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Resident urges CHSD 128 board president to resign, cites management and policy concerns
Summary
At the Nov. 17 meeting, John Hetzel urged Board President Jim Batson to resign, citing alleged policy missteps, handling of security presentations, COVID‑era decisions, consultancies and declining proficiency scores; the comment drew appreciation from the board for public input but no board action was taken.
During the public‑comment portion of the Nov. 17 CHSD 128 board meeting, John Hetzel directly called on Board President Jim Batson to resign and enumerated a series of complaints about board leadership and district management.
Hetzel said he had observed the district’s leadership over five years and told trustees ‘‘I think Jim needs to resign.’’ He listed alleged problems that, in his view, include errors in following policies and procedures, mishandled security presentations and public materials, decisions during the COVID period, choice of consulting contracts he described as ‘‘not academic focused,’’ and administrative staffing levels he called ‘‘bloated.’’ He also cited litigation or settlement costs he attributed to prior personnel decisions.
On the security presentation, Hetzel told the board that a security briefing shown last spring had been ‘‘scrubbed’’ from the public deck and YouTube the following day, and he linked that sequence to concerns about exposing vulnerabilities. He also said proficiency scores for multiple student groups had declined over the past five years.
Board President Jim Batson acknowledged the public comment and thanked speakers; the board made no immediate response or personnel action during the meeting.
What happens next: Hetzel’s commentary entered the public record as part of tonight’s public‑comment period. No motions or board actions were taken in response during the meeting.
