Kewaskum, WI – It was July 2024, when Kewaskum School District hired Keith Brightman as the new business manager to succeed Julie Thoreson who retired at the end of the 2023-2024 school year. Shortly after neighbors started questioning the district’s hire of Brightman, who left the Wauwatosa School District as it was under investigation for alleged budgetary discrepancies, according to Milwaukee media, which totaled between $4 million and $13 million.
The Kewaskum School District encouraged a one-on-one meeting with Brightman and that video interview and bullet points are below.
Brightman initially discussed his work history, when he applied for the position in the Kewaskum School District, the interview process, and a timeline on his career including working in the private sector.
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- 6 minute mark – Brightman spoke about the interview process, pre-determined questions in the interview, no questions about Wauwatosa School finance, and who was on the interview committee.
- 7:49 – District administrator Mark Bazata suggests the interview focus more on Brightman himself and less on the interview process.
- 8:07 – Bazata, in a collaborative effort, wrote the interview questions for the business manager interview.
- 9:05 – How were finalists for the position ranked, letters of recommendation, contacting the Wauwatosa School District about Brightman’s performance.
- 10:37 – Bazata recommends again, the questioning be more focused on “getting to know Brightman”
- 10:58 – The finance issue in the Wauwatosa School District is a hot topic, will Brightman move to the community to gain trust, is there legal action pending, did you leave voluntarily, did anyone else leave the district, did you ever threaten a lawsuit, did you sign a non-disclosure, were you hired with a probationary period.
- 13:53 – Bazata suggests the questioning focus more on Brightman’s philosophy on budgeting.
- 14:14 – With the budgeting if you want to talk about that sure, according to the media when you left Tosa there was reportedly a $4.2 million budget error who was in charge. Did you voice your concerns to any of the admin about what was going on or the board members. When did you issue your resignation with Tosa?
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- 18:38 – Details on Tosa finance, according to Brightman, will eventually come out. When? I wish I could tell you; patience is what I’m asking for. It became clear to me after my first year or ending my first year that um was not going to be a fit and so I started to put my attention to what other opportunities might be out there.
- 22:26 – Was Kewaskum your only option? Did you ask Kewaskum leadership not to contact Wauwatosa?
- 31:26 – Brightman talks about pay cut to take job in Kewaskum, 8 pillars of accountability in KSD, how will the district keep the community informed, so a Wauwatosa situation doesn’t happen here.
- Eight Pillars for Ensuring Financial Accuracy and Budget Integrity at the Kewaskum School District
The interview with Brightman was conducted September 18, 2024, and a second request has been placed with the Kewaskum School District for the list of questions asked during the interview process, as well as letters of reference for Brightman. UPDATE: 
Click HERE for other stories about Keith Brightman in the Kewaskum School District.
I did not work with Keith, but I did work in administration at the Wauwatosa School District. I left the district after the new superintendent was hired because I quickly realized Wauwatosa would be headed for trouble under his leadership. I believe Keith is being truthful when he alludes to the current Wauwatosa administration lacking good practices and good leadership. Unfortunately for Keith, the Wauwatosa school board will be unreceptive to hearing the truth. Many staff who left tried to raise their concerns about Demond Means with the board. All were ignored.