Dear President Tatman and Members of the School Board,

We are petitioning you to put a review of Dr. Narcisse's contract and performance  on the June agenda. We  think that it is time for a vote of no confidence. The chaos, division, and stress  of this administration outweigh any benefits to our district. The "Impacted Fair" at Liberty High has brought us to the realization that this administration has no respect or concern for our faculty. 

School districts across America are sounding an alarm as teacher shortages have risen  in our post-pandemic world. Colleges which train K-12 educators are seeing a drop in enrollment numbers.  Nonetheless, Superintendent Narcisse and his out-of-town cabinet members are forcing principals to reduce or to relocate our treasured faculty workforce. Many faculty in our talented programs are facing reassignment or the loss of their jobs. The "Impacted Fair" is yet another demoralizing event when the school year should be closed on a positive note.  When faculty is in high demand, why should the 230 impacted remain in our district? Schools which have a two period English Language Arts class and a Literature class are being reduced to one although ELA encompasses grammar, vocabulary, and composition skills. Has the bloated cabinet reviewed the LEAP scores? Narcisse and cabinet publicize the stellar Fine and Performing Arts Programs then they allow policies which will dismantle these prized programs. 

A long list of disrespectful actions has preceded this chaotic move. Earlier this year, faculty and staff were pitted against each other by Narcisse’s decision to give only some members of our school workforce much-deserved bonuses. Not only was that divisive, but it was also hurtful. Now there is a claim that the budget has a surplus. Why didn’t all staff and faculty receive equal bonuses since you claim that equity is so crucial? Bus drivers, cooks, para-professionals, secretaries, janitors, etc. are all essential workers in our schools.

Unsettling curriculum changes such as that with “mandatory” dual enrollment classes among our high schools caused much unnecessary stress and uncertainty. Faculty and parents were the last ones informed on this erroneously-named Pathways to Brighter Futures. PBF would have garnered a lot of support had it been optional, age-appropriate, and funded with a clear revenue stream. This fiasco was simultaneous with the attempt to outsource our Virtual Academy needs to Arizona State University as EBRPSS allegedly lacked local faculty to teach our children. Many students currently lack functional chromebooks. Parents in poverty are expected to replace chromebooks when they are broken, but they are unable. Where does that leave the students? How are we to believe that the Virtual Academy is fully funded when the daily tech needs of many students are not met? Is this an example of equity? No. 

Our voices are repeatedly silenced. The so-called "stakeholders advisory committee" has not met in the last three months and now will be dissolved. Public records requests go unanswered or lead to endless diversions in an attempt to shield facts. Emails and calls are ignored.

We want to be clear. Faculty and school-level staff play a crucial role in the education of our community’s children. The reduction in faculty will result in class size averages over 35, which will limit the effectiveness of faculty who remain. Many of our classrooms cannot accommodate large numbers of students, especially if we face another surge of illness. Demoralizing all faculty and staff is a serious threat to our public schools. Rather than cut any one of our faculty, we would like for the School Board to reduce Central Office staff immediately, beginning with Sito Narcisse. 

Sincerely,

Mary Juneau, Stakeholders, and Community Supporters