IMAGE: Courtesy Green Bay Area Public School District.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — An open records request is providing new information on the actions Green Bay’s school board took when concern was first raised whether former board member Kou Lee lived in the district.
On Monday, seven members of the public raised concern about this issue to board members.
“I do think it’s of the public’s best interest to make an effort to show retroactive transparency — to put out everything you knew, when you knew it, what you did,” said Eric Drzewiecki of Green Bay.
Lee resigned May 8, the same day a Green Bay Press-Gazette story came out showing Lee might not live in the district now, or when he won his position last spring.
Two months ago, in March, school board members say they first heard about the concern from a resident email.
An open records request for all correspondence between board members and district administrators regarding Lee’s residency shows Lee texted board members the day after the resident email.
“I was disturbed by an email sent to all of you regarding my residency, which included an attachment showing my other previous residence in Hobart,” Lee texted to board members March 12. “To clarify, I have been living in GB for several months before starting my campaign for the school board in 2022. My wife and I faced marital challenges following COVID-19, leading me to move to GB. We are still deciding what do with our house in Hobart as we work through personal issues.”
Lee went on in the text message to apologize for any confusion. He also said he preferred not to discuss the issue further “as it is a personal matter.”
“However, I believe there may be a political motive behind this accusation, possibly driven by concerns that an “outsider” could successfully win a public office campaign in GB,” wrote Lee in the text message to board members.
Green Bay School Board President James Lyerly says he chose to believe Lee because he attested to the information under penalty of law and that was in comparison to the resident email, which Lyerly says provided limited information.
“Given the information that I had at the time, I feel very comfortable with my decision not to file an ethics complaint, but ultimately, we are where we are and I think that Mr. Lee did the right thing — that if he was unable to prove his eligibility or willing to do that, that stepping down was the right thing to do,” said Lyerly.
The open records request shows, one year ago, a different resident was emailing Superintendent Vicki Bayer and Green Bay City Clerk Celestine Jeffreys about Lee’s residency.
The back-and-forth email chain concludes with Jeffreys saying, “In signing his declaration of candidacy, (Lee) attests to living at that address.”
Bayer wrote on June 25, 2024, “I confirmed with Mr. Lee that he is renting in Green Bay at the property he listed on his nomination papers.”
“I personally spoke to the homeowner on Enderby Lane duplex listed on the declaration of candidacy form,” Manitowoc resident Scott Milheiser told the school board Monday night. “They told me directly I do not know him, he has never lived here, and I’ve never met him. At the same time, this board member has paid property taxes on his home outside the district. I’ve spoken with neighbors in that community who confirm he and his family lived there continuously for about ten years.”
The school board is accepting applications to fill Lee’s open position. Following state law, the board hopes to appoint a replacement by July 14.
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