Two special education teachers withdrawing from their positions before the school year started have prompted actions by the Shawano School District that school board members find questionable.
The board voted unanimously Sept. 10 to table a proposal from Pupil Services director Tom Dechant and special education coordinator Brandie Genske that would have them utilize virtual teachers to cover special education classrooms where an in-person teacher has not been hired. However, contracts have already been signed to do just that, which caused some concern among board members.
Dechant and Genske have tapped two teachers with experience in special education to teach at Shawano Community High School. Lori Machmueller has 35 years of experience and is projected to receive $100,000 this year, while Miachelle Harvey would get $80,000 taking into account her nine years in special education classrooms. The district would not pay benefits like paid time off or health insurance.
Dechant said only one virtual teacher will be needed because the district found another applicant to teach in person in early September. It has not been decided if Machmueller or Harvey will be the one to proceed going forward.
“Unfortunately, this happened right before school started,” Dechant said. “We always have Plan A, Plan B, Plan C. When this situation happened, our best option at this point was to have a virtual teacher, to make sure they were certified, make sure they could deliver the specialized instruction.”
Dechant noted the other option would have been to have the existing teacher absorb the additional students, which would likely result in the classrooms having 25-30 students, an option not desired for regular classrooms but even more contentious for special education.
Board member John Arens was not comfortable rubber stamping the plan, noting the district did not have a good history with virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. He suggested Dechant, Genske or both, who each have special education credentials, should fill in with the one classroom until a permanent, in-person teacher can be hired.
Dechant took offense to Arens’ proposal.
“When you say that to us, nothing is beneath us, but it’s sort of insulting,” Dechant said.
Arens pointed out that, living in the real world, having leaders fill in where needed is not insulting.
“I just want you to know this, Mr. Dechant. If you’re in a leadership position, and in the real world and a real company, if things aren’t going right, as a leader, you need to step up,” Arens said. “Going through the pandemic, we can’t teach anything virtually here in Shawano. I have zero faith in the ability that we’re going to hire people to teach anything and especially in that world. That is a delicate subject, and those kids are going to need all the help they can get.”
Dechant then accused Arens of violating “board norms,” which outline the proper decorum in which board members should debate issues. He suggested that Arens come to his office to discuss the issue privately rather than air the issue in public, feeling that special education students are getting “top-quality education” in Shawano.
“The times that I and Ms. Genske have been in the class to help, you have no idea,” Dechant said. “Again, that comment was not appropriate. We’re looking at our board norms; I don’t see any positive intent in the comments you’re making.”
Board President Mike Musolff disagreed that Arens violated the protocols for board meetings, pointing out that he was just expressing an opinion.
Arens was not the only one who felt uneasy about virtual teachers leading special education classrooms. Board member Tim Renard expressed concern about what disruption would occur if the virtual teacher was replaced by a new hire at some point during the school year.
“I have a hard time with a virtual environment for special education,” Renard said. “You’re saying this is what we need to do right now because we don’t have a teacher. It’s a decision of convenience more than it is a decision on what’s best for the students.”
Renard was not happy when Dechant and Genske said contracts with the virtual teachers were already signed before the issue came before the school board.
“Somebody made a decision to do that, and it wasn’t the board that made that decision,” Renard said. “Somebody else made that decision, and now you’re coming to us with ‘bail me out,’ essentially.”
Each class with a virtual teacher would have a paraprofessional to help have someone in the classroom to assist individual students, Genske said. Board member Christine McKinnies said she was not comfortable that the paraprofessionals are not getting a pay increase for being the only adult present in the classroom.
“We’re asking a paraprofessional to reteach a skill, and we’re not paying them at the next level,” McKinnies said. “I cannot support that.”
McKinnies also took exception that the virtual teachers are getting paid much more than the other teachers, regular education or special education, and even more than some lower-level administrators.
“I just don’t feel like I have enough justification to approve this dollar amount without having more numbers and being more prepared,” McKinnies said. “I just feel like this could have come to us as an informational item to where we don’t feel like we’re being forced or where we feel like there’s no other option. I feel like it’s a lose-lose all the way around, and nobody’s winning.”
lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com
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