Lack of teacher support doesn’t stop Mendon School Board from giving superintendent one-year contract

MENDON, Ill. — Less than 10 percent of the teachers union in Community Unit School District 4 voiced support for Superintendent Scott Riddle as part of a recent survey, yet the Mendon School Board voted 4-3 last on March 19 to give him a one-year contract.

The vote was in favor of Riddle despite the seven-member board learning about a survey compiled by Brent Zanger, a third-grade teacher at Mendon Elementary School and the president of the Unit Four Teachers Association. 

The teachers were asked if Riddle’s contract should be extended, should not be extended or if they had no opinion. Four teachers abstained from voting, and four said Riddle’s contract should be extended. Six said they had no opinion. Twenty-six teachers — nearly two-thirds of union members — said Riddle’s contract should not be extended. (Riddle’s five-year contract is set to expire this summer.)

Voting in favor of Riddle’s extension were Danielle Fleer, Steve Arnsman, Louis Janssen and Matt Garmer. Voting against the extension were Ashley Shaffer, Matt Rolando and Eric McClelland.

Zanger thought compiling the survey was necessary because he believes the district had had “some rough times transitioning” from two superintendents who he worked for earlier in his career at Mendon — Diane Robertson and Brian Kurz.

“When I started (in Mendon) in 2007, (Robertson) had great communication,” Zanger said. “We had staff meetings, and she would come in and really understand what’s going on, whether it was in our district or with the state. Kurz came in after her, and he did a great job, too. He was very inspirational, a great leader.

“That’s one of the things I’ve noticed since. We don’t have that leader who everyone gets that inspiration from, that drive. The job, it seems, gets harder. You need that person who inspires you, pushes you to do your best. That’s been lacking. … The relationships have not been there, and that’s something I think many of (the teachers who responded) to that survey want again. They want a person who’s going to inspire them and lead them and take us back in a positive direction. Right now, it’s just not there.”

Attempts to reach Riddle for a comment for this story were unsuccessful.

Zanger said an evaluation of Riddle’s work had not been completed by the board in five years.

“When the union found out that (the board was) doing their evaluation, we thought, well, we are the ones who work for him,” he said. “(The teachers) should be able to comment and give feedback on our experiences when we’ve worked with the superintendent. That was kind of the purpose behind (the survey).”

Shaffer, the president of the board, said the school board members and Riddle received copies of the survey before the March 19 meeting. She said the survey was not given to non-teaching members of the district staff. She also said the board didn’t ask for the survey to be conducted.

“I think the board did get the message, and the staff was heard,” Shaffer said. “How each of us took that (information) and interpreted it was based on each individual and, of course, other factors as well. There’s a lot to consider when you go to vote for anything, but I don’t regret the way I voted.”

Shaffer said she voted no because the voice of the staff, faculty and students outweighed the “positive attributes” that Riddle has given to the district.

“The opportunities outweigh the strengths,” Shaffer said. “There’s always a good time for change, and when there’s that many people who are ready for a change, we need an improvement and a more positive engagement within our district for our staff and students. I felt like voting no was the right thing to do.”

“The explanation I had on extending the contract was that he’s been here for a long time, and some want to see him leave on a positive note,” Zanger said. “(The board is) giving him this opportunity to repair some of those relationships that have been damaged. I can see that point of view, but I don’t think it’s going to happen. I don’t think his personality is going to change.”

Included with the survey were 11 pages of typewritten comments provided by the teaching staff, who were promised anonymity. Concerns ranged from a lack of communication and micromanaging, not having enough janitorial staff to keep schools clean, the lack of an in-school suspension room and the hiring a full-time principal at the middle school to alleviate the load on Josh Arnsman, who is serving as the principal at the middle school and the high school.

Shaffer says it’s important for the superintendent and all administrators to create an action plan going forward.

“It’s important to have a structured evaluation process with a performance improvement plan for each of them, because doesn’t matter how great you are at your job, there’s always something you can improve,” she said. “It’s not just for Mr. Riddle. All leaders in the district need to have opportunities identified and then follow up with those action items to make sure that they truly are working towards those goals.

“There’s not a formal process right now, but I think there’s no question that needs to happen.”

The Mendon teachers signed a three-year contract in August 2024. Zanger said the teachers walked away from negotiations just before school was about to start.

“We said, ‘This isn’t going to work. We’re going to have to get a mediator,” Zanger said. “(Riddle) said he reached out to board members and said, ‘Here’s their final offer. Will you take it?’ And they did. But during negotiations, it was literally like one side of the table and the other side of the table. Our union rep said it was the weirdest negotiations ever, because it was so standoffish. It was not working toward commonality. 

“To me, it starts with our superintendent.”

Zanger hopes Riddle can regain respect with the staff.

“Maybe he can be a part of the transition if someone else is coming in,” Zanger said. “Budget-wise, he has done a good job. He’s worked well with the board. I guess that would be my hope. This has probably been his best year knowing his contract was coming up.”

Riddle is a graduate of the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana and started his career in education as an administrator at the Rochester School District.  He had been the principal at Beardstown High School for nine years before taking the job in Mendon in 2017.