Pay Raises Must Be Performance Based

* I attended the last Simi Valley School District’s board meeting on March 26 and attempted to speak on the matter of an ongoing district attorney investigation of the district’s activities but was interrupted by the board and was unable to finish. I am writing to ask a few questions of the school board and to also inform the community as to the current state of affairs.

How can the school board approve pay raises for Supt. Mary Beth Wolford and three other administrators in the midst of an investigation into possible mismanagement?

If all board members knew of this investigation, then giving a raise to administrators who are under this cloud is totally irresponsible. If none of the board members knew of the investigation, then Dr. Wolford has been grossly negligent to her responsibilities.

If only some of the board members were informed of the investigation, those who knew and withheld the information from other members and from the public are guilty of neglecting their responsibilities as elected officials.

Am I so old fashioned as to think that a pay raise should be commensurate with one’s job performance? We cannot as a community allow public funds in the form of pay raises to be handed out routinely--especially if the performance of individuals benefiting from this raise is questionable.

JILL SMITH

Simi Valley