Some High School Board Happenings Since April 2nd Election

On April 2nd, Waterford taxpayers voted RECALL signer James Graff off their high school board!

Three weeks later Graff and his wife and two remaining board members (Nancy Klemko and Don Engler) and their family members and a passel of high school employees went over to a special meeting of the graded school district board and voted "no pay" for the graded board!!! Remember, graded board member Dan Jensen defeated Graff in the high school board election. So, the vindictive high school crowd took out their vengeance on him and the rest of the graded board.

                    A BIG THUMB IN THE EYE OF THE TAXPAYERS !

James Graff continues to come to every high school board meeting. At the last meeting on August 21st, Graff got up to speak during the citizen input segment at the end of the meeting. He proceeded to praise the high school board and denigrate the graded school board (to insult Dan Jensen). 

                    A BIG THUMB IN THE EYE OF THE TAXPAYERS !

Whenever Dan Jensen brings up the fact that the board does not need to follow the old rules and can use Act 10 (most recently, to reduce the 110 accumulated sick days the teachers get), they ignore him and listen to the administration (also employees) when it expresses concern for teacher morale instead of for the taxpayers.

    
                    A BIG THUMB IN THE EYE OF THE TAXPAYERS !

The high school Annual Meeting (not a board meeting) was held on August 27th. These meetings are held by school districts generally to approve the budget and set board members' pay. They are not well attended and are usually very short. Last year the meeting was attended by the board members and some of their spouses, the administration and two other taxpayers. Board member Klemko's husband was chosen to chair the meeting. -This year there were also teachers in attendance. There was probably concern that the taxpayers would show up and vote them NO PAY. But taxpayers are not the nasty ones, and besides, it would be a shame to vote Jensen no pay on this board also. In a very obnoxious move, Graff was voted chair for the meeting! The gave the high school board a $100 raise. It should have been reduced on account of what they did to the graded board and because they won't  use
Act 10.

                    A BIG THUMB IN THE EYE OF THE TAXPAYERS !

And finally, in an even more obnoxious and totally arrogant move, even subversive to the citizens of this community, the high school administration and school board president, Kevin Malchine, have still not posted the results of last April's school board election on the high school website!!! After five months, they still list the old board with Graff as president, and Jensen not on the board! (The website has even been redone, and recent changes of personnel posted.) 

                    A VERY BIG THUMB IN THE EYE OF THE TAXPAYERS !
    
   

Shame on them for doing this, and, shame on us for letting ourselves be treated this way. Do we live in the U.S.A. or some third world or Marxist nation?

                                            TAKE ACTION

First, call the high school and ask to talk to Superintendent Brandstetter. Ask him why the high school website does not yet give our April election result. Call board president Malchine and ask him the same thing. Most school districts have contact e-mails and/or phone numbers for their school board members listed on their website. Waterford High does not. Apparently, they do not want to hear from taxpayers.  

Second, please come to two or three high school board meetings a year. You can have more impact on the local level than the state or federal, and your property taxes are a huge chunk of change in Wisconsin, especially in Waterford. Come, and if you can, make a brief statement or request at one of the two parts of the meeting open for citizen input. We need at least a few bodies at each meeting. This board has ignored the taxpayers and their election. 

        The next Waterford Union High School board meeting is next week on Wednesday, September 18th, at 7:30 PM. 

        Enter on the south of building by the Commons. Go to the back right of Commons (cafeteria) for meetings. 

        Most board meetings are on the third Wednesday of the month and are posted on the school website. 

       

        If you don't participate, don't complain when you get your next property tax bill.