Anderson gone, but much work lies ahead

After six months of strife, replete with people wringing their hands and gnashing their teeth, the communities that make up Shawano School District finally got their wish. Blaming her for the financial woes, poor communication and a technology plan that could rival Skynet, parents and community members got the word that Randi Anderson would no longer be superintendent, effective Sept. 2.

That’s good news for a district that has been put through the wringer starting with news of a $2 million deficit that could have resulted in one of the schools closing and continuing with a revolving door on steroids that saw dozens of teachers resign along with an unknown number of support staff and every single principal and associate principal. The demolition of Shawano’s public schools has stopped.

Now the question is, what comes next?

Removing Anderson only stops the bleeding. The broken body that is our school system is still lying in the gutter and needs healing. While the obvious solution lies with finding a new leader — a better leader — the district still faces uncertain times as student enrollment continues to drop, staff vacancies abound and community members worry about Shawano’s reputation.

Things need to change, and that involves a lot of work. Here are a few suggestions of what can be done to restore Shawano’s schools to grace in the here and now:

• Prior to Anderson’s arrival and prior to the pandemic that sent everything into chaos, the district had a goal of being a four-star district on state report cards by 2021, with all of its schools having four-star standings, as well. For the first few years, there appeared to be forward momentum toward reaching that goal. Of course, the pandemic screwed everything up, and on the last batch of report cards, which came out in 2021, all of Shawano’s public schools were in the three-star range.

Now that mandatory virtual learning is a thing of the past, the district should set a goal again. The data shows Shawano was on its way to being a school district of excellence, at least from the state’s point of view. Setting a new goal gives the district something to hope for, and given everything that has happened in recent months, hope has been about as available as baby formula.

• Put out. By that, I mean communication needs to be a flowing stream or a cascading waterfall, not a river with a dam or two regulating the movement. Anderson became infamous for not speaking to media, passing the buck and quietly burying programs that accentuated the positive. Take the Hawk Way awards. Once upon a time, the district would recognize students and staff for going above and beyond what’s expected, whether it was a minor effort of helping another student or organizing a food drive.

Those happy stories have been very few and far between coming out of the Shawano schools. Other schools in the area have figured out how to spread their good word, especially the parochial schools. The school district and whatever leader they have in place in the coming months should allow teachers, principals and other staff members the freedom to share the great things about Shawano, whether it’s online or through local media.

• Rebuild trust. Community members lost trust when the board started dismissing complaints from community and staff. The board even went so far in 2021 as to craft a public statement denouncing former employee Chris Marcks’ statements about low staff morale and trust, saying unequivocally that Anderson was their gal, and they supported her completely. Look where that support got them.

Things have improved with board president Mike Musolff allowing more community comments, but more can be done. The board has hidden behind a rule regarding comments that are perceived as “personal attacks.” Saying Randi Anderson was a brutal dictator with a heart the consistency of a charcoal briquette is a personal attack. Saying that her policy decisions led us to this poor state is not. The personal attacks language in the policy should either be clarified or eliminated. Let the people have their say, and they’ll eventually trust the school district again.

• Get the kids back. Yes, we’re back to in-person learning in the Shawano schools all day, every day, but in the process, families left because of Shawano School District’s cone of silence. I’m curious what the third Friday count will be this year, as many Shawano families have said they’re sending their children to schools where many of the lost staffers have relocated to. We were on a downward trend in student count before Anderson’s arrival, but the attitude has been lackadaisical in terms of trying to encourage those who left to return and getting new people to come here.

For this, the district might need to put out a little money for marketing. The reputation for having a great technology education program, stellar music program, fun performing arts program and more has been buried while Anderson and the board dealt with the wrath of parents and others in the community. It’s time to advertise what good things are in the schools if there is any hope of saving the district, and it’s especially important to note that Anderson is no longer calling the shots.

The Shawano School District has a long road ahead to recovery. Let’s hope it stays on the path.

Lee Pulaski is the city editor for NEW Media. Readers can contact him at lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com