By Alice Ballesteros
Last May the City Council told the Santa Monica- Malibu Unified School District: If you want an additional $530,000 from the city, stop forcing parents to sign secret deals for their children to receive the special education programs they need.
SMMUSD Deputy Superintendent Tim Walker responded with the equivalent of a middle-finger salute: More coerced secret deals, perpetuating a combative climate with parents and jeopardizing desperately needed funding for the schools.
The council also required the recently completed audit of the district’s special education programs. The auditors have called for district administrators to reverse the hostile attitude and actions toward parents and special needs children that the audit revealed.
The audit found that eight years ago the district conducted a similar audit and ignored the results. Imagine how much more thoroughly the current recommendations can be ignored with Tim Walker on the job.
He needs to go. Now.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 17, 2008. Read the original PDF.