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Teacher exits stir student uproar at Monta Vista

Class leaders blame politics for loss of the popular duo

By HUGH BIGGAR

A student in a purple shirt reading "You Can't Beat Matador Pride" set the tone for an acrimonious school board meeting at Fremont Union High School District headquarters July 11.

More than 20 students from Monta Vista High School, home of the Matadors, attended the meeting to express their anger with the school board.

At issue was the decision by two popular teachers, Tim Krieger and Melanie Walczak, to leave the district in protest of a district personnel decision. The district rejected Krieger's request to become a guidance resource teacher. Some speculated the denial resulted from a cheating incident seven years ago involving the daughter of the now-school board president, Avie Katz, and his wife, Monta Vista guidance resource teacher Cathy Katz.

Seven years ago, Krieger allegedly caught the daughter cheating--an incident challenged by the Katzes at the time and eventually found to be without merit. Since then, Krieger had become a highly regarded teacher and mentor, directing Monta Vista's advanced placement biology class to the top national ranking, coaching cross-country and, with Walczak, overseeing the school's leadership program.

He requested a transfer to the open guidance resource position this May. The district denied this request June 9.

In a June 25 letter to Superintendent Steve Rowley, Krieger wrote, "[District administrator Polly Bove] told me that Cathy Katz was very uncomfortable working with me because of an incident seven years ago ... . I was asked to initiate a meeting with Cathy and to apologize to her for what happened seven years ago. Polly was not sure if the apology would be accepted, but felt it was the right step in making the GRT position a potential reality."

Bove later said she was simply trying to resolve the issue. "I suggested

to Tim that he consider apologizing to his colleague,

as a possible way to mitigate the issue that existed between them," she wrote in an email.

At the meeting, Avie Katz also said Krieger was not qualified for the position.

"It's not a personal issue," Katz said. "It's about qualifications, credentials and maintaining high standards. It's like taking a social studies teacher and placing them in a biology class."

Both students and the teachers union challenged this assertion.

"Mr. Katz's suggestions [that] it's about qualifications is absurd and is a slap in the face of what the students are trying to tell you," Tom Avvakumovits, head of the Fremont Education Association, said. Avvakumovits pointed out numerous district teachers and employees are granted waivers on credentials to fill positions, or are allowed to work on credentials while in a position. He added the void created by Krieger's exit would be "cavernous" and not create a nurturing environment for education.

The Monta Vista students who spoke agreed.

"[Krieger] was the Mozart of teachers," said a Monta Vista alum, who identified himself as Jeffrey, at the meeting. "This is a huge compromise of integrity for the entire board, a complete mockery that has compromised learning."

Kim Ang, Monta Vista student body president, called the decision not to allow Krieger's transfer absurd and a huge loss for the district.

After listening to the speakers, board members said the decision was not made at the board level.

"There is a lot of misinformation," said board member Homer Tong, though he declined to be more specific.

Board member Nancy Newton said she will ask for an investigation into Krieger and Walczak's departure.

Avie Katz, in an interview after the meeting, also said he would like to see an investigation into the district's use of waivers. "[Serving as] a guidance teacher is a very serious responsibility and has to be handled well by the district to make sure the person has the proper credentials," he said. "The use of waivers in our hiring practices does a disservice to our students, and I'd like to investigate it further and see the parents support me on it."

In the meantime, both Krieger and Walczak plan to relocate to the Seattle area and Krieger plans to become an educator there.

In his letter to Rowley, Krieger thanked the Monta Vista community for its support, but added, "What I found shocking is that a couple [of] people have decided to use an event that happened seven years ago to override all the other contributions I have made to this district."

This is the second controversial loss of a district teacher in recent months. In May, Bo Cheli, a popular teacher at Homestead High School, was not asked back for the fall. In response, approximately 200 students marched from the school to district headquarters to protest. The district declined to comment at the time, stating it was a personnel issue.