Oregon daily emerald., May 06, 1968, Page Three, Image 3

As Kunkle Case Continues
Education Groups Blasted
By Cur r SANDERLIN
Of the Emerald
Eugene public classrooms are back to normal, now that the
Ronald Kunkle controversy has been quieted. But the dust has
definitely not settled.
• A University educational researcher and political science
professor has attacked both the Oregon and the Eugene Educa
tion Associations for their handling of the Kunkle case.
• A $500,000 slander suit has been filed against KERG Radio
personality Thomas Mann. Mann is accused of generating animosity
against Kunkle. causing local citizens to intimidate the district
into firing the fifth-grade Santa Clara teacher.
REINSTATEMENT CONSIDERATION DUE ,
• Kunkle’s case for reinstatement will likely be considered this
month by the State Board of Education. The board will decide
soon whether it will allow oral testimony from Kunkle’s attorney,
Charles O. Porter. A brief has been filed by Porter, and a counter
brief from the State Board is anticipated, although the board is
under no obligation to file one.
Porter told the Emerald he hopes to debate the lack of appeal
procedures available to Oregon teachers, so that teachers in Kun
kle’s position will not be forced to go through the courts. Teachers
who have taught less than three years in a district have no right
of appeal, and tenured teachers have only limited rights.
The OEA and EEA have come under fire from Harmon Zeigler,
of the Center for Advanced Study of Educational Administration.
Zeigler has blasted the two associations, particularly the OEA,
for a “whitewash job’’ in supporting the action of the Eugene
School Board. The board fired Kunkle December 18 for “inefficiency
and insubordination" and then upheld its original decision in
a January 15-16 hearing.
“We were not really surprised when the OEA supported the
school board decision,” Zeigler told the Emerald. “We had a good
indication of what was coming before the investigating committee
had finished.”
For example, Zeigler said, the EEA president publicly criticized
Kunkle while the OEA was preparing its investigation, “which is
not a sign of objectivity.”
“Also,” Zeigler said, “the president of the OEA wrote to the
school board praising them for firing Kunkle. The letter was mailed
before the investigation had been completed.”
Zeigler criticized the composition of the investigating team: “Out
of a five-man team,” he said, “there was only one public school
teacher. The rest were administrators, except for one, who was
a college instructor."
Zeigler, who was co-chairman of the Eugene Citizens for Better
Education when Kunkle was fired, said Kunkle felt it would be
fruitless to involve the EEA or OEA because of their histories
of supporting the administration point of view.
As a rule, education associations are asked to investigate prob
lems of personnel and report their finding to the public. Kunkle
was attacked for not asking the Eugene group to investigate.
Later, however, he asked the OEA for an investigation.
“We doubted that the OEA would support Kunkle,” Zeigler
said, “but we did hope the investigating committee would point
up the blundering of the school administration.”
Though Superintendant Millard Pond denied there was any
administration blundering, Zeigler said, the Santa Clara principal
admitted during the January hearing that a number of administra
tive errors had been committed.
PRINCIPAL DENIES STATEMENT
The principal testified during the courtrooin-like hearings that
he had not instructed the teachers that they should salute the
flag each day, that he had not recorded parental complaints about
Kunkle, and that he had not given Kunkle a definite deadline for
submitting a proposal for restructuring his classroom procedures,
Zeigler said.
In addition, Zeigler points out, no one visited Kunkle’s classroom
between the time he was told to change his approach and the
time he was actually fired—a span of seven school days.
“Yet the investigating committee didn’t acknowledge any of
the principal’s testimony in its final report,” Zeigler said.
“The school board, like the principal, realized that the adminis
tration had been wong,” Zeigler said. “That’s why the January 16
vote for reconsideration was so close (4-3)”
“That’s why the school board has since adopted, word-for-word,
a proposal by the Citizens for Better Education for handling com
plaints and controversy, which would encourage parents to take
up criticism directly with the teacher and to put their criticism
in writing, giving sources of information and specific details,”
Zeigler said.
“We couldn’t even get the support of the EEA on our policy
statement about handling controversial issues,” Zeigler said.
“Why would a teachers’ association refuse to support a policy
statement designed to strengthen the hand of teachers under com
munity attack? They wouldn't do it because they, like the OEA,
identify with the administration.”
“AH through the case,” Zeigler said, “the Eugene School Board
has been more innovative and receptive to suggestions from mem
bers of the community than the administration or the education
associations.”
"If it weren t for the school board I don't know where the case
would be now,” he said. “It’s a good thing that the school board
in this city can act as a defense against the educational establish
ment.”
He pointed out that the Eugene board, on the whole, is more
sophisticated than the "average school board around the state
and country, although two of its members believe it’s their duty
to vote with the administration—no matter what—even on the
policy statement about handling controversy in the classroom.”
“The typical male teacher goes into teaching for one purpose—
to become an administrator,” he said. "To become an administra
tor. you’ve got to keep your nose clean, your mouth shut and
march according to the tune played by the administration.”
“Kunkle didn't want to be an administrator,” Zeigler said. "He
wanted to be a teacher—that’s unsual in itself—and he wanted
to turn kids on.”
“EMBARRASSING” THE WORRY
"When we talked with the EEA about the case,” he said, “they
were worrying about embarrassing the principal. They weren’t
at all concerned with embarrassing Kunkle.”
“The OEA is dominated not only by the administration point
of view, but by small town teachers,” he said. "They work together
nicely, and any teacher who violates the status quo is anathema,
not only to the superintendant and principal, but to the other
teachers.”
“This document of the Kunkle case,” Zeigler said, “is what
might be called the last testiment of a dying organization.”
While Oregon becomes more urban and while more young urban
males are becoming teachers, Zeigler says, the OEA continues
to stick with its rural population. “The OEA’s being passed by.”
“The OEA’s always talking about professionalism. What is a
professional? A person who has the autonomy to control his own
behavior—a lawyer, for example. A teacher does not have
autonomy, even in his own classroom. The OEA is not supporting
professional activity,” Zeigler said. "They are supporting employee
activity.”
New Show Probes
Campus, Eugene
“Community Focus ’68." a
program originated weekly on
the University’s student-operat
ed television station PL-3, will
really reach into the commu
nity tonight.
According to station spokes
men, the show, which begins at
7:15, will be viewed by discus
sion groups in about 20 Eugene
churches who are beginning a
series of weekly meetings on the
Kerner report on civil disorders.
A segment on Black Power
will be included especially for
these groups. The taped seg
ment features a panel moderat
ed by John Howard, assistant
professor of sociology. Paul
Pinegar, student minister intern
at Westminster Foundation, will
lead the discussion in the studio.
Other topics set for Monday’s
show include a status report
on the Lane county auditorium
and a discussion of gerontology,
the study of aging.
Ed Ragazzino, drama instruc
tor at South Eugene High, and
Lee Bishop, president of the
Lane County Auditorium associ
ation, will discuss the proposed
auditorium and summer com
munity theatre.
Contemporary Arts your bag?
Get some this summer from the tenth annual
Summer Academy of Contemporary Arts crowd
JOSEPH LANGLAND, Poet, June 17-27
NORRIS HOUGHTON, Dramatist, July 1-11
PETER PHILLIPS, Composer, July 15-25
ELAINE de KOONING, Painter, July 29
August 7
Get the details from the Summer Academy of
Contemporary Arts brochure, now at the
Information Office in Johnson Hall and the
Summer Session Office in the Education Building.
i
SUMMER SESSION
Blood Bank
The Lane Memorial Blood Bank
needs the following types of blood
for its special account which serves
tire faculty, students, and staff of the
University.
Donor hours are 1:30 to 4:00 p.m.
Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, and
by appointment from 3 to 7 p.m. Fri
day. The Blood Bank is located at 740
E. 13th.
Units Needed Type
5 A Positive
3 A Negative
6 O Positive
2 O Negative
1 B Positive
1 AB Positive
HOT PIZZA
PlETBtfS
CAMPUS AREA
DELIVERY SERVICE
Check Our Schedule
Call 726-4415
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