Every story in the Voice says "Goldman says it was his decision to resign" but if it was his decision, why does he get a year's salary as severance?

Shawn, I'm curious of the same. I guess that's a question for the School Board. There's been many postings asking the same question. I wonder why they haven't responded.

When an employer abuses an employee creating a hostile work situation, they can work a deal to receive severance and publish that it was a resignation. Usually comes with a non-disclosure agreement.

If the board knew that the situation was going to be unworkable and needed Goldman to leave, it's much better to do that as a negotiated resignation. Dragging the district through a potential damaging court battle is in no one's interest. Make it much harder to hire superintendents later too. (Look at what Bullis Charter School did in LASD. They cost the school district tens of millions of dollars and achieved nothing but a divided community.)

@abused - You posted an interesting comment, but I don't understand it, and I am a board member.
I think our community members are savvy enough to know that what happens in closed session is confidential. Hence, no fielding of public questions on this message board.
Ellen Wheeler

Of COURSE you understand the comment. Saying otherwise is a lie. Your posting denied that the board pushed him out, so saying that you "can't" talk about it publicly is another lie.
Hiding behind the "closed session" is so unethical. You should step down.

@Jake - Thank you for your comment. Apparently you do not understand the Brown Act or contract law.

Actually, I probably understand them better than yourself. Shameful way to treat Mr. Goldman. Shame on you!

@Jake - I'm happy to meet with you to discuss all this. Please email me if you'd like to talk in person. (ewheeler@mvwsd.org)

It is so arrogant of a common board member to determine that a poster doesn't understand the Brown Act, based upon a few sentences online. I've got news for you: Ellen doesn't understand the Brown Act, either, apparently, based on the many sentences she as written. I've been in years of closed session board meetings, and what leaves that room is often rushed, last-minute, and not always well thought-out. In the Superintendent Goldman case, the board flinched and gave in to the teacher's union and Wendy Dillingham-Plew's cartoons and YouTube videos. That is the new standard of excellence for Mountain View Whisman teachers. Goldman got his payout just as any decent negotiator would do. The district found itself in a real mess and now has made it worse by bringing in next-door lemon Kevin Skelly. There is one bright spot: Skelly is known as a friend to the teacher's union so expect some peace for the next six months, but be prepared for some unforeseen issues that always seem to pop up when Skelly rides into town.

I heard the charter school in LASD cost the district a BILLION DOLLARS. It seems Bill Gates was going to give LASD A BILLION DOLLARS but he wouldn't in the end because they were so mean to the charter school. So what goes around comes around....

After all, the income level of the LASD families is an average of about $200 Million each, which is about 8 times the Mountain View Whisman average income. Bill wanted to up the spending on the rich kids' education..... but the the district wouldn't settle with the charter, so....

As for Goldman, I guess he had a contract and requested to leave and to get severance because he wanted to end it early. Probably the contract goes for even longer than one more year. Not too unusual at all and not really very secret.

Maybe he's going to take over in LASD soon. After all, they can still get that BILLION dollars with a sane superintendent.

Due to repeated violations of our Terms of Use, comments from this poster are automatically removed. Why?

@So Arrogant: what a nasty posting! Ellen Wheeler definitely knows the Brown Act and is not hiding behind it. Unlike your experience, after the many closed session Board meetings I've attended, the comments made afterwards are not rushed or last minute. Board members, who take their job seriously, carefully word any comments coming out of those sessions. Furthermore, I don't agree with your thinking re: Supt Goldman's resignation. I believe that working conditions had become unlivable with the constant micro-managing and obvious harassment by one Board member. No professional is going to put up with that kind of behavior for very long. It's time now, for the health of the district and its many constituents, for the community to rectify this situation.

Well, if a poster posted that Ellen Wheeler knows the Brown Act, then that's good enough for me! Or maybe I'll just judge for myself, like every other citizen in the democracy. Also, harassment is a legal charge, so I hope the poster who accuses others of being nasty is not so nasty next time in making unsupported accusations. From my view, it is pretty clear that the superintendent was pressured out of Mountain View Whisman by the teacher's union and certain board members' reaction to Wendy Dillingham-Plew's nasty cartoon and YouTube posting. Ironically, she is now a board member in a nearby district so I hope she welcomes cartoons about her body and YouTube videos.

@Back It Up: You are certainly entitled to your opinion as I am to mine re: Ellen Wheeler's knowledge of the Brown Act. My opinion is based on the "fact" that both Ellen Wheeler and Bill Lambert are lawyers and, as such, are well aware of the intricacies of the Brown Act - certainly moreso than the typical lay person. I am also well aware that "harassment" is a legal charge and I allege such based on attending Board meetings and/or viewing video tapes of the Board Meetings.

To think that all lawyers understand or follow the law is quite a fantasy.

I'm sure that Wheeler was not directly responsible for creating the harassing environment, but the board was ultimately responsible. That is why Mr.Goldman was entitled to severance. It's too bad that Wheeler is trying Imply a denial, while failing to provide specifics, citing confidentiality. Sorry, but she can't have it both ways. Plead the fifth (so to speak) or shut up. Can't do both--ethically and probably legally.

I don't understand that comment about LASD and Bill Gates. I did hear that the Bullis charter school cost the school district, students and taxpayers many millions of dollars with frivolous lawsuits, but AFAIK, they surrendered to protect the re-certification of their charter. Maybe it got up over 100 million including opportunity costs. Thank goodness our school district doesn't have those problems!

It's not severance; it's a negotiated settlement to a contract. No mis-doings were required to make this settlement. Get real.

Yes, the board gave one year compensation in exchange for his resignation. Although the actions are identical (employee leaves and is given special compensation), the words "negotiated settlement" and "severance" are different. Thanks for providing such valuable input!

It's interesting to watch the defensiveness of some of the board members and their lackeys.