Reasons For Recall Are Offered

Four reasons for recall are offered

By Jeanne DeVincenzi
Monday, October 19, 2009

There has been talk recently by school board members and their supporters regarding the Napa County District Attorney’s press release addressing former Superintendent Allan Gordon’s actions with respect to the early retirement plan he put into place, and from which he shortly thereafter benefited.

These same individuals state that, if Mr. Gordon didn’t act illegally, then the recall is baseless, and the school board members have adequately lived up to their responsibilities to the district and the community.

What the board members and their supporters are ignoring is the fact that the recall movement is based on so many more issues than Mr. Gordon’s conflict of interest regarding the retirement plan. Whether you support the recall or not, it’s important to understand the goals of the recall and why more than one-third of the registered voters in our district signed petitions based on the belief that a recall election is necessary.

Fiscal responsibility

One of those goals is to bring more fiscal responsibility to the school district. Curbing the current excessive administrative spending in our district could free up hundreds of thousands of dollars that could be allocated to programs that develop all levels of education for all the students in our community.

Cutting back on unnecessary administrative positions, excessive administrative salaries, unnecessary legal fees and unwarranted early retirement benefits for select administrators would allow our district to fund the valuable programs that have been cut or curtailed in recent years by the district, and perhaps additional programs could be funded to provide our students with more tools that they will need to achieve their goals.

With the current economic situation, it is more important than ever to bring more fiscal responsibility to our district so that not a penny is wasted on unnecessary expenses. By making the right financial decisions now, we can ensure that our students will be able to participate in and enjoy valuable programs for many years to come.

More accountability

Another goal of the recall is to introduce more accountability and transparency to the school board. While closed session meetings of the board are important to maintain confidentiality with respect to school personnel, students and other private matters, discussions regarding issues that do not fall within those areas should take place out in the open.

The community needs a heads-up as to decisions the board intends to make. The public has the right to be timely and properly informed of all of the issues that the board will address at a meeting. Public trust is lost when board members call special meetings to correct their failure to properly inform the community of an issue that was discussed and decided at a previous meeting. The board members should also be able to adequately explain the reasoning behind their decisions.

Better relationships

Many people who support the recall do so with an objective of building a more collaborative relationship between the district and the community. An open dialogue between the board and parents, teachers, staff and other community members is crucial to building a culture of trust and respect in our schools and community.

It is important to have a school board that is willing to listen to, and take in, all points of view before making decisions. Eliminating any fear of retaliation for bringing concerns before the board and the administration is another critical step toward promoting trust and integrity in our district.

Independent thinking

Finally, recall supporters have advocated for a board that thinks and operates independently from the administration. Our school district deserves board members who are willing to dig deeper into issues and administrative recommendations instead of accepting them at face value.

Section 9000 of the board’s bylaws states that the board is “elected by the community to provide leadership and citizen oversight to the district.” How can a school board provide oversight if it doesn’t question proposals and information provided to it by the administration?

The recall effort started and has remained strong because the current SHUSD school board has failed to provide fiscal responsibility, accountability, transparency, open communication and independence to this district. Recall supporters believe that these goals shouldn’t be a wish list for our district, they should be a given.

This is why so many in this community have come together to bring a positive change to our school district. This is why the recall became and still is necessary.

(Jeanne DeVincenzi is an attorney who has lived and practiced law in St. Helena for 11 years. She is the president of the Elementary School Site Council, a member of the RLS School Site Council, on the board of directors of the St. Helena Public Schools Endowment Trust, and the immediate past Vice-President of the St. Helena Primary and Elementary Schools Parent Teacher Group.

Ms. DeVincenzi and her husband have three children who attend the schools in the SHUSD.)