Retaliation allegations denied by school board (Texas)

[Judi Lynn]

Jan. 15, 2004, 9:59PM

Retaliation allegations denied by school board
Whistle-blower plans appeal to state agency
By BY JO ANN ZUÑIGA
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
A terse Houston school board on Thursday denied accusations that the district retaliated against a former Sharpstown High School official who exposed wrongly reported dropout rates.

Robert Kimball, now an elementary school assistant principal with clerical and custodial duties, said he will file a whistle-blower lawsuit and appeal to the Texas Education Agency.

"This district covers up and retaliates against those who speak the truth," Kimball said after his grievance hearing.

Officially, the board upheld a decision -- in which Kimball was transferred from Sharpstown to Ashford Elementary -- that was the result of an administrative hearing. Kimball said Thursday he wanted the board to return him to a secondary school, saying he considered the move to an elementary a reprimand and a demotion, and to acknowledge that the district retaliated against him.
(snip/...)

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2356353

[0007]

1. This was shown on Bill Moyers "Now" program

How Kimball exposed the Texas School system and wound up working as a janitor.

Ron Paige, the Secretary of Education, who was responsible for cooking the books should be in prison along with junior and the cabal. Robert Kimball should be running the school system in Texas.

[bluestateguy]

2. Just another reason why this state will not be my permanent home

I plan to leave here within 2 years.

[histohoney]

4. Oh yeah

Just grab up as much money as you can, bleed a place, do NOTHING to improve it. Whine that it's not done YOUR way, all the while taking a job from someone who might give a damn and be better at it. Gleam the money and services from a community and grip that it's not to your liking while giving SQUAT back(Oh your to good and to sophisticated to stay in this hick state, your just to wonderful).
I'll buy you a map, leave NOW and make everyone happier.

[bushisanidiot]

5. Sounds Like You're Talking About What President AWOL Did To

Texas schools. He left EVERY child behind and laughed all the way to the bank!

What a miserable, WEAK "president"!

[DiverDave]

7. Well,

by your post, I guess you believe it's O.K. to cook the books, which hurts kids, and then when someone speaks up you think it's O.K. to DEMOTE them?

Oh yeah, this is America, when the "patriots" condone this sort of behavior

[damnyankee2601]

10. It's people like you who make Houston a cesspool.

Why shouldn't I take your money and leave?

[BenFranklinUSA]

8. All States Have Weiner School Adminstrations

School administrators stick together like bad cops.

[damnyankee2601]

9. Count me in on that one. <EOM>

[mbperrin]

3. He can appeal, but I have never heard of one being successful...

everything in Texas is "management-friendly", and since teachers lost all tenure and got 10 month contracts for one year only at a time, that's about what you can expect!

BTW - to figure the real dropout rate, count how many first graders come in during a year and then count how many seniors in the district graduate - you'll find, I think, that the number often exceeeds 50%.

[yellowcanine]

6. He has grounds for a retaliation lawsuit imo.

Employers are not allowed to retaliate against employees who report wrongdoing. Changing a work assignment to something different from what one was hired to do, particularly to more "menial" work is retaliation. Unless there is more to the story that would justify a demotion, this guy should have an open and shut case. Once again the taxpayers will end up paying off a public employee as a result of the stupidity of public administrators.


>Kimball was an assistant principal and business manager at Sharpstown a year ago until he reported
that other school officials were incorrectly changing records.

Then Kimball, who was paid $60,000 a year, was transferred to the elementary where he has been
given cafeteria duty and bus duty, told to alphabetize lunch cards and move furniture, he said. <