Microexpressions Are So Revealing

You may have missed this on the local news this week, but as part of
WKOW-TV's "Call for action" segment, [Note: there is a 12 second Wisconsin lottery video preceding the segment] the district came under fire for a decision to no longer provide busing for middle school students living in the Golden Meadows subdivision.

Interviewer:" Phil....You've got to think something may be wrong with the system if parents are paying $100 per month for their kid to take a taxi to school when maybe the school bus should be taking them. "

Phil Frei: "Well, it could be, but it's been determined by the people of Sun Prairie that 2 miles is our limit."

Freeze the camera. Yup...right there when Phil turns slightly away from the camera, pauses to close his eye for an un-naturally long blink, and has a severely pursed lip. What does that expression tell you? And Frei's response to the interviewer....?

Come on, Phil! That doesn't even remotely pass the straight face test! The community did not make that decision...the school board did...based on the recommendation of administration (i.e., you).

The school board discussed this issue at it's July 27, 2009 meeting and voted 6-1 (Diedrich opposed) to eliminate the busing for middle school students from Golden Meadows. See the information at this link.

Why are you throwing the community under the bus?

Under Tim's Bus...

Begging 1000 pardons from Mick Jagger and Keith Richards...

Under Admin's bus..
like a deer in headlights
Under Admin's bus,
Who'll be the next one in his sights?

Its down to Tim,
oh thats what I said
The way he slumps down in his chair
Down to Tim
No change for us,
He's drivin' Admin's bus

There you have it ladies and gents...the latest person tossed under the Administration Bus is none other than lame duck high school principal Paul Keats.

The issue? At Monday's Finance Committee meeting citizen representative asked why the taxpayers paid over $1700 for a 3-night hotel stay (Saturday, Sunday, and Monday) for an Academic Decathlon (AcaDec) competition which ran from Monday through Tuesday. And the hotel was on West Johnson street just 10 miles from Sun Prairie!

Oh...trust us...we'll get to THOSE details in a bit. Like Pavlov's dogs, we'll let you stew a bit and salivate a bit longer.

Mealy asked who authorized the hotel stay for 2 nights before the competition even began.

The answer (Phil Frei and Jim McCourt) : Paul Keats.

Mealy asked further...Did Mr. Keats authorize this expense alone, or is there administrative approval as well.

The answer: The Management Team approved it...BUT...BUT... Mr. Keats requested it.

The bus pulled up and Mr. Keats was promptly tossed under it.

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Now...get your "I got Bussed by Admin" T-Shirt!

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.