The Desert IndependentTM

Serving Blythe, California & the Desert Regions of the Southwest

Surprising, But Not Unexpected

Assembled from A Variety of Sources

BLYTHE, Calif – This is a phrase used by our current Superintendent when in receipt of less than welcome news. Sometimes it can be stated as, “Unexpected, but not surprising.” No matter – both uses indicate an aloof and distant leadership style.

In our continuing series on the Tales of Two Cities (Elk River and Blythe), other local researchers of the Elk River Star Archives and readers from Elk River have submitted even more strange, but true parallels in our experiences with the current Supt.

In ER, the hiring Board was unable to or did not talk to the Board of Trustees or Administrators in Bonneville SD, Idaho as to Dr. Jensen’s performance.

In PV, the hiring Board was unable to or did not talk to the Board of Trustees or Administrators in Elk River SD, MN as to Dr. Jensen’s performance.

In ER, the Supt. stiffed the Elk River Police Dept. by backing out of a 5-year SRO agreement after three years – leaving the Dept. holding the bag.

In PV, in contrast, the Supt. stiffed the district by paying for the Sheriff’s Department’s SRO at the rate of $60,000 per year from the General Fund for three years after the GREAT grant ran out.

In ER, a “rabble-rousing” incumbent for the School Board was met with a smear campaign, coercion to resign from the board or face an “expose” in the paper and anonymously paid ads in the EL Star in favor of Friends of Alan.

In PV, the modus oporandi was exactly the same plus a false “Groundbreaking” for Appleby was held to promote the incumbents prior to the November elections.

In ER, in October of 2003 he negotiated an 11% raise, a three-year contract and a severance agreement from a “lame duck” BOT.

In PV, he strip-mined the General Fund with raises of 11%, 11% and a three-year contract, and then 13% in this year of layoffs.

In ER, 115 “fantastic” bus drivers lost their jobs when Dr. Jensen privatized the districts transportation department.

In PV, 20% of the classified staff was laid off – bearing an unfair share of the cuts made necessary by less-than- prudent spending and the Governor’s budget cuts.

In ER, Jim Boyle of the ER Star, said that Jensen’s tenure was like, “watching a train wreck you saw coming for years – that started when the ER BOT handed over carte blanche control to Jensen.”

In PV, History repeats itself. Surprising? Unexpected? Shouldn’t have been.

In ER, Jim Boyle of the ER Star again said, “His inability to adapt and the sheer fact that far too many people under his command have had diminishing respect for him as a person and leader did not bode well for him.”

In PV, Unsurprisingly and not unexpectedly, it’s Déjà vu all over again.

Coincidences? Perhaps….perhaps not. We invite the readers to Google up the names, find the articles, the district websites, the ER Board minutes or make some phone calls and check things out for themselves. Sometimes we just ignore the admonition, “Those than do not remember their history are doomed to repeat it.”. – George Santayana.