Elmbrook Board Member Promotes His New Charter School
Jian Sun has since chosen to not run for re-election.
While Elmbrook social media comments remain turned off - which a community member pointed out in Citizens' Forum in August 2021 - Board member Jian Sun has been actively promoting and responding on social media for his new charter school, WIA.
Community members have reached out to us with concerns such as:
What motivation does Jian have to ensure excellence in Elmbrook when negative outcomes at Elmbrook boost enrollment at WIA?
Is Jian responding to emails as an Elmbrook Board member just as promptly as these messages for WIA?
Is Jian following the Code of Conduct and Ethics for Board members? The Code states things such as "[I] will do my best to protect and preserve [Elmbrook] and to advance its progress."
We have seen requests already for Jian's resignation due to conflicts of interest.
As previously communicated, the founding members of WIA are Jian Sun and former Elmbrook Superintendent Matt Gibson. In March, Matt Gibson requested Elmbrook parent and student directory information for grades 4K-5 through an open records request. He subsequently withdrew that request in April. Why was our former Superintendent, who is working with a current Board member on a new school, looking for this information?
One more Board member with ties to charter schools is our Board President, Scott Wheeler. Community members have told us that he sends his two youngest children to a charter school providing classical education in Lake Country.