Accompanied by a dangling participle as befits an English teacher, the dismissed Sheila Silver stunningly and unexpectedly was restored to active duty this morning, conditionally eligible to return next year as one of Culver City High School’s most popular instructors.
School Board President Scott Zeidman emerged from a nearly two-hour Closed Session to make the announcement and interpret the action at ten minutes before High Noon, in more ways than one.
“The way it stood at the start,” he told the newspaper, “as a Probationary II employee, she was not re-elected to come back next year. We voted 5 to 0 to reconsider that decision to get information. After discussion in Closed Session for about an hour, we voted 3 to 2 to rescind the non-re-election, which means to take back the firing.”
Kathy Paspalis, Steve Gourley and Karlo Silbiger — not often philosophical teammates — formed the winning Board majority for Ms. Silver.
Mr. Zeidman said that Ms. Silver is “eligible to come back next year as a tenured teacher — barring budget cuts.
“Has she been rehired? No. Her release has been rescinded. She is eligible to return next year provided there is a position for her, based upon budget cuts, tenure and everything else.”
Board member Mr. Gourley, standing nearby, said that seniority also could be a factor in the faculty makeup (and Ms. Silver’s return) for next year.
Ms. Silver’s unusual canning midway through her second year — both of which have brimmed with record accomplishments — has aroused many corners of the community to aggressively rush to her defense. It has been a tightly focused two-generation battle to restore her active status.
Virtually daily, students and parents associated with the hugely successful Academy of Visual and Performing Arts, where Ms. Silver is the Creative Director, have been vociferously campaigning to bring her back.
Surprises abounded today.
Fifteen days, almost to the hour that she was informed of Principal Pam Magee’s decision to fire her, Ms. Silver and Teachers Union President David Mielke suddenly entered School District headquarters at 10:30 this morning. At last, she was granted her long-sought chance to plead her case face-to-face to the five faces of the School Board members.
Arriving at the back door, Ms. Silver and Mr. Mielke — leader of the Union almost as long as the 32 years she has been teaching — proceeded directly into the Board Room at 30 minutes after the Closed Session had begun.
For half an hour, Ms. Silver told her wall-high side of story that she had been achingly hoping to tell to the ultimate decision-makers.
When the teacher and Union President departed the grounds on a — technically — cloudy morning on Irving Place, their bland expressions were identical to the ones they wore at the start.
