School Board Shoots Down Plan to Explore Shutting Down Olympic High

By Juliet McShannon
Staff Writer

Jan. 24 -- Superintendent John Deasy's plan to appoint a task force to explore closing Olympic High School and reopening it as a charter school was shot down by the School Board after angry supporters delivered impassioned speeches and a defiant principal confronted the superintendent at a heated meeting Thursday night.

Olympic High teachers, students and parents -- many carrying placards reading "Save Our Schools" and "Save Olympic" -- pleaded with the board to keep open the alternative continuing school, which has a history of accepting students who have not succeeded at other schools in the area.

"We usually allow only a few speakers, but I have set that aside, because this is obviously extremely important to the community," said Board President Jose Escarce.

In an atmosphere of anger and fervor, an emotional Dr. Susanne Toyryla, the school’s principal, launched a scathing attack on Superintendent Deasy, saying, "I have to defend myself tonight. My good name is on the block."

She told the board of her recent meeting with Deasy where she was informed he was closing the school.

"There is no communication mistake," she said, pointing at Deasy. "He said that Olympic is not meeting the needs of the students and that he will open private or independent schools whether we like it or not.

“He told me that the Board likes and trusts him, and that when students are sent to Olympic, it is like giving them a sentence," Toyryla said.

The principal then went on to attack the district for not helping the school meet its needs.

"We have asked, begged, but received nothing,” Toyryla said. “We have saved the district $1 million taking students from non-public schools.

“I can't even get a fence put up to stop vagrants from sleeping in the toilets. Yet you are telling me that you want to close our school and put a charter school in its place?

"I am incensed. If you think you are going to get rid of me this quickly -- No!" she said, prompting thunderous applause from Olympic High supporters.

Sitting in silence, Deasy was pressed by board members to clarify whether he had actually used the word “close” in his talks with Principal Torella, to which he replied:

"It is not so much ‘closing’ but expanding the school with an aim to give more students the opportunity to study there without experiencing failure first."

Board member Oscar de La Torre remained unconvinced by Deasy's answer, asking, "So did you say 'close' or not?"

After a long pause Deasy replied, "I think my explanation has been clear enough."

Jack Casey, a longtime teacher at Olympic, could barely contain his anger.

“My principal isn't lying,” Casey said. “She told me Deasy said, 'I am closing Olympic'. Has Deasy ever come to the school and met the teachers and students, actually seen how our school operates? How is someone proposing to change something he knows nothing about?"

Tension mounted further as Casey went on to accuse board member de la Torre of stepping into the corridor before the meeting and “intimidating” students who had wanted to address the board.

"He said they would 'look dumb' because Olympic was not going to be closed," he said.

Olympic Science teacher Anthony Fuller suggested that if the board really wanted to help the school they needed to provide more teachers.

“Olympic is a success story because it has a small student/staff ratio and teachers who refuse to give up on the students,” Fuller said. “Give us more teachers so we can continue to help the students. These students want to go the high school they are at, not the one you are trying to create."

The board listened in silence as some ten students shared their personal experiences on how Olympic had saved them from flunking out of the school system entirely.

"If it wasn't for the teachers at Olympic High," said one student, "I would have dropped out of school altogether and probably have joined the Army or Marines by now.

“Instead, I am going to be the first person in my family to ever get a high school diploma," he said, prompting a standing ovation from most of the audience.

Many students and parents said the atmosphere at Olympic High was much better than SAMOHI’s.

"My son did not make it at SAMOHI,” said Patricia Hand, whose son recently graduated from Olympic. “At least at Olympic, they would call me to let me know if he was not there. At SAMOHI, I would never know."

After listening to a cross-section of Olympic supporters, Escarce suggested that the board hold back on a task force and instead think of ways of improving the school without radically changing the school model.

He was backed by de la Torre, who gave a personal pledge to assist the school "with or without the Board's help" and board member Shane McCloud, who reassured the audience.

"The Superintendent has a right to express his opinion but does not have the authority without the Board's consent to implement any plan," McCloud said.

Visibly moved, Escarce concluded the discussion by applauding the community’s efforts to make itself heard.

"In the three years that I have been on the board, I have never seen such an outpouring of passion,” Escarce said. “We have a lot to learn, and we have learned a lot tonight."