Jim Heinz ended his 15-year stint on the Shawano School Board with an email sent to board president Julie Van Dyck on Sunday.
Van Dyck announced Heinz’s resignation at Monday’s board meeting.
Heinz submitted a written statement to the Leader on Tuesday saying that he wanted to support the district and its employees, but he doesn’t agree with the direction it is going, and he wants to see the district functioning with solidarity again.
Heinz was appointed to fill a vacancy on the board in 1998 and elected to the board in 1999. He served as board president in 2004; vice president in 2003, 2007 and 2010; and clerk in 2008.
“My resignation is not about Act 10, taxes, new or old board members or even brand X toilets,” Heinz said. “It’s about respecting our staff and their input. It’s about working as a team again. It’s about getting to know your staff and how your district is being run, not how you heard it was run.”
There are professional people in place at the schools, Heinz said, and the district is in good hands.
“I may have been some of the problem,” he said. “When you have been doing something for as long as I have, you think you know it all. All I know is I have to take some time off.”
Van Dyck expressed her appreciation for Heinz’s service.
“His work was definitely very appreciated. He was very loyal to the district and really had some dedication,” she said.
Because the resignation was not on the board’s agenda, no action could be taken.
Heinz’s seat was up for election in 2014. The board could opt to appoint someone to fill the post until the April election, or it could leave the seat vacant.
Shawano School Board members receive a per diem of $60 per meeting.
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