YC school drops teacher

A probationary history teacher at River Valley High School was dismissed after three weeks, according to Yuba City Unified School District officials.

After she was fired last week, Danielle Bruns' case went before district trustees Tuesday night and the dismissal was upheld by a unanimous vote.

Superintendent Nancy Aaberg confirmed Bruns was dismissed.

Board members discussed the situation in closed session before the regular meeting and presented their votes in open session in favor of upholding Bruns' dismissal.

Sharman Kobayashi, a board member and former president of the board, said the trustees acted in the best interest of the district and, ultimately, the students.

“We have to do what's best for the district; if the district suffers, then all of us suffer, our children suffer, and that's our bottom line,” she said. “Sometimes we have to make decisions that are difficult ... our decisions are not done with a personal agenda, they're done for the kids in the community, so I just hope the people out there understand that we're doing the best we can for everyone.”

Representatives of the Yuba City Unified Teachers Association were not available for comment Wednesday.

“With personnel issues like this, it's impossible for board members or anyone on the district side to make comments that pertain to a particular case, because by law, you really can't talk about anything,” Kobayashi said. “This was one of those hard, hard decisions, but it comes with the territory.”

River Valley Principal Don Beno echoed Kobayashi's comments, saying he is barred from commenting on personnel issues.

He said the atmosphere at the school was “cool” and the day was “business as usual.”

“We're going about the business of running our school,” Beno said. “I've been around school all day today, and not one person at school has even asked me about the issue. It just hasn't been a topic of discussion here at all.”

Aaberg said the district is focusing on the students' welfare while working to hire a new history teacher as soon as possible.

Kobayashi said she hoped the teachers and parents understood the decision, and that it was not made in haste.

“I think that when people elect board members, I believe they elect people whose judgment they feel is sound, and I certainly believe that the members of the school board have sound judgment; that we're reasonable people,” she said. “I think that we're as compassionate as any of the teachers and any parent out there.”

Appeal-Democrat reporter Kymm Mann can be reached at 749-4707 or kmann@appeal-democrat.com.