Scores of West Marin School parents have signed a petition declaring a vote of no confidence in the Shoreline Unified School District board and superintendent Bob Raines, fallout from the handling of recent events surrounding the school principal.
The parents, who have called for a town hall meeting to discuss their grievances, are still gathering signatures, but one mother read the language aloud at last Thursday’s meeting.
“Our trust in you, as our elected representatives, is gone due to the severe lack of transparency, honesty, true engagement and appropriate bilingual communication as stated in the California [education code],” the petition states. “We, the undersigned, formally express our distrust of the S.U.S.D. school board, including superintendent Bob Raines, and formally declare a vote of no confidence.”
The petition, which does not trigger any legal actions, comes in the wake of a series of events following the announcement in March by Principal Matt Nagle that he is challenging longtime incumbent Mary Jane Burke for her seat as county superintendent of schools.
Shortly after that, the district board issued Mr. Nagle a preliminary layoff notice. The notice, which met a March 15 state deadline to inform a certificated employee of a possible demotion, listed issues with Mr. Nagle’s leadership and behavior but did not cite any specific complaints.
Staff and parents quickly suspected that the board was acting out of retaliation, punishing Mr. Nagle for statements he made about Ms. Burke and for his decision to run against her.
School officials denied the claim, writing in a letter to the school community that preliminary layoff notices are often rescinded.
But that letter—written by board president Jill Manning Sartori and addressed to the district’s parents, community, staff and students—itself became a point of contention.
The letter was sent to former Light reporter Silas Valentino by Mr. Raines, who asked that it be printed. Since the letters section was full that week, the Light’s editor, Tess Elliott, held onto it until March 29.
Yet in the days after receiving the letter—which was not addressed to the editor or submitted in the manner of letters to the editor—Ms. Elliott shared it with Mr. Nagle, assuming he had seen it. Mr. Nagle had not seen it and, since it was addressed to the school community, directed staff to include it in students’ weekly take-home folders.
In her letter, Ms. Sartori emphasized that there was no relationship between Mr. Nagle’s preliminary notice and his campaign to run for county superintendent of schools. “The board recognizes and supports its employees’ rights to participate in seeking public office as long as doing so does not interfere with their primary obligations to the district,” she wrote.
Parents immediately noted that a Spanish-language version of the letter was not also provided.
California education code requires that districts with 15 percent or more of students who speak a primary language other than English print all notices, reports, statements or records sent to parents or guardians in that language. West Marin School’s students are 44 percent English language learners.
Ultimately, the school did provide a Spanish translation of the letter, and Mr. Raines sent out an explanation to the community that apologized “for the misunderstandings that arose from this unfortunate action.”
At last Thursday’s board meeting, the family coordinator for West Marin School recounted some of the sentiments expressed by parents in recent weeks. Speaking to the board, she paraphrased quotes and comments from those who signed the petition.
“They want to be able to trust you, and right now they don’t,” she said. “They are disappointed in how you handled the communication with regard to the principal by sending a letter that was addressed to them to the local newspaper instead of sending it to them directly. They are offended that even the letter that was sent to the local paper was not sent in Spanish.”
The family coordinator, who emphasized that she represents all parents at the school and who did not wish to be named in this story, relayed that those who signed the petition were generally concerned about the board’s “lack of engagement” and perceived its trustees “as distant and dishonest.”
Melissa Claire is the parent of a third grader. “Many parents feel we are being ignored,” she said. “We want our voices to count. Most of us are really happy with the school but, especially for our kids, we want to make sure decisions are made ethically and responsibly.”
Ms. Claire said there is a lot of support for Mr. Nagle—and even a petition circulating right now to keep him at the school. (Mr. Nagle, who is bilingual, is campaigning on a platform to bring focus to underachieving Mexican-American students, whom he describes as being in a state of crisis.)
“There is overwhelming support for Mr. Nagle in our school, and the board’s decision [to evaluate him] is driven by petty interpersonal issues versus what he has done for the school and his accomplishments,” Ms. Claire said. “It is the first obligation of our elected officials to serve the best interest in the schools and the students.”
This week, Mr. Raines said he and two trustees will attend a town hall meeting next Tuesday, May 1. Though all trustees would like to be there, Mr. Raines said, if there are more than three in attendance, it becomes an official board meeting.
“In general, it’s unfortunate that a personnel matter has become so public—that’s not normally the case,” Mr. Raines said. He added that he was “looking forward to some open conversation for parents to share their thoughts and concerns, and for me and the board to share our thoughts and concerns as well.”