School Board may discuss Alwin's status on Monday

By Zena McFadden / News Republic

A Baraboo School Board committee met behind closed doors Thursday night, possibly to discuss the status of Administrator Lance Alwin. The agenda for the closed-door session included discussion of administrative benefits and contract recommendations.

Committee member Judd Maxwell declined to comment after the meeting.

A special School Board meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Monday. In closed session, board members will discuss "the employment and performance of an administrative employee, including consideration of ... personal histories or disciplinary data ... preliminary consideration of specific personnel problems or the investigation of charges," and to "take any action as appropriate," according to the agenda for that meeting.

Alwin was placed on administrative leave at a closed-session school board meeting held Feb. 4. School Board President Kevin Vodak said at the time that Alwin had been placed on paid leave pending an investigation into his job performance. Board members have not yet said whether the investigation has begun.

An online poll conducted by the News Republic from Feb. 15 to Feb. 22 revealed that 31 percent of voters think it's time for the district and the administrator to work toward a settlement or a buyout of his contract, and 41 percent of voters think he should be fired regardless of the outcome of the investigation into his job performance. Five percent said Alwin shouldn't have to face the inquiry and should be given his job back immediately, and 23 percent said he should be allowed to return to work, but only if the investigation clears him.

The poll results are not scientific, meaning it was possible for readers to vote more than once. The results also do not necessarily constitute a representative sample of the population in terms of race, gender, age or location of residence.

The school board selected Alwin to lead Baraboo schools in September 2004, replacing Anthony Kujawa, who retired. Alwin signed his current contract in May 2007, and it runs through June 30, 2009. The school board voted Dec. 3 not to automatically renew the contract and decided to discuss the issue again in February.

Alwin was superintendent of the Antigo School District from 1997 until he was hired by the Baraboo School District. He had been a principal for seven years and a school counselor for two.

Born in Milwaukee, Alwin attended college at Lawrence University in Appleton and earned his master's degree in education, guidance and counseling from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in 1988.

Alwin's salary for the 2007-08 school year is about $116,000, according to the Department of Public Instruction's Statistical Information Center.