Davel, Beyer resign from school board

UPDATED: 8:42 a.m. July 29

Two Shawano School Board members tendered their resignations this week, and they are not the ones who were targeted for a recall election.

James Davel sent board president Mike Musolff an email July 26 that announced he would be stepping down. The next day, July 27, Jamie Beyer sent Musolff an email saying she was leaving as well. Both had been elected to their first terms in 2021 and weren’t due for reelection until 2024.

Davel served in the at-large position on the board and was the board clerk, while Beyer, the board's vice president, was one of the board members representing Shawano.

“After careful consideration, I am resigning from the Shawano School District board of education. Resignation is effective immediately,” Davel wrote in his letter.

“After much consideration, I feel it is in the best interest of myself and my family that I resign from the Shawano School District board of education, effective today, July 27, 2022,” Beyer wrote in her letter.

According to Musolff, neither of them gave specific details on why they felt they needed to resign. Neither were the subject of recall petition efforts carried by community members.

The recall petitions, which received more than 1,900 signatures each, were directed at Chuck Dallas and Michael Sleeper, because they were on the board when Superintendent Randi Anderson was hired, and community members are blaming Anderson for some recent issues, including a $2 million budget shortfall for 2022-23 announced in March and the exodus of dozens of teachers, all four school principals and other staff.

“I have not spoken to either one of them, so I have no further information other than what’s in the email,” Musolff said in a phone interview July 27. “Admittedly, I was a little shocked that they resigned.”

Musolff added that it was a little disappointing that both decided to resign, noting that while he didn’t always agree with Davel and Beyer on everything, he found both were relatively easy to work with.

“It definitely leaves a void on the board right now that we’re going to have to deal with and going to have to figure out,” Musolff said.

A special school board meeting has been called for 5 p.m. Aug. 1 in the Shawano Community High School library, 220 County Road B, Shawano. The board will elect a new vice president and clerk before discussing options to fill the two vacant positions.

lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com