Allen Gwinn over at www.dallas.org has posted a report from DISD's Office of Professional Responsibility about its investigation of Maria C. Silva, former manager of the district's Adult Basic Education Department. The typical journalese way to describe the report would be "scathing." A more accurate description would probably be "holy-crap-I'm-glad-she's-not-my-boss."
If you're at your desk having a shitty day a work right now, we suggest checking it out. You might just go out and buy that boss of yours a coffee mug or potted plant.
Fact is, Silva isn't anybody's boss these days, since she's been on administrative leave since last July, about the time an internal audit at DISD found the ABE department, which oversees GED and other adult instruction, "lacks sound management practices and adequate procedures for administering federal funds."
The OPR report adds more fuel to her pyre, alleging that Silva used vulgar language in the workplace, created a hostile work environment, threatened the jobs of older staffers, made one male staffer frequently cry, misused federal grant funds and attempted to obstruct an internal audit, among other claims.
The lesser but juicier charges involve Silva's alleged potty mouth. Apparently, according to witnesses, Silva didn't think much of some of her fellow DISD employees, whom she said were "not worth a shit."
In fairness to Silva, haven't most friends of Unfair Park said something like that about a DISD employee or board member -- chiefly board members -- at some point?
Silva apparently had a bit of the ol' Travis Bickle in her: "Que chinados miras?" she demanded of one fellow employee.Translated: "What the fuck are you looking at?"
And our fave: A witness told investigators that Silva referred to her staff as "mis cabroncitas" or, roughly translated, "my little bitches."
Ironically, that's the term Unfair Park's editor uses to describe posters to this blog. Except in Yiddish.
Update: Spokesman Jon Dahlander just called us and says that Silva has resigned from the district, though he didn't know when exactly.
