TBS has recently discovered that the book “Invisible Monsters” is in the North High School Library. This book is vile, pornographic, and disgusting.
This is the second incident of a book with inappropriate content found at North High in the past month. Palahniuk’s Invisible Monsters was originally rejected by the publisher for being too disturbing.
“Invisible Monsters” includes a quote from a scene depicting the family eating Thanksgiving dinner:
This is only one passage, there are many more examples of this type of crude, vulgar, appalling, and horrific language.
Is this how you raise your children?
Does this reflect your family values?
Would your family talk like this over Thanksgiving dinner?
If you answered NO to any of these questions, you must act now!
In January 2023, the Sheboygan Area School District (SASD) was made aware of pornographic graphic novels in the library of South High School.
SASD leadership has done nothing to ensure that such incidents do not happen again.
Incoming Superintendent Jake Konrath and School Board President Mary Lynne Donohue have failed to keep vulgar content from the SASD libraries.
Are you frustrated with Donohue and Konrath failing your kids?
This is the second controversial book discovered at North High.
If you are frustrated by the failure of SASD leadership to protect the children of Sheboygan, you must act now!
Email North High School principal John Matczak and demand that Invisible Monsters and Push be removed from North High School.
Email incoming superintendent Jake Konrath and ask what steps he will take to stop this from continuing to happen. High school libraries should not be places where kids learn about felching!
Take Back Sheboygan County knows that many former and current City employees have been reluctant to share their stories for fear of retaliation. If you are one of these, we welcome you to contact us. Your name will not be shared without permission. You can contact us at https://takebacksheboygancounty.com/contact/.
You are the solution! Be part of a movement to improve your community!
TBS has been reflecting on the moral ineptitude of the local leadership, driven by the local Democratic Party. This came full circle yesterday with a high-level Democratic operative being officially charged with election fraud.
That’s right—election fraud right here in Sheboygan, in the most basic form of our democracy, for a seat on your Common Council.
A theft of a political opponent’s election literature.
An act of election fraud recorded on camera—a suspect who admitted to stealing a political opponent’s literature.
Something that is so fundamentally wrong it should be assumed everyone can agree on this.
That assumption has been proven false.
Local Democratic supporters denounced the story’s relevance. Some suggested on social media that the theft was a kind act by Deb Klock because it prevented the candidate from committing a federal crime by placing election materials in a mailbox.
An extensive police investigation uncovered only one crime: election fraud by a member of the local Democratic Party in coordination with Alder Zach Rust’s re-election campaign.
It seems like an easy political opportunity to own the mistake and apologize.
Far from it, Zach Rust, who is running for re-election and was questioned in the criminal investigation, has neither apologized nor acknowledged his campaign’s mistakes.
A local Democratic Party activist’s account on X, GoSheboygan, referred to individuals and the Sheboygan Police Department as a “bunch of retards.”
A local political activist, identifying as Blossom on X, “liked” the tweet.
The term “retard” is considered outdated and offensive. It is a hurtful word that diminishes people with disabilities. It is regarded as hate speech. A campaign called “Spread the Word to End the Word” raises awareness of the need to eliminate this term.
Yet, local Democratic Party activists have used and “liked” the term.
Candidate Roberta Filicky-Peneski, running for re-election for the 2nd District seat on the Common Council, was recorded using the N-word.
She has not acknowledged her mistake or apologized during this campaign, stating instead that she was in the comfort of her own home and recorded without her knowledge.
People show their true selves in the safety of their homes. When someone like Filicky-Peneski tells you who they are, believe them.
City Attorney Chuck Adams ardently defended former Human Resources Director Adam Westbrook, who has since been charged in federal court with sex crimes against children.
None of them, nor anyone else from the City of Sheboygan, has denounced Adam Westbrook’s actions.
Mayor Sorenson appeared in a photo that mocked the Catholic faith. There were concerns about religious discrimination. Sorenson removed a citizen complaint from a Common Council agenda, effectively silencing the community.
Mayor Sorenson could have simply acknowledged the feelings of others and apologized for making city employees and residents feel small by apologizing for minimalizing the religious beliefs of residents and employees.
Co-chair of the local Democratic Party, Mary Lynne Donohue, described herself as the chair of a social justice project and encouraged DEIB work in city government.
Donohue is on record at a school board meeting referring to the “growth formula” of the state report card as an intergalactic formula that nobody can understand.
The formula, a DEIB initiative, gives schools credit for increasing achievement among traditionally underperforming groups: kids of color, kids living in poverty, and kids with disabilities.
Kids with disabilities, the same group GoSheboygan carelessly referred to as “retards” on X.
Kids that need support from a true social justice warrior.
Donohue also serves as the School Board President of the Sheboygan Area School District, which is under scrutiny for allowing a sexually graphic book titled ‘Push’ in the North High School library.
This is the second incident involving graphic sexual content in a SASD library in the past 15 months. Donohue has taken no action as School Board President to prevent this from continuing to happen.
These individuals tell you that you lack understanding of:
Diversity
Equity
Inclusion
Belonging
Yet none of these actions demonstrate a commitment to genuinely enhancing any of these principles. The controlling Democrats’ reckless behavior in Sheboygan has resulted in two federal lawsuits.
In one suit, the Federal Magistrate indicates there is reason to investigate a hostile work environment that was not prevented but was perpetuated by Mayor Sorenson — a suit that is moving forward based on a white, Christian, heterosexual male being discriminated against.
A second complaint with the Department of Workforce Development has forced the city to hire outside lawyers. That complaint states a white, heterosexual female was harassed while working for the City of Sheboygan.
The actions of the members of the Sheboygan County Democratic Party are rooted in:
Division
Exclusion
Indoctrination
Blasphemy
Take a look at the well-documented evidence of what DEIB looks like in Sheboygan under the leadership of the Sheboygan County Democratic Party here:
When is enough going to be enough for you? Are you ready to take action?
Filicky-Peneski and Rust are unfit to serve.
There is a local election today. Polls close at 8:00 p.m.
Go vote!
Today’s election does not mean an end but rather a beginning.
Take Back Sheboygan County knows that many former and current City employees have been reluctant to share their stories for fear of retaliation. If you are one of these, we welcome you to contact us. Your name will not be shared without permission. You can contact us at https://takebacksheboygancounty.com/contact/.
You are the solution! Be part of a movement to improve your community!
It has recently been discovered that there are concerning books in the library of North High School in Sheboygan. The book Push by Sapphire is listed as available on SASD library websites to be checked out by students at North High School.
The book is described on Amazon as:
Precious Jones, an illiterate sixteen-year-old, has up until now been invisible to the father who rapes her and the mother who batters her and to the authorities who dismiss her as just one more of Harlem’s casualties. But when Precious, pregnant with a second child by her father, meets a determined and radical teacher, we follow her on a journey of education and enlightenment as she learns not only how to write about her life, but how to make it truly her own for the first time.
Push details explicit accounts of sexual activities that include incest and molestation.
TBS has included an excerpt from Page 27:
Push uses the following words in the entire book:
F*ck- 83 times
P*ssy-13 times
C*nt- 3 times
There are other accounts that are this graphic in a sexual nature. The book is dominated by explicit and vulgar language.
TBS has shared one passage. Overall, the book is alarming and concerning with the quantity of vulgar passages.
Last February, the Sheboygan Press reported on how South High School decided to remove three books that were graphic novels and included extremely graphic drawings of sexual activity.
Take Back Sheboygan County knows that many former and current City employees have been reluctant to share their stories for fear of retaliation. If you are one of these, we welcome you to contact us. Your name will not be shared without permission. You can contact us at https://takebacksheboygancounty.com/contact/.
You are the solution! Be part of a movement to improve your community!
The Sheboygan Area School District (SASD) is beginning a campaign to ask taxpayers like you for a $126 million referendum to build two new middle schools.
This site has raised concerns about academic achievement in the SASD high schools. Lack of student achievement is a significant economic issue as we fail to prepare students to enter the workforce.
Our community and surrounding areas are rich with strong businesses that need employees. Companies cannot find people to work, and SASD fails to provide qualified talent to fill jobs despite significant investments by area businesses in the Red Raider Manufacturing program.
Local businesses have invested millions of dollars in Sheboygan’s high schools to equip students to enter the workforce and fill jobs in your local economy.
Companies that invested millions of dollars in the Red Raider Manufacturing programs should question the return on investment they are receiving today.
The current state of Sheboygan South and Central High School is abysmal.
97% of Wisconsin high schools in academic achievement
99.5% of Wisconsin high schools in academic growth
Sheboygan Central High School fails your kids. Your tax dollars go to a high school that fails to meet the expectations set by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
There have been no presentations by the current SASD superintendent, Seth Harvatine, or the incoming superintendent, Jake Konrath, last year to address the miserable results of Central High School.
They have avoided the failures of Sheboygan Central High School while they are preparing to ask you for an additional $126 million in taxes!
This site has been referenced by SASD leadership and the SASD school board as disseminating disinformation.
Others in the community have referred to this site as propaganda.
In June, TBS estimated the project’s cost to be $150 million. Today, SASD says it is $140 million. SASD will ask taxpayers for $126 million and fund the balance of the project on their own.
TBS has been accused of misinformation, disinformation, and propaganda.
Why did no other media outlet in Sheboygan talk about this last June?
Take Back Sheboygan wants to hear from you about this referendum.
Is the Mill Road and Najacht Road site ideal for a new middle school?
Has this referendum been well thought out?
Is this referendum reflective of a district with declining enrollment?
Is there a better solution?
Is it time to consider combining our Sheboygan High Schools into one school?
Take Back Sheboygan County knows that many former and current City employees have been reluctant to share their stories for fear of retaliation. If you are one of these, we welcome you to contact us. Your name will not be shared without permission. You can contact us at https://takebacksheboygancounty.com/contact/.
You are the solution! Be part of a movement to improve your community!
This coming Tuesday, September 12, the SASD Board of Education will vote to approve an 8% pay raise for staff. You have been silenced in this process as it has been done without any public knowledge. The time is now for you to show up and be heard.
Do you currently make nearly $80,000 a year and expect an 8% pay raise from your employer?
Are you struggling with getting by with the increased cost of living due to inflation and make less than $80,000 a year?
Does it sicken you to hear someone making almost $80,000 a year voice concerns over how hard it is to live in this economy?
Do you oppose lying by the SASD teachers’ union?
The Sheboygan Education Association (SEA) has lied to its members, stating that the SASD is going to impose a pay cut by only increasing wages by 4%.
The time to act is now! You must show up and voice your opinion on this 8% pay increase by the SASD.
There are teachers that deserve a significant pay raise, but that is not all teachers of the SASD.
You need to plan to attend the Board meeting on Tuesday, September 12!
What: Sheboygan Area School District Board of Education meeting When: Tuesday, September 12, at 6:35 p.m. Where: SASD Offices at 3330 Stahl Rd. Sheboygan, WI 53081 Room: Board Room
Your voice is needed as the SASD moves to approve an 8% raise for all staff. The impact on you as a taxpayer is significant. Plan to stay after the public input session to see presentations from North High School which currently “meets few expectations” and South High School which “fails to meet expectations” based off the current State of Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Report Cards.
The community and our children need your support Tuesday night!
This upcoming Tuesday, September 12th, the Sheboygan Area School District (SASD) School Board may approve a 4% pay raise with an additional 4% salary stipend for employees of the SASD. This 8% pay raise is on a Committee of the Whole agenda, which prevents any public input on the matter. This is a significant expenditure for the district and involves taxpayer dollars. Should taxpayers have a chance to share their input?
The SASD had a Board meeting on August 22nd where there was an opportunity for public input. This opportunity was clouded in secrecy in that the agenda item was for a closed session that stated, “To deliberate strategies to address specific issues pertaining to collective bargaining for teachers.” Take Back Sheboygan County has received insight that some, if not all members of the school board, were kept in the dark on the breakdown in negotiations between the SASD and the Sheboygan Educators Association (SEA) which is the formal name of the teachers’ union.
Take Back Sheboygan County discovered concerns over SEA by district leadership prior to this meeting. Seth Harvatine expressed concerns to Board members over the SEA’s activity in the negotiation process. Harvatine normally does not comment on matters like this but felt compelled to voice concerns over the SEA during the negotiation.
Harvatine was made aware of an email that SEA sent only to its members that included false information. The false information revolved around the August 22 Board meeting and stated that the administration will be presenting information to the Board on salary negotiations during the open session. That was untrue based on the posted agenda reference previously.
The second lie from the SEA stated that there is a likelihood that the Board will impose a pay cut on the teachers unless SEA members show up in solidarity.
It was also uncovered that Harvatine met extensively with the SEA President and was not made aware of this messaging by SEA. Harvatine then met with three SEA team leadership members, and they all stated they did not send the email with inaccurate information, and they would need to check on who sent that email to SEA members.
It was not until teachers began sharing in the public comment of the August 22 Board meeting that it was clear that the SASD was offering a 4% raise and the SEA was asking for an 8% raise. This clearly illustrates the SEA was lying to its members by stating the SASD would impose a pay cut.
Had this been clearly communicated in a transparent way by the SASD Board to stakeholders, you would have had an opportunity to share your opinion on the 8% raise in that meeting as well. The SASD Board of Education is leaving you out of the decision-making process and silencing you!
Several SASD staff members spoke about the challenges of inflation and providing for themselves and their families in today’s economy.
If the advocacy of the SEA is for teachers on the low end of the pay scale to receive a pay raise, why is the SEA lying to its members in their communication? If you are a teacher struggling to make a livable wage at around $40,000 a year and do legitimately deserve a pay raise, can you honestly look at your colleague making close to $80,000 a year and believe that they need and deserve the same raise as you?
The following SASD staff members spoke at the August 22nd meeting in support of an 8% pay increase.
The pressure of inflation is real, and some of the stories shared by SASD staff members were sad and authentic. Take Back Sheboygan County supports a significant pay raise for some SASD teachers.
In reviewing the salaries of some staff members who spoke at the meeting, there are some concerns. Everyone is impacted by inflation. When you see someone making almost $80,000 a year voice concern over the impact of inflation and demand an 8% raise, it is tough to swallow. As a taxpayer, do you currently make close to $80,000 and plan on receiving an 8% raise from your employer this year?
The staff members making $42,000 a year should receive a significant pay raise. In the current economy, the cost of rent, childcare, food, and gasoline presents real challenges to living comfortably on close to $40,000 a year. Take Back Sheboygan County advocates for a significant raise for SASD employees on the low end of the pay scale.
The concern arises from the SASD strategically moving to pass the 8% raise in the dark, excluding taxpayers from any voice in the decision. There is also massive concern about an 8% raise across the board. That is not acceptable without the public and stakeholders like you having a voice in the process!
If the SASD staff members on the high end of the pay scale are advocating for this raise for the employees on the lower end of the scale, then they should decline the massive pay increase to afford the SASD the opportunity to increase pay for employees on the lower end in a fiscally responsible way. If this is about advocacy for an employee making close to $40,000 a year, then exclude the high-end pay scale employees from the massive raise!
This is not exact math but a general example of the impact this massive pay increase will have on the financial health of the SASD. The SASD annual budget is roughly $160 million. Salaries make up approximately 70% of the budget or $112 million. An 8% salary increase would cost the SASD $8.96 million this year. This is an estimate, and actual numbers could be requested from the district.
It would be more responsible for the SASD to provide stakeholders with an estimate of the fiscal impact of this massive raise. It would also be far more responsible to allow this discussion to take place in full transparency, during a general board meeting where there is an opportunity for public discussion. As a taxpayer or stakeholder in the SASD, do you want an opportunity to share your opinion on this massive pay raise?
The SASD School Board is eliminating you from this process! Board President Mary Lynn Donohue and Superintendent Seth Harvatine strategically placed this massive pay increase on the agenda of a meeting that does not allow public input to silence you!
The Board does not value your opinion or make any effort to seek your opinion as a stakeholder in the SASD. If you want an opportunity for your voice to be heard, you need to contact the SASD and the school board.
Demand an opportunity for public input! Demand that your voice is heard.
This is your tax dollars being spent without you having a seat at the table.
Email your concerns to SASD Leadership and the Board.
The challenges that Sheboygan faces in poor student achievement at the high schools in the Sheboygan Area School District (SASD) and the lack of direction and leadership in the City of Sheboygan’s government have a common denominator in Mary Lynne Donohue. Donohue serves as the current School Board President of the SASD and Co-Chair of the Sheboygan County Democratic Party. Donohue has also previously served on the City of Sheboygan Common Council.
Donohue’s ties to everything happening in Sheboygan are deep. Donohue uses those ties to influence key decisions, and as evidenced in the previous post, she is comfortable advocating for causes by directly emailing the Common Council to publish a Request for Proposal that her organization drafted for the Common Council and would likely compete to secure the funding and contract for executing the work. Donohue’s connections also run into major budgetary decisions made by Sheboygan.
In the 2023 City of Sheboygan budget, the Sheboygan Press published an article on November 3, 2022, discussing the budget. Sheboygan Press reporter Maya Hilty states, “An increase in the budget for Mead Public Library is the largest proposed change in department budgets from 2022 to 2023.” The same article quotes Mead Public Library Board President Maeve Quinn on how the board unanimously approved a wage increase and expressed gratitude for the increased spending in the budget to do so.
Mead Public Library received a greater increase in funding in the 2023 budget than any other department. This increase was larger than the Police Department, Fire Department, and every other department that provides essential services to you as a taxpayer. The Mead Public Library Board President Maeve Quinn is also co-Chair of the Sheboygan County Democratic Party along with Donohue.
The following photograph comes from media reports on December 9, 2022. This illustrates that Donohue was serving as co-Chair of the Sheboygan County Democratic Party with Mead Public Library Board President Maeve Quinn at the same time the library received the largest increase in funding of any department in our city.
Donohue has been involved in the recruitment of Common Council members and has close ties to Mayor Ryan Sorenson. Mayor Sorenson has referred to Donohue as a mentor and, at one time, stated that he views Donohue as his second mother. Donohue’s involvement with the Common Council and Mayor Sorenson led her to be named in a current lawsuit against the City of Sheboygan. She is the only non-City employee or official named in this lawsuit.
When City Administrator Todd Wolf was fired without cause in January, there was a lack of clarity on who would manage the operational responsibilities of the City Administrator due to the vacancy. The Finance and Personnel Committee passed a resolution numbered 153-22-23 that appointed the Chair of the Finance and Personnel Committee to take on some of the authority of the City Administrator. This was requested by department heads of Sheboygan to ensure day-to-day operations could be maintained and not require the two-week wait for Common Council approval. This went before the Common Council for approval on March 20, 2023.
Alder Amanda Salazar asked for an amendment to the resolution and asked for the body of the Common Council to make changes rather than allow just the Chair of the Finance and Personnel Committee to make decisions. City of Sheboygan Assistant Attorney Liz Majerus commented that the majority of these decisions would be Human Resources-related and also Finance-related.
Alder Grazia Perella stated that she does not see much of a need for the resolution and does not see any daily tasks or responsibilities that would, in fact, hinder or prevent the Common Council as a whole from making the decision rather than one individual.
Alder Salazar made a motion to file the resolution. This means that the resolution would not be voted on, and the resolution could not be brought up again for one year. It was stated that all decisions would need to come before the Common Council.
On the roll call vote to file the resolution, Alder Mitchell abstained due to being the Chair of the Finance and Personnel Committee. The motion to file the resolution passed on a 5-4 vote. Alder Roberta Filicky-Peneski voted in favor of the motion to file the resolution. She is the Vice President of the Finance and Personnel Committee, who approved the resolution and sent it to the Common Council with the recommendation for approval. Alder Filicky-Peneski was also the alder that brought the motion forward to the Council for a vote. The resolution was filed and could not be brought forward for a year. The City of Sheboygan moved forward with a lack of clarity and understanding of who was responsible for decisions on the day-to-day operations of running the City of Sheboygan. The understanding was that decisions that the City Administrator was required to make would come before the entire Common Council.
The vote to not identify a decision-maker on the day-to-day operations, leaving the decisions to the entire Common Council, was made with no alternative or options to a request that came from the City of Sheboygan Department Heads to allow the City to function efficiently. The day-to-day operations and the needs of the department heads were referred to by Alder Perella as not needed. She then voted to file the resolution. This shows a lack of understanding of the number of decisions made daily to ensure services are provided to taxpayers. An organization with a $124 million dollar budget and responsible for running a city with 50,000 residents requires efficiency and direction to function. Alder Salazar and Alder Perella demonstrated that they do not have concern or see much of a need for efficiency in daily decision-making power for the City of Sheboygan to provide you with daily services.
Since that vote, there have been multiple requests that have been brought forward to the Finance and Personnel Committee for consideration. Following is a document that was recently submitted and shown for your review:
Under staff comments, it states, “City staff has reviewed the above notice of claim and, under the authorization of the Mayor of Sheboygan, in consultation with the City Attorney and the Finance Department, have denied the notice of claim listed above” Previously, documents reviewed would state the decision made by the City Administrator on these claims In rejecting the resolution that would have allowed the Chair of the Finance and Personnel Committee to have the authority to make decisions on the day-to-day operations of the city it was agreed that decisions would come before the Common Council.
Mayor Sorenson has now taken the responsibility of some day-to-day decisions from the responsibilities defined in the Municipal Code to the City Administrator. This illustrates that the needs and services of taxpayers are secondary to the power grab of Mayor Sorenson and the members of the Common Council with deep ties to Donohue.
While the day-to-day operations of the City of Sheboygan have been an afterthought, the commitment to Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) has been a central focus. Members of the Common Council and Donohue have advocated for a Request for Proposal to be published that was drafted by Donohue. The City’s proposed 5-Year Strategic Plan neglected priorities like Police and Fire Department and, instead, heavily incorporated elements favorable to DEI. That Strategic Plan was denied after public outcry and cost you as a taxpayer $140,000 in lost fees to a consulting company.
Budget priorities from last year, such as a new Firehouse No. 3 and development in the industrial parks have stalled. The City is moving forward with hiring a City Administrator, and the process included explicit directions from Human Resources Director Adam Westbrook that taxpayers like you, who are not City of Sheboygan employees, who attempted to attend would be asked to leave. The presentations by the two finalists for the City Administrator position were referred to as a Stakeholder Presentation. According to Mayor Sorenson, Human Resources Director Adam Westbrook and members of the Common Council, you are not a stakeholder!
Mayor Sorenson has gone rogue in approving and denying claims from residents without oversight from the Common Council. Mayor Sorenson is trampling on City Ordinances by denying resident claims that were previously the responsibility of the City Administrator. Mayor Sorenson has also trampled on the right to Free Speech by not allowing resident complaints to be on the Common Council agenda. This also prevents other residents from sharing their thoughts or opinions due to there not being an agenda item.
Again, Donohue is a major influence with the Common Council, the Mayor, and the SASD.
At a recent SASD Board meeting, Donohue referred to a Wisconsin State Report Card growth formula as “intergalactic” and difficult to explain, while the formula rewards schools that are increasing the academic achievement of students who have been traditionally marginalized by the educational system.
These are people that would benefit from relevant DEI work, work that focused on helping people of color, people with disabilities, and people who are economically disadvantaged. As Chair of the Sheboygan Justice Equity group and an advocate for DEI work, Donohue dismissed another school that is doing better than Sheboygan South in increasing achievement in these marginalized populations.
Under the leadership of Donohue, DEI in Sheboygan has demonstrated a different priority than enriching the lives of marginalized populations.
The following are pictures from Sheboygan South High School’s library of books that had to be removed after public outrage drove the SASD administration and School Board to act. These pictures were in books available to be checked out in a library of a school that was under the governance of School Board President Mary Lynne Donohue. The picture of Mayor Sorenson was from the Pride Event in Sheboygan on June 24 and was published on the Visit Sheboygan Facebook page.
We caution you that some of the images from the books that were available for students in the Sheboygan South High School Library are explicit.
This is what DEI looks like under Mayor Sorenson and School Board President Mary Lynne Donohue!
Take Back Sheboygan County 