A near-capacity crowd stayed through the longest meeting of the Morongo Unified School District Board of Education that reporter Dan Stork has ever covered. In the first of two reports on the meeting, he says that they mostly came to protest one agenda item, and they got what they came for…
A large crowd applauded teachers and classified employees singled out for recognition at the Morongo Unified School District Board of Education. Recipients are listed in this story at z1077fm.com. The crowd stayed on to hear and participate in the debate over a proposed increase in the salary of Superintendent of Schools Dr. Cecilia English. Before the public comment and debate on this issue began, Dr. English gave a presentation on the definition of and progress toward Board goals, highlighting steps that had been taken during her year on the job to achieve those goals. She also presented a summary of compensation changes for all District employees. The content of and resources used for preparation of that report was derided in the public comment that followed. The increase for her and the three assistant superintendents was a “me-too” measure to match the percentage increases won by the two employee unions in collective bargaining. Little objection was made to the raises for the assistant sup’s, and they were approved unanimously. A parade of speakers spoke against the raise for the superintendent. As articulated by Morongo Teachers Association representative Jason Bolt, objections to English’s raise centered on the precedent of adjusting a contract in the middle of its term. Among board members, Karalee Hargrove was most vocal in her opposition to the raise. Trustee Chris Proudfoot proposed tabling the issue to the next Board meeting, following the superintendent’s evaluation. Chairman Ron Palmer said that there would be insufficient time to digest the evaluation and act on the raise in the same day. Proudfoot joined Hargrove, Palmer, and Ed Will in voting against the raise. Trustee Donna Munoz voted for it.
Recognition award recipients:
| School | Classified | Certificated |
| Condor ES | Janet Johnson | Jessica Dellinger |
| Oasis ES | Nancy Simendich | Janice Gomez |
| Palm Vista ES | Michele Michener | Angie Benitez |
| Valarie Belisle | ||
| Twentynine Palms HS | Ernie Montoya | Annette Faudel |
| Twentynine Plams JHS | Laura Spear | Terry Burdette |
| Maintenance & Operations | Gary Cooper | |
| Rob Cummings | ||
| Nutritional Services | Dorothy Hasty |
