Principal injured in accident?

Sadly, during Monday night's (Nov. 10) school board meeting, CH Bird Elementary principal Chad Wiedmeyer was tossed under the bus by Tim Culver and Phil Frei. Early reports did not indicate the extent of injuries Mr. Wiedmeyer received.

During the boundaries discussion prompted by a Situation Report offerred by Town of Bristol resident John Welke, Mr. Welke asked why a designated science room was still being used as a classroom. This had been a point of contention during the recent boundaries fiasco.

Last March, the overcrowded state of Bird elementary was emphasized by district staff statements that designated specific areas for specialized curriculum, such as the "science" room, had to be used for classrooms. The school board and district staff both favored boundary changes that would reduce overcrowding at Bird allowing these specialized instruction areas to be used for their intended purposes. Mr. Welke pointed out that the science room continues to be requisitioned for classroom space as Bird is STILL over-capacity. Mr. Welke asked who made the decision to use these specialized instruction areas for classrooms.

Tim Culver turned to Phil Frei and asked Mr. Frei for an answer. Frei then stated loudly and clearly that, "it's the principal's decision to use the science room for regular classroom space".

At that moment, Culver and Frei, who both have waxed prophetically about the importance of caring and support for their employees during discussions about spending tax dollars on flowers and memorials, carelessly tossed principal Wiedmeyer under the bus.

Gee....so THAT's how we show that we care about the district employees? Isn't Culver the one who's ultimately responsible for all district decisions? If Culver and Frei disagreed with Mr. Wiedmeyer's decision to use the science room as needed classroom space, why didn't they direct him not to do so? If Culver and Frei were unaware of the situation, shouldn't they have simply said, "We'll have to check into that and get back to you" (as is usually the case)? Couldn't they have simply taken Mr. Wiedmeyer (if allegations are tue) to the woodshed privately? Or were they more interested in saving their own derrieres in front of the school board? As they say in the wastewater treatment business..."stuff" rolls downhill. Guess the hill stopped at Mr. Wiedmeyer.

Poor form, Misters Culver and Frei.


Oh, yeah...and Mr. Wiedmeyer turned 40 last weekend! Happy Birthday, Mr. Wiedmeyer. We hope you got a "Get Out of the Woodshed Free" card as a gift.