Residents praise and criticize Dr. Jeffrey Flagg as Fond du Lac superintendent retires

Several speakers at the Fond du Lac School District meeting on Monday, Jan. 13, offered sharply different assessments of Superintendent Dr. Jeffrey Flagg’s tenure as he prepares to retire in June.

Many public commenters praised Flagg for steering the district through the pandemic and for what they described as improved academic and behavioral outcomes. Other speakers said the district’s prior leadership engaged in harmful practices they said damaged students and staff, and called for the board to reverse district policies they consider harmful.

The comments came during two public-comment periods at the start and toward the end of the board’s regular meeting.

Richard Gutimer, of 49 Aurora Lane, said the district’s earlier administration had failed students with individualized education programs and lacked proper staff supervision, contributing to fights and misconduct. “Students with IEPs were not receiving all the services that they were promised,” Gutimer said. He described what he called a history of poor supervision and punitive responses from earlier administrators.

Jen Lucas, who gave her address as 7460 Winnebago Drive, credited Dr. Flagg for reopening schools during the pandemic and said she believes the decision “saved my daughter's life.” Lucas said she appreciated Flagg’s leadership and urged the board to consider internal candidates for his replacement to avoid outside consulting expenses.

Jim Hess, of W3678 Sunny Road, urged the board to act quickly on policies he described as “harmful transgender policies,” saying a recent federal court ruling on Title IX regulations should prompt district changes. Hess called on the board to “convene this week to turn back the harmful transgender policies it put in place the last few years.”

Other commenters described worries about staff treatment and confidentiality agreements. Brian Willis said teachers and staff “cannot speak because they're being forced to sign NDAs and threatened with being blackballed or terminated.” Charlotte Trotter, who described raising five daughters in the district, said she has repeatedly sought change on behalf of Black students and families and urged the board to preserve recent reforms after Flagg’s departure.

Not all public comments were critical. Megan Stroop, who identified herself as a teacher and parent, said her child is nonbinary and thanked the district for creating “safe and welcoming spaces” that helped her child feel secure and able to learn.

The board did not take action during the public-comment periods. Later in the meeting, the board approved a consent agenda that included the superintendent’s retirement; that motion passed by voice/roll-call vote, 7–0.

Why it matters: Dr. Flagg’s planned June retirement starts a formal search and transition process. Public comments at the Jan. 13 meeting demonstrate both community support for the district’s recent direction and lingering concerns about past conduct, special-education services and staff treatment — issues likely to shape public expectations as the board considers the next superintendent.

The board moved on after public comment to routine business and to workshop and executive-session items on the agenda.