Mira Costa Principal Dr. Ben Dale disbanded the Ed Council during its March 4 meeting on accounts of inefficiency and hostile behavior. Whether Dale’s ruling was just or not, the outpour of polarized opinions regarding the body’s nature proves that he should have discussed the disbandment of the Ed Council further.
According to Dale, some members would become “aggressive, personal, unproductive and derogatory” toward each other when disagreeing. Former Ed Council Co-Chair Michael Hayden agreed, stating that there was an atmosphere of bullying in the meetings, causing faculty members to be unwilling to serve. However, both the English and History Department co-chairs assert that the discussions did not go beyond passionate disagreement. The nature of discussion in a decision-making body is bound to be subjective. Because there is not a unanimous teacher opinion regarding the atmosphere of the council, members’ concerns should have been discussed before the group was disbanded.
Dale said he felt the Ed Council was no longer functional toward results-oriented progress. He claims he had been working to transform the Ed Council, including asking it to set goals, and he is comfortable with the effort he put forth before its dissolution. However, according to Mira Costa English Department co-chair Alan Zeoli, Dale never directly addressed reforms or a possible disbandment.
Dale claims that he could have predicted the teachers’ reaction to a warning; therefore, he decided against doing so. The least he should have done was attempt a collaborative discussion on potential reforms before disbanding a long-standing body without clear warning.
Dale claims that external issues were brought up within negotiations. Teachers would not discuss the proposed bell schedule as it would have ramifications on district negotiations. According to Zeoli, the teachers tabled Dale’s bell schedule proposal because they could not reach an agreement with the district on how teachers would use the time.
Ideally, the Ed Council would address only curriculum-based topics and leave negotiations to union representatives, but it is difficult to separate the two bodies because they are so interconnected. Students should remain the most important concern in Ed Council’s decision making, but it is reasonable for them to discuss these issues in the context of the entire educational system.
Dale also stated that the voting process was strict. However, each department, as well as student services, counseling and administration, had one vote, and proposals were passed with a simple majority. Ed Council’s democratic power was extremely important in giving each group a fair chance to advocate for its students and making universally-beneficial decisions.
Dale has proposed two new committees to replace the Ed Council, the Instructional Leadership Team and the Faculty Advisory Board. According to Dale, he was purposely vague about the new committees in hopes that teacher leaders would be involved in their formation. Dale should have communicated a set plan to teachers, as it is unproductive to disband a committee without a plan for an improved one.
Without an organized structure for teachers to communicate with administrators or a definite plan for a future organization, it is necessary that the Ed Council reconvene to address prevalent issues and clearly define its role at Costa.
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