Cadott School Board - Packed house wants some answers about transparency

Barely finished, the new conference room at the Cadott High School, saw a packed house, Sept. 8, where concerned staff members, parents and community members, gathered to get some answers to their questions. Over the past several months, the board’s actions have raised serious concerns in the community about transparency, accountability and trust. “These concerns are not going away,” said community member Justin Marion. Those concerns began April 14, after former Cadott School Board member Brad Sonnentag was elected as the board president, at their re-organizational meeting. Former president Cory LaNou was elected as vice-president. However, the matter sparked some concerns, as Sonnentag allegedly told LaNou, prior to the meeting, that he was going to be nominated and would turn the presidency down. Sonnentag ultimately accepted the position, after he was nominated by former board member Casey Yeager, with a second by board clerk Karen Winchell, in a 5-1 vote by the members. Former board member Kevin Roshell also allegedly acknowledged being contacted by Yeager, about which way the vote would go for the presidency. All this could possibly constitute a walking quorum, which, by definition, violates open meetings laws, by producing a pre-determined outcome, without public notice and access, rendering the official public meeting a mere formality. To avoid this, all discussions and decisions involving a majority of members must occur in noticed, public meetings. “It’s important to note, that all asserted walking quorum violations referenced in this timeline, are suspected/alleged only, as no formal investigation has been conducted to confirm these allegations, said LaNou. “Communications reportedly occurred prior to the meeting, between board members, that may have constituted a walking quorum violation.” The April 14 meeting also included an appropriately noticed closed session, under Wisconsin Statute § 19.85(1) (c), for personnel matters, during which discussions allegedly exceeded the posted scope. During the closed session, district administrator Josh Spaeth expressed concern, regarding a possible walking quorum and believed the re-organization should be invalid. When the conversation continued beyond the posted scope, LaNou left the meeting and advised that the meeting should be shut down, which it was not. “It’s important to note, that discussion regarding a possible walking quorum did not result in any action by the board – either following the closed session or at a subsequent meeting,” said LaNou. With the concern over a possible quorum, Spaeth contacted Chrissy Hamiel, from Attolles Law, within 24 hours of the April 14 meeting, to obtain legal guidance on how to proceed. Yeager also reached out to Hamiel, to ask questions related to whether a walking quorum concern existed. Flash forward to May 2, and Sonnentag resigned as president and from his office as board member, effective immediately. As a result, per state statute and board policy, LaNou, as vice president, automatically moved into the role of president. Per state law, a new vice president would have to be elected. Following that shift, LaNou maintained contact with legal counsel, to ensure the board was acting in accordance with the law. To that end, a board retreat was scheduled for May 6, where legal counsel again provided comprehensive training on walking quorum laws and proper board procedures. In addition, May 12, the board formalized policy changes, regarding legal counsel contact authorization, restricting it to only the board president and district administrator. “This was meant to align with other districts, as, after calling around, we found that no other district allows anyone other than the president or district administrator to contact legal counsel, without the approval of the board,” said Spaeth. The next day, May 13, Yeager resigned from the board. A special open meeting was then held May 16, to restructure board leadership, specifically the appointment of a vice president. Rod Tegels was appointed to that position, in a contested election against Andrea Wahl, and Winchell was elected clerk. About two months later, Roshell resigned from the board, July 25, 2025, citing that personal priorities had shifted. But, for some, like Marion, the responses were not satisfactory, that the walking quorum training was taken care of at the board retreat and that questions are not clearly answered. Marion mentioned that some community members and/or staff, do not feel safe or supported raising concerns to certain leaders in the school. “Their voices are ignored or discouraged,” he said. “That is unacceptable in any organization, especially in a public school district.” Marion felt that it’s hard to trust the board, after what he considers “closed door” discussions. “I’m not here for politics, I’m here, because our school must be led with integrity, professionalism and accountability,” said Marion. “The community deserves honest answers, not excuses.” Community member Darci Tiegs agreed, but said she knows there are some things that legally can’t be discussed, because they happened in closed session. When she put a query to the district, as to why board members stepped down, she was told to reach out to the former board members, to get their own response. She did so, but they were also bound by legalities, not to divulge some things. “My intuition tells me there’s something deeper going on at the district level…there’s something going on within these four walls,” said Tiegs. “I’m hoping tonight, we can connect the dots.” Roshell later posted on the community social site, that he had concerns about the legality of the April 14 meeting, which caused more discontent in taxpayers, about why the school lost three board members, within a threemonth span. “It is deeply unfortunate that we have reached this level of discontent within our board governance,” said LaNou, adding the issues did not stem from how the school district is performing or about academic standards. “By every measurable standard, the Cadott Community School District is thriving. As board president, I sincerely hope that we can move past these personal issues and refocus our collective efforts on what truly matters: the success and well-being of our students.” All of the timeline events were gone over with those present, not to cast blame, but to be as transparent as possible, in showing what had occurred. If anyone would like a full copy of the timeline, they can contact Spaeth, via email, and request a copy. Although it is now after the fact, Tegels questioned whether a walking quorum did occur, but Hamiel, who was present remotely, said she is not able to answer that, as she has not conducted an investigation into the matter, but does have concerns that is what resulted. “I can tell you that the issues, the actions that were concerning to some board members, have been addressed at the board level,” said Wahl. “I know building trust is very important…we want to make it right, we do.” Winchell wanted to make one thing clear, that she did not have any prior contact with a board member about presidential elections for April 14, despite her second to elect Sonnentag. Newer board member Todd Rykal asked if the three former board members had been invited to the Sept. 8 meeting, to address questions, and was told yes, by LaNou, that he had reached out to them. LaNou also says he reached out to Sonnentag and Yeager, after they stepped down from the board and asked them to return, with no response. “Our board was elected to serve the educational needs and interests of this community, not to engage in political maneuvering or personal disputes,” he said “The students of Cadott deserve board members, who can set aside individual agendas and work collaboratively, toward our shared mission of educational excellence.” Going forward, the board will likely undergo more training on not only state statutes, open meeting laws, walking quorums and comments to the community, but also board policy. They also will keep in contact with legal counsel, if needed. “Please, if you’re wondering what’s going on, come here,” said Tegels. “Reach out to a school board member, ask them questions, stay engaged.”