Moe has worked toward fair and transparent elections for the City of Stevens Point. He has updated the city’s filing system in an effort to make all communications digital. While contracts and communications can not become totally digital for legal reasons, Mr. Moe has worked toward making these documents available to Stevens Point residents via the internet and easier to access through a searchable database.

John has also improved the integrity of the voting process by enacting policies and procedures surrounding voting machines and the software they use. No one person is ever alone with the voting equipment and the software is kept under lock and key. Keeping our elections honest and true is one of, if not the most important job of the City Clerk.

Since the position of City Clerk is a non partisan office, John polled a majority of those who work the polls on Election Day for problems regarding same day voter registration before taking a stand on this political issue. His research overwhelmingly found poll workers in favor of same day voter registration.

“Democracy is served better when more people participate” ~ John Moe

This is a statement and a candidate that We Are Central Wisconsin can stand behind. We encourage you to vote John Moe for City Clerk, Stevens Point.

Rob Golla, Chairman
We Are Central Wisconsin