Del Mar school district faces several big decisions

Source: Carmel Valley News, April 10, 2008.

By Ian S. Port
Assistant Editor

The Del Mar Union School District faces an evening of wrestling with tough and important questions at its March 26 meeting (a day after presstime for this newspaper).

Its trustees must decide how to replace a recently resigned board member, whether to make a major shift in the funding of enrichment classes, and if comments made in the press by a board member violated bylaws.

The school board will also hear a report on the financial impacts of a recent decision to buy out the remainder of Superintendent Thomas Bishop’s contract, vote on another contract making Assistant Superintendent Janet Bernard his interim replacement, and begin deciding how to find a permanent leader in the wake of Bishop’s resignation one month ago.

The packed agenda for the March regular meeting illustrates the continuing reverberations of the Feb. 26 decision. Several of the biggest issues to be decided are directly or indirectly related to the departure of the superintendent.

Since then, trustee Linda Crawford has resigned, a tenuous recall campaign has begun against the majority of the board, and donations to the Del Mar Schools Education Foundation have dropped off, according to its president.

In her letter of resignation, Crawford did not specify Bishop’s ouster as her reason for resigning. Rather, she cited “philosophical differences,” and said the board should exercise its “fiduciary responsibilities … particularly with reference to the sale of the Shores property in Del Mar.”

Crawford was part of a unanimous vote to sell the 5-acre property to the city of Del Mar, but, when reached by phone, would not comment further on that issue.

“I found it extremely difficult and was compromising my beliefs in just working with this board,” Crawford said.

It is all but certain that the remaining four board members will vote to appoint a temporary replacement for Crawford, who was up for re-election in November. The district would have to wait until Nov. 4 to hold an election for a temporary replacement, leaving it with only four members for more than seven months.

“If we were to have an election that would essentially leave the seat vacant,” Board President Annette Easton said.

She said the board will likely issue a questionnaire allowing community members to nominate themselves for the temporary seat, then interview the candidates at a special meeting and vote to choose one. The candidate would be free to run for the permanent seat in the fall.

Less certain is the process for finding a permanent superintendent, though trustees have said they hope to hire one over the summer. The March agenda includes information about three search firms the district could use to help find a replacement for Bishop, and the group may vote to choose one and begin the process.

The board will likely ratify a contract for Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum Janet Bernard to take on duties as Interim Superintendent, a post she took days after Bishop’s departure.

It will also consider a report documenting the financial impacts to the district of the decision to end Bishop’s tenure early. Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Dena Whittington calculated the net cost the decision to the district at $262,383 over three fiscal years.

Under the agreement, Bishop would receive salary and health benefits through October 2009, totaling over $287,000.

Staff recommends that the district use a one-time payout of $255,946 to cover the costs remaining in the resignation agreement. That money is from unexpected, excess equity in the district’s worker’s compensation fund and is currently held in a special reserve account.

One issue likely to stimulate debate is a proposal from Del Mar Schools Education Foundation Chairman Bob Gans to change the current fundraising system, where the Foundation’s contributions to the district pay for enrichment teachers in the current year, to a system where the funds go toward the costs of the following year. The Foundation is due to make a $500,000 payment to the district for the costs of the enrichment program in May.

The immediate impact of the proposed change would be a $500,000 hit to the district’s general fund. But the shifting of fundraising to one year ahead has been a long-time goal of many in the district and foundation.

Yet the reason for the change request is rife with controversy. Gans says the Foundation has been hurting for donations since Bishop resigned, and that shifting funding focus to the next year would help assuage those who’ve withheld contributions in protest.

What influence the district has on Foundation donations is somewhat murky. Trustee Katherine White said it has to accept donations with whatever terms come attached.

“However they give us the money is how we’re going to accept and use the money,” White said. “It’s a gift to us and whatever restrictions they place on the gift, we’ll abide by them.”

Bernard, the interim chief of the district, agreed, saying the district’s reserves could afford such an impact this year, but not sustained into the future.

“We can’t tell them how they are to use the money,” said Bernard, who did not make a recommendation on the issue in a staff report. “Our reserves are healthy, so it is something that the board could consider at this time.”

While the district may have to respect earmarks on donations, in order for Gans’ proposal to defuse protests against the district to work as planned, the district must plan an arrangement for next year similar to the current one, where schools may raise money for their own sites only, and it must maintain the same number of standard enrichment teachers allocated to each school. Those decisions are up to the school board.

The board may also discuss — though is unlikely to take any action on — a complaint by group calling itself the “Concerned Citizens of the Del Mar Union School District” that trustee Katherine White violated board bylaws in statements she made in an article on the news Web site Voiceofsandiego.org about goings-on in the district.

The complaint, voiced in a letter with dozens of signatures, says White violated board bylaws of governing standards and the disclosure of confidential and privileged information.

Bernard said that no evidence of any of the events White referred to could be found in district files, so there are no grounds for punishing her for having disclosed confidential or privileged information.

But whether the statement violated governance standards for school boards was a matter of interpretation, and would have to be discussed by the board, Bernard said.

White said that there was no way to censure a member in the board’s bylaws.

“I don’t think it violated any bylaws,” White said. “But if we do think they violated a bylaw, we have no mechanism to do anything about it.”

Del Mar school district faces several big decisions

Source: Carmel Valley News 3-27-08

By Ian S. Port
Assistant Editor

The Del Mar Union School District faces an evening of wrestling with tough and important questions at its March 26 meeting (a day after presstime for this newspaper).

Its trustees must decide how to replace a recently resigned board member, whether to make a major shift in the funding of enrichment classes, and if comments made in the press by a board member violated bylaws.

The school board will also hear a report on the financial impacts of a recent decision to buy out the remainder of Superintendent Thomas Bishop’s contract, vote on another contract making Assistant Superintendent Janet Bernard his interim replacement, and begin deciding how to find a permanent leader in the wake of Bishop’s resignation one month ago.

The packed agenda for the March regular meeting illustrates the continuing reverberations of the Feb. 26 decision. Several of the biggest issues to be decided are directly or indirectly related to the departure of the superintendent.

Since then, trustee Linda Crawford has resigned, a tenuous recall campaign has begun against the majority of the board, and donations to the Del Mar Schools Education Foundation have dropped off, according to its president.

In her letter of resignation, Crawford did not specify Bishop’s ouster as her reason for resigning. Rather, she cited “philosophical differences,” and said the board should exercise its “fiduciary responsibilities … particularly with reference to the sale of the Shores property in Del Mar.”

Crawford was part of a unanimous vote to sell the 5-acre property to the city of Del Mar, but, when reached by phone, would not comment further on that issue.

“I found it extremely difficult and was compromising my beliefs in just working with this board,” Crawford said.

It is all but certain that the remaining four board members will vote to appoint a temporary replacement for Crawford, who was up for re-election in November. The district would have to wait until Nov. 4 to hold an election for a temporary replacement, leaving it with only four members for more than seven months.

“If we were to have an election that would essentially leave the seat vacant,” Board President Annette Easton said.

She said the board will likely issue a questionnaire allowing community members to nominate themselves for the temporary seat, then interview the candidates at a special meeting and vote to choose one. The candidate would be free to run for the permanent seat in the fall.

Less certain is the process for finding a permanent superintendent, though trustees have said they hope to hire one over the summer. The March agenda includes information about three search firms the district could use to help find a replacement for Bishop, and the group may vote to choose one and begin the process.

The board will likely ratify a contract for Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum Janet Bernard to take on duties as Interim Superintendent, a post she took days after Bishop’s departure.

It will also consider a report documenting the financial impacts to the district of the decision to end Bishop’s tenure early. Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Dena Whittington calculated the net cost the decision to the district at $262,383 over three fiscal years.

Under the agreement, Bishop would receive salary and health benefits through October 2009, totaling over $287,000.

Staff recommends that the district use a one-time payout of $255,946 to cover the costs remaining in the resignation agreement. That money is from unexpected, excess equity in the district’s worker’s compensation fund and is currently held in a special reserve account.

One issue likely to stimulate debate is a proposal from Del Mar Schools Education Foundation Chairman Bob Gans to change the current fundraising system, where the Foundation’s contributions to the district pay for enrichment teachers in the current year, to a system where the funds go toward the costs of the following year. The Foundation is due to make a $500,000 payment to the district for the costs of the enrichment program in May.

The immediate impact of the proposed change would be a $500,000 hit to the district’s general fund. But the shifting of fundraising to one year ahead has been a long-time goal of many in the district and foundation.

Yet the reason for the change request is rife with controversy. Gans says the Foundation has been hurting for donations since Bishop resigned, and that shifting funding focus to the next year would help assuage those who’ve withheld contributions in protest.

What influence the district has on Foundation donations is somewhat murky. Trustee Katherine White said it has to accept donations with whatever terms come attached.

“However they give us the money is how we’re going to accept and use the money,” White said. “It’s a gift to us and whatever restrictions they place on the gift, we’ll abide by them.”

Bernard, the interim chief of the district, agreed, saying the district’s reserves could afford such an impact this year, but not sustained into the future.

“We can’t tell them how they are to use the money,” said Bernard, who did not make a recommendation on the issue in a staff report. “Our reserves are healthy, so it is something that the board could consider at this time.”

While the district may have to respect earmarks on donations, in order for Gans’ proposal to defuse protests against the district to work as planned, the district must plan an arrangement for next year similar to the current one, where schools may raise money for their own sites only, and it must maintain the same number of standard enrichment teachers allocated to each school. Those decisions are up to the school board.

The board may also discuss — though is unlikely to take any action on — a complaint by group calling itself the “Concerned Citizens of the Del Mar Union School District” that trustee Katherine White violated board bylaws in statements she made in an article on the news Web site Voiceofsandiego.org about goings-on in the district.

The complaint, voiced in a letter with dozens of signatures, says White violated board bylaws of governing standards and the disclosure of confidential and privileged information.

Bernard said that no evidence of any of the events White referred to could be found in district files, so there are no grounds for punishing her for having disclosed confidential or privileged information.

But whether the statement violated governance standards for school boards was a matter of interpretation, and would have to be discussed by the board, Bernard said.

White said that there was no way to censure a member in the board’s bylaws.

“I don’t think it violated any bylaws,” White said. “But if we do think they violated a bylaw, we have no mechanism to do anything about it.”

The Concerned Citizens of DMUSD - Request for Censure

The below letter was sent to the DMUSD on March 11, signed by over 100 community members, requesting that Katherine White be censured for her comments in the Voice of San Diego article, Del Mar's Missing Money, Mysterious Politics.

This issue is on the agenda for the March 26 Board Meeting.

---

March 11, 2008

The Office of the Superintendent
Del Mar Union School District
225 9th Street
Del Mar, CA 92014

Re: Agenda item for March 26, 2008 Board of Trustees meeting

We request that the Board of Trustees consider disciplinary action against Board Member Katherine White because of possible violations of Board Bylaws due to her inappropriate and offensive public comments in Ian S. Port's article in the voiceofsandiego.org on 2/19/08 titled Del Mar's Missing Money, Mysterious Politics. Her quote from the article is as follows:

School board member Katherine White said the circumstances -- the leak of an embarrassing story when only a few knew about it -- "are something. "

"I didn't read about it in the paper when there was a principal drunk in a school event," White said. "And I didn't read in the paper when a school employee was using drugs on campus. And I don't read about the principal that screams at his employees. And I don't read about the other thefts that have happened in the schools this year ... I don't understand what makes this such a reportable event when those other things I've never even been officially told about."

We believe Ms. White's comments violate the following Board Bylaws (see attached):

Board Bylaw 9005: GOVERNMENT STANDARDS

Board Bylaw 9011: DISCLOSURE OF CONFIDENTIAL / PRIVILEGED INFORMATION

Please include this request as an agenda item for the March 26, 2008 Board of Trustees meeting.

Sincerely,

Concerned Citizens of the Del Mar Union School District

Caryn Anderton Ed Arevalo Jennifer Arevalo John Arnold April Barduson Ted Barduson Doug Bell Kathy Bell Shelly Bingham Anne Boucher Toby Boucher Brian Burgoon Wendy Burgoon Ian Byrne Stacey Byrne D J Carney Theresa Carter Tracey Chester Tonya Cohen Blake Colburn Jill Colburn Pamela Covingnou Phillippe Covingnou Sally DeVito Charles Doherty Lisa Doherty Ed Domanico Susan Domanico Kim Dort George Duff Kathy Duff Jennifer Eastlack Robert Eastlack Bill Eiffert Adrienne Espinoza Bill Fanning Debbie Fanning Bill Farrell Mary Farrell Brian Ffrench Katie Ffrench Pat Freeman Richard Freeman

Noelle Gately Becky Giacalone Joe Giacalone Dean Gilbert Charles Gilbreth Maria Gilbreth Mary Jo Gleeson Terri Harbison Janet Henzel Rae Nell Hicks Richard Hicks Leslie Hodge Eileen Hoppen Chris Howe Erin How Bob Husband Sue Husband Thanh Huyen Cathy Ingrassia Joe Ingrassia Bret Johnsen Catherine Johnsen Bruce Kahn Janet Kahn Amir Kalali Denise Kalali J D Katzin Margaret Katzin Monica Kiy Richard Kiy Kristen Low Elizabeth Mackey Michael Mackey Mario Manzano Svetlana Maric Svetislav Maric Gina Maruska Keith Maruska Kelly Mauzey Beverly McGinty Nadia Merk Christina Mendelsohn Dan Mendelsohn

Ellen Mitgang Steve Mitgang Bill Morgan Gretchen Morgan Ken Morris Catherine Murano Carl Murano Andrew Murphy Jeanine Neeley Scott Neeley Joan Nichols Martin Nichols Terri O'Brien Maria Olson Myra Pelowski Rina Poplawski Sergio Poplawski Lawrence Poteet Ravindra Prabu Arthur Regottaz Debbie Regottaz Comischell Rodriguez Roberto Rodriguez Cristina Rusconi Sheri Salameh Tamer Salameh Cathy Scheg Timothy Scheg David Silva Laura Silva Mary Taylor Kiim Tieman Pat Tieman Joan Tyson Ulisse Vicinanza Christina Wachs Steven Wachs Jason Walton Kristen Walton Nancy Wheeler Chris Wood Stephanie Wood

---

March 19, 2008

To:
From:
Subject:

Board Members
Janet Bernard, Interim Superintendent
Board Discussion, Possible Violations of Board Bylaws

On March 11, 2008, the administration received a letter from the Concerned Citizens of the Del Mar Union School District. (Attachment A) This letter requested that the "Board of Trustees consider disciplinary action against Board Member Katherine White because of possible violations of Board Bylaws." The Concerned Citizens group cited the following two Board Bylaws that may have been violated:

• Board Bylaw 9005: Governance Standards
• Board Bylaw 9011: Disclosure of Confidential/Privileged Information

Copies of both of these Bylaws are attached. (Attachments B & C)

After conducting a review of personnel records, the administration found no evidence to indicate that any of the alleged comments made by Member White were documented. Therefore, the alleged remarks could not be considered a breach of confidential or privileged information as outlined in Bylaws 9005 and 90 II. Rather, the comments could only be perceived as an opinion based on hearsay and innuendo.

Board Bylaw 9010: Public Statements (Attachment D) could be used by the Board to determine if a violation occurred. This Bylaw states the following:

The Governing Board recognizes the rights of Board members to freely express their views and encourages open discussion of issues during the Board meeting. The Board believes that effective Board members have a responsibility to express themselves, whether in agreement or disagreement with the Board majority, in ways that promote the Board's ability to govern the district.

Guiding question for the discussion: Were the alleged public statements by Board Member White expressed in a manner that would promote the Board's ability to govern the District?

Board Bylaw 9010 further states:

When speaking to community groups, the media, or other members of the public, individual Board members should recognize that their statements may be perceived as reflecting their views and positions of the Board. Board members have a responsibility to identify personal viewpoints as such and not as a viewpoint of the Board.

Guiding questions for the discussion: Could the alleged comments possibly be perceived as a viewpoint of all Board members? Did the Board member specifically identify the comments as a personal viewpoint?

FISCAL IMPACT:
RECOMMENDED:

None.
The Interim Superintendent recommends that the Board discuss whether or not Board Bylaw 9010 was violated and determine what action, if any, should be taken.

---

DEL MAR UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT
Bylaws/Administrative Regulations of the Board

Board Bylaw 9005: GOVERNANCE STANDARDS

Board Responsibility to Community

A Governing Board Member should honor the high responsibility which Board membership demands:

• BY thinking always in tenus of "children fIrst."
• BY understanding that the basic function of the School Board member is "policy making" and not "administrative," and by accepting the responsibility of learning to intelligently discriminate between these two functions.
• BY accepting the responsibility along with fellow Board members of seeing that the maximum facilities and resources are provided for the proper functioning of the schools.
• BY refusing to "play politics" in either the traditional partisan, or in any petty sense.
• BY representing at all times the entire school community.
• BY accepting the responsibility of becoming well informed concerning the duties of Board members, and the proper functions of public schools.
• BY recognizing responsibility as a state offIcial to seek the improvement of education throughout the state.

A Governing Board Member should meet his/her responsibilities to the community:

• BY attempting to appraise fairly both the present and future educational needs of the community.
• BY regarding it as a major responsibility of the Board to interpret the aims and the methods of the schools to the community.
• BY insisting that all school business transactions be on an open, ethical, and aboveboard basis.
• BY vigorously seeking adequate financial support for the schools.
• BY refusing to discuss personnel matters or any other confidential business of the Board outside of an official Board meeting.

A Governing Board member should respect relationships with other members of the Board.

• BY recognizing that authority rests only with the Board in official meetings, and that the individual member has no legal status to bind the Board outside of such meetings.
• BY recognizing that integrity of his/her predecessors and associates, and the merit of their work.
• BY refusing to make statements or promises as to how the member will vote on a matter, which should properly come before the Board as a whole.
• BY making decisions only after all facts bearing on a question have been presented and discussed.
• BY respecting the opinion of others and by graciously conforming to the principle of majority rules.

Board - Superintendent Relationship

A Governing Board member should maintain desirable relations with the Superintendent of schools and staff:

• BY striving to procure, when the vacancy exists, the best professional leader available for the head administrative post.
• BY giving the Superintendent full administrative authority for properly discharging the Superintendent's professional duties, and by also holding the Superintendent responsible.
• BY acting only after receiving the recommendation of the Superintendent in matters of employment or dismissal of school personnel.
• BY having the Superintendent present at all meetings of the Board except when the Superintendent's contract and salary are under consideration.
• BY referring all complaints to the proper administrative office and by discussing them only at a regular meeting after failure of administrative solution.
• BY striving to provide adequate safeguards around the Superintendent and other staff members to the end that they can live happily and comfortably in the community and discharge their educational functions on a thoroughly professional basis.
• BY presenting personal criticism of any employee directly to the Superintendent in accordance with sound principles of personnel policies and procedures.

The Board has the power of establishing its own procedures (Education Code 35010).

The Board shall provide guides of discretionary action to those agents of the district to whom the Board delegates authority. This right shall be retained solely by the Board. These guides for discretionary action shall constitute the policies governing the operation of the school system.

The formulation and adoption of these written policies shall constitute the basic method by which the Board shall exercise its leadership in the operation of the school system. The study and evaluation of reports concerning the execution of its written policies shall constitute the basic method by which the Board shall exercise its management of the schools.

The formal adoption of policies shall be recorded in the minutes of the Board. Only those written statements so adopted and so recorded shall be regarded as official Board policy.

The implementation of policies is an administrative task to be performed by the Superintendent and the Superintendent's staff, who shall be held responsible for the effective administration and supervision of the entire school system.

All actions of the Board shall be taken only in official Board meetings called, scheduled, and conducted according to these bylaws and the statutes of the state.

---

DEL MAR UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT
Bylaws/Administrative Regulations of the Board

Board Bylaw 9011: DISCLOSURE OF CONFIDENTIAL / PRIVILEGED INFORMATION

Confidential/privileged information shall be released only as allowed by law.

Confidential/privileged information is defined as:

1. Information that is not a public record subject to disclosure under the Public Records Act
2. Information that "by law" may not be disclosed
3. Information that may have a material financial effect on the Governing Board member

The Governing Board holds that information which is produced for or which comes out during closed meetings of the Board concerning subjects which are lawful matters for consideration at closed meetings is privileged information, and shall not be divulged or released by any member of the Board or by any employee of the district, unless and until a majority of the Board members agree to release the information. This is not to permit withholding information about the purpose and subject(s) of the closed session as required for public information under Government Code Section 54957.7. Information from closed sessions shall be released by the Board President or Chair of the meeting in which the closed session is held.

Release of privileged information contrary to the provisions of this bylaw by a member of the Board may result in public censure of the member by a majority vote of the members of the Board.

Release of privileged information by an employee of the district shall be considered by the Board to be unprofessional and/or unethical conduct, and a serious violation of the reasonable regularities of the Board of this district, and shall be grounds for disciplinary action under applicable policies and regulations.

---

More information:

• Crawford and White: Requests for Censure
• CV News: Requests for censure, Solana Beach School District merge voiced at Del Mar Union school board meeting

March Regular Board Meeting

Official Agenda, Regular Board Meeting • March 26, 2008

(excerpted from the Full Agenda)

CALL TO ORDER - OPEN SESSION – 3:30 pm
BUSINESS TO BE TRANSACTED WILL BE LIMITED TO THE FOLLOWING:

1. Board President Calls For Blue Speaker Slips
2. Public Input Concerning Items On The Closed Session Agenda

Adjourn To Closed Session
(In the Del Mar Hills Academy -
Administration Office Conference Room
14085 Mango Drive, Del Mar, CA 92014)

CALL TO ORDER – CLOSED SESSION

Closed Session Agenda:

1. Conference with Real Property Negotiator (G.C. 54956.8)—
   Property: 225 9th Street, Del Mar, California 92014—
   Agency Negotiators: Janet Bernard, Interim Superintendent
   Rodger Smith, Director of Facilities/Personnal-
   Negotiating Parties: DMUSD and the City of Del Mar-
   Under Negotiation: Sale/Lease Terms Between the City of Del Mar and the DMUSD
2. Public Employee Discipline/Dismissal/Release pursuant to (Government Code 54957)
3. Conference with Legal Counsel –
   Anticipated Litigation (Government Code section 54956.9(b);
   Name of Case: Significant Exposure to Litigation: One case
4. Public Employment Appointment/Employment: Title: Interim Superintendent (G.C.54957)

Adjourn To Open Session

RECONVENE TO OPEN SESSION

3. Report Of Action Taken In Closed Session:

CALL TO ORDER, REGULAR MEETING OF BOARD OF TRUSTEES – 5:45 P.M.

1. Flag Salute
2. Student Recognition - Del Mar Hills Academy
3. Approval Of The Agenda
4. Correspondence / Communications
5. Reports, Recognitions and Hearings
   ... (See agenda for full description)

BOARD PRESIDENT CALLS FOR BLUE SPEAKER SLIPS

6. Approval of Minutes and Consent Items
7. Curriculum and Instruction
8. Administration and Policy
   1. Board Discussion, Board Vacancy – Approval of Provisional Appointment/Election and Approval of Timeline/Procedures
   2. Board Discussion, Superintendent Selection Process
   3. Board Discussion, Enrichment Programs Funding
   4. 2nd Reading and Approval, 2008/2009 Site/Grade Level Caps
   5. 2nd Reading and Approval, Board Bylaw 9323, Meeting Conduct
   6. 2nd Reading and Approval, Proposed Modification to Attendance Area Boundary for Sage Canyon and Ocean Air Schools
   7. Discussion, Possible Violations of Board Bylaws
   8. Board Representative, PTA Advisory Committee Meeting and the DMCTA/Administration Professional Relations Committee Meeting
   9. Employee Computer Purchase Program
   10. Reminder of Upcoming Events
9. Facilities Report
10. Business and Finance
11. Personnel
12. Items for Upcoming Board Meeting
13. Adjournment

More Information:

• Agenda

Crawford and White: Requests For Censure

Extracted from the DMUSD February 27, 2008 Reqular Board Meeting Audio:
http://dmusd.org/district/board_audio/Meeting_02-27-08.mp3

---

At 00:37:30, by Linda Crawford:
To listen, right-click and select Play:

I have a comment... I take no pleasure in bringing this up, but there has been discussion out in the community, it was brought up last night that, at the special school board meeting, school board members have been receiving emails from staff and community members in regards to Katherine White's statement that, in the print, in regards to employee conduct. She mentioned a drunken principal at a social event, employees using drugs on campus, and a principal swearing at employees. I believe that this violates our bylaws and I have been approached and I am requesting that at the next board meeting we bring up this violation and possible censureship of Katherine White in regards to the inappropriate remarks regarding staff of our district. I am requesting for the next board meeting that we have an agenda item on this topic.

---

At 04:47:30, by Katherine White:
To listen, right-click and select Play:

Well, I don't want Linda to stand alone in talking about censure so if we're going to talk about censure processes and our policies I'd like to broaden that to include, besides alleged things which we have no ability to talk about whether they happened or didn't happen, we'd like to talk about some things that we know happened. We have some emails going back from Linda talking about undermining some of the board actions and I'd like to make sure our description of censure covers her actions as well.

CV News: Requests for censure, Solana Beach School District merge voiced at Del Mar Union school board meeting

Source: Carmel Valley News 3-13-08

By Roman S. Koenig

Board Meeting Audio (right-click and select Play to listen)

Ongoing discord among Del Mar Union School District board members was evident Feb. 27 during their first general meeting after superintendent Tom Bishop's resignation.

After a short concert by an Ocean Air student chorus celebrating personal character and peace-building, the meeting went on with trustees seeking censure of each other for recent comments involving district controversies.

The superintendent's chair was empty as trustees considered an intra-district transfer policy, recent demographics data and a Del Mar Heights foreign language program — and heard a suggestion from a key member of the Del Mar Schools Education Foundation that the district consider merging with Solana Beach.

Trustee Linda Crawford brought up the issue of censure early in the meeting.

“I take no pleasure in bringing this up,” Crawford said during trustee reports, citing comments by trustee Katherine White published at www.voiceofsandiego.org. Crawford called for censure of White at the next board meeting for the published comments, which alleged misconduct such as drunkenness and drug use by district employees.

At the end of the meeting, White asked that Crawford be censured for remarks in an e-mail to Bishop made public late last year, in which Crawford apparently suggested that Bishop publicly blame the trustees for the downfall of a Spanish language program at the Sycamore Ridge campus.

“I don't want Linda to stand alone in talking about censure,” White said, citing e-mails “from Linda talking about undermining some of the board actions.”

While few members of the public addressed the board Feb. 27, foundation communications chairman John Logan suggested a “bold initiative” to merge with the Solana Beach School District. He said the current climate in the district is a golden opportunity, especially with looming state budget cuts.

“Our school district is gerrymandered with Solana Beach. Neighbors across the street from Ashley Falls can't go to their local school,” Logan told the board, noting that some new condominium and apartment complexes face being split between the school districts. “Our kids end up going to the same junior highs, the same high schools.”

Logan said now is the time to reach out to Solana Beach district officials and consider the possibilities of a merger.

Bishop's absence cast a shadow across the meeting in substance and function.

While foundation president Robert Gans announced the launching of the organization's new Web site at www.delmarkids.org and discussed current fundraising goals, he expressed grave concerns over the loss of the superintendent and how that might affect fundraising.

“I want to make it absolutely clear that the Del Mar Schools Education Foundation takes absolutely no position on this action,” he told the board, referring to the buyout of Bishop's contract. “However, that said, we have already received a number of questions from parents in our community to the point of: Why should they donate to the foundation if the district has $300,000 at its disposal to buy out the remaining 18 months of the superintendent's contract?

“It is essential as we head into this critical fundraising period that you communicate the answer to that question quickly and clearly, and as through as many outlets as possible,” Gans said to audience applause. “This isn't an applause line. This is a serious request to this board.”

In considering the implementation of a foreign language program at the Del Mar Heights campus, confusion reigned for a time as board members and assistant superintendent Janet Bernard figured out whether the issue was scheduled for a vote or tabled for a future meeting. Bernard at first said the issue needed to be tabled, while the meeting agenda stated is was to be voted on.

In the end, trustees approved a five-week trial period for the program.

Trustees also spent about an hour sorting through updates of a proposed 2008-09 attendance policy, centering mostly on whether, and how, students could apply for transfers between district schools.

Board members approved the policy, which states that intra-district transfers will be effective for one school year followed by renewal for an additional school year. Families would have until 14 days to the start of the additional year to reapply. Acceptance of the transfer in one year would not guarantee such a transfer for an additional year, however.

The board also received a report from Davis Demographics, which found that enrollment is now leveling off and likely to head downward in the next few years. A downturn in the real estate market and build-out of some new communities were cited as reasons for the change in enrollment.

February Regular Board Meeting

February 27 Regular Board Meeting

• Agenda
• Minutes (not available yet)
• Audio (right-click and select Play to listen)