The Tosa Ledger

Volume VII – July 31, 2025

Rebuttal of the Week:

“No, Dr. Means, chaos and human suffering are not what the people of this District wanted.”

— 2030 Task Force

Quote of the Week:

"You were elected to oversee a school district — not a crisis management agency. Please stop pretending everything is fine.”

— Public comment from a community member, WSD Board Meeting, July 28, 2025

ADMINISTRATIVE BLOAT: THE ELEPHANT IN THE FISHER BUILDING

As revealed in Part I (“Second Worst”) and Part II of the xCore Reports (“The Pattern Is the Crisis”) — Dr. Means didn’t just replace existing staff. He doubled down on expansion.
 

Tosa’s administrative overhead is now twice that of Elmbrook.

• Facilities costs are 350% higher than Elmbrook’s.

• Classroom support has been hollowed out while bureaucracy balloons.

• The district claims “Tosans insist on keeping all our buildings,” but former members of the now-defunct 2075 Task Force tell a different story: facilities needs were reviewed — and ignored.

Did Tosans make this bed? Or did the District launder the sheets and tuck us in themselves?

$350 MILLION AND COUNTING: THE NEXT SPENDING WAVE

That number — 350 — keeps popping up. It’s now the starting bid for the next capital plan:

• Middle schools and high schools

• A minimum $350 million expansion

• The largest capital plan in Tosa’s history

And it comes right after the largest tax increase in city history.

Last week, homeowners saw their property tax bills spike 20–30%. Earlier this year, we projected a 52% increase by 2030. That now appears too low by half.

Let’s run the math:
If you paid $6,500 in property taxes last year,
You may be paying nearly $13,000 by 2029.
Yes — a doubling.

PART II: WHERE IS THE MONEY GOING?

While classrooms tighten belts, the Fisher Building fattens its purse.
According to the district’s own 2025–26 Expenditures by Location report, the real story isn’t just about rising taxes — it’s about how that money is being spent.
Budget report

Superintendent’s Office: +96.54%

Not a typo. The Superintendent's budget nearly doubled year-over-year:

• FY25: $487,134

• FY26: $957,431

This comes as elementary schools lose staff and parents are told to “tighten community expectations.”

Chief Academic Officer: +95.86%

This role, created in 2022, has exploded in cost:

• FY25: $502,572

• FY26: $984,353

Meanwhile, Academic Performance spending was cut 10.4%, and the Instructional Technology department was eliminated entirely.

Less learning. More layering.

9 out of 10 elementary schools saw cuts — some of them dramatic.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS: A PATTERN OF CUTS

Eisenhower: A $1.6 Million Question

Eisenhower Elementary is the only school to receive a major increase:
+50.7%, from $3.17M to $4.79M.

Why? No explanation has been given.

Raises serious questions about equity and favoritism in building-level allocations. Doesn’t new board member, Chris Bauer’s family attend Eisenhower?

ADMINISTRATIVE PRIORITIES, CLASSROOM CONSEQUENCES

Dr. Gottlieb’s conclusion stands:

Unlike other districts, even with a less than fully funded special education formula, Tosa would still be in deficit due to its top-heavy structure.

As the xCore Reportput it: “The pattern is the crisis.”

Tosans are being taxed more than ever — but their children are getting less and less.

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS: THE WAUTIER COMPLAINT AND THE BOARD’S CULTURE OF SECRECY

On July 28, 2025, Dr. Chris Merker publicly challenged the legality of a closed session citing a vague complaint against a fellow board member.
No names. No details. Just the claim that reputational harm justified secrecy.

Now we know why.

The Real Subject of the Closed Session? Jason Wautier.

Just one day later, Dr. Merker filed a formal, notarized ethics complaint with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission, naming board member Jason Wautier. A sworn affidavit from Dr. Justin Dux was also submitted.

Allegations include:

• Sharing predictive info about how board members would vote on the WSTEM contract with a political supporter during the 2025 election

• Voting on that matter without disclosing or recusing

• Violating Wis. Stat. § 19.59(1)(a)(b) and (c)

These actions allegedly conferred an improper campaign-period benefit and violated public trust.

Merker’s Public Challenge: Transparency Denied

“Ask yourself: What is it about this complaint that requires secrecy? If the issue involves a text message about WSTEM, why not just address it in public?”

— Dr. Merker, Public Comment, July 28, 2025

He promised the 2030 Task Force would release the full file that week — so the community could see what the board would not show.

“This isn’t just about a complaint. It’s about a decision that led to the closure of a school — and the erosion of public trust that followed.”

The Wisconsin Ethics Commission complaint can be viewed here.

What the Evidence Shows

• Texts between Wautier and political ally Ryan Rudnitzki discussing WSTEM vote outcomes

• Insider knowledge conferred during the campaign

• A voting record that contradicts earlier campaign-era signals

• Exhibit B confirms Wautier ultimately voted against WSTEM renewal, despite signaling otherwise

 Legal Precedent Ignored

Merker cited Meier v. WSD Board (2023), where Judge William Pocan ruled that the board violated the Open Meetings Law:

“Embarrassment or political inconvenience is not a legal exemption. The public’s right to know doesn’t disappear behind closed doors.”

Summary Judgment Hearing Transcript attached here and will be posted in the Open Records Hub.

Why This Matters

Secrecy.
Vote forecasting.
Lack of recusal.
A closed-door cover-up.

“If you did your job right in the first place, the 2030 Task Force wouldn’t need to be here tonight.” 

— Dr. Merker

MADISON IS ON FIRE — AND THE DISTRICT KNOWS IT

In late July, Principal Shannon Izquierdo issued what many are calling a damage control letter to Madison Elementary families. This followed a July 24 parent letter to the WSD board and administration, signed by 9 families, warning of:

• A toxic school culture

• Mass staff departures

• The collapse of the PTA

• Growing fear of retaliation for speaking out

“Our school is in crisis, and we don’t feel safe saying so.” 

50% Staff Turnover, 20+ Whistleblowers

• 13 whistleblowers documented in the xCore Report

• 9 additional families have come forward since

• 50% staff turnover over two years

We thought McKinley was bad — but Madison is competing for school with the highest level of distress and whistleblower activity.

Izquierdo’s Letter: Rebranding Without Accountability

The principal’s letter mentions neither the whistleblower crisis nor the exodus of staff.
Instead, it focuses on:

• “Academic excellence”

• A new “Parent Advisory Committee”

What’s missing?

• Acknowledgment of turmoil

• A plan to restore morale

• Any accountability at all

And the district board and admin: silence.

What’s at Stake

“How many more teachers need to quit before the children are prioritized?”

— Madison parent

WHAT YOU MISSED: JULY 28 BOARD MEETING

Did Woehrle Overstep Again?

At Monday’s board meeting, Dr. Lynne Woehrle interrupted Dr. Chris Merker mid-remarks, suggesting comment was limited to agenda-only items.

But:

• Board Policy 0167.3 allows non-agenda comments

• Merker was commenting under “Strategic Goals”

• A prior speaker who shifted topics was not interrupted

A familiar pattern: inconsistent enforcement, silencing dissent. Community members may remember Dr. Woerhle’s very public apology on June 9 for her attempts to suppress applause at the May 12 board meeting. She also mentioned someone had threatened litigation.

“The public has the right to participate fully and fairly, and the board has a responsibility to uphold that right without bias.”

— Community member in response

New Whistleblower: Resignation or Else?

At Monday’s board meeting, veteran educator Kendra Kovar delivered a public statement exposing coercive and retaliatory employment practices — now confirmed by internal emails from 2023.

Key Facts:

• Kovar was removed from the staffing plan without notice or cause

• Allegedly, HR falsely stated they “heard” she was planning to retire

• She was denied an $800 stipend unless she signed a return contract

• Later, the same stipend was offered — only if she agreed to resign

“Needless to say I left that meeting facing quite a conundrum regarding my future employment with the district.”

— Kendra Kovar, public testimony

Internal email from Chief of Talent Sarah Zelazoski corroborates her claim:

“This offer is made in return for your resignation prior to May 31.”

Kovar drew a direct line between the District’s financial bloat and a growing pattern of mistreatment toward veteran staff:

“We need to take a closer look at Mr. Means’ qualifications, the mass exodus of highly qualified teachers, and other misappropriations of funds — like bribing teachers to leave by offering them stipends.”

This is now the 35th unique whistleblower to come forward across multiple schools — McKinley, Madison, East, and now Whitman — and one of the most detailed, directly corroborated accounts to date.

Urgent Questions Raised:

• Are stipends being used to quietly force out experienced teachers?

• Is the district conditioning earned pay on political loyalty or silence?

• Who else has been pressured out behind closed doors?