My last column provided district-supplied data showing that enrollment in the Del Mar Union School District has been declining steadily for the past 10 years.
Given that data – and that more than 900 empty seats are available at eight schools in the district – some question why the rebuild of the deteriorating Del Mar Heights School, the district’s ninth, was planned for such a large capacity.
I asked DMUSD board for comments. The only trustee to reply was Katherine Fitzpatrick who said in an email, “The enrollment projections we were given were always higher. It always bothered me because they used it as a reason to not fund TK [transitional kindergarten]. I took issue with the accuracy of the projections.”
Fitzpatrick was first elected to the DMUSD board in 2018.
DMUSD Superintendent Holly McClurg said in an email, “With regard to our facility planning, we go through an extensive public process on each and every project, taking into consideration the needs of our students, our staff, and the surrounding community. All of this is done in a public, transparent manner and is openly discussed at board meetings for anyone to attend.”
In another non-response from all board except Fitzpatrick, an email was sent to all trustees and McClurg, asking why the district’s monthly warrants reports never show who receives the payments and the amounts paid.
As pointed out by activist Janice Holowka, other nearby school districts disclose this information to the public, including the Solana Beach, Encinitas Union, Rancho Santa Fe, Carlsbad Unified and San Dieguito Union High school districts.
Yet the DMUSD board routinely approves these warrants that don’t reveal who is getting paid and for how much.
“DMUSD not disclosing pertinent information related to the Commercial Warrant Listing raises suspicion,” Holowka wrote in a letter to the board of trustees.
“As the board cannot know who was paid, or the invoice amount that was paid, by warrant number, it seems negligent for board to ratify the warrant listings,” she said in her letter.
Holowka asked that the board “cease and desist … putting its Commercial Warrant Listings in a manner that deprives the public of knowing who DMUSD has paid and the amounts that were paid by warrant number, and that DMUSD also acts to ‘cure and correct’ its prior Commercial Warrants Listings.”
Fitzpatrick said in an email, “I have been asking for more transparency on the warrants lists for years, to no avail. DMUSD does what they want despite what is best practice across the state.”
How the district handles its warrants reports may technically be legal, but that doesn’t make it right. Public agencies are never criticized for providing extra transparency.
There was no comment on this issue from McClurg.
Student speakers
Public speakers at the DMUSD’s Sept. 13 board meeting included two young students who addressed the subject of bullying.
A student who attended Del Mar’s Ashley Falls School in sixth grade, and who currently attends San Dieguito Union High School District’s Canyon Crest Academy, advocated for more for special education students and more decisive action to stop bullying.
At Ashley Falls, “I ended up suffering from debilitating anxiety and depression as a 12-year-old and felt uned on campus,” the student said.
“Hate starts at the elementary level … and grows and festers into what is seen on high school and middle school campuses,” the student said.
“Many students learn that there are no repercussions for yelling a slur casually on campus, [that] they are allowed to let the behavior continue. That needs to end.”
A fifth-grader at Del Mar Hills School told board that little is being done to control bullying and teasing at the school.
“I am here today to let you know that there are some kids at the school who constantly use bad language like making fun of Jewish kids like me or using the n-word for Black people or f-word for gay people,” said the student. “There are also some kids who physically hurt others over and over again.”
The student said that telling the principal and teacher “doesn’t help to put a stop to things. I know lots of moms and dads have asked the school to put a stop to the hateful actions, but nothing is being done. Can you please help?”
I asked McClurg for her reaction.
“Like all district schools, Del Mar Hills Academy and its staff, including its principal and teachers, are deeply committed to every student’s and staff member’s right to a safe and secure learning and working environment, free of humiliation, intimidation, fear, harassment, or any form of bullying behavior.”
She said the district has “a multitude of measures to ensure a positive learning and working environment at all district schools. On the very rare occasion that we receive a bullying or harassment allegation, we follow our investigation procedures and immediately investigate the allegation. When we discover concerns through our investigation procedures, we immediately implement corrective actions to address those concerns.”
McClurg said the district investigated the claims made by the fifth-grade student “and found that staff acted appropriately and in strict conformity with our high expectations.”
She said specific information related to the investigation cannot be shared due to privacy concerns.
At the district’s Oct. 25 board meeting, all eight speakers on non-agenda items praised the work of Del Mar Hills principal Andrea Sleet. Five were current Hills educators, one a former Hills teacher and one a Hills parent. Sleet’s husband also spoke.
All speakers, some in tears, had common themes: that under Sleet’s leadership, hate and prejudice are not tolerated, proper protocol is followed when issues do arise, help is provided to children who make mistakes when unkind words are said, the students love their principal, and adults at the Hills are committed to creating a nurturing environment.
It’s unclear what triggered this massive show of for the Hills principal, but it’s reasonable to assume that others besides this one student have made complaints.
The sinister effects of uncontrolled bullying and name-calling can last a lifetime for vulnerable children who look to adults for relief. Hopefully, these types of issues are indeed being addressed with sensitivity and comfort to students victimized by bullying and harassment, as the district claims.
What’s regrettable, however, is that no trustees or DMUSD staff publicly acknowledged the hurt that forced this brave fifth-grader to come before the board last September and plead for help.
Even if the situation was handled well, recognition of the courage it took for this student, whose suffering was clearly real and painful, might have been offered and would surely have been welcomed by the student and the student’s family.
Foundation donations
When DMUSD parents donate to the Del Mar Schools Education Foundation, they are advised that all the money goes to fund science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) programs.
A June 5, 2023 press release announced with great fanfare a gift of $1,130,000 from the DMSEF to the DMUSD.
Because some parents have expressed concerns, I asked if all the DMSEF money is allocated to STEAM+ even though it’s placed in the district’s general fund.
Money in the general fund can typically be used for any purpose, with some constraints.
“All staff salaries are paid from the general fund. So after the DMSEF donates funds to the district, they are deposited into the general fund to pay for STEAM+ salaries,” said Chris Delehanty, DMUSD’s assistant superintendent for business services, in an email.
“All DMSEF funds are earmarked for STEAM+ staff salaries.”
“The district has and will continue to use all money donated to the Del Mar Schools Education Foundation for credentialed STEAM+ teachers’ salaries,” McClurg said in an email.
To underscore her point, the Del Mar Schools Education Foundation recently was awarded the 2023 GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency.
A statement on the DMSEF website states that the foundation is pleased to have earned this award.
“This places DMSEF in the top 0.1% of nonprofits for providing information about our work. This seal reflects our commitment to share our story, tell our community how we operate, and how we plan to use the funds that are raised. It is our goal to be as transparent as possible about our operations, costs, and how we DMUSD.”
Opinion columnist and education writer Marsha Sutton can be reached at [email protected].
Marsha Sutton is a columnist and presents her opinion. If you disagree or agree with her opinion, we’d like to hear from you. Email your comment to editor@delmartimes.net.
Column: Combines reporting, storytelling and commentary to make a point. Unlike reporters, columnists are allowed to include their opinions. Columnists in the Union-Tribune Community Press are identified clearly to set them apart from news reporters.
