Thursday May 1

Ousted schools chief takes new job

By Sharon Noguchi / Bay Area News Group

Colleen Wilcox, who was ousted as schools chief of Santa Clara County after an investigation found she humiliated employees, soon will return to the education spotlight as an advocate for teachers in Silicon Valley.

Wilcox was tapped as executive director of a new organization called the Silicon Valley Alliance for Teachers. It's a group she knows well: She helped craft it while still Santa Clara County superintendent of schools.

Falling under the umbrella of Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network, the group will be funded by a $150,000 seed grant from the Morgan Family Foundation. She starts July 1.

"We'd really like to elevate the status of teachers throughout San Mateo and Santa Clara counties" by dramatically improving teaching, Wilcox said. The goal, she said, is to "create the world's greatest teachers" and entice them to stay put.

Wilcox had been "one of the principal architects" of the alliance, said Russell Hancock, Joint Venture's president and CEO. He was happy that she was suddenly available to lead the group she designed.

Wilcox headed the Santa Clara County Office of Education for 14 years, until stepping down as superintendent Nov. 1. She resigned after multiple employees reported Wilcox had harassed and belittled them in front of their co-workers. An investigator concluded she was not guilty of racial or sexual discrimination; however, the resulting furor forced her resignation.

Her negotiated settlement with the county office called for her to work on projects for the board of education through June 30, but she has had no assignments.

While she aroused considerable enmity among the 1,900 county office employees, Wilcox also retained a network of loyal supporters. Among them is Becky Morgan - who heads the Morgan Family Foundation.

Wilcox is "the perfect fit, a true educator," said Morgan, president of the foundation and former Joint Venture president.

The new Alliance for Teachers so far has one partner: the San Mateo County Office of Education. Its leader, Jean Holbrook, helped Wilcox and Hancock design the group.

Joint Venture's yearlong collaboration with Santa Clara County stopped when Wilcox resigned. Wilcox said she will approach superintendent-designate Charles Weis after he begins in July. Through a spokesman, interim Superintendent Joe Fimiani said he had not been contacted about working on the alliance, and three trustees said they had not heard of it.

In her new $120,000-a-year job, Wilcox will essentially lobby for better teacher recruitment, training and retention.

While she was superintendent, Wilcox sat on the 43-member Joint Venture board for about 10 years. Until early Wednesday afternoon, she was still listed on the group's Web site as a board member.

At Wilcox's request, in her new job she will be an employee of the San Mateo County Office of Education, and thus qualify to continue to rack up credits toward her pension from the State Teachers Retirement System.

As superintendent, Wilcox earned $282,000, in her last year. Retired employees can reap roughly up to 60 percent of their salary as a pension, said Sherry Reser, retirement board spokeswoman.

Santa Clara County Board of Education trustees said they wished Wilcox well. "It sounds like a nice fit," board President Jane Howard said.

Joint Venture, a collaboration of business, government and labor, focuses on issues affecting the valley economy. In recent years, they've sponsored no education programs.

Wilcox, who lives in Los Gatos, said she's glad to be back in the arena. "This is my life. If I can do anything to change the attitude and respect for teachers, that's what I want to do."