The Sunnyvale Sun
Letters & Opinions
Teacher's resignation preceded board talk, president says
By AVIE KATZ
As misinformation continues to spread and divide the community regarding the resignation of a well-respected and popular teacher at Monta Vista High School, Tim Krieger, I feel it has become necessary to clear up and correct the misinformation that has been circulating regarding his decision to resign and relocate elsewhere.
Mr. Krieger's request to be considered for a position in guidance, even though he lacked the credential required for the position, never even reached the board level. Moreover, contrary to comments appearing in the press, an individual board member would not have had the power to prevent any individual from obtaining a position; it would take the votes of three board members to do so. Despite the fact that he was well liked and his work in biology and leadership was well recognized, Mr. Krieger made the personal decision to move out of the area before the board ever had a chance to discuss the guidance position.
To clear up any misunderstanding regarding credential requirements, which seem to have become a subject of discussion in the newspaper, and especially in view of the harsh requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, the American School Counselors Association strongly recommends staffing counseling or guidance positions with personnel who are trained in the area, and California requires a specific credential. The various universities that offer the coursework for such a credential require at least 48 semester units to meet the qualifications for this credential.
Legal requirements notwithstanding, some students have expressed the opinion in the newspaper that their personal rapport and prior experiences with Mr. Krieger outweigh his lack of training and a credential; however, it is important to remember that not every student and parent would feel comfortable discussing personal and private issues with someone who is not credentialed. Some have expressed the opinion in the newspaper that the district has a right to pick and choose when to place value on teaching credentials. The fact that such an opinion has even been expressed tells me that our community has a lot of work to do to clear up this misapprehension.
Last but not least, many of you will remember playing a game called "telephone" as a child. A statement is communicated to the next child in line, who communicates it to the next child in line and so on. When the statement is repeated at the end, it bears no resemblance to the original statement, although none of the children remember making any alterations, additions or subtractions to the original. As the newspaper plays this game with Mr. Krieger's resignation as the original subject of discussion, the variations and deviations from the truth become apparent. The community now needs to look past these rumors and move on.
Avie Katz is the president of the Fremont-Union High School district school board.
