A letter circulating on Mukwonago social media Friday alleges that the Mukwonago Area School District (MASD) plans to eliminate a teaching position from the Automotive Program. The posts feature a letter from a man named Kenneth Reed, who identifies himself as a teacher facing layoff.
In the letter, Reed says “Today I was informed that the district has chosen to reduce staff according to low enrollment numbers”. He goes on to say that the district is “asking the school board to non-renew his position as Automotive Instructor with the district”. In the letter, Reed says he is a 20 year ASE Certified Auto Technician. He fears that his firing will “diminish the value of the program”. It could turn it into a “hobby shop”.
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Open in new tab Letter from Kenneth Reed, shared publicly on Social Media
A Google search reveals indexed pages from the MASD Staff Directory that list a Kenneth Reed; however, he does not appear in the current live version of the directory. This suggests that Reed is not presently employed by the Mukwonago Area School District. Additionally, a LinkedIn profile under the name “Kenneth Reed” lists his title as “Automotive Instructor – Tech Ed at Mukwonago Area School District.” Waukesha County Watch attempted to contact Mr. Reed for confirmation, but he did not immediately respond to the inquiry.
After this letter starting trending on local social media, MASD Superintendent Joe Koch realeased a statement. In the letter shared to the MASD Facebook Page, Koch says “the Mukwonago Area School District remains fully committed to maintaining and growing our Automotive Program.” He goes on to say that the letter claiming the district is “eliminating this program” is incorrect, though there were no claims made that it was actually being eliminated.
Loading…Letter from MASD Superintendent, from the MASD Facebook Page
According to Mr. Reed, the Mukwonago Area School District School Board will meet Monday April 14th to decide in private session whether or not to renew his position. This meeting takes place at 6:00 pm, according to the schedule provided by the School Board Website. While Mr. Reed made no claims that the automotive program was being completely eliminated, School Board President Dale Porter defended the program, saying “Getting rid of the automotive dept [sic] has never been a part of any conversation. I advise calling the district office to get factual information vs [sic] getting misinformation from Facebook. Have a great weekend everyone.”
Loading…School Board Meeting Schedule, from the School Board Website
Waukesha County Watch will attend the upcoming school board meeting and provide updates on any developments as more information becomes available.
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