The entire Oakley Union Elementary School District school board abruptly resigned on Friday, two days after members were caught by an open microphone denouncing parents and using profane language at the start of a virtual board meeting.
The loss of the school board in the city of Contra Costa County prompted the county board of education to immediately appoint two of its members to temporarily oversee the district. A nominated third party is pending. The temporary board will remain in effect until new school board members are elected or appointed, said school district superintendent Greg Hetrick.
The crisis for the district comes amid the closure of coronavirus schools and as parents press their local councils to reopen schools.
It was this problem that led to comments from the open mic on Wednesday. Before the official start of the meeting, council members casually talked about parents who complained about children still in distance learning. They did not realize as they spoke that the online meeting was already open to the public and that their comments could be heard by others.
Council President Lisa Brizendine commented that “it’s really a shame that they have to chase us because they want their nannies back.” Other board members agreed. One used profanity when referring to a father and the group laughed while mocking the parents.
At one point, a listener sent a message to the group to say that their comments were being heard.
“Nah-uh,” said Brizendine. Then, realizing that the comments were heard, she said sarcastically, “Great.”
The video of the meeting, which was later posted on YouTube, caused a furor among parents and generated a petition calling for the resignation of the board members involved.
In a letter on Friday addressed to families in the district, Hetrick said that Brizendine and the other council members, Kim Beede, Erica Ippolito and Richie Masadas, had submitted their resignations. A fifth place on the board was vacant.
Beede, Ippolito and Masadas issued a joint statement saying that they “deeply regret the comments that were made at the Education Council meeting earlier this week”.
“As trustees, we realize that it is our responsibility to model the conduct we expect from our students and staff, and it is our obligation to build trust in the district’s leadership; our comments failed on both counts, so we offer our sincere apologies, ”they wrote.
Hetrick called the comments “unhappy and truly inadequate”. He said the school district will continue to strive to “bring our students back to school”.
On the Friday after the resignations, county council chairwoman Annette Lewis appointed herself and county council member Mike Maxwell to the Oakley school board.
“I look forward to working with the community (Oakley) to determine the best course of action to fill these vacancies with people who will represent the best interests of students, families, teachers and school staff,” said Lewis.
Oakley’s board needs three members to have a quorum. The third vacancy will be filled by the municipal councilors Consuelo Lara or Alaina Villeda.
Brizendine did not respond to emails and phone calls seeking comment on Friday.
She apologized for the comments she described as “insensitive and unnecessary” in a statement provided to KTVU News. She said she is raising a son with special needs while holding two jobs, describing the situation as “major stress”.
Michael Williams is a writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @michaeldamianw