WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — The Wausau school board received over 20 minutes of public input Monday from those concerned about the hire of Dr. Keith Hilts as the districts new superintendent beginning this summer.
Concerns of those speaking included Hilts’ handling of several incidents regarding race in the Ashland school district, specifically the suspension of a teacher for Facebook comments she made regarding the shooting death of a student on the Bad River Reservation. The teacher was later allowed back, but after a letter calling for her reinstatement from the ACLU of Wisconsin was sent to the district.
School board president Lance Trollop says Hilts was thoroughly vetted before being offered his contract and the district stands behind him as their superintendent. “The board felt that he would be a good fit not only for this district but for the community. Dr. Hilts has expressed to us his desire to become a part of this community, to be involved in the community, and to reach out to all aspects of the community.” Trollop added the district has faith that Hilts will back up those desires when he joins the community this summer.
It turns out the teacher was related to the student that was killed, and made the post from a personal account using a different name than she uses for her job. The ACLU called her suspension for the comments a violation of her first amendment rights, the district said it violated their social media policy.
One resident read the letter sent from the ACLU to the Ashland district as part of her comments. Others questioned how Hilts would handle issues of race in a larger, more diverse community like Wausau, still others said the district will not be seen as a welcoming destination for minority teachers with Hilts at the helm.
Trollop says he doesn’t see that as being a problem because through their interviews the found Hilts to be “very inclusive, he described a very collaborative leadership style which would bring in this great staff that we have, both administrators and teachers, to work collaboratively.” Trollop added that the board found that to be a real positive.
During his introductory meeting Hilts said the racial tensions in Ashland are “historic,” and said he feels he has used them as a means of teaching acceptance, respect, and tolerance to students. In his four page entry plan that he made available to the district staff and media Hilts emphasized listening sessions and community conversations as one of his first steps to acclimating himself to Wausau. Trollop said he is all for those dialogs. “Any time someone comes into a community or is new to a community it makes sense to have your ears open and to listen, to try to learn as much as you can about that community as quickly as you can.”
