[CALIBK12] CSLA membership suspension

[Carol Shuey]

The response to Janet Melikian's posting by John McGinnis and Barbara Jeffus is in two areas simply inaccurate and contrary to the facts: First, from November 2007 into May 2008 I was repeatedly assured that my position was NOT part of the reorganization in the search for an executive director or (beginning in January) possible outsourcing. Second, I was NOT asked to "stay on" in my old position with my previous responsibilities.   

For six months I was told repeatedly by CSLA President Sandra Yoon (to whom I reported) that my job was secure and not a part of the office reorganization. I asked repeatedly when discussions concerned a management company assuming office responsibilities and she consistently told me that the reorganization was about finding an executive director and office secretary and not about conference functions. Bottom line was that I was told repeatedly that my job was secure.

Indeed CSLA did offer to let me continue through 2008 but with a drastically changed job description which I did decline. ARC did not offer me a job. I heard that it was a possibility that they were going to do so, but at no time did anyone from ARC or anyone on their behalf contact me verbally or in writing regarding a job offer.

Sandra Yoon came to my hotel room at approximately 9:00 pm on Friday before the Saturday morning Board meeting to tell me it had been decided to go with a management company and that my job was included in that decision. I asked if the Board as a whole didn't get to vote on it and she said yes, but that was the committee's decision and recommendation. I was in total shock and disbelief based on the constant reassurances from Sandra Yoon ( the last time being only several days before the board meeting) that my job was not in jeopardy. To have attended the board meeting would have been futile. Also it would have been awkward for board members to discuss a personnel matter (my job) openly with me there.

The original motion the Board made and passed at the Nov. 2007 meeting was:

"I move that the Leadership Development Committee be directed to develop a plan for the replacement of the Executive Director. The committee will research the current association procedures and business practices and the committee will research how similar non-profit associations handle Executive Director functions. They will present a report to the executive Board at its January meeting."

On Dec. 4, 2007, I, along with others that had knowledge of the office operations, were asked to fill in a form about the various office duties. I (and others) believed at the time that this was related to what functions were already being handled by others and what functions an executive director for CSLA might handle. This was requested before discussion even began about "outsourcing" CSLA work to a management team.  Barbara Jeffus states that she invited us to contribute to this for an RFP (for "outsourcing" jobs to a management company)  implying that when I gave input that I knew my job was to be included in this. At that point in the process we were talking only about hiring an executive director on our own - RFP's or anything beyond an executive director hadn't even been discussed. Contrary to what Barbara Jeffus says, her committee was charged in Nov. 2007 to plan for the replacement of the executive director - not to present recommendations for
 the business management of CSLA (see above motion). It wasn't until the January board meeting that John McGinnis and Barbara Jeffus made known the direction they were taking to "outsource" - which now included the office functions and possible closing of the Sacramento office.

I don't think Janet Melikian was impugning individual board members but rather the board as a whole. Many of us belong to clubs, organizations, political parties etc. and some even hold elected offices and sit on boards within those groups. Individually there are many fine leaders within those groups that spend lots of thoughtful time on our behalf but if that entity doesn't represent what we stand for, we have the right (and sometimes the obligation) to voice our displeasure. We have several choices. We can write a letter, resign from the office or group, withdraw our membership, and even switch to another party or group. The fact that we write a letter, resign, withdraw or change groups doesn't mean we are impugning individual members but rather showing our displeasure with the group as a whole. It also doesn't mean that we won't continue to work for those same goals of the group, just that now we will find other ways of doing so.

Also, no one is arguing about ARC or what is best for CSLA. What is troublesome to many CSLA members is the unprofessional way in which this whole situation was handled.

I hope this brings closure to this matter. 


 Carol Shuey
5530 Lewis Way
Concord, CA  94521
Phone/Fax: (925) 673-1236
Email: cshuey at astound.net


      
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.sjsu.edu/pipermail/calibk12/attachments/20090108/4c3fcf52/attachment.html