WENTZVILLE — A former school board president said the Wentzville School District lost an exceptional leader in the superintendent who stepped down Friday following months of criticism from conservative parents and politicians.
“You will not find another superintendent that will ever outwork Danielle Tormala,†said Dan Brice, whose term expired last year. “We’ve seen a great difference in the things she’s done across the district. She gave it her all and I am very sad to see her go.â€
Tormala, in her second year leading the district, said she had “mixed emotions†about the decision that was made with the school board. The board held an emergency meeting Thursday night regarding the “urgent†personnel matter.
“Serving this incredible district has been an immense honor,†Tormala wrote in an email announcing her immediate sabbatical and retirement at the end of the school year. “I am deeply proud of the work we have accomplished together. We’ve seen significant progress in student achievement, implemented a comprehensive facilities master plan, achieved success in staff recruitment and retention, increased school safety measures, made important revisions to the student code of conduct, while also increasing our communication and community engagement efforts.â€
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The school board released a statement thanking Tormala for her service, and said deputy superintendents Brian Bishop and Jeri LaBrot will lead the 17,600-student district on an interim basis.
“We would like to express our sincere appreciation for her leadership and wish her a fulfilling and rewarding retirement,†the board’s statement reads.
Tormala, 47, became superintendent in July 2022, replacing Curtis Cain after he left for the top job in Rockwood School District. She was the first woman and 19th superintendent to lead Wentzville, one of the fastest-growing districts in the state. She came from the City of St. Charles School District, where she was associate superintendent of curriculum and instruction.
Losing Tormala is “an unnecessary setback to the progress this district has been making due to certain stakeholders in the district incessantly harassing her,†said Jenna Roberson, a Democratic candidate for state representative from Wentzville. “Driving out two superintendents in two years is highly problematic to our reputation.â€
Tormala’s salary was $235,000 in the 2022-2023 school year, according to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Wentzville is the fifth-largest school district in the state.
One of Tormala’s critics, Lindi Williford, slammed the board at its March meeting for “handsomely rewarding a superintendent who seems to do nothing but drive this district further apart.â€
The turnover comes during a tumultuous time for Wentzville, which made national news in January 2022 for banning and then reinstating “The Bluest Eye†by Toni Morrison in school libraries. More than two dozen other books were removed from district libraries after the passage of a state law banning explicit sexual images in schools. Wentzville police officers were called to a high school twice in 2022-2023 to investigate books, and three of the district’s four high school librarians left their positions that year.
Three school board members, Renee Henke, David Lewis and Jen Olson, were elected in April 2023 in a post-pandemic wave of conservative momentum. The board members notified state Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s office last year that the board had discussed a bathroom policy for transgender students in closed session. Bailey’s office then sued the district in September, alleging officials excluded parents from policy conversations.
In October, the St. Charles County NAACP called for an investigation of racism following complaints from parents and students. Tormala apologized for the incidents and said students and staff deserve schools “free from discrimination and harassment.â€
“The terms diversity, equity and inclusion cannot be dirty words in this district,†she said during a board meeting.
Around the same time, an circulated calling for Tormala’s departure, claiming the superintendent intimidated and harassed the new school board members.
“Dr. Tormala has created a hostile environment for the Board and parents within the district. Her behavior is an example of what we do not want for this district or for our students,†reads the petition that has close to 1,400 signatures.
Most recently, the school board approved a policy requiring students and staff to use restrooms and locker rooms of the “individual’s reproductive biology at birth,†starting this month. District administrators supported allowing transgender students to request the use of bathrooms and locker rooms of their preferred gender. Republican congressional candidate Bob Onder, a former state senator, called Tormala a “wokester†regarding the issue in a social media post.
The St. Charles County NAACP released a statement Friday in support of Tormala that said her “efforts to work with community leaders and stakeholders who advocate for a safe and equitable education for all students and fair treatment of staff was met with vitriol and harassment from a very vocal minority of patrons in the district for the last two years. This is a pattern that began with the previous superintendent of this district and there doesn’t appear to be an end in sight.â€
Other Wentzville parents said they were disappointed to see Tormala go.
“Maybe it’s the right choice for Dr. Tormala, but I think a lot of people would prefer she stayed,†said Megan Harris. “It’s hard to find superintendents in a district like ours that looks really polarized. We need that longevity so people can build trust in the school board again. I hope there is more openness to moving things forward instead of blaming people and not making progress on anything.â€
Earlier this month, two conservative candidates were defeated in Wentzville as part of a backlash to school board politics across the region. The new board members, David Biesenthal and Brad Welsh, will be sworn in on Thursday.
Reactions to Wentzville superintendent’s $1 million buyout were mixed on Thursday, including at least one board member expressing frustration with the amount.Â