Wisconsin Watch
Rebuking far-right officials who last year gained control of their school board, concerned residents of Kiel clawed back political power by blocking the ouster of the popular Kiel Area School District superintendent.
Two members subsequently resigned from the school board, returning the usually seven-member body to a moderate majority — at least temporarily.
It’s the latest chapter in a saga that last spring erupted into bomb threats and left some feeling their northeastern Wisconsin community, population 4,000, had been “hijacked by something bigger.”
With his contract set to expire, Superintendent Brad Ebert faced scrutiny from a small but vocal group called Tri-County Citizens for Education. In 2022, the group pushed restrictions on certain library books, sought to block anti-racism training and helped flip the school board to a majority that criticized efforts for racial equity and LGBTQ rights.
Concerns that the board would oust Ebert spurred residents to pack the Kiel Performing Arts Center for a Jan. 4 meeting. So many attended that district officials moved the meeting from the high school library. Nearly all 26 residents who shared comments called for Ebert to stay, with many blaming the board for Kiel’s recent political turmoil.
Ebert’s supporters pointed to balanced budgets, the high-fives he gives students walking into school and his...
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