A little more than a year after the veteran school administrator Dr. Diane Fiello triumphantly rode out of Culver City and into the spread-eagle arms of a happy homecoming in the South Bay, her soaring career suddenly has been mashed into ashes.
In a bizarre move on Wednesday night that seemed expressly intended to humiliate Asst. Supt. Dr. Fiello, the board of the Centinela Valley High School District declared — publicly — that it had voted 3 to 1 to can her.
“No one deserves that type of public dressing down,” a strongly offended former teacher told the newspaper.
Historically, school boards are so secretive about personnel actions that they frequently are targets of harsh criticism for throwing a blanket over the public’s business.
For a short time, the Daily Breeze reported, Dr. Fiello seemed frozen in her chair, too stunned to physically or vocally react.
“There is a protocol for dismissing an assistant superintendent that must be followed,” she finally said.
“There has to be some writing involved.”
Later, Say Her Bosses
The School Board was in no mood to accommodate her.
When bidden to explain the decision, Board President Gloria Ramos circled back to tradition. Dismissively, she demurred.
There is a time for such a discussion, she said, vaguely. But this public meeting was not the appropriate location.
Sources said it is unlikely that her firing came as a complete shock to Dr. Fiello.
In the background, a dispute has been brewing in the district over the offbeat actions of a certain administrator, according to sources.
Dr. Fiello’s unforgivable political sin may have been aligning herself with the wrong group, the one that had only 25 percent of School Board support.
Fleeting consolation for Dr. Fiello, whose salary was $143,000, was that she was not the first Centinela Valley administrator to be humbled while the community was watching.
A former superintendent, Cheryl White, also was in public when the School Board revealed it was giving her the axe.
At the age 60’ish juncture of her suddenly parked career, the one path it is known Dr. Fiello will not be taking is back to Culver City, where she spent a decade. In Culver City, both salaries and personnel are undergoing involuntary haircuts.
At the end of the School Board meeting, the Daily Breeze sought elucidation from Ms. Ramos over the jolting decision.
She merely replied: “We’re trying to make the best moves possible for our students.”
Ms. Ramos, however, declined to explain how an asserted political firing improved the climate for Centinela Valley students.
