WINNECONNE (NBC 26) — Longtime Winneconne School District administrator Margaret "Peggy" Larson is retiring after the Winneconne School Board accepted her retirement during a special meeting Wednesday.
The board approved Larson's retirement on a 4-2 vote. Earlier in the meeting, a motion to reinstate Larson failed on a split 3-3 vote before the board moved to accept her retirement.
As NBC 26 previously reported, the school board placed Larson on leave last month without publicly providing a reason.
Following Wednesday's vote, board member Jill Verich, who voted against accepting the retirement, said she did not believe Larson's retirement was voluntary. The comment drew applause from many neighbors attending the meeting.
The district said Larson's final day will be Friday. The board previously approved a search for an interim administrator during a meeting last week.
The development comes amid ongoing tensions within the district.
Earlier this month, petitions seeking to recall board President Kati Calewarts and Vice President Dean Ackman each garnered more than 2,300 signatures. As of last week's school board meeting, those signatures had not yet been validated.
Many community members, including Verich, have voiced concerns about the board's ties to the national conservative advocacy group Moms for Liberty.
