Board approves personnel-policy updates; discusses semester racial-incident report and public concerns

The Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District Board of Education on Feb. 10 approved several personnel-policy updates and an extended-school-year pay rate, and reviewed first-semester district data about racially insensitive language and related reporting.

During public input, Oak Creek resident Janine Hibbler asked the board to delay approval of a section-500 personnel-policy update until additional stakeholders could weigh in and raised questions about the district’s reporting of incidents and focus-group materials. “Some people are concerned about the omissions,” Hibbler said, citing concerns that the district’s summary did not include details from focus-group recordings and that the number of students affected in group incidents was not captured.

After public comment, the board moved through several action items. Meredith Whitman made the motion to approve the extended school-year rates of pay (action item 9A); the motion passed after the board voted “aye.” The board then considered updates to Board of Education policy section 500 (personnel). The board approved action item 9B (updates to section 500) in two parts; votes were recorded as passed. The board also approved the creation of policy 05/2001 (staff communications and lines of responsibility); the motion was seconded and passed.

The board had an extended discussion and information presentation on the semester‑1 district data about racially insensitive language and acts. District administrative staff described the first-semester data as a small number of incidents when compared with total enrollment: “Across the whole district, elementary, middle, and the high school, you know, there were 89 overall incidents,” a district administrator said, and noted the district serves about 6,500 students, producing a roughly 1.3% ratio based on that tally. The administrator said the district had made efforts to improve reporting and transparency and that principals and staff were addressing incidents when they occurred.

Superintendent-level staff and administrators acknowledged past differences in reporting forms used to submit information to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and said that the district had requested historical submissions from DPI to make the district’s own reporting more transparent. The district’s presenter said DPI accepts districts’ submissions but does not publish the details on its website.

Board members asked clarifying questions about the data, repeat offenders, how other districts report similar information, and the timing of future reports. The district said it will present a second-semester update at the end of the school year (expected in June).

Votes taken at the meeting included unanimous voice approvals on routine motions and recorded approvals of the personnel updates and the extended-school-year pay-rate item. Where roll-call tallies were not recorded in the minutes, the board’s actions were announced as passed on voice votes.