[Marin County] Dick Spotswood: Tam district should release report on superintendent

Poster's note: This column calls for the grand jury to get involved if some actions aren't taken.

If Tamalpais Union High School District and its outgoing superintendent, Laurie Kimbrel, are trying to put the last disastrous month behind them, they’re going about it the wrong way.

The embattled Kimbrel was set to leave the Tam district in May and take a superintendent’s job in suburban Chicago. She’d been fighting opposition to New Tech Network, a math program she introduced that upset many parents and teachers.

I have no idea of the program’s merits, but Kimbrel’s support of the learning regimen has been contentious.

It recently emerged that Kimbrel’s husband, Tom Olrick, had sent a series of online and social media postings attacking Mitch Wortzman, a district parent highly critical of the program.

After some delay, Olrick owned up to his stunt when queried by the Chicago Tribune. Kimbrel denies any knowledge. Oddly, according to news reports, Olrick confidentially offered Wortzman $35,000 cash to settle any potential legal claim. Wortzman refused the settlement, seeking a public admission of culpability.

The district then announced an internal investigation over Kimbrel’s involvement. Without releasing its report’s contents, the school district announced Kimbrel was cleared.

If Tam trustees believe that’s going to put this tawdry story to bed, they’re wrong. This tale is a lesson on how not to restore public confidence.

Tam and Kimbrel need to be transparent.

The district claims it didn’t release the report to protect Kimbrel’s privacy. If the investigation does vindicate Kimbrel, she’d be wise to waive any privacy right. Then the public will know exactly what happened.

If the report is thorough, Kimbrel’s reputation is restored. If the report emerges tainted, it’s time for the Marin grand jury to get involved.

Once the report is public, Olrick and Kimbrel need to do one thing to put this brouhaha to rest: apologize to Wortzman and retract Olrick’s cyberbullying.

Then Wortzman should take the final step. Accept the apology and settlement offer and dismiss his potential defamation claim. That allows Kimbrel to move on, though it won’t be to Illinois, as she has already quit her Midwest job even before starting.

March 7, 2015

Marin Independent Journal

By Dick Spotwood. He writes a twice-weekly column on local politics for the Marin Independent Journal.