Parents have been coming to School Board member Warren Geurin each time a principal leaves a Sterling school when they see teachers leaving too.
In response, Geurin proposed a new teacher transfer policy to the Personnel Services and the Legislative/Policy committees about two weeks ago. Previously, the School Board reprimanded Geurin for actions he took regarding the principal and teacher transfers at Sterling Elementary School. Principal Arlene Glaser left the school in January to take a principalship position at Heritage High School in Leesburg and was replaced Jan. 22 by Michele Freeman, who worked for 25 years at Fairfax County schools and the Dunn Loring Administrative Center before coming to Loudoun County.
"Parents expressed to me concerns, lots of concerns," Geurin said. "The major concern is retaining quality teachers in a school that has a lot of challenges."
Parents told Geurin they understand when a few teachers leave a school during a new school opening, since student enrollment will decrease at the existing schools feeding into the new school. "What they don’t understand is when a principal leaves, 30 to 40 percent of teachers leave. That’s a phenomenon all around the county," he said.
Geurin’s proposed teacher transfer policy prohibits principals from recruiting teachers and leaves the responsibility up to the Department of Personnel Services, along with limiting the number of teachers who can transfer with a principal opening a new school. He said the School Board policy manual should contain an explanation of the new policy.
"Every teacher has a right to apply for a transfer, and I don’t want to interfere with that right at all," Geurin said. Principals have told Geurin that they do not recruit teachers, he said, adding, "I believe they don’t."
BEFORE GEURIN took office in 1999, parents told him their concerns regarding teacher transfers from Park View High School to the new Stone Bridge High School scheduled to open in fall 2000, he said. Parents came to Geurin again when Eagle Ridge Middle School opened in fall 2001. The third time they came to him concerned Glaser’s leaving Sterling Elementary School, so he talked to teachers there. "I tried to compliment them. I told them Michele Freeman, the new principal, would be a perfect fit for the community and that we would like for you to stay. That’s what I tried to do, and maybe I didn’t to it very well."
Geurin said he would not comment on the specific details of when and how he met with the teachers. The resolution the School Board passed Jan. 2 stated that the board received "expressions of concern over the past several months from staff and the administration" regarding Geurin’s behavior. The resolution described his behavior as "threatening and unprofessional" and "as being inappropriate for a member of the board and contrary to the Code of Ethics for School Board members."
AT THE MEETING, Geurin signed a memorandum of understanding, agreeing to abide by the Code of Ethics established in December 2000. Geurin would not comment on what occurred at the meeting. Chairman Joseph Vogric (Dulles) also would not make any comments.
"If my discussion with teachers did violate people’s sensibilities around the Code of Ethics, I accept responsibility for that. I don’t have a fear of accepting responsibility for what I did," Geurin said. "People I talked with in the past month said they invariably understand, and they’re supportive of me."
Geurin said what happened is "over and done with." "Most of us, certainly me, would like to put this behind us. We have bigger fish to fry," he said, referring to the School Board’s proposed operating budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2004 and Capital Improvements Plan (CIP) for FY-04-08. "There are a lot more concerns about that than whether members of the School Board approve of me or disapprove of me. … It’s time to focus on $400 million. It really is."