I have an update from someone who attended the meeting: Howard Billings opened the meeting in prayer. Steve Woods (83) celebrated the history and legacy of PC. He asked people to stand if they/their family had history with the school going back 1 year, 5 years, etc. There was still a group standing when he got to people whose families have been involved in PC for 50+ years. Richard Bellah, past board member, and continuing supporter, gave a brief summary of the history of this current conflict, which dates back about 8 months. There has been a movement from having a board that invites parents and alumni to sit in on board meetings to board meetings being closed to parents and alumni, then closed even to administrators. There have been secretive and unethical decisions, many to do with the handling of money. At least 10 board members have resigned in the last number of months, in protest of the boards operation in violation of their own bylaws. Some of the board members who resigned did so in protest of unrighteous actions. At several occasions, the board was reduced to fewer than the required 5 members, and continued to act as the board anyway. A group of past board members and supporters were in negotiations with the board to restructure, with a few of the board members, a few of the past board members and supporters, plus a few more, to be selected jointly by both sides. These negotiations fell through when the board restructured itself, with one member, John Thornton, continuing, and 4 others who were selected and appointed without going through the bylaws-demanded process. As of about a week ago, there was a brand new board. With John Thornton as the new chair. This new board proceeded to fire the head football coach, who had just been hired following the departure of Stefan Demos (who left to return to Texas for family reasons--he has recently made a statement on FB about that.) This past Thursday, the board brought police officers to the school, and escorted Dr. Phil Adams, the superintendent, as well as the Chief Financial Officer, off the campus. This happened during the school day within view of students. (The bylaws specify that the only employee of the board is the superintendent. All other staff and personnel are hired/fired by the superintendent.) If you saw news reports about the school, they were about the students leaving classes in protest, and about parents asking questions about the firings. On Thursday afternoon, the faculty and staff drafted a petition of no-confidence, and called on the board to resign. The group of supporters who ran the meeting tonight has been meeting with John Thornton since then. There is some indication that God is moving in the hearts of the board members, and that this conflict will be resolved peaceably. The next steps: We await the response of the current board. If they resign as asked, a group of past board members and supporters will step in as temporary board members in order to right the ship. They will establish a nominating committee, as specified by the bylaws, for the purpose of generating a list of possible candidates for a permanent board. They will then present the list to the faculty and staff, who will then select a permanent board. In the process, the bylaws will be tweaked to ensure that this situation can never happen again. If the board does NOT resign, there will be further pressure brought to bear. All friends of PC will have the opportunity to write letters and communicate the will of PCs supporters. But there is evidence that God is working in the hearts of the board members even now. Please keep praying for PC. And if people you know ask you about recent events, please let them know that the core values and mission of the school are unshaken. PC is still committed to educating children and preparing them for the abundant life. The meeting was closed by a few words from upper school principal Jeff Blake, who shared that he had been praying since the beginning of the school year that God would change the spirit of apathy in the PC community. He affirmed that tonights meeting was an answer to those prayers. There was an amazing outpouring of love and unity among students and parents, supporters and alumni. It was truly evident that God is at work. ~~Barbara (Francken) Kelley, class of 79
Posted on: Sun, 25 Jan 2015 05:01:29 +0000
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