The new conference room at the Cadott High School saw a packed house Sept. 8, when concerned staff members, parents and community members gathered to get some answers to their questions regarding transparency, accountability and trust.
According to a story in the Sept. 11, 2025 issue of the Courier Sentinel of Cornell:
“These concerns are not going away,” said community member Justin Marion.
Those concerns began April 14, after former Cadott School Board member Brad Sonnentag was elected as the board president, at their re-organizational meeting. Former president Cory LaNou was elected as vice-president.
However, the matter sparked some concerns, as Sonnentag allegedly told LaNou, prior to the meeting, that he was going to be nominated and would turn the presidency down. Sonnentag ultimately accepted the position.
Former board member Kevin Roshell also allegedly acknowledged being contacted by Yeager, about which way the vote would go for the presidency. All this could possibly constitute a walking quorum, which, by definition, violates open meetings laws, by producing a pre-determined outcome, without public notice and access, rendering the official public meeting a mere formality. To avoid this, all discussions and decisions involving a majority of members must occur in noticed, public meetings.
The April 14 meeting also included an appropriately noticed closed session, under Wisconsin Statute § 19.85(1) (c), for personnel matters, during which discussions allegedly exceeded the posted scope. During the closed session, District Administrator Josh Spaeth expressed concern regarding a possible walking quorum and believed the reorganization should be invalid.
When the conversation continued beyond the posted scope, LaNou left the meeting and advised that it should be shut down. It was not.
With the concern over a possible quorum, Spaeth contacted Chrissy Hamiel, from Attolles Law, within 24 hours of the April 14 meeting, to obtain legal guidance on how to proceed. Yeager also reached out to Hamiel, to ask questions related to whether a walking quorum concern existed. Flash forward to May 2, and Sonnentag resigned as president and from his office as a board member effective immediately.
That meant LaNou became president, but maintained contact with legal counsel to ensure the board was acting in accordance with the law. A May 6 board retreat provided comprehensive training about walking quorums and proper board procedures.
On May 12, the board formalized policy changes regarding legal counsel contact authorization — restricting it to only the board president and the district administrator. On May 13, Yeager resigned from the board.
A May 16 meeting reorganized the board, with Rod Tegel’s being appointed vice president. Roshell resigned July 25, citing shifting personal priorities.
Marion told the board that the responses from the board about the walking quorum were unsatisfactory. He said some community members and/or staffers do not feel safe or supported and raised those concerns with school leadership.
“I’m not here for politics,” Marion told the board. “I’m here because our school must be led with integrity, professionalism and accountability. The community deserves honest answers, not excuses.”
Roshell later posted on social media that he had concerns about the legality of the April 14 meeting.
LaNou said the board will undergo more training about open meetings laws, walking quorums and comments to the community as well as board policy.
