Former Illinois negotiator to head REA on interim basis: Details released regarding Dennis Wiser's departure

By Dustin Block

Thursday, October 26, 2006 2:16 AM CDT

RACINE - A former head of an Illinois teachers' union will serve as interim director of the Racine Education Association.

Clayton Marquardt will take over on a interim basis for Dennis Wiser, whose contract was not renewed by Racine's union. He is scheduled to start on Nov. 1, according to a letter the REA sent to its members on Oct. 17.

Marquardt was head of the 125,000-member Illinois Education Association for 12 years before retiring in 2005. He and his wife, who is from Racine, own a cottage on Eagle Lake in western Racine County.

REA President Betsy Kippers said she learned Marquardt was living in the area after talking with the Wisconsin Education Association Council, which has been helping the REA since Wiser was removed. Kippers and Marquardt met and agreed that Marquardt would take over the REA a temporary basis.

"It was just one of those fluky, lucky things of someone knowing someone," Kippers said about Marquardt being available to work with the REA.

She said Marquardt was not interested in the full-time job and the REA has not started the hiring process to replace Wiser. The union hopes to have a new executive director in place by Aug. 31, the same day as Marquardt's last possible day with the REA.

Wiser was told by the REA's Executive Committee last Aug. 22 that his contract would not be renewed and that he was being placed on paid leave until Aug. 31, 2007.

In a memo to union members dated Oct. 16, the REA's Executive Committee detailed what amounted to a complete breakdown between Wiser and the committee. The two sides disagreed over how much compensatory time he should receive and what projects Wiser should be working on, according to the memo.

In recent months, the relationship got so bad that Wiser filed grievances against the REA on Sept. 11 over his use of comp time, efforts to hire an assistant director and REA's alleged failure to use the grievance process to address his concerns.

The REA Executive Committee attempted to hire lawyers to mediate the dispute, but the two sides could not overcome their issues.

"This has been a very expensive process, but we did it in the hope that we could resolve all of these issues," the Oct. 16 memo said. "We were not successful."

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