Louters facing calls to resign

Despite receiving a letter last month that requests her resignation, New Rockford-Sheyenne Superintendent Jill Louters doesn't appear to be going anywhere.

The letter Dr. Louters received was generated by concerned parents and taxpayers and was circulated throughout the district, where it gathered 113 signatures from those who agree with its message.

"We no longer feel that you are a good fit for our school," states the letter, which has been obtained by the Transcript. "It is time for new leadership. Therefore we respectfully request that you submit your resignation to the NR-S board of education."

The individual largely responsible for drafting the letter is Preston Meier, a local resident and a father with two kids currently attending NR-S.

Meier said the letter was drafted in late May and gathered signatures for the first two weeks of June, before being hand-delivered to Louters on June 16.

He added that it simply spread via word of mouth, and that there was no solicitation or campaign to get the letter signed.

Louters never responded after he delivered the letter, said Meier, and in an email response to the Transcript on Wednesday, July 5, Louters did not directly confirm whether or not she's leaving as a result of the letter.

However, when asked if Louters has told him she won't resign, NR-S school board president Mike Jacobson was adamant, saying, "Yes, she's under contract. She's not resigning."

Concerning staff retention

Among the concerns listed in the letter requesting Louters' resignation is the school's "chronically" high turnover rate among both teachers and ancillary staff.

"I just kind of got to a tipping point," said Meier about why he drafted the letter. "Especially this year with the struggle to graduate more of the class and then the culmination of so many teachers leaving altogether."

The district has seen a wave of teacher resignations since March of this year, forcing the community to watch as well-respected and experienced teachers leave for other districts.

Most recently – at a special meeting on Tuesday, June 20 – the school board approved the resignations of Annette Hovey, Courtney Wiesz and Molly Rzaszutak.

That brought the total number of teacher resignations from the district to nine, not including the retirement of Kent Brown, the "discharge for cause" of Matt Shaffer or the transfer of East Central special education teacher Teresa Risovi to Fessenden-Bowdon.

"I just feel like without a change of leadership we're just going to continue experiencing more of the same," said Meier.

"I think the whole thing has kind of been this elephant in the room, that just about anyone you bump into in the streets recognizes that our school can't change unless the leadership changes. ... So I'm just trying to bring a voice and put some words to what I feel like is a unanimous frustration throughout the town."

Concerning the culture inside NR-S

The letter claims that the turnover rate at NR-S is indicative of a negative culture inside the school, which has led to some teachers' resignations.

"We feel this represents an unacceptably high level of workplace dissatisfaction among district employees," the letter claims, "indicating major problems with the culture, climate and interpersonal relationships inside the school."

Mark Huber, one of the nine teachers who resigned from the district this year, seemed to corroborate the letters' claims about the district's culture.

"In no other school district have I seen such an authoritarian chain of command that uses threats and intimidation to mask professional and administrative ignorance and failures," alleged Huber, who had taught at NR-S for 10 years before his departure.

"It's a pity," he added, "because New Rockford-Sheyenne would have such potential were it not for the self-inflicted professional injuries and relationships between the staff who work with their students and the administrators who seem convinced that no education can happen unless they agree to it."

Every resignation submitted by NR-S teachers has occurred since March, when the district's administrators and school board considered reducing the NR-S music program by a full-time position.

The argument in favor was that the number of students participating in music no longer warranted two full-time teachers, and that letting one teacher go or reducing them to part-time would improve the district's budget situation.

At the time, dozens of fellow teachers, students and community members filled the school board's next meeting and argued on the music teachers' behalf, and the board ultimately decided not to alter the music program.

Just weeks later, however, both the district's music teachers – Annette Hovey and Heather Klocke – submitted their resignations.

Hovey wrote in her letter of resignation, "Unfortunately my vision of secondary music education and that of the administration are incompatible."

And Huber seemed to suggest it was no coincidence that other teachers resigned in subsequent months.

"If we're being 'data driven,' then data dictates that music and art work with students," said Huber. "A basic Google search provides more than enough evidence for it, despite how administrators interpret it in ways that aren't educational at all. So their support of music failed, and instructors of all types noticed."

The Transcript reached out to numerous other teachers that recently left the district, but most declined to comment, with one saying they fear retribution that could harm their teaching career.

Meanwhile, Mike Jacobson defended Louters, saying he approves of the job she's doing, and that he "strongly" disagrees with the letter's recommendation that she resign.

"She's got good evaluations," said Jacobson, "so there really isn't any grounds, and she does have another year left on her contract."

Jacobson added that he doesn't believe there's a culture or climate problem inside NR-S, and attributed the recent resignations to the labor problems seen throughout the country.

"Workforce is an issue whether it's the school or any other business," he said. "I think every business in the country is struggling for labor, and the school is no different. I think the thing that people don't think about is those teachers all left for other teaching jobs, meaning that there were openings at other places. That just shows how many openings there are out there."

Jacobson referenced the Devils Lake school district as an example, which has dozens of openings ranging from multiple full-time teaching positions, to numerous custodial, food service, coaching and paraprofessional positions.

The Carrington School District, meanwhile, also had multiple teaching positions open this spring, a number of which have been filled by teachers from NR-S.

Concerning student retention

Meanwhile, another concern addressed in the letter is student retention.

The letter specifically refers to the 2022-23 graduating class of 13 students, eight fewer than the class had just a few years ago.

"The last recourse for parents frustrated with our school is to vote with their feet," the letter reads. "A non-trivial and growing number of families have done just that, by leaving our school for a neighboring district or doing school at home. Ultimately our businesses are affected as traffic is diverted away from the school."

Michael Nicolai, a local business owner and former New Rockford school board member whose signature is one of the 113 attached to the letter, said he considered enrolling his youngest son with another district more than five years ago, having perceived issues with the school district as far back as 2018.

"I think there's been a pattern of losing teachers for a lot of years, and starting to lose a lot of students," said Nicolai.

"It concerns me that that pattern continues, and it seems to me that there's a change needed in our school's culture, and from everything I see it needs to start at the top."

Louters' response

In an email response to the Transcript, Louters addressed some of the concerns the letter expressed about staff and student retention.

"We will experience significant staff transition this fall," she wrote. "Some of our new staff are veteran teachers, some are new to the field. We have developed a robust and supportive orientation program for August to not only equip these employees with the necessary skills, but to introduce them to our students, staff and families.

"In addition, some staff reassignments will occur. A majority of our positions were filled in May. I am excited about the energy, enthusiasm and student focus that our new staff members bring to this team. This district has a strong regional reputation and as the workplace environment evolves, we will need to continue to embrace creative hiring incentives and training programs.

"Our goal continues to be working towards experiences that provide quality, innovative learning opportunities focused on the needs of students."

Since resignations began rolling in this spring, the district has hired at least nine new teachers, though some lack necessary licensure to teach and are therefore "long-term substitutes" for the time being.

High School Principal Avolt Baumbach, meanwhile, has agreed to teach high school social studies in addition to his role as principal, and Erin Willyard will be transitioning from her previous elementary teaching position to middle school social studies.

The new hires and transitions appear to have addressed nearly all of the district's open positions, with the notable exception being music education.

As of press time, neither of the district's music teachers have been replaced, leaving the future of the district's music program in question.

According to Jacobson, Louters is contracted with the district through the 2023-24 school year, though he chose not to comment on whether discussions are ongoing about a potential contract extension.

The letter requesting Louters' resignation has been published in its entirety on page A3.

Editors Note: On Friday, July 7 after press time, the NR-S school board hired Jeff Ingerson to teach high school music. His hiring will be covered in next week's edition.

Letter to Dr. Louters

The below letter, published here as written, was delivered to Dr. Jill Louters on Friday, June 16 by Preston Meier. The letter was signed by 113 adult taxpayers and district patrons.

Dear Dr Louters,

The undersigned are very concerned about the welfare of our school, and in turn of our entire community.

One area of concern is the class of 2023. Only 13 are graduating from what was formerly a class of more than 20. That's a troubling graduation rate.

A deeply concerning issue is staffing. Our school has experienced chronically high turnover rates of both classroom teachers and ancillary staff, punctuated this year with the loss of 12 teachers. We feel this represents an unacceptably high level of workplace dissatisfaction among district employees, indicating major problems with the culture, climate and interpersonal relationships inside the school.

The last recourse for parents frustrated with our school is to vote with their feet. A non-trivial and growing number of families have done just that, by leaving our school for a neighboring district or doing school at home. Ultimately our businesses are affected as traffic is diverted away from the school.

Thank you for your years of service to our district. We no longer feel that you are a good fit for our school. It is time for new leadership. Therefore we respectfully request that you submit your resignation to the NR-S board of education.

Sincerely,

Concerned Taxpayers of

New Rockford-Sheyenne