6-16-15 retiring fdl teacher airs concerns at school board meeting

A longtime Fond du Lac middle school science teacher says he is concerned that the Fond du Lac School District is in decline.  Ted Eischeid is retiring after teaching for 25 years in the Fond du Lac School district.  He aired his concerns at last week’s Fond du Lac School Board meeting.  “I thought it was my responsibility as I left to let them (school board) know in an appropriate way that I see the ship as kind of sinking,”  Eischeid told WFDL news.  “…and I think they need to start asking questions and right it for our kids, for our future.”   Julie Nett is the Fond du Lac School Board president.  Nett says she disagrees with Eischeid that the school district is in decline.   “I don’t agree with that at all,”  Nett said.  “We need to keep moving forward and to be successful education changes every single day.”   Eischeid told the board they should be asking why so many teachers have resigned from the Fond du lac school district in recent years to teach in other districts or go into the private sector?   He says staff has been bombarded with new initiatives such as Standards Based Grading without getting staff input.  Eischeid says he is also concerned that as teachers are leaving, so are students.   Eischeid describes as mismanagement, the district’s handling of issues that he says have been embarrassing distractions for the district…citing the superintendent’s censorship of the high school newspaper, borrowing money for a million dollar entrance to the football field and controversy surrounding the lease with Fond du Lac Baseball Inc.  Nett says many of Eischeid’s concerns will be discussed during a school board retreat this summer.  “Every year the board sets goals in July, we have our retreat and set goals looking toward the future and many of the things that Ted spoke about we already had on our list to look at,”  Nett said.    Eischeid says the April election showed the public is not happy with how things are going in the district.  A challenger was the top vote-getter and the long time incumbent former board president was defeated.