School leader’s dismissal still mystery

Jeff Benson

Mariners Christian School parents and employees are proud of their

private school, especially after Christianity Today magazine last

April named it “The Best Christian Workplace in the U.S.” among

institutions its size.

It appeared administrators had taken all the right steps to

improve upon the school’s humble beginnings, increasing enrollment

from 44 students in 1987 to 650 students today.

So, when a board of trustees relieved headmistress Mary Letterman

of her duties two weeks ago, and without any reason given, parents

and teachers demanded answers.

Trustees provided some of those answers Thursday during an

emotionally charged town hall meeting held at the school, where they

told more than 300 concerned parents and teachers that they couldn’t

legally explain the reasons for Letterman’s departure.

“This is a personnel matter to protect and care for our Mariners

Christian School employees and families,” board chairman Mitch Vance

said. “It is our policy not to publicly comment on personnel

matters.”

Letterman helped found Mariners Christian’s middle school program

in 1994 and helped facilitate the move to its current location in

1995. She served for 13 years as the school’s headmistress after

spending one year as a teacher at the school.

Few questioned Letterman’s leadership and dedication, and

puzzlingly enough to parents and teachers, neither did the board.

The town-hall meeting was designed as a question-and-answer

session. A board member moderated the two-hour discussion and asked

fellow board members various questions from the crowd.

Solemn parents and teachers were assured that there were

legitimate reasons behind the move, the details of which they

couldn’t discuss, and that they understood that a long healing

process was necessary to move forward.

The decision was a long and painful one that they even sought

independent counsel for, they said.

Trustees also declined to answer questions about how Letterman was

treated after her departure, including if she’d received any

severance pay.

“It clearly is not feasible to communicate what led eight

independent board members to make leadership changes at the school,”

Vance said. “But we made the change for the best interest of the

school, and it’s a decision we’re qualified to make.

“We understand her desire [to remain at the school], and we know

it’s frustrating that we’ve not responded to your questions or given

you the ‘why.’ ”

The board had sent out two letters to parents since Letterman’s

termination two weeks ago -- one with little detail and one with

little more detail. Both letters were written vaguely and left

parents confused, board members admitted.

From the onset of the meeting, board members attempted to open

themselves to the parents and teachers, some of whom didn’t even know

a board existed at Mariners Christian. Board members must be Mariners

Christian parents who have typically served on the school’s

subcommittees. “We’re parents and real people,” Vance told them. “We

take our decisions real seriously. You do not know how much prayer

and reflection has gone into these decisions. You’re represented by

eight people who love God.”

When comment cards were passed around to solicit parent input,

parents began to attack the board’s legitimacy. They asked questions

about how board members can be fired, why they should be trusted,

what their term limits are and if their decree can be reviewed.

One card read: “You all sound like a bunch of politicians. How are

we supposed to heal after the lack of information?”

Parents also questioned the timing of the decision to dismiss

Letterman, so close to the holidays and with re-enrollment right

around the corner.

Vance said the timing had more to do with giving a school

committee ample time to search for a suitable replacement before the

2005-2006 school year begins.

Trustee Dan Grable will chair a new committee that plans to select

a new headmaster before September. The committee will search national

firms and conduct an extensive screening to find the most qualified

candidate, Grable said.

The ideal candidate, he said, would embody the school’s

educational and spiritual mission by running a mature school and

being committed to academic excellence and biblical values.

Grable invited parents to participate by joining selection

subcommittees involved in the interview process and promised them

he’d keep them updated on search.

A group of families already stepped up to pay for the selection

process and did so anonymously, he said.

* JEFF BENSON covers education and may be reached at (714)

966-4617 or by e-mail at [email protected].