Pewaukee school board member urged to resign over chronic absences

PEWAUKEE, Wis. - The Pewaukee School Board is urging one of its own members to resign because of chronic absences at meetings. Waukesha County Reporter Bret Lemoine confronted board member Mary Larson about where she has been and if she will return her paycheck.

Frequently absent

What To Know:

School board members say their hands are tied because Larson is elected by the public. She was reelected in April for a second term. The district says Larson has not been in communication with them at all and only knows she is absent because she does not show up.

What they're saying:

Board President Bren Sawell shared this statement on Friday:

"At the Regular Board of Education Meeting, held on September 28th, the Board discussed concerns with the ongoing pattern of absenteeism of Board Member Mary Larson.  Ms. Larson has not attended a meeting since June 22, 2026 and has not provided any reason for her absences.  Ms. Larson provided the Board President with little or no notice of her absences.  The meeting agenda and minutes from September 28 include a posted item under Board Operations titled Board Member Meeting Attendance Expectations.  The Board members in attendance held a discussion regarding Ms. Larson’s absences and agreed unanimously via consensus to have the Board President send Ms. Larson a letter addressing her substantial number of absences and encouraging her resignation if she is unwilling, or unable, to meet her commitments as an elected member of the Board of Education.  Subsequently, Ms. Larson was again absent from the most recent meeting held on October 12, 2026 which now includes five consecutive and a total of 14 absences from Regular Board of Education meetings dating back to October of 2024. 

The Pewaukee School District Board of Education has a well established history of dedicated and passionate service to the community and believes it is essential for elected members to maintain, and be accountable to, high standards when it comes to meeting our official responsibilities. In doing so, the Board models responsible and ethical conduct that builds trust with the community and sets an important example for our students."

Larson's explanation

The other side:

Larson did not respond to our email last week, so FOX6 News went to her apartment. Larson spoke with FOX6 News for 16 minutes, saying she has no plans to resign. She says she has not been showing up to meetings because the district will not let her look at budgets and that she "has no power." The district says Larson's claims about being shut out of meetings are not true.

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"If this attendance thing is what it is, what is it for every other member for this board," Larson said.

"I'll reach out for the attendance record from the district – but why don't you answer my question – explain for you personally–," Lemoine said.

"Come back when you have –," Larson said.

"So it's a spite thing? You're not going to your meetings because other board members haven't been showing up?" Lemoine said.

"No – absolutely not," Larson said.

"Then what's the reason?" Lemoine said.

"It had nothing to do with the other board members," Larson said.

The district provided FOX6 News with board attendance data going back to July 2024. It shows Larson far outpaces her colleagues on the board in terms of absences.

FOX6 News asked Larson if she would give back her $4,000 annual taxpayer stipend since she is not showing up. She said that question was "irrelevant."

Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6’s Bret Lemoine and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.

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