In less than a month, teachers and students will be returning to the classroom, facing a new school year with fewer resources, larger class sizes, and a district leader who will continue to draw his exorbitant salary because he refuses to do the honorable act of resigning.
At the July 29 meeting, the Newberg School District moved to terminate Dr. Stephen Phillips, giving him a one-year notice that his services (such as they are) will no longer be needed in the district. A clause in his contract demands that Phillips be notified one year in advance of any termination, and that he continue to be paid during that stretch.
Phillips has been on Family/Medical Leave since June, just as news broke about the $11 million budget shortfall. Although he will return to the district on Sept. 4, he will no longer serve as superintendent; he will be reassigned to another position. Given the hash he’s made of our schools, it seems like the honorable thing to do would be for Phillips to resign, freeing up resources that could be used in the classroom, and for children.
This unwillingness to resign is a boondoggle for Phillips, but not for the schools he was presumably hired to “save” nor for the children he was presumably hired to “protect.” Saving and protecting children were the previous school board’s rationale for choosing Phillips as the district’s leader, after all, and yet Phillips managed to squander the district’s resources, and saddle next year’s budget with a $11 million deficit after a year of bragging that our schools were thriving financially.
But hey, at least he’ll continue to get paid for another year!
In the meantime, a cadre of retired school employees have done the honorable thing, serving the district for free this summer to right a sinking ship. Former Superintendent Paula Radich, operating under a contract that promises no compensation, has worked to untangle a budget gone wrong, making painful cuts to personnel, and trying to save our schools, protecting students from even more chaos so they can learn. She’s been joined by several others, including Claudia Stewart, who is providing much-needed communications in the district; and Lesley Carsley, who is studying why so many families left the district, and what we can do to bring them back.
As noted, they are doing this labor for free, a marked contrast from the superintendent, who isn’t laboring much at all, but remains the best-paid employee in the district. Still, we’ve heard rumors that Phillips and his deputy superintendent are being encouraged to sue the district for wrongful termination, because nothing says saving our schools more than making the district go through several more costly lawsuits.
We imagine that at the next school board meeting on August 13, supporters of Phillips et al. will be present to excoriate the board for firing Phillips. The same supporters might praise Phillips for the work he’s done, making it seem like his firing was unjust. We worry that these supporters might sow more chaos by suggesting that Radich’s work is somehow scornful or even illegal (we’ve seen innuendos about this in Newberg’s online spaces).
At this time, as students and teachers prepare to re-enter the schools, it’s more important than ever to offer your support, providing a counternarrative to those who think Phillips has been treated unjustly, and who see the board and Radich as villains.
To that end, here are several action steps you can take this week:
- Attend the school board meeting on August 13 and offer public comment, supporting the current board and Raditch’s efforts, and reminding the community of what Phillips et al. has done to undermine our schools.
- Send thank you notes to the district office, especially Dr. Radich, letting them know that you appreciate the work they’ve done to really save our schools.
- Send emails to board members, expressing your appreciation for the very difficult decisions they’ve made this summer to right our school district. You can find their email addresses here.
Finally, we want to encourage you all to reach out to teachers and employees in the district. They are in a very difficult season, and need all our support.
We are turning over a new page in Newberg Schools this fall, and it’s time to start writing a new story, where children and teachers take center stage, and those who have damaged our district so gravely no longer have a role.
Newberg Neighbors for a Better Community 