Whitefish is making a huge mistake

I was fortunate to have worked with Jackie Fuller for 19 years in the Whitefish High School physical education and athletic departments. I found her to be a woman of principle and integrity, with unequaled work ethic, and a true passion for her job. She was a compassionate disciplinarian that held students and athletes accountable and insisted on nothing but the highest standards of excellence. 

We are talking about an individual who has won six, count them six state championships, numerous conference and divisional titles, six Coach of the Year honors, and is a MHSA Hall of Fame inductee that has had at least eight student athletes go on to play college volleyball.

This is why it is such a big surprise that Mrs. Fuller is being considered for reassignment from her job as assistant principal at Whitefish High School. A loss in base salary because her leadership style doesn’t match or is not good enough for the current principal and new superintendent. Are you kidding me?

This is a woman students seek out for advice and guidance on an everyday basis. Former students and athletes return frequently to thank her for her dedication, commitment, and for caring. She does the hard work on the everyday basis and truly loves her job.

Do you really think that she could have accomplished all of the above without leadership skills? Her ability to teach people to work together for a common goal, to treat everybody equally and fairly, and to win and lose graciously, to prepare and make adjustments, loyalty, and all these life lessons that you cannot learn in a classroom. She is the heart and soul of WHS and the last example of what Whitefish High School used to be and should be again.

If she is such a terrible leader, where are her evaluations? Who evaluated her? Was she mentored and put on a plan of assistance? Asked to change?

We spend a lot of time teaching our students not to be bullies, but I believe this is exactly what we have in this current high school administration. A bully and micromanager on overdrive. Don’t just take my word for it. Talk to the teachers and ask the pertinent questions.

I strongly encourage the school board, our elected representatives, to go to the high school and spend some time with the people doing the hard work, the ones in the trenches. We have some of the finest teachers around, and they will tell you the truth. You had a room full of people against this action, and I strongly believe you need to listen to your constituency.

This fall the district conducted a survey of staff about school climate. A survey conducted in generalities is not good enough. You are being spoon fed this information and are not getting both sides of the story. Where is this survey? The results have not been shared with the teachers. Where is the transparency? It is obviously clear that this administration wants to surround itself with “Yes” people and have come to the realization that Jackie Fuller is going to stand up for what she thinks is right.

Since this survey was conducted anonymously and teachers were not allowed to use names, they obviously did not have much good to say about the current administration and I believe it is entirely plausible that Mrs. Fuller is being used as the scapegoat for the shortcomings of the current principal — after all, he is the one in charge. The leadership crisis belongs with him. You are right to be concerned about the climate at Whitefish High School but the demotion of our assistant principal is not going to fix the problem — on the contrary, it will exasperate it.

Is this how we treat a loyal employee of 25 years? Who has given of herself unconditionally above and beyond for our students and athletes. Has brought so much success, pride, and joy to this community. Has touched so many lives in a positive way. This is an absolute travesty, you are looking in the wrong place.

School Board, I implore you to think for yourselves and do the right thing. Jackie Fuller is not the problem. Listen to what the people of this community are telling you. Listen to the students and teachers, and deny this reassignment request. You don’t always have to pretend that you have a united front, and vote unanimously to blindly follow the lead of the superintendent and the high school principal.

In my more than 56 years of living and working in this community, it’s not often that a levy is voted down. Don’t take that chance and hurt the kids by pursuing this inappropriate and unnecessary reassignment.

— Julio Delgado, Whitefish