Tommy Washbush
MMSD communications director Edell Fiedler getting interviewed.
Madison schools' communications director Edell Fiedler sat down with Isthmus to discuss her new position.
When news broke about allegations of a culture of retaliation and fear among staff at Madison’s Southside Elementary School May 20, it wasn’t the school district’s new communications director Edell Fiedler who responded to reporters' questions. Fiedler had been on the job for about a month, but communications manager Ian Folger was the one providing comment.
With Folger continuing as spokesperson, what will be the role of Fiedler — set to make $154,000 per year — and how will work be divided in the eight-employee communications department? “We’re still working on that,” says Fiedler, who sat down with Isthmus for an interview at the Doyle Administration Building on May 17, before news about Southside broke. “I’ve only been here since April 22, so I need to work with the team to put all of that together, and then we’ll be transparent in how it rolls out.”
The district has promised transparency and to rebuild trust in the communications department since former director Tim LeMonds departed amid public controversy last year. A complaint from current and former communications staffers alleged “years of consistent emotional abuse, bullying, unequal pay, and harassment” from LeMonds, as well as “offensive and dismissive treatment of Madison-area journalists, especially female journalists.”
An initial investigation by the district found insufficient evidence LeMonds had violated policy; a second, outside investigation found he had “engaged in retaliation…and bullying," among other violations. LeMonds received a $40,000 lump sum payout and unused sick leave in exchange for voluntarily retiring, according to the terms of a separation agreement.
The district announced Fiedler’s hire on May 10, a few weeks after she started in the role. She was most recently the communications director for Elgin, Illinois, where she worked for about six months. Before that, she spent 18 years in the communications department of the city of Mankato, Minnesota, including as director; during that time she also worked on communications for the city’s school district.
Since her arrival in Madison, Fiedler says she’s been meeting with department staffers to learn about the department and the district. “There’s a lot of great things happening here at MMSD and a lot to learn, so I’m really just working on building relationships with my team, with my supervisor and then we’re going to work together to determine how we’re going to move forward.”
Fiedler tells Isthmus she’ll be working with new superintendent Joe Gothard, whose first day was May 20, to determine what her priorities for the department will be. “But I know we’ll be moving forward in the spirit of the district’s vision, which is ensuring that every school is a thriving school, that ensures every student is ready to graduate to college, career, community,” she says.
“I am working on an entry plan for myself," she adds, "so I’ll continue to build that out with the team, and I could have more details once I have that put into place.”
At his introductory press conference in April, Gothard promised that the district would provide frequent progress reports on his priorities for the sake of accountability. Is that in the works? Deputy Superintendent TJ McCray, who sat in on Fiedler’s interview, volunteers an answer. “We are toying between, are we creating a website where people can publicly see ‘these are the things he said he was going to do, here’s where we are,’ or what exactly that’s going to look like,” he says. “Within the first couple weeks, that’s part of the work that we’re going to be doing to build that out.”
A former journalist, Fiedler says she wants to build relationships with local reporters in Madison. “Having more than 20 years of experience in communications and some of that being a journalist myself, I know how vital a role the media plays in telling the organization’s story,” she says. “I’m looking to build solid, trusting relationships with the media to help get the organization’s story out to the community.”
She says she would do that by meeting with reporters “one-on-one. Getting to know each other — even beyond the interview setting, having a cup of coffee. How can we help each other, how can we support each other? I know we’re not always going to agree, but we can still have really strong, positive working relationships.”
Fiedler sees her role as performing “a public service. We’re helping inform the public, taxpayers, stakeholders, constituents about what’s happening. I do that by walking the talk, having integrity, and being transparent and accountable in the work that I do.”
LeMonds' leadership style was cited as an issue in the district’s second investigation that led to his departure. Fiedler says her leadership style will be "very open."
“I want to build relationships with trust, and trust the work that [the staff] are doing. I’m impressed with what I’ve seen. I’m hoping it’s going to be a positive working relationship.”
This year, the Madison school board is expected to vote to place two referendums on the November ballot seeking additional money for operating and facilities expenses. Fiedler is still working out how she’ll engage with the public on those ballot measures.
“Once we get to move forward, then we would put together a plan — I would imagine one is already in place — and determine how can we best communicate with our target audiences,” she says. She says she has not yet gotten a sense of the feedback already provided by the community. "I’m still focusing on the nuts and bolts.”
Folger confirms in an email that there is a communications plan in place for potential referendums and the district has been gathering community feedback since February. “If we do proceed with referenda," he says, "we will continue communicating with our stakeholders every step of the way."
