La Conner educators: Superintendent must be replaced

La Conner teachers and support staff are focused on what’s best for our students, which is why we firmly believe that our school district needs a new superintendent. The La Conner School District staff have lost trust in its leader. We cannot achieve our highest result of excellence as an organization if we do not have a foundation of trust in our leadership.

Superintendent Dr. Whitney Meissner is ineffective and cannot successfully lead our district when 80% of our community’s teachers and 79% of support staff have voted no confidence in her. Along with many voters and parents, we are respectfully requesting that the elected members of the La Conner School Board replace Dr. Meissner.

Dr. Meissner is not the superintendent La Conner students need. Our students deserve better. They deserve a superintendent who respects and values the students and the teachers and support staff who educate them.

Taking a vote of no confidence against Dr. Meissner was not an easy decision, but it was the right decision. The La Conner Education Association and Public School Employees unions arrived at their overwhelming votes of no confidence after much thoughtful deliberation. We didn’t hold one meeting to make this decision; we held months of meetings. We explored other avenues to resolve these grievances, but ultimately a vote became necessary and the results were decisive.

The Board wants to keep Dr. Meissner as Superintendent, mend fences and move on. After all that has transpired, we don’t believe this is possible.

The staff can no longer ignore the toxic workplace created by our Superintendent. We can no longer tolerate negative leadership, damaging decision making and failed communication. We can no longer watch staff members be harassed, intimidated, bullied or pushed out of positions. We can no longer hope that things will improve on their own. We have no choice but to act.

Maya Angelou said, “When people show you who they are, believe them.” Dr. Meissner has shown herself to be someone whom her staff cannot trust. She has shown us that she is not sorry and that she doesn’t take ownership of the problems and hurt that she has caused. She has publicly downplayed the vote, likening it to a family disagreement, something that will quickly blow over and a union negotiation tactic. She has shown us that she will carry on and act as though nothing is wrong; meanwhile, the District is in crisis.

Because of Dr. Meissner’s divisive management, those who educate and support the students of La Conner Schools are subjected to a climate of fear instead of trust, mistruths instead of honesty, dismissiveness instead of respect and blame instead of accountability.

The LEA and PSE earnestly want to work with the Board on a pathway forward for the District. It will be messy and it will be hard, but we firmly believe that together – with a new superintendent – we can achieve the high goals and aspirations we have for our La Conner students and community!