School Board Takes No Action on Carson

A group of over 50 parents, teachers and school support staff members were out in force Thursday at the Belmont-Redwood Shores School District board of trustees meeting in a show of support for Ralston Middle School principal Scott Carson.

Carson, who has served as principal at the Belmont middle school since the fall of 2012, was told last month that his contract would not be renewed. No reason for Carson’s termination has been given.

Due to a scheduling conflict, Carson, did not attend the meeting.

 “The teachers love him,” said Mary Natoli, who teaches English at the middle school.

“He’s supportive of us and has brought the teacher and parent community together.  In my 13 years at Ralston, I’ve never stood up for a principal. We appreciate his honesty, his drive, his willingness to get things done.”

Natoli added that she and her fellow teachers were surprised by the board’s decision not to bring Carson back for the 2013-14 school year.

“We were shocked when they didn’t renew his contract and then not telling us why,” added Natoli.

Another teacher said the word on the street about Carson's termination was that "he wasn't a good fit," but she feels differently.

"Scott Carson is highly visible on campus, he really listens to staff and he has a proactive management style," she said.

Since the announcement of Carson’s termination last month, parents, students and teachers have rallied around the principal, whom they say is doing a great job.

“We all hope his contract is renewed, said Susy Lee, who has children at Fox, Ralston and Carlmont.

“We’ve waited a long time to get a principal we like and we don’t understand why his contract wasn’t renewed. I’ve heard from the PTA and School Site Council and they all talk about what a good job Mr. Carson is doing,” said Lee.

Fourth graders Clayton and Emerson Monge attended the meeting with their mother, Eileen, who also has a 7th grader at Ralston.

Monge says as a parent of current and future Ralston students she’s not just interested in what’s happening today, but what’s going to happen in the future. The boys hoisted “Keep Carson” signs above their heads during the meeting.

Teachers and parents who attended Thursday’s board meeting said Carson is highly visible on campus and listens to the concerns of both students and staff.

Several parents and teachers spoke on Carson’s behalf during the pubic comment segment of the meeting.  As each speaker approached the podium, the audience members rose from their seats, most wearing black, and many holding signs with messages supporting Carson.

Ming Zhong said that when her sixth grade twin sons couldn’t get into the right classes due to a paperwork error at the beginning of the school year, Carson stepped in and corrected the situation.

“He’s not a bureaucrat, he gets things done—properly and completely,” Zhong said.

The four-hour meeting ended with the school board reconvening to a 30-minute closed session only to report back to the few remaining in the audience that they would take no action and that the matter would continued until the April 18 meeting.

“We will discuss this some more on April 18,” said board of trustees president Robert Tashjian.

Despite the outcome of the Scott Carson contract issue, one thing was clear Thursday night—when teachers and parents join forces, they project a loud and clear voice.

“Our community has never come together like this,” said one teacher.

“Nobody is saying Scott Carson is perfect, but he is wonderful,” she added.

 

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