School unions will join Board at summer retreat

The short statement La Conner School Board Director Susan Deyo read at the end of Monday’s school district board meeting shed light on the next steps on the path the board is walking with Superintendent Whitney Meissner and the school unions opposing her leadership. “The School Board has invited the leadership of both unions to join them for their summer retreat, where we will continue our discussion.”

Perhaps more important than Monday’s session was the one hour meeting Friday between Deyo and Director Brad Smith and La Conner Education Association union members Suzann Keith and Katie Wigal and Public Support Employees members Laraine Drye, Judy Rowell and Randy Wills. This followed a June 25 board directors - union leadership meeting in which the unions demanded Meissner’s resignation in response to their no confidence votes of 80% and 79%, respectively, June 7.

The entire Board declined a second meeting last week.

Deyo read a joint statement all parties had crafted. The key sentence: “The hour-long meeting was a candid discussion of the concerns voiced by school staff over the last few months” It was the first meeting any school Board members have had to hear grievances regarding Meissner’s performance and handling of personnel problems without the superintendent present.

Monday’s board meeting again drew a crowd of school staff, parents, area residents and kids. Sixty people attended, down a bit from the over 70 who came for the June board meeting. Emotional temperatures seemed to have cooled a bit, perhaps represented by only four people speaking during the public comment period, down from over a dozen in June.

Judy Zimmerman, who works with the kindergarten, was the most critical of the Board, saying “There seems to be no separation between the Board and the Superintendent. Even after you heard our resounding vote of no confidence, and specific reasons explaining why this important vote occurred, you appear to be 100% in support of this current Superintendent. This makes no sense to me! How can you be so supportive of her when 80% of the staff voted no confidence against her? Where is your support of the staff?”

She reminded the Board that the superintendent works for them and to “you act independently of the Superintendent and provide oversight.”

Suzann Keith, an English teacher and union communications lead, was more conciliatory, thanking the Board for removing from the agenda resolutions to approve administrator salary increases and the Superintendent’s contract language. She spoke against raising Meissner’s salary.

Maggie Wilder responded to the letter in the Weekly News, saying the Superintendent wasn’t really “taking concerns to heart,” language from the School Board’s letter to the community, Wilder has a statement on page 2 of today’s Weekly News.

Resident Dave Buchan shared his concern over the critical comments expressed in emails and public comments and offered his hope that people would now give the board time to do their work. “If at the end you don’t like their decision, screw up your courage and run for the school board,” he told the crowd.

The rest of the meeting took 10 minutes. Vice chair Brad Smith introduced the resolution approving the contract with the Public Support Employees union, saying “Thanks to the PSE for negotiating with us. Without further comment the Board approved the contract unanimously.

The Board retreat will be July 30.