The fact Manteca Unified has
some but not all of the emails the San Joaquin County Grand Jury referenced in
a scathing report on trustee Sam Fant is expected to be a point of contention
when the school board meets Tuesday.
The board is scheduled to try
and craft a response to the 28-page Grand Jury report when they meet Tuesday at
6:30 p.m. at the district office, 2271 Louise Ave. The potential censure of
Fant by the board for his interaction with a classified employee.
Deputy Superintendent Clark
Burke clarified Sunday that the one email when Fant was upset about regarding
the district accommodating the Fitness, Aerobic, Nutrition, Training or FANT
program for adults at August Knodt School that Fant was advocating was found.
Another email that the grand Jury used to question Fant’s performance as a
trustee was not found on the district servers.
The email that Fant sent to an
administrator that was found on the district server as referenced by the Grand
Jury reads, “I have been contacted by multiple people that, the community
program that I have been working hard on is being sabotaged by staff in our
district . . . If there are any scare tactics or facts that are blown out of
proportion in order to see to it that this program fails, it will be EXTREMELY
DISAPPOINTING! And I am going to want the Facts on why things miraculously fell
apart.”
The email that wasn’t found
also was used in reference to the exercise program.
Fant has tried to see a copy of
that email but to no avail.
The Grand Jury report also
takes aim at trustee Ashley Drain who has felony election charges pending
against her as well as charges of welfare fraud and grand theft.
The report noted that after
Drain learned that she was to be charged with voter and welfare fraud, she went
straight to Facebook and blasted the district. She particularly angered the
Weston Ranch community when she called Weston Ranch High a “ghetto school” and
she stated that Weston Ranch schools are “dumping grounds for poor teachers.”
Manteca teachers, already frustrated with contract negotiations, came to the
May 12 board member wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the words “I Have a
Voice/The Ranch by Choice”. Other Facebook exchanges by Drain have created
controversy spilling over into board meetings and the press. Two days after
learning about the felony charges against her, Drain ceased posting updates to
Facebook.
The report also touched on
Alexander Bronson who — along with Drain — was elected in November. The report
sidestepped complaints about the two using fake addresses to qualify as
candidates as that specific complaint had been forwarded to the Secretary of
state’s office. The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office has also
filed felony charges against Bronson in regards to that election.
July 20, 2015
Manteca
Bulletin
By
Dennis Wyatt, Executive Editor
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