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)
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