During the public-comment portion of the Nov. 17 meeting, student Paxton Makaitis and community member John Hetzel spoke at length.

Paxton Makaitis, a VHHS senior, said the district's previous engineering offerings (electronics, Intro to Engineering Design, Advanced Design Drawing) provided multi-year progression that Project Lead The Way (PLTW) does not. "The school, I've been told, spent $30,000 on this program and got rid of 3 classes," Makaitis said, asking the board to reinstate the old curriculum or allow teachers more latitude to preserve elements of the former program. He described acting as a TA to support student interest and urged the board to prioritize pathways that lead students into more advanced coursework.

John Hetzel followed, saying the board needs "better leadership" and explicitly calling for Jim Batson to resign. Hetzel criticized Batson's handling of policy and procedure, alleged an inappropriate public security presentation earlier in the year, questioned COVID-era decisions, and cited consultant expenditures and legal settlements as evidence supporting his demand. "I think Jim needs to resign," Hetzel said.

Board President Batson thanked both speakers and reminded the public of the three-minute limit for comments. There were no formal responses or policy changes made at the meeting in direct reaction to these comments; trustees moved on to the regular agenda.