Saint Croix Central board elects officers, approves ACP plan and new extracurricular positions amid heated public comments and budget shortfall discussion

The Saint Croix Central School board elected a slate of officers and approved several personnel and program items during its annual reorganizational meeting, while members of the public used the meeting's public-comment period to press the board on alleged administrative misconduct and pending investigations.

The board elected Bridal Herrick as president, Lance Rongstad as vice president, Dave Roos as treasurer and Jeff Redmond as clerk by voice vote after a motion from Jeff Redmond and a second from Brad Wester. The board then approved the district's Academic and Career Planning (ACP) plan, added a proposed elementary "Orphansemble" music position and a unified coach position replacing cheerleading, and adopted several routine fiscal and administrative items including student fees and a debt defeasance resolution.

The actions matter because they set leadership for the coming year, authorize new student opportunities the district plans to fund, and commit the board to a multi-step plan to manage debt and the district's preliminary budget amid projected revenue declines.

Board actions and votes The board moved quickly through a series of consent and action items after the officer election. Items the board approved by voice motion or unanimous voice vote included: - A slate of officers (motion by Jeff Redmond; second by Brad Wester; motion carried). - Approval of the district's ACP plan, which the district described as expanding career-planning curriculum and family engagement across grades 6'12 (motion made and approved by voice vote; mover not specified in the record). - Addition of an elementary "Orphansemble" position to provide a fourth- and fifth-grade performing-arts ensemble (motion approved by voice vote). - Replacement of the cheerleading adviser with a unified coach position (motion approved by voice vote). - Approval of recommended student course fees for 2025'26 and a motion to accept any later changes to dual-credit fees forwarded by partner universities (motion carried). - A modest increase to student lunch and breakfast prices (15 cents for breakfast, 25 cents for lunch) to help the school-food service program cover rising labor and food costs (motion carried). - Designation of Citizen State Bank and related trustee arrangements as the district's depository and approval of building-use fee adjustments for custodial and kitchen staffing outside business hours (motions carried). - Designation of the Hudson Star-Observer as the district's official newspaper (motion carried). - A resolution authorizing the defeasance (prepayment/escrow) of a portion of the district's general obligation refunding bonds, a move the district said would prepay roughly $2.4 million of outstanding principal and save approximately $1.66 million in future interest costs (motion carried). - Approval of the monthly financial report as presented (motion carried).

Several of the votes were taken by voice with no roll-call tallies in the public record.

Public comment: questions about investigations, hiring and spending Public comment extended for more than one speaker and focused heavily on questions about district administration, investigations and alleged favoritism.

Zach Ringgold, a Roberts resident and district alumnus, asked why the board had not accepted the district lawyer's offer to appoint an outside investigator and raised questions about legal spending, a bonus paid to the superintendent and the use of district resources. Ringgold also read a draft agreement he said had been circulated that described terms for dismissing a restraining-order petition involving a district employee; he urged the board to answer related questions.

Dwayne Jourdain, a former Saint Croix Central teacher and district consultant, read a list of a dozen questions he said should be asked publicly, including why there has been turnover among experienced staff, why the high school principal was removed in 2022, whether administrators have given preferential treatment to relatives or friends in hiring, and why an investigation report into allegations against the superintendent had not been released. Jourdain said he was "extremely, extremely surprised" the superintendent has not been placed on administrative leave and urged board members to act as trustees to the public rather than pledging loyalty to an individual.

Emily Kelser, another commenter, described what she characterized as violations of district reduction-in-force policy and alleged nepotism in some administrative hires; she asked the board to consider disciplinary action for policy violations.

Board and staff response Board members repeatedly declined to answer detailed questions during the public-comment period, noting the items were not on the meeting agenda and that some issues are subject to ongoing legal or personnel processes. Superintendent Tim Whitaker and District Administrator (school business official) Jen (surname not specified in the record) were present for parts of the meeting; board members said certain concerns are being handled through legal counsel and the appropriate personnel procedures.

Budget and longer-term financial context Administrators presented a preliminary budget update showing the district expects a net revenue gain from a $325 per-student state increase but will lose a separate declining-enrollment exemption that had provided roughly $245,000 this year. The administration estimated the district will be about $600,000 short under current assumptions for next year unless adjustments are made. The board also discussed the strategy of levying debt service in fund 39 and prepaying debt to keep the district's mill rate stable.

Superintendent or board officials said they will continue administrative work with the board over the coming month to refine staffing and expenditure choices for the 2025'26 fiscal year.

Other presentations and student programs (brief) The meeting featured several informational presentations that highlighted student activities and curricular work: a Battle of the Books update from elementary and middle-school teachers Abby Dilcher and Kirsten Bozenweiler; a summary by high-school band director Sean Conaway on a Los Angeles performance and educational trip with 77 travelers (55 students, 15 chaperones); an Academic and Career Planning (ACP) showcase describing student-made career websites presented by Alyssa Fritchie, Maria Paulson and Jenny Franklin and several eighth-grade students; and a school-counseling presentation on inclusion from second-grade teacher Cassie Evans. Those presentations were informational; the board did not take formal action on curricular content beyond approving the ACP plan.

What's next Board members scheduled continued budget work with administrators. The board also listed several items for the June meeting and indicated that work on personnel, wage and benefit recommendations and some pending investigations would occur in closed session as permitted under Wisconsin statutes.

Votes at a glance - Slate of officers (Herrick, Rongstad, Roos, Redmond): approved (voice vote). - ACP plan approval: approved (voice vote). - Addition of "Orphansemble" elementary ensemble position: approved (voice vote). - Unified coach position (replaces cheerleading coach): approved (voice vote). - Student course fees for 2025'26 (including autos, floral design and dual-credit contingencies): approved (voice vote). - Student meal price increases (breakfast +$0.15; lunch +$0.25): approved (voice vote). - Building use and auditorium fee adjustments (custodial/kitchen overtime): approved (voice vote). - Designation of Citizen State Bank as district depository; securities pledge noted: approved (voice vote). - Designation of Hudson Star-Observer as official newspaper: approved (voice vote). - Resolution to defease a portion of outstanding GO refunding bonds (prepay ~$2.4M): approved (voice vote). - Monthly financial report: approved (voice vote).

Reporting notes This article reports only what was presented and asked aloud at the public meeting. Where commenters made allegations about investigations or personnel actions, the article attributes those claims to the named speakers and does not assert them as established fact. The record showed multiple voice votes; specific recorded tallies were not provided in the public transcript.