Online petition demands removal of superintendent

An online petition is demanding the removal of Randi Anderson as Shawano School District superintendent.

The petition was taken out the evening of April 10 by Jenny Olson on Change.org, a website that allows people to circulate petitions via the internet for a myriad of causes. As of 8 a.m. April 11, the petition had 251 signatures.

“She did not act responsibly when she neglected to inform us of the budget deficit in a timely manner, spent resources at a disproportionate rate to accomplish administrative functions and hired many consultants while knowing that a number of teachers’ positions would have to be ‘right-sized,’” Olson alleged in the petition. “She does not respect our experienced teachers and staff and sees the departure of them as an ‘opportunity’ to recruit new ones. Staff do not feel safe to speak openly about issues, and many have privately stated that they fear retribution.”

There had been some threats on social media in recent weeks to take steps to demand Anderson’s ouster, with a couple of threats even suggesting the Shawano School Board should be recalled. This is the first announced action to back up people’s claims.

However, there is nothing that requires the board to take action on the petition, although it’s expected to produce a gauge on how much of the community is displeased with the direction the school district is going. Community members started coming together and demanding transparency in March, once it was learned that the district had a $2 million budget deficit for next year’s budget and that administrators were looking at closing a school, cutting programs and trimming staff as possible options.

It’s questionable whether the board will acquiesce to people’s wishes, considering it penned a statement supporting Anderson and denouncing a former district office employee when she presented a survey saying that Anderson was not serving the needs of students and parents. The board labeled the employee’s actions as “negative” and “a distraction.”

lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com