Marysville Educators Call on School Board to Dismiss Superintendent.
Superintendent Failed to Meet Expectations.
*Disclaimer: Picture is screenshot from similar event.
Members of the Yuba County Democratic Central Committee donned red t-shirts and stood in solidarity with the Marysville Unified Teachers Association (MUTA) at the June School Board meeting. The following Press release by MUTA describes the Resolution that was presented by Union President, Angela Stegall.
MARYSVILLE – On June 11, 2024, Marysville Unified Teachers Association (MUTA) educators
presented the Marysville Joint Unified School District (MJUSD) school board a resolution letter detailing
the ways in which Superintendent Fal Asrani has failed in her leadership of staff and students. Recently,
the members of the teachers’ union voted, and the results were clear: 94% of educators who voted have no confidence in Superintendent Asrani’s ability to lead the district. This is a historic vote of no confidence on MUTA’s part and comes after the chapter has filed at least three Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charges,
several Brown Act Violations, and Cease and Desist letters. At the Board meeting, MUTA educators
outlined in their resolution the many ways that Asrani has failed. Among the allegations are the following:
she is fiscally irresponsible and has driven the district into dire financial straits, despite increased
enrollment resulting in an increase of funds; she exhibits a lack of transparency and honesty; she
disregards and marginalizes MUTA’s voice as professional educators; and she implements major
educational programmatic changes without parental input.
“As educators, it is not only our duty, but our responsibility to advocate for our students and let the public know when students’ needs are not being served,” said MUTA President Angela Stegall. “The 10,539
students – along with the educators and other employees of Marysville Joint Unified – deserve a leader
who is committed to the social, emotional, physical, and mental health needs of students, will truly foster
collaboration and open communication, and will genuinely address student discipline issues and safety
concerns – and the superintendent has failed in each of these. If Superintendent Asrani were to receive a
report card from the educators and parents of this district, we would give her a failing grade. The overall
morale throughout the district has reached an all-time low, due to Dr. Asrani’s continued disrespect,
disregard, and demoralization of employees. I am heartbroken at what she has done to our educational
community and hope that the school board will finally take the concerns of the community seriously and TERMINATE THE SUPERINTENDENT’S CONTRACT. “
Text of the No Confidence Resolution:
Marysville Unified Teachers Association (MUTA) Vote of No Confidence Resolution
Whereas Dr. Fal Asrani, Ed.D. is employed as the current Superintendent of the Marysville Joint
Unified School District (MJUSD) and is tasked by the MJUSD Board of Trustees with the
oversight and management of all aspects and functions of the school district, including direct
authority over internal and external District communications and bargaining with employee
associations; and
Whereas Dr. Fal Asrani, Ed.D. is additionally responsible for the oversight and management of
the policies related to hiring, retention, and morale of the employees directly and indirectly under
her charge; and
Whereas over the last three years Dr. Fal Asrani, Ed.D. has engaged in a series of behaviors and
actions which has left her employees deflated, broken, discouraged, and demoralized; and
Whereas the behaviors and actions leading to the current state of relations between educators
and management have included:
● Exhibiting a consistent and overall lack of transparency and honesty, including, but not
limited to:
○ the transfer/takeover of the YCOE Mod/Severe SpEd program, against the wishes
of parents and despite significant concerns and while falsely claiming it would
save the District over $6 million a year,
○ having a District-paid lawyer renegotiate her contract during a Board meeting
after less than a year on the job, and, recently having the Board extend her
contract by yet another year while MUTA has been working under an expired
contract since July 1, 2023,
○ numerous issues in regards to campaign activities related to the failed Bond
measure,
○ the sudden elimination of 6th grade at Yuba Feather and Dobbins Elementary
Schools,
○ a number of violations and/or potential violations of the Brown Act,
○ tasking site and District administrators with so much Superintendent-directed
minutiae making it nearly impossible to effectively and positively run their sites
or departments, while also undermining their decisions, making unreasonable
demands of their time, and reportedly berating them in person and over the phone,
○ a multitude of issues related to the Middle College; and
● insulating the Board of Trustees from any sources of information other than what she
provides by counseling and advising Trustees to refuse to engage in any communication
with the elected representatives and/or members of MUTA, as well as by providing
employees and the public with only District email addresses and District voicemail
numbers for Trustees, in addition to cutting the number of Regular Board meetings in
half, moving Public Comment to the end of the meetings, and limiting Labor
Organization input/comment to ten (10) minutes per month as a retaliatory measure; and
● Utilizing union-busting and union-weakening tactics and efforts as well as marginalizing
and disregarding MUTA’s right and voice as professional educators and as a union,
including, but not limited to;
○ enacting innumerable initiatives/programs/projects/etc. without educator input
and/or without notice to/ consultation/ bargaining with MUTA (as required by law
and is best practice);
○ directing that our contract be violated repeatedly in regards to Involuntary
Transfer/Reassignment;
○ arbitrary changes in policies without consultation or prior communication with
educators or employees;
○ abruptly ending the District’s commitment to reduce/eliminate combo classes;
○ eliminating/disbanding the Labor Management Initiative (LMI) without warning
or input;
○ necessitating that MUTA file at least three Unfair Labor Practice Charges, a
handful of Cease and Desist letters, and various grievances;
○ directing that the MUTA president be investigated for protected union activities
and further directing that the union president be written up for insubordination
and unprofessional conduct in relation to those protected union activities, all in
violation of the National Labor Relations Board and Public Employee Relations
Board; and
○ ignoring or undermining concerns regarding safety and student discipline, leaving
teachers, staff, administrators, and students in frustrating and even dangerous
situations;
Whereas Dr. Fal Asrani, Ed.D. has engaged in the foregoing behaviors and actions during a time
of a statewide (and nationwide) teacher/educator shortage; she has failed in her responsibility to
create a positive and rewarding work environment in order to attract and retain highly qualified
educators; and
Whereas under the leadership and advice of Dr. Fal Asrani, Ed.D., MJUSD has been driven into
financial straits, despite increasing enrollment and the resulting increase in funding; under Dr.
Asrani’s leadership, the District’s Ending Fund Balance has decreased by 40% in one year, and
the District’s Total Unrestricted Ending Balance Percent of Total Outgo has dwindled from
40.99% to 11.08% during her tenure.The 8.22% COLA meant to help employees’ salaries keep
up with inflation has been spent, leaving employees with what amounts to a pay cut. All while
well over 20 positions were added at the District Office, legal fees ballooned to nearly
half-a-million dollars, and over $200,000 was spent on a PR firm for an “image
campaign”–while also simultaneously declaring that our comprehensive high schools are
overstaffed and while cutting the majority of our health aides, eliminating our PASS officers,
cutting teaching positions, and mentioning the possible elimination of Outreach Consultants; and
Whereas the overall morale throughout the District–not just MUTA–has reached an all-time low,
due to Dr. Fal Asrani’s continued disrespect, disregard, and demoralization of employees, and;
Whereas it is in the interest of all employee groups, management, the Board of Trustees, and the
community as a whole for MJUSD to be a compassionate and collaborative environment in order
to provide the best possible services for the students and families we all serve; and
Whereas Dr. Fal Asrani, Ed.D., has failed to provide the leadership that our students and
families need in truly addressing the social, emotional, physical, and mental health needs of our
students; and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the members of the Marysville Unified Teachers
Association have NO confidence, and NO trust, in the Superintendent to effectively lead the
Marysville Joint Unified School District, and
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the members of the Marysville Unified
Teachers Association respectfully and willingly submit this vote of No Confidence to the Board
of Trustees of the Marysville Joint Unified School District, and
THEREFORE, BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the Marysville Unified Teachers
Association members urge the Board of Trustees of the Marysville Joint Unified School District
to terminate the contract of the Superintendent because the students and staff of Marysville Joint
Unified School District deserve better.
We, the professional educators of the Marysville Joint Unified School District and Marysville
Unified Teachers Association proclaim, by 94% of our voting members, No Confidence in
Superintendent Fal Asrani, Ed.D.
Angela Stegall
MUTA President