WAUWATOSA, Wis. — Over a dozen parents and community members gathered outside the Wauwatosa School District offices ahead of Monday's school board meeting, with many calling for the resignation of the district's top official.
"I'm here to ask for the resignation of Dr. Means," said Monica Scheper, a parent with a child at WSTEM, a charter school set to close next school year as the district pursues its "STEM for All" initiative.
Scheper believes there's been a negative shift in the district's culture that starts at the top.
"It's time to make some changes. It's been a really hard year, and we're here for the kids and the teachers, and that hasn't been seen this year," Scheper said.
McKinley Elementary parent Zach DeVillers is demanding both Superintendent Means and Principal Ted Martin resign. In April, parents spoke out about Martin at another school board meeting.
"My daughter had a teacher leave halfway through the year, which is kind of unheard of, and now you just see it disintegrating further and further," Devillers said.
Watch: Wauwatosa parents divided as some demand superintendent's resignation
The rally was organized by the 2030 Tosa Task Force, a group that says it's dedicated to restoring trust, transparency and accountability in the district. Many TMJ4 spoke with at the rally accused leaders of failing to listen to their concerns and the concerns of teachers which they think is making the district less desirable and more apt for families to leave.
Their demands included the termination of Superintendent Means and Principal Martin, restoring WSTEM as well as other threatened programs, a forensic audit and leadership reform and protection of First Amendment rights and educators.
Previous Coverage: Parents outraged as school board votes to close WSTEM after next school year
Previous Coverage: Parents, students speak out as Wauwatosa School Board mulls ending certain STEM programs, school
Previous Coverage: Wauwatosa School District faces potential legal action over plans to close STEM school and programs
"The whole culture needs to change here, and transparency should be at the front of it," DeVillers said.
Not everyone attending Monday's board meeting opposed district leadership. Some parents and even employees came to defend their administrators.
"I'm here to express my unwavering support for Principal Ted Martin. The ongoing targeted attacks against him are not only disheartening but actively undermining the very fabric of our school," said Ashley Theres, a McKinley employee.
TMJ4 requested to speak with Superintendent Means. A spokesperson for the Wauwatosa School District said Superintendent Means would not be made available.
Instead, they provided a letter sent to the district from the school board president that read in part: "I want to be clear that the Board supports the work of the Superintendent and sees no reason to pursue termination proceedings."
Nikki Etter, a parent and member of Support our Schools Wauwatosa, believes Superintendent Means has made many positive changes during his tenure and voiced concern to the board about negative rhetoric from some parents.
"I strongly support community involvement but there's a difference between constructive engagement and bullying educators you don't agree with," Etter said.
She instead advocated for parents to speak with their state representatives to secure more funding for public schools as the legislature crafts its budget for the next two years.
In the letter sent out to the district, the school board voiced its full support of the superintendent. However, they would review the process to evaluating Dr. Means.
"The full board will review the process and finalize the timeline in our discussion of the topic at the June 23, 2025 General Board Meeting. We will conduct the evaluation in accordance with Policy 1240 - EVALUATION OF THE SUPERINTENDENT," read the letter.
FULL LETTER:
June 9, 2025
Dear Wauwatosa Community,
The Wauwatosa School Board recently received a request to initiate proceedings for the termination of the Superintendent, Dr. Demond Means. I have reviewed the information submitted and discussed it with the Vice-President of the School Board. I do not intend to put discussion of the requested termination hearing on our Board meeting agenda. It is our firm position that Dr. Means has acted appropriately within his capacity as the Chief Executive Officer of the School District, as stipulated in Policy 1400.01 - SUPERINTENDENT JOB DESCRIPTION, and that there are no grounds for pursing termination of the Superintendent.
Moreover, soon after taking our leadership positions, Ms. Heimerl-Rolland and I reviewed the existing process for the annual evaluation of the Superintendent and put an expected timeline in place. The full board will review the process and finalize the timeline in our discussion of the topic at the June 23, 2025 General Board Meeting. We will conduct the evaluation in accordance with Policy 1240 - EVALUATION OF THE SUPERINTENDENT.
I want to offer recent examples of how well our students are doing – because that is who is at the heart of the Superintendent’s responsibilities and the district’s mission and vision:
• Forty-eight students scored 30 or higher on the ACT, 4 students scored a perfect 36. One of the students is also a National Merit Scholarship winner.
• Seventh year in a row that WSD is named “Best Communities for Music Education” and 5 middle school students selected for the prestigious Wisconsin School of Music Association (WMSA)’s Middle Level Honors Orchestra.
• Thirty-five high school students who committed to technical and skilled trades careers through training opportunities from an impressive list of regional businesses.
• High school culinary students who worked with celebrity chefs and WI businesses to prepare food at the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay.
• An amazing number of national, regional and local art and theater awards for our students.
• Elementary READbowl Wisconsin State Champions.
• State of Wisconsin Basketball Championships at both high schools.
This is not an exhaustive or comprehensive list of recent student accomplishments as there are way too many examples to include here. At this point, based on his last evaluation and his work with the district this Spring, we are satisfied that Dr. Means is eNectively managing the district. Therefore, in accordance with Policy 1210, I want to be clear that the Board supports the work of the Superintendent and sees no reason to pursue termination proceedings. We appreciate that Dr. Means has carried out his duties appropriately and in a collaborative manner with the Board.
Sincerely, Lynne M. Woehrle, PhD Wauwatosa School Board President
This story was reported on-air by Mike Beiermeister and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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