Fond du Lac principal faces backlash at school board meeting

FOND DU LAC, Wis. (WBAY) – Members of the Fond du Lac community spoke at Monday night’s school board meeting.

The discussion arose after a meeting between the district superintendent and high school staff in which they said the principal made a comment that teachers were leaving the meeting visibly upset and hurt by his comments.

Educators and parents in Fond du Lac are calling for a change in leadership, saying Superintendent Dr. Jeffrey Fleig openly humiliated teachers in meetings and telling some they could be fired at the end of the school year.

Several dozen community members attended the meeting, with hundreds more watching online.

Much of the discussion centers on an Oct. 15 meeting at Woodworth High School, where former employee Amy Lubin says Dr. Fleig told teachers Woodworth was a disgrace to the district and perpetuated a culture of failure and toxic behavior.

The former teacher also said Dr. Fleig told staff that 50 percent of them would not be renewed or would be transferred to another school after the school year.

Dr. Fleig told his side of the story to a local radio station Monday morning on AM 1170’s “Between the Lines,” saying he reached out to teachers because the school had failed to meet expectations a year ago and that Woodworth worked in an adult group. -oriented culture and results need to improve quickly.

Lubin and other community members expressed their disappointment with the superintendent at Monday’s meeting.

“You just felt so overwhelmed, me and my colleagues, that we all left that meeting confused again. It was terrible, and yet we had to walk around and teach as if nothing had happened,” said Amy Lubin, a former 7th grade teacher at Woodworth Middle School.

“I know what a good educator looks like, I know what the culture feels like when you walk into the building, and it infuriates me that he paints a different picture of this staff and somebody needs to support this staff,” Rachel said. Polachek, parent.

School board members did not comment on the topic at Monday’s meeting, but people Action 2 News spoke with said they will continue to come to meetings until changes are made.