Did Karin Rajnicek, a Waukesha School Board Member who starred in a pro-Walker ad aired during Monday Night Football, violate school district policy? It appears she did.
Here’s the video:
This is a partisan ad intended to sway people away from voting in favor of the recall. These school board positions are intended to be non-partisan. Now we all know that that is a highly unrealistic requirement (just look at the Prosser / Kloppenburg election). But it is the rule. What Ms. Rajnicek did was violate that rule.
Back in 2010 the Waukesha School Board implemented a very clear policy. That informal policy was codified in School Board rules.
[B]oard members should not discuss anything learned in closed session until such matters become part of open meetings, she said. In addition, she said the policy reminds members that when they’re talking to the news media and public, they should speak only for themselves and not for the eight other board members.
No one is denying that Ms. Rajnicek can speak for herself and express her opinions, but she cannot represent the Waukesha School Board which is exactly what she did in that commercial. She spoke as a member of the school board and not for herself.
I don’t know what disciplinary action is applicable here, but I expect to hear from the superintendent of schools in Waukesha about this. Her actions are inappropriate and violate school board policy.
[UPDATE]: And incidentally, her claim of 25 schools in her district is factually wrong. Waukesha has fifteen elementary schools, four middle schools, three high school and five charter schools. Last time I checked, that was 27. A school board member who can’t add and who supports Governor Walker. You can’t make this stuff up.
It you’d like to express your concerns about the politicization of the Waukesha School Board, please contact Todd Gray, Superintendent, at 262-970-1012.
[UPDATE 2]: Waukesha Patch has now picked up the story.
Naughty naughty!
Oh thats right…Liberals don’t allow freedom of speech
Untrue.
O thats right… Conservatives can only speak in logical fallacies.
It is Waukesha, the rules only exist to keep the liberals in line. Nothing is going to happen to her
I know, but I’m still going to call the superintendent’s office.
YES, PHIL
ACTUALLY CALLING THEIR OFFICE WILL KEEP THEM IN LINE.
Morninmist, why are you shouting? Are you trying to be BIFF??? 🙂
Sorry Phil about the caps. I forgot that the use of them means I am shouting.
umm… I am confused. i just looked the meaning of BIFF and it means best friends.
Those two seem to contradict each other but I suppose one can shout at a best friend once in a while.
Todd Gray is hired by the School Board. He is not the “decider” in School Board matters. It’s nine at-large elected officials that self-govern. Nothing will happen. A bunch of lame letters will sow up in the Waukesha Fishwrap and that will be that.
I know, because I was one. .. I left when it became obvious that the “taxpayers league” was more important than education and the children.
You’re getting what you asked for, Waukesha.
Yeah, nothing more important than keeping people who support equality, democracy, and the Constitutional Rights of ALL Americans, like those damn liberals, in line.
When are they going to get it through their heads that America doesn’t want equality. Without people to trample, ridicule, and oppress, this nation would fall apart.
And when will they learn that the Constitution only applies to conservatives, and those who support conservative views. Haven’t they already seen that the Courts like conservative groups, like the Westboro Church, but oppose protesting the government.
And democracy? This is a Republic, not a Democracy. The people with the money make the rules, not a group of serfs who don’t know their station.
[end sarcasm]
Not sure what the superintendent can do…he is technically an employee of the school board…not their superior. A better bet is the school board president.
I think this ad/activity demonstrates the outcome of Walkers actions. The school board members are now his friends because he gave them power and control–all across WI in every school district–to set polices-such as the new policy books that have and will come out -without ANY input from the workers (teachers, cooks, whoever is employed by the district). Walker is their pal (even if there is less money)–they are big shots now-no negotiating at all.
no input from the employees………..welcome to the real world.
and 4th grade kids can’t sing in the capitol rotunda?
Not unless a parent of each of the kids have signed a consent form allowing them to join in a political activity favoring one side or the other.
? kippyafd, that’s ridiculous. So you’re saying if a kid is on a field trip to the Capitol and decides to yell something out, s/he needs a signed note from a parent? How do you prevent something like that? You’re suggesting that as part of a civics lesson (which I assume is what Capitol field trips are all about), teachers are obligated to restrict children’s right to free speech or government redress of grievances? Kind of an odd way to teach about government, to violate the Constitution like that…
Hey, the County of Waukesha is deep red, the city, not quite as bad. Bill “Mad Dog” Kramer was elected 55-45 in the past landslide for republicans. Not great but still not as bad as, say, Brookfield. Lots of good liberals out here.
So have you made it to our Drinking Liberally Waukesha yet? 🙂
Rajinicek is a useful tool, to say she’s not very bright would be doing a disservice to not bright people. Todd Grey has come out and said he supports the teacher contribution in retirement and health care, the pay cuts. But that’s been all that he has said positively about the Walker budget. The fact that she uses We in the ad those denotes that she is in some way speaking for the board, which is supposed to be a no no. But with the level of animosity around the state I find it hard to believe that much of anything will be done. What used to be considered simply good graces that no one would over step has become normal behavior for most republicans.
btw: Ms. Rajinicek’s school board campaign resembles Candy Jo Lesniewski’s just a bit right down to the Karin for Kids and Candy for Kids (which I thought was just a bit creepy) slogans…
I think Walker and her are in love
So, buckyblue, are you saying Karin Rajnicek makes Rita Leeds look like the President of MENSA?
Definitely over the line! Major cost in the budget…. Teachers…. Result of Walker’s “tools”: more students in the classroom …. that’s putting more into the classroom…oh, yeah, students.
Wait until the trickle down happens in their community/county.
From http://www.wisconsinsfuture.org/organizing_pages/popularEd/Budget/counties/Waukesha%20Impact.pdf
There are 16,569 public workers in Waukesha County. Under the proposed state budget, each will lose about $2,836 in take‐home pay.
This will reduce local buying and economic activity by $47 million, leading to closed businesses and retail job losses.
Sources: Wisconsin Departments of Public Instruction, Administration,
and Workforce Development, and the Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau
I guess she should be FIRED! Kill righty!
i worked for wa-wm school dist. until the harassment told me it was time to go. i fold ,for the most part, that the board was made up of stay at home moms who were there to rubber stamp or parrot the administration. i lived in wa most f my life and i remember when i was younger there were actually lawyers, doctors, accountants on the board making sure that the contract was followed, promotions weren’t given to people were actually quilified for the postion not just a high school buddy
Sorry, Pete, now you can’t just sit around on your fat butt and play favorites with the kids. The Rec Dept shall not miss you, I’m sure. Proof I know you. You drove a red Tornado in the early 90’s. – Former Madison Student
Here’s her email address if you’d like to express your displeasure at her actions:
krajnice@waukesha.k12.wi.us
Wont need the email !! Gov Walker will win re election. Look at the people collecting signatures in a private parking lot. That will most certainly void a lot of signatures on many sheets which were collected illegally. Walker has my vote and the votes of most of my friends
Did you get your facts from Fox News because your words parrot their rhetoric. And, by the way, if the person who owns the parking lot gave them permission to collect signatures, the signatures are legal and valid.
And I bet you believe the hype about all of the “out of staters” signing petitions too.
Want a life? Quit watching Fox News, listening to Charlie Sykes, and Rush Limbaugh.
Not sure contacting the superintendent is the right thing…he/she works for the school board and is not likely to criticize members. The best you may be able to do is contact the president of the school board. Here’s a page with names, email and phone numbers of the entire board… http://www.waukesha.k12.wi.us/SchoolBoard/BoardMembers.aspx If you contact people, please be civil – it really defeats all purpose to act otherwise.
Yeah, the superintendent has no authority over the school board, so contacting the superintendent in Waukesha likely won’t make a bit of difference.
Looks like another self-serving white woman who thinks things are unfair for her. Another d-bag for the teabags. Swing from it Karin.
What she did was wrong and she should be fired for her statement.
I agree what she did was wrong…at a minimum ethically…if not legally. BUT, she is a school board member…so she can’t be ‘fired’ in the traditional sense of the word. Voted out of office is the best recourse for the public…
Ed’s right; she can’t be fired in the traditional sense, because she’s an elected official.
Unfortunately, I just don’t see voters in Waukesha getting rid of her either, given the political makeup of Waukesha.
I do think the school board/administrator owe the public an explanation instead of stonewalling though!
I challenge you to find the facts. Unions have a lot to lose, so spend a little time and do some balanced research. You may be surprised to find out why the majority of Wisconsin supports Gov. Walker. We are not “thoughtless conservatives”. We have done our research and see what is best for our schools. It was the districts that passed their budgets before the reforms that have had to lay off teachers and raise taxes on the middle class to protect the union benefits. How is this better for our students?
“According to the most recent analysis, if all of the districts surveyed adopted the governor’s reforms more than an additional 950 teachers would have been hired this year. These hires just account for the 83% of districts that responded and does not include the additional teachers that would be hired in the remaining portion of the 17% that did not adopt the reforms.”
“The data shows that districts utilizing the governor’s reforms were able to hire 38 percent more teachers than districts that did not use the governor’s reforms. Districts that used the reforms were able to hire 6.78 new teachers per thousand students, while districts that did not use the reforms were able to hire only 4.88 new teachers per thousand students. School districts that used the governor’s reforms accounted for 32 percent of all teachers hired, even though only 20 percent of Wisconsin students attended schools in these districts. ”
“School districts utilizing the governor’s reforms were also able to avoid layoffs at a far greater rate than districts that did not use the governor’s reforms. Districts that did not use the reforms accounted for 87 percent of all layoffs.”
“Yesterday data was released that showed the total K-12 tax levy for the state decreasing by over $47 million. It was the first tax levy decrease in six years. Over the last five years the tax levy, on average, increased by $181 million each year. ”
“A closer look at the data shows that school districts that implemented the governor’s reforms were more likely to decrease their property tax levies.”
“Of the 156 school districts operating without contracts and able to use the Governor’s reforms, 68.5 percent lowered their tax levy. Another 3.8 percent kept the same tax levy as last year. On the other hand, of the 268 school districts in a union contract, 42 percent increased their tax levy. This means that school districts with union contracts accounted for 72 percent of school districts that increased their tax levy.”
“According to the results of the survey released last week, the school districts that responded and utilized the reforms put in place earlier this year mostly either stayed the same or were able to improve the educational opportunities available to their students. Information about the survey results can be found at: http://walker.wi.gov/journal_media_detail.asp?prid=6085&locid=177“
“I challenge you to find the facts” says the guy who goes on to cite a website set up by Gov. Walker’s administration, as if that’s an unbiased source of “facts.”
LOL
where do you find your “facts”? Do you think the information KRG wrote were all lies? If so, prove it by reading them yourself and compare numbers to the site you get your information from.
Gov. Walker says ‘overwhelming number’ of Wisconsin school districts’ staffs grew or stayed the same after 2011-2013 state budget:
FALSE.
Even today’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (one of Governor Walker’s biggest media cheerleaders) PolitiFact…says the governor is WRONG:
http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/statements/2011/nov/27/scott-walker/walker-says-overwhelming-number-wisconsin-school-d/
“Our conclusion
Walker referred to school survey results, saying “the overwhelming number of districts saw that staffing was the same or greater.”
But he cherry-picked figures in his favor, leaving out a key factor — retirements — that formed the basis of the survey’s conclusions on overall staffing reductions. When they are included, the survey actually shows the opposite of what he said.
We rate his statement False.”
KRG: Except of course that what you wrote has nothing to do with the issue of the post. Did this woman violate policy? I believe she did. All the rest is just burning piles of Walker feces.
So how about that other woman – Kristi LaCroix-. Blue Cheddar relates her white supremacy rhetoric. Ms. Kristi LaCroix is a Lakeview Tech Academy charter school teacher in Kenosha, Wisconsin filmed an earlier TV advertisement for Scott Walker.
Here are excerpts from an audio of her speaking at a right-wing “Pints and Politics” event in Kenosha, Wisconsin that she attended on December 1, 2011.
“I stood up and I said, ‘Look, I’m white and I’m proud of that.”,
“I want you to understand that I am tired of the white male, the white conservative males, the white Christian conservative male being at the bottom of the heap.”
http://www.bluecheddar.net/2011/12/08/teacher-from-pro-walker-ad-joined-in-standing-ovation-to-white-pride-speech/