Opinion ID: 1187649
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: 3. Defendant school board substantially complied with section 44664 before reassigning plaintiff to a teaching position.

Text: Plaintiff seeks reinstatement to his position as principal on a second ground: plaintiff alleges that the school board's failure to comply with the requirements of section 44664 invalidates his reassignment to a teaching post. Section 44664, a provision of the Stull Act (former §§ 13485-13490, now §§ 44660-44665), provides: Evaluation and assessment of the performance of each certificated employee shall be made on a continuing basis, at least once each school year for probationary personnel, and at least every other year for personnel with permanent status. The evaluation shall include recommendations, if necessary, as to areas of improvement in the performance of the employee. In the event an employee is not performing his duties in a satisfactory manner according to the standards prescribed by the governing board, the employing authority shall notify the employee in writing of such fact and describe such unsatisfactory performance. The employing authority shall thereafter confer with the employee making specific recommendations as to areas of improvement in the employee's performance and endeavor to assist him in such performance. [15] The trial court in the present case found that the school board violated section 44664 by neglecting to notify plaintiff in writing that he was not performing his duties in a satisfactory manner, and by failing thereafter [to] confer with [plaintiff]. The record indicates, however, that the school board substantially complied with the Stull Act's mandate that the board fix performance guidelines for its certificated personnel, evaluate plaintiff in light of such guidelines, inform plaintiff of the results of any evaluation, and suggest to plaintiff ways to improve his performance. The school board's guidelines provide for annual evaluations of supervisory personnel; accordingly, the board evaluated plaintiff in 1973, 1974, and 1975. Although plaintiff received generally satisfactory evaluations in 1973 and 1974, the board's evaluation report in 1974 contains suggestions for specific areas of improvement. The board's establishment of a timetable in April 1975 for assessment of plaintiff's performance evidences an increased scrutiny of plaintiff that year; Associate Superintendent Cloud notified plaintiff at that point that plaintiff was the subject of concern, and repeated suggestions for improvement. Plaintiff's final Stull Act evaluation in June 1975 plainly notified plaintiff in writing of any unsatisfactory conduct on his part, and in addition provided a forum for plaintiff's supervisors to make specific recommendations as to areas of improvement in the employee's performance and endeavor to assist him in such performance. Plaintiff's signature on the report indicates that he was informed of the results of this evaluation. Although the board scheduled an evaluation for the 1975-1976 school year, plaintiff refused to participate. Throughout the year, however, plaintiff's supervisors had contacted him frequently concerning his difficulties; after at least two meetings Associate Superintendent Cloud provided plaintiff with memoranda listing methods of improvement. Thus plaintiff knew of the board's close attention to his performance and of specific ways in which he could alleviate their concerns. Under these circumstances we reject the trial court's finding of noncompliance and its overly restrictive interpretation of the requirements of section 44664. [16] This court is surely obligated to understand the purpose of sections 44031 and 44664 and to apply those sections to the relevant facts. (5) The obvious objective of the Legislature was to protect the individual employee, in this case, the principal of a high school, against arbitrary action by the institution, here the school board, in order to preserve the individual's rights against their improper severance. The individual would be helpless against the institution's wrongful reassigning him to an inferior position unless he had the opportunity to know, and if possible, to counter the reasons for it. At the same time if the trial court in the present case should find that the board in any event, even in the absence of unproven accusations against the principal's conduct, would still have reassigned him, for its own good reasons, the principal cannot justly complain. The judgment is reversed and the cause is remanded to the trial court for further proceedings in conformity with this opinion.