(Mendocino County) MCOE Superintendent Tichinin responds to grand jury report

August 7, 2014

The Mendocino Beacon

By Adam Randall

Mendocino County Office of Education Superintendent Paul Tichinin responded Aug. 1 to a grand jury report of allegations regarding the 2013-14 school year.

The 11-page response by Tichinin was also accompanied by a one page summary reflection of the grand jury report.

Two findings listed in the grand jury report as F1 and F12 deal with layoffs and low employee morale.

"In hard economic times with declining revenues, schools and public agencies will have to reduce expenditures, and there will be program reductions and layoffs and morale will suffer," Tichinin said in his response.

Finding F1 in the grand jury report said, "cuts in funding at River School have resulted in a number of classified employee layoffs." While finding F12 said, "Low employee moral affects job performance."

Tichinin replied saying, "when the state legislature cuts funding to education, there will be a resulting reduction in services. When cuts occur and people are subject to layoffs, there can be low morale among employees and this can cause a significant impact on an individual's performance."

During the Mendocino County Board of Education meeting Monday, Tichinin and other members present agreed that some of the grand jury report presented some falsity and misperception.

"Where this grand jury missed the mark is in accepting and honoring personal perception and opinions in place of truth and the facts," Tichinin's report stated. "This report, with its incomplete questions and incomplete information, led the grand jury to many inaccurate findings and conclusions and to inappropriate recommendations.

"I invite and encourage the grand jury and the public to have an open mind to the truth- there are misperception and misinformation in the grand jury report." The Mendocino County Board of Education has also drafted a response, which will be delivered to the grand jury by Aug. 30, according to Tichinin.

The entire report by the grand jury can be viewed at http://www.co.mendocino.ca.us/grandjury/13-14/index.htm. Tichinin's response will also be posted on the grand jury website as soon as it's made available.