A Kern County grand jury report released Thursday states that the Fairfax school district is governed by a “endangered school board.”
The
report depicts a committee with a majority “permitted, split and
dysfunctional.”[s] Minority bullying. Last year’s legal services costs “may
overwhelm the school district’s budget and raise funds that are not used for
direct student education,” he said.
The
report makes a series of recommendations to the board to correct the ship,
including dismissing current President Palmer Morland and retraining another
member by June 30.
“This
eliminates the main cause of board dysfunction,” the report said.
The
grand jury report puts Fairfax’s board under significant scrutiny by staff,
parents, and the entire community for what it considers to be abusive
leadership and misuse of district funds. This is the latest version of the saga
I saw.
According
to the report, Morland committed non-professional acts that lacked “courtesy,
dignity and respect.” However, due to time constraints, the report was
suspended before the accusation process began, and the grand jury authorized
the officials to be removed to remove.
“If
the actions of board members continue, future grand juries may consider this
process,” the report said.
The
grand jury report only calls Morland a “board member.”
Mr
Morand talked about the grand jury’s report Thursday and even the idea of leaving the presidency. He
said everyone on the board felt it needed to turn to that position.
“I
think it’s a very good instruction on what the board should do and what it can
do,” he said. “I think this is a good roadmap with recommendations. I don’t
think you can go wrong.”
The
Fairfax School District is a school district with 2,700 students in
southeastern Bakersfield. The report states that the community is pursuing a
recall campaign against Mooland and two other board members, Alma Rios and Jose
Luis Tapia, who usually vote with him. Also note that board members are facing
complaints from the Commission on Fair Political Practice.
The
report begins the history of the board with a complaint in May 2020 claiming
that Morand created a hostile working environment for employees in the
district. The board hired an independent company to produce a 110-page report
with a 440-page exhibit. The total cost was $ 40,000, according to the report.
The
report-based condemnation resolution failed with a two-to-two vote at a board
meeting on December 15. Tapia banished long-time board chairman Javier Moreno
in the November elections and voted with Rios to break the bill. Then they
voted with Morland and made him president.
Since
then, board member Victoria Coronel has repeatedly asked during the public
session to include the askedcen blame resolution on the agenda for discussions
at the board, but with no success.
The
grand jury report stood on her side by recommending that the board return to
condemnation by September 1 and “complete the process and close complaints
against board members.”
Morland
disputed these claims and said he was open to some forum where he could defend
himself.
“I
never had the opportunity to mention anything in the blame,” he said.
Another email sent to the entire board for additional comments was not returned.
Kristina
Budy, Vice President of the Kern Fairfax Teachers Association, was also pleased
that the grand jury called on the board to blame again.
“We
have endured this ongoing harassment for too long,” she wrote in a statement.
“Dysfunction that is disrupting the educational process of the students we
serve. We look forward to the swift elimination of individuals. “
The
report criticized the way the board conducts its business, which orders members
to stop bullying other members immediately, and members must be educated under
the requirements of the Ralph M. Brown Act. There is. “
According
to the report, the board may have violated state law that requires authorities
to perform public affairs in public.
“When
board members vote on the agenda without discussion and stop others from asking
and / or discussing the purpose of the action, a closed door or external plan /
discussion takes place prior to the meeting. I generally leave the suspicion
that it was, “the report said.
The
grand jury was particularly interested in hiring an outside lawyer, Fagen,
Friedman & Fulfrost, in January. This was done by overcoming the opposition
of the board minority and the community. Moland did not allow any discussion on
this item.
“Board
members contacted external law firms and negotiated contracts without the
approval or knowledge of the entire board,” the report said.
The
grand jury received a total of $ 11,206 invoices from Fagen, Friedman &
Fulfrost in January and February for 42.4 hours of legal service. According to
the report, the invoice is intended to protect Morland from criticism and to
re-edit the invoice to publish an investigation report already edited by the
district’s legal adviser, the School Legal Affairs Department. I left an
impression.
The
grand jury outlines 12 recommendations. One is to ensure that board members are
current residents within the district boundaries before the next board meeting.
Another asked a member of the board to disclose contact information. It also
recommended that the board be trained intensively and withdraw to resolve
disputes.
Emnetra
May 28, 2021
1 comment:
Poorly written by California Grand Jury News!
The fourth paragraph from the bottom makes a gross error - the Grand Jury never was interested in hiring and outside lawyer, it was the school board and they did. What it should say is the grand jury was particularly interested in the hiring by the board of an outside law firm.
There are many errors in the name.
Considering the author of this article and the goal of accuracy by the organization, this does not reflect the high standard they aspire to.
Post a Comment