State: Salinas school emergency trusteeship first in California caused by board turmoil | thecalifornian.com | The Salinas Californian

State: Salinas school emergency trusteeship first in California caused by board turmoil | thecalifornian.com | The Salinas Californian

State: Salinas school emergency trusteeship first in California caused by board turmoil

BY RIA MEGNIN • RMEGNIN@THECALIFORNIAN.COM • APRIL 1, 2010

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The emergency appointment of a trustee for a Salinas school district is unprecedented, the state Board ofEducation said Wednesday.

California has intervened in the past for districts with severe financial problems, as it did last year for south Monterey County's King City Union School District, and for those with ongoing academic performance issues.

But the immediate appointment of a trustee to oversee the Alisal Union School District marks the first time leadership issues forced the state's hand, Board of Education spokeswoman Regina Brown Wilson said.

"This is uncharted waters," Wilson said.

The Alisal Union School District, plagued by turmoil and high turnover on its board, has been under scrutiny for low student test scores for years. The district learned March 11 that it would fall under state trusteeship primarily for its academic performance. But since then, the board drew scrutiny upon itself by actions that included:

Issuing layoff notices to principals without the approval of its superintendent.

Replacing Esperanza Zendejas with new superintendent John Ramirez.

Hiring Zendejas as a consultant at her previous salary.

Those moves led the state board to vote unanimously Tuesday to give Monterey County schoolsSuperintendent Nancy Kotowski the power to overturn any potentially damaging decisions made by the