'Political battles' prompts Cudahy School District superintendent to announce her resignation
Cudahy School District Superintendent Tina Owen-Moore has announced her resignation from the position, effective June 30.
Owen-Moore, who has been serving in the role for the last four years, told the Cudahy School Board during its Monday meeting.
"Education has just become so politicized and I've walked into a very politicized scenario from the beginning of my time here," Owen-Moore in a phone interview Jan. 23. "It's really challenging to navigate that space and stand in that fire. I had to step back and take care of myself and say that I'm not going to do this anymore. I want to be about the kids. I want to focus on education. I want to focus on doing what's right instead of being caught in the crossfires of all the political battles."
In her resignation letter, which was obtained by the Journal Sentinel and dated Jan. 19, Owen-Moore said when she applied for the job she was "excited about coming to a district that was 'forward-thinking and innovative,' because I thought I would be a good match for those values."
"I also thought that, despite the political differences that I knew existed amongst members of the board, I could find my way through hard work, integrity and a students-first focus, and as such earn the respect of the entire Board," Owen-Moore wrote.
Owen-Moore listed in her letter seven things she did that she thought could earn that respect, including "taking a neutral, science-based and students-first approach to navigating the pandemic," improving literacy scores, and listening to teacher and staff member complaints of "persistent bullying and student behavior issues" and finding grants to hire staff to address those issues.
"I have, undoubtedly, held up my end of the bargain, yet despite all of my best efforts, the divisions on the Board and preconceived ideas about who I am as a person have plagued my experience, making it almost unbearable, and have stilted forward progress for the District," Owen-Moore wrote.
Board member reaction
Cudahy School Board President Kari Durr said in an email she was unaware that Owen-Moore would resign at Monday's meeting, but said she respects Owen-Moore's decision.
"I wish her the best of luck and am sure we will work together to make the transition smoothly to whatever the future holds next for the students and staff of the Cudahy school district," Durr wrote.
Cudahy School Board Vice President Laurie Ozbolt said she was "very disappointed" to hear of Owen-Moore's decision, but said she understood Owen-Moore's reasons for doing so.
"I myself am up for election this year and have chosen not to run because of the divisions and contentious nature of the way the school board is being run right now," Ozbolt said.
Cudahy School Board member Michael Johnson said he was "disheartened" to hear the reasons behind Owen-Moore's resignation.
"It was frustrating to say the least, but I do understand why she put in her resignation and I wish her the best," Johnson said. "I think wherever she goes, she'll have great success."
Johnson referenced the continuing board division as a factor why she would want to leave.
"There were a lot of different actors that seemed to work against her during her tenure," Johnson said. "Very briefly after COVID let up, parts of the board at least, parts of the district all throughout the district really came to not share her vision and seemed to work against her at every step of the way. To be fair, there were a lot of changes that we had to make as a board, a lot of decisions due to budget crunches and all that fun stuff, but when you don't have a team and you have a divided group, especially the board, working against her, it made for a difficult outcome for her, to say the least."
Board member Crystal Silkwood declined to comment, while board members Chris Galewski, Jim Papala and Rhonda Riccio did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AlecJohnson12.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Cudahy School District superintendent Owen-Moore submits resignation
