Letters to Editor
Resignation Speech:
Jamie Henschel
1/4/23
​
What is the Truth?
​
Like most members of our community, Tri-County Citizens want to see positive changes in our community, schools, and district. Last spring, three members of the community stood up and said they wanted to make that difference and you as the community voted them in. To say their start was rough would be a huge understatement. The following are events that have taken place over the last year. The following information is verifiable and will include specific timestamps and recordings from actual board meetings on our website, www.tccwi.org. Look on our homepage under Latest Updates.
Since the election in April 2022, there has been a heavy and relentless campaign against the newest board members. This started as soon as the board voted to realign officers on May 25, 2022.
1. Election Collusion: Immediately following the re-alignment of officers, the accusations began of election “collusion.” No evidence of this violation was ever presented, yet it continued for three consecutive meetings until the board retreat when the new board members shared their reasons for their vote. This issue was finally dropped.
Accusation #1
5/25/22
Virtual Board Meeting
Audio Only
Accusation #4
8/3/22
Accusation #2
6/29/22
​
Accusation #5:
Board Retreat
8/31/22
Audio Only
Accusation #3
7/20/22
​
Annual Meeting
Motion #8 - Election Board Officers
2. Board Complaints: The new members and Mr. Olm were under attack with complaints about board conduct and violating quorum by community members. The coordinated complaints had no grounds other than personal opinions against these members.
Community Complaint
6/29/22
​
Discussion:
Board Complaints
7/20/22
​
Discussion Complaints & Quorum
8/31/22
Audio Only
Annual Meeting:
Motion #10
10/26/22
​
3. Quorums/Walking Quorums: The senior board members made it clear this was illegal on all grounds and was the main talking point of the above accusations. These same board members violated quorum by attending a meeting December 30th, 2022, at the Kiel Community Center. Three board members were present, two who were on the personnel committee. This public meeting centered around the personnel business of the very committee they represented which is a direct violation of state statute. A complaint was filed with the District Attorney of Manitowoc County
Community Complaint 6/29/22
​
Discussion Quorum
10/6/22
Retreat:
Quorum Discussion
8/31/22
Audio Only
Discussion Quorum
9/28/22
Violation of Quorum 1/4/23
4. Private Letter: A letter was sent out last spring by a board member regarding their own personal concerns. This matter should have immediately been dealt with privately as it centered around personal opinions between board members, not the business of our district during meeting time. To add insult to injury, this behavior went so far as an interrogation of what new members did outside of board meeting time as private citizens, during a board meeting. Too often personal matters between board members are front and center while the business of our district is put on hold.
Community Comment
of Letter
4/20/22
Community Complaint
6/29/22
*Email in question was not obtained via open records request
Board Comment of Letter
4/20/22
Interrogation
6/29/22
Community Complaint
6/29/22
1st Amendment Rights
7/20/22
Board Discussion of Letter
9/21/22
*Please go to 1:47:50 to view
5. Policy of Contract: January 4th turned into a purposeful misrepresentation of a potential policy change. The contract of Dr. Ebert was added to the agenda to bring discussion to the public in regards to the automatic renewal clause of the contract. Currently, this allows for renewal without any documented, formal full board approval. It also does not coincide with the annual review process which is conducted in spring. Not once did any board member express an interest to not renew the contract. The purpose was discussion of contract language in public instead of executive session.
1st Discussion Contract
11/16/22
Community Feedback
12/7/22
Please go to 2:01:20 to view
*All feedback was in regards to Dr. Ebert??
Board Discussion
12/21/22
*Please go to 1:11:20 to view
Community Comment
1/4/23
*Note audio was muted at end of speech
Mr. Olm Comments
1/4/23
​
Future Agenda:
Remove Mr. Olm President
1/4/23
*Shortly after Mr. Olm resigned from board
The business and academics of our district have taken a backseat since last April. With the most recent high school score of 52.7/100, could we really afford this delay? These events are the direct actions of senior board members and some members of the community; yet the community at large has been told repeatedly that the new board members and TCC are at fault for this. Why? Well, you as a community voted them in and there were those unwilling to accept that. Every attempt was made to prevent any work from getting done. They achieved their goal when two board members resigned January 2023.
This trend is not new for our school district. In the last nine years, four different school board members with more conservative values were put under such duress that they eventually resigned. The most recent two were this past January. Why? Shouldn’t our board be an equal representation of all viewpoints in our community? Should it not be a diverse board focused on the best business practices and academics we have to offer?
TCC has asked our elected officials to be held accountable for their actions and inactions. This is especially true when it comes to the recent lawsuits that in our opinion should have been dealt with immediately and internally before they escalated to the point where parents felt the need to get lawyers involved. There is no excuse. We have policies in place to handle these situations from the very beginning, not months down the road when they are out of control. We hold our elected officials responsible.
​
This Spring, TCC fully supports Mike Joas, Matt Piper, and write-in Henry “Tre” Waldren. They are willing to ask the tough questions and hold themselves accountable to the community they will represent with integrity and respect.
​
Consider the above candidates and make the effort to do your own research before April 4th.
​
Tri-County Citizens