In their baseless defense of how the desegregation case has been handled by the Superintendent and Board majority, Krystal Foster and Adelita Grijalva have taken guest-opinion slugs (11/17/15 &12/29/15) at columnist Tim Stellar for his on-target columns (11/10/15 & 12/22/15) pertaining to the TUSD misinformation campaign that was presented to magnet school communities. In referring to the campaign as the “big lie” Stellar’s wording was validated by the Federal District Court, when in its ruling of 11/19/15, the Court referred to numerous letters it received as being based on misinformation. The Court ordered that the Special Master provide the Board President with orders issued by the Court, inferring that Grijalva was not acting from an informed position.
Grijalva’s deluded stance that west and southwest magnet schools should not be required to integrate, as she and her allies have repeatedly argued, is a grossly distorted and incorrect interpretation of what the Unitary Status Plan requires. It unnecessarily creates racial tensions and divisions. The administration and Board leadership have missed one of the foundational requirements under the court order.
As the misinformation campaign evolved, during a Board meeting, I inquired if flyers/letters/petitions which were being distributed at schools had been reviewed by legal counsel or authorized by the administration. I was provided with inaccurate information and non-answers. The Superintendent said he would look into it but I never received a response. I was compelled to inform the Court of what was taking place through a letter dated 11/2/2015. Subsequently, I was informed by TUSD legal counsel that an investigation was underway concerning my “allegations”; a chilling message likely intended to intimidate me. I asked under what authority the decision had been made and challenged the fact that the decision had not taken place during a Board meeting, concerned that open meeting law had been violated. I requested that I be provided with independent legal counsel, since the legal counsel involved in the decision to investigate my correspondence was obviously biased. I have received no response to my inquiry or request.
TUSD’s Court filings regarding the investigation have been suspiciously modified from indicating that the Board initiated the investigation to informing the Court that the 11/20/15 notice of intent to file “misspoke” when it stated that the TUSD Governing Board had engaged services of an independent investigator to investigate my letter. The filing of 12/31/15 states, “TUSD had advised counsel its administration through its General Counsel, not the Governing Board, actually engaged the investigator.” And still, I have no idea under what authority the administration has carried forward with the investigation over a letter/minority opinion I submitted to the Court. I have been clear that I will not participate in the witch-hunt and expect that the District’s self-serving investigation will render a “white-wash” report.
Foster blames the situation on a “handful of adults” who need to be right. She is “right” about this, however, the handful of adults who seem to be doing anything and everything to prove they are right are those who make up the Board majority and the Superintendent. Despite what Foster says about her frustrating attempts to work with the plaintiffs, these adults do not work in any authentic manner with the plaintiffs and the Special Master and regularly disparage them.
According to an analysis conducted by Board member Mark Stegeman, under the Sanchez administration, the Board majority has voted together 165 (98%) times out of 169 split votes over critical issues. Chanting “yes” to the Superintendent’s recommendations 98% of the time does not make for a healthy institution or one that is actually “right.” The Federal Court, the Board minority, many within and the District and within the community know that many actions taken by the Board majority simply have been wrong.
Michael Hicks
TUSD Board Member