This story was updated to include new information.
After over an hour of deliberation behind closed doors, Green Bay School Board members voted 5-2 on Nov. 19 to fire former East High School football coach Kominiko Sila.
The meeting, which lasted over five hours start to finish, was initially open at Sila’s request. Both sides presented their perspective on allegations that he intentionally falsified student attendance records, transported students without authorization and refused to comply with investigatory rules and directives.
The board fired him based on the first two allegations. During the hearing, Sila and his representatives raised concerns about how the investigation was conducted, saying he should have been provided progressive discipline, and that East’s attendance system was faulty.
Sila said during and after his termination hearing that he plans to run for a seat on the School Board in April 2026. Three board seats will be up for election: Lynn Gerlach and Laura McCoy were elected in 2023, and Samantha Meister was appointed after former board member Kou Lee resigned in May.
Board members Andrew Becker and Alex Mineau voted against termination, while the rest voted to terminate Sila.
The Green Bay Press-Gazette asked every board member about why they voted the way they did. Three board members provided comment; here’s what they said about their votes.
James Lyerly: “My vote reflects that after reviewing the evidence presented, I found that the charges were just cause for termination and that I believed them to be true.”
Andrew Becker: “For me, the decision to terminate – I choose to put a very high bar on that. I always have, I always will. For me, there were certain questions about processes that didn’t get to that level for me, and I had to vote no.”
Alex Mineau: “There are some major question marks that exist that I think, to me, prohibited me from making a recommendation for termination.”
Samantha Meister: “Based on the extensive amount of evidence presented during the meeting, it was clear that board policy and state law had been violated and that action needed to be taken.”
Lynn Gerlach: Declined to comment, saying deliberations took place in closed session.
Jeanette Knill: Declined to comment.
Laura McCoy: Declined to comment.
Sila said in a message to the Press-Gazette that he hopes what happened to him gives people courage to speak out and challenge wrongdoing. He thanked those who supported him, and said he’s open to having a conversation “rooted in growth and understanding” with those who spoke out against him.
“Everything that has unfolded … has reminded our board members that policies must change. Times have changed — and we must change with them if we want to reach the goals we set for our schools and our district,” Sila said in the message. “Our leaders, both in the district and in our buildings, must begin to listen to understand, not listen to respond.”
Contact Green Bay education reporter Nadia Scharf at nscharf@gannett.com or on X at @nadiaascharf.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Here’s why GBAPS Board members voted how they did on East coach firing
Reporting by Nadia Scharf, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
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