Dear Editor,
Gilroy High School has its new athletic director, Julie Berggren. With Jack Daley’s removal as AD, I can’t think of anyone I would rather see heading up Gilroy High’s athletic program.
Julie is full of energy and school spirit and I know she will bring in many additional positive aspects to the program. She is all about the kids and will do a wonderful job.
With that said, I would like to turn back to our former Athletic Director Jack Daley. We have yet to see evidence which supports his removal. Hiding behind confidential HR issues in this situation is wrong.
It is wrong because the real issues are:
1) How is a person hired in Gilroy Unified School District without a proper background check?; and 2) Why was there not notification to the AD regarding a coach who did not provide a valid California driver’s license at the time of completing the new hire paperwork? (because a coaching position requires driving or other means of travel, right?).
CDLs are required at other places of employment when jobs require travel. If both of these items were done, Alvin Harrison would not have been working for GUSD. And, neither would have Michael Lyons or Iraida Pisano – two other fairly famous bad hiring decisions by this district.
And, who was that math teacher at GHS?
It has been stated by the Gilroy Unified School District Board and superintendent that what should have happened in HR is not at issue and that other staff have had consequences. This is classic scapegoating. HR procedures are certainly the issue!
Alvin Harrison is the other staff “with consequences” and don’t believe it for a second that anyone else has been as singled out as Jack has. Talk is cheap and we all have been treated like we are ignorant or like young children being talked down to. Bad form Board and superintendent; I find your behavior highly disrespectful.
The Board and superintendent have also implied that there is a smoking gun with regards to their decision to remove Jack – that he has done something seriously wrong. I believe the quote has been, “You don’t have all the facts.”
I have no doubt that the source of that information is from the investigative report. I do doubt, however, the reliability of the report’s data. Output is only as good as the input and the input is flawed. If Jack had stepped out of line he would say so and not hide or lie about it.
It is time for the GUSD Board to start questioning information being fed to them and to consider that when information doesn’t “feel” right it probably isn’t. It is time to end the injustice placed upon Jack Daley.
Jan Alonso, Gilroy
