BOE sanctions Bennett for his conduct

After raising a ruckus over issues for several months now, public school teacher representative Ambrose Bennett finally got an official response from the Board of Education yesterday: a motion to sanction him.

The board, led by chair Roman C. Benavente, adopted a motion to sanction Bennett over what it described as Bennett’s “unprofessional, unethical and threatening acts.”

Benavente, in particular, cited that Bennett lately wrote him a “nasty” letter, reflecting on the teacher representative’s “very unprofessional behavior.”

The board chair had issued a warning to Bennett last May following the latter’s issuance of a letter allegedly “maligning” board member Herman Guerrero and his use of the BOE letterhead when writing letters.

Board members presented yesterday other letters that Bennett had allegedly written criticizing the board. Board members Marja Lee Taitano and private sector representative Scott Norman did most of the talking during yesterday’s discussion on Bennett.

“We presented the things [as proof of] his unprofessional actions. We stated all our positions, which he had a chance to reply, we put a motion to sanction him and he was sanctioned,” said Taitano, who chairs the ad-hoc committee on Bennett’s proposed collective bargaining agreement.

Norman said he spoke as a fellow appointee or a non-elective member and a member whom Bennett had also attacked in his previous letters.

“What he has been doing has been in violation of board regulations—unethical and unprofessional,” said Norman.

He cited that Bennett, instead of putting his concerns before the board, has taken his grievance “outside the board to the newspapers.”

Bennett, he said, had “twisted” his previous advice as a new member “to sit and listen [first] and familiarize himself with board regulations.”

Norman said that Bennett went out quoting him as saying that, as a non-voting member, he just had to sit in one corner and not talk.

Bennett’s sanction does not mean suspension from the board. It was more of a slap on the wrist, to formally make known his “unprofessional actions.”

“I don’t think other further action would be necessary. But we always reserve the right to take further action if he continues to do things that are outside board parameters, and against board regulations,” Norman said.

Yesterday’s issues included Bennett’s use of the board letterhead and his often critical letters of the board which he had sent out to the media.

Bennett said he had apologized to Benavente before yesterday’s meeting.

“I think it’s the way I write to the paper [as reason for sanction]. What they’re saying is that I can only act on things they ask of me. I think it’s a violation of my duty. It also means teachers are inhibited in their rights to representation on the board. The board is stopping it,” said Bennett.

“They don’t want me to write letters to the media. But I wrote them [board members] hundreds of letters and they ignored them that’s why I wrote in the news. Their strategy is just to ignore me,” he said.

Bennett insisted that as a non-recognized exclusive bargaining agent for public school teachers, a teacher representative can’t do much.

“There is little I or any teacher representative can do unless there’s collective bargaining right,” he said.

Bennett said yesterday’s conduct of the board was professional but “what they did to me was not professional.”

“It’s more about nitpicking,” he said.

Bennett said, though, that “I can deal with the sanction.”