What a gal. It’s only too bad that our local newspaper didn’t tell us the whole story here. So why did they bring it up in the first place?
A senior member of the Glendale Unified planning and facilities team — hired last year to usher through millions of dollars in capital improvement projects funded by Measure S — has left the district, officials confirmed this week. Margaret Brown resigned from her position as administrator of planning, development and facilities on Jan. 17 for “personal reasons,” said Assistant Supt. for Human Resources David Samuelson. He declined to elaborate on what precipitated the departure, citing personnel privacy laws, but on Monday, Glendale school board President Joylene Wagner said that after roughly seven months, Brown’s relationship with the district “didn’t work.” Brown’s exit marks the second time in three years she has left a school district while helping to process a large bond-funded construction schedule. In 2010, she resigned from a similar position at the San Ramon Valley Unified School District amid complaints of sexual harassment lodged by four male colleagues. Brown received a $200,000 payout from the Northern California school district when she left after five years on the job, according to a lawsuit filed by one of the plaintiffs in July 2010. As part of her departure from Glendale Unified, Brown will receive severance pay, but officials declined to disclose the amount… Glendale Unified officials acknowledged they were aware of the allegations of misconduct when they hired Brown in June, but said that after being put through a comprehensive application and interview process, she emerged as a top candidate. “We called all of our references and all of our people and vetted completely and felt comfortable recommending to the board that she be hired,” Samuelson said.
Wow, she sounds like a real vixen. We gotta find her picture.
But wouldn’t it have been nice if the News Press had told us the whole story, instead of ending with Glendale’s bafflement and claims of innocence? After all, they brought it up, and they do have Google, no?
But the rest of the story would have made Glendale look pretty bad, yes. Even reckless. And so they titillate, and then they ignore.
Direct from San Ramon– and sadly, this kind of behavior is all too common in the educational world. It’s full of martinets these days.
The San Ramon Valley Unified School District is fighting a lawsuit by a former employee claiming he was harassed, subjected to unwanted sexual comments by a female superior, was discriminated against for being a man and ultimately fired for complaining about it all. Twenty-year district employee James Faith, 52, of Discovery Bay, contends that Margaret Brown – the former assistant superintendent of facilities development with the San Ramon district – made sexual remarks to him and others, received “kickbacks” from vendors and misused district money, among other things. She now works in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Faith said the harassment started on Brown’s first day on the job in April 2005, when she allegedly asked why he was wearing slacks. “You can wear jeans if you have a nice butt,” Brown said, according to Faith’s complaint filed July 12 in Contra Costa County Superior Court. The complaint contends that Brown created a hostile work environment in which she cowed employees, forced them to perform personal errands for her and do other tasks that were not part of their job descriptions. By October 2008, the suit contends, Brown was threatening: “I will bury anyone who crosses me.” She resigned her $230,000 position with the district in January this year with a $200,000 severance, according to Faith’s complaint. Brown is now director of facilities contracts with the Los Angeles school district. When contacted by a Patch reporter at her Los Angeles office, Brown — who is listed in the district’s directory as “Margie” Brown – said she was not served with the lawsuit and refused to comment. But Faith’s Walnut Creek-based attorney, Jeffrey Allen, said he sent two certified letters with the complaint and neither has been returned. He said the Los Angeles school district blocked his process servers from entering the building. There was some discussion of a settlemen, said San Ramon Valley Unified School District spokesperson Terry Koehne, but the district decided “it is not in our best interest to settle with Mr. Faith.” “This will actually go to trial,” Koehne said, then referred questions to district lawyer Louis Leone, who could not be reached for comment. Faith’s lawsuit is the latest in a string of similar complaints levied against Brown by district employees, but the first to be formally challenged by the district. In April, the district — after consulting with its lawyer and an insurance representative — made a “business decision” to not fight similar complaints against Brown, said school board President Rachel Hurd. Instead, they settled complaints by three other ex-employees against Brown for nearly $1 million. “Without assuming liability, the district decided to agree on a settlement” in April, Koehne said. Quietly, and without media notice, former construction project manager Robbie Lyng got $300,000. Senior project manager Steve Bautista got $300,000. And former clerical worker Shannon Hendricks got $350,000. Under condition of the settlement, they cannot comment. Their lawyer – Jeffrey Allen, who represents Faith – refused to comment on the settlement. Faith is seeking damages based on a salary of $110,000 a year, lost earnings, legal fees, compensation for emotional and physical distress, punitive damages, full back-pay with benefits and to be rehired. He also wants a written apology. “This poor guy worked his way up from, basically, the mailroom to run million-dollar construction projects, and then this woman comes along and destroys his life,” Allen said. Faith claims he was forced out of his job by Brown “because he stood up and spoke out against the illegal, unethical, harassing and discriminating practices” that took place between April 2005, when Brown was hired, and Oct. 20, 2008, when Faith was fired. Faith contends Brown’s sexual comments weren’t limited to men. Brown allegedly teased a female employee about her and her husband’s difficulties conceiving a child. She allegedly suggested that some of the women in her office wear shorter skirts or lower-cut blouses to enhance “rapport” with male vendors. But the district contends Faith’s charges are unfounded, citing an investigation that concluded in spring 2007 showing there were “no facts to support the allegations,” reads Faith’s lawsuit. Faith’s complaint reads that the investigation and no-fault finding were a cover-up and that serious harassment began soon after the investigation, with Brown using a subordinate to spy on Faith and the others. Ultimately, Faith claims his job description was changed, his position eliminated and that he was forced out by October 2008. Koehne said that the truth will come out in court. Faith’s lawyer said he figures the truth is on his side. “Jim’s story is corroborated by a number of witnesses,” Allen said. “A number of people heard those statements at meetings that were attended by many. The evidence is on his side.”
Your tax dollars at work, folks. Assholes love assholes– and as always, we’re stuck paying their bills.
