After an investigation into alleged retaliation by a Waterloo School Board member against another, the attorney hired by the district found “no substantial evidence of a policy violation.”
The incident was detailed in a July 17, 2025 story that appeared in the Lake Mills Leader Independent. According to the story:
The investigation was conducted after school board member Sara Cummings filed a retaliation complaint against Board President Mathew Schneider, in response to his actions after Cummings brought up conflict-of-interest issues at a board meeting.
In closed session during their July 9 meeting, the board met with Shana Lewis of the law firm Renning, Lewis & Lacy “to review her findings and conclusions, as well as to her recommendations regarding best practices for the Board members when they have questions about board member potential conflicts of interest and other policy violations,” according to a public statement released July 14.
The alleged retaliation occurred after the May 14 school board meeting, during which Cummings and fellow board member Susan Quamme brought up conflict-of-interest rules and code of ethics, which were topics at a Feb. 27 school law conference that both attended.
According to records obtained by the Leader Independent under an open-records request, Schneider emailed Cummings’ supervisor on May 15 to say that “we will need Sara Cummings removed as our account representative” for Canteen’s account with Cleary Building Corp.
In the email, Schneider wrote that “Ms. Cummings and I both serve on the Waterloo School Board and it has been brought to my attention through various legal channels that our interactions on the board could be construed as unethical, and or illegal. … Ms. Cummings will not be able to perform any type of work on our account or interact with individuals at Cleary Building Corp.”
Cummings emailed Waterloo School Superintendent Brian Henning and Business Manager Susan Daniels about this on May 21, calling Schneider’s claims “factually inaccurate” and alleging they appeared to be “clear retaliation” for her comments at the May 14 school board meeting.
On June 19, Cummings formally filed a retaliation complaint with the Waterloo School Board against Schneider.
Schneider then submitted a two-page “Letter of Augmentation”, writing that during the May 14 board meeting, the “allegations of violating ‘The public criminal statute 946.13’, and the code of ethics pertaining to a conflict of interest were presented and referenced specifically to myself and family.”
Cummings denied that her May 14 conflict-of-interest comments were just about Schneider.
“I wasn’t singling him out at all,” Cummings said. “It’s a policy that a lot of school boards don’t realize that they are breaking.”
Henning noted that in a small school district like Waterloo, there are often people who wear multiple hats and the potential for conflicts of interest can occur.
He added that to the best of his recollection, Schneider has always recused himself from votes regarding his spouse’s employment or benefits, and that he hasn’t seen any board member trying to use their position to advance a family member or personal interest.
“I don’t see anybody doing anything that I feel is a conflict of interest in the District,” he said.
Henning said Attorney Lewis’ initial estimate was $5,000-$10,000 for the cost of the investigation, but said he has not seen a final total yet.
