Kinzer resigns from G-E-T board after emotional meeting

A member of the Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau School Board resigned last week following an emotional school board meeting last Monday.

Paul Kinzer will no longer represent Galesville on the board after he submitted his resignation in an email to the board last Wednesday and confirmed his resignation the following day in another email to board President Larry Moore.

Moore said the decision was Kinzer’s and thanked him for his service on the board.

“I always appreciated his position on a lot of issues, particularly making sure all students were treated equally. He was always concerned about that,” Moore said.

Kinzer apologized to the board and middle school principal Pete Peterson at the board’s regular meeting last Monday regarding his reaction to a committee’s removal of the book “Queer Ducks (and other Animals): The Natural World of Animal Sexuality” from the middle school library.

He told the Times in a statement on Monday that he resigned after 11 years on the board because the district hurt families in the LGBTQ+ community, and he believes the board should be doing more.

“I quit because there are families in G-E-T who have been hurt by the actions taken by the school district. Our LGBTQ+ community is hurting,” Kinzer’s statement reads.

Kinzer’s statement continues by saying he worked with school-age children for 30 years, teaching them that they need to reconcile with those they hurt.

“I quit because I can’t be part of a system that can’t even see that their number one job is not to explain away the cause of harm, but to admit the harm, reach out to those harmed and help those harmed. Right now. Until this is done, intent means less than nothing,” Kinzer’s statement reads.

“By concentrating on anything other than those who are hurting, we show that we don’t care about them as much as we care about not being blamed. I taught this to five-year-olds. This is not hard. This is fundamental and necessary. If a child can understand that this is their job, why can’t we,” he asked.

Kinzer’s term was set to end in April 2024. 

The board will have 60 days to appoint someone who lives in Galesville to fill the open seat on the board. Residents can submit letters of interest to the district office.

If the seat is not filled in 60 days, the district will post a public notice of the open position to solicit applications.

The school board released the following statement after a special meeting last Wednesday with Kinzer and board member Todd Roessler absent:

“On June 12th, allegations of bias were made about Pete Peterson, middle school principal, regarding the handling of the book review process. In closed session, with Mr. Peterson present, these allegations were discussed. The G-E-T school board truly believes that Pete is a strong leader and an advocate for all children,” the statement reads.

“There has never been a complaint to reach this board regarding Pete’s treatment of his students. Public perception is important. The handling of the book complaint process has made Pete, other administrators, and our staff out to be what they are not,” the statement continues. “The Board apologizes to the entire G-E-T community and especially to the LGBTQIA+ community and allies for the pain that resulted from this process.”

RELATED: Update: G-E-T School Board Tables Decision To Remove Book From Middle School Library