Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Community Support topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Multiple residents and staff publicly defend Saint Croix administration amid allegations
Summary
Several staff and community members used public comment at the June 16 Saint Croix School District board meeting to defend administrators and teachers, praising programs and urging patience while concerns are investigated.
Several employees, former employees and community members addressed the Saint Croix School District board on June 16 to defend the superintendent, administrators and staff amid a recent wave of public criticism.
Jean Johnson, introduced herself as a sixth-grade language arts teacher and longtime resident. “I can no longer sit back and watch these attacks and stay silent,” Johnson said, describing long service in the district and asking for evidence before endorsing accusations. “I will wait for evidence to be presented and make my own decisions,” she said.
School counselor David Lindmire said he had chosen to make his remarks in person after reviewing public posts and board materials. “I would trust any of my kids with any of the teachers at the school that I work at,” Lindmire said, adding that many departures from the district in recent years were retirements or moves for better opportunities rather than firings.
Other speakers who identified themselves as parents, retired staff and local residents echoed those themes: they praised extracurricular programs such as trades, band and the eighth-grade Washington, D.C., trip, highlighted the district’s academic rankings and facilities improvements, and urged the community to focus on student experience. One speaker who said she had retired and subbed across district schools called the administration and many teachers “amazing” and encouraged residents to visit campus to see classroom and facility work first-hand.
Speakers asked the public to provide substantive evidence rather than “half-truths and insinuations,” and several urged that questions about hiring, family relationships in the district and donations to school events be weighed against years of service and community support. Jean Johnson spoke specifically about accusations of nepotism and said: “Just because people don't like the proof doesn't mean it's not true, but instead they grasp at straws.”
Board members thanked those who spoke. The session included later items on budget planning and other district business.
These remarks were public comment and did not constitute a board response or formal finding on the allegations discussed by speakers.
