Marysville teachers riled

By Brian Kelly

Herald Writer

MARYSVILLE — A survey of teachers in Marysville schools shows most would give failing grades to the district’s leaders on leadership, communication skills and respecting employees.

The district’s leaders, though, have said they’re not interested in their report card, which may escalate the dispute between the teachers and the school board and superintendent.

The Marysville Education Association, which represents more than 500 teachers and other certificated employees, will meet March 12 to consider a vote of "no confidence" in the district’s leadership.

"It’s an us-vs.-them mentality. And they sort of pushed us in that corner," said Micki Cunningham, president of the association.

The district has been tossing in turmoil since the start of the school year, mainly because of budget cuts, financial mismanagement and personnel changes.

Association members say the school year began with a "whirlwind of discontent" with the district’s leaders that has "escalated into a storm of fury."

The root cause? Unlike previous budget cuts during troubled financial times, the district’s leadership approved recent cuts without asking teachers and others what the impacts might be. And that lack of communication has continued, Cunningham said.

"People are just totally, absolutely incensed. They’re feeling isolated, cut off," she said.

To test the depth of employee discontent, the association conducted a survey in late January. More than 500 people responded, almost 80 percent of the group’s 685-strong membership. Many were frustrated by communication breakdowns between the district’s leaders and its employees.

Linda Whitehead, who took over as superintendent in September, was criticized by those who took the poll. She received an "F" grade by 300 teachers, and 135 more gave her a "D." Only 81 gave her a "C" or better.

Overall, roughly 84 percent said they lacked confidence in her leadership.

The school board didn’t fare much better — 71 percent of those polled said they lacked confidence in the district’s elected leaders.

Frustration has grown since the survey results were tallied, however.

When the association asked for a meeting to go over the survey results, they were rebuffed by the administration. In a letter sent to the association, Whitehead and school board president Erik Olson said the survey was invalid and didn’t accurately reflect views of the members.

School spokesman Karl Kaluza said district leaders did agree to meet with teachers to talk about employee morale and other matters. But they didn’t want to talk specifically about the survey.

"The survey is not necessarily specific to the school district," Kaluza said, adding that it was developed by the state teachers association and has been used across Washington.

The survey didn’t ask questions — on issues such as classroom size or curriculum, for example — that could lead to educational improvements, Kaluza said.

"Those how-I-do-my-job questions are just not in here," he said.

Cunningham disagreed and said the answers that employees gave were specific to Marysville schools. The survey questions weren’t slanted against the district’s leadership, and if people felt positive about those in charge, the results would have reflected that, she said.

"This is nothing we invented. It’s a tried-and-true survey," Cunningham said.

But the bigger issue appears to be just who gets to grade the superintendent.

Kaluza said that evaluation is done by the school board, which also doesn’t need to be evaluated by the association.

"The school board goes to the voters to be evaluated. If they do a good job, they get reelected," he said.

Just last month, Kaluza added, the school board announced its mid-year evaluation of Whitehead, and the review was "glowing."

The district rejected a request by The Herald for a copy of Whitehead’s evaluation.

Cunningham, however, said members of the association are also constituents of the school board; many live and vote in Marysville. And effective leaders listen to what those below them have to say.

"I think the sign of a really good leader is that they have engaged the people they lead. It’s a dialogue between the two groups," she said.

The executive board will meet later this week to craft a resolution for the membership meeting next Tuesday. A vote of "no confidence" is an option.

"I’m hoping with all my heart it can be resolved," Cunningham said. "It makes for high anxiety for everyone involved. I fear when the chasm becomes wider and wider and wider, that it’ll be too hard to jump it."

You can call Herald Writer Brian Kelly at 425-339-3422 or send e-mail to kelly@heraldnet.com.

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