PETITION TO NOT EXTEND WLWV SUPERINTENDENT’S CONTRACT

We, the undersigned members of the WLWV school community—parents, educators, students, and concerned citizens—submit this petition to urge the WLWV School Board not to extend the superintendent's contract into 2028.

This action would not terminate the current contract, which remains in effect through June 2027.

Not extending will allow a probationary year for proof that the superintendent can respond effectively to community concerns before revisiting a contract extension.

Community members and board stakeholders have basic expectations of accountability and transparency for district leadership. These expectations reflect the values of public engagement, fiscal responsibility, student-centered budgeting, and equitable decision-making.

Despite repeated calls for improvement in these areas, the superintendent's performance has demonstrated a pattern of disregard for these community priorities.

Key Areas of Concern:

Failure to Prioritize Students During Budget Cuts
-Budget reductions have disproportionately impacted classrooms, despite levy promises to maintain current staffing levels and support staff.

-There is no evidence of published impact analyses or equity reviews accompanying budget reductions.

-There has been no clear, school-by-school reporting of cuts, making it impossible for the public to assess whether reductions have been distributed equitably across schools and between elementary, middle, and high school levels.

-There has been no evidence of a baseline staffing report which includes anticipated class sizes based on prior year's enrollment numbers.

-Attempts at community engagement in budget planning have been insufficient and rushed. No goal for the number of participants was set to ensure accountability to fair representation.

Opaque Labor Negotiations
-Board members have been excluded from union-related discussions, limiting oversight and accountability and reducing transparency

Compromised Governance Independence
-Legal and superintendent evaluation sessions have frequently included administrative staff, limiting candid and legally protected board deliberation.

-There is no publicly documented calendar or evidence of confidential, board-only executive sessions.

Divisive and Inconsistent Communication
-Superintendent messaging has often used divisive rhetoric, creating tension between schools, cities, or stakeholder groups.

-Pointing to some small schools, deceptive enrollment projections by grade and/or city, intentional overcrowding/underenrolling with district boundary decisions and other narratives deflect responsibility from acknowledging internal, administrative fiscal choices.

Inequitable Resource Allocation
-Budget and bond decisions show favoritism toward specific schools or regions.

-No districtwide equity tracker is publicly available to demonstrate fairness in funding or staffing.
-Impact analyses for major funding decisions are not disclosed.

These issues represent a persistent failure to meet reasonable expectations for leadership in a public school system. While community members have repeatedly expressed a desire for greater transparency, equity, and responsiveness, these calls have not been reflected in the superintendent's actions or communication.

We, the undersigned, believe it is in the best interest of the district to allow the superintendent's contract to remain unchanged and not be extended at this time.

This action would not terminate the current contract, which remains in effect through June 2027.

Rather, it would signal that the superintendent is on notice and entering a probationary year of increased scrutiny and accountability.

The opportunity to revisit a potential extension can occur next spring during the annual review, allowing the community and board to assess whether meaningful progress has been made on transparency, equity, and responsiveness before any further commitment is made.