|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Days after the inauguration of new Sequoia Union High School District board trustees Amy Koo and Sathvik Nori, Superintendent Darnise Williams resigned just halfway through her three-year contract.
In a span of two weeks, the board held several meetings, hired attorney Eugene Whitlock as legal counsel behind closed doors, and failed to respond to accusations and concerns regarding Williams’ resignation, irresponsibly inflaming rumors and leaving stakeholders shocked, angry and nervous about what’s next.
As a democratically elected body, the board owes the public an explanation for their actions or, at the very least, for why some information must remain private.
Given the timing of the new board’s election and Williams’ subsequent departure, several community members reasonably assumed that the new board was responsible for her resignation.
Moreover, this timeline heavily suggests her resignation was a result of conflicting policy views between her and the new board, not poor performance. Former board President Allen Weiner, who led the district through Mary Streshly’s resignation two years ago, said, “I think what happened should be the subject of public deliberation.”
Many saw Williams, the district’s first Black female superintendent, as a leader in diversity and equity initiatives. At one meeting, Ravenswood City School District Board of Education President Jenny Varghese Bloom said, “Dr. Williams brought in equity. She brought that conversation here, and all I can think about is that the reason she is not here is because she was doing that work.”
In an anonymous M-A Chronicle survey of about a third of Menlo-Atherton teachers, one teacher said, “As a Black teacher, I feel concerned for my own standing after seeing how her resignation was handled.” Another shared, “As a result of the board’s actions, I am considering whether or not I want to remain an employee of this district.”
Our district already struggles with attracting people of color to teaching, and students of color remain underrepresented in higher-level courses, with race and equity often at the forefront of school policy discussions. Without an explanation, it’s easy to assume that the sudden resignation of a leader championing equity policies is the board’s change of heart. The public’s reaction should surprise no one.
The board’s silence fuels false information and uninformed accusations. People speculated that Williams’ resignation was related to recent gun incidents on campus. Others worried it had to do with the equity training initiatives that she introduced to the district.
If unpopular initiatives or policies were a factor, that wouldn’t have been fair ground for pushing out a public official without discussion and providing her a $299,000 severance package — the same package she would have received under her contract had she been fired.
Whether or not Williams was or should have been pushed out, the board’s handling of her resignation shows an indifference toward their obligations to the public.
Koo and Nori both openly championed transparency in their campaigns and expressed positive feedback about Williams in the past. Combined with the entire board’s praise of Williams’ work, including in the press release announcing her resignation, that makes her abrupt departure from the district all the more unexpected.
When the board fails to inform the community, rumors abound and chaos ensues. They may not be able to talk about closed meetings or information protected by non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), but holding closed meetings and entering into NDAs at all is a choice, one that shows they’re disinterested in making a public case. Just because they can keep their proceedings secret doesn’t mean they should. Regardless of the rationale behind Williams’ resignation, the board’s secrecy is a clear violation of its responsibilities and a signal that its members don’t value the public’s trust.
Megan Lam is a senior at Menlo-Atherton High School and a copy editor for the M-A Chronicle. The opinions are expressed on behalf of the M-A editorial board.
Well done call for much greater public transparency. From the outside, this looks like an “own goal” error by a new board that sadly reflects similar events happening across the U.S.
I sure hope they are able to find a way to be more transparent going forward. What they have so far produced are shocking and disappointing outcomes. Plenty of room for improvement.