Teachers filled the room as well as the public comment portion of the Otter Valley Unified Union School District Board meeting on May 19, expressing concerns about district leadership, communications, and perceived lack of support for employees.
The five minutes set aside on the agenda for communications with parents, citizens, and staff stretched to over an hour as speakers described frustrations with the district’s central office and urged changes in how administrators interact with staff.
Many of the comments centered on what speakers described as delayed or absent responses from the superintendent’s office. Teachers from Otter Valley Union High School (OVUHS) and other district schools said emails and requests often go unanswered for weeks or months, and monthly meetings with union representatives have sometimes been canceled by the administration with little notice.
“We deserve to be responded back to by our boss,” said middle school social studies teacher Katie Sherry.
Several educators said the lack of communication has negatively affected staff morale and left teachers feeling ignored or undervalued. Speakers called for greater professionalism, clearer communication, and, as one teacher put it, a more “respectful relationship” between district administrators and employees.
A significant portion of the discussion focused on a long-term OVUHS teacher, who is currently undergoing treatment for stage 4 cancer. According to multiple speakers, the teacher requested additional paid leave about six weeks ago after exhausting her sick days, but as of the May 19 meeting, she had not yet received a decision from Superintendent Rene Sanchez.
Teachers and colleagues spoke emotionally about the teacher’s role in the school community and the stress that uncertainty about leave approval has added for her during a very difficult time. Speakers urged the district to either approve her request for additional leave days or at least allow employees to donate unused sick days to a temporary sick bank so the teacher can focus on her health and well-being rather than financial concerns.
Laura King, local teachers’ union president and Neshobe fifth-grade teacher, explained that the current teachers’ contract does not include a formal sick bank provision allowing employees to donate unused sick days to colleagues. However, the contract does permit the superintendent to grant additional leave at his discretion, a step that has been taken in the past under similar circumstances.
King added that within 24 hours, more than 100 educators from OVUHS and Neshobe Elementary School pledged to donate sick days if a sick bank were established.
Other comments highlighted concerns about district responsiveness in areas ranging from facility safety to transportation requests. Val Dawson, a teacher at OVUHS, expressed concerns about the indoor air quality of the school’s east wing and stated that she felt her related health concerns had not been taken seriously by administrators despite the evidence she had provided.
Teachers also expressed frustration about delays in Family and Medical Leave Act approvals and professional development requests, last-minute denials or cancellations of transportation arrangements for special events and field trips, as well as scrutiny surrounding requests for time off during designated “red flag days,” days on the school calendar when staff are restricted from taking time off and personal leave without prior approval.
Zachary Poynter, an eighth-grade civics teacher at OVUHS, spoke on behalf of students who had participated in a classroom assignment for which they wrote letters to elected officials and community leaders about issues important to them. According to Poynter, nearly half the students chose to write to the superintendent, who, despite teacher encouragement, responded to only one student who had sent multiple lengthy emails. Poynter reported that students found the lack of response discouraging and felt it suggested their voices were not being heard.
According to Board President Laurie Bertrand, public comments at board meetings are generally received without an immediate response from board members or administrators. Any follow-up depends on the contents of the remarks, applicable confidentiality requirements, and whether the matter requires further action by the board.
When contacted after the meeting, Superintendent Sanchez told the Neshobe Current that, because of confidentiality requirements, he could not discuss details regarding the employee whose leave request was referenced in the public comments. However, he said that the district is working with the employee involved “to address her needs.”
Sanchez acknowledged concerns about delayed communication and administrative responsiveness. “I’m not going to say there’s not,” he said. “Those are systems we do have to improve for employees to feel secure in their jobs.”
Sanchez said the district has been working to create formal processes for matters such as unpaid leave requests and absences during “red flag days,” procedures he said did not previously exist. Under the collective bargaining agreement, he said, those decisions fall to the superintendent’s office. He added that he and his assistant have now set aside two hours every other week specifically to address those requests more promptly. He also believes that the procedures they are putting in place will help ensure that decisions are made in a way that is fair to both employees and taxpayers.
He further said that the district had received a letter, which Steven Thomas read during public comment, outlining teacher concerns a week prior to the board meeting, and that it had already begun working to clarify and address them. Sanchez added that while administrators strive to respond promptly, the volume of communications sometimes results in delays or missed emails.
The other substantial agenda item for the May 19 meeting was a presentation and conversation led by Alyson Popa, an independent consultant who will guide the group through “OVUUSD Task Force 2.0.” This initiative aims to address the district’s facilities needs and financial sustainability over the next five years and beyond by tackling the challenges posed by aging buildings and changing enrollment patterns across the district’s schools.
The board undertook a similar process in 2019, also facilitated by Popa, which resulted in a recommendation to create a centralized middle school program serving grades six through eight; however, the COVID-19 pandemic stalled the task force’s momentum.
At the May 19 meeting, it was noted that the issues facing the district now closely resemble those discussed in 2019. However, board members suggested that the district should not assume that conclusions reached in 2019 reflect current community views or financial realities, a point raised by board member Brent Mullin and supported by others.
Several board members emphasized the importance of rebuilding public trust before bringing forward any major proposals. Other discussion topics included the need to create a comprehensive facilities master plan and the importance of developing a clear architectural planning and cost-estimating process to be used if a construction-based plan is ultimately pursued.
Another theme was the need for broad community participation in the process, with a focus on identifying shared goals and maintaining consistent communication with the public throughout.
“We have to take conversations out of the board room and into the community,” said board member Fernanda Canales.
To gather information about the current state of the district’s facilities, task force members will take a bus tour of all the district schools on June 20.
The next OVUUSD board meeting will be held on June 2. Beginning with the following meeting, on June 23, the group will rotate its meetings among different school buildings throughout the district to encourage broader community participation.
To read the full minutes from the May 19 meeting, click here.
