A push by parents to have the Aromas School principal reinstated
during the Aromas-San Juan Unified School District Board meeting
Wednesday night ended with calls for the resignations of four of
the five Trustees.
In closed session, Principal Mary-Ann Tucker presented a letter
of resignation. The Board returned and voted 5-0 to rescind its
March 5 decision to not renew Tucker’s two one-year contracts and
then voted 4-1 to accept her letter of resignation. Trustee Jeff
Hancock dissented.
A push by parents to have the Aromas School principal reinstated during the Aromas-San Juan Unified School District Board meeting Wednesday night ended with calls for the resignations of four of the five Trustees.
In closed session, Principal Mary-Ann Tucker presented a letter of resignation. The Board returned and voted 5-0 to rescind its March 5 decision to not renew Tucker’s two one-year contracts and then voted 4-1 to accept her letter of resignation. Trustee Jeff Hancock dissented.
“I think it was a sad decision on the part of the Board,” Hancock said. “It created a lot of mistrust from the Aromas community.”
After the vote to accept Tucker’s resignation, about 100 people supporting her began a chant of “recall” and called for the resignation of Trustees who voted to accept her resignation.
The group became so unruly the meeting was adjourned for a short period and quietly reconvened at 8:45 p.m.
Tucker expressed shock with the Board’s March 5 decision. She said Superintendent Jackie Munoz assured her of her job safety the morning of the meeting.
The Board did not provide Tucker with any reasons for not renewing her contract, she said. Tucker said she will pursue a job as a principal somewhere else.
“This has been very emotional. More than anything in this world I wanted to make an impact, especially at the child’s level,” Tucker said. “This is very validating for me (to be supported by so many people).”
More than 100 parents, teachers and community members attended the meeting to support Tucker.
In all, 22 people spoke in favor of Tucker during the public comment period before the Board went into closed session to discuss the “public employment” of Tucker and other things.
Residents expressed shock that Tucker’s contract was not renewed and said their experiences with Tucker have been positive.
“I’m appalled this school board made the decision not to renew Mary-Ann Tucker’s contract. My children have attended four different schools and she’s the best principal this family has had,” said parent Julie Conrad. “She instills a positive climate. My daughter feels at ease talking with her.”
Many parents made the point that none of the five Board members has a child attending Aromas School.
Karen Gabriel told Trustees about why there was a move to establish the ASJUSD and for the school to succeed from the Pajaro Valley Unified School District in Watsonville.
“Pajaro had no interest in the Aromas parents. We wanted local control,” Gabriel said.
Parents felt the Pajaro district was not listening to their concerns, and Gabriel said it was happening now, with the smaller district.
In Tucker’s support, a variety of words were used to describe the principal, including caring, warm, loyal, approachable and intelligent.
Chuck Boyles read the preamble to the Brown Act that reminded Trustees that “the people do not yield their sovereignty to the bodies that serve them.”
He also asked where were the dissenters, the people who did not want Tucker as principal?
Although parents thought the Board asked Tucker to resign at the meeting, Hancock said Tucker had a written resignation in hand and was not asked to submit it.
Aromas School teacher and teacher’s union representative Barbara Brown said having a resignation on Tucker’s record would be more beneficial in Tucker’s job search, especially since she is interested in finding another administrative position.
“I’m disappointed. It’s sadness and worry that she came to our district and did a good job and now has to find a job with this on her head,” Brown said. “I don’t think this had anything to do with her.”
Allusions to recalls of Board members were spread throughout the public comment period and became more cemented after the Board accepted Tucker’s resignation.
Before Trustees adjourned to closed session, parent Sherry Mundy-Blair told the Board she was unhappy at how the comments were received. She said Trustees were not listening and never intended to.
Mundy-Blair promised to recall “each and every” Board member.
To recall a school board member, 750 signatures must be gathered. The signatures are then verified by the county clerk’s office and then sent to the county Board of Supervisors to be placed on a ballot for election. A special election can be held.
Speakers Paul Goodman and Rob Ryan said they would be willing to run against the current Board members. The terms of Trustees Andy Hsia-Coron, Rachel Ponce and Sylvia Rios Metcalf expire in 2004.
Rumors were already circulating there was a principal being recruited from a school connected to a district administrator, according to sources who asked not to be named.
Hsia-Coron denied the rumor and said the Board did not have a principal in mind.
Kim Dawes, another parent, said there would most likely be a meeting this week to determine the next course of action.
Tucker began her career in education as a teacher with the San Ramon Valley Unified School District and also served as assistant principal within that district for four years until she accepted the job at Aromas School.
Tucker said she came to the district because it was a small community and the school was kindergarten through eighth grade.
