Monrovia School Link ~ Number 114 ~ March 29, 2005
Thanks to Joy Fisk for the following report on the March 23 school board meeting. Also, below her report are some letters about Jill Selak... and my spelling. In an earlier newsletter I said that the one person who might really shed some light on the Jill Selak affair is Jill Selak, so I thought I'd put my mouth where my mouth is and give her a call. I did, but unfortunately she was out sick today, but I left a message, so hopefully I'll hear back from her soon. If so, I'll pass along whatever I can.
~ brad@sacklunch.net
By Joy Fisk
Note - all personal comments by this meeting’s note taker have been placed in ( ).
Meeting called to order by Ms. Diaz. All board members and administrators were present. Report by Ms. Diaz that no action was taken in the 6:30 closed session meeting.
The first item voted on and passed was the consent agenda. Routine items of business place on agenda must be carefully screened by members of the staff and reviewed in advance by the board members.
Four employees were recognized for outstanding service by the Monrovia Chamber of Commerence and the Board of Education. Two were from Wild Rose and two were from Clifton Middle School.
Next (the moment the Mayflower parents had all been waiting for) was the report presented by MUSD’s attorney. Margaret Chidester, a respected attorney serving multiple school districts in Southern California presented her report on MUSD’s certificated administrator evaluation and release, personnel processes, procedures and legal mandates, including the Brown Act.
Ms. Chidester relayed the following information, (and much more) but this is the information that I found relevant.)
An administrator’s performance is evaluated on a year to year basis. If the governing board and the superintendent think the administrator is not satisfying the needs of the student, the board may release administrator.
If an administrator has done something to constitute cause for dismissal, then he/she is "dismissed" with cause and this can be effective immediately and all sorts of due process takes place. ( That was not the case with Jill Selak. Jill was going to be "released" without cause. This eliminates any speculation that Jill did something to warrant this action.) Chidester also explained that the Superintendent has the authority to make this decision without Board action and without any due process. This highlights the fact that the Superintendent has a tremendous amount of power over school principals, and that they are at the Superintendent’s mercy. The Superintendent also has a right to change her mind.
The administrator will be notified by March 15th that their contact is not being renewed . If they are not contacted they will continue in their current position.
Allowing an employee to resign rather than release them is not legally required, and basically done as a courtesy. It is recommended that an employee resign rather than be dismissed so they are able to go get another job voluntarily.
Legally, only the employee can discuss their own personnel matters. If the board or the superintendent would reveal any personnel issues it would violate the employee’s right to privacy .
If an employee is released from a position they are entitled to a name clearing if they so desire .
The reason for the release may not be an issue which demands a name clearing. It could be the administrator was not acting consistently with the board’s expectations in how we want you to serve kids.
(I found it interesting that this point was stressed twice. How could this possibly refer to Jill’s leadership on leading the number one ranked school in MUSD? We know the kids love her, so how is she lacking when it comes to serving kids?)
The attorney also commented that the board involves the community in making decisions in the best interest of the schools.
(I know I speak for the majority of the Mayflower parents when I say that we were not involved in the decision to force Jill Selak to resign at all!!! If this is a true statement according to the board’s record, then why did they hand out a school survey which included a section on evaluating Mayflower school a week after or principal was forced to resign? )
When asked how Ms. Chidester was paid she made it clear that she was paid by MUSD, and that she was hired to represent them. She affirmed that they have an excellent process of evaluating administrators, and they had not violated the Brown Act, and have gone above and beyond the measures necessary to follow legal procedures and mandates.
( When Ms. Chidester was finished with the Q&A section she stated that she would get off the clock. I thought, great, in the midst of all of the budget cuts, how much an hour is MUSD paying for an attorney to represent them?)
(Problem with the attorney’s presentation):
(She didn’t answer specific questions which were submitted to her through COMPASS. She could have given some detailed facts but often stated she couldn’t answer the question because it was a personnel matter. For example the question was asked, " What are the district’s policies regarding staff complaints that arise at MUSD schools?" This question was never answered and it should have been.
The presentation was intended for Taylor and the board to represent them, not to inform the general public.)
The attorney’s presentation was followed by a half presentation of the district’s energy savings policies. Nearly half of the room cleared out and missed the public comment portion of the evening. (Was this intentional?)
Energy Management Report given by Robert Vorhis, a consultant from Energy Education Inc. Vorhis reported MUSD is not where he’d like them to be with energy conservation, but they’re headed in the right direction. (I could go on about specifics, but unlike the board I don’t want to lose half of my audience.)
Next up was Public Comment:
Heather Meyer stated that the Mayflower parents disagree with the board’s decision to accept Ms. Selak’s resignation. The way the board has handled the whole situation has caused chaos and division between parents and the teaching staff. We think the board hasn’t heard our voices our shown any concern for the damage that’s been done to the Mayflower community. She stated that we no longer want the board to represent us. On that note Heather served the board with a notice of intent to recall the school board.
Tim Stone questioned if the board had acted in a manner that was correct or justifiable. The board has appeared to have back pedaled in order not to violate the Brown Act. Tim made an excellent point in recalling that the board said they don’t take these types of decisions that affect so many people lightly, and they had thought long and hard about their decision concerning Jill Selak’s resignation. Yet the board contradicted themselves when they reported that they took no action in closed sessions. How can it be that they are thinking long and hard about decisions, but not reporting on any decisions being made? Tim concluded by saying when something smells bad, it usually has gone bad and it needs to be thrown out.
Kim Larsen stated that Louise Taylor had lied to the press on the issue of Jill Selak’s resigning and it’s not right to lie to parents and children.
June Ricketts stated that her children have experienced different principals and it hasn’t affected their education or performance. She also stated she works with patients and has to make life and death decisions and people are not to question her, but to trust her. (Since when is all of this about you, June?)
She concluded by saying the Mayflower parents just need to trust the board has our best interest in mind and get over it. " We have bigger fish to fry." (You’re absolutely right June. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. COMPASS Community of Monrovia Parents and Student Supporters- Always pointed in the right direction for our children.)
Dennis Johnson stated that the board had violated the Brown Act. He also commented that he has asked numerous times to get information on the block scheduling program at MHS and has yet to receive nay information. He asked for Louise Taylor’s resignation.
Diaz and Taylor both commented that this was the first time they have heard a request for block scheduling but they would certainly get that to him.
Sue Yost confronted the board with the fact that since Mrs. Selak has been at Mayflower, the school has received numerous awards and recognition under her leadership. She noted that in 2003-2004 Mayflower received an API benchmark of 800, which is California’s goal for schools. Dr. Yost also presented the board with the following facts:
Fact 1: Mrs. Selak was forced to resign as principal of Mayflower school, effective in June 2005. She has never had any formal complaint or accusation filed against her by the superintendent or the school board, only a vague charge of "no confidence. " It appears she was asked to resign based on petty grievances and misunderstandings involving a handful of individuals.
Fact 2: We elected our school board to represent us and make decisions in our best interest. But not one school board member has ever spoken to Mrs. Selak, nor taken the time to corroborate any complaint or accusation.
Fact 3: The school board refused to meet openly with Mrs. Selak, teachers and parents as recently as last week. This is in direct violation of Mrs. Selak‘s rights, and she deserves the opportunity to face her accusers in public.
Fact 4: There is fear of recrimination among the teachers at Mayflower, that if they stand up in support of Mrs. Selak, they will be transferred within the district or discriminated against in another manner.
Fact 5: The school board underestimated the outpouring of support for Mrs. Selak, which has been overwhelming, and involves hundreds of families from Mayflower and the Monrovia community.
Board Member Reports:
Bruce Carter stated the board is following the letter of the law in all of their procedures. They have regular evaluations. According to the state law they cannot discuss personnel issues.
Clare Chesley reported on Gadabouts which is a Senior Center service and interaction between seniors and MHS students. She also reported on her own experience with the standards base report card concerning her two children. Chesley noted she thinks the report card should include some type of assessment at the beginning of the school year.
Betty Sanford stated she’s been wondering when she should retire from the school board. Now that she’s being recalled, she’s in it for the "long haul." This comment resulted in laughter from the board.
Brian Wong said he couldn’t top Sanford’s comment and he had no further report.
Monina Diaz said it’s always hard to top what Betty Sanford says. Diaz reported on visiting Wildrose campus and being impressed with the principal's accountability report, the school’s atmosphere and the writing skills of the K and first graders. She stated that she attended Wildrose as a child.
Student Representative- Ryan Blackshere
She reported Mr. Monrovia pageant was coming up.
The senior prom was set for April 30th.
A former MHS student has a blood disease and had to have a limb amputated. MHS students are fund raising to help with medical expenses.
Video production classes will be showing their Twilight Zone productions at the Corcoran on April 5th.
Dr. Taylor commented in response to Ms. Larsen's letter which accused her of lying. Taylor said a reporter called her to ask her about Jill Selak’s resignation. Taylor said she merely repeated what Selak had written to parents and children in her resignation letter. ( The problem is it sounded as if it was all Selak’s idea to resign. We know this is not the case, so the deceit is in the omission of the facts.)
Next Dr. Joel Shaw reported on Preface Academic Performance Index Base Reports. He showed charts which reflected MUSD’s schools API Base scores and school rankings. He also stated that report cards have changed in order to show consistency in what programs line up to the standards.
(FYI Mayflower received the highest API test rank and school rank out of all of the MUSD schools.
Next was the approval of the rate increase for school meals at an increase of twenty five cents in each of the four school meals. MUSD hasn’t increased meal prices in nine years. This will have no effect on children who are on the free meal programs.
Personnel Assignments- The board voted to accept the resignation of Jill Selak. Her last day will be June 30th, 2005. (MUSD’s loss will be another school district’s gain. )
Certification of 2004-2005 temporary athletic team coaches was approved.
Creation of a new classified clerical position in healthy start was approved.
Adopt resolution to amend uniform complain report was approved. Complaints concerning textbooks and faulty facilities.
The board also passed resolution for the tiebreaker criteria and point system to be applied when permanent and probationary personnel share the same first date of paid service. It was noted that after Debbie Collins sent out 18 pink slips she was able to resend 13 notices, so only 5 employees are being laid off.
Dr. Taylor stated many districts have a lottery system by MUSD carefully considers work experience and contribution prior to laying anyone off.
Next the board approved the school calendar for the 2005-2006 school year. The first day of school will be on August 31st. Noted by Dr. Taylor, that if people know the dates in advance they can plan vacations accordingly.
Report on the High School exit exam policy and regulations by Dr. Shawn. He reviewed administartion of tests, testing variations for all students, accommodations and modifications for students with disabilities
Resolution ordering governing board elections set for Tuesday, November 8, 2005 . Carter said, "What would happen of we all voted no on this?" Wong said, " I think we’d be recalled." Diaz joined in on the laughter then seemed to rethink it and said it wasn’t funny. (Clearly the board wasn’t taking the recall seriously. They attempted to mock the people they are supposed to be representing.)
The last item voted on and passed was declaring April 2005 as the month of the young child.
ANONYMOUS ~ Alex Zucco and I had an email discussion about anonymous letters. She asked why I allow them. I said it's because some people might be afraid to speak up otherwise. She said anonymous people can snipe from the shadows, and that isn't fair when the person behind an "anonymous letter had no problem using Jill's name, speaking directly to her character and actions - [when] she [Selak] doesn't get that same privilege of remaining anonymous." Okay, I said. I don't think the writer was sniping, but this is a very touch situation and so for letters about the Jill Selak affair, I'll require names. Otherwise, I'll still consider anonymous letters.
SELAK ~ Dear Brad, I have three important points for you to consider. First, I agree with recent comments in the Monrovia School Link that we elected our school board to represent us, and that we should allow them to make decisions in our best interest, but how do we know that the board was not fed misinformation concerning the principal of Mayflower School? I know for a fact that Mrs. Selak has never been contacted by any board member, so it appears that no one took the time to corroborate any complaint or accusation. ~~ Second, Mrs. Selak has never had any formal complaint or accusation filed against her by the superintendent or the school board, only a vague charge of "no confidence". She wanted to open the lines of communication and tried to meet with Mrs. Chesley and a few parents and teachers on Saturday to see if there was anything that could be done, but the meeting was canceled after Dr. Taylor told Mrs. Chesley that we couldn't meet without the superintendent and another school board member present. So another meeting was scheduled for Monday (with Mrs. Chesley, Mr. Carter, the superintendent, three teachers, Mrs. Selak and three parents). Once again the meeting was canceled at very short notice and without explanation. This meeting could have cleared up any misunderstandings, but the board and superintendent refused to meet with the principal in the presence of parents and teachers. This is in direct violation of Mrs. Selak's rights. Mrs. Selak professes ignorance of the reason for her dismissal and she deserves the opportunity to face her accusers in public. I also understand that Mrs. Selak wrote her letter to the parents with Dr. Taylor looking over her shoulder. The fact that she was forced to resign is apparent, but the reasons for her resignation are not. I am fearful that any adverse publicity could jeopardize her chances of getting another position, but the injustice of this is just overwhelming. ~~ Finally, there is fear of recrimination among the teachers that if they stand up in support of Mrs. Selak, they will be transferred within the district or discriminated against. This could be one reason why we have not heard from the teachers. ~~ In contrast to the school board, I took the time and effort to talk to many of the people involved in this dispute, including parents, the school board, the mayor, the principal, and the teachers. No one can tell me the reason for the school board's actions. Are we sure that this group of "opinionated, strong willed, passionate ... dead on committed" school board members had all the facts straight? Seems to me that the whole district is being mismanaged and manipulated, and I for one am tired of being misrepresented by the school board. ~~ Regards, Susan Yost
I BEFORE E ~ A letter in response to one of my misspellings. And this one's anonymous because it isn't about Jill Selak: Brad, Watch the word recieved -- it should be received: I hate the rule 'i before e except after c' -- it's convoluted... Here's my trick for my students....when faced with this situation-- a "c" then an 'ie' or 'ei' choice, do this: pick the letter that rhymes with c (it's 'e')--make sure they are touching each other!!! Rhyming words are alike and like to be next to each other! nice and cozy like!! Kids love cozy, touchy, friendly stuff like that... It's a little thing, I know.
Also on the Web at www.monroviaschoollink.com