001That's true. Oh yeah. >> Yeah. It's fine. >> All right. As it is 6 p.m., I call this meeting of the Watertown Unified School District Board of Education to order and I welcome all attendees. Please rise for the pledge of >> allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. At this time, I ask Miss Lindskkins to conduct a roll call attendance to establish quorum requirements in in in accordance with the Wisconsin open meetings law and district governance procedures. Board member Gerain Appling is is an excused absence tonight because she is attending the concert at the high school since a great niece who is a senior is playing in the wind symph symphony. Okay. Carl
002Schwarzy >> here. >> Dan Baldner >> here. >> Craig Wharton >> here. >> Julene. >> Christina Degrave >> here. Tammy Fornier here. David Handyside >> here. >> Lorie Hoffman >> here. >> Sam Owen >> here. At this time we have public comment. The board of education welcomes participation during the public comment portion of our meeting. The following procedures will guide the public comment portion of tonight's meeting. The board is committed to conducting orderly meetings. Members of the public are welcome to attend, but this is a meeting of the school board in public, not a public meeting, and anyone who disrupts the meeting will be asked to stop and if necessary will be removed by police. Individuals wishing to speak should complete and submit a public comment card prior to the start of their public meeting.
003and public comment. We ask that the residents of the Watertown Unified School District be allowed to speak first. Speakers will be president and will be required to state their name and address for the record. Individual comments will be limited to three minutes. We have allotted 15 minutes total for the public comment but may extend that if it is the desire of the board. Public comments should be directed to the board as a whole and conducted in a respectful manner. The board will listen to comments but not engage in debate or discussion. Concerns regarding individual students or personnel matters should not be discussed publicly and may be referred to by the appropriate administrative process. The first speaker will be Mayor St. Just leave it there. All right. Former students, I felt compelled to speak today to
004not address just the school board, but all the citizens in Watertown and the surrounding area. I stand in front of you today as a lifelong resident of Watertown for over 50 years. I am a 1993 Watertown graduate. My wife is a graduate from 1996. My sons graduated in 2022 and 2024. My oldest is in the Air Force. My youngest is in the Army. I taught in Watertown for 25 years. Leading the school district and my students is one of the hardest decisions I ever made. The staff of my school suggested I gave my students one final lesson. You never know where life is going to take you. Today I stand in front of you with the position of mayor in the city I have called home my entire life. Right for mayor was very challenging.
005The political atmosphere of the country has been at a high level for many years. When I was approached to run, my response was, I don't want that power. The reply to me was, "That's why you should." Residents of both sides of political aisle supported me, mainly because they knew me personally, knew me since my youth or I had taught their children. It was tough hearing and reading about people attacking me and my opponent in mar ways. I always viewed him as my opponent, not my enemy. We have become good friends, gone out together with our wives, and continue to work together to help Watertown be a better place. The political opinions in our society can feel deeply personal. It's easy to forget that disagreement doesn't have to lead to division. People arrive at their beliefs
006through a mix of experiences, values, culture, and information sources. When we recognize that, it becomes easier to approach others with curiosity instead of hostility. Kindness and care creates space for conversation while contempt shuts it down. If the goal is to live in a functioning cooperative community, then maintain respect across differences isn't optional. It's essential. Being kind to those with opposing political views also strengthens the quality of our discussions. When people feel heard rather than attacked, they're more likely to listen in return. This doesn't mean abandoning convictions or your beliefs. It means expressing disagreements in a way that invites dialogue instead of escalating conflict. Civil conversations allow for nuance, learning, and even occasional common ground. Things are nearly impossible and interactions turn combative and frightening. My ninth grade government teacher, I just went to this funeral
007on Saturday, taught me kindness helps preserve the social fabric that holds communities together. Political climates shift over time, but relationships between neighbors, co-workers, friends, and family endure forever. Treating others with dignity, even in disagreement, reinforces trust and stability in everyday life. We all live in the same community and share our humanity. That sharity with our community is far more important than disagreements. I encourage everyone to be civil, disagree with respect, and work together for a better community. Thank you. Next speaker. >> Many of you may know me, but for those of you who don't, my name is Dennis Rambo, 517 Hall Street. I served on this board for 15 years from 2000 to 2015 and I've sat in every one of your chairs. In four years I served as president. So I know what you're
008going through. It's difficult. But the thing that's important is that we don't need the school board to be the face of the Watertown Public School District. We want the students and the teachers to represent us. And every time in my 15 years here, I got took great pride when any of our students did something great either athletically, academically, musically, in the arts. And to see what's happening here has forced me to speak. Um, the thing that I need to convey to you is allow our teachers to teach without being without oversight from the board. Let them do their job. That's their job. Your job is to elect a superintendent and manage the budget. That's basically it. The superintendent hires the underlings and then the other uh staff is hired. Therefore, um regarding controversial issues, in
009my 15 years on the board, a contra we never once discuss controversial issues at the board. Just think about that. We never once did. And Okay, I'm getting close to my time. You as a board have given us as a city, as a Watertown district, a lot of negative publicity over the last year. It's notary, not necessary. This is a public school district. Let's not try to make it a parochial district. And quite frankly, after you had an opportunity on Tuesday to make some things right, and you you didn't do it. You didn't do it. And hopefully you've read all the letters to the editor, uh, the Lady Gossling, all the stuff that comes out. I have not seen one letter in support of your the board's decision to eliminate that music and I've have
010yet to hear of any uh political disrupt disruptions that have occurred because of that music. That's all. Thank you. My name is Dan Mleski, 232 North Avenue, Watertown. I would like to inquire about the status of Superintendent Garrett Burke, who has been on administrative lead for the majority of the school year. I realize you can't reply to me directly at this point of the meeting and I realize some human resources issues can't be addressed at all publicly, but this has been going on for a while and the information provided to the public has been very limited. The Watertown Daily Times made a public records request in February. In March, this school board denied that request, stating that the superintendent was being investigated for possible misconduct. The public should be told whether this investigation is still
011underway and the nature of the investigation. Is this a paid leave of absence? If so, what has been the cost to the district for paying someone not to work? Has the school board hired outside counsel as part of your investigation? And if so, at what cost? Is the district at risk for any type of legal action in response to this situation? Communication between the board and the public is important. People are saying that this is more of a personal issue between the superintendent and the board rather than a personnel issue. I hope that isn't the case. But in the absence of facts, people are going to talk. I hope every effort is being made to resolve this is no small task. Let's either get them back to work or start the process of finding someone
012else. >> Hello, my name is Laya Turner. I live at 140 1405 Avenue and I would just like to say that censorship in and of itself for any reason of anything may that be music, speech, books, what have you, is unacceptable. By taking books out of our libraries, you are effectively indoctrinating students. And if I'm not mistaken, every single board member ran on stopping the indoctrination of students. Make it make sense. As a freshman, I did a presentation on how book bans negatively affect mental health. Did you know that the most commonly banned book across the US as of 2025 was genderqueer, a memoir? Banning books anywhere is honest is to be honest appalling. Children go to books to learn new things. May it be about a madeup universe that is 100% not real or
013climate change or maybe a feeling that they have about themselves. And by taking books out of our libraries, you are effectively stunting the growth and diminishing the quality of learning of your students. Additionally, replacing the opinion of many diverse groups of people, primarily students and teachers, and replacing it with one singular person clearly out of touch at times is, in my opinion, insane. This is just one more step towards the problem all of you supposedly ran to eliminate, the indoctrination of your students. What is the point then? People complain about declining stats of reading levels and how our education is going downhill and it's things like this that make that so. If kids actually want to read, and I can tell you most of them don't. What the hell does it matter what they're reading?
014No one is forcing you to look at it and no one's forcing you to engage. If you don't like it, then it doesn't matter. And I just love my rhetorical questions. So, what the hell are you all so afraid of? Thank you. Next speaker. >> Well, we're back again. My name is David Maisie. I live in Hot Drive in Watertown. I'm not going to dwell on the hot mess that was last week's board meeting regarding the instrumental mother of a revolution. The whole country has seen this board in its true colors. Likewise, I don't plan to discuss the 57 bus, which is the book that's on the agenda for tonight. You and I, as well as everybody here, know that you don't give a damn about public input. Your minds have been made up for
015several weeks now. You and the people that work for you behind the scenes only care about the organizations that prop you up and not the students or the community at large. Instead, I'd like to talk to you about the science of sexuality. You're free to take notes. You're free to do your own research. There will not be a quiz. Commonly common thought is that males have X and Y chromosomes and females have two X chromosomes. And that's should be the end of the story for most of you. In a sexual species, you can have females be XX and males be X, such as insects. You can have females be ZW and males be ZZ, such as birds. You can have females be females because they develop in a warm environment and males be males because
016they developed in a cool environment such as reptiles. You can have males be males because they were you sorry you can have females be males because they lost a penis for fighting content such as some flatworms. You can have males females because they were born female but changed sexes because the only male in their group dies. For example, the parrot fish and the cuttlefish. You can have males look and act like females that get close to females to be able to mate with them. Bluegills, clown fish, and others. But let's look at humans. You could be male because you were born female, but you have five alpha red ulas, and I probably am not pronouncing that correctly, which is a deficiency. So, you grow a penis at the age of 12. You can be female
017because you have an X and Y chromosome, but you are insensitive to androgens, so you have a female body. You can be female because you have an X and Y chromosome, but your Y chromosome is missing the SRY gene, so you have a female body. You can be male because you have two X chromosomes, but one of your X's has an SR Y, so you have a male body. You could be male because you have two X chromosomes, but also a Y. You can be female because you only have an X chromosome at all. And you can be male because you have two X chromosomes, but your heart and your mind are male and vice freaking versa. This is not a choice. >> It is I will finish when I'm done. It is not a
018whim. It is not a phase or a fad. and science and all your insecurities, hate it, >> transphobia. I will I will wrap it up. >> You're done with your three minutes. >> And bigotry does not change it. I don't need a goddamn mic. Accept it. Live in the now or get the hell out of the way. My name is the Reverend Katie Vander Lindon. I live at N8071 High Road in Watertown. I'm the parents of two children, a senior and a freshman. And I appreciate the mayor starting off the way he did because actually I'm here to address everyone. When you came in, you received a paper sitting at the front. It was posted as the Watertown School Board removed song from concert violating controversial issues policy and miraculously it came out on one
019individual's page online faster than it came out across the school board. Now, for those who don't know, according to this statement, parents brought this upcoming performance, A Mother of Revolution, to public attention. That is a lie. I did a Freedom of Information Act. I spoke with the superintendent. She told me there were zero parental complaints. Zero. So either you're lying to your superintendent, which could be true, or there were no parental complaints because you see the complaint came from a person in the community who is weirdly obsessed with my with students at the high school, which should be a concern of yours, not something you're pandering to. So I wish to read to you the controversial issue policy because apparently you forgot issue 220 2240 states if a staff member is unsure whether or not
020a specific item or issue is controversial they must consult the principal or designate of determination. If the staff member disagrees with the principal the principal seeks additional clarification from the superintendent. But when was all that followed? It's amazing how one person's complaint got to ED services and got to a special board meeting. That's really fishy considering that's not your policy. Effective notice shall be construed means that notice sufficiently in advance of instruction that parent parent may opt out of for particular units, classes, assemblies, announcements prior to anything shared. The school will honor a written request for the child to be excused from particular classes for specific reasons. Nowhere in your policy does it allow for the school board to determine a controversial controversial issue may be eliminated from a course or a song anywhere you
021have violated your own policy. Secondly, when it comes to students choosing controversial issues, controversial issues related to the program may be initiated by students provided they are presented in the ordinary course of classroom instruction and relate to the topic of instruction and do not cause substantial disruption. Last time I checked, a book on a shelf doesn't do that. Now, I hope you have nothing better to do with your time because you said you're going to look into all controversial issues policies. My child received one a week from AP Human Geography. I hope you're planning to look at all those and pass them because if my child fails AP because you determine it's controversial even though the AP standards don't, that is a problem. Follow your policies or don't have them. of the 15 minutes uh
022that we have allotted for public comment. Um is there a desire from the board to extend the public comment an additional 15 minutes hearing? None. Okay, we will go on to the next agenda items. >> Thanks for censoring me. Appreciate it. just wanted to talk about, you know, the board's last. >> That's your last warning. You'll be removed. Recruitment. That's okay. I'm leaving anyway because I have I have a concert to get to that you guys all apparently don't care what they did. >> We are done with We are done with public comment. >> We are done with public comment. >> I don't give a about your Will police remove this person? So we have um next we have announcement, recognition and communications from the um WHS student board representative. >> Good afternoon. My name
023is Henry Zimmerman and I'm the senior class president at Watertown High School. I'm here tonight to provide a summary of the positive things occurring within the school this month. To begin, May has been an extraordinary month for our Gazian athletics. Most of our spring sports have celebrated their senior nights, recognizing the hard work and accomplishments of those students. In track and field, senior Aiden Schelsey has repeatedly broken his own record in discus, currently ranking 11th in the state and making Watertown proud. The boys golf team has had multiple opportunities to travel to beautiful courses in locations such as the Kalahari where they were able to enjoy the water park as well. Baseball recently swept Oregon and will be taking on Milton later this week, rounding off the theme of improvement. Girls soccer beat Scoten 5
024to zero this year despite losing three to two in the year prior. Moving into clubs and organizations, WHS has seen increasing involvement in its extracurricular program. Yesterday in the school gym, HOSA hosted its annual HOSA dig volleyball tournament, raising money for the club while bringing the student body together for friendly competition. Also, last night, NH NHS inducted their newest members into the club following a completion of community service hours. Lastly, student council have helped with teacher appreciation breakfastes and begun planning ceremony for graduation. On the theme of graduation, this will be my last meeting as the WHS board representative as I will be graduating in June. In this position, I've witnessed firsthand the dismantling of our school district by the current board through its consistent lack of respect for staff and students within the school.
025As the board representative, I feel it would be unfair not to share this perspective with the community. Despite this reality, I am grateful for the opportunity to have served in this position and I wish the best of luck to next year's representative. THANK YOU. OKAY, NEXT WE HAVE THE strategic discussion. Uh we'll start it off with a data update from Jason >> B's gonna put the supporting document up there. But as we transition to that document, >> as we transition to that document, a couple things are important to think is that um this month's data is different than Chris Mallaloy and I planned months or even weeks ago. We made that change based on the recent evacuation at the high school. And so stemming from that evacuation, um there was uh many face-to-face conversations seeking
026feedback, a survey that was uh pushed out and a lot of collaboration around a couple things. One is um what went really well in that during that day? What are the things that we should be thinking about or could have done differently or better? what are the action items stemming from from that reflection? And then we wanted to end with the identification of people that went above and beyond during that day and expressed some gratitude. And so this is uh again not our typical data set, but I think it was uh powerful to bring this forward to the board after that day. I want to thank uh the many people that took uh time to give us some feedback and sit and chat about those things. I want to thank the uh many folks that
027continue to think about a studentdriven and datainformed culture and I'll turn it over to Chris for some discussions about the the data uh coming from the last month. >> Thank you. So, I do uh want to say thank you to the everyone that works at the ESC for being willing to pivot uh upon this event on April 27th. We had lots to reflect on and it felt like we needed to do it in the moment and not wait down the road to have the conversations. So, we changed our focus for the May meeting. So at cabinet on the um Tuesday, first Tuesday and then at our data team on that Thursday, we looked at the data from the survey we sent out. The survey was sent out to all of the building administrators. It was
028sent out to all of the police officers that supported our different schools. It was sent out to a lot of staff members um that also were supporting there just for us to find where our strengths and where our opportunities to grow were in this evacuation. So when we look at the celebrations, one of them is I think that every child went home safe to their parents and I think that that was the most important thing. Even in a threat um tensions are high, people are nervous, scared, but everyone was safely evacuated from the high school and although it took some time, everyone was able to get home safely as well. Another big celebration is that our partners in the community, both Marinatha and the police department were very supportive, were very calm in presence for
029all of us when we were going through this. Um, and the last celebration we have is the teachers and the staff. They remain calm. They were willing to work um supporting the buildings. I saw many teachers that were asked to do different things than they were expecting and were very willing to do that throughout the meeting. Um so opportunities we had to identify things that we could do better during the things that we could do better after we looked at how things had went. One of the things is the reunification that is getting the kids home in their cars with their parents. This is something we cannot practice as a district, right? It's not something that you're going to have people do pick up their children one at a time at Marinatha and watch it
030take three hours. So although it was not something we wanted to do, having had to have done it, we have some room to grow in that area and we identified that. Um I do believe the police department told us though this is going to take time to do it well and you need to let it take the time to get those kids home safely even if the parents are upset. So we needed to recognize that as well. Um communication both internally and to the community is an opportunity for us. We identified some things that we could do better there. some clarification on terminology when we talk to the buildings and making sure that like the families have their skyward information up to date so that when we are reaching out to them they are getting
031the messages that they need. Um buildings need evacuation on a yearly basis is another thing we realized you know we talk about the plan practice it every other year but not every building was having the staff go through this process and we maybe need to. So actions that we have already taken or in the process of taking is revising the safety plans, making sure that we have clear definitions and talked to through the things we notice we should do better. Um, another thing that changed is usually the students are picked up at the high school from the buses and since we didn't want to bring people to the high school, um, the buses went to the middle school. Um the middle school was trying to support those kids that were trying to get on buses
032that were in a different location than they were used to and we really realized that we wanted all buildings to have the bus list for all the other buildings and so Beth Mson has already taken care of a plan for getting that done next year so that regardless of where the bus pickup is for the students we would be able to support that. Um, another action we're working on is having the coordinators like myself go to the elementaryaries where they have one building principal so they have another person there to support them in those moments and for us to know ahead of time as soon as something happens where we are supposed to be to support them and then as mentioned early practicing this each and every year so that all staff knows the plan
033and has walked to the building where they would be going if we had to evacuate. Um through the feedback there was a lot of people celebrating the work of others through the process in the community we had the police department and Marinatha identified and within the district there were some very specific names. Kevin Suko from the ESC I think was listed about 25 million times as just being calm and decisive for us. So we very much appreciated his presence there. Um Katie Perl is also one um human being that just knows how to take charge and give orders and no nonsense through it all. And her name was repeated over and over again. In addition, because it was mostly happening at the high school, the administration at the high school, Jen Pennington, Jason Whitaker, Jess
034Dietrich, and JustinRandle were all mentioned numerous times. So the trophy and the certificates to just say thank you for all your work was given to them this month and an appreciation for their work. So if anyone has any questions, I would take those at this time. >> Thank you for your um going above and beyond um to all the staff that stuck around after a very stressful and difficult time. >> Yeah, it was um I appreciated our staff very very much in that moment and their willingness to stay hours after their day and to do whatever was asked. It was very very I don't know inspiring to see the work that they did. Thank you. >> Uh next we have elementary human growth and development. >> Um I just wanted to share an update on
035our human growth advisory committee. Um as you know we have been engaged in a curriculum review process since January. Um we had an amazing advisory committee uh who joined us in that task. Some of those folks are here in our audience today and we definitely appreciated their time, effort and energy. As a part of that process, um we did meet monthly as a large group. We established norms, work through a consensus process, and then broke into small groups to review the materials um by level. If you remember, we teach community development at fourth and fifth grade at the elementary level, then sixth grade at the middle school level, and then during nth grade health at the high school level. Um those groups met and reviewed the materials and suggested changes. Um and then those materials
036were presented to the whole group and the group worked together to come to consensus on those materials. Um it was a robust discussion. I think we had about 24 or 25 people on the committee. Um and I often joke when you put 25 people in a room you're going to have 25 different opinions. But they were able to work through and come. Um we did finish that process. um I believe it was May 13th. Um and then we worked hard to uh create these binders and get them in the hands of our board members. Um but it was a very quick turnaround to our curriculum committee meeting the following week. At that meeting uh we did discuss that the most substantial changes were really made at the elementary level. Um and we have not yet
037uh engaged with the students in those materials yet. um the committee felt like they wanted additional time to look at the secondary materials but felt comfortable moving the elementary materials forward to the full board for um approval. Um and so you'll see in your uh in your binder the full set of materials are in um tabs two, three, and four and five. Sorry about that. Two, three, four, and five. Um along with the optin form that we would be using with that. Um there is a resolution later on the meeting this evening to approve the elementary materials if the board does approve the elementary materials. I will work with the elementary teachers um to get those optin forms out to families um and then we would intend to teach uh the the updated materials um
038before the end of the school year. Um it is a quick turnaround but generally at the elementary level we are teaching these uh lessons either right before spring break or right before summer break. Um so it's not really out of step from how we have done that previously. Um, and then the curriculum committee wanted an opportunity to have more time to review those materials. Um, and then we will plan to bring those materials again to the June curriculum committee meeting um, for questions or feedback. Um, I do ask that if you have any questions, um, I found that we were kind of paging through the material. So, if you do have questions, if you want to let me know ahead of time so I can kind of t my binder and we can kind of
039let folks know um, what we're discussing, that might be an easier process for that team meeting. And hopefully with this additional time, board members will have the opportunity to do that. So I am open to questions. I know Ashley Pyrick has been integral in this work. I know she is online as well can answer any questions. Uh should you have any at this time, I'm happy to do my best to answer those. >> All right. Thank you so much for all your hard work. Thank you very much. >> We appreciate uh the committee as well. It was uh it was a great team of people who I know were very engaged in the work too. So we appreciate them a lot. So thank you. >> Um next we have reports. So we start off with
040the superintendent report. Good evening. >> Jason always likes to start off with gratitude. What are you grateful for today, Jason? I think it's important to note that um the students, staff, parents, and community of Watertown uh continue to serve and support learning and teaching at a high level and the gratitude for that work uh can never be overstated. On the next slide is an introduction to and a reminder strategic plan and our strategic plan is really should and has serve as a north star for our work really uh creating a roadmap for uh achieving some things in the future. What's our vision? Uh we see this I'm sorry Tyler can you go back? Thank you. Um we see these are some of the main components of our strategic plan. Just a reminder that our core
041values I'm excited to uh look at the data coming from our uh student engagement survey. We have some questions that the planning committee looked at. So we'll get some really uh connected data to our core values from our students this bring that data forward uh when it's available. Certainly uh can never forget our mission and vision. The things that excite me about our mission and vision is that both of them really hearken to the fundamental purpose of this organization which is student learning. And so I'll turn it over to uh Sarah for the next slide. Tyler, thank you. >> Oh, you have a clicker. Oh, thank you. >> It's me. I have a clicker. Um so of course we're never going to read anything to you, but we have some top um highlights of this
042month and one of them happens to be that Badger Conference top scholars. And so on April 26th at Wanuk Key High School, there was the banquet. Um we had the top seniors, the 10 top seniors in each Badger Conference were recognized for those achievements. We also had the seven WHS students who had earned the national recognition um for their 2026 National Spanish Examination. This is stuff to you know really it's super inspiring to see how much work, how much effort, how much pride they take in their learning and their growth and achievement. And this is just one of those many many stories throughout the district. >> I could speak to this. We know that again I mentioned the fundamental purpose of our organ organization is learning but we can never forget that we're in the
043people business and so our all-in team priority really speaks to that. And last Friday we uh which uh just several days ago we celebrated uh I believe 14 retirees. And those 14 retirees represent 357 years of combined service. And so uh those most of those retirees and and and family members were uh um had a breakfast together. Jo en enjoyed some stories and laughter and then we asked each of uh our building leaders and others to uh share a story for each of our retirees. I think it'd be remiss not to thank Lynn for all the work that she put together. She is the lead facilitator. Certainly many other folks helped Lynn put that together and it was another fabulous event. So, thank you. >> And again, another thank you over to our friends at
044the Marquort who allow us to host this event over there, provide the food, provide the space. They're always great partners for us. Moving on, uh we are going to talk a little bit about the Little Gosling Pure Model Program. So, this is our inclusive three-year-old program that we have over at Webster and we have at Douglas. We are seeking students who will be three years old as of September 1st to participate in the Little Gings Peer Model Program. For more information, there's a QR code. We have this on our website. We have this on our social media. This is an excellent opportunity for families to get their um children into the different schools and participate in the learning with other three-year-olds in those two buildings. So, any questions, just let us know. But that is
045open. And we are seeking our next um little glings. >> Take this one here. >> You want me to take prom? >> I was at prom. We had a great time at prom. Um hadn't been to prom since 1997. So there you go. Um in the same commons, by the way. Um so it was a little different this time, not going to lie. But the prom went off really, really well. There are so many volunteers that assist with that that we would be remiss to not thank them for their hard work. And it was Mrs. Suski's um last prom. And so she will be handing that over to two staff members that will be running that um in the future. It was a great event and um can't say enough about the afterprom as well
046over at the Elks Lodge. Thank you to them for their space and the opportunity to continue that tradition. WHS German students were recently recognized um by the DSSV. Um, I said it this morning and now I'm feeling the pressure to say it and I'm not going to say it now for the outstanding performance on that American Association of Teachers of um, German exams. So, congrats to our friends. And then, of course, Lincoln STEM had been recognized as the project lead the way launch distinguished schools. So, well done to all of them. >> Next slide really speaks to some opportunities knowing this is hard to capture all but here's a couple. Um uh as we know that uh Ducen Bobcat uh supported uh the district through a grant and we were able to uh secure a
047laser engraver. And so that laser engraver has certainly been up and running in our classroom at RMS, but we did an official ribbon cutting and Anna Vitali uh did a wonderful job of organizing and we had folks from Bobcat, students there, administrators there, uh really celebrating that partnership and it was a great event. And then again uh the second piece there that's listed is our ecampus academy elementary students recently uh spent some time in this very room doing some steam which is science, technology, engineering, art and math um events uh activities and really bringing uh families together um uh students and parents and staff together to to learn and engage with some fun activities that are highly uh connected to steam education. Last but not least, we definitely have some important dates coming on up
048this summer starting off in June. Um, a reminder to everyone that Memorial Day is a non-school day that is coming up this Monday. So, rest and relax. Hope you all have a great three-day weekend. Last day of school, that early release is uh June 4th, graduation will be held on the 6th at WHS. And then those are the list of meetings currently that we have in June. We always begin with gratitude and end with gratitude. So, thank you for uh continued work and if there's any questions, we'd be happy to answer >> them. Can I please just a moment >> over >> please? public comment is over and you need to leave the podium. I'm sorry >> guys. Yeah. Yeah, >> you can wait. Yeah, there is another public comment. >> Go ahead. Thank you.
049>> All right. Okay. Next. Curriculum committee. >> Yeah. So, because Julian's not here today, she asked me to present the minutes from the curriculum committee. I'll keep it brief. Uh, everyone was there. It was Wednesday, May 13th. The only person who was absent was David Handyside. Um, and we went over three topics. We talked about the human growth and development advisory committee presentation, which Jenny just told us about. I don't need to rehash that. We talked about the course guide reviews for RMS science and social studies. Uh, reviewed, you know, what that looks like, asked some questions, but I think everyone agreed they did a great job and we moved those forward for approval. And uh the last thing we talked about was uh witten wisdom, the purchasing process behind Whiten Wisdom and uh potential
050next steps in learning uh for the board more hands-on and in-depth about what goes into that and what the overall flow of the education process is for ELA from sixth grade to 8th grade, which we will be setting uh an appointment to meet and discuss and look through. Um so that's pretty much it. It was a pretty short meeting. We adjourned at 9:12 a.m. and uh the next meeting is going to be on June 17th, 2026. >> Okay. Any questions? >> Okay. Next, uh ED services. >> That's also me. Uh yeah, we met on the 5th in the morning, 7:30. Uh no one was absent. We had a number of other people as always at ED services uh present. We had some people speaking at public input. Our first item on the agenda was the
051act 20 spring assessment window update. We went over some of that data. We talked about digging into it deeper in the future. Um and then uh some percentile breakdowns which I think I've talked about at a few meetings now. Um then we talked about the HMH interreading update. We discussed how is that going? What are some additional supports that people feel like they could use? Do people feel like this is appropriate or is it too dense? How are we going to accomplish that? Just an update. Then we had a brief uh discussion about the 57 bus book um which uh we found was purchased by a uh staff member at Endeavor at the suggestion of a student. The staff member has not read the book or had not read the book at that point and
052was going to read it before uh making a determination about the appropriateness of that book. So we asked that they bring that discussion when the teacher finishes it to the next available ed services meeting. So, that's to my understanding not on the agenda tonight for a vote. Yeah, that's that's what I thought. >> Um, and then the last thing we talked about was the spring concert, controversial issues in the classroom, policy 2240. I think everyone here is very familiar with that subject. And, uh, yeah, we we went over the process by which the piece was selected, whether or not there was a violation of policy, and we decided that there needed to be an additional discussion, which went to a special board meeting last Tuesday. Um, and we adjourned at 8:40 a.m. and the next
053meeting is on June 9th. >> Okay, any questions? >> Great. Next up, fiscal. >> The fiscal meeting was held at on uh June 13 uh May 13th at 5:30 in the evening. All members were present along with uh assistant uh co- superintendent Sarah Oden Haven and uh business manager Beth Mson. There was no public input. We discussed the property that the school owns on Highway X and there was no implications on the district cost. So consequently, we're con continue to own that piece of property. Beth Mson gave an overview on the district's accounting. Some clarification was sought by the committee regarding the usage of which she explained to us. New fund balance monthly reports. The business office provided a report of each fund's current balance and also a current balance for each of the last
054three years. This report also showed an end balance of each district fund. The report will become a regular monthly report for each fiscal meeting. Movement of middle school curriculum to fund 80. Beth Mson gave an overview of what possible what possible uses were for fund 80 and advantages of uni using fund 8080 oversight outside the revenue limits and fees uh funds for other educational purposes. The committee also discussed the disadvantages of using this fund which would which would increase the mill rate committee requested more information at the next fiscal fiscal meeting regard regarding possible programs at the district that may align with fund 180. A fee schedule recommendation was given to the committee for 20 the school year 26 and 27. The committee discussed policy 6152.01 waiver of school fees and fines. The committee recommended
055that the guidance be drafted for this policy under an administrative guideline and sent to the policy committee for further discussion. The committee also discussed recommendations by Cila Price who is a nutritional service supervisor for the elimination of uh reduced price fees for students and in the school year 26 and 27. The recommendation came due to the healthy food service fund balance and hoping to align to policy 6152.01. The committee did not recommend that this elimination proceed. The committee recommended the fee schedules with small increases in adult meal prices to move forward to the May 18th meeting. There was one purchase over 20 uh $20,000 which was a uh paper purchase and we recommended the uh highest uh bid by O'Brien because O'Brien uh made weekly deliveries where other the other biders made yearly deliveries and
056we do not have the place to store all that paper. Monthly reports were shared including fund 10 variance report, fund 27 variance report, Amazon purchases for March, checklisting, credit card details, and credit report. Uh there was very little discussion in reference to that. There was no questions in reference to that. The meeting was adjourned at 7:25 p.m. There's any questions, be glad to answer them. Hearing none, we'll move on to human resources. >> Human resources met May 11th. Uh members were present, chair Dave Fanny, Christine Degrave, Carl Suary, and Dan Boltner. Committee members absent, none. Others present were the president of the board Lorie Hoffman, vice president Sam O'Neal. Board members Tammy Ferner and interimm co-s superintendent director of special education student services Sarah Alenhovvin and director of business services Beth Mson the director of
057human resources Margaret Brady and USI benefits consultant Al Jagger. There was no public input and the course agenda was to review appointments and resignations and so forth. The committee reviewed the draft uh consent agenda informed the admin for administrators and certified staff resignations, retirements and appointments for the board for May 18th. And the consent agenda, Miss Brady informed the committee additional personnel actions would be added for the May 18th board meeting 2026 2027 co-interm superintendent contracts. Miss Brady confirmed the co-interm superintendent contracts staffing plan that will be included in the May 18th board meeting in the consent agenda in close session later in the evening. There's a contemplative close session that we're in and that close session. The motion was carried completely. While in close session, the committee discussed health insurance benefits planning negotiations, administrative
058benefits proposal and a personnel matter. No decisions were made while in close session and revenue to open session re reconvene in open session approximately 6:41. A motion was made by Carlos Schwarzy seconded by Christina Degrave that the HR committee return to open session. The motion passed unanimously. Future meeting planning. The June meeting will include will include among other items the consent agenda, summer school consent agenda, support staff notices of employment, the employee satisfaction survey results, and health insurance benefits planning for 2027. Action items completed. The following. The agenda for the board to discuss health insurance planning for 2027 and a request for information will be added to the April 27, 2006 27 26 board agenda and that was completed. Mr. Bull and Mr. Brady will complete follow-up actions to related to the personnel matter that
059was completed. The new action uh items include add code interterm superintendent contracts and benefits to close session in May 18th, 2026 board meeting and add Tammy and Forner to the USI RFI process team. Meeting was adjourned at 6:45. The next meeting will be June 22nd at 5:30 in 2026. Any questions? >> Hearing none planning. >> All right. So, our planning committee, our planning meeting was at the ESC on Wednesday, May 6th. All committee members were in attendance. Um, we did not have any public comments. Uh, we first went into the board of education survey that was done and, uh, we briefly went over and identified some themes of academic post focus, curriculum audit, professional development, onboarding and efficiency, and engagement in the district. Um, we didn't thoroughly discuss it because we are intending on having
060a board of education retreat coming up in June where we'll be able to thoroughly go over the survey data and discuss as a body um, how we'd like to implement those things. Um, myself and Dan Boltner has been assigned. You should have all received an email. I'm not sure I received a email response back of what day works for everybody. So, you know, if you could hit me up when you have a minute. Um once we know we will be Dan, myself, Jason and Sarah will be planning the board of education retreat in June and get back to you on when it will be scheduled. Uh then Jason discussed uh district data digging and action planning. Uh in June there is going to be um some data digging done. There will be a a a
061collaborative group effort where they are going to um hope to find three student centered goals and then three professional goals by the conclusion of the data dig. And then um we decided that we were going to go back to every other month planning meetings um in hopes that on our off months that we do even just get in a brief professional development even if it is district staff uh informing us on how to navigate the systems that you get to use when you're a board member and so on and so forth. Um and then the board of education in 60 seconds the it's going to be Sam doing it tomorrow the 18th. Yes. >> And the meeting adjourned at 6:35 and the next meeting date is July 8th at 5:30. >> Thank you. >> Any
062questions? >> Right. Hearing none policy. >> We will be meeting on June 10th, our next meeting. We didn't have a meeting this morning. >> All right. Next on the agenda, we have the consent agenda, resolution 9495. Do I hear a motion? >> So move. >> I'll second. >> Moved by Sam, second by Tammy. Um, discussion. Okay. I have a correction on the minutes. Um, for the May 12th board meeting, uh, we had a, uh, uh, Craig Wman was not there and he's listed as being there. We need that corrected. >> Anything else? Roll call vote. Sorry, Lyn. >> Okay. Uh, Carl Schwaresy, >> yes. >> Dan Bolner, >> yes. Craig Wharton, >> yes. >> Christina Degrave, >> yes. >> Tammy Bourne, >> yes. >> David Handystein, >> yes. >> Lorie Hoffman, >> yes. >> Sam
063Owen, >> yes. >> And the motion passes. Uh, next we have action items. Resolution 9496 school fees. Be it resolved that the Watertown Unified School District approves the 26 27 2026 27 student fees as reviewed by the fiscal management committee. Do I hear a motion? So move. >> I'll second. >> Moved by Sam, second by Tammy. >> Discussion. >> Roll call vote. >> Carl Schwarzy. >> No. >> Dan Wolner. >> Yes. >> Craig Wartman. >> Yes. >> Christina Degrave. >> Yes. >> Tammy Fornier. >> Yes. >> David Handyside. >> Lorie Hoffman. >> Yes. >> Sam Al. >> Yes. >> Okay. And the motion passes. Uh, next we have resolution 9497, the 202627 district paper bid. Here resolved that the Watertown Unified School District Board of Education approved the purchase of paper from O'Brien Company from
064the 2026 2027 school year as discussed during the fiscal committee meeting. Do I hear a motion? >> So moved. Second. >> Okay. Moved by Craig, second by Dan. Uh discussion. Roll call. >> Carl Schwaresy. >> Yes. >> Dan Boltner. >> Yes. >> Craig Wartman. >> Yes. >> Christina Degrave. >> Yes. >> Tammy Fornier. >> Yes. >> David Handyside. >> Yes. >> Lorie Hoffman. >> Yes. >> Sam Awino. >> Yes. >> Okay. And the motion passes. Next we have resolution 9498. RMS social studies and science curriculum course guide. Be it resolved that the Watertown Unified School District Board of Education approved the Riverside Middle School science and social studies curriculum course guides as presented to the curriculum committee on May 13, 2026. Do I hear a motion? >> Moved by by Dan, seconded by David. >>
065Discussion. Roll call vote. >> Carl Schwarzy. >> Yes. >> Dan Bolner. >> Yes. Craig Wharton. >> Yes. >> Christine Degrave, >> yes. >> Tammy Horner, >> yes. >> David Handyside, >> yes. >> Lorie Hoffman, >> yes. >> Sam, >> yes. >> Okay. And the motion passes. Next, we have resolution 94.99, elementary human growth and development curricula curriculum. be resolved that the Watertown Unified School District Board of Education approve the elementary human growth and development curriculum as pred presented to the curriculum committee on May 13th, 2026. Do I hear a motion? >> So move. >> Second. >> Okay. Moved by David, seconded by Sam. Discussion. Roll call vote. >> Carl Schwarzy. >> Yes. >> Dan Boltner. >> Yes. >> Craig Wartman. >> Yes. >> Christina Degrave. >> Yes. >> Tammy Fornier. >> Yes. >> David Handyside.
066>> Yes. Lorie Hoffman, >> yes. >> Sam Ali Neil, >> yes. >> And the motion passes. Uh, next we have resolution 9500 2026 to 2027 support staff notice notice of continuing employment. Be it resolved that the the um sorry I have to read that whole thing. Okay. Uh, do I hear a motion? >> So move. Second. >> Moved by Sam, seconded by Tammy. Any discussion? >> Hearing none. Roll call vote. >> Carl Schwarzy. >> Yes. >> Dan Boltner, >> yes. >> Craig Wharton, >> yes. >> Christina Degrave, >> yes. >> Tammy Fornier, >> yes. >> David Handyside, >> yes. >> Lorie Hoffman, >> yes. >> Sam Owen Neil, >> yes. >> Next, we have future agenda items. Do you have anything? not for the full board meeting, but I do want to reiterate the uh
067option to have a discussion. I don't know if it would be at services or policy, but to or or even planning to have an electronic uh optin form for the human growth and development committee. It's something we've talked about a few times. So, I'm just bringing it up again. >> Okay. Anything else? >> No. >> Okay. Hearing none, we will move to uh public comment. And it looks like I have to reread the guidelines for public comment. Okay. So, the board of education welcomes public participation during the public comment portion of our meeting. The following procedures will guide the public comment portion of tonight's meeting. The board is committed to conducting orderly meetings. Members of the public are welcome to attend, but this is a meeting of the school board in public, not a public
068meeting. and anyone who disrupts the meeting will be asked to stop and if necessary be removed by police. Individuals wish wishing to speak should complete and submit a public comment card prior to the start of their of their public comment. We ask that residents of the Watertown Unified School District be be allowed to speak first. Speakers will be recognized by the board president and will be required to state their name and address for the record. Individuals individual comments will be limited to three minutes. We have allotted 15 minutes total for public comments but may extend it if it that is the desire of the board. Public comments should be directed to the board as a whole and conducted in a respectful manner. The board will listen to comments but will not engage in debate or
069discussion. Concerns regarding individual students or personnel matters should not be discussed publicly and may be referred to the appropriate administrative process. First speaker glad to be here operate two homeless shelters in town for men one for women. I'm a songwriter address >> oh 303 East Haven Drive Watertown. >> I'm a composer songwriter recorder Nashville work with Grammy winning artists. Uh, our public schools were once a place that promoted decency, biblical values, prayer. Our 10 Ivy League schools were once Bible colleges. Prayer was once allowed in all of our schools, including the Ten Commandments on the walls. There was a time in America when what was wrong in God's sight was wrong in the institutions of America, including the fabric of our schools. And I want to read this in I support the school board's decision.
070I've been on some national prayer calls. I work with people in Washington DC, especially in the music industry and they have your support for what you did. Um, in October 2015, two boys died in a car crash in Watertown. I tried to do a benefit concert to help their families with funeral expenses. I went through the protocol to get this worked out when the school principal called me and asked, "Would this concert be a Christian concert or would Jesus name be mentioned?" I said, "Yes." He said, 'We don't allow that here. The concert would not have been held during school hours. We simply wanted to use the auditorium. Fast forward to the issue now. The songwriter Omar Thomas who wrote the song A Mother to the Revolution wrote it to commemorate a trans transject trans
071transgender activist named Marsha Johnston and the Stonewall riots as a move to pro promote LGBTQ lifestyles and acceptance. I agree with Sam Uill who said this. This is a perfect example of what everyone here ran on which was ending indoctrination and radical curriculum. The biased against me with my attempt to do an uplifting Christian concert at the high school facility did not promote in me a temper tantrum or promote a riot. Although I considered being told we don't allow a concert even after hours that mentioned Jesus in our facilities was ludicrous. Also agree with Christina the graves. Hope I got your name right. who said this political violence should not be celebrated through music or song. I couldn't agree more. We should promote decency in music in our culture which was once lauded in public
072school. As I said, our 10 Ivy League schools were Bible colleges. Our nation was founded on biblical values, which is historical. I traveled the country. I just rein uh finished recording last weekend in Nashville. the school board did the right thing. It's a sign of the time simply that like we live in a day and age where there's a constant attempt to indoctrinate people to accept lifestyles and agendas that are against God's word, his precepts, and it shows how much we need prayer and the Bible back in our schools. Thank you. >> Next speaker. >> Hi, >> good evening. I'm Zas Lopez. I live at 1604 South 9th Street, Watertown, Wisconsin. Sorry. And I'm currently attending Watertown High School as a junior. I'm here today because our school chose to remove a musical piece called
073Mother of Revolution simply because it was inspired by a transgender woman activist. The song has no lyrics, no political slogans, no profanity, no disruption. It is just instrumental music. And yet it was removed because of the identity connected to its inspiration that matters. When schools begin removing art because of who inspired it, we stop teaching students how to think critically and instead teach them which identities are considered acceptable. I say this not only as a student, but as someone who lives with extreme anxiety and as someone who exists as a minority who put all our courage into getting up here to speak to let my voice be heard. So, if you hear me stumble upon my words or fidget with my hands, please provide me with your grace, as I'm not the best at speaking
074in front of crowds. I'm Mexican and I know what it feels like to wonder whether people see your humanity first or your label first. Many students in this district already feel invisible or unsafe. Decisions like this send a message that certain people's stories are too controversial to even acknowledge. Public schools are supposed to prepare students for the real world, a world filled with different identities. histories and perspectives. Education should not erase discomfort. It should teach understanding. The constitution supports that principle. The first amendment protects freedom of expression. And the Supreme Kase course Tinkerb de Moy, the court famously said that students quote unquote do not shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the con at the schoolhouse gate. The court ruled that schools cannot censor expression simply because they disliked the
075message or feared controversially without real disruption. This piece caused no disruption. It was just music. As I said, the 14th amendment also promises equal production under the law. That principle means public institutions, including schools, should not single out groups for exclusion simply because others are uncomfortable with them. Removing this song will not protect students. It will not improve education. It will only tell vulnerable students that their existence is something adults are willing to erase to avoid criticism. Art has reflected humanity. Music has always told stories. If we start banning art connected to marginalized people, where does that stop? Which identities become too political next? Mine. I'm asking this school to reconsider this decision not out of politics, but out of fairness, education, and basic human respect. Because students deserve a school that teaches courage, not
076silence. Thank you. >> Hi, my name is Jessica Rosac and I live at 1153 Belton. Um, I come in here as a concerned parent. I have one child left in this school district out of five. You say unified school district. I'm not seeing that here. People talk about Christianity. Okay. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. Luke 6:28. How about the bitterness, anger, rage, harsh words, and slander, as well as types of evil behavior instead of the kinds of each other? tenderness, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:31:32. You must also think quickly, quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteous God desire. James 1:19 20. I come here because you guys are talking about
077banning, worried about banning. How about the safety of our children? How's how about the academics of our children? I've been here two years. Worst school district I've ever been in ever. My daughter My daughter was bullied on the bus drivers break checking because they need to get the children under control. My daughter just a few weeks ago was dismissed by a nurse. She had a migraine. She passed the nurse station on her way to her next class. She heard, "Go to your next class." The nurse added in there, "Go get that pass. Come back." You don't know what that child's migraine is like. Have you ever had a migraine? Do you know what they feel like? Do you know that some cause less the hearing go to go away, vision to go away? but she
078was dismissed by the nurse. Go to your next class, get a pass. They shouldn't have to get a pass. If they need medical assistance, they should be able to stop. Those are the policies you should be looking into. You should also be looking into your academics. You push kids going forward. Push them. Push them. Push them. The four the four that are out of your system is because you just pushed them. They didn't have the fundamentals of the basics to keep going on. How is that helping our students? It's not. I just like to say, correct me if I'm wrong, but this is not a way to keep your students here. And less students equals less funding. Correct. My daughter doesn't want to come back next year. She said, "This this school is too much
079drama, Mom. They're not teaching me what I need to know to survive when I'm older." That hurts. And it hurts to see what happened on Friday, too. Deep down. I wish you'd do better. Hi, my name is Shelley Green. I live at 914 Jones Street. Where were we? I was sitting way in the back. My glasses apparently aren't strong enough. Where were we on the library policy media? Was that a final vote or no? >> Secondary. Awesome. All right. Good evening and thank you for the opportunity to speak on policy 2522. I support having a fair process for reviewing concerns about library materials, but I am concerned that this draft goes beyond creating a fair review process and instead makes it easier for books to be challenged and potentially removed because on vague based on
080vague standards, political pressure and organized campaigns. The most troubling parts of this draft are the phrases age appropriate and developmentally appropriate because those terms are not clearly defined. What are what one person considers appropriate? I was reading Stephen King at the age of 10, another person won't agree. Without narrow definitions, those standards can be applied subjectively and inconsistently, putting a wide range of books at risk, not because they lack educational value, but because someone disagrees with their themes, perspectives, or characters. I am also concerned about the phrase harmful to minors unless it is tied very specifically to existing legal definitions. It's if not if that term is used loosely, it can become a catchall label for books that simply make some people uncomfortable. And I think the recent events show exactly why this matters. Last
081week in Watertown, the school board voted 7 to1 to remove an instrumental non-irical piece for for a spring concert because of its connection to an LGBTQ plus history. That decision drew attention well beyond our community. It was on Wisconsin Public Radio, TMJ4, USA Today, and Forbes. When a school board removes a wordless musical work and that decision gains national attention, it can signal slash dog whistle to outside pressure groups that this district may be receptive to broader censorship efforts, including campaigns to challenge numerous books. And that concern is not hypothetical or hyperbolic. According to the American Library Association, there were 821 attempts to censor library books and other materials in 2024. And 72% of those demands to censor the books in schools and public libraries came from pressure groups and government entities while only 16%
082came from parents. And I see no requirement in your letter that the people that are complaining about the books needs to be a concerned guardian of the children that go to our schools or even a Watertown citizen. Are we going to have the Daughters of the Confederacy like submitting a bunch of books that they want banned? And that's something that we need to consider. Thank you very much for your time and allowing us to speak. Cherry Owens, 1402 Stone Ridge Drive. I had a prepared statement, lots of things that I wanted to say, but others have much more eloquently shared those. But one thing that's been missing in all of this is a statement of appreciation and admiration for the staff of this district. They are the people who were on the front lines the
083last two weeks. They took a lot. They answered the kids questions. They answered parent questions. They had reporters speaking to them when they had nothing to do with the decision that was made. And I hope you all have let them know. You have two interim superintendants who very graciously shared a wonderful presentation of gratitude espousing our district values. How wonderful to see those words up there and hear those words. But from the district level to the people who are in that building, what a chaotic week they had. You created that So, please express your admiration and appreciation to those people who took the hit for it and had to be there to console kids, to help kids, and at every minute remain neutral for fear of retaliation. So, on behalf of our community, thank you
084for all you did for our kids this last week. Hi, Some of you know me. My name is Michelle Qunnau. I was employed by this district for four years as a special education teacher at the high school. I'm known for by students as Miss Q. I've been a special education teacher for over 16 years and prior to that worked at the maximum security prison as an educator. Um I am a current sitting city council member in Lake Mills and have been for over four years. I've been through this process of being voted into a position of respect and authority uh by my community. I understand making decisions will never make everyone happy. Um this experience qualifies me as a person worth listening to. Um as a fellow parliamentarian, I come to you with the following
085suggestions and no agenda. I'm here to speak about policy 25 or yeah 2522, the library media center that you have on your docket this evening. Um I'd like to draw your attention to a few things. So if you could please pull that up on your screen uh or if you have a physical copy that would be appreciated. Um I do have extra copies of this this list if you would like to see this but and I can also email it to you. Um, on the first page in the goal section, letter G, I recommend changing the words that have been removed since the word equitable is triggering for some to instate state impartial and relevant, not irrelevant, relevant as part as those are applicable synonyms and potentially less divisive. On page three, section A, I
086note that there are several members of the previous consideration committee who have been removed. During your deliberation on this topic, elaborate on the reasons for removal, especially number four and number six. As a parent and educator, my expectation is that those who make the decisions for the betterment of the school district are going to trust the experts in their field. And yes, a high schooler is most definitely an expert in their field because that expertise changes almost daily. Um, additionally, the board member selected should act as a breaking vote should there be a tie. At the bottom of page three, line D, uh, please specify if the board's decision can counter that of the committee, um, adding the stipulation that they should report on record in writing their reasons for the decision citing school board
087and district policies. This is expected of the Supreme Court. Likewise, you have to write dissenting arguments for your decisions that are against the committee that you created. Finally, on page four, the blurb, remove the term threat of harm. It is too broad, and that term could be used for agendas and beliefs in one way or another. As an example, a far-left liberal could complain that reading anything that is anti-LGBTQ is a threat to harm a student who is questioning themselves, which can lead to dire consequences. Alternatively, a pe a person who is far-right conservative could complain the same about a book that is pro-LGBTQ, which can I know which can go against their belief system. This was just an example. Your considerations of these suggestions will likely prevent any future situations that could arise. I
088appreciate your time. >> The 15 minutes we have allotted for public comment have been exhausted. Is there a desire from the board to extend comment for an additional 15 minutes? >> So move. >> Yes. >> Okay. Moved by Carl, second by David. Um, >> all in favor? >> I >> Okay, >> go ahead. >> Hello, my name is Ty Henderson. I live on Gopher Hill Road. I am uh graduated in 24 from Watertown High School. I have two older siblings that also graduated there and two younger siblings that are still going there and one the same age. My twin will go there. I'm actually going to speak this way. My mom's deaf and she reads lips, but uh there's no common decency to get an interpreter for that. So, we'll worry about that later. Anywh
089who, um about this song, um no music, right? And uh it was said that it was political controversy controversy, but um wouldn't you say that a certain song or maybe something that everyone stands up and says every morning could be considered political controversy with the words under God? um in a public school in a public school I I still stand I still I still support the flag however I don't support the school board and I would advise and maybe some of the members getting removed but that's another story for a different time um I have two younger siblings one of them uh has gone through bullying and other stuff and is a part of the LGBTQ community. However, nothing happened about that. So, there's that. Um, but for some reason, they have a bunch of
090other stuff for a random. Um, yeah, this was a little impromptu, so I would didn't do much planning. Um, I know of the Christian conversation. I know of a very, very cool pastor that um, Can I ask you a question? What what does it say about LGBTQ being wrong? >> This is this is not a back and forth. This is just >> Jesus says nothing about um Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Um Ebenezer Rob, by the way, great church. Um but yeah, I said my piece. >> Thank you. >> Hello, my name is Doug Curtis. at 1407 Beacon Drive, Watertown, Wisconsin. Um, I filled out my card and I said that this is about integrity, respect, and values. As I read the the mission statement for the school district, the the things
091of integrity, respect, and values come up. I've heard this board say several times that their goal is to have a valueseneutral school district. That's an impossibility. We all know that. And in if you would show us the community the respect of telling the truth of what your goal truly is. Your goal is to impose your values on this school district in this community. >> That is not what you were elected to do. As was stated earlier by uh earlier speakers, your job as a board is very clear, very defined. It's not to remove values. It's not to instill your own values. It's to run the business of the school. That's it. So, you're not living up to your mission. >> Have any more speakers? >> Now, our next item of business is contemplated close session.
092Do I hear a motion? >> So, move. >> Second. Moved by Sam, seconded by Carl. Uh, roll call vote. >> Carl Schwarzy, >> yes. >> Dan Bner, >> yes. >> Craig Wartman, >> yes. >> Christina Degrave, >> yes. >> Tammy Fourer, >> yes. >> David Handyside, >> yes. >> Lorie Hoffman, >> yes. >> Sam Owen, >> yes. >> Okay. And the motion passes. We are now in close session. >> Yes. Shoot. The nice agent shoots through door. The bullet passes through the front door. Okay. All right. We are back in open session and the next item on our agenda is resolution 9501. Be it resolved that the Watertown Unified School District Board of Education adopt the supplemental benefit program design language for the administrator benefits program as reviewed in closed session. Do I hear a
093motion? >> So move. >> I'll second. >> Moved by Sam, seconded by Tammy. Any discussion? Roll call vote. >> Carl Schwarzy. >> Yes. >> Dan Bolner. >> Yes. >> Craig Orman. >> Yes. >> Julian Appling's on here. Christina Degrave. >> Yes. Tammy Corner. Yes. David Handyside. >> Yes. >> Lori Hoffman. >> Yes. >> Okay. The motion passes. >> All right. Um, sorry, my computer's got a thing on it. Okay. So, um, I motion to establish a negotiation team comprised of Craig Wartman, Carl Schwaresy, and David Handyside to work with Margaret Brady to negotiate with co-superintendants for salary and benefits for the 2627 school year. Board President Lorie Hoffman will work with the board attorney to verify terms of such negotiations. >> So, move. >> Do I hear a second? >> I second. Seconded by Christina.
094>> Discussion. >> It was moved by Saman. >> Huh? >> You can give it to Dale. >> This one. >> You got it. >> All right. Carl Schwarzy. >> Yes. >> Dan Boltner. >> Yes. >> Craig Wartman. >> Yes. >> Christina Degrave. >> Yes. >> Tammy Fornier. >> Yes. David Handyside. >> Yes. >> Lorie Hoffman. >> Yes. >> Sam O'Neal. >> Yes. >> Okay. The motion pass. Do I hear a motion to adjurnn? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Moved by Sam, second by Carl. All in favor? >> I Okay. And we end this session at 9:15. >> Okay. Did you see the mail? >> Carl, I don't know if you can leave yet. I might need some answers. >> Very good. No, no,