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OregonLive.com: Everything Oregon
Members of the Oregon deaf community Monday repeatedly blasted the deputy state school superintendent for abruptly dismissing the director of the Oregon School for the Deaf without explaining why.
At a public forum Monday night, Deputy Superintendent Ed Dennis was asked again and again to explain why he fired Jane Mulholland last month without explanation or consultation with parents or school staff.
The parents and staff were not satisfied with Dennis' repeated statement that he could not talk about the reasons for Mulholland's termination.
"It is exactly these kinds of answers that lead us to believe that we cannot trust you," said Marcia Liebe, a Portland parent whose daughter attends the Salem school.
Dennis has said only that he wanted stronger leadership for the school. He said he could not say more about Mulholland's firing because it was a personnel matter.
Several speakers accused Dennis of having little knowledge of the deaf school or the deaf community. They said if he had known how much Mulholland was admired, he would not have fired her.
Dennis denied that the firing had anything to do with the possibility of moving the Oregon School for the Blind, also in Salem, to the deaf school campus.
Robyn Brown, who has had three children at the deaf school, said Mulholland was an effective advocate for the campus at the Legislature. With Mulholland gone, Brown said she is worried about the school's budget when it comes before lawmakers this session.
Mulholland started at the school as a teacher in 1989 and was named director in 1999. Her dismissal without warning on Dec. 28 caused an uproar among students and other people connected to the school.
Dennis has met five times with students, parents, staff and alumni about the decision. More than 150 attended Monday night's three-hour meeting in the school gym; Mulholland was not present.
During the meeting, members of the Oregon Deaf Coalition circulated petitions seeking Mulholland's reinstatement and Dennis' removal as deputy superintendent.
Dennis said he would seek input from parents, students and staff at the school in selecting a new director. Jay Gense, a state Department of Education official, is serving as interim director.
Dennis said he hoped to have a new director in place in time for the next school year.
The 2005 Legislature ordered the Education Department to look at the possibility of moving the blind school in downtown Salem to the larger deaf school campus, which is on the north end of the city. A task force appointed by state schools Superintendent Susan Castillo recommended the move, but Dennis said it is still under study by the department.
The deaf school was established in 1870. Most deaf students in Oregon are educated in their home districts, but those who need more comprehensive service are educated at the school in Salem.
The school enrolls about 120 students from kindergarten through 12th grade, on an annual budget of $6.7 million.
Members of the Oregon deaf community Monday repeatedly blasted the deputy state school superintendent for abruptly dismissing the director of the Oregon School for the Deaf without explaining why.
At a public forum Monday night, Deputy Superintendent Ed Dennis was asked again and again to explain why he fired Jane Mulholland last month without explanation or consultation with parents or school staff.
The parents and staff were not satisfied with Dennis' repeated statement that he could not talk about the reasons for Mulholland's termination.
"It is exactly these kinds of answers that lead us to believe that we cannot trust you," said Marcia Liebe, a Portland parent whose daughter attends the Salem school.
Dennis has said only that he wanted stronger leadership for the school. He said he could not say more about Mulholland's firing because it was a personnel matter.
Several speakers accused Dennis of having little knowledge of the deaf school or the deaf community. They said if he had known how much Mulholland was admired, he would not have fired her.
Dennis denied that the firing had anything to do with the possibility of moving the Oregon School for the Blind, also in Salem, to the deaf school campus.
Robyn Brown, who has had three children at the deaf school, said Mulholland was an effective advocate for the campus at the Legislature. With Mulholland gone, Brown said she is worried about the school's budget when it comes before lawmakers this session.
Mulholland started at the school as a teacher in 1989 and was named director in 1999. Her dismissal without warning on Dec. 28 caused an uproar among students and other people connected to the school.
Dennis has met five times with students, parents, staff and alumni about the decision. More than 150 attended Monday night's three-hour meeting in the school gym; Mulholland was not present.
During the meeting, members of the Oregon Deaf Coalition circulated petitions seeking Mulholland's reinstatement and Dennis' removal as deputy superintendent.
Dennis said he would seek input from parents, students and staff at the school in selecting a new director. Jay Gense, a state Department of Education official, is serving as interim director.
Dennis said he hoped to have a new director in place in time for the next school year.
The 2005 Legislature ordered the Education Department to look at the possibility of moving the blind school in downtown Salem to the larger deaf school campus, which is on the north end of the city. A task force appointed by state schools Superintendent Susan Castillo recommended the move, but Dennis said it is still under study by the department.
The deaf school was established in 1870. Most deaf students in Oregon are educated in their home districts, but those who need more comprehensive service are educated at the school in Salem.
The school enrolls about 120 students from kindergarten through 12th grade, on an annual budget of $6.7 million.