What I find most confusing is that, originally, the time off was for "personal" reasons (due to a death) and to "pursue my dreams". My dad died 2 years ago and I went back to work the 2nd day after the funeral.

Now it's released that there was a complaint filed against him. To me, it's like which is it.
..
1. First of all, the "pursue my dreams" thing: Anybody else, practically anywhere would (have to) take unpaid leave to figure out what they wanted to do with their life. Not the 8 1/2 months out of a year's worth he would be getting. (Nice to get a year's pay and work 3 1/2 months).
2. Secondly, if there was a complaint filed, why wasn't he "put on leave until a full investigation is completed"? That happens in other vocations (police, lawyers, etc., etc.,etc. It just doesn't make that sense that they would boldly say okay, take the rest of the school year off while we investigate a complaint.

JMHO!

Wow.! What a punishment, another taxpayer funded "paid vacation"!

I have to agree with some of the posters below that in all fairness there is no justification to judge either Garrow or the school board in this matter considering the lack of information publicly and legally available. I do have to marvel, though, that the sense of fairness that rightly leads those posters below to the conclusion that judgement be reserved until more is known so quickly escapes them when the subject changes to John Doe investigations in Milwaukee County.

Iamnotbetterthanyou — Why should we assume that just because Garrow says something it must be true unless proven otherwise? There's enough going on here, with enough being left unsaid, that the logical conclusion is there's something the district and Garrow are actively trying to hide. If this was as simple as bereavement leave, or pursuing his dreams, why the district investigation into a complaint against Garrow? Obviously, there's more than meets the eye. And, frankly, the "pursuit of dreams" excuse is b.s. If his dream isn't to be an educator or administrator, then he should just quit his job and go pursue it. To do anything else in that scenario is practically stealing money. That the district would be complicit in that is ludicrous, even if you have very little faith in this school board.
No, the logical conclusion is Garrow did something unseemly, but outside the boundaries of being a fireable offense. The school board likely took the advice of its legal counsel and put Garrow on paid administrative leave through the end of his contract so they could just (they hoped) quietly pay him to go away. And it's in Garrow's best personal and professional interests to act like there's nothing to see here so let's just all move along.
You're absolutely right that the truth, whatever it may be, has yet to see the light of day. But not everyone is jumping to unfounded conclusions. Some of us actually know a little about the man and his history, so none of this comes as a complete shock.

I vote to have Leong, Roy and the others, pick up the cost out of their own checks.

"...nor have I participated in any immoral or illegal activity.”

Is there a reason to not believe him? Has this man been proven as dishonest in ANY way? It sounds like he hasn't. The unproven rumors mean NOTHING now unless you've bought into them so much that you yourself think of them as fact. Since he has been claiming no comment since this all started, it seems as this is Dr. Garrow's FIRST chance to be able address them. Why assume he is lying?

gpwoman- It sounds like YOU have no respect for this man. I know that you are entitled to your opinion, but I doubt you are able to accurately speak on behalf of the entire district. And from looking at your previous criticisms of Dr. Garrow on other threads, it sounds as if you have a vendetta against him. Has he done something to personally and individually offend you? Or are you one of those great community voices that has bought into all of the rumors, or been spreading them yourself?

Long story short, unless the details of the situation are ever released--- It sounds like Dr. Garrow was hired for his ideas and initiatives that have WORKED in other districts, but board didn't like the changes he was making and got worried that a new person in town was going to address and improve the comfortable, yet VERY DATED status quo. and got caught trying to remove him from his contractual job based on a single "mystery" complaint.

And I heard all of that at the coffeeshop!!

Makes for a good movie, or scripture.

This is obviously fraud. Arrest this con-man and the individuals who are making this possible.

And....Leong is part of the problem with the board. The school board should have imposed term limits and should run for a specific position (president, clerk, treasurer, etc) when running for election. Let the voters choose who they want in those positions instead of voting in people and letting then decide amoung themselves who does which job. Leong's less than eloquent description of the situation being "awkward and inconvenient" shows his lack of concern for the matter including the taxpayers. It is embarassing and a pain in the rear that Milton has to acknowledge and deal with any wrongdoing as this goes against their "flawless facade". 18 years is enough for Leong which is one reason I did not vote for him last season. New blood and fresh ideas from strong people who are not afraid of forcing the hand of transparency and progress and also DO have the students best interests at heart and someone who isn't afraid to say NO to the good ol' boys...THAT is what is needed.

The story continues to evolve and Milton continues to provide as little information as possible as they have learned how to manipulate the open records request to work in their favor as much as possible.
I know few of us are not surprised by Milton being manipulative. I certainly am not shocked in the least.

"nor ever misappropriated any funds, nor have I participated in any immoral or illegal activity,”
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just getting paid on the publics dime for NOT showing up to work...boot them ALL out...

Wasn't it Clinton who said: "....I have NOT had sex with that woman".

Allowing Mr. Garrow to resume his job in Milton would be a huge mistake by the board. He does not have any respect or credibility at this point. He would need to recognize that his behaviors were indeed inappropriate and due to his enormous ego, that will never happen. The board needs to name an interim superintendent so the district can move forward.

Now I want you all to understand something I never said noting about firing Mr. Garrow right now because you can't till the investigation is complete. In my opinion though the Milton school board should at least see what options the school board should at least see what the options are for next year depending on the the completion of the investigation. Then they need to decide if they want to have Mr Garrow remain as the superintendent or if they want to go with someone else. They can look at these options rather wait till the last minute. This way there are some options available to look at while this is being investigated.

“I can share that I am not having, nor have I ever had an affair, nor ever misappropriated any funds, nor have I participated in any immoral or illegal activity,” Garrow wrote.

There are a lot of ways to twist words to get around the truth. Think Nixon and Clinton.

And the part about implementing change - they simply addressed the concerns some of us as parents had - when proposing change, do it in advance and be prepared to explain why the new way is better than the old way (just because they did it the new way somewhere else is not enough) and how you will manage the other consequences of the changes (IE horrible crowding and delays at centralized registration compared to registration at each school) so that the Board and the public have good reasons to go along with the proposals.

It's a good thing you don't control the comments section, yada. We all know you find it ok to post non-stop speculation about certain public officials.

As I have said in previous posts - Best if the Gazette would close comments and wait until the information is available.

How long should an "investigation" take? Seems that a week or so would be sufficient. Why are they dragging this out ?

MissScarlet said, "Like any employer, they only need to suspect a wrongdoing to fire someone."

Are you certain about that? I doubt he is an "at will" employee if he has an employment contract with the school district. Most people, those without employment contracts, are considered "at will" because they can be terminated at the will of the employer. People with employment contracts are in a much different situation and can be terminated only for much more limited reasons in accordance with their contracts.

Iambetterthanyou, fearandrhetoric4dummies - The Milton School District is not a court of law, so the 'innocent until proven guilty' requirement doesn't apply. Like any employer, they only need to suspect a wrongdoing to fire someone.

Someone is certainly "following his dreams" here, but I'm not sure who.

It's time for the Milton iSchool system to get a big dose of reality and stop wasting taxpayer money like it wasn't theirs (AND IT ISN'T!).

I think I would be very concerned if I were a Milton employee. One "complaint" and the board immediately suspended Garrow and, according to the article, didn't even reveal the nature of the complaint to him. I would think that a person would at least have the opportunity to learn what they were accused of doing before being suspended. Does not sound like the kind of place I'd want to work. Perhaps the Board has learned to do a little more looking before leaping next time.

" Take more time before implementing change". ?? Translation - " How dare you come into our district and try to change things. We as a small community fear change more than anything!"

What a shocker. Not able to find any grounds for termination. You bet the situation is AKWARD and INCONVIENENT!!!

Sounds to me like our esteemed school board members have dug themselves a pretty deep hole. Lucky for them they could count on the rumor mill to pass the blame on that poor "other adult" whose name was so brutally dragged through the mud.

Innocent until proven guilty is correct. And since the board can't seem to come up with an explanation as to why they did any of this, due to their having to hire an attorney out of fear, I'd say we can finally put this situation behind us knowing that it is just another example of our precious "Milton Way" -Saving face in light of unpleasant circumstances.

Fearandrhetoric....thank God, there is someone with some common sense. I was going to make a comment on this topic, but you've made it for me. Thank you!

Fear-----You hit the nail on the head with your answer. Trouble is people like GOSSIP whether it is fact or fiction.

janesvillean is correct, and they are continuing to pay him because like in any investigation the man is innocent until proven guilty , not the other way around. Stop his salary and find him not guilty of whatever he is accused of and find yourself facing a nice lawsuit.
Funny how all of the know it alls on these boards have been flapping their gums all this time over something they have no clue about. Whats new? Let the investigation run its course and let the findings come to light, then we can talk about what is the right direction to take going forward. Instead of all of these folks on a ANONYMOUS blog aspousing their opinions about what SHOULD BE DONE.

The Board (and Roy) have limited options under state law in what they can say about an ongoing investigation that they are not even privy to.

Basically, nothing new to report. Garrow says he's innocent, and school board's attorney is on the case. Hope the Gazette keeps pushing for answers, as we still do not have any yet. All we have is denials from Garrow and no comment from the board.

Board President Rob Roy decided to honor a request from a Fennimore-based attorney instead of being forthright with his community - very interesting, but not very professional.

Well in my opinion I would recommend that the school board look at the following. One see what options are available for the 2014 school year in the event Mr Garrow dose not return for the 2014 school year. Two will have to wait and see if or any disciplinary will be taken in this matter once the investigation is complete. Three begin a search to see who would be able to replace Mr Garrow in the event he is unable to return for the 2014 school year. These are the steps in my opinion that should be taken in preparation for the 2014 school year.

Well in my opinion I would recommend that the school board look at the following. One see what options are available for the 2014 school year in the event Mr Garrow dose not return for the 2014 school year. Two will have to wait and see if or any disciplinary will be taken in this matter once the investigation is complete. Three begin a search to see who would be able to replace Mr Garrow in the event he is unable to return for the 2014 school year. These are the steps in my opinion that should be taken in preparation for the 2014 school year.