Simi Board Divided Over Schools Chief Candidate

More than anything, school trustees here seek peace for their turmoil-plagued district. But what they’re facing now is out-and-out war.

The battleground is the vacant superintendent’s seat. The catalyst: candidate Dan Flynn, one of eight Head Start coordinators with Los Angeles County’s education office.

Flynn and his local backers--allied with religious conservatism--believe the Thousand Oaks father of six will serve as a calming agent to soothe the county’s biggest school district. A soccer coach and former principal of Ventura County’s court schools, Flynn, 45, is a man who cares deeply about children and their well-being, says school board President Norm Walker, the candidate’s prime supporter.

With those attributes and the help of a truncated, in-house selection process, the three trustees willing to consider Flynn could give him the schools chief job as soon as Tuesday, when the next board meeting is scheduled.

That possibility frightens some Simi Valley residents, teachers and the other two board trustees. They look at Flynn’s resume and see a candidate with scant experience and suspect a rigged selection process designed to get him into the job before others can apply.

Not to mention that he was dismissed from his post with Ventura County, in part, for violating purchasing procedures. Flynn said the dismissal was political payback for running in an election against his employer, County Supt. Charles Weis, whom Flynn later sued for $3 million. He received a $120,000 settlement.

Such baggage alone is enough to make Flynn’s candidacy suspect, some argue. Among them are 900 school district employees who have signed a petition asking the board to slow down, hire a headhunter and conduct a credible nationwide candidate search.

More troubling still, some say, are what they see as Flynn’s ties to the religious fringe--ties he vehemently denies.

“This is Norm Walker putting in his buddy from the religious right to take over our school system,” said Trustee Carla Kurachi, one of two school board members who voted against interviewing Flynn last month. “It’s the only application we’ve taken, while other people with experience, we’re not even looking at them.”

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Flynn sputters at the mere suggestion of involvement with the religious right.

“I’m Roman-Catholic,” said Flynn, who also lists on his resume membership in the evangelical Promise Keepers group. “I go to St. Jude’s. . . . We don’t focus on the Bible--what do they call it, Bible-thumping?--or all that, like they do in some evangelical Protestant religions. . . . We don’t proselytize. Wrong religion.”

Flynn’s denial rings hollow to some, given the fact that his major backer, Walker, is a conservative Christian and Baptist minister. His other vocal supporters in Ventura County include Christian conservative Marty Bates, president of the county school board, and Don Otto, president of the far-right California Republican Assembly in Simi Valley.

That’s enough to scare Simi Valley parent Sharon Hushka, who worries that hiring Flynn, combined with the school board’s conservative majority, could lead to “a limited ideology in public education--banning books, not talking about contraception, AIDS, homosexuality,” she said. “These are real issues students have to address in their real lives.”

Responds Flynn: “There is a perception that I’m some homophobic person coming in to ban books and have people kneel down and pray. That’s not where I’m coming from.”

Whatever his personal beliefs, Dan Flynn has been a magnet for political controversy since running for the county superintendent’s job in 1994. Although losing by a narrow margin, he swept eastern Ventura County cities, including Simi Valley.

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Within three weeks, he had also lost his court-school job. He soon found work in Los Angeles, though, where his sister, H. Jennifer Hartman, is the assistant superintendent for educational programs.

Raised in New Jersey and from a family of educators, Flynn said he always believed teaching was a noble calling. For two decades, he has immersed himself in it, as a social studies teacher, youth sports coach, program specialist, assistant principal and principal of court schools.

In his current job, Flynn is one of eight coordinators for the Los Angeles County education office’s Head Start division, an early childhood development program that serves low-income families.

He is part of an accountability team that monitors whether Head Start money is properly spent. The program has a budget of $115 million and oversees 18,000 children, according to Frank Lorah, manager of operations. Flynn supervises seven people and answers to three higher-ups.

A Thousand Oaks resident for 17 years, Flynn is ready to move to Simi Valley and make it his home, something former Supt. Tate Parker--ousted after five months on the job--didn’t do.

The prospect of stability in the school district is an appealing one, trustees say.

In recent years, Simi Valley Unified, with its 19,000 students and $135-million budget, has had a hard time keeping its superintendents. Whoever is chosen next will be the third person to carry the title in about a year, not including interim superintendents. Although the board often votes unanimously, a bitter 3-2 split has emerged over some touchy issues, such as whether to accept some federal funds and the mandates that come with the money.

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All of which leaves many teachers and parents wondering what on Earth the trustees are thinking to even consider hiring another contentious figure. And, they ask, why would any self-respecting educator want to walk into a 3-2 board split, when even unanimous support--such as that Parker initially received--can crumble so quickly?

A split board is an invitation to “internecine strife,” said Jeanne Adams, a Cal State Northridge professor of educational leadership and policy. “One of the first things we tell [prospective] superintendents is, ‘Learn to count to five,’ ” she said, referring to the usual number of trustees on a school board.

Hal Vick, the executive director of the Simi Valley teachers union, said a 3-2 split means “you’re one meeting--one vote--away from oblivion.”

To those concerns, Flynn has a ready response: He comes in peace.

“The reality is that you don’t need to [already] be a superintendent to be a superintendent,” he said, taking a breather between his children’s soccer games on a Saturday afternoon. “You need to have the qualities and characteristics of what a district needs when they need it. . . . Simi needs someone who can bring people together, build bridges and move in a positive direction.”

No one denies Flynn’s positive attitude.

The man with crinkly blue eyes and a lilting voice is unflinchingly nice and busy, busy, busy. But he wasn’t quite prepared for the scrutiny that accompanies many Simi Valley educational decisions.

“I thought I was just applying for a job,” he said, in a piqued voice. “I didn’t know that it would be, ‘This is your life, Dan Flynn.’ ”

Much of the scrutiny centers on his qualifications.

Like most of his contemporaries, Flynn has racked up a string of degrees. But unlike the heads of other large local school districts, Flynn lacks top administrative experience.

Aside from his current job, Flynn’s highest post to date is being principal of the three Ventura County court schools.

Hold that up to the resume of the current Simi Valley interim superintendent, Albert “Bud” Marley, a former schools chief for the Las Virgenes and Ojai unified school districts.

Or Conejo Valley Supt. Jerry Gross, who previously served as an area superintendent for the 75,000-student Long Beach Unified School District and a superintendent for special education in New York City.

Moving from court schools principal to superintendent of the county’s biggest school district is akin to jumping from law clerk to partner in a ritzy corporate firm, said County Supt. Weis.

Flynn is “just not qualified . . . no matter how nice, eager or sunny his personality,” added trustee Collins. “Maybe he has the education credentials, but he certainly hasn’t held any top administrator [posts]. If he wants to go from being a principal to being a superintendent, he should start off in a small district where he would get experience by doing everything.”

Not so, say some of Flynn’s current colleagues.

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Flynn follows all the rules and is an accountable man, said Andrew Kennedy, the Head Start division director in Los Angeles County.

“I like Dan’s style as a person,” Kennedy said. “He understands regulations and he really likes kids. For me, I think Dan would be a good superintendent that I could relate to.”

Nor has Flynn committed any procedural or purchasing errors during his stint at Head Start, Kennedy said.

And, he added: “I haven’t heard any complaints about religion playing into his decisions. And we work with people with diverse needs, with almost every culture under the sun.”

Among Flynn’s stack of recommendation letters are those from two of his other bosses and Michaelene Wagner, a Los Angeles County Board of Education member.

The possibility that the sandy-haired Republican would make a leap from principal to superintendent does not concern Wagner in the least.

“You have to start somewhere,” she said. “If you have knowledge and training and desire and integrity, you can set your mind and do anything right. Dan Flynn has all those things.”

What he lacks, some critics say, are other vital managerial skills: keeping track of details and holding his employees accountable.

Witness a purchasing snafu nearly four years ago, one that still riles Phil Gore, the former court schools director and Flynn’s boss at the time.

In that 1993 incident--one of several that led to Flynn’s dismissal--he hired a former juvenile offender and family friend to set up his school’s computer network.

When the youth, then a university student studying computer technology, went to purchase the hardware and software, he bought about $11,000 worth of material, Flynn recounted. The purchasing order--signed by Flynn--only allowed the student to spend $4,100.

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According to records released by Flynn, the additional materials--which the youth said he borrowed “on demo”--did not wind up in the court schools’ classrooms but went back to college with the young man.

After a month or so, Flynn said, he persuaded the student to return the materials and pay the difference for that which was not refundable. As punishment for his judgment and lack of oversight, Flynn said he was reprimanded and suspended for a day without pay.

“It was my watch,” Flynn said. “If it goes down on my watch, I take responsibility. . . . Would I ever not use a student at risk like that [again]? No. If I did, I don’t know where we’d be.”

The incident--which Gore dubs a “humongous mess”--is indicative of something more serious, he said.

“You will see patterns, not working well with other people or not checking with the appropriate person,” he said. “I mean, if you’re not sure, then call the person in charge of purchasing and have them tell you how to do it.”

A more recent slip-up involves Flynn’s delinquent candidate’s account from his 1994 election bid. More than two years behind in filing campaign disclosure statements, Flynn and his treasurer only closed the account two weeks ago after inquiries from The Times.

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“To be fair, Dan’s been hounding me to close his account for months,” said Flynn’s volunteer campaign treasurer and church buddy Daniel Fasani.”But I’ve been so busy at work I didn’t have a chance. Last week, though, he told me he really had to have it closed. Not so much because of the newspaper but because he wanted everything cleared up in order to get the job.”

Flynn’s campaign disclosure forms also showed he accepted a contribution that exceeded the county’s legal limit of $750, according to a letter sent by election officials to the district attorney’s office in July. Prosecutors would not say whether they were investigating the matter.

On June 1, 1994, Flynn’s forms show that Jill Lederer, the Domino’s pizza owner who has contributed more than $170,000 to recall Thousand Oaks City Councilwoman Elois Zeanah, donated $1,424 in pizza coupons.

Flynn’s political consultants, McNally Temple Assoc. Inc. in Sacramento, also forgave him fees of nearly $11,000, Flynn’s records show. That gift also exceeds county limits.

Also troubling, said teachers union President Ginny Jannotto, is the fact that Flynn has introduced himself to several teachers as the next superintendent of schools. The five-member school board, though, has yet to make a final decision.

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Pointing to a page in the goals section of his day planner that reads, “I am VCSS/Simi Superintendent of Schools. Working for the children,” Flynn chalks those statements up to optimism.

“If I have introduced myself as that, it’s a fine line,” he said. “I try to work through projecting and visualizing. . . . I’m a humble candidate. If I come on too strong for some groups, I apologize.”

Having received a call from Flynn requesting a get-reacquainted meeting as the next Simi superintendent, County Supt. Weis is disturbed.

“Dan Flynn has a real problem differentiating truth from fiction,” he said.

Given the host of concerns, many in this conservative, blue-collar city are asking the trustees to use restraint.

“I don’t see his qualifications as such that other people are beating down his door,” Jannotto said. “We have an excellent interim superintendent doing a fantastic job bringing calm to the district. We don’t need to rush; we need to do this right.”

Kate Folmar is a Times staff writer and Lisa Fernandez is a correspondent.

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Profile of Daniel A. Flynn

Age: 45

Occupation: Head Start coordinator with Los Angeles County Office of Education.

Education: Doctorate in educational policy and planning from USC; master’s degree in special education, University of San Francisco; bachelor’s degree in social studies, Trenton State College, New Jersey.

Background: Before becoming a Head Start coordinator, Flynn was the court schools principal with the Ventura County superintendent of schools office. He was dismissed from the post in 1994. Flynn said his dismissal was political payback for running against Supt. Charles Weis; Weis and others say Flynn was let go for circumventing purchsaing procedures. Flynn has alsobeen an assistant pricipal, program specialist and mentor teacher in Los Angeles in his 20 years as an educator.

Family: Thousand Oaks resident, father of five girls and one boy.

Affilations: Rotary Club, Promise Keepers, St. Jude’s Catholic church site council, Westlake High School site council, Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency, booster clubs, PTAs and youth sports.