Bay Area News Group
The introduction of a new principal and the departure of one of the school’s founders and most prominent players highlighted a Clayton Valley Charter High School board meeting notable otherwise for its relative calm.
After a notably brief public comment period — during which speakers primarily thanked the teachers, staff and administration for focusing on students — Executive Director Dave Linzey introduced Jeff Eben as the new principal of the charter school, which has seen more than its share of controversy and tumult.
Eben comes to the school with 29 years in education, having been a teacher, coach and principal at public schools in Wisconsin and at Clovis East High School in Clovis. Eben has been the deputy mayor for the city of Fresno since 2007.
“Jeff went through a strenuous interview process and came out on top,” Linzey said. “We had a large group of 15 people interviewing, and he came out a winner across the board and you’ll soon see why.”
Eben said he had heard a lot about the “amazing students” at CVCHS and made three promises to the board and people attending the meeting. “I will not be outworked. I will lead a little with my brain and a lot with my heart. I look forward to building a quality relationship with students,” Eben said.
Board Chairman Ted Meriam said he was impressed at the caliber of applicants the school had received.
Meriam said Eben would improve the school’s ability to operate what he said was “essentially a one-site school district” and said the board and administrative staff have discovered that creating a charter school is “a lot of work.”
The most notable resignation accepted Monday was that of Amber Lineweaver, a CVCHS English teacher, a founding charter stakeholder for the school, a former athletic director and one-time board member.
The board had an extended discussion about the board’s structure, based on trustee April Winship’s research conducted at Granada Hills Charter High School. Clayton Valley’s structure and bylaws are modeled after the 13-year-old San Mateo County school. Winship said Granada’s recent conversion to a nonprofit board was worth examination.
She said changes, including reducing the board from nine to seven members, eliminating all teacher/employee trustees (as Lineweaver was) would reduce conflict-of-interest and recusal issues. That has been a frequent source of contention at CVCHS, with teacher-trustees having to recuse themselves during certain board discussions and actions.
Because any such change at CVCHS would require board and county board approval, the trustees discussed delaying any formation of a committee to study a similar restructuring until after the pending investigation is completed. Ultimately, they decided to place the item on the July agenda for possible action to establish a board-restructuring committee.
In other business, the board approved the 2015-16 budget, a Lesher Foundation grant for theatrical lighting, a number of service contracts and a revised calendar in accordance with a Clayton Valley Education Association contract.
