The board's decision is troubling and portends more problems for the Baldwin community. While board members said there were details they couldn't disclose (which may suggest that Strickler's performance had been called into question), Strickler received no indication from performance reviews that there was a problem. The principal did not communicate with her that she needed to work on certain areas of her teaching. Clearly, if so many parents showed up in support, whatever weaknesses she may have needed to address were not showing up between Strickler, her students and their parents.

The principal needs to be very careful about creating a climate of fear where teachers are "offed" without explanation, without offers of remediation, without any communication. No matter how skilled the principal wants her teachers to be at delivering curriculum, if there is no room to grow, make mistakes and get support, that school's climate will crumble. If parents and teachers cannot trust the principal for support, then the true problem is the principal, not teachers who are trying to hone their craft.

The board, and the SRVUSD administration needs to take a long, hard look at their decisions. It's a shame and a loss for Baldwin and the entire district to discard quality teachers.

There are many Baldwin families with first-hand accounts of having been lied to, bullied and misled by this principal. It is time for us to bring forward our collective voices so that the District can review what the real problem is at this school. I wholeheartedly agree with the last post-it is a shame and a loss for Baldwin to lose yet ANOTHER quality teacher. Our teacher was good enough to teach at Charlotte Wood Middle School, she was good enough to teach at the University of Chicago Lab School, but she's not good enough for Baldwin?

If you have a specific concern that you would like to have addressed, there is recently Board-approved form available for Baldwin families to complete and submit under the heading "Complaints Concerning School Personnel" which is available at the district office. If a parent's concern has not been resolved at the informal level, or if the complainant refuses the informal process, the complainant may file a formal complaint regarding the district employee with the employee's immediate supervisor. This form can also be completed and submitted anonymously, although if this route is chosen, the complainant will not be entitled to any additional information regarding the disposition of the complaint.

With regards to this inappropriate comment that left the audience to wonder...
"We have things that we wish that we could say. We can't," board president Denise Jennison said toward the end of the 40-minute discussion.

I know for a fact that...this teacher, the president of the teacher's union and a CTA member looked through her personnel file and there was NOTHING in it except satisfactory evaluations..this is simply the principals words making this decision. There should be no speculation, she is a great teacher...our loss.

I have seen the carnage that Ms. Hale had been able to leave in her wake both here and in Conejo USD. (goggle it) Yes, she herself was released from a district. Does her pattern become our legacy too?
Over the past years, she continues put an end to careers of fabulous teachers in SRVUSD.

Why did no Baldwin teachers attend the board meeting? Yet other sites did. The culture of fear is so entrenched that they could/would be next if they were to speak, they know they would be on her “list”. Ask them, they will whisper the truth.
It's clear the district administration does not back them…

Many of you might recall in the Danville Patch 3 years ago, there was a teacher revolt against this Principal. Many teachers raised complaints along with many, many, parents…all to be swept away, and most of those teachers left at that time.

Year after year, Ms. Hale continues to dismiss 2-3 teachers AND here we are again losing 3 teachers including this seasoned, high energy, past ten-year’d teacher, who came back to teach the students in “Her and Our” community. Students love her, parents love her, teachers love her, her principal doesn’t…why? Oh lets speculate…because that’s what Our School Board left us to do. Could it be because Ms. Hale did not hire this teacher, she was transferred in with no choice because of low enrollment at another site, or that being new to her scripted curriculum must be followed at all times? Whatever the reason, Ms. Hale didn’t follow the contract of “NO Surprises”…but just like that this teachers gone!

Maybe the board should conduct their own private investigation of what is truly happening at this site before a lawsuit is filed and other teachers leave of their free will to go to neighboring districts, where they are supported.

It needs to be said that the Principal involved here is Darlene Hale. Ms. Hale has a history of arbitrary and mysterious teacher firings at John Baldwin. She fired the perfectly competent teacher of the 4th Grade ATP program six years ago (2009) when we complained to the Superintendent that Darlene was essentially gutting the content of the program. ATP was moved to another school the following year as a result.

This incident:

Web Link

in 2012 is certainly no example of great leadership on the part of this principal.

And now there's Ms. Strickler's case. The SRVUSD Board has sided with Ms. Hale in these publicly known cases. I privately know of several more cases of troubled relations between faculty, parents and this principal and the commentor above seems to know even more. When will the SRVUSD stop rubber stamping Darlene Hale's poor leadership decisions, and actually investigate? The extent to which Board Members Marvel and Jennison went out of their way to insist publicly that they are not "Rubber Stamp Board Members" seems to belie the truth.

Greg Marvel's Board seat is up for election in 2016, his 16th year on the SRVUSD Board. Take note readers. Marvel was Board President in 2012 when the previous incident took place.

Parents who spoke at this meeting and sent letters to the board in advance were clearly NOT heard, as Board Member Mark Jewett claimed. There was clearly no push-back, no research, no gathering of information, as Jennison claimed. What information could be gathered? NONE was given to Ms. Strickler herself during this process. She was read a form letter by HR at her termination meeting with Darlene Hale, who offered no additional explanation.

Mark Jewett's Board seat is up for election in 2016 as well. Take note readers.

This board made the wrong decision, the EASY decision, at the expense of a good person. Marvel said it best: the board should generally "rely on our principals' recommendations". That you did, and shame on you for it.

Can this obvious failure to do the right thing be reversed? What recourse is there for Mrs. Strickler and her many, many supporters now?

After being notified of this article and its comments, I had a useful email exchange with the Board President, Denise Jennison. I am posting here my response to them as an open letter to the public.
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Dear Ms. Jennison and Board members:

First of all thank you for the comprehensive response. I appreciate the dialog. We will inevitably disagree, of course, about the outcome of this particular issue. My goal in writing you again now is to try to make extremely clear my point of view and be sure there is no misunderstanding between us. Given the content of your response, we're not there yet.

I appreciate your description of, and I fully understand the process and necessity of the closed session/open session procedures. I understand that no formal decision was made until final votes were taken in open session. Also, for the record, I did not speak at or attend the meeting Tuesday night. I very much wanted to but had a conflicting business trip. My information about what happened comes from the Danvillesanramon.com article.

Here's the first point you need to know: The comments by you and other members in open session about respecting confidentiality and not being able to talk about specifics of the case (although true and necessary to say) smack of something nefarious behind the scenes that Ms. Strickler did wrong that you are reacting to and is informing your decision. It comes across as a veiled attempt to disparage the person in question and thus suppress further questions from the public about the situation. I understand you may not have meant it that way, but that can be what people take away--read the comment section of the article. You need to be exceedingly careful in how you state the confidentiality issue, or it may come across as character assassination.

Second, this risk is especially high for a loved and respected teacher where the supporters are confused by the justification for what is happening. I understand that per contract there need be no justification. Teachers are at-will prior to tenure. But just because you CAN fire a teacher for no reason, never means you should. It's simply inhumane, and obviously--look at the reaction--causes confusion, anger, resentment, and erosion of trust. I have been in private and public for-profit businesses my whole career. All professional employees in all these businesses are at-will. There's no union and there's no labor law that protects them, outside of discrimination. Yet I have never myself fired, nor seen, nor ever heard of a professional employee being fired without full and complete understanding of the reasons. Often exhaustively communicated through rigorous process over months, or sometimes years. People need feedback, people need a chance to improve, people need understanding and resolution. Ms. Strickler did not get any of that here. She caught wind of what was coming only weeks before it came. Notice was given, as allowed by contract and law, with no justification, she appealed to the board the next week. You didn't even talk to her former principal until the day before the board meeting, and like clockwork, you unanimously upheld Ms. Hale's decision. You have to understand this has an air of inevitability. Combine that with Ms. Hale's past record, and your past record of supporting her, and maybe you can appreciate the public's frustration. This was clearly a controversial decision, and yet the vote was unanimous? People make sense of this pattern by simply assuming that there's an embedded Realpolitik going on that can only be fought through the media and further politics. Your actions Tuesday only reinforced this perception--and perception in these cases, is reality.

And finally to address the last point: this was not just an unpopular decision, it was a poorly made decision. It was a convenient (for you) decision. And sadly, it was a decision that substantially harmed an innocent person in order to once again reinforce the power structure, Darlene Hale, who continues her troubling leadership practices with impunity. I do not question your or anyone on the Board's individual integrity. What I am questioning is your decision. Let's please be clear about that. There is no wrath here, and of course you'll protect privacy. The issue is your unwillingness to confront bad leaders and do the hard work of governing the SRVUSD, at the expense of an innocent teacher.

To address the comment of what can be done..people can continue to address, email and call your school board members.
They can and are the only ones who can overturn this decision..they can agree to another year of probationary status..which I suggest with moving her to an impartial leader that does not have a grudge or axe to grind..Board Members..do the right thing
Overturn your decision

John Baldwin Elementary school is a distinguished school because of the leadership and integrity of Ms.Hale, as well as the quality of teachers that she has hired and developed. I have the highest respect for Darlene Hale and all the decisions she has made. Please allow her to make the managerial decisions she sees fit to make. We should be thankful that she is one principal who has the courage to make the hard decisions most principals and district personnel will not. Darlene Hale always makes her decisions to ensure the highest standard of education for our children.

I am a teacher at John Baldwin Elementary School and I want everyone to know that my truth does not have to be whispered! I do not work in fear! I feel well-supported by our leader, Ms Hale. I highly respect her strength and commitment to meeting the needs of each and every one of our students.

Could it be that there is another problem we should be looking at? Might we want to direct our attention to our state tenure system? A system that gives Ms. Hale very little "wiggle" room! Our California Education Code does not give our administrators the option of extending a second year teacher's probationary period. The only options given to administrators are, one, grant permanent status (tenure) and hope for the best, or, two, choose to non-reelect. That puts a principal who is unsure of a teacher's abilities in a very difficult position.

We need to change the system and not blame someone with the courage and integrity to make the hard decisions.

I am a John Baldwin Parent and have been for more than 6 years. I have witnessed the troubling "power" plays by Ms. Hale. There is and always has been a lack of "humanity" coming from the leadership of Ms. Hale. How many student names and/or involved parent names does she know? My guess would be close to zero. Any good leader (of a school, business or any other organization) needs to know there audience - including there customers (students and parents) and their employees (teachers and staff). Ms. Hale did not "know" Mrs. Stickler in the classroom and the impact that she had on her students. Just like she does not really know the JB environment around her. A good principal interacts with his or her surroundings to truly know what is, and what is not working. This is such a major loss for John Baldwin and the SRVUSD. Susan Strickler is a phenomenal teacher and is passionate about her students and teaching!

If you have first-hand experience of the failure of Ms. Hale's leadership including violations, mishandled situations relating to you and/or your child or being lied to, take the time to complete and submit the "Concerns Concerning School Personnel" form that is available at the district office.

I find it offensive that parents are saying things like--- 'Teachers weren't at the board meeting because they are afraid of Darlene.' Please do not speak for me or my collegues. I am a Baldwin teacher and I am not afraid of Darlene Hale. The reason I transferred to Baldwin is Ms. Hale. Her dedication to curriculum and students is above and beyond what I have ever experienced from any principal during my career. I am not afraid of her. The reason we did not go to the board meeting is because we support Darlene and her decision.

Come on...The reason some of you are not afraid is your protected class .YOU are Tenured...and we all know it is nearly impossible to "get rid of" a tenured teacher. There is PAR, for those struggling tenured teachers and through that process of support..it would and does take years to remove a teacher unless they do something so egregious that it demands they are put on LEAVE first...investigated and finally they resign.

No matter what you say, her pattern of dismissal is unprecedented at JB, and not supported through her documentation of events.

First, I come from Susan Strickler's school last year and everyone I know raved about having her as a teacher. Whoever made comments that bring her character into question should be sued. She is an awesome member of our community. Anything they can't say in public about Susan is a lie or is grossly misstated.

Second, methods of teaching curriculum can be learned. Having a personality that children and parents are inspired by, can't be learned. That is a far more valuable asset than being able to teach a new curriculum to someone else's standard of perfection: a) in less than a year, and b) with zero feedback. Ms. Hale and the Board have made a grave mistake in under-valuing Mrs. Strickler's strengths and our community is the loser in this battle.

As a parent of 2 children at John Baldwin, thank you (sarcasm) for informing us in March, that our childs teacher has been forced to resign (was FIRED) but yet will teach out the school year. And I'm not referring to Ms. Strickler. A different JB teacher. Talk about a timing fail. Um,perhaps you could have waited until the year was over ?

As usual, bored (not board) Danville parents sticking their beaks into the school board business and politics of which they know nothing about except for what they and their friends gossip over their bottle of wine. Let them (the actual educators) teach our kids. If you don't trust them or know better, run for the board. Enlighten us. If you think Ms. Hale is a menace to society, take your kids to another school or I'd like to see you with a picket tomorrow. Oh I forgot...our school district is one of the highest ranking in the country. But yeah, the minivan and Yukon XL driving soccer Moms know better than the life long teachers and leadership of our school system. Not.

It is interesting that parents who normally complain how much they hate teachers' unions, are now wanting to side with them. The reality is that CTA fought hard to make the probationary period only two years instead of three or more as it is in most states. The two year period forces principals to make a final decision by March 15 of the second year. (March 15 also being a date CTA insisted on when the law was written)

I know several teachers at John Baldwin and they support Ms. Hale's decision for a variety of reasons as she is one of the few principals willing to take the heat on behalf of students. Parents, you can't have it both ways.

To the comment above, excuse me but many of the so-called mini van soccer moms are highly educated, in fact my friend some of them actually are teachers! So, before you go and get on your soap box in order to belittle the parents that actually care about their child's education think about your audience! It's easy to sit and snicker and make cutting comments about folks, but you actually sound a little bitter? I am a teacher, and I know Susan Strickler..she is an amazing teacher, who goes above and beyond as a teacher and role model! It's a shame and embarrassing to see this happening.

Sounds like sour grapes to me.

As a parent of 3 Baldwin students, Ms. Hale has turned around a program with the focus back on our kids.

When she inherited the old Baldwin program, each grade level had its own agenda with varying results. Today K-5 has the same vision and is continually being recognized as an award winning school. Our principal continues to demonstrate the management skills needed to work with all interested teachers on advancing the learning environment for our kids.

Just because our kids like their teacher, doesn't mean they are getting the best education. Ms. Hale has a program in place for both.

The issue is not about the principal, the school, the parents etc. This particular case that has gotten many concerned indivuduals upset over is the policy. How can a well respected teacher receive exemplary reviews from one school and yet get fired and lose her ability to remain a teacher in the district for which she resides 6 months later? That is the problem. The policy that governs the hiring and firing needs to be rectified. If a well respected accountant from one firm switches jobs and gets fired at their next job their career is not derailed. Susan Strickler, along with any other teacher in this position from any other school in this district deserves the right to remain a teacher and seek future employment in the district of their choosing. This is where change needs to happen.

This is not about minivans or bottles of wine. It is about our teachers and our children that we trust in their care and leadership. I have personal experience with both Susan Strickler and Chrissy Lewis and they are both fantastic teachers that should be able to continue with SRVUSD.

One Principal's opinion shouldn't affect the entire district.

As a community member I would hope that comments are kept professional and not bash and dishonor the population that helps run our school and it's' classrooms.

Regardless of opinion in this matter we all have one goal- a healthy education for our children and a positive work environment for their teachers. Let's not turn on each other.

I cannot speak highly enough about my experiences as a teacher at John Baldwin Elementary School. I have been a teacher at other districts over the last 10 years, and I have never been so incredibly honored to work under such a supportive and visionary principal, Darlene Hale. Darlene’s vision is simple; do what is best for students. No matter the situation, every decision she makes rests on this standard. Darlene is dedicated. She contributes incalculable amounts of time and energy towards the betterment of our children. She is the choreographer behind the diverse student programs and supports available at John Baldwin. Darlene fosters a growth mindset in which teachers and students learn from each other. She is the architect, scaffolding and building her teacher’s craft through on-going professional development. There is a clear reason why we won the California Distinguished School Award. I have grown so much as an educator as a direct result of Darlene’s guidance. For that, I am forever grateful.

It makes me feel incredibly disheartened to see such misguided and misinformed frustration being slung at our principal. I can understand the specific situation of a teacher, and sympathize. However this is about district policy. It important to understand that Darlene’s decisions are made with the sole purpose to protect the integrity of our children’s education at John Baldwin. Nowhere else and nothing more.

I strongly encourage anyone with questions or concerns to speak directly to us, John Baldwin staff. Let’s work together to foster a collaborative environment for our children.

[Post removed due to disrespectful comment]

[Post removed due to disrespectful comment]

As a former Baldwin parent, I can only say that Darlene Hale has my full support. She is fantastic.

Wow, good entertainment for a dull Monday night. I do not have any connection to this school but clicked the article to read the story. Then 45 minutes later I found myself sucked in by the heated comments. Two things become clear; the parents do not trust the Danville board/ principal and they value the teacher being let go.

I did chuckle reading one comment. The person identified
herself to be a teacher of the school and carried on about not fearing the principal yet, did not include his/her name to the comment. Hmm? That is odd. Make a bold statement but afraid to put your name on it?

Good luck to the parents at this school, sounds like you have some pretty tough characters you are up against. I would recommend reaching out to John. He has the best case in point. I read the article quoting the comments made by your board members and was lead to believe that something awful must be in that confidential file. You may have a crap-shoot with Character defamation.

The teacher has access to the file. Correct? Wouldn't she have the right to make the information public?

I have worked for several principals in this school district during my time in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District. I returned to this district several years ago much like Mrs. Strickler, as a probationary employee. I spent two years at Baldwin prior to receiving tenure with the district. During these two probationary years I received support not only from the staff but from Darlene Hale herself. I was not then, nor am I now, fearful of her as a leader. I have always felt completely comfortable talking with Darlene about areas of success and areas I wanted to grow. I am even comfortable going to her when I need help because I am feeling unsuccessful. I have never experienced any kind of punitive reprimand. I am not comfortable putting my name on this comment not from fear of retaliation from my principal, but fear of the district who does not work with teachers.
I am 100% confident that Ms. Hale’s decisions are always made in the best interest of the students at the school she serves. I have the utmost respect for that, because it would be so much easier for her to make decisions based on what is popular with parents, or even what is easiest on staff. Instead, she always remembers her true clients are the students of this school and she puts them above all else. I have worked for 2 other principals in this district. I was not impressed, I did not grow as an educator under their leadership. I have over fifteen years of experience teaching. I know that as in every field things change in education and I must continue learning and adapting my teaching practice to continue to be a quality educator. Darlene Hale is the only principal I have worked for in this district who has provided me opportunities to really grow my teaching practice. She pushes me to be the best teacher I can be and not rest on the accomplishments of our school or district. Instead, she supports me in my journey to provide our students with the best education I can deliver.
We teach our students to look at both sides of an argument before coming to a conclusion. We teach them to talk to all parties involved. We teach them to evaluate the facts before forming their opinion. Let it be known that not one single person has approached myself with questions or concerns about Ms. Hale's leadership in all of my time at Baldwin. Not one media outlet has interviewed any current or longstanding staff members at Baldwin. I don't know where all this "information" is coming from, but it certainly isn't from us.
I would like to echo the sentiment that has been put forward in previous comments that the disappointment and anger should be directed at the process of teacher evaluation and not placed on Darlene Hale.

I no longer have any children at Baldwin, but I can say that over the years I have had to terminate many employees. It was never a pleasant experience for me but in each case warranted and documented. How many of those terminated employees went home and told their friends and family that their firing was warranted? None. I'm sure in each case the story was presented as they were doing exemplary work with no complaints from management until The Day.
Now unless one of the handful of people who have access to this teacher's records is posting on this comment section then none of us KNOW what actually occurred over the pat year. None of us were in this teacher's reviews to know what was actually said so we should not be commenting like we were. At best you have heard rumors from the teacher in question.
I don't know if this teacher was good, bad or as I expect, someone that just didnt work out. But what I do know is that a system that makes a decision to grant near permanent status after two years is insane. I'm sure good teachers are washing out and lesser quality teachers get tenured. As a taxpayer I would prefer that the district err on the side of caution when they are granting 20+ years of employment to an individual.

As for the claim that there is a monster principal running around Danville, I find that hard to believe. If this was the case the School Board would have stepped in to address the issue. I think that the odds are good that this principal is something worse than a moster. She is a manager. Maybe we should let her manage.

This is not policy, this another power play by our Principal. If she had any compassion she would have made the decision to let Strickler go due to not fitting "THE MODEL." Instead she chose to completely cut her off from working in the district. The "hard" decision would have been the the humane one to part ways and allow Strickler to work at another school. So, to say she strives for professional development and the best for our kids, is wrong. Darlene looks out for number one- DARLENE!

I believe the teachers union is a strong one.? I believe they bargained and came to terms with the school district over these very decisions.? Including dates, where the teacher could teach if they were not elected to continue, etc.

I believe the teachers know and knew exactly the time tables involved. So I do not think anyone was blindsided here folks. Hard to swallow and a blow to the parents and kids who like them personally? Yes. But there is a business side and administrative side to this none of us know. None of us.

I may be in the minority for saying this but...at the end of the day I still trust the school officials and Principal to make the best decisions for our children. Why wouldn't they? Ms. Hale is not rogue. She has to follow the letter of the law especially in these matters. Ms. Hale is an educator. And my child is receiving a great education at JB. As did I and my 2 siblings who went to JB in the 1970-80's.

Since when are school principals supposed to be 'liked' ? Dang, I was scared ******** of mine! I can't even tell my child they'll go to the principals office if they get in trouble because they like Ms. Hale so much. It's not scary anymore. Oh the humanity.

With that said I'm a bit disturbed and disappointed, as a new parent to the district, at the verbal abuse Ms. Hale receives from parents. My mother may have not cared for Mr. Hogopian (my principle at JB). But she never called him names publicly or certainly not in front of me. She still respected his role as leader and made damn sure I respected him. No matter how harsh or scary he may have been. So lets go step back and show some respect for our administrators and leaders of our schools. We can disagree and have dialog. We can protest. We can picket. We can be loud. We can be heard. But the personal attacks on Ms. Hale are disrespectful and immature. IMHO.