The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board shuffles positions of principals in two elementary schools to the dismay of some parents.
By Jonathan Friedman / Assistant Editor
In the aftermath of a sex abuse scandal, and to the dismay of several John Muir Elementary School parents, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education at its meeting last Thursday approved the transfer of Lincoln Middle School Principal Tristan Komlos to the elementary school. John Muir parents defended the five-year tenure of principal Martha Duran-Contreras, who the board voted to be moved to a district office position in charge of helping Title 1 schools, which are institutions like John Muir that have a high percentage of economically disadvantaged students. Also, the board voted to transfer Lincoln Vice Principal Francis Costanzo to a district office position involving special education.
The transfers came a little more than a month after the arrest of longtime Lincoln teacher Thomas Arthur Beltran on charges of sexually molesting female students at the school. Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District officials have denied the arrest is the reason for the transfers. Complaints had also been made to the district about Duran-Contreras, but Assistant Superintendent Mike Matthews said this week this was not the reason she was transferred. He said she was transferred because it was “in the best interest of the district.”
Duran-Contreras alleged the complaints were the reason for her transfer, and she defended her record during the board meeting.
“Just know that perhaps the information that you have received about me has not been accurate,” she told board members.
Three John Muir parents spoke at the meeting in defense of Duran-Contreras to the applause of other parents sitting in the audience. Nobody spoke in opposition to the principal. The parents said they were angered about what they considered to be a lack of opportunity to defend Duran-Contreras. They said they did not learn about the proposed changes until an article appeared in the Los Angeles Times the Saturday prior to the meeting, saying the actions had already occurred. The article was premature, because no vote had been taken. But district staff had recommended the transfers.
Matthews said this week that parents were alerted about the proposal through an e-mail sent last Tuesday, two days prior to the board meeting. The staff report for the meeting was available the previous Friday night, with the recommended changes listed, the day before the Los Angeles Times article was printed. Matthews held a special meeting for parents at John Muir the night before the board meeting. Komlos attended.
“When I spoke to those parents— I spoke to many on Wednesday— what I said was the notification was very late, but we believe we made a great choice as principal for the school,” Matthews said this week.
The John Muir parents who spoke at the board meeting thanked Matthews for holding the special session at the school, but said they were still troubled by the timing of the transfer announcement, and that they believed the complaints about Duran-Contreras were the reason for her removal.
“It just seems amazing to me [that] if there was some unhappiness there [at John Muir] that an opportunity was not given to all the parents to come forward to speak,” said parent Charlene Nakamura.
She added, “The timing of this is just unbelievably disrespectful to the kids at the school. The kids love their principals. They said good-bye for the summer thinking they would see her on Sept. 1. And they’re not.”
Other parents said they did not like the circumstances under which Komlos would be coming to the school. They did not like that she is not fluent in Spanish, while a significant percentage of John Muir students are Spanish speaking, lacking proficiency in English. Also, Komlos does not have experience heading an elementary school. District staff said she would be mentored.
Several board members said they did not like how things had transpired, but Maria Leon Vazquez was the sole member to vote against the proposal. The vote was 4-1. Members Kathy Wisnicki and Kelly Pye did not attend the meeting.
Meanwhile, the board did not vote, as scheduled, on a new abuse policy. Board President Oscar de la Torre said the eight-member committee working on the proposal had asked for more time. The proposal could be brought to the board at its next meeting on July 24.
The board also did not select an interim superintendent. Earlier in the week, the members had interviewed four of five candidates for the job. De la Torre said on Friday that two of the candidates stood out, and they were expected to be interviewed again on Tuesday afternoon. The board president said a selection could be made soon. The selection would have to be approved at a board meeting which, by law, would need to be scheduled at least 72 hours in advance.
Also last Thursday, the board approved a $115 million budget for the 2008-09 Fiscal Year, which began July 1. The budget includes an expectation of $112 million in revenue, so the district will have to use a portion of its reserve to cover the shortfall. This budget is preliminary until the state approves its budget. Since nearly three-fourths of the district revenue comes from the state, the SMMUSD’s financial situation could change. The board will review and possibly alter the district budget within 45 days after the governor signs the state budget.