A split vote by the Konocti school board approved assigning Oak Hill Middle School vice principal Dan Maes to a teaching position at Carl? High School. The Wednesday, June 6, vote followed emotional public testimony by several supporters of Maes who advocated reinstating him as vice principal.
While stating he was honored to go to Carl?, “no doubt about it,” Maes also expressed disappointment in the suddenness of an earlier board decision to reassign him to a teaching position. “The information could have been given to me sooner, so that I could have been prepared.”
Maes has served for eight years as “assistant principal,” which is the term he said he preferred. Oak Hill Middle School recently underwent extensive evaluation by a District Liaison Support Team that made recommendations to the school board to restructure Oak Hill Middle School into “small learning communities.” The evaluation was a requirement of Oak Hill being in Program Improvement Year 4 under the federal No Child Left Behind.
The DSLT also recommended key characteristics that Oak Hill”s leadership team should have.
The board voted to reassign Maes at the May 16 meeting, acting by recommendation of District Superintendent Dr. Louise Nan. Trustees Anita Gordon, Carolynn Jarrett and Mary Silva voted in favor; trustee Hank Montomery was opposed and trustee Herb Gura was absent.
In a separate 4-1 vote, the board approved reappointing Maria de los Angeles Friedrich as Oak Hill principal; Silva cast the dissenting vote.
Nan used an analogy of a school bus, with Maes being “in the wrong seat,” to explain the reasoning behind her recommendation.
Friedrich said the May 16 vote was “one of the most unjust decisions that the board has ever made. There were no reasons and no discussion. Mr. Mayes has been with us through many years of reform efforts.” Friedrich confessed that she did Maes a “huge disservice” by eliminating an earlier position, that of educational planning specialist, and transferring Maes into a position that dealt solely with student discipline. “I also feel that his openness with the DSLT was to his disadvantage,” Friedrich added.
“I feel he was made a scapegoat to appease members of the community who were calling for Oak Hill blood,” said Oak Hill educator Sue Chisam. She added that being responsible for student discipline is liable to generate complaints from people who have been “ticketed.” Chisam added, “These problems will not go away just because Dan goes to Carl?.”
Maes said that the May 16 vote took him completely by surprise and that he felt “terrifically honored” by the support of his colleagues who spoke on his behalf on Wednesday.
“I don”t own the failure of Oak Hill,” Maes said. “There are a lot of reasons why this school failed.” Maes added that the school board must also bear responsibility.
“I want the community to know this was not a disciplinary action,” Maes said. “My reputation is at stake.”
Maes admitted he has already begun preparing a lesson plan to teach English and history at Carl?. “I will try to do my best, and more so. I have things to prove, I think.”
Carl? principal Bill MacDougall is more than ready to welcome Maes. “Before this vote was taken, I was trying to get him for Carl?,” MacDougall said during public testimony.
As part of Oak Hill restructuring, the board will advertise for a co- or vice-principal. Co-principals would each be responsible for a subset of small learning communities and would provide leadership, staff supervision, discipline and student services. A vice-principal appointment would continue with a traditional model in which the principal is mainly responsible for instructional leadership while the vice-principal is responsible for discipline and student services.
An appointment to Oak Hill”s leadership team could be made by early July. Depending upon qualifications of the candidates who apply, the board will determine then which position to appoint.
Contact Cynthia Parkhill at cparkhill@clearlakeobserver.com.
