There has been an utter failure by the Ocean Beach School District’s Board of Directors to hold the district accountable and complete silence in response to complaints from the community. Once the district’s behavior was brought to the local newspaper’s attention, it, too, was silent to investigate the only school district on the peninsula. Our small-town businesses fear retribution, loss of community support, or in this case, loss of circulation for speaking out. [Editor’s note: See our front-page story for objective reporting on the accusations raised by this letter.]

After multiple public records requests, it was learned that our district’s superintendent lined her pockets with additional funds by paying her spouse’s remaining yearly salary ($90,696.68) plus benefits (more than $20,000), after he worked just weeks into his 2023-2024 school-year contract and after he incurred a serious, documented discipline record over several years.

The discipline record was so severe that the last discipline letter, dated June 14, 2023, written by the human resources director, directly instructed this employee, the superintendent’s spouse, that “You have exhausted most steps of progressive discipline.” Then, the human resources director states “You are hereby directed to act in a professional, collegial manner at all times in the workplace.” And, finally, he is instructed, “…you understand that if you violate the above directives or otherwise commit further misconduct, you may be subject to further discipline, up to and including termination.”

On Oct. 30, 2023, as the Ocean Beach School District Board of Directors went into executive session, the superintendent entered into a direct conflict of interest by joining that session as the board discussed her spouse’s request for full compensation of his 2023-2024 school-year contract.

It is unheard of for any district to simply use taxpayer funds to pay a contracted teacher, who has resigned just weeks into his contract, a full school year’s salary plus benefits, especially after having incurred multiple severe discipline concerns. This district engaged in a complete misuse of public funds that were earmarked for our community’s children. Unconscionable doesn’t begin to describe those actions.

Ocean Beach School District does not have a single school counselor, guidance counselor, or dedicated reading intervention specialist or program at the K-5 grade level, and yet this district is “flush” enough to ingratiate the superintendent’s spouse with over $90,000, who had a documented significant and severe discipline record.

Is this what is best for our students, families, and community?

TRACEY CROOK

Ocean Park