Concerning Pocatello School Principal Lisa Delonas

There has been a lot of negative publicity of Principal Lisa Delonas lately, some of it originating with information provided by me. For the record I believe that Lisa has on the whole been a very good Principal for Pocatello High School. I believe that she honestly cares about the school and the students and although we may disagree on this issue, I like her personally. And although recommending that the School District discontinue the Indian mascot was a grave error in judgement, it did me no great pleasure to "out" her stated opinions concerning the School Board.

Last year during the Pocatello High School architecture debate, Principal Delonas and I spoke on several occasions. She seemed to share many of the same concerns that I had, although she said that she would be unable to involve herself much in the debate as her position as Principal wouldn't allow her to do so. The reason she gave was that her job as Principal is one that should not be political. She was correct in that position. She however offered, although I have no sure knowledge if she did so, to present some of Save Pocatello High School's concerns and ideas to the District and Board of Trustees. For those and other reasons, I did not use the comments she made about the School District's lack of transparency, their unwillingness to listen to the public, and her strong accusations against specific people (which I have not shared)  and the power they wield at the District in any video or opinion piece, even though at the time, those complaints, supported my main contentions that the School District 25 and the board of Trustees fail to listen to those they are accountable to

That said, one can understand that it is, and always will be difficult to stand up to power and for feeling the need to support ones bosses. However, this case is different.  This was a choice of Principal Delonas choosing. The fact that she had  previously stated that her job was not political, (which it should not be) is why I was so surprised that she jumped headlong into the Pocatello mascot issue, an issue that is unequivocally political.  

Under different circumstances I am sure Principal Delonas and I could have sat down and discussed the mascot issue and though I disagree with her reasons for wanting to eliminate the Indians, I am empathetic to the District's and Principal Delonas' concerns. Some might say this a minor issue compared to other issues of concern. I disagree. Destroying history and tradition is damaging to core American values. Saying that having the Indians as a logo is  racist and bigoted when it is not, is simply wrong. I am however willing to entertain the possibility that the mascot should be changed for other reasons.  However, perhaps another more important issue is at play. How should a deliberative body such as the School Board respond to controversial issues and represent the community? Certainly not in the way this school board approaches every major issue.

Unfortunately, It was Principal Delonas' asking the School Board to "remove the Indian mascot without any public input" that pushed Principal Delonas into the same "power hungry" and dismissive category as her bosses and outraged the community. To make things worse she actually seemed to relish, as she said, the opportunity "to make history." 

The District largely took her request limiting the public comment time to one week; an inadequate period of time  to have a real discussion about any complex issue. The District is always in a hurry to make decisions, especially controversial ones. By the time the District opened up comments to the community, it was obvious that the Principal, the School District and the Trustees already had their minds made up. They were simply going through the motions as they so often do. Pulling the strings behind the curtain is the District's modus operandi. It is also why so many have wanted the board recalled - they simply fail to recognize that they are not powers unto themselves and that they work for the citizens of Pocatello. The citizens of Pocatello want a deliberative body in the real sense of the word.

Many have stated that in speaking out, that I am wasting the District's time as they need to attend to the needs of students during this time of COVID.  While I sympathize with that argument I might remind everyone that it was the District and Principal Delonas that chose the timing of this debate, another error in judgement. I believe that they chose the timing purposefully – after a holiday at 11:00 in the morning when everyone is at work to make the request, so fewer would hear, and that it fell to Principal Delonas - at the behest of the School District and Board of Trustees – because I believe they wanted to avoid the appearance of being the ones to start yet another community controversy.

Personally, I believe it was the School District's cowardice that placed Principal Delonas in this unenviable position, – doing their bidding in the wrong way and at the wrong time.

Of course I could be wrong given that Principal Delonas has owned the decision to step into the political and to be the voice of change for the Pocatello High School Mascot, as expressed in numerous opinion articles, and TV and Radio interviews.

Either way Principal Delonas was mistaken to publicly take up this cause, however in the final analysis it was the School District's poor judgement, allowing her to, which is perhaps a more an egregious failure. I simply hope that in the final analysis she is not the communities or the School District's scapegoat. It is however time for the School Board to step down and perhaps time for a few district employees to retire.