‘Complaint vs Bennett to be probed’

Gov. Juan N. Babauta intends to look into the Board of Education’s allegations against teacher representative Ambrose Bennett, according to press secretary Peter A. Callaghan yesterday.

“Due to recent allegations by the board, he is looking into the allegations—all allegations spelled out in the letter by the board,” said Callaghan.

When asked if the governor would form a panel to investigate the matter, Callaghan said, “I think he [Babauta] is doing his own inquiry.”

Reacting to the board’s “disappointment” over what it said was Callaghan’s “statement of support for Mr. Bennett before hearing from [the BOE] and the teachers,” Callaghan said that he has always been clear on the governor’s position on the issue.

He said the board could have also checked with him first before expressing its dismay over his statement. “It would have been nice had they come to me before they issued their statement but no one from the board…talk[ed] to me,” said Callaghan.

In their May 5 letter to Babauta, the board members, headed by chair Roman Benavente, complained about Callaghan’s statement of support for Bennett.

“The governor’s position has always been that he supports the position of teacher representative. Bennett was elected to the position, so obviously he supports Bennett. However, due to recent allegations by the board, he is looking into the allegations,” said Callaghan.

He said, though, that “it’s rather a radical step to remove someone who has been elected to represent teachers.” But if teachers want to recall or hold another election for a teacher representative and elect another person for that position, “then the governor would support that person, too.”

“His position has always been that he supports the position of an elected teacher representative to the board,” he reiterated.

In its letter to the governor, the board had complained about Bennett on several issues:
* refusing to apologize to a fellow board member for his alleged inappropriate conduct and for repeatedly using school letterhead when communicating with teachers;

* continuing to “disobey” BOE ethics and PSS regulations;

* continually “misrepresenting” information to the public;

* “personally attacking” fellow board members and PSS staff in the media;

* allegedly refusing to recognize “that no board member has the authority to speak for the board”;

* demonstrating “arrogance and inability” to work with the BOE; and

* “failing’ to represent the interest of teachers.

The board wants Babauta to remove Bennett from the board and call for a special election for a new teacher representative.

The board’s letter was signed by Benavente and members Marja Lee Taitano, Dino Jones, Frances Diaz, Herman T. Guerrero, and Scott Norman.