- At Tuesday night's school board meeting a petition was presented calling for superintendent, Jim Feil, to resign. The petition's organizer, Rebecca Wilinski, said she felt the need to start the petition fearing kids were being humiliated over not receiving lunches.
- Feil says he will not resign and will win back the petition signers by winning and achieving success at Manitowoc Schools.
- Many people at the meeting called for Feil to resign and spoke out against his decisions, but a few spoke in support of the superintendent.
Many Manitowoc locals are saying they have had enough.
This week a petition has been signed by hundreds of names calling for Superintendent Jim Feil to resign after he said no to free lunches for all.
“We have a carryover, I believe, of people who are still frustrated that we just didn't continue to do what we were doing", Feil said.
People had the opportunity to express their opinions at Tuesday night's school board meeting.
"To come here and say that you are teaching parents a lesson... you aren't teaching anybody anything," one concerned woman said.
Many people who signed the petition to oust superintendent Fiel say they disagree with some of Superintendent Feil’s decisions. Including taking on the Success For All program and ending a federally funded lunch program that feeds all students.
"He should resign or be terminated," said a speaker at the meeting. "Let's go 4 to 6 weeks without a superintendent. It can't go worse than it is already."
One speaker was petition organizer Rebecca Wilinski.
"He has shown that he is not acting in the best interest of our children or our community, so we 587 signees and counting demand your resignation today," Wilinski said.
"If someone were to ask me, 'Would you send your kid to the district?' I'd be like 'No!'," added one mother.
But Superintendent Feil says he stands by his decisions, and he says it has worked in his past.
"Some of my most vocal critics have become my strongest supporters, because in the end they finally recognize that it has always been about the kids," said Superintendent Feil.
Superintendent Feil says to get people back on his side, the school must achieve success and that's something, he says believes, he is setting up.
"Think of a sports team," Superintendent Feil told me. "What happens when you start winning. Right, you just get fired up to win the next game and the next game. That's what we have to do."
The petition calling for Superintendent Feil’s resignation now has 645 signatures... almost 60 more than last night.
But Superintendent Feil made it clear, he says he's not going anywhere.
