Monrovia School Link ~ Number 116 ~ April 5, 2005
I thought maybe I'd get a reaction to my argument in the last newsletter that we should move on from the Jill Selak issue, so I decided to wait a while and let the responses come in, then send them out. I did indeed get responses - about five - but only three of those were longer than a few words (and those brief ones, I hasten to add, were entirely polite; no unprintable words and nothing about what tragedy should befall me and the horse I rode in on). So, here are the three longer ones, in essentially the form that I recieved (Oops! "received") them.
~ brad@sacklunch.net
A LACK OF CONFIDENCE
I am sure that I am only one of the Many Voices you will hear today regarding your time with Clair Chesley and Brian Wong. I have several questions after reading this but will share only a couple of thoughts.
Yes, respect your opinions and that Jill Selak reports directly to Louise Taylor. A "normal channel of authority". If I'm not mistaken, it is also a "normal channel of authority" that Louise Taylor reports to the Board. Why then would it be improper for the board to take it upon themselves to follow up on any matter or situation that will reflect on them? If their job is to continually review the Superintendent's performance (the attorney mentioned several times that we have one of the best review processes in place) why again would they not choose to look into and follow up personally on a decision that is so disruptive and upsetting to their voting community? How could you be confident on any information you receive without having a complete overview of any situation or decision and the people it affects? By not doing this they have shown a lack of respect and responsibility. This is why many have taken the steps towards the process of a recall. This really is no longer about Jill Selak, as everyone keeps making it out to be. This is about a lack of confidence in the board, its actions, lack of actions, and its responsiveness to the community.
To sum it up - If there is one thing that we have all learned these past few weeks, it is that one person's thoughts and opinions, or even their view of the facts, don't ever say it all or tell the whole story.
Kelly S. Quezada
DEEPLY SADDENED
Brad: I applaud your efforts to keep the Monrovia community informed about what is happening in our schools. I also appreciate the way you try to present all opinions about the issues, not just your own opinion. And I find it interesting that Claire Chesley and Brian Wong chose to meet with you on this issue given that you have been somewhat outspoken in your criticism of the Board in the past.
I'm compelled to write you about one aspect of the Jill Selak issue. In your interview with Board Members Chesley and Wong they stated that the issue of cause in Mrs. Selak's departure "is irrelevant because Selak resigned, so 'with cause' or 'without cause' does not apply." This has been the School Board and the School District's public position during the entire debate/discussion of the question. She resigned, therefore there is no need to even comment on her performance or lack thereof. I think people should be made aware of the sequence of events surrounding the "resignation" as we understand it.
Jill Selak did not in fact wake up one morning and decide, "you know, I'm going to resign my job." Here is the story as we heard it: Louise Taylor came to Mayflower on Thursday, February 24, for a scheduled campus visit. When Dr. Taylor arrived, instead of touring the campus she took Mrs. Selak into Jill's office, shut the door, and told Jill that "the Board was prepared to deliver a vote of no confidence in her, the District was giving her a chance to resign, if she didn't resign she would be dismissed, and Jill had to make her decision before the School Board meeting on March 9." Louise Taylor also said that Jill was not to talk to anyone about the matter, and specifically was not to "rally the troops" (meaning the parents I suppose) in her defense. At the conclusion of the meeting, Jill left and went home. Based on my experience, that sounds a lot more like a "firing" than a "resignation."
In subsequent conversations different individuals had with Louise Taylor, Dr. Taylor stated that it had been her intention to keep news of Jill Selak's resignation quiet until the end of the school year. The students would have just come back to school in the fall and found a new principal. If you have spent any time in the Mayflower office you know it is a small place, the walls have ears, and there are no secrets. The sound of the door closing hadn't even faded away before the first phone calls were being made by the first thunderstruck parents that happened to be volunteering at the school that day. By Monday, the first of many parent group meetings had been organized, the red bracelets ordered, and the first calls for action issued. The troops definitely "rallied," as you well know.
By coincidence the Mayflower open house happened to be the following Wednesday, March 2nd. Jill Selak was present, though unusually subdued. No doubt she was subdued because throughout the evening she was followed around like a shadow by Debbie Collins, the District Human Resources head. The word we got was that Collins was there to ensure that Jill didn't say anything "inappropriate." When Jill came to my daughter's class room during the open house, my wife went up and gave her a big hug. If looks could kill, the one Collins gave to my wife that night would have struck her down on the spot.
The first official word of the resignation went out in a letter by Jill to the parents in the Wednesday green folders the following week. It was the educational equivalent of the corporate resignation announcements "to pursue other interests." Again, the back-story that filtered around the school was a bit different than the official one. We heard that Jill's parents letter was either written by someone in the District personnel office and she was told to sign it, or Jill composed it with someone from the District standing over her shoulder. In any case, many parents commented that the letter was written completely differently than the Jill Selak letters we had seen for years, with different phrasing, choice of wording, and structure. That led credence to it having been written by someone else.
In short, nothing about this sequence of events suggests that Jill Selak is voluntarily stepping down from her position. She is being forced out by Dr. Taylor for reasons that are apparent to no one outside the district office and Board, and I truly believe are not even clear to Jill Selak herself. Many people have commented, including Clare Chesley and Brian Wong, that Jill is free to come forward and herself comment on the issue. However, Jill has been told repeatedly to keep quiet about it, and she is still an employee of the District until her resignation takes affect in June. More to the point, Jill Selak is a gifted educator who deeply loves children and I am sure she will be actively seeking a position with another school district. For her to come forward with her side of the story now would serve no purpose, since it surely won't make the Board change their minds. Instead, stirring up controversy around her departure would make it more difficult for her to find a position elsewhere, and possibly deprive yet another group of children of her unique talents as a cheerleader, motivator and supporter.
I am deeply saddened by this entire course of events. It is not just that Monrovia is losing the services of a talented and much-loved educator. I am also saddened by the way the School District and the Board of Education have chosen to handle the entire affair. Think back to the last School Board election in 2003. A group of aspiring newcomers ran for Board seats with a groundswell of support from Monrovia parents. The platform they ran on was one of greater communication by the School Board, more parent involvement with the School Board, and more open decision-making by the Board to reverse the sense that the School Board made it's decisions through "back-room deals." Like many Monrovia parents, I voted for these fresh new ideas and two of them won - their names were Chesley and Wong. What is apparent through the entire Jill Selak sequence of events is that increased communications and open decision-making are not happening. We certainly have achieved more parent involvement with the School Board, but for all the wrong reasons. And even then, the Board of Education took time out of their busy schedules during the March 29 Board meeting to make jokes and belittle the parents efforts to get their views heard. It's starting to make me wonder if members Chesley and Wong have been seduced by the dark side. If they were serious about those campaign promises in 2003, they have a lot of catching up to do, and a lot of fences to mend.
Monrovia is a little town, that's why we like it. We're more Mayberry than metropolis. And deep down we all want the same thing, we want our kids to go to good schools, have good teachers and good principals, and grow up to be successful and good adults. We should all be working together to achieve that goal, not attacking and belittling each other. I would like to see the Board members come out from behind their circular table once in a while and spend more time in the schools and with the parents, and not just for official visits where they descend on the schools like royalty. I'd like to see the various parent organizations on the school campuses start to communicate with each other and work together. I'd like to see parents attending every School Board meeting not just to complain about what is wrong, but to give praise for what is right and suggestions for how we can get better. Let's put away the torches and the pitchforks. I'd like us all to remember that we are all people, and start treating each other that way.
Brian Johnson
Mayflower Parent
LOTS OF OTHER MAJOR PROBLEMS
Thank you for printing Mrs. Ricketts response. I also attended the meeting and thanked her for her comments on her way out. Unlike the parents who are in the middle of this issue, she is able to take a step back and look at the district as a whole. There are eight other schools in our district, and lots of other major problems going on at this time. Let's use our limited financial resources on the children, not an employee situation. It's also interesting that these parents continue to give so much credit for Mayflowers' achievements to Ms. Selak. How about the teachers and other staff members? What about the incredible amount of parental support at the school? Mayflower was doing well before Ms. Selak arrived and will continue to do so after her departure, thanks in large part to these other fine people.
Erin Thorn
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