Mountain View Schools Dispute

The article by your reporter, Vicki Torres, regarding Mountain View School District (Oct. 15) was so biased as to be unconscionable. Ms. Torres quotes the leader of the PICA group extensively while not quoting at all any opposing sides, including ours.

A reporter’s job should be to give all sides to an issue and let the reader draw his/her own conclusions to the truth. This did not happen.

Allow me to give you an overview of what is now happening and the past in our district.

There is a select group of parents who support our superintendent, Dr. Julian Lopez, who was placed on indefinite administrative leave by our present board. This group of parents is not large, but is very vocal.

Did our board have reason for putting Dr. Lopez on indefinite leave? There appeared to be an almost total lack of trust between the board and Dr. Lopez. Many reasons led to this. The fact that the administration of this district got totally involved in our last board election. The fact that the administration pushed through (at the eleventh hour) a $1.5-million administration building out of the very funds that should have gone for the education of our students. This building was passed by our old board right before this new board was seated. These are just a few of the reasons for this lack of trust that is essential between a board and their superintendent.

Finally, I would like to state that we (those who do support this new board) don’t wish to ask for special favors from your writers. We just want a fair shake. Why didn’t your reporter quote any of us? Why only those people on the opposing side? We too were interviewed.

And why would your reporter write about the meeting of Sept. 30? She wasn’t there and yet she stated that our board president, Mr. (Robert) Griffith, was unnerved. I would not have described him at all in that way. Where did she get that information? She stated that 300 parents attended that meeting and were incensed. That too, is incorrect. Approximately 300 people attended that meeting. Over half were district employees. Most of those employees support this board.

PATSY SUTLEY

President

California School

Employees Assn.

Mountain View School District