Community members say board violated open-meetings rules, urge redo of athletic director appeal

A series of public commenters at the Pullman School District board meeting on June 11 accused district leadership of procedural violations related to a contested personnel decision and asked the board to re-run an appeal that removed Wendy Krueger from the activities and athletic director role.

Speakers said the board’s April 30 handling of Krueger’s appeal violated Washington’s Open Public Meetings Act and statutory notice rules for personnel transfers. Allison Harris, who presented a 20‑page petition signed by 584 people, said the board “only gave Wendy two days’ notice instead of the required three,” and therefore the April 30 decision should be “null and void.”

The claim that the board improperly limited public access at the April 30 meeting also recurred. Anthony Haines, speaking as an employee, parent and taxpayer, told the board: “If that’s the case, then any decisions made during that meeting should be considered null and void.” Cooper Jackwish described how dozens of people were moved to an overflow room during the April 30 meeting and said the board’s approach “was embarrassing.”

Former district clinical staffer Jessica Vergutz (identified in her remarks as a taxpayer, parent and former employee) said school‑based licensed mental‑health providers have not been in the district since her departure in May 2024 and urged the board to conduct exit interviews to capture staff concerns. Wendy Krueger, who spoke at the meeting, described being asked at a football game to perform a front‑gate duty and said the response from leadership was that they “don’t want to do that” when asked to help at building level tasks.

Speakers tied those procedural complaints to broader concerns about transparency and staff morale. Several commenters asked the board to (1) re‑run Krueger’s appeal with proper notice, (2) review whether the April 30 meeting complied with the Open Public Meetings Act, and (3) increase transparency around hiring and personnel decisions. The petition presented by Allison Harris requested the board rescind the transfer and keep Krueger in the activities director role.

Board members acknowledged receipt of public materials but did not take formal action on the appeal during the June 11 meeting. The board later recessed into an executive session; no public vote to redo the April 30 appeal was recorded on June 11.

Why it matters: commenters said procedural fairness and open‑meetings compliance shape community trust in district decisions, and the petition signers include students, parents, staff and professionals from the Pullman area. If a statutory notice or Open Public Meetings Act violation is confirmed, petitioners contend it could require redoing the personnel appeal and any related decisions.

The board did not announce a date to revisit the April 30 appeal during the June 11 meeting. Public commenters said they will continue to press for a review of process and for the board to consider reversing Krueger’s transfer.