> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Walker resigns amid controversy - URL: https://www.smdp.com/walker-resigns-amid-controversy/ - Published: 2008-05-03T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T19:26:26.000Z - Author: Melody Hanatani - Tags: Education, Malibu, #archive-import *SMMUSD deputy superintendent was a key figure in a criticized special education program* SMMUSD HDQTRS The embattled deputy superintendent of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District resigned from his post on Thursday, leaving behind an institution embroiled in controversy over questionable practices in its special education program. The Board of Education accepted Tim Walker’s resignation during its meeting on Thursday night, nearly unanimously approving a settlement agreement that will essentially buyout the remaining one year on the former special education director’s contract, reportedly valued at roughly $193,000. School Board member Kathy Wisnicki was the lone vote in abstention. Walker was the key figure in a special education program criticized by parents of learning disabled children over an alleged culture of fear and intimidation, the source of controversy centering around settlement agreements and the confidentiality clauses that are included within. Settlement agreements are entered into after an impasse is reached in the negotiations for the Individualized Education Plan (IEP), which outline the services that students receive during the year. But in the past, several parents have claimed they felt coerced into the agreements and feared speaking out because of the confidentiality clause. Walker declined to comment on the circumstances surrounding his resignation on Friday, but said working for the school district was a positive experience. “I am pleased to have had the opportunity to work with the professionals that I did,” Walker said during an interview on Friday.“I have been afforded a professional opportunity by the Board of Education and I am grateful for the support they’ve shown me in the past.” “The time has come for me to pursue other opportunities at this point in my professional career,” he added. Walker joined the central office’s staff in winter 2005 when he was hired as the assistant superintendent for special education, leaving the Glendale Unified School District where he served in a similar capacity. After former Superintendent John Deasy left to head the Prince George’s County Public Schools in 2006, Walker served as the interim superintendent before being promoted to deputy superintendent later that year. Though his resignation will not become effective until June 30, Walker is immediately taking a leave of absence until then, according to Oscar de la Torre, the school board president. Superintendent Dianne Talarico said in a statement that the settlement agreement was mutually agreed upon by both the district and Walker. Talarico added that she is working on a new organizational structure that will be announced in the near future. “I thank Tim Walker for his leadership, his compassion, and his commitment to helping the teachers and children of our district.” Talarico said in the statement. In the resignation letter, Walker stated that he felt it was time to pursue other opportunities and part ways with a district that had become an important part of his life. “I value the incredible employees of the district that I have had the pleasure to work with,” Walker said in the letter. “They are committed to making a difference in the lives of children every day.” School officials say the resignation was in the best interest of both parties and see it as a step toward moving past the special education controversy that has cast a dark shadow on the district. “The school board wants to see change and we recognize that a lot of good work has been done and we want to build off of that good work,” de la Torre said. “But we feel that we need to make some progressive changes to ensure that the good work that we’re doing in special education continues and that we build from that foundation.” Talarico recently outlined several changes in her preliminary draft response to an independent review of the special education program, including empowering site staff and creating a culture of inclusion. Those changes were presented to the board last month. “We understand there are issues with how things have been administered in the district and we’re coming up with a plan to address the issues that were raised in the report,” School board member Ralph Mechur said on Friday. The assessment was among several conditions placed on the SMMUSD by the City Council last summer in order for the district to receive a $530,000 bump in local aid, the strings attached after parents of special education children contacted councilmembers about the settlement agreements. Included in those conditions was a moratorium on confidentiality clauses in settlement agreements unless requested by parents, which the board instituted last year. During a meeting last week during which the council was to determine whether the district met the conditions and should receive the funding increase, Talarico said that 37 settlement agreements had been entered into since the moratorium was enacted. A total of 28 agreements had confidentiality clauses and nine were written without. Talarico added she was assured by her staff that the parents were informed of the moratorium before those confidentiality clauses were signed into the agreements, but had heard recently that some parents were stating otherwise. She requested that the council hold on to the half million dollars until she further investigated the claims, feeling as though not all of the conditions had been met. The independent assessment by Lou Barber and Associates found that while settlement agreements and confidentiality clauses were legal and used by other school districts, there was some concerns in the over-utilization in Santa Monica where more than 140 such contracts were signed in the past three years. A number of special education parents were interviewed for the report, but some Malibu parents have claimed in recent weeks that they were excluded from the process. Several of these parents came out to the school board meeting on Thursday, speaking in support of Walker and the work that he has done for the district. Wisnicki said she has asked staff to clarify several inaccuracies in the report and statements that left an impression that the district wasted money in certain areas. The school board member added that she was concerned about the fact that there were no comments from Malibu parents included in the report. “Malibu parents had a two-hour meeting with him where they provided feedback... and none of that was in the report and he had asked them several times to tell him the bad stuff,” Wisnicki said on Friday. Wisnicki added that she abstained from voting on Walker’s contract because the position of the board majority was already clear. Ken Haker, the chairman of the Special Education District Advisory Committee, whose members have been critics of Walker in the past, said he sees the resignation as an indicator that Talarico is taking steps in the right direction. “I think she is working on that action plan and this is a good test of her mettle that she can carry about an action plan that the district will actually support,” Haker said on Friday.“I think that parents of children with learning disabilities would like to see a good relationship between them and the superintendent.” Harry Keiley, the president of the Santa Monica-Malibu Classroom Teachers Association, said that he is concerned that the issue with special education has overshadowed the positive work done by the program’s teachers and specialists. “They have one of the most difficult and challenging jobs in all of education and throughout all of this upheaval regarding special education, people have failed to recognize, stop and acknowledge the hard work and many success stories taking place in special ed,” Keiley said. Keiley said he hopes the district can now start to move forward. “Certainly Mr.Walker had his critics but he also had many supporters, but clearly this entire chapter has become a major distraction for our organization,”Keiley said.“It’s time for us to turn the page and to look ahead and work together to ensure our children have the highest quality public education possible.” *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 3, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/050308.pdf?ref=smdp.com)