The Tosa Ledger

Volume IX – August 6, 2025

 A clear, weekly roundup of actions, alerts, and stories that matter. Forward freely. Act boldly.

OFFICIAL RESPONSE TO DUX COMPLAINT: A “TECHNICAL VIOLATION” — BUT NO ACTION TAKEN

On August 1, 2025, School Board President Dr. Lynne Woehrle issued a final letter in response to the ethics complaint filed by Dr. Justin Dux regarding board member Jason Wautier. The result:

No vote. No discussion. No consequences.

Despite confirming a policy violation, the board opted for closure without further public action.

Summary of Complaint:

• Policy Violation - That Wautier violated Policy 0144.5 by failing to include Superintendent Means on text messages involving board business — specifically on predicted WSTEM vote outcomes.

• Improper Political Gain - That Wautier used insider knowledge to recruit the original recipient of those texts as a campaign supporter.

Woehrle’s Findings:

Concern #1: Confirmed Violation

“The evidence did support that there was a technical violation of policy 0144.5 by Mr. Wautier.”

Legal counsel advised against punitive action. Wautier reportedly “took corrective action” and now complies with communication protocols. No board member introduced a motion, so the matter will not appear on a future agenda.

Concern #2: Dismissed
Woehrle’s letter states that the campaign supporter volunteered independently, apparently, from the board’s point of view, clearing Wautier of misuse of influence.

A Wisconsin Ethics Commission complaint is now pending. Letter available here and in the Open Records Hub.

TED MARTIN RESURFACES — AS CLASSROOMS ARE CUT

According to ClearGov, FY26 shows elementary school budget reductions of 9–20% and the elimination of instructional technology.

Meanwhile, “General Elementary” spending surged by over $3 million (+125%), with no published explanation.

Public documents show that:

• Former McKinley principal Ted Martin is now listed as Director of Recreation.

• His application reportedly names Means, Zelazoski, and Marble as references — the same officials who supported his McKinley tenure.

Unanswered Questions (based on public records and open records requests):

• Was the job publicly posted and if so, was it posted after the fact?

• Is his compensation aligned with former director Matt Vanderkamp’s $88,910 salary?

• Is the position funded under the inflated “General Elementary” line item?

Instructional tech: cut. Classrooms: cut.

Consequences? Reassigned.

THE DUX PAPERS: HOW THE DISTRICT DISMANTLED A TOP-PERFORMING SCHOOL

This week, the 2030 Task Force released internal documents from former WSTEM Governance Council member Justin Dux. The file, now published at the Open Records Hub, outlines what appears to be the systematic undermining of a thriving charter institution. Dr. Dux notes that he released this document to the board on at least two prior occasions.

WSTEM was not failing — it was flourishing. That may be precisely why it was targeted.

Performance Data:

• Ranked #3 in Wisconsin for Target Group Achievement

• Operated near capacity in 2024–25 with 130 students and a 229-person waitlist

• 57% of applicants were students of color in its final year

• 90% of families supported charter renewal

Yet the district reportedly:

• Delayed negotiations and withheld contract materials

• Changed internal rubrics mid-process

• Denied engagement meeting after meeting

• Ultimately terminated the charter

Dux Papers full document available here and on the Open Records Hub.

TITLE IX & VI QUESTIONS AFTER APRIL 22 WSTEM VOTE

April 22 Vote Accelerates Closure

Though the board originally approved a 5-year WSTEM phase-out in October 2024, on April 22, 2025, it held a special meeting and voted 4–2 not to renew the charter — effectively ending the school by June 2026.

Community accounts and media reports confirm there was no public discussion after closed session.

Title IX & Title VI Concerns

Title IX: Gender Impact

• WSTEM offered inclusive STEM programming where girls remain underrepresented.

• Its closure displaced multiple female educators and removed programming without replacement.

• These outcomes may raise disparate impact concerns under Title IX.

Title VI: Racial Equity

• Over half of WSTEM applicants were students of color in 2025

• No equity impact assessment was conducted prior to closure.

• WSTEM’s high performance on closing gaps was ignored.

• These patterns raise potential procedural and equity issues under Title VI.

Note: These concerns are raised by the 2030 Task Force and do not represent formal legal conclusions.

“We Sold Our Home to Protect Our Children”

Ashley Peterson, a former McKinley and WSTEM parent, submitted a public letter to the board explaining her family’s decision to leave the district and sell their home — citing instability, policy contradictions, and exclusion.

“What our decision ultimately comes down to is that we’re looking for stability for our children, and Wauwatosa hasn’t provided that.”

Full letter available here and at the Open Records Hub.

WHISTLEBLOWER TESTIMONY: MADISON ELEMENTARY

A veteran teacher from Madison Elementary submitted a resignation letter describing what she viewed as a pattern of retaliation, coaching misuse, and hostile leadership. Her testimony is now part of the 2030 Task Force’s record.

Key elements:

• Rapid turnover of her original grade-level team

• Coaching perceived as punitive, not supportive

• Staff photos used to question classroom safety without context

• Speaking up reframed as “resistance” or defiance

Her conclusion:

“I believe that teachers should be trusted professionals, not scapegoats for systemic issues beyond their control. Madison deserves better. Our students deserve better.”

Her anonymous story is available here and on the Open Records Hub. 

THE DISTRICT ATTEMPTS DAMAGE CONTROL AT MADISON

With only five teachers remaining after a two-year exodus — capped by a final wave of resignations this summer — Madison Elementary is in full-scale crisis.

In response, the district has announced a “Madison Family Meeting” on Wednesday, August 6 at 5:30 PM in the Madison gym, widely seen as a late-stage attempt to calm an increasingly alarmed parent base and stem the mounting reputational damage.

At the center of the controversy is Principal Shannon Izquierdo. Under her leadership:

• 30 teachers, staff, parents and community members have come forward with concerns in the past three months alone.

• A wave of whistleblower disclosures began in May, including the public testimony of Takela Jones, a former African-American special education teacher, who described experiencing a hostile work environment, harassment by leadership and retaliation after seeking help from both district leaders and board members. She also raised allegations of racial exclusion.

• Most recently, nine Madison families submitted a public letter to the board, citing disillusionment, instability — and fear of retaliation.

Their words speak volumes:

“We have been shocked and saddened to hear about:

• The insanely high turnover of wonderful teachers this past school year and summer

• The lack of support for teachers at Madison

• The desecration of a once thriving PTA

• Dedicated Madison families removing their children to attend school elsewhere

All of this appears to be a result of the toxic culture created under the leadership of Principal Shannon Izquierdo… And we also fear retaliation from our principal by speaking out to you.”

No corrective actions have been announced.

To date, the superintendent’s office has declined public comment on the substance of the allegations. The upcoming meeting appears focused on procedural updates — such as hiring, onboarding, and operational expectations — rather than directly acknowledging or addressing the underlying causes of dysfunction.

With the school year just weeks away — and a leadership vacuum at one of the district’s most diverse schools — the question remains:

Who is stepping in to protect the students of Madison Elementary? And how on earth will they replace all these teachers in time for school to start?

CALL TO ACTION: Members of the 2030 Task Force will be onsite to monitor developments and listen alongside the Madison community. Community members are strongly encouraged to attend — to stand in support of students, families, and educators, and to bear witness to how district leadership responds. Your presence matters. Silence enables collapse.

70 WHISTLEBLOWERS: A CIVIC CRISIS OF SCALE

As of this publication, the 2030 Task Force has documented 70 firsthand whistleblower accounts — a staggering figure by any civic standard.

In other high-profile governance scandals — Flint, Michigan (water crisis), Atlanta Public Schools (testing scandal), Socorro ISD in Texas (corruption probe) — the number of whistleblowers was typically measured in single digits.

Wauwatosa’s scale is without precedent for a local school district.

“This isn’t personal bravery as the exception — it’s mass testimony as the rule.”

DISTRICT COMPARISON: WAUWATOSA VS. ELMBROOK (DATA FROM THE DISTRICT'S 2075 TASK FORCE)

Despite serving fewer students, Wauwatosa operates 16 schools — 60% more than Elmbrook — with far higher facility costs and worsening outcomes. The structural inefficiencies are well-documented, but remain unaddressed in current district planning.

Available in the Open Records Hub.

WAS THERE REALLY SUPPORT FOR ALL 9 ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS?

Superintendent Means has suggested recent actions reflect community support for keeping all schools open — but the 2075 Task Force data shows otherwise:

• 88% of Task Force members said a long-term plan should precede new taxes

• Only 49% supported the 2024 referendum. Support was higher for the operating referendum, largely due to promised teacher raises, which as noted in the next segment appear largely unfulfilled.

• Most supported closing at least one elementary school - but those recommendations were never acted upon.

Importantly, the public was never directly asked whether they wanted to keep all 9 elementary schools. That question was absent from formal engagement materials, including surveys and the referendum ballot itself.

Meanwhile, the district is using a "school closure" loophole to eliminate both Longfellow and Whitman middle schools — while leaving all elementary buildings open. This maneuver preserves the most inefficient part of the system and does not support a strategy geared toward serving the educational needs and fiscal constraints of the community.

Quoting a former 2075 Task Force member:

“The referendum was not framed as a vote to keep all 9 schools open… many felt our recommendations were ignored.”

STRATEGIC PLANNING AND GOVERNANCE REVIEW? NO, IT’S NOT THE PUNCHLINE TO A BAD JOKE.

On August 4, the board reviewed the district's "strategic plan" and a WASDA slide deck on “Effective Governance” — despite a year of:

• An $8.1M shortfall, multi-million dollar budget error and potential violation of the law regarding budget amendments (emerging last summer).

• A repeatedly requested forensic audit (unheeded) and secret meetings

• The WSTEM shutdown and climate collapse at multiple schools

• 70 whistleblower submissions, accelerating teacher and family departures, leadership instability

• Surging central office costs and property taxes. $11 million structural deficit.

This wasn’t a workshop. It was a post-collapse performance review — dressed up in bullet points, platitudes, and gauzy aspirations. A year of monumental breakdowns, rebranded as progress. And a “North Star” that ain't North Starring anymore.

The strategic plan executive summary and WASDA governance presentation are available here.