Tension erupts during Rainier school meeting
Thursday, June 14, 2007 6:46 AM PDT
By Barbara LaBoe
Printable version
E-mail this articleRAINIER -- Frustration, fear and anger boiled over here at Wednesday's school board meeting, revealing a district deeply in turmoil.
Sixty-five people packed the board room, and the teachers' union demanded an executive session to discuss personnel issue concerns with the board. Audience members were warned they couldn't discuss individual staff members directly, but some still asked the board to do whatever necessary to put the district back on track.
While no one mentioned specific complaints in public, it became clear that many people had concerns about the administration, including Superintendent Michael Carter. The high school principal, speaking outside the meeting, blamed Carter for creating a hostile work environment and destroying morale.
The board said it will take action after it has gathered all the facts.
Parent Ted Powell even asked about the proper procedure for a member of the public to call a no-confidence vote. Outside the board room he declined to say who he wanted to direct the vote against.
Several people present said concerns have been building throughout the school year. The matter came to a head Wednesday, though, when Superintendent Michael Carter abruptly placed long-time teacher and counselor Jay Davies on administrative leave.
Davies said he spoke with Carter in person about a contentious situation, and Carter told him his proposed actions could be illegal and asked him to reconsider. Davies would not say what the disagreement was about.
When Davies failed to change his stance Wednesday, he said Carter summoned him to the office and gave him a letter placing him on paid administrative leave for the rest of the year. Davies came out of retirement to mentor new counselors and said he now doesn't expect he'll be back next fall, though that had been discussed earlier in the year.
Not everyone present Wednesday was protesting Davies' situation directly but several said it was a symptom of larger problems.
The district was rocked by arrest of teacher's assistant Christine Marie Johanson in the fall for allegedly having sex with a teen-age male student.
In recent months, drama teacher Laurie Kash -- Carter's wife -- was investigated by the state police after students reported seeing her kissing a 17-year-old male student. Law enforcement declined to prosecute, but the district may forward the matter to the state Teacher Standards and Practices Commission.
High School Principal Jeff Gilbert told a reporter outside the meeting that the school has a family-like atmosphere among staff, students and parents but that is being threatened. When asked directly if he meant Carter, he said yes.
"Unfortunately a series of events have transpired to cast a shadow (on the district) and what should have remained professional became personal," Gilbert said. "There's been a hostile work environment here and a great many people have experienced it. ... There's been no attempt to reconcile ... or release that frustration."
"At this point it's a question of integrity," Gilbert said. "The board will have to decide whose integrity they believe in. Who they believe is honest and forthright. And if they believe someone does not have integrity, they need to act."
Kay Beck, president of the Rainier Education Association teachers' union, said, "I have some concerns about personnel issues that we want the school board to be aware of and give them the opportunity to resolve."
She declined to state which issues or employees she was referring to.
Cindy Anderson, who said she'd been involved in helping students learn how they could address the board about the Kash investigation, told the board she'd been threatened on her answering machine about asking any more questions about the kissing allegation. She said she had the phone message on tape.
Anderson was particularly upset because she has an unlisted number, so the person who called would have had to use district records to get her number.
"If this person continues to call ... I'm going to consider that harassment," she said.
After the meeting Anderson wouldn't say who left the message but said she was giving the school board a copy of the tape.
School board members, while saying they are legally bound not to discuss personnel matters in public, assured the audience they'd heard the concerns and would take action.
"We don't have all the facts yet, but we are aware of the very valid concerns and we're going to make things better," board Chairman Dale Archibald told the audience.
"We will make things better," echoed board member Bill Scholten, to thunderous applause.
Carter said he couldn't comment on the personnel issue but said he was glad to see the community so involved with and concerned about the district.
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