Some want board to take the lead
By Sherry Saavedra
STAFF WRITER
Source: http://signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20061110/news_1mi10delmar.html
November 10, 2006
DEL MAR – A slate of trustees critical of Del Mar Union's administration is preparing to take office as the school district wrestles with a number of weighty issues.
The trio, a new board majority, have expressed concerns with the negotiations over the sale of the district office property, the embattled parent foundation's finances and the role of the superintendent. How they handle those issues will shape their four years in office.
Incumbent Annette Easton, and challengers Steven McDowell, former Del Mar Heights Elementary PTA treasurer, and Del Mar Heights PTA president Katherine White were elected to office Tuesday. They are to be sworn in on Dec. 13.
McDowell and White ousted board President Barbara Myers and beat Martha Murphy, a foundation board member running with Myers.
The district serves 3,800 kindergarten-through-sixth-grade students in seven elementary schools.
A key campaign issue was the role of Superintendent Tom Bishop. The winning slate argued the board had ceded its power to the superintendent.
“We want a return of power to the board,” White said. “The board reports to the constituency. The superintendent reports to the board, and the superintendent can't be making unilateral decisions and talking about things like school closures or things that require a board vote.”
If Bishop can make the transition, he'll be “comfortable,” she said.
“If he doesn't, we always have the option of buying out his contract,” White said.
Easton said if the board reasserts its lead role in setting strategy and policy, trustees can expect to have a good working relationship with the superintendent. And buying out Bishop's contract is not under consideration now, she said. McDowell echoed Easton's position.
An issue that has divided the community is negotiations over the sale of the 5-acre district office property on Ninth Street and Camino Del Mar. Selling the surplus land would generate money to renovate the outdated district office building or pay for a new one elsewhere.
The city of Del Mar, which wants to purchase at least the portion of the property that includes playing fields and a private school, sued the district following disagreements over price. Then Elise Kerckhoff, the niece of William Kerckhoff, whose development corporation gave the land to the district, filed suit against Del Mar Union. Kerckhoff alleges the district is disregarding the purpose of the gift, which was that the land be designated for school uses.
The incoming slate has been critical of the handling of this matter.
Easton said the board should seek community input and evaluate whether it's on the right path. White and McDowell said residents needs to be better informed on how decisions have been made.
“It would be nice to hear from the law firm that's representing us and find out why they think we're right,” White said. “One of the things that a lot of people have said about this is that so much of it was hidden in secrecy. I think we don't need to spend as much time in closed-door sessions.”
Another issue that will come before the board is the Del Mar Schools Education Foundation. The district's fundraising organization has been under fire for not being transparent enough, ignoring parent concerns, and spending too much on overhead including $115,000 on an executive director's salary.
The foundation raises money for one-third of the salaries of the district's art, music, technology and science teachers.
Four foundation board members recently resigned, and the foundation's leadership, which disputes allegations of mismanagement, has decided to seek an independent review to reassure parents.
McDowell said he would like to meet with foundation board members and others to gain a better understanding from both sides.
Easton wants to re-evaluate how the district and the foundation operate together. She also said the board should take the lead in repairing community divisions caused by the controversy.
White said the board should vote on whether the district should continue to subsidize the foundation, which it does through donated classroom space, the partial payment of a foundation employee and other assistance worth about $55,000. That subsidy gives the school board oversight responsibility, she said, and the board also has the right to withdraw that support.
The positions of the winning slate, particularly those pertaining to the superintendent's role, have alarmed other trustees. Trustee Janet Lamborghini raves about Bishop.
“Tom is an extraordinary superintendent who has brought us a lot of what this slate doesn't think we have enough of like transparency, planning ahead, and setting explicit goals and objectives,” she said. “He's brought many improvements to the curriculum, and the proof is that our test scores keep going up.”
Lamborghini hopes once the board newcomers learn more about how a district is run, they'll do a turnaround.
Trustee Linda Crawford said Bishop has an impressive countywide and statewide following in the education community.
“He's an extremely intelligent, articulate man who is very valuable in the education community,” she said.
- Sherry Saavedra: (760) 476-8238; sherry.saavedra@uniontrib.com
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