(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
Kenosha Unified School District today announced changes to the structure of KTEC effective at the start of the second semester.
A review was initiated following concerns raised about the commingling of funds between KUSD’s KTEC 4K-8 program and KTEC High School—an independent charter entity unaffiliated with KUSD—that revealed prior KTEC 4K-8 leaders and Governance Board members engaged an external fiscal agent without the district’s knowledge or authorization.
KUSD leadership shared these findings with KUSD’s KTEC 4K-8 Governance Board representatives in a meeting on December 5, 2024. On December 10, district leadership and the KTEC 4K-8 Governance Board mutually agreed to pursue ending the charter agreement.
(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
In November of 2020, then-KTEC principal Angie Andersson and then-assistant principal Scott Hodges pitched a “KTEC High School” to the Kenosha Unified School District review committee, comprised of 15 district administrators. The committee of 15 wrote a scathing opinion report about just how terrible the idea was, and denied it. One of the committee members wrote:
“Finally, I will point out that I was put off by the comment that KTEC plans to seek an outside authorizer should KUSD decline their proposal. They admit this program could and likely will be hurtful to existing programs, but if KUSD decides it is not in their best interest to approve it, they are going to go ahead anyway. Some thoughts:
- Can a KUSD staff member (s) co-lead a KUSD school and a non-kusd school at the
same time? Would we allow that as a district? - Where is this thing going to go? It is going to take at least a MS size building. If
KUSD does not offer that, where will it go? Is KTEC going to ask to use KUSD carry
over dollars to help fund a building? (If they are authorized by the state?) - It is clear that a lot of time and thought went into this proposal. Now, there is a plan
fully developed by a staff of people paid for through KUSD funding. Does that not make
the plan KUSD’s intellectual property?”
Andersson and Hodges decided to “take their ball and go home,” almost literally. They applied for a grant and started “KTEC High School,” which is failing miserably. KTEC High School, with an abysmal enrollment is planning to move to the dilapidated Pick N’ Save in the Brass Neighborhood.
Hodges accepted a job at the non-KUSD “KTEC High School”, which is explicitly prohibited in his contract and work-rules manual. Hodges, in addition to his six-figure salary, was also taking secret checks from KTEC High School, a non-KUSD school.
Hodges won’t tell us how many checks for $4,300 he accepted and KTEC High School won’t either. On April 13, 2022, then-superintendent Bethany Ormseth sent Hodges a letter making one thing very clear. Stop working for KTEC High School or be fired.
“It is the district’s understanding that you may have been working with and/or compensated for assisting Angela Andersson and others, in either the planning process, writing of grants, and/or developing curriculum while using district resources in an effort to support the expansion. It is also the district’s understanding that you may have been completing these tasks during KUSD work hours… You must cease all work on behalf of KTEC high school independent charter School. If you are unable to abide by these rules, we would ask that you resign your KUSD position immediately. If you do not resign and you continue your work on KTEC High School independent charter school expansion, KUSD will consider you in breach of your employment contract and will pursue termination of your employment contract with KUSD.”
On October 19, 2022, Hodges sent Kevin Neir a letter, apparently upset that this letter was in his personnel file saying:
“I am officially requesting that the “breach of employment contract” letter issued to me on April 13th 2022 by the superintendent be expunged for my personnel file. I would assume since my professional career was threatened, this was a form of progressive discipline, and proper protocol should have been followed.”
The letter was not removed from his file.
Andersson was placed on leave for concerns of misconduct in 2022. According to an April 11, 2022 letter, if she didn’t resign, the district would terminate her. Jeff Weiss took over as Superintendent and he allowed Andersson to stay, taking advise from Andersson’s friend, Chief of School Leadership, William Haithcock.
In addition, KUSD leadership has decided to transition KTEC 4K-8 from a charter school to a district-operated choice school that will be renamed LakeView K-8 Academy. These changes will be presented to the Board of Education for discussion and possible action on Thursday, January 16, 2025.
Starting with the second semester, on January 27, LakeView K-8 Academy will continue to operate as a STEM-focused 4K-8 choice school fully supported by the district. “This transition is an exciting opportunity to enhance LakeView K-8 Academy’s programming by aligning it with the award-winning Blue Ribbon high school programming already underway at LakeView Technology Academy, which is ranked the #2 high school in Wisconsin by U.S. Reports. By making this transition, we are laying the foundation for a seamless educational pathway that fosters STEM excellence from early childhood through high school and beyond,” said a KUSD spokesperson.
(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kensoah County Eye)
“We want to reassure families of our unwavering commitment to providing an exceptional STEM education,” said KUSD Superintendent Dr. Jeff Weiss. “This transition will not affect our dedicated teachers, staff, or the high academic standards families have come to expect. LakeView K-8 Academy will continue to be a cornerstone of STEM innovation in the Lincoln neighborhood.”
But KCE allerted KUSD and Weiss to the shenanigans years ago – he took no action. Not until he had to. There was a lot of pressure put on Weiss to do something about the misconduct.
A parent meeting will be held at KTEC on Wednesday, January 22, at 5:30 p.m. to answer questions.
“KUSD looks forward to supporting LakeView K-8 Academy as it continues to offer exceptional student opportunities,” a district spokesperson said.
Andersson didn’t reply to our request for comment.
After publishing this story, the KTEC Governance Board provided KCE with the following statement:
“We are writing to share an important update about KTEC’s charter school relationship with the Kenosha Unified School District (KUSD).
For 17 years, KTEC has operated a charter school under a contract with KUSD. This agreement was designed to allow KTEC the autonomy to implement our unique, innovative STEM-focused curriculum. However, KUSD has recently begun limiting our independence and decision-making ability, making it increasingly difficult for KTEC to maintain the level of education our families expect from us.
Pending Board approval, KTEC and KUSD will mutually end our charter school contract for the 4K-8 KTEC charter school. On January 24, 2025, KTEC will cease to operate the 4K-8 charter school currently located at the Lincoln Middle School building. On January 25th, the responsibility of educating students currently enrolled at the Lincoln Middle School site will transition solely to KUSD.
Our Governance Board will formally vote to end the charter contract at our meeting tomorrow evening, Thursday, January 16 at 6:30 PM. This meeting is open to the public, and we welcome all members of the KTEC community to attend virtually via the link here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86892765325?pwd=RqaUIpjSLkUbX7eAyAsJHZRb1dCHDm.1
Why KTEC has Agreed to End its Charter Contract with KUSD KUSD has recently taken actions that have severely limited the KTEC Governance Board’s ability to deliver our proven, innovative educational model. These include:
● Relocation of Facilities. In fall 2023, KUSD required KTEC to move from our two previous school facilities to the Lincoln Middle School building without our consent. Due to limited space and the costs associated with necessary health and safety repairs, we believed this facility was unsuitable for KTEC’s program.
● Limiting Enrollment. Over the past two years, KUSD required KTEC to reduce our enrollment by 10%, in direct violation of our charter agreement. In addition, the move to Lincoln Middle School caused more families to leave KTEC, causing further enrollment declines. This led to a significant loss of per-pupil funding and dozens of students being denied access to KTEC’s educational model.
● Replacement of Principal. In 2024, KUSD unilaterally removed our existing principal and brought in a new principal. The KTEC Governance Board was not allowed any input or consultation in this decision.
As a result, KTEC can no longer ensure the innovative educational model that has defined our
school can be delivered under the current conditions. We are left with no choice but to end our
agreement with KUSD.
Our Commitment to Fiscal Accountability
In advance of the board vote, KUSD leadership has raised baseless accusations about KTEC’s
fiscal management. KTEC is proud of our history of fiscal and operational excellence, and we
categorically reject suggestions of financial misconduct. KTEC has constantly met a high
standard for fiscal management of our schools and the philanthropic funds intended to support
them.
Commitment to a Smooth Transition
The KTEC Governance Board is deeply committed to ensuring that all students and families
experience a smooth and supportive transition as we move forward. Above all, our priority is to
continue serving the best interests of our students and families during this time of change.
We understand that this is a lot to process, and we are here to answer any questions you may
have. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at questions@ktecschools.org. We are grateful
for your ongoing support and dedication to our school community.
Sincerely,”
Renetta Patterson
President, KTEC Governance Board
Peggy Schofield
Vice President, KTEC Governance Board
16 Responses
Andersson is gone. Now the KUSD Board of Education should terminate Scott Hodges‘ employment. He effectively stole from the taxpayers. They tarnished a once great school.
I actually live here, shut the fuck up.
Shut the fuck up? You know how many kids have been uprooted because of your sneaky weird bullshit? The audacity 😂 try, fuck you dude. From every parent that’s had a kid at ktech since we found out who you really are.
You live where?
Make sure to vote NO on the upcoming referendum!!! Talk to your friends and neighbors. Rents will go up, property taxes going up to fund these corrupt and lousy Kenosha schools!
Umm, the corruption came from the charter, not KUSD. It says right in the article that KUSD discovered the mismanagement and ended their involvement.
Maybe stop voting for Republicans that keep diverting public money to private entities.
Enrollment is down and you want the gravy train to keep going because you are likely part of it. Just another whiner supporting legacy costs of a garbage school district that refuses to reform itself. 🤡
Not only should Hodges be fired, DA Solis should bring charges of theft to the greedy prick.
Unbelievable that Lego Boy still has a job.
BIG NO on giving KUSD any money from the hard working tax payers of Kenosha, time to clean house.
Did you read the article or just come here to yell about voting no?
Vote no on that referendum.
Also, isn’t the date coming up in February where they count attendance to get more funding? Make sure you keep your kids home on this day.
You’re a week past that
Despite the recent troubles and the Enright situation, this school remains outstanding. The dedication of the teachers and staff is truly remarkable. Having been a parent for over 30 years with children in various schools across different states, I can say this school stands out as a top-notch, blue ribbon institution for a public school system.
They go above and beyond. They’ll message your 13 year old daughter how sexy she is at 2 am. Now that’s dedication….
I remember a teacher saying there is more to it. No joke. They are sick!