Critics Say Supt. Flynn Had Conservative Agenda

Critics and supporters of ousted school Supt. Dan Flynn traded charges the day after his sudden resignation, with two trustees saying the schools chief sought to push a conservative agenda in the classroom.

“Flynn had a plan to reorganize,” said trustee Carla Kurachi, one of Flynn’s staunchest foes. “He was one step away from taking over the curriculum.”

But in an interview from his home, Flynn, who surrendered his job under board pressure Thursday afternoon, denied those claims.

“I know Carla would love to believe it, but there were not any conspiracy theories going on here,” he said.

Flynn, the Simi Valley Unified School District’s seventh permanent or temporary superintendent in as many years, reluctantly left his post three months after he was hired on a divided vote.

He said he was facing a negative evaluation in March and didn’t want to work for a majority of trustees who lacked trust in him.

But others say he negotiated a deal with a board that otherwise would have fired him, extracting $16,000 more in severance pay than his contract provided.

Flynn’s departure became public Thursday night after trustees, in a special meeting, accepted his resignation on a 3-2 vote.

Kurachi and trustees Diane Collins and Janice DiFatta voted to accept the resignation and pay him through June.

Trustees Norm Walker and Caesar Julian opposed Flynn’s resignation, arguing that Flynn needed more time on the job to prove himself.

DiFatta, who had joined Flynn’s backers in a 3-2 board vote to appoint him last fall, has declined to say what changed her mind about Flynn.

But Kurachi, Collins and teachers union President Ginny Jannotto said DiFatta had come to agree with them that Flynn planned to make changes inspired by ideology, rather than professional considerations.

All three said Flynn was planning to create a new district position, a director of curriculum, and that Flynn had already chosen a person with conservative values for the slot over the objections of district staff.

That person, they feared, would develop a curriculum that included eliminating multiculturalism and sex education and adding creationism. All three women said they heard Flynn telling his reorganization plan to DiFatta at a recent luncheon.

Flynn was operating at the behest of Walker and members of the California Republican Assembly, a conservative group active in district issues, critics say.

“Once you open the floodgates to the teachings of the CRA, curriculum decisions are made on party platforms,” Jannotto said.

“It was obvious that Dan hadn’t been around long enough to come up with this idea on his own,” Jannotto said.

Kurachi agreed that she was under the impression that Flynn was never his own man. Walker and Don Otto, president of the assembly, “were pulling the strings,” she said.

Flynn denies that he ever was Walker’s pawn.

As an example of his nonpartisan thinking, Flynn pointed to this week’s board meeting. That night he recommended the board approve a reimbursement contract with Medi-Cal, which some conservatives oppose, in part, because of the strings they fear come with accepting federal money.

Neither Julian nor Walker could be reached Friday. But at the board meeting, Walker accused Kurachi of political paranoia.

“You and Hillary,” he said, referring to the first lady, “any time you don’t like something, you think it’s a right-wing conspiracy.”

Supporters of Flynn were angry at DiFatta’s decision to join two on the board who were critical of the superintendent.

“I’m very upset with Janice,” said Otto. “This is a very sad day for Republicans in this town, especially in the shadow of the Ronald Reagan library.”

He scoffed at the idea that the school board and its superintendent are nonpolitical positions.

“That’s just not true,” he said. “Face it. The ideas of a Republican and those of a Democrat are different.”

Otto said he fears that a nationwide search for a new superintendent will draw a pool of candidates more heavily weighted toward the “bureaucrat, Democrat” kind of candidate.

DiFatta said she feels comfortable with her decision to accept Flynn’s resignation.

“I am still a Republican,” she said. “I’m sorry they had a misconception of my obligation. But you’re not doing your job if you support one agenda over another.”

Controversy surrounds not only why Flynn left his job, but how.

Although Flynn’s contract provides him two months’ pay--at $8,000 a month--if he is fired, trustees agreed to pay him for four months instead.

Kurachi said the extra payment was necessary because Walker had verbally assured Flynn that he would work in the district for a long time. Because of this assurance, Flynn might have had a good case for a lawsuit against trustees based on that promise, she said.

Flynn scoffed at the idea. “I’ve never heard of that,” he said, adding that trustees gave him the extra two months’ pay because “they are good people.”

But at least one parent was fuming about the deal.

“They spent $81,000 to buy out Tate Parker and almost $40,000 for this one,” said Mike Murphy. “So we’ve just thrown out $120,000 that could have paid for three teachers, or all kinds of instructional materials.”