Reassigned Instructor Charges Nepotism

A community college teacher who was replaced by her boss’ sister charged Tuesday that administrators have violated an anti-nepotism rule.

On Tuesday, Willene Goodwin, part-time adult basic education instructor, told the Community Colleges of Spokane board of trustees that it had broken a rule preventing relatives from hiring and supervising each other.

The alleged violation occurred when Sally Grabicki, dean of the Adult Education Center on North Monroe, hired Gloria Garner to replace Goodwin.

Garner is the sister of the center’s department chair, Geri Swope. Garner also works full time for the district during the day.

CCS administrators, however, said that Goodwin’s complaint was groundless because a faculty union contract supersedes the district’s anti-nepotism rule.

“Under the master contract, department chairs are not supervisors,” said CCS chief executive Terry Brown. “There’s been no violation of the nepotism rules.”

Bob Schlim, treasurer of the Association for Higher Education union that represents Goodwin and 850 instructors in the CCS six-county district, agreed.

Goodwin has worked for the district’s Institute for Extended Learning since 1989. The 55-year-old was reassigned this fall from her evening teaching post to tutor Spokane County Jail inmates during the day. Goodwin was offered the jail job at the same pay after her department reorganized and the hours of the evening post were cut.

Terry Boyden, a part-time English teacher at SCC, said the district’s response to Goodwin’s claims reflects a culture of nepotism.

“If Willene had been the sister of Geri Swope, she’d still have her job,” Boyden told the board.

Goodwin asked the trustees to reaffirm their support of the district’s anti-nepotism policy, monitor moonlighting by full-time employees and create faculty personnel committees in all departments.

The board, which also received letters from 15 instructors supporting dean Grabicki, took no action.

, DataTimes