GERMANTOWN, Wis. — Dozens of Germantown parents and students attended a school board meeting Monday night seeking answers about why their beloved elementary school principal is no longer at the helm just two weeks before classes begin.
MacArthur Elementary School parents expressed frustration and concern after learning Principal Tony Gonzalez is on a leave of absence, according to a letter from the district.
"Mr. Gonzalez really makes our school feel like a family," one elementary student said. "I cannot say in words how much I appreciate him." More than a dozen people spoke out in favor of the principal, followed by applause during every public comment. No one at the meeting spoke out in favor of his removal.
Watch: Germantown parents and students demand answers about elementary principal's absence
Bryan Carroll, a concerned MacArthur parent, voiced his worries about the timing of the leadership change.
"We're two weeks out and we don't have a firm idea of who the leader is going to be for our school, what the vision is," he said. "And yeah, it's thrown things into a real state of chaos here."
Parents filled the performance arts center auditorium at the high school Tuesday night demanding transparency about Gonzalez's status, but received limited information.
"It's devastating and it's frustrating for us when we aren't getting any communication on what's going on, why and how we expect the school to be taken care of?" Robert Sanchez said. "It's a community that he started and it's a community that's succeeding in teaching our kids how to learn."
The school board declined to provide details, citing personnel matters.
"In this case," Germantown School Board president Russ Ewert said. "The district is limited to the information it can provide at this time."
Parents described Gonzalez as an exceptional leader who built strong relationships throughout the school community.
"Mr. Gonzalez is the most amazing principal, a pillar of this community and has worked tirelessly to build relationships with children and parents. He's truly the heartbeat of that school," Molly Bussie said.
Bussie added that she attended the meeting to hold district leaders accountable.
"I hope to put them on notice that the community is paying attention," she said. "They can't make these decisions without being accountable to parents in the community."
TMJ4 reached out to the district, school board, and Gonzalez, but none agreed to comment at this time.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist 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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