An open letter from the teachers at
Santa Ynez Valley Union High School
The Faculty Association of Santa Ynez Valley Union High
School wishes to express its deep appreciation for the enormous community
support that rallied around Norm Clevenger at Tuesday’s School Board meeting.
We fully stand behind our 56-0 vote of confidence in Mr. Clevenger as our
principal. We also wish to express our profound disappointment at the School
Board’s 5-0 vote not to renew the contract of Mr. Clevenger, or what amounts to
a slap in the face of the public and faculty will.
Worse than that, we contend that the Board vote was merely
a smokescreen to legitimize the real issue of concern, that being the current
“administrative leave” under which Mr. Clevenger has been placed.
We believe this is a violation of Mr. Clevenger’s rights
of free speech in expressing his opinion to an elected official. We believe the
school board has ignored the faculty and public in taking this punitive stand
against the very effective and popular leader of a publicly-supported
institution.
The Faculty Association of SYVUHS urges you to express
your concern to the press in writing to the board members themselves in person
so that they are made to hear your voice.
It is not too late to have this decision reversed so that
Mr. Clevenger can immediately resume his rightful place as the principal of
Santa Ynez High School.
We also urge any members of the community who believe that
Santa Ynez High School can be administered more effectively to run for one of
the two upcoming vacant board seats. We
need representation of our school that is centered on the needs of the students
and the community as a whole.
Yours
very faithfully,
The Faculty Association
SYV
Union High School