Last October, police were called to the home of Wentzville鈥檚 school superintendent because of security concerns.
Danielle Tormala had been on the job for little over a year, but the fall of 2023 had brought controversy, clashes, calls for her resignation 鈥 and threats. At her husband鈥檚 request, officers patrolled outside Tormala鈥檚 Cottleville home for about a month, said police Chief Dave McCune.
鈥淎pparently, she was getting some threats 鈥 some inappropriate, angry emails, that kind of stuff,鈥 McCune said. 鈥淭here was some concern people were going to come to her house.鈥
She wasn鈥檛 the only one. Her neighbor, Melanie Renken, also went to the police. Renken, an attorney, had represented the district when Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey claimed in a lawsuit that school officials concealed conversations about a bathroom policy for transgender students.
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Two days after Renken filed a motion to dismiss the suit, a six-minute video was posted on Facebook by the page New Wentzvillian For St. Charles Countians.
It showed satellite footage of Renken and Tormala鈥檚 homes, as well as Renken鈥檚 personal Facebook posts, which Tormala had 鈥渓iked.鈥 The video suggested Tormala and Renken鈥檚 neighboring houses and social media interactions were proof of a conflict of interest in the case.
鈥淲e Haven鈥檛 Been Following Too Closely, but this Video Attempts to Show There May be a Conflict Concerning Attorneys the School Board uses?鈥 the video鈥檚 caption reads.
Renken installed security cameras in her backyard soon after.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think there鈥檚 anything outside of the realm of possibility with these folks,鈥 Renken said in a recent interview.
The New Wentzvillian page is run mostly by Mike Carter, a municipal judge in Wentzville. He is also one of eight Republicans running for Missouri secretary of state.
Another group, the St. Charles County Parents Association, posted an extended version of the video about a month later 鈥 this one including Renken speaking in defense of diversity, equity and inclusion at a Francis Howell school board meeting in 2021.
In January, Renken withdrew from the Wentzville schools case, though she says she switched firms and her withdrawal had nothing to do with the video.
Then, last month, the district announced Tormala鈥檚 abrupt departure. It came just weeks after the school board approved a raise and contract extension for her.
The separation agreement calls for the district to pay her more than $1 million to buy out the last three years of her contract. Tormala agreed not to sue the district, including claims for 鈥渃ompensatory damages, emotional distress, loss of reputation, humiliation, embarrassment.鈥
Details of what led to Tormala鈥檚 sudden departure, and the hefty payout, have not been made public. But the police patrols, social media posts and contentious school board meetings offer a glimpse into what led up to her exit and the level of criticism and hostility she faced, including accusations she intimidated the board鈥檚 three newest members.
Almost immediately after news of Tormala鈥檚 departure broke on April 12, rumors began to swirl on social media.
鈥淚鈥橫 SURE THERE IS a MUCH DEEPER EXPLANATION/REASON FOR TORMALA鈥橲 SUDDEN RESIGNATION鈥 AND MAYBE AG ANDREW BAILY [sic] WILL BE ABLE TO SHED MORE LIGHT ON IT FOR ALL OF US,鈥 wrote Sandy Garber, a former Wentzville School District board member who received widespread condemnation in 2020 for she made against Black Lives Matter.
Garber was commenting on a post by Jason Goodson, a board member who chose not to run for reelection in April.
鈥淚 have seen some of the most vile, nasty rumors, comments about what happened today,鈥 Goodson wrote on the day of Tormala鈥檚 resignation. 鈥淚 have not seen one single truth out there.鈥
A raise and contract extension
Tormala entered the Wentzville School District at a tumultuous time, as clashes over issues such as diversity efforts and library books were heating up in some suburban school districts.
Two months before Tormala鈥檚 hire was announced, the Wentzville school board voted to pull Toni Morrison鈥檚 novel, 鈥淭he Bluest Eye,鈥 from high school library shelves. The decision sparked nationwide criticism and a class-action lawsuit. It was reversed a month later.
Before that, the board repeatedly rejected then-Superintendent Curtis Cain鈥檚 recommendations on mitigating health issues during the pandemic.
After Cain鈥檚 resignation, Tormala became Wentzville鈥檚 first woman superintendent, bringing with her experience from the City of St. Charles and Francis Howell school districts.
Criticism quickly followed, with Tormala seemingly not providing the cultural shift Cain鈥檚 critics had hoped for.
Tensions escalated in 2023 after three new board members were elected on a conservative slate: Renee Henke, Jen Olson and David Lewis.
The new board members rarely saw eye-to-eye with Tormala. They contacted the attorney general about their concerns over bathroom policy discussions, and their most vocal supporters were Tormala鈥檚 staunchest critics.
But as recently as three months ago, the district had no plans to part with Tormala, according to board meeting minutes. In a Feb. 7 closed session, the board voted to extend Tormala鈥檚 contract and give her a raise, the records show.
Tormala made $250,000 this past school year, according to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. In February, the school board voted to extend her three-year contract to the 2026-2027 school year with a $290,000 salary 鈥 a 9% bump from her contracted salary of $275,000 for the 2025-2026 school year.
The three new board members 鈥 Olson, Henke and Lewis 鈥 voted against Tormala鈥檚 contract extension.
Olson said in an interview that she opposes multi-year contracts. But she also noted that she didn鈥檛 think Tormala was a 鈥済ood fit鈥 for the district and that she didn鈥檛 like her 鈥渓eadership style.鈥
Olson later added she didn鈥檛 know what she was legally allowed to say.
鈥淟egally, as in, what can I say that she won鈥檛 spend her million dollars trying to sue me over?鈥 Olson said.
鈥楤latantly false information鈥
Clashes in the district heated up once more in September, when Bailey claimed in his lawsuit that district officials violated the state鈥檚 open meetings law by discussing a bathroom policy for transgender students in closed session.
Public board meetings became more contentious that fall, with dozens of people attending. A second police officer was hired to monitor the meetings after multiple board members said they received death threats.
Around that time, Carter, the municipal judge, posted the video of Tormala and her neighbor鈥檚 homes. Carter shares news and information with the 28,000 followers of his New Wentzvillian page. He often posts interviews with state and local officials from his show, 鈥淛ustice and Journalism,鈥 which airs on local FOX and ABC affiliates.
Carter said in an interview with the Post-Dispatch that he couldn鈥檛 remember where he found the video. It may have been posted in one of the Facebook groups he runs, he said. He thought people would be interested in it.
鈥淚 know the Wentzville school board always has something people are talking about,鈥 Carter said.
Meanwhile, speakers brought up a variety of issues, ranging from teacher pay and retention to bathroom policies and transparency. But one common topic was a particular set of legal expenses by the district.
Between December 2023 and February 2024, Spencer Fane, a Kansas City-based law firm, billed the district five times for a total of $107,600.
The board never publicly discussed the law firm or what it was hired for. Spencer Fane is one of at least 10 law firms to bill the district over the past six months.
But parents and community members zeroed in on the Spencer Fane payments, which they claimed were funding an 鈥渋nvestigation鈥 and 鈥渋ntimidation tactics鈥 against the three newest board members.
鈥淪o again I ask: 鈥榃hat is $107,000 being spent on?鈥欌 Leigh Palitzch asked at the board鈥檚 March meeting. 鈥淚s it investigating our three newest board members?鈥
Palitzch did not respond to a request for an interview. She was one of two candidates who ran on conservative platforms for open board seats in the district this month and lost.
On Feb. 22, Bailey mirrored Palitzch鈥檚 sentiments. Bailey sent a cease-and-desist letter to Tormala, saying his office received 鈥渃redible information that the Wentzville School Board and its administration are presently taking intimidating and retaliatory action鈥 against the three board members.
In a response letter a week later, Tormala lambasted Bailey鈥檚 鈥渂latantly false information.鈥
Three days before Bailey鈥檚 letter, the St. Charles County Parents Association posted a video about Spencer Fane on its Facebook page with the hashtag #FireTormala.
鈥淐ould there be more shady business going on behind closed doors鈥. YOU be the judge!鈥 the account wrote.
One of Spencer Fane鈥檚 areas of expertise is K-12 education law, according to the firm鈥檚 website. Its attorneys advise on a full range of education issues, including contract negotiation, students鈥 rights and teacher determination 鈥 as well as complaint investigations and personnel matters.
A district spokesperson did not respond this week when asked why the district retained Spencer Fane.