The leadership of the Fairfield Community School District has been under the scrutiny of teachers, residents, and other community members.
In a school board meeting last week, the guidance of Superintendent Dr. Laurie Noll was questioned amid declining enrollment. Noll is on an indefinite leave of absence due to a family emergency and was not present for the school board meeting.
The Fairfield School Board says The Great Prairie Education Agency will be handling the supervisor’s duties during Noll’s leave.
During public comments, Dane Koll, a Fairfield assistant football coach, noted over the past ten years, the Fairfield district has been seeing more students open enrolling out of the district. He pointed to the lack of leadership and said a change needed to be made.
“Now at an extremely critical moment, we are left with no leadership at all. The teachers and community members that are in opposition of this district leadership strongly believe that the superintendent’s contract should be terminated, use the funds from the management account to pay her out, find an interim superintendent, and start making steps in a positive direction.” Dane Kool, Fairfield Assistant Football Coach
Koll started an online petition asking for Noll to be removed. It currently has close to 850 signatures.
Brittney Tiller, who has two children in the Fairfield School District, says an anonymous survey was created in which 81 Fairfield teachers and associates participated. In answer to the question, “In the last 10 years, what direction do you feel our district has moved in?” Tiller says the results are as follows:
“One percent said a positive direction. 10 percent said unsure. And 89 percent of the teachers and associates in our school district said we have moved in a negative direction over the last 10 years.” Brittney Tiller, Fairfield Parent
Noll has been Fairfield’s Superintendent since 2014. In February 2022, she was one of three finalists for the Burlington Community School District Superintendent position. Before going to Fairfield, Noll previously served as Director of Curriculum and Instruction and Alternative High School Principal at Burlington Schools.
