Ed officials hear earful about Jeehdeez'a

 

Two officials from the Department of Diné Education got an unexpected earful from community members here Oct. 14 when they showed up to consult with the principal and school board of Jeehdeez'a Academy Inc. about complaints from a citizens' group.

"I thought we were just going to meet with the principal and the school board members," said Timothy Benally, assistant superintendent of schools for the Navajo Nation. "When I got there, there was a big group waiting for us."

Benally and Laura Wallace with DODE's Office of Monitoring, Evaluation and Technical Assistance spent several hours listening to the public before meeting privately with school administrators.

While some community members voiced support for Principal Donald Harvey and school board President Sarah Attakai, the majority elaborated on a list of 26 complaints about the school's administration that had been sent to DODE by a group calling itself Jeehdeez'a Stakeholders.

Among their concerns: excessive travel and training expenses; no minutes or advance notice of school board meetings; failure to release financial information; and nepotism in hiring.

Some of the stakeholders are former teachers at the academy who were fired in a massive restructuring effort this past summer and replaced with teachers who are certified or considered highly qualified by the state of Arizona.

Nearly a third of the faculty was kept on, however, causing the stakeholders to question why teachers whose students never met adequate yearly progress guidelines under No Child Left Behind should be retained.

"You keep the same old teachers and expect things to change!" charged one parent.

Jeehdeez'a has never met AYP and is in its fifth year of restructuring. It is considered an "SOS" (system of support) school by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Education, meaning it is under strict scrutiny.

Low Mountain Chapter passed a resolution Aug. 19 recommending a "non-emergency intervention" by DODE, the Navajo Nation Board of Education and superintendent, the BIE, the Diné bi'Olta School Board Association and the Education Committee of the Navajo Nation Council to address problems at the school.

Council Delegate Larry Noble (Jeddito/Steamboat/Low Mountain), however, urged the Stakeholders to give the school's new administration, which just took over in August, a chance to make some changes.

"We need to give them a chance to at least set up a sturdy foundation, then go from there," he said.

Parent Advisory Committee President Verdia Garcia told the parents in the group that if they want change, they should join the committee and volunteer at the school.

"You gotta do your part too," she said.

During the meeting, Harvey did hand over the board meeting minutes since January to the Stakeholders, but many names were whited out. Attakai said that's because some things were discussed that should have been reserved for executive session.

Harvey said he had not revealed the current fiscal year's budget because it has yet to be approved.

Attakai characterized some of the Stakeholders' complaints as gossip.

"Jiní, jiní,  jiní (they say)," she said. "I think every school, no matter where it's at, everybody has problems. There's not a school that's perfect."

She acknowledged there had been overspending on travel and stipends in the past, but "Mr. Harvey put his foot down."

The academy is behind on bookkeeping and won't know exactly where it stands until the 2008 audit is performed, which is in progress now, she said.

She noted that figures presented at the meeting by reading coach Caroline Johnson indicated a slight upward trend already in the school's first semester.

"We've made a little benchmark here," she said. "Give us a chance."

For the first time in the school's history, she added, there's a highly qualified teacher in every classroom.

Benally said the day after the meeting he and Wallace had admonished the school's administration to do a better job communicating with the parents and the community.

"Everything I heard in that meeting boiled down to a lack of communication," he said.

He added he will be in phone communication with Harvey and "probably make another visit in a couple of months to see what has been done."

But Rose Ann Charley, secretary/treasurer and spokesperson for the Stakeholders, said she's skeptical.

"I don't see anything changing here," she said.

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