By Kim McDarison

A special meeting has been set by the Whitewater Unified School District Board of Education to discuss allegations about policy adherence made by a school board member, according to a meeting agenda.

The meeting will be held Thursday, at the Whitewater High School, 543 South Elizabeth St., in the school’s library at 7:30 p.m.

The meeting will begin in the library, where it will convene in open session, and then move into a closed session, to be held in Room 267, the agenda notes.

The agenda further specifies that the meeting will reconvene in open session, following the closed portion, during which time possible action on “any matters discussed in closed session” may be taken.

As stated on the agenda, the closed session will convene to discuss the following: “Adjourn to closed session pursuant to Wis. Stat. 19.85(1)(f), consider financial, medical, social or personal histories or disciplinary data of specific persons, preliminary consideration of specific personnel problems or the investigation of charges against specific persons except where par. (b) applies which, if discussed in public, would be likely to have a substantial adverse effect upon the reputation of any person referred to in such histories or data, or involved in such problems or investigations. Specifically to discuss board member’s allegations that district employees failed to adhere to district policies and conduct by a certain school board member.”

The agenda notes that the closed session language could result in action taken by the board.

In recent months, Whitewater Unified School District Vice President Maryann Zimmerman has made statements that the district’s board of education granted “unauthorized pay raises” to “district employee and or employees without proper board approval.”

She has further stated: “The school board is entrusted with the responsibility of overseeing the financial matters of the district, including salary decisions.”

Zimmerman’s comments were included in a letter to the editor published in WhitewaterWise in January, following a board meeting held that same month, during which time Zimmerman called for a vote to consider separately certain employee contracts which were set to auto-renew together. The action failed by a 4-3 vote.

Earlier this month, the district’s Superintendent Caroline Pate-Hefty, through her attorney, made it known to Zimmerman that she was seeking a retraction of her statements. Zimmerman responded to the superintendent’s legal demands by saying: “I stand by what I said.”

Also earlier this month, several residents sought from the district open record requests regarding the dispute between the superintendent and the board member. Residents received varying responses from the district, with one resident told it would cost $656.50 to provide the requested information.

Zimmerman’s letter to the editor is here: https://whitewaterwise.com/choosing-the-right-even-when-its-hard-a-commitment-to-transparency-in-wusd/.

A story about the January school board meeting during which employee contracts were discussed is here: https://whitewaterwise.com/call-to-review-school-district-administrative-contracts-set-to-automatically-renew-fails-by-narrow-margin/.

A story about the superintendent’s legal demand for a retraction of statements by Zimmerman and the board member’s response is here: https://whitewaterwise.com/superintendent-through-a-hired-attorney-seeks-retraction-from-school-board-vice-president-i-stand-by-what-i-said-vice-president-says/.

A story about the open records requests filed by residents and the responses they received is here: https://whitewaterwise.com/residents-seek-information-regarding-zimmerman-pate-hefty-dispute-through-open-records-requests/.