Reprinted with permission from the Waconia Patriot
By Al Lohman
A whirlwind is how one visitor to Monday evening’s Waconia school board meeting described the events of the past week.
The whirlwind is around the contract and future of Superintendent Pat Devine in ISD 110. It started prior to a finance committee meeting Jan. 23 on the school district’s current operating debt and continued Monday at a special meeting of the school board.
Some 80-100 teachers, staff and community members were at the Thursday meeting asking why Devine’s contract has not been renewed by the school board, saying he “is the one to lead the district through its current challenges.” The meeting turned into an hour-long discussion about the contract, a critique from visitors of board members about how the contract relationship was handled, and a kind of rally for the current superintendent.
Contract discussions with Devine began in the fall, but were bumped from recent school board meeting agendas and Devine was asked to submit his resume and interview for his current job. Since then, he has applied for superintendent positions in two other districts and is a finalist for both. He interviews in Rhinelander, Wis., and Lake Havasu City, Ariz., this week.
“Clearly I have a skillset that can go places, but I’ve got a heart that bleeds purple,” a sometimes emotional Devine said to the school board at Thursday’s meeting. “I love it here, but there is some deep soul searching that this group has to do for me to stay here.”
Some board members also expressed frustration with the contract delays and the position the board is in.
“Our intent has always been to do a contract, but there have been a lot of extenuating circumstances this year and there have been some delays,” said Board Chair Dana Geller.
There were even more visitors at Monday’s meeting – some 200 in attendance at a meeting moved to the Waconia High School auditorium, but the tone was considerably different and no public comments were taken at the meeting.
The latest meeting followed a discussion with Devine, Geller and the district’s legal counsel earlier on the day, with an assurance from Devine that “we are working collaboratively” on his contract for further employment.
Monday night, Geller announced that the school board also accepted the resignation of board member Tabitha Laumann, who submitted her letter of resignation on Friday. The board is working with legal counsel to determine how to fill the vacant position.
Devine likened the events of the past weeks as a ship without a harbor, a ship departing the harbor, then a ship slowly turning to come back to the dock.
“We were a little dysfunctional and I didn’t relate my feelings, but I have complete comfort with where we are at now,” Devine said at Monday’s meeting. “My biggest want, what we all want is that we are all together for our kids – that we are all One Ten.”