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Senator Dave Min sent a letter to the President of the Orange Unified School District Board requesting more information about the unusual circumstances surrounding last week’s emergency meeting to terminate OUSD’s Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent, who had consistently earned exemplary performance reviews. The two high profile firings, which were decided by 4-3 votes, came without warning, as schools were still closed for winter break and the newly elected Trustees were just a few weeks into their term. Charged with managing one of the largest school districts in Southern California, the superintendents were responsible for overseeing principals, teachers, support staff, and public education provided to 26,000 students.
“I know I speak for many thousands of parents who are outraged and perplexed by these sudden and seemingly baseless actions by the Orange Unified School Board,” Min said. “Firing a superintendent is a serious and destabilizing move, and it is clear that this will be incredibly costly to the California taxpayers I represent. The suddenness of this decision, the lack of transparency, and the failure to even attempt to provide an explanation to the public, have raised serious questions about the Board majority’s motivations and whether they have breached their duties as Trustees. I am also deeply concerned about reports of potential Brown Act violations, and want to give Trustees the opportunity to publicly explain the events that preceded this vote before taking more aggressive action. School boards have a responsibility to ensure that every student receives a high quality education. They should not be playing politics with our kids’ education.”
It is estimated that the Board’s actions will result in a $1.3 million cost to OUSD, not including legal fees or other liability.
