Feldmann: 'I Can't Support Incoming Super'

Jefferson Township Board of Education member Robert Feldmann has resigned his seat on the board. Business administrator Dora Zeno read his resignation letter at Monday night’s budget presentation meeting.

Feldmann stated in his letter that he resigned “with deep regret,” but that he felt he “could not in good conscience support the new superintendent and his administration.”

Feldmann said the following in an email to Jefferson Patch:

"Needless to say, this has been a very trying year for me. No matter what I say, it will sound like sour grapes to some board members. I just got tired of asking the questions that community members wanted to have said, without the support of my fellow board members.  However, aside from a number of things happening early on, it became very obvious to me that certain new board members ran for the board with their own personal agenda, mainly to force Dr. Fuchs out and bring in Joe Kraemer. The board wasted over $8000 to do a superintendent search when everyone knew that Joe Kraemer was the chosen one. God could have applied for the job and would not have won.

When asked by Dr. Librera what we wanted to see in the next superintendent, my first suggestion was that we needed an “educational leader.” Most other board members felt that we needed a “people person,” someone who could communicate with the people. Although I felt that was also important, who do we now have as an educational leader? I certainly do not think it is Mr. Kraemer. Perhaps that is why he felt the need to .

Bottom line, it is all about the children of this district and I think they came up short. This is why I felt I could not give my full support to the new administration. I sincerely hope I am proven wrong for the sake of the children of Jefferson Township.”

"I would like to thank Mr. Feldmann for his years of service to the board," said incoming superintendent Joseph Kraemer. Kraemer will begin his tenure on April 1, after the Kathaleen Fuchs.