Signaling strong support for San Mateo Union High School District’s top administrator despite allegations of wrongdoing, the district’s Board of Trustees voted to give Superintendent Kevin Skelly a salary increase while extending his contract into 2024.
“There were no issues that would have created a reason not to give him a contract or give a raise,” Trustee Linda Lees Dwyer said. “He received exactly what everyone else received. He likes to be treated the way everyone else is. … He’s that kind of leader.”
The 5-0 vote to extend Skelly’s contract came with little board comment aside from a statement of support by Trustee Ligia Andrade Zuniga who noted the decision was made after a review process. Skelly’s salary will increase to nearly $329,000 during the 2021-22 school year with the potential for an additional annual raise until his contract ends or is renewed in 2024.
Skelly faces a 30-day suspension following a recommendation from the Committee on Credentials, the investigative arm of the state’s Commission on Teacher Credentialing for allegations of mismanagement brought by a Mills High School teacher.
He and two other administrators, Dr. Kirk Black, deputy superintendent of Human Resources and Student Services; and Pamela Duszynski, Mills High School principal; are accused by Mills High School teacher Patricia Petersen of negligently disregarding her attempt to blow the whistle on abusive students, urging her to inflate grades and retaliating against her.
The officials lobbied the CTC to reconsider the recommendations but were sent letters last week informing them the COC’s decisions would be upheld. Formal suspensions have not been approved at this point, leaving each administrator still credentialed. The officials still have the opportunity to appeal the suspensions which will be decided through the Attorney General’s Office.
In separate phone interviews after the meeting, trustees Greg Land and Dwyer noted multiple long conversations had already been held in closed session, removing the need for further open discussion. Any criticism of Skelly was given in closed sessions, Land said, calling the process a “respectful way” to provide constructive feedback and declining to share points he may have provided.
Zuniga said she recognizes the public may be left in the dark on various facts given that those discussions are confidential. She stood by her decision to approve the contract after listening to her colleagues with more time on the board and finding that any issues could be rectified, noting her belief in giving people an opportunity to grow.
“Dr. Skelly is not perfect and he might not be the ideal superintendent to a lot of people but we have to always strive for doing better and to give people the chance to redeem themselves,” Zuniga said. “I do know that he does love his job. I can tell he genuinely cares about people. … Now that we know better we should do better.”
Recommended for you
Alternatively, Land and Dwyer said they did not take into consideration the potential suspension of Skelly’s education credentials.
Dwyer, who was first elected to the board in 2005, disputed the claims brought against the administrators, asserting the claims were “unfounded based on my review.” She said she’s seen many leaders in her time in office and lauded the “excellent work” of district administrators.
“They are good people,” Dwyer said. “I believe none of the three did anything warranted anything the CTC has done.”
Land also shared disapproval for the CTC’s decision and claimed the investigation was “not done well.” Reflecting on the final appeal process, he said, “we have to see where that lands.”
If the CTC’s suspension is upheld by the Attorney General’s Office, Skelly will still be permitted to hold his position given that an education credential is not required to be an administrator.
Skelly, who was appointed to his role in 2015, declined to comment on the credentials matter but shared appreciation for the board’s decision to extend his contract. With the new school year back for in-person sessions, he said he’s looking forward to ensuring the district’s goals of creating equity, driving connections and leading change.
“I like my job and I appreciate the confidence the board has in my work,” Skelly said. “We have a great culture here and we’re being successful. We’ve made it through the pandemic and I’m excited to do more through this coming year.”
Where did the SMUHSD Board members get their information on the CTC investigations and rulings?
The CTC does not provide the evidence to the Board members. The ruling letters are sent to the individuals (Skelly and Black).
The FACTS in this case show that the evidence was meticulously collected and vetted before being presented to the CTC committee. This was an extensive investigation where numerous SMUHSD employee were interviewed regarding the situation.
Most CTC investigations never make it to the committee as there is not enough evidence to support the complaint. In this case there was not only enough evidence collected, but the CTC Commission called the administrators before the committee to allow them to response to the evidence.
Only after this detailed and fair procedure of due process did the committee decide to issue the suspensions. The CTC accepted the request for review but found that their initial investigation and judgement was sound.
The reporter should ask the Board members what they know firsthand of the evidence and the CTC process which produced the following comments by the elected officials. The versions of the story being “spun” by the Board members doesn’t seem to match the procedures and evidence collected in the field.
Trustee Dwyer asserting the claims to the CTC were “unfounded based on my review.” “I believe none of the three did anything warranted anything the CTC has done.”
Trustee Land claimed the CTC investigation was “not done well.”
Board President Robert Griffin, called the CTC action an “erroneous decision.” “The committee has acted irresponsibly and without regard to the facts, the law or the public interest in its decision.”
The CTC’s recommendation for the adverse action of credential suspension is the opposite of the complete exoneration position taken by these SMUSHD Board members.
As our elected officials who have now taken a public position on these issues, they should be responsible to articulate to the public the evidence that each has reviewed and how they obtained/received that evidence.
Do these Board Members have the CTC evidence file?
It sounds like somebody is not telling the truth.
Funny, the CTC does not seem to have a motivation to mislead the public.
The Crestmoor Real Estate Deal "collapsed" on July 23, 2021-The Trustees did not know until Aug 26, 2021. The Trustees were "complaining" about the CTC investigation while they were "losing" $40 million they did not know about- They gave Skelly a two-year $329k contract extension before they were made aware of the real estate debacle. -Connect the evidence.
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO
personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who
make comments. Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. Don't threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Anyone violating these rules will be issued a
warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be
revoked.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
(4) comments
Where did the SMUHSD Board members get their information on the CTC investigations and rulings?
The CTC does not provide the evidence to the Board members. The ruling letters are sent to the individuals (Skelly and Black).
The FACTS in this case show that the evidence was meticulously collected and vetted before being presented to the CTC committee. This was an extensive investigation where numerous SMUHSD employee were interviewed regarding the situation.
Most CTC investigations never make it to the committee as there is not enough evidence to support the complaint. In this case there was not only enough evidence collected, but the CTC Commission called the administrators before the committee to allow them to response to the evidence.
Only after this detailed and fair procedure of due process did the committee decide to issue the suspensions. The CTC accepted the request for review but found that their initial investigation and judgement was sound.
The reporter should ask the Board members what they know firsthand of the evidence and the CTC process which produced the following comments by the elected officials. The versions of the story being “spun” by the Board members doesn’t seem to match the procedures and evidence collected in the field.
Trustee Dwyer asserting the claims to the CTC were “unfounded based on my review.” “I believe none of the three did anything warranted anything the CTC has done.”
Trustee Land claimed the CTC investigation was “not done well.”
Board President Robert Griffin, called the CTC action an “erroneous decision.” “The committee has acted irresponsibly and without regard to the facts, the law or the public interest in its decision.”
The CTC’s recommendation for the adverse action of credential suspension is the opposite of the complete exoneration position taken by these SMUSHD Board members.
As our elected officials who have now taken a public position on these issues, they should be responsible to articulate to the public the evidence that each has reviewed and how they obtained/received that evidence.
Do these Board Members have the CTC evidence file?
It sounds like somebody is not telling the truth.
Funny, the CTC does not seem to have a motivation to mislead the public.
The Crestmoor Real Estate Deal "collapsed" on July 23, 2021-The Trustees did not know until Aug 26, 2021. The Trustees were "complaining" about the CTC investigation while they were "losing" $40 million they did not know about- They gave Skelly a two-year $329k contract extension before they were made aware of the real estate debacle. -Connect the evidence.
Where there is smoke, there is fire.
Superintendent Skelly has now been charged by the CTC Education Misconduct Committee for a third (#3) time.
Here is the current total for the SMUHSD-
Superintendent Kevin Skelly (charged in three cases)
Deputy Superintendent Kirk Black (charged in two cases)
Former BHS Principal Di Yim (charged in one case)
Mills High School Principal Pam (charged in one case)
Select BHS Teachers (pending)
The Board cannot continue to ignore these retaliatory actions.
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.