(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
KENOSHA, Wis. — The Kenosha Unified School Board voted Tuesday night to give Superintendent Jeffrey Weiss another two years on the job, with an option for a third, despite pointed bipartisan opposition from board members, parents and community members. Weiss has presided over severe financial problems, seven school closures, a failed $115 million referendum and repeated controversies involving sexual misconduct and other alleged employee misconduct. Critics questioned whether Weiss has demonstrated the leadership and competence necessary to continue running one of Wisconsin’s largest school districts.
The opposition crossed political lines. Prominent local Democrat and School Board member Sabrina Landry voted against Weiss’s extension, while Republican Assembly candidate Valerie Kretchmer publicly urged the board to reject it. Board member Bob Tierney also voted no, while Doviel Hill, Amanda Meyer, Arik Espinoza and Ellen Tracy delivered varying criticisms of Weiss’s leadership and the decision to extend his contract.
Doviel Hill delivered some of the evening’s most personal criticism, accusing Weiss of failing his daughters after Hill complained about alleged discrimination within KUSD. “I had to move two students, both my daughters away from this district because he chose not to do anything about the discrimination that they were suffering,” Hill said. Hill told Weiss that administrators needed to be held accountable and said some “need to be fired and let go.”
Hill also publicly accused Weiss of serving on School Board President Carl Bryan’s dissertation committee, raising questions about the relationship between the superintendent and the board president who supported his contract extension.
Weiss later confirmed to Kenosha County Eye that Hill’s assertion was accurate. “I was on Carl’s dissertation committee,” Weiss said in an email. Weiss said universities have criteria for selecting committee members and that he had appropriate credentials based on the subject of Bryan’s study. He added that he has served on several dissertation committees and that the work is voluntary and unpaid.
Weiss, however, did not answer KCE’s question about whether he believed serving on the School Board president’s dissertation committee created an actual or perceived conflict of interest. He also did not respond to the broader criticism of his leadership voiced by board members and members of the public Tuesday.
Amanda Meyer, founder of Kenosha Students First, attacked what she described as a double standard and lack of public accountability surrounding Weiss’s renewal. “We see the exact same avoidance of public accountability regarding Dr. Weiss’s own contract renewal,” Meyer said. She questioned why KUSD’s highest-ranking employee should bypass the competitive scrutiny expected elsewhere in the district and called rushing an extension during a massive financial crisis “a complete disregard for our community transparency.” Meyer said an informal poll she conducted received more than 200 responses, with 70% opposing Weiss’s renewal, 21% disappointed with how the board handled the issue and just 7% satisfied with Weiss and supportive of bringing him back.
Landry, a prominent Democrat in the Kenosha community, was one of only two board members to vote against Weiss. “I’m gonna have to vote no on this,” Landry said. “I feel like we should open up our options and see if there could be a better fit.” She pointed to right-sizing, the closing of Lincoln and property sales, saying, “There’s just a lot of reasons where I feel like we can improve and maybe another superintendent could do a better job.”
Landry also criticized Weiss’s handling of the massive school-closing initiative. Although she agreed right-sizing was necessary, she said closing seven schools at once was “detrimental to the community” and suggested it contributed to KUSD’s inability to convince voters to approve the $115 million referendum. “It’s frustrating when you have someone that’s leading the district that doesn’t truly listen to you and truly listen to the community,” Landry said. “If he gets his contract renewed, I hope he can prove me wrong.”
Tierney gave an equally strong assessment. “I was gonna be a quiet no,” he said before explaining that the AST agreement was handled “behind my back,” that he did not see Weiss’s previous contract before its approval and that Weiss had publicly promised to improve student behavior but had failed to do so. Tierney said he personally likes Weiss and believes he is a good man with a “big heart,” but added, “I just don’t think he’s strong” when difficult personnel decisions have to be made. Tierney said at least three district leaders he believed “should have been fired a long time ago” were instead allowed to retire. He described his vote as a “hard no.”
The bipartisan nature of the opposition was further underscored by Kretchmer, a Republican candidate for the Wisconsin Assembly, expressly urging the board to vote against the same contract Democrat Landry opposed. “Tonight, I’m also asking the board to vote no on extending our superintendent’s contract,” Kretchmer said. “I believe that decision should be based on performance.” She cited struggling students, teachers and families leaving KUSD, school safety, spending priorities and concerns involving services for students with disabilities.
Former KUSD employee Arik Espinoza questioned why changes to Weiss’s compensation and benefits were being packaged with additional years of employment. “What I don’t understand is what does aligning the superintendent’s compensation and benefits have to do with extending his employment,” Espinoza said. “Those seem like two separate issues.” Espinoza cited budget cuts, staffing and administrative reductions, school closures, continued financial problems, KUSD’s cyberattack and the failed referendum before asking the board to disclose measurable performance results supporting an extension. “If his leadership produces the results the district needs, the board can act accordingly,” Espinoza said. “If it does not, this board should be willing to consider new leadership.”
Parent Ellen Tracy similarly argued that Weiss should face measurable performance standards rather than continued employment based on good intentions. She said that in the private sector, leaders who fail to meet important performance expectations are held accountable. “That includes the superintendent,” Tracy said. She suggested Weiss should face measurable goals and, if necessary, a performance improvement plan. “If performance falls short, leadership gets a PIP,” Tracy said. “And if improvement doesn’t happen, leadership changes.”
Weiss’s tenure has been marked not only by KUSD’s financial troubles and unsuccessful referendum but by repeated controversies over the district’s handling of serious employee misconduct. Those have included allegations involving sexual misconduct and other inappropriate behavior by district employees, with critics repeatedly questioning whether top administrators acted quickly or aggressively enough when warning signs and complaints reached district leadership.
Despite the criticism, a majority of the board defended Weiss. Supporters credited him with undertaking the painful right-sizing process that previous administrations avoided and argued that replacing a superintendent would be expensive and destabilizing. Board President Carl Bryan praised Weiss as collaborative and responsive, saying he was “pleased to continue this partnership.”
The contract ultimately passed 5-2, with Landry and Tierney voting no. The new agreement runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2028, with an option for another one-year extension. Weiss will not receive a salary increase under the revised contract, while his car allowance and tuition reimbursement were eliminated.
For Weiss’s critics, however, the question Tuesday wasn’t whether the superintendent deserved a raise. It was whether his record warranted two more years running KUSD at all.
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3 Responses
In the old days he’d have been tarred and feathered.
Another failure vote from KUSD board. We used to have a great Kenosha unified school system. People from Illinois moved here for their child’s better education. This board and past boards for the last 20 years ruined it!
Is Weiss the problem or the symptom?