Where Does the Greenfield School District Go From Here?

It’s only the end of June, but it feels like the dog days of summer are already here.

Especially in the Greenfield School District.

In an on Patch, 78 percent of participants (92 of 117, as of 9:30 a.m. Friday) said the district morale was low and that “there are issues that are not being addressed.” Eleven percent disagreed; they believe employees and parents are satisfied and that morale is high.

Will the coming months reveal supporting evidence for either? If June’s School Board meetings are any indication, there’s a good chance they will.

June 11 meeting was revealing 

On June 11, Kerri Jo Patten, for transferring her from her position as a first-grade teacher at to the , where she will teach five subjects as a seventh-grade teacher.

Patten told the board she had never received less than “commendable” performance appraisals in her seven years and was not made aware of any performance issues until she was handed an eight-page performance improvement document on the last day of this school year, the day she learned of her transfer.

“The document is full of untruths and includes false charges about practices and events that allegedly occurred over the last seven years,” Patten said. “It’s irrational to think that someone who had consistently received commendable performance reviews would suddenly receive reprimands covering that same timeframe seven years later.”

Superintendent Conrad Farner did not address Patten’s comments, or her transfer specifically, but defended the administration’s decisions to move teachers around the district and said it was an opportunity to “maximize student learning.”

“It has been a time-consuming process involving many variables,” Farner said, “but we are confident that by matching our teachers’ skills sets, experiences, training and expertise to the appropriate grade level team, we will best serve our students.”

At that same meeting, board member Russ Spahn raised concerns about the number of resignations the board was asked to approve that night. He and requested to speak with those employees to hear their reasons for resigning.

Both incidents led to community members on both sides of the issues expresses themselves on Greenfield Patch. Some tried to rally those with concerns to voice them at the June 25 board meeting, and while there was a spike in attendance with about 55 people filling more than half the room, only four people spoke during the public comments portion of the meeting.

Of those four, , and specifically Farner, and refuted several comments left on Greenfield Patch. One of those who spoke out was Community Relations Manager Stuart Wilke:

“Some of those bloggers would like you to believe they have the inside scoop on the district and I will tell you they do not. I would suggest that unless you’ve been here during normal office hours, early in the morning, late at night or on the weekends, you’d never imagine how much time and effort Mr. Farner and his administrators dedicate to the Greenfield School District students.”

While several teachers were in attendance, none – past or present – followed Patten's lead from the previous meeting.

What's in store for July?

So, what will the rest of the summer bring?

One thing is certain: there will be new faces in the mix. On Monday, the board . Whereas the voting public elected the remaining six board members, Richlen’s replacement will be selected by the existing board, a process that will either magnify any board divisiveness or highlight its unity.

Two members voted in during the April election have already made their presence felt. In addition to Spahn speaking out earlier this month, longtime board member Cathy Walsh has also questioned administration policy and decision-making since her return to the board.

On Monday, she too questioned a teacher resignation approved by the board, and initiated the removal of a school board policy/guideline restriction requested by the administration that would have kept employees from posting inflammatory statements about the district on their personal social media accounts.

“Who decides what’s inflammatory? Who decides what somebody puts on their personal computer constitutes a substantial disruption to the school environment?” Walsh said. “I just can’t agree with this. I don’t want to be the one to say when it is and when it isn’t.”

Patten figures to continue to have a significant role as well. The Greenfield Education Association president-elect assumes the position to be vacated by longtime district teacher Doug Perry on June 30.

Perry, whose retirement was approved by the board June 11, was at the center of attention in the months following the passage of Act 10 by the state legislators. Last summer, he asked that teachers still be a part of the . He was also an during the months immediately following Gov. Scott Walker’s announcement to restrict collective bargaining rights among public employees.

If the June 11 meeting is any indication, Patten appears poised to follow in her predecessor’s footsteps, which could make for an interesting summer.