The League of United Latin American Citizens chapter in San Benito County is questioning the hiring process for the new principal at Gabilan Hills Elementary School following complaints from parents about his behavior. The superintendent expressed support for the hire he made, but vowed to examine the allegations.
The League of United Latin American Citizens chapter in San Benito County is questioning the hiring process for the new principal at Gabilan Hills Elementary School following complaints from parents about his behavior. It prompted the superintendent to express support for new Principal Scott Wilbur, but he also vowed to examine the allegations.
The Hollister School District hired Wilbur in August shortly before the start of school. That move followed the school board’s decision at the end of June to reinstate the position after three years in which the Hollister Dual Language Academy principal – the two schools share a campus – oversaw both roles.
LULAC in a letter submitted to the school board questioned the process for hiring Wilbur and asked for responses to allegations from parents about the way he acts toward them and students.
The letter also pointed to his departures from other Southern California schools and requested that he be removed “until a complete investigation is completed on his background and any pending complaints filed against him for aggressive treatment of parents and children at this school …” That document goes on to note how Gabilan Hills has an 88.5 percent Latino population.
Longtime LULAC leader Mickie Luna and others in support of the effort to seek out answers spoke to the Free Lance and addressed the school board Tuesday before a packed room of residents. Luna in an interview with the Free Lance called it a civil rights issue.
“We were born on the basis of civil rights,” said Luna, noting how LULAC is the largest civil rights organization in the U.S. “Let me tell you, we don’t back off when it comes to education, when it comes to defending the rights of people.”
One of the parents who attended the interview and school board public comment period alleged that she sees a lot of inappropriate behavior by the principal and staff while she is there “constantly” to bring her daughter lunch. Parent Isabel Horta suggested that Wilbur refuses to meet with her face to face, among other allegations.
“I’m there every day to take my daughter her lunch,” said Horta, explaining that she goes because her daughter had not been eating and that she witnesses behavior such as her accusation that Wilbur has grabbed students by the arm.
Wilbur himself could not be reached for comment before press time. But Hollister schools Superintendent Gary McIntire in an interview responded to the allegations and said the district would take them seriously. He also expressed support for Wilbur.
“I’ve got a lot of faith in his skills to bring about the kind of educational change we’re looking for with growth in student learning,” McIntire said.
The superintendent explained the hiring process with Wilbur. McIntire pointed out that the district was “late in the game” due to the June board decision. The district did narrow the initial pool of more than 20 applicants, after a screening process, with an interview panel that included staff members and parents, McIntire said. Normally from there, candidates would interview with an administrative panel, too. Due to the tight time frame, the two finalists interviewed with just McIntire and a trustee, the superintendent said. McIntire said the district hasn’t finished working through the process in following up on LULAC’s allegations, but stressed his confidence in the new principal moving forward.
“We’re going to work through them,” McIntire said. “I have very high expectations for the principal at Gabilan Hills. He’s a very capable instructional leader.”
Campus safety concerns
Though he and LULAC don’t necessarily share perceptions of the situation, they do agree that the district should improve campus security there and elsewhere. One of the issues broached by the parents and LULAC was a situation in which a young student left campus and walked all the way home. McIntire said that has been a regular occurrence during his 30 years in education.
“I can’t tell you how many kids have fled the campus,” McIntire said.
As for safety, McIntire is focused on completely enclosing the Gabilan Hills campus with fencing. He wants to get budget authorization this year and also hopes to do the same at Sunnyslope School.
He touched on the long-standing “culture” at Gabilan Hills that involves some parents spending lunchtime with their children. He said the district has to shift away from that.
“This is a big cultural shift where people want to come in and eat lunch with kids,” he said. “Parents want to go in and use kids’ restrooms. No. We are definitely setting restraints.”
McIntire said the district must make sure those parents get required tuberculosis tests and fingerprinting.
“In public schools we don’t do that,” he said of the lunch habit. “That parent over there or some other child’s parent may not want you eating lunch near their child.”
Safety issues came up during Tuesday’s meeting as well. The one speaker supporting Wilbur during public comment – Teri Escamilla, president of the Gabilan Hills Parents Club – said Wilbur is addressing safety matters such as lunchtime procedures and new parking controls.
She said Wilbur is caring but quick to act if discipline issues arise. She underlined recent Academic Performance Index results showing a 40-point drop from the prior year, pointing to a need for changes at the school.
“I can say after being in school now for over a month, our superintendent, Dr. Gary McIntire, has made a good decision,” Escamilla said.
Luna also wants the district to address safety issues. But she stressed that LULAC still wants answers from the district in regard to other matters in its letter.
“What is the hiring practice of the Hollister School District?” she said. “Tell us how you recruit people to come in and work with our families, our students.”
