Reconciliation and Mutual Accountability  
The following statement was read at the GUSD School Board meeting on September 12, 2022
Watch live stream here

This fall marks the beginning of GUSD school board campaign season and the year anniversary of the formation of Glendora Forward.  Like many communities around the country, Glendora has experienced significant division in recent years. Fundamental disagreements over Covid safety measures and school curriculum have strained relationships and the abilities of many of our local institutions to function effectively. Our community cohesiveness was further challenged by a change in leadership when Dr. Robert Voors retired as Glendora Superintendent after 10 years. The new superintendent Dr. Penelope DeLeon began her tenure during a historically difficult time.  As Dr. White stated in her presentation at the last school board meeting, different stakeholders have had radically different experiences and perspectives on what has occurred in the last couple of years here.  She used the metaphor of the water bottle - Where you sit (what role you have) dictates what you will see – and we all must work harder at seeing the whole.   

First:  this side of the bottle –  Glendora Forward acknowledges that the last two years have been challenging for teachers and school staff who have been on the front lines caring for our students. As parents, we continue to be grateful for the effort put in by our children’s teachers as they have transitioned from in-person to online, and back to the classroom. We have seen first-hand how our teachers have advocated for students who have tried—and often struggled—to readjust to the social and academic environment of in-person school. Teachers, counselors, and staff with whom we have spoken report that kids are struggling with emotions and motivation at levels they have not seen in the past. It has been up to teachers, counselors, and staff to make the difference with these students—and they continue to do an incredible job rising to this challenge.  We are concerned and saddened that there are a number of teachers that do not feel supported or valued, and some even feel they have been harassed, by district leadership. It is clear to us that there is a substantial cadre of teachers, counselors, and staff who, regardless of their ideological positions, have stated that after a very difficult couple of years, their needs are not being prioritized and their work and judgment are not being valued. This is not sustainable. Now, for another side of this bottle - district leadership:  Glendora Forward has also been aware that both our former superintendent and our school board were subject to troubling conduct during this period.  These interactions went beyond the expression of otherwise valid grievances to also include harassment and the spreading of misinformation.  While substantive criticisms and debates are important parts of the democratic process, and managing dissent is part of good leadership, the level of harassment many of these leaders faced was excessive. Glendora Forward acknowledges the significant difficulties our school administrators and board members have faced during this time, and we thank them for continuing to weather this storm despite the challenges.  We also now offer our voice of support to interim Superintendent Dr. Dominic DiGrazia as he takes the helm and leads us through this transition period.  

We know that all sides of this difficult dynamic have taken steps to attempt to resolve these issues and that the result has been further conflict. This is not surprising: Our community has gone through a historically unprecedented level of upheaval and we have not been at our best. If we want more unity in this town, we are going to have to work at it.  We can continue to advocate for our value differences – but we must not retreat to our echo chambers to formulate accusations and further escalate these problems.  We all must stand up and advocate for our beliefs, but we must do so respectfully and truthfully - remembering that we are neighbors. As Glendora Forward engages in this conversation, we come to the table with one foundational belief: Even when we vehemently disagree, we understand that every teacher, administrator, trustee member, candidate, parent, and grandparent who has taken the time to engage in this space wants what is best for our children. 

We say it again – everyone in this room, everyone watching on stream, everyone driving their kids or grandkids to and from school – and everyone currently running for office - is in this because we care deeply about the well-being of our own and each other’s children.  Glendora Forward starts from this fundamental assumption, even if we disagree with you on nearly every other point of discussion.   

Sadly, the volatility we have seen here in the last two years is harming those very same children we are all here to support.        

It is with this understanding that we wholeheartedly support Dr. Judy White’s recent report, in which she stated that Glendora must be intentional about unity.  As such, we call on the teachers and their union, board trustees, civic leaders, parents and students to set about finding ways to engage in dialogue to rebuild trust. We can each be doing this informally online, in pickup and dropoff lines – but we also must be intentional as a system.  Our hope is that this could include a structured process where stakeholders can listen intently to one another’s grievances so that we can all do a better job of seeing the perspectives of all members of the community.  This would enable us to find solutions to specific local challenges without concern of the threat of retribution either in the workplace or on the battleground of social media.   

Glendora Forward will continue to advocate for a more inclusive community in the following ways: 

·      We commit to treating all candidates and officials with respect, even those with whom we disagree.  Our school board, city council, and local committees are largely volunteer positions. While we may enthusiastically spar with you on substance, we also remain grateful for your willingness to do the hard work of keeping our city running. 

·      Glendora Forward will continue to put our efforts into creating spaces for all of Glendora, including those similar to our recent Glendora LGBQT Pride event, “Pride in the Foothills” earlier this summer. Throughout this process we will engage with and listen to members of historically marginalized communities and seek feedback and advice from their lived experiences on how we can best create inclusive spaces and celebrate all members of our community.  

·      Glendora Forward will continue promote policies that align with our mission.  We will also shed light on efforts that we believe are detrimental to our children and our community. We will strive to do so in a spirit of honest, respectful dialogue.  

We invite you into conversation in instances where you disagree with us, and we will always make our sources available and be open about where and how we obtain information we share. 

We can—and should—debate enthusiastically on real issues, but we must not fall into “MIC DROP” politics and devolve into misinformation.  Let’s move Glendora forward, together.