Redmond School Board approves controversial former Bend principal to fill vacant seat

DeWittie left her job as principal of Summit High at the end of the 2017-2018 academic year, shortly after some parents voiced concern over an email and essay she wrote that included references to Christianity. The writing suggested, in part, that public education should be restructured to conform with Christian values, according to news reports. At least one person complained to the district about her writing, but district officials concluded she had not violated policy.

DeWittie did not return requests for comment prior to press time Tuesday.

Some families remain concerned that DeWittie’s religious beliefs could compromise her ability to maintain religious neutrality as a board member.

At least one parent, who volunteered as a robotics coach at Summit High and whose children attended the high school when DeWittie was there, said he plans to attend Wednesday’s board meeting and speak out against her appointment. He said his concerns are not with any religious beliefs she expresses but with the way she leads.

“I always appreciate people who step up for civic service, however, my observations of Alice, her decisions and her behaviors, she is the wrong person for this type of role,” said Scot Brees, who runs a nonprofit in Bend. As a volunteer at the school, Brees said he frequently felt belittled in arguments with DeWittie, adding that she ruled by “intimidation and fear.”

Redmond Superintendent Charan Cline said Tuesday that he was aware of the controversy that surrounded DeWittie when she left her role in Bend, but said that he had not discussed the matter with her specifically. He noted that there is a large body of law in education systems around respecting belief systems, including the separation of church and state, but said board members are free to hold whatever personal beliefs they wish.

“I’m not overly concerned,” Cline said of DeWittie’s history as an educator. “Every board member comes to the table with their own set of values.”

Cline said that he’s hopeful DeWittie brings her knowledge and years of experience as a professional educator to the board. Cline said Monday that Cummings had resigned due to “personal reasons.”

But when Stewart Fritchman, a vocal critic of DeWittie’s who owns a coffee business in Bend, heard that the board had approved DeWittie to the interim role, he said he thought to himself: “You’ve got to be kidding me. Did they not do their homework?”

Fritchman said his two children complained to him while attending Summit High that DeWittie would enter their science classes and promote values of creationism, or the belief that life originated through divine creation rather than evolution.

DeWittie did not say in an email to parents in 2017 precisely why she was leaving the school. Fritchman noted that it was clear that a growing number of parents were alarmed about her religious comments in the school. Brees — the director of Connect Central Oregon, a video-based business that has partnered with The Bulletin from time to time on public forums — echoed that sentiment, saying that he, too, was about to file a formal complaint before she announced she would leave the school.

“I think there has been very little public discourse and public information about who Alice is,” Brees said. “And the speed at which they made the announcement and the assignment, without that public discourse, doesn’t give the Redmond community an opportunity to make a decision about their school board in the same way that they do during election seasons.”

In DeWittie’s application for the board position, which The Bulletin obtained through a public records request, she said that it’s important for the school district to navigate confusion between the role of public education and parents. She emphasized the need for informing parents and providing choices and options for students around their programs and schools.

“Parents are key to future growth, student success and program development,” she said. “I know from experience professionally and personally that involving parents can be challenging. However, communication, listening, and creating space for that involvement is key to a child and community centered district.”

The board chose DeWittie after interviews with five candidates. They included Melissa Williams, the executive director of Every Child Central Oregon, which helps children and families in the foster care system; Russell Johnson, a data center operations analyst for a cyber security company; Marvin Kaplan, a retired owner of a consulting company who serves on the board of the St. Charles Foundation, Central Oregon Veterans Ranch and the Rotary Club of Redmond; and Valerie Nichols, a real estate developer who worked for the city of Redmond from 2017-2021.

In a box below, the form asks the applicant whether they intend to run in the May 2023 election that would serve the remaining two years of the four-year term. DeWittie filled in a box that said: Maybe.