The Dolores school board and staff held a special meeting Oct. 9 at the Dolores Community Center to allow residents to share concerns and ask Superintendent Lis Richard questions about the district’s hiring practices.
The meeting was called a few months after Justin Schmitt – one of 11 defendants in a $50 million charter school fraud case in San Diego – was hired as dean of the secondary school. Parents and residents raised questions about why and how Schmitt was selected in the midst of a nationally reported indictment. Overall, the indictment lists criminal counts including conspiracy, misappropriation of public funds, paying for student information and conflict of interest.
The forum was moderated by school attorney Brad Miller, whose legal services were approved by the board Aug. 15, and who came from Colorado Springs for the meeting. He introduced himself, spoke to Richard’s qualifications as an educator and leader and addressed the Schmitt case before opening up the floor for questions.
Miller said he had met Schmitt previously, in enterprises unrelated to Academics Arts and Action Charter Academies, the company named in the San Diego indictment. He said he had known Schmitt to be a “good educator and a good man,” and that he believed Schmitt will be cleared.
“While there won’t be any clear resolution until probably spring of this school year, I would not hesitate to represent that I believe that he will not end up being kept in the charges,” Miller said. “But I can’t promise you that, because I’m not his lawyer or any of those guys’ lawyers.”
Miller emphasized the allegations were all related to finances and had nothing to do with interactions with students or parents.
“This is nothing about human interactions at all,” he said. “It has to do with his role within a company that more likely than not did some things that were inappropriate with finance.”
The indictment alleges that Schmitt was involved in several components of the fraud and accuses him of multiple counts of conspiracy to commit a crime and misappropriation of public money.
His lawyer, Eric Beste, working for Barnes & Thornburgh LLP of San Diego, has said he could not comment on much of Schmitt’s case because of the ongoing litigation, but he emphasized that Schmitt was a salaried employee and not an A3 business owner. He added that Schmitt pleaded not guilty.
Most of the questions from parents and community members revolved around hiring processes. Parents requested transparency on the process and interview committee selection, particularly to fill the recently vacated principal position.
Superintendent Richard explained how the principal hiring process had been conducted so far. They opened up the application the day after former Dolores Secondary School Principal Jen Hufman announced her resignation and found four viable candidates. Fourteen people were on the interview committee, which included teachers and parents.
Two candidates – including Schmitt – withdrew their applications, and two were interviewed, she said. When asked how the selection committee was picked, Richard replied that she had heard a few names around the community, and then contacted them.
“The secondary teachers would like to have somebody in place, but they are not excited about getting the wrong somebody,” Richard said.
Some attendees said in the future they would like to see a broader call for participation. Richard said she understood and added that community members were welcome to sit in on interviews if they wished.
At the following night’s meeting of the Dolores School District RE-4A Board of Education, the board decided unanimously to appoint Richard as interim principal for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year. Board members plan to reopen the application process in January 2020.
Other issues that arose at the forum were the need for an elementary school counselor, decreasing district enrollment and increased data reporting requirements imposed by the state.
ealvero@the-journal.com
