Tyrone N. Butts
APE Reporter
16
School board to examine Garcia's treatment of staff
Reassignment of Encore leader at center of issue
Metro school board members will take a look tonight at whether school district staff members have been treated fairly and equitably by Schools Director Pedro Garcia.
The issue became a hot potato last week when dozens of parents protested Garcia's transfer of Beth O'Shea from coordinator of the district's program for academically gifted and talented students. O'Shea decided to retire rather than accept reassignment as principal of an elementary or middle school. In her place, Garcia appointed Eakin Elementary Assistant Principal Debra Thompson.
Many of those angry parents, who fear the transfer signa
ls a move to dismantle the program known as Encore, are expected to
plead their case before the board in its regular meeting tonight.
''What's happened has taken Beth's expertise out of the school system,'' said Lynn Bryce Sherman, an Encore parent whose son attends Eakin Elementary. Sherman, along with two other families, sent a letter protesting the change to Encore parents across the district.
''Her immense wealth of knowledge is not going to be available,'' Sherman said. ''The Encore program is not perfect by any means. However, whenever I've had a problem around the Encore program, I have called Beth and gotten immediate and significant response.''
Other parents are open to the idea of a new leader and other changes for the program.
''I just felt like the program lacked direction,'' said Libby Boomer, an Encore parent wh
ose son attends Dodson Elementary. ''I want it to stay, but I do want improvements. My take on it is they're trying to involve more children and find mo
re eligible children.''
School board members will sort through the varying opinions to decide whether Garcia violated any district policies by appointing a new coordinator.
''We're trying to find out if the policies we have in place were followed,'' said board member Mebenin Awipi. ''If he followed them and we still have this problem, we'll look for some policy changes that will plug that particular hole.''
The last straw
Garcia made the Encore change last month as part of his regular springtime reassignment of school and program principals. When outrage at the change spread via the parent grapevine, Garcia sent parents a letter to explain some of his reasons. Chief among them was his desire to involve more students in the program
, especially minorities.
Bernie Driscoll signed a rebuttal letter from upset parents who didn't buy Garcia's explanation.
''The director played the 'vague' card,'' Driscoll said. ''He didn't lay a
nything out in that letter except further exacerbate the issue.''
Driscoll's ire is compounded because he says Garcia ignored suggestions from a parent group last June to improve the program. He said that's a reason for school board members to question Garcia's judgment on both the program and staff transfers.
''There's more to this than the Encore program and the fact he made changes,'' Driscoll said. ''This is about Dr. Garcia just doing business as he usually does. The issue is: It should have never happened. It's a total example of poor leadership by the director. It's a systemic problem in this district and the board needs to start acting respo
nsibly.''
Other parents don't think they should be involved in personnel decisions. ''I don't understand the presupposition that anybody's position is permanent,'' said Shyla Lee, an Encore parent whose son attends Thomas Edison Elementary. ''Pedro Garcia has never done anything or said anything that has made me feel like
he is against Encore.
''The man is the director of schools and he has the right to put a new leader in that position. I don't think appointing a new director of Encore means he wants to take apart the program. I don't like the feeling of propaganda I'm getting here.''
Others feel that the parents who wrote the rebuttal letter are off base. ''I would like to see more minorities included, and that was one of the things that really stood out to me in Dr. Garcia's letter,'' said Dana De PeÃԚ±a, an Encore parent whose son attends Edison. ''We are
spending $1.5 million on 1,000 students and the majority of those students are white. Why is that? I think it needs to be investigated.''
Duty of the board
Some school board members are trying to avoid micromanagement of personnel decisions.
''The biggest concern is about staff treatment,'' said school board member Ed Kindall. ''Is the process fair, in terms of how you're making these decisions? Ri
ght now some people believe --and I can't tell you if it's true or not --that some of these decisions about where people are transferred are kind of capricious and arbitrary.''
Board Chairwoman Pam Garrett noted that state law gives schools directors the authority to transfer administrative staff. ''It's not my place to hire or recommend principals,'' Garrett said. ''Neither is it parents' or anyone else's. It is clearly the director's legal purview. The only thing at this point
the board has asked is that he have a process and that process be known and open and clear.''
Board member Marsha Warden would like to add more public trust into the equation.
''You should have the ability to pick and choose and move the people that are appropriate to meet your program needs,'' Warden said. ''For me, the best-case solution is being able to explain our policies and procedures "â┚¬Ã…¡ÃƒÆ’”�šÃ”š¦ so it's fully understood by the public and that there's a belief by the public that when these
things occur, there is a vision for improvement.''
Getting there
Metro school board members will discuss the treatment of district staff by Schools Director Pedro Garcia during their regular meeting tonight at 5 in the central office at 2601 Bransford Ave.
What board members are saying "â┚¬Ã…¡ÃƒÆ’”�šÃ”š¦
''I struggled with a reply to all these incredible letters and e-mails from parents. I'm certainly hearing what they're saying but it'
;s pretty clear who has the authority to make moves like that. I just cannot interfere with that. That doesn't mean I can't hold him to task to make sure it was done properly.'' --George Blue
''The best resolution is for Dr. Garcia to make good on his word. He says the program will be better than it is right now, that it will have more accessibility. The proof will be in the pudding.'' --Kathy Nevill
''It goes to the broader question of, 'Are we being fair and consistent with all our employees?' '' --Kathleen Harkey
The best solut
ion is ''a prescription for the future rather than a remedy for the past.'' --George Thompson
**************
Memo to Dana De Puta and Pedo Garcia: The lack of gifted niggers and spics has already been investigated. Murray and Herrnstein wrote a book about it called 'The Bell Curve'. The bottom line is... gifted niggers and spics are as rare as hen's teeth. Get over it.
T.N.B.
School board to examine Garcia's treatment of staff
Reassignment of Encore leader at center of issue
Metro school board members will take a look tonight at whether school district staff members have been treated fairly and equitably by Schools Director Pedro Garcia.
The issue became a hot potato last week when dozens of parents protested Garcia's transfer of Beth O'Shea from coordinator of the district's program for academically gifted and talented students. O'Shea decided to retire rather than accept reassignment as principal of an elementary or middle school. In her place, Garcia appointed Eakin Elementary Assistant Principal Debra Thompson.
Many of those angry parents, who fear the transfer signa
ls a move to dismantle the program known as Encore, are expected to
plead their case before the board in its regular meeting tonight.
''What's happened has taken Beth's expertise out of the school system,'' said Lynn Bryce Sherman, an Encore parent whose son attends Eakin Elementary. Sherman, along with two other families, sent a letter protesting the change to Encore parents across the district.
''Her immense wealth of knowledge is not going to be available,'' Sherman said. ''The Encore program is not perfect by any means. However, whenever I've had a problem around the Encore program, I have called Beth and gotten immediate and significant response.''
Other parents are open to the idea of a new leader and other changes for the program.
''I just felt like the program lacked direction,'' said Libby Boomer, an Encore parent wh
ose son attends Dodson Elementary. ''I want it to stay, but I do want improvements. My take on it is they're trying to involve more children and find mo
re eligible children.''
School board members will sort through the varying opinions to decide whether Garcia violated any district policies by appointing a new coordinator.
''We're trying to find out if the policies we have in place were followed,'' said board member Mebenin Awipi. ''If he followed them and we still have this problem, we'll look for some policy changes that will plug that particular hole.''
The last straw
Garcia made the Encore change last month as part of his regular springtime reassignment of school and program principals. When outrage at the change spread via the parent grapevine, Garcia sent parents a letter to explain some of his reasons. Chief among them was his desire to involve more students in the program
, especially minorities.
Bernie Driscoll signed a rebuttal letter from upset parents who didn't buy Garcia's explanation.
''The director played the 'vague' card,'' Driscoll said. ''He didn't lay a
nything out in that letter except further exacerbate the issue.''
Driscoll's ire is compounded because he says Garcia ignored suggestions from a parent group last June to improve the program. He said that's a reason for school board members to question Garcia's judgment on both the program and staff transfers.
''There's more to this than the Encore program and the fact he made changes,'' Driscoll said. ''This is about Dr. Garcia just doing business as he usually does. The issue is: It should have never happened. It's a total example of poor leadership by the director. It's a systemic problem in this district and the board needs to start acting respo
nsibly.''
Other parents don't think they should be involved in personnel decisions. ''I don't understand the presupposition that anybody's position is permanent,'' said Shyla Lee, an Encore parent whose son attends Thomas Edison Elementary. ''Pedro Garcia has never done anything or said anything that has made me feel like
he is against Encore.
''The man is the director of schools and he has the right to put a new leader in that position. I don't think appointing a new director of Encore means he wants to take apart the program. I don't like the feeling of propaganda I'm getting here.''
Others feel that the parents who wrote the rebuttal letter are off base. ''I would like to see more minorities included, and that was one of the things that really stood out to me in Dr. Garcia's letter,'' said Dana De PeÃԚ±a, an Encore parent whose son attends Edison. ''We are
spending $1.5 million on 1,000 students and the majority of those students are white. Why is that? I think it needs to be investigated.''
Duty of the board
Some school board members are trying to avoid micromanagement of personnel decisions.
''The biggest concern is about staff treatment,'' said school board member Ed Kindall. ''Is the process fair, in terms of how you're making these decisions? Ri
ght now some people believe --and I can't tell you if it's true or not --that some of these decisions about where people are transferred are kind of capricious and arbitrary.''
Board Chairwoman Pam Garrett noted that state law gives schools directors the authority to transfer administrative staff. ''It's not my place to hire or recommend principals,'' Garrett said. ''Neither is it parents' or anyone else's. It is clearly the director's legal purview. The only thing at this point
the board has asked is that he have a process and that process be known and open and clear.''
Board member Marsha Warden would like to add more public trust into the equation.
''You should have the ability to pick and choose and move the people that are appropriate to meet your program needs,'' Warden said. ''For me, the best-case solution is being able to explain our policies and procedures "â┚¬Ã…¡ÃƒÆ’”�šÃ”š¦ so it's fully understood by the public and that there's a belief by the public that when these
things occur, there is a vision for improvement.''
Getting there
Metro school board members will discuss the treatment of district staff by Schools Director Pedro Garcia during their regular meeting tonight at 5 in the central office at 2601 Bransford Ave.
What board members are saying "â┚¬Ã…¡ÃƒÆ’”�šÃ”š¦
''I struggled with a reply to all these incredible letters and e-mails from parents. I'm certainly hearing what they're saying but it'
;s pretty clear who has the authority to make moves like that. I just cannot interfere with that. That doesn't mean I can't hold him to task to make sure it was done properly.'' --George Blue
''The best resolution is for Dr. Garcia to make good on his word. He says the program will be better than it is right now, that it will have more accessibility. The proof will be in the pudding.'' --Kathy Nevill
''It goes to the broader question of, 'Are we being fair and consistent with all our employees?' '' --Kathleen Harkey
The best solut
ion is ''a prescription for the future rather than a remedy for the past.'' --George Thompson
**************
Memo to Dana De Puta and Pedo Garcia: The lack of gifted niggers and spics has already been investigated. Murray and Herrnstein wrote a book about it called 'The Bell Curve'. The bottom line is... gifted niggers and spics are as rare as hen's teeth. Get over it.
T.N.B.