FLYNN ASKED TO QUIT; SCHOOL BOARD CRITICAL OF SUPERINTENDENT'S PERFORMANCE.Byline: Michael Coit Daily News Staff Writer Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. school trustees asked Dan Flynn to resign Thursday as superintendent, contending his lack of experience in running a district has shown through in less than four months on the job. Flynn's hiring was contentious, with the 3-2 vote a clear sign he needed to prove his ability to run Ventura County's second-largest school district, said trustees and educators. A majority of the board decided after his initial evaluation Tuesday that Flynn should go sooner rather than later, trustees said. ``I don't think he was able to gain the necessary respect and credibility. I think he put himself in a very tough position that he wasn't prepared for,'' trustee Carla Kurachi said. ``Basically there is a loss of support, and it would be in everybody's interest to resign and leave with dignity.'' Norm Walker, Flynn's prime supporter on the board, said Flynn's predicament is not a reflection on him but on a governing board Noun 1. governing board - a board that manages the affairs of an institution board - a committee having supervisory powers; "the board has seven members" that has gone through seven superintendents in about seven years. ``He had company,'' Walker said. ``And to think that we would act this quickly, you have to wonder what's behind it. Is it enough to put the community through the controversy of another superintendent's resignation?'' The board was scheduled to meet in closed session Thursday night to review Flynn's status, as a continuation of the closed-session evaluation Tuesday. Flynn's contract called for an initial review before March 31, so the board could either keep him on the job through September or dismiss him. Flynn said he woke up Thursday believing it would be his last day as superintendent. After taking three of his children to school in Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. , Flynn headed for work with a copy of ``The Book of Virtues.'' He spent the morning reading to four classes at Madera and Lincoln elementary schools Lincoln Elementary School is the name of numerous schools, with most of them in the U.S. named after President Abraham Lincoln, including:
``I decided to make something good out of my last day,'' Flynn said. Flynn said he expects to agree with the board on a buyout. Kurachi said his contract clearly provides for a 60-day notice, so he could be paid for the next two months while looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. a new job. Trustee Janice DiFatta was the swing vote in favor of Flynn when he was hired. Although she wouldn't confirm a change, trustees and educators said DiFatta, Kurachi and Diane Collins are the board majority pushing for Flynn to resign. Walker resigned as president of the board Wednesday to protest how Flynn was being evaluated Flynn after such a short period. DiFatta rose from board clerk to president. Because Flynn had no previous experience as a superintendent, ``we wanted to be sure we had an opportunity to assess his performance without committing to a long-term contract,'' DiFatta said. ``Apparently, Dan Flynn was comfortable with that risk.'' Going into Tuesday's meeting, Walker was among trustees who said Flynn fulfilled his initial charge from the board to meet with school personnel and community leaders. Walker contended that Flynn needed more time to learn technical aspects of the superintendent's post. Other board members countered that more was expected of Flynn, as the district's top official, than he had produced. The board hired the 45-year-old Thousand Oaks resident who recently was coordinator of the Head Start preschool program for the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County Office of Education. The turmoil at the top shouldn't hurt the ability of teachers and administrators to educate students and run the campuses, said Ginny Ginny is most often used as a short form of the name Virginia, but often also refers to Ginevra, Geneva, Genevieve and other Juniper-related names. In addition, when a food or beverage has a juniper taste, it is said to be ginny (the word gin is derived from the Dutch word for Jannotto, president of the Simi Educators Association. ``When the board released Tate Parker (Flynn's predecessor), everyone said the district would be in disarray dis·ar·ray n. 1. A state of disorder; confusion. 2. Disorderly dress. tr.v. dis·ar·rayed, dis·ar·ray·ing, dis·ar·rays 1. To throw into confusion; upset. 2. To undress. . Actually, what happened is it calmed things down. We weren't in disarray. We were cleaning our house,'' Jannotto recalled. ``Whatever happens, I just hope we learn from it and don't make the same mistake again,'' she said. Although trustees declined to discuss specific criticisms of Flynn publicly Tuesday, Walker described the majority's complaints as ``petty and malicious.'' Walker also said forcing Flynn out will make it more difficult to hire a successor. History of position When Dan Flynn was hired Oct. 14, he became the seventh superintendent of the Simi Valley Unified School District A unified school district is a school district which includes both primary school (kindergarten through middle school or junior high) and high school (grades 9-12). In Illinois, these districts are called unit school districts. since 1990, when John Duncan John Duncan may refer to:
June 1990 - Robert Purvis Robert Purvis (August 4, 1810 – April 15, 1898) was an antebellum African American abolitionist in the United States. Purvis was born in Charleston, South Carolina, to a wealthy white cotton merchant father, William Purvis and a mulatto mother, Harriet Judah. , superintendent of the Chico Unified School District, is hired as superintendent. He announces in January 1993 that he will resign that June. May 1993 - Mary Beth Wolford, deputy superintendent Deputy Superintendent, or Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), was a rank used by police forces of the British Empire. In some territories it was called Deputy District Superintendent of Police (DDSP). of administrative services, is promoted to superintendent. June 1996 - Wolford retires, six months earlier than planned. Purvis is hired as interim superintendent. November 1996 - Tate Parker, superintendent of the Murietta Unified School District, is hired as superintendent. The board accepts his resignation in June 1997, after placing him on paid administrative leave. June 1997 - Albert ``Bud'' Marley, retired chief of the Las Virgenes Unified School District Las Virgenes Unified School District (LVUSD) is a K-12 school district in north-west Los Angeles County, USA consisting of 14 public schools in the cities of Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Westlake Village, and several small portions of the West Hills section of Los Angeles. , is hired as interim superintendent for $519 a day. Oct. 14, 1997 - Flynn, coordinator of Los Angeles County's Head Start program, is hired as superintendent. He was asked to resign Thursday after failing to win the confidence of a majority of the school board. CAPTION(S): Photo, Box PHOTO (Color) Flynn BOX: History of position (see text) |
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