Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel Contracts topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Teachers and staff urge board to renew DLI teacher, raise bias concerns
Summary
Multiple teachers and staff told the Gresham-Barlow board they support Maria Hernández and raised concerns that her contract non-renewal reflects bias and flaws in administrative handling; speakers asked the board to reconsider the decision.
Angie Díaz, a 5th-grade Dual-Language Immersion teacher, told the board she is concerned that the non-renewal of Maria Hernández "represents bias and calls into question the leadership handling this matter." Several colleagues and district instructional staff echoed that concern during public comment and urged the board to renew Hernández's contract.
Amanda Jensen (Highland Elementary) and Jennifer Lopez (3rd-grade DLI teacher) described Hernández as a compassionate and effective teacher who mentors bilingual staff and contributes to curriculum committees. Manpreet Sadhal, the district's DLI instructional coach, said Hernández has produced some of the district's best instruction and asked the board to allow her to continue serving students. Araceli Tescahua noted Hernández was recognized for excellence and has quickly taken on leadership roles at Highland Elementary.
The public comment speakers framed their remarks as appeals to the board's personnel discretion and equity responsibilities; none of the minutes record an administrative response or a formal board motion to reverse or revisit the personnel decision during this meeting. The matter was raised as public comment and the transcript does not show a board vote or staff recommendation resolving the claim during the Dec. 11 meeting.
The board's minutes record the appeals under Citizens' Requests and do not list a subsequent action item tied to a personnel motion; any formal reconsideration or personnel hearing would require follow-up at a future meeting or an administrative personnel process.
