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Volume XI – August 20, 2025
Volume XI – August 20, 2025
A clear, weekly roundup of actions, alerts, and stories that matter. Forward freely. Act boldly.
LEAD STORY — THE FIRST REAL REPLIES: TREASURER WAUTIER WRITES BACK; 9130 COMES INTO FOCUS
Earlier this month (Aug. 6), Superintendent Means addressed parents at Madison, and responded at length to a parent question on the 2030 Task Force. It was revealing (read post-Madison meeting report and to watch the full video) in why the District and Board have been silent after months of documentation and scores of whistleblowers coming forward. This past week, Treasurer Jason Wautier replied in writing to the 2030 Task Force for the first time since the xCore Reports and ten volumes of the Tosa Ledger. His note points the public to three dashboards and says the Board just updated Policy 6210 requiring an annually reviewed “long-term facilities needs plan.” He also defended Policy 9130 routing and invited Policy Committee review.
What Wautier’s reply reveals (and doesn’t):
The dashboards he cites track already-approved projects and spending. They do not answer the long-range questions the community keeps asking (how many schools in 5/10/20 years, renovate vs. consolidate framework, property sales/leases, operating/capital integration).
On 9130, his “personal interpretation” asserts there’s enough language for Board involvement even when complaints implicate the Superintendent. In practice, that’s not happening (see Exhibit A below).
What we’re asking—again, formally, this week:
Publish a district-wide facilities + finance plan before any new projects/referenda: scenarios, timelines, criteria for closures/consolidations, and how operating limits drive these choices.
Suspend 9130 routing for leadership-related complaints; create direct Board intake with confidentiality and a public reporting cadence.
Pause the Ad-Hoc secondary work until there is a coherent long-term plan and operating recovery path.
Email exchange available here and on our Open Records Hub.
Madison 2023-2025: A Point of Contradiction in Data and District Messaging on Madison
On October 10, 2023, in a message signed by Superintendent Demond Means, the District told families that “Madison Elementary saw the most growth in ELA of any elementary school.” This statement directly contradicts the narrative from district leadership two weeks ago that the teacher cohort that left Madison was underperforming (many were veteran teachers with 5+ years of service). It also contradicts the broader DPI report card data included in the post-Madison parent meeting report.
It begs two questions: Why the leadership change at Madison to begin with? Why were teachers blamed for the failure when the school was clearly outperforming prior to the leadership change?
Expectations & Equity — What the District Chose to Say (2022)
On November 15, 2022, in a districtwide email signed by Superintendent Demond Means (“DPI Report Cards”), families were told:
“A correlation exists between elementary school performance and student demographics.”
“Roosevelt and Washington are beating the odds” despite having “very diverse” student bodies and 20%+ economically disadvantaged students.
The state’s rating “rigor…has declined,” making certain ratings easier to achieve.
Why this matters: Phrases like “correlation…with demographics” and “beating the odds” can communicate deficit framing — the idea that student background predicts lower performance—rather than asset-based expectations for every child. The district should make clear that high expectations are non-negotiable across all schools and student groups, and that policy and support — not student identity — drive outcomes. As we have noted repeatedly in these pages, claims of equity are not keeping pace with the data or DPI reports on equity, and attitude and orientation matter.
POLICY 9130 — FROM LANGUAGE TO LIVED EXPERIENCE
Exhibit A (charter governance access): In 2024, WSTEM Governing Council officer Dr. Justin Dux sought a meeting with then–Board President Eric Jessup-Anger (EJA) to discuss WSTEM’s future. According to Dr. Dux’s report, after the Superintendent became aware, the principal - not EJA, not Dr. Means - redirected Dux to Policy 9130, foreclosing a Board-Governance Council conversation upstream of the vote to shutter WSTEM (forwarded email: June 1, 2024). The practical effect: 9130 functioned as a gate, not a bridge. According to a discussion earlier in the year with a charter governance expert, this practice of restricting board access to governing council members is clearly out of step with the charter contract renewal process, and points to steps taken by the district to freeze discussion over WSTEM.
Three immediate transparency moves for 9130:
Publish a two-year 9130 log (counts, topics, dispositions; which were elevated to the Board).
Clarify by policy/practice that matters involving senior leadership and whistleblower concerns may be received directly and safely by the Board.
Affirm charter-governance access: Board members may meet with charter officers on program futures without violating 9130. While WSTEM is regrettably on its way out, there are other charters such as WVA. A separate issue, but perhaps someday WVA will have a governing board, too, as called for in its charter, another contradictory governance practice in the district.
GOVERNANCE & TRANSPARENCY — "YOURS IN VOLUNTEERISM?” WHOSE IN VOLUNTEERISM?
We’ve wondered why Chris Bauer, “the finance guy” — who once led the public push to remove a failing principal at Eisenhower—has been silent amid the McKinley and Madison crises. A recent public-records find may explain it: close coordination with Board/administration during the Eisenhower episode.
Email and documents obtained by the 2030 Task Force show Mr. Bauer sent an editable link of his draft public remarks to then-Board member Jessica Willis and received suggested edits before he spoke.
I have been asked, when there is much to think about, to provide my public comments ahead of time. (Chris Bauer to board member Willis)
The thread includes the direct edit invitation and comments on content and timing. Who is the editor of these comments? Jessica Willis or someone else? Was it a group activity, as suggested by the number of commenters? That level of pre-meeting editing on “public comment” raises fairness and independence concerns — particularly given Mr. Bauer later founded Yes to Tosa Kids! to advocate for the 2024 referenda and then won a Board seat in April 2025. We invite Mr. Bauer, the Board President, and the Superintendent to clarify the process used then and now: who edits what, when, for whom and for what purpose.
Chris Bauer documents available here and on the Open Records Hub.
Chris Bauer Public Comment Edits 06-2023.pdfTED MARTIN UPDATE — CONTRACT, PAY FLOOR & JUNE 23 BOARD ACTIONS
What the new contract does: The Director of Recreation administrative contract runs July 1, 2025–June 30, 2027 (229 work days) and guarantees Mr. Martin’s 2025–26 pay is “no less than [his] 2024–25 salary.” The face of the document shows Board approval dated June 23, 2025 (signatures by Board President/Clerk).
What the June 23 packet shows:
The Employee Transactions list a two-year renewal for Ted Martin as Principal (McKinley), 2025–27—but no explicit agenda action for a Recreation contract.
The Director of Recreation job is an Administrator (Exempt) reporting to the Chief Finance & Operations Officer; the document shows “Revised 6-13-25.”
Mr. Martin’s résumé identifies him as Director of Recreation — July 2025–Present.
Salary implications (public interest, unresolved):
The Recreation contract pegs pay to Martin’s prior principal salary (a figure not stated in the ORR contract). His predecessor reportedly earned $89,000 (as shown in the prior contract obtained by the 2030 Task Force, and available on the Open Records Hub).
Resulting delta:
If prior principal salary = $115,000, increase vs. predecessor ≈ 29%
If $120,000, ≈ 35%
If $130,000, ≈ 46%
We ask the Board/Clerk to publish the exact 2024–25 principal salary used to set the Recreation pay floor, and to identify the agenda item (or bring a post-facto ratification) reflecting this conversion. To our eyes, given the controversy surrounding Mr. Martin following his rapid departure from McKinley after months of community pressure and multiple parent, teacher and staff whistleblowers coming forward, it appears to function as a buyout. Again we ask, why is this man still employed and why did he receive an effective raise in this position?
Martin contract available here and on the Open Records Hub,
25-27_Admin_Contrax__Martin__T.pdfWHISTLEBLOWER INBOX (DISTRICT-WIDE, ANONYMOUS THIS WEEK)
We keep sources anonymous, trim for clarity, and invite official documents for correction/confirmation. We will publish clarifications promptly.
1) Health benefits & competitiveness
Teacher reports that, after last year’s “budgeting errors,” the 2025–26 proposal shifts to $2,400 annual premium + $8,000 family deductible (exposure up to $10,400), with an average raise ≈ $2,177 — and no Board questions on competitiveness.
Requests: Publish a WSD vs. peer-district plan grid (premiums, deductibles, OOP max, employer HSA/HRA, clinic access) and a teacher take-home workbook by coverage tier.
2) East High climate & staffing
Multiple staff say a second Dean of Students (~$80–90K) is being added while two Student Supervisor roles (~$25K each) are not replaced; they attribute roaming halls and weak enforcement to leadership rather than headcount, and report that all teachers of color have left in recent years. One incident: a racial slur directed at a Black teacher went unaddressed for days.
Requests: Publish East’s 2025–26 staffing table (roles/FTE/cost changes), discipline metrics (3-year trends), retention/exit data (disaggregated), and a corrective-action plan with timelines.
3) Superintendent/Teacher Advisory Council (TAC) process
Report that TAC requires forms routed through principals, items are recast as building-level and seldom elevated, no minutes/digests are shared, and agendas are central-office-set.
Requests: Post the TAC charter, roster, agenda rules, and public digests; publish a two-year submissions ledger (topic counts; accepted/declined; resolved/unresolved).
4) Benefits math & plan-year change
Additional teacher notes: premium +$71.86/mo (~$862/yr), deductible +$1,000, “real” raise ≈ $1,106 after benefits. Plan year shifting from Oct–Sep to Jul–Jun (effective 7/1/26) means 9 months to meet this year’s deductible, reportedly not prorated.
Requests: Release the rate sheet, minutes on the calendar change, and a transition mitigation (HRA credit, stipend, or deductible credit).
As we have noted for several weeks now, according to reports, teachers’ signed contracts at end of year not knowing their salary and compensation package in advance. The 2024 operating referendum was “sold” and framed as an $8 million increase in teachers compensation. The numbers don’t seem to add up.
CALL TO ACTION
Insist on independent complaint intake for Madison and districtwide leadership matters (9130 carve-out).
Require a facilities dashboard and a fiscally-managed, district-wide long-term plan, including specifics on how to close the $11 million structural operating deficit, before any additional tax increase is proposed.
Ask for publication of: (1) 9130 two-year log; (2) TAC charter/roster/minutes; (3) East HS climate plan and metrics; (4) health-plan comparisons and transition mitigation.
Demand action on Madison, independent, climate and culture review, and independent legal review of principal’s alleged conduct.
Join the Task Force or subscribe: https://www.tosa2030.com/contact
Disclaimer
All views reflect testimony, public records, and editorial opinion from the 2030 Task Force and community contributors. Allegations are supported with source documentation where noted; where accounts are anonymous, we label them as such and will publish official clarifications on request. All comments are protected under the First Amendment.
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