Pasadena Unified Board Reprimands Member Scott Phelps

CORRECTION:  The original version of this story quoted School Board Member Ed Honowitz as describing Scott Phelps’ actions as “Gestapo tactics.” In fact, Honowitz was quoting the words of Ray Cortines. What Honowitz actually said was “”Mr. Cortinez, as the only person who has served as the Superintendent of New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco schools … called Mr. Phelps’ tactics, ‘Gestapo tactics.’”

A split Pasadena Unified School District Board on Tuesday voted to reprimand board member  Scott Phelps over his “disparaging comments” made in June about former PUSD  superintendent candidate and U.S. Department of Education Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education Thelma Meléndez that appeared in the  local newspaper, on its website, and on Facebook.

Voting 4-3, the school board adopted Resolution No. 2170 which found Phelps guilty of violating the board’s Policy No. 9271, or Code of Ethics section which emphasizes confidentiality policy on personnel and business matters of the board.

Click to read the reprimand passed by the Board

Phelps’ criticisms were blamed for the withdrawal by Meléndez from consideration for the superintendent position and for its part, the board lost the opportunity to interview one of its finalists.

“Officials at Ray & Associates have confirmed that these actions were damaging to the credibility of their firm and also of PUSD. They also stated Scott Phelps could not have been unaware of the expectation of confidentiality. In fact, the confidential nature of the process was discussed numerous times,  in public sessions of the board,” Board President Renatta Cooper said as she read from the letter to that Board which requeted the censure.

That letter was dated and was submitted by herself,  Board Vice-President Ed Honowitz, and Board Member Elizabeth Pomeroy.

Phelps denied the accusations against him by claiming there was no violation of the confidentiality clause of the board’s policies because the names of the candidates have already been made public.

“So this is really a silly political exercise. It’s not good for the board — we have a new superintendent, and we have plenty to do,” he told members of the board. Phelps also criticized the confidentiality clause as being exploited by some, particularly, “highly paid ambitious people to protect their desire to switch jobs.”

He continued, “It shields them from the public knowing their schemes. So this is a political exercise. They want a headline and that is what this is about.”

PUSD Vice President Ed Honowitz said that Phelps violated the confidentiality policies of the board and that the board should set an example to the students they are serving to follow laws and policies.

Honowitz warned that letting Phelps’ actions go unpunished might send a bad message to students. He quoted a characterization of Phelps’ actions made by Ray Cortines, a prominent California educator, who described those actions as “Gestapo tactics.”

“That kind of back and forth, that characterization in the press is damaging to the reputation of the school district, it’s damaging to our ability to hire high quality staff,” Honowitz said.

PUSD President Renata Cooper also expressed concern over the violation of the confidentiality policy saying that she took the task of hiring a district superintendent very seriously and very solemnly.

She told the board that only Meléndez’ relationship with the search committee had prevented the former superintendent candidate from suing the PUSD board because of the leak.