Embattled schools Superintendent Sandra Lyon earlier this week announced her resignation from the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD), via a prepared statement from district spokespeople. Effective July, she will be moving on to become superintendent of the Palm Springs Unified School District.
Lyon, who took on the position of superintendent in Santa Monica in 2011, is a controversial figure in Malibu politics. Though she has won numerous awards, including being named Superintendent of the Year in the local region of the Association of California School Administrators in 2014, many advocates feel she has intentionally obstructed proceedings to test, remediate and remove toxic substances from Malibu schools.
In July 2015, Lyon signed on to a three-year contract extension, which would have carried her into the 2017-18 school year. It is not clear why she broke this contract, though she said in statements provided by the district that it was not an easy choice.
“This decision is a difficult one for me to make as we are turning the corner on becoming a more student-centered district with equity and access clearly defined as our goal for all students,” Lyon was quoted as saying.
The announcement of Lyon’s departure from the SMMUSD included a recitation of her accomplishments in her five years leading the district, including stating she “has successfully shepherded SMMUSD toward a centralized fundraising model benefitting all schools,” and that she “led the district through numerous controversies, including the environmental issues in Malibu, subsequent approvals from the Environmental Protection Agency, future plans for modernization, multiple legal challenges and initiating the review of Malibu Unification.”
One of those “legal challenges” is a suit brought against district leaders by America Unites (AU) for Kids, a group fighting for swifter action on PCBs in Malibu schools, and PEER, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. The suit names Lyon as a defendant, along with District CFO Jan Maez and each member of the Board of Education.
AU did not mince words in prepared statements regarding Lyon’s departure from the district.
“SMMUSD Superintendent Sandra Lyon announced her resignation today, drawing three cheers from parents advocating for PCB removal from Malibu public schools — removal that Lyon has vehemently opposed,” the statement read.
Also in the statement were strong words from AU founder and president Jennifer deNicola, who has long had bad blood with the SMMUSD administration.
“We hope that new leadership will bring common sense to the district and put protecting children and teachers’ health as their first priority,” deNicola said. “Lyon’s choices have wasted taxpayer dollars and unnecessarily put kids and teachers’ health at risk. For over two years she has forced kids to learn in toxic buildings with a chemical that is known to lower IQ and interfere with normal development, rather than follow the law that requires removal of PCBs which would protect them.”
The suit goes to trial May 17 if mediation is not successful.
School Board Member Craig Foster, the only representative on the governing body from Malibu, had a much more measured response to the news of Lyon’s resignation.
“I’m sad to hear that she’s going, but I wish her the very best of luck in her new job, and thank her for everything she’s done for the district in her five years here,” Foster said.
When asked about whether the move to districtwide fundraising, credited to Lyon in the SMMUSD release, was a model “benefitting all schools,” Foster said that equity is important in the district.
“I think that the concept of equity across the district is extremely important, and I fully support a successful execution of the district’s policy,” Foster said. Whether or not execution has been successful may be up for debate.
Malibu parents have pushed back against districtwide fundraising since it was first implemented in 2013.
Numbers regarding donations from Malibu families showed a stark contrast compared to those of Santa Monica parents during a pledge drive at the beginning of the current school year.
By the last week of September 2015, 16.4 percent of families with students attending Santa Monica schools had pledged, compared to a dismal 2.4 percent of Malibu school families that had done the same. At Malibu High School, only 1.7 percent of families donated toward districtwide fundraising.
“I am grateful for my time in the SMMUSD and all of the colleagues and community members I’ve worked with and learned from over the years,” Lyon said in a prepared statement.
There was no news as to how a replacement for Lyon may be recruited and hired, though district spokespeople said SMMUSD administration and elected board members would be working together.