And another! SJ Unified joins local gov't Hall of Shame
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Anyone noticing a pattern here? First, SJ Housing Dept ripped by state overseers. Next, VTA's BART extension's governance savaged by an independent audit. Then, Santa Clara's City Council gets taken down by a Grand Jury. Not to be outdone: SJ Unified's leadership taken to ask by yet another Grand Jury. Molly Gibbs reports in the Merc.
San Jose Unified School District’s leadership is “adrift” and failing to address a host of concerns from high staff turnover to a lack of student mental health services and inconsistent campus lockdown and safety protocols, according to a scathing report from a Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury.
The 42-page report was based on more than 80 interviews of community members and current and former board trustees and employees. The Civil Grand Jury, empaneled as a local government watchdog, also reviewed nearly 500 emails and district documents and compared San Jose Unified with nine other school districts in the county.
“The system of checks and balances between the trustees and district leaders of the San Jose Unified School District is broken and negatively impacting SJUSD’s ability to fulfill its
responsibilities to serve students, teachers, administrators, and the community,” the report published Monday said.
The report cited six areas of concern:
High turnover among principals and assistant principals at schools and management-level employees at the district office driven by leadership culture issues such as lack of support and respect.
A lack of accessible student mental health services.
Gaps in school site safety planning for emergencies, causing unnecessary risks to student safety.
An “inability or unwillingness” to conduct thorough and prompt employee investigations of allegations, including alleged inappropriate behavior by a coach and theft of money from a school club.
“Problematic” management hiring practices.
Board meetings that are “among the least accessible of any large district” in the area.
The district’s elected board — President Wendi Mahaney-Gurahoo, Vice President Teresa Castellanos, Jose Magaña, Carla Collins and Brian Wheatley — did not respond to the Bay Area News Group’s request for comment.
Read the whole thing here.
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