Credit: Orange Unified
Credit: Orange UnifiedThe interim superintendent of the Orange Unified School District has resigned after just a month on the job.
In a message posted on the district’s website Edward Velasquez wrote, “It is with sadness that I announce that my last day as Interim Superintendent will be Thursday, February 16.” He did not give a reason for the sudden resignation.
A district spokesperson, Hana Brake, told the Orange County Register that Velasquez “feels like the focus has been taken off of where it should be — the students.”
Velasquez had been expected to stay in the post for two months or longer. He was hired following the sudden firing last month of Superintendent Gunn Marie Hansen at a school board meeting called on 24-hours-notice while Hansen was out of the country. Another administrator, also not at the meeting, was placed on administrative leave. The vote was taken in a closed session.
Angry parents dubbed the meeting “the Thursday night massacre.”
Board President Rick Ledesma offered no reason for the firing, as parents complained that a new, conservative majority on the board intended to turn the district to the right.
EdSource is pursuing board members’ emails and other communications from the district about Hansen’s firing. But the district has not responded to a Public Records Act Request sent to it by EdSource Editor at Large John Fensterwald on January 13.
In an email to district leaders sent Wednesday, EdSource’s lawyer, Duffy Carolan, wrote the district was in “complete failure” of the act’s requirements and demanded a response. “We insist that the Board comply with the law and immediately provide EdSource with a determination on the request and a timetable for the production of responsive records.”
Almost immediately into his tenure Velasquez encountered controversy over an online library app that some parents complained allowed younger students to access books meant for older students. Some parents and board members also challenged the appropriateness of other books available through the app.
But Velasquez defended virtual libraries, calling them “critical resources for our students,” according to the Register.
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Brenda Lebsack 1 month ago1 month ago
As a former school board member of Orange Unified from 2016-2020, I can say I did not vote for Dr. Gunn Marie Hansen when she was hired. Why? Because the vetting process was surprisingly cut short and we were forced to vote prematurely, therefore, when it was time to vote, I abstained. I did not like the way she was hired and I did not like the exact way she was fired. … Read More
As a former school board member of Orange Unified from 2016-2020, I can say I did not vote for Dr. Gunn Marie Hansen when she was hired. Why? Because the vetting process was surprisingly cut short and we were forced to vote prematurely, therefore, when it was time to vote, I abstained. I did not like the way she was hired and I did not like the exact way she was fired.
However, describing her and Corella’s firing as a Massacre, is a gross exaggeration. They are still making their salaries of 200-300 thousand a year during their administrative leave or while they seek another position.
Do I think the firing was necessary? Well, if the goal of the board majority is to have a successful non-sabotaged curriculum audit, then yes. Although I am no longer on the board, I still live in the community and I know that parents have not felt heard or respected over the past years.
I admire the board majority’s decision to do a curriculum audit. Especially right now when parental trust is at an all time low for our educational system. Is it a little messy right now in OUSD? Yes, but it’s hard to find the cockroaches in the chocolate ice cream until the ice cream melts.
Willie J Jones III 1 month ago1 month ago
Many educators are being released based upon the release without cause law the districts are using. I was a principal released because I challenged my district to provide appropriate security and would not punish students with sitting them outside in the cold during the mask mandates. I provided other restorative discipline. I would like to reach out to the Edsource Lawyers to inquire about these laws that may be discriminatory in nature. We … Read More
Many educators are being released based upon the release without cause law the districts are using. I was a principal released because I challenged my district to provide appropriate security and would not punish students with sitting them outside in the cold during the mask mandates. I provided other restorative discipline.
I would like to reach out to the Edsource Lawyers to inquire about these laws that may be discriminatory in nature. We are losing good administrators that care about the students.