Blog: The Case Against the Deborah Collins Petitions

In recent days, several people in town have been circulating petitions to demand that the Monrovia Unified School District "Stop spending unnecessary money and hire Debbie Collins as the Superintendent of the Monrovia Unified School District."

It is obvious, speaking to some of the circulators, that they are quite passionate about the matter and strongly support her.  With this in mind, I would like to ask them to do something: stop.  Stop making this demand. You are creating multiple no-win scenarios.

Let me preface this by saying that, to my knowledge, I've never personally met Debbie Collins.  I know absolutely nothing negative of her, and have heard only good things from the (albeit small group of) folks I've spoken to.  I respect that people feel emotionally attached to her and passionate about her record of service in the community. Should she be nominated the through the MUSD Board's process, I would fully support her.  

But that is the key word: The process.

As we discovered in the recent City Council election (in which I was a write-in candidate and the only opposition), there is value in the process.  As Council Member Becky Shevlin described her experience in being an appointed (as opposed to elected) council member (in her first fractional term), she felt like a second class member.  Despite finishing a strong third in the election, she clearly felt slightly "different" on the council, a situation that was rectified two years later when she successfully defended her seat out-right in the subsequent election.

Ironically, the argument against having a council election was much the same:  the winner is obvious and the cost too expensive. 

The council made the right decision by going forward with the standard process, and the board should do the same. 

If the board were to accept the petition's demand and 'hand-pick' the local favorite, Collins would always have that burden. It would be magnified by the fact that she previously applied for the selection process and was not hired, and she would never have a vetting in a re-election, as Shevlin did. 

This is the kind of thing that will place in a new light every controversial decision, every spat between her and the board and every law suit the district might face on unrelated matters.  You can almost hear the plaintiff's counsel: "Ms. Collins, you weren't really hired based on your qualifications when my client was fired, you were just handed the job because the school board was bullied by a group of parents, isn't that true?"

These scenarios alone should be reason for the board to reject the petition and move forward with an honest selection process as it has done for every other superintendent. And, similarly, these scenarios should give the circulators pause to put those petitions on a shelf somewhere, and let them gather dust. (Note I didn't say shred, just shelve).

If the board ignores the petition, and the process results in someone other than Collins being hired, the district's new leader will face an extremely uncomfortable situation, joining with active, knee-jerk opposition already lined-up, regardless of his/her qualification. It would be a nearly non-functioning situation. And, how would such a superintendent deal with a parent who signed the petition?  

Keep in mind, the fact that if the board hires such a person over Ms. Collins implies that he or she was more qualified, objectively.

Now, there is a time and a place for this kind of involvement.  If people have something to say in support of a candidate, that voice should be heard.  If Ms. Collins makes it to the final round of a proper selection, then the community's sentiment and local ties are a fair tie-breaker.  But that alone should not 

Monrovians deserve the best school leadership possible, and that requires an objective process to hire that leadership

Injecting emotion and bizzarre political undertones into such a decision is the exact opposite of what Monrovia -- or Deborah Collins -- need.