Maria p. gonzalez's Page

I got a phone call yesterday from a reader who wanted to know why we haven't reported the news that Milton-Freewater School District Superintendent Marilyn McBride has been on probation since 2005.
This was news to me. I moved to the area in late 2006 and had not heard about this before. The caller had heard it on a television news broadcast the previous night.
I did some digging, and found out that indeed, McBride was placed on a two-year probation in early 2006. The probationary period would have ended at the end of January 2008.

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There is a story out of Ventura, Calif., that I have been following because it happened in a community where I worked before coming to Walla Walla. I used to cover crime then, and this would have likely fallen in my beat. But it is also an education story, and one I wanted to share with the public here.
A couple of weeks ago, a 14-year-old boy shot a classmate in the head. The boy, who died soon after the shooting, was 15.

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Thursday I participated in a meeting with community members who are looking to address — and hopefully curb — the trend of students dropping out before finishing high school.
This was the fourth such meeting by the participants, which included representatives from Walla Walla Public Schools, Blue Mountain Action Council, and Walla Walla Community College, and various law enforcement and criminal justice agencies. I sat by Walla Walla Police Chief Chuck Fulton yesterday.

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The Walla Walla school board plans to meet in executive session Friday, Feb. 15, at 1 p.m. The meeting will be in district offices, 364 S. Park St.
The district announces within 24 hours any scheduled board meetings. However, because it is an executive session, members of the public will not be permitted.
The board will be reviewing the performance of a public school employee and plans to meet for about an hour. There is no action scheduled at the end of the meeting.
Something worth noting anyway, as it may lead to a personnel decision down the road.

Given the fallout of our recent report of a Pioneer Middle School teacher being placed on paid leave for possible misconduct, I've decided to get a better understanding of the process by which a teacher gets placed on leave.

I'm still looking for answers.

There does not appear to be a written policy on what needs to happen before a teacher gets placed on leave. Does a mere accusation by a student or staff member lead to such action? Do interviews occur before or after the teacher is placed on leave?

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