It has been remarkable to read recent reports related to Gilroy
Unified School District and events surrounding the Gilroy High
School track coach and Jack Daley.
Dear Editor,
It has been remarkable to read recent reports related to Gilroy Unified School District and events surrounding the Gilroy High School track coach and Jack Daley.
The outpouring of letters and support for Jack Daley are certainly a testimony to both his integrity and the impact he has had on our local youth. The support is palpable and hopefully someday will provide another historical example of that spirit that makes Gilroy great. I hope that this support has provided Jack and his family comfort during this difficult time, and I hope Jack realizes the legacy he has already left on our community, our athletic program and athletes who have ultimately become ambassadors for our community.
GUSD should never have hired a track coach who had been stripped of an Olympic metal based on his illegal drug use. I do hold Jack accountable for his part in supporting such a hire. However, I do not believe that Jack had the exclusive authority nor ability to hire without oversight, input and direction from GUSD staff and administration. Therefore, his removal in the absence of addressing “collective” gaps is simply wrong. Clearly, there is someone within GUSD who is formally responsible for checking background and identification, and based on privacy issues and state requirements, that would not be Jack Daley.
GUSD staff and managers have their hand in the cookie jar on this matter and simply have not stepped up nor been held accountable. Shame on GUSD for throwing Jack under the bus and hiding behind cloaks of “no comment.”
Good for Jack in hiring an attorney. While litigious resolution is costly for a community, Jack has few alternatives.
If a staff member in HR did not check a license, then that staff member should not enjoy a private reprimand nor the ability to continue in their employment when Jack Daley was not given the same consideration. How do we as a community justify removing an athletic director who has not proven to be or charged with being a threat to students or the athletic program, but allow a board member accused of embezzlement to remain in his elected office?
Sadly, it may be Jack’s legal process that ultimately provides the transparency our community rightly deserves. Additional lawsuits from those damaged as a result of the former track coach’s DUI will likely widen that view. Instead of “Bring Jack Back” protests and efforts, it would seem financial support for Jack’s legal defense (which will certainly be burdensome) and demanding the resignations or firing of staff and management specifically tied to this issue would be more than appropriate. If Jack did nothing wrong related to this issue and the punishment was inappropriate, then our community will rightly have to pay Jack. Though, I doubt the personal costs could ever be repaid.
The Dispatch’s most recent story, “Oops, admin error … 30 teachers won’t be laid off” illustrates how problematic GUSD’s management and oversight have become. In discussing a missed state deadline that could have cost the district thousands but was saved by additional state funding, both Rhoda Bress and Debbie Flores chalked up the state funding to “luck” that spared the district from having to answer for another error.
Flores conducted a television interview and suggested maybe there should be a checklist so such dates are not missed in the future. Really? Nobody has done this checklist yet? And is there a checklist for hiring coaches and transporting athletes?
Instead of quickly removing Jack, shouldn’t the entire process and all involved be uniformly addressed and held accountable? I would ask both Ms. Bress and Ms. Flores to please point to district policy language that provides for “luck” to be used in any aspect of managing our local school district. And if we are to assume that we use “luck” as a financial management tool in considering teacher’s jobs, should we then assume Jack was simply “unlucky”?
Michelle Bailey, Gilroy
