By Amy Bounds
Camera Staff Writer

Boulder Valley Superintendent George Garcia recommended Tuesday that the school board fire a popular Mesa Elementary School teacher for sending a threatening note as a practical joke to another teacher.

But the recommendation, which starts a process that could end in the firing of third-grade teacher Russ Karsten, was vehemently protested by parents.

About 260 Mesa parents signed a petition asking the board to give Karsten a second chance, while about 20 parents also came to Tuesday's meeting to ask the board to delay the superintendent's recommendation until the next school board meeting to give them time to meet with the superintendent.

"We do not have to lose this teacher," said Mesa parent Phillip Rosmarin.

He said Garcia didn't respond to requests to meet with the parents and called the district's handling of the issue "a new standard for non-responsiveness."

Parents also said the students in Karsten's class were "very distressed" when they were given no explanation for why their teacher was no longer in the classroom. Karsten was placed on administrative leave while the district investigated, and parents said school staff were told not to talk about what had happened.

Karsten, who is in his third year teaching at Mesa, declined to comment.

The threatening letter was reported to Boulder police earlier this month. According to a police report, the school's literacy teacher received a note in her school mail that read: "The flood failed. You must die!"

The "flood" refers to a literacy teaching strategy. Mesa recently received its statewide, third-grade reading test scores, and the scores have dropped in the last two years.

Karsten told Mesa's principal that he sent the note as a joke, according to the police report. Parents said Karsten and the victim were friends and had exchanged a series of joking notes in the past.

Parent Jean Rosmarin said firing Karsten would send the wrong message to students.

"Are we teaching them that mistakes last forever, that intentions don't last?" she said.

School board President Bill de la Cruz said the board acknowledged the superintendent's recommendation simply to "allow the process to work."

On the advice of legal counsel, the school board limited public comment at the meeting, saying specifics about personnel issues are confidential.

Boulder Valley attorney Darci Mohr said a public hearing on whether the teacher should be dismissed would be inappropriate because "it's critical that the board remain neutral."

Karsten now can request a hearing before an impartial hearing officer. During the hearing, he can call up to 10 witnesses and present evidence. It's then up to the school board to make a final decision based on the hearing officer's recommendations.

The process is expected to take about 60 days.

Contact Amy Bounds at boundsa@thedailycamera.com or (303) 473-1341.

May 29, 2002

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