John Bordelon will not be reinstated at Justin-Siena

Case closed but community still angry over principal’s ouster|

The two-month battle over former Justin-Siena Principal John Bordelon’s fate at the private Catholic school in Napa appears to be over.

Via a letter to parents on Dec. 11, Bordelon, 33, announced plans to leave the area as he “sorts through several job offers and opportunities” elsewhere.

He states for the first time that the reason for his departure was over differences with school President Robert Jordan, who resigned less than two weeks later amid parent outcry over Bordelon’s ousting.

“I was told that my departure came about because of a ‘breakdown in relationship,’” Bordelon explained. “The reality is that sometimes two leaders have differences that can’t be, for whatever reason, patched together. And employees at the school are at-will. Right or wrong, there is nothing more to this matter than that.”

He goes on to say that, unfortunately, the decision meant that both leaders lost the opportunity to lead the school.

Br. Christopher Brady is currently serving as both principal and interim president of the school.

St. Helena parent Pavi Lawson says that if the problem was simply a relationship breakdown, Bordelon should have been reinstated after Jordan left.

“Parents and students were led to believe that Brother Brady was conducting an investigation into the matter and that John’s reinstatement was possible,” she said. Justin-Siena has stated repeatedly that there was no wrongdoing on the part of Bordelon.

Brady – who, as it happens, is an uncle of NFL quarterback Tom Brady – sent his own letter on Dec. 12 in which he expressed sadness that the Justin-Siena community has been hurt in part by an abrupt departure of two school leaders.

“I believe that both Robert Jordan and John Bordelon were acting with the best intentions of ensuring excellence in education to the students entrusted to our care, yet now they are both gone,” he said.

The ousting of Bordelon on the school’s first day back in session after the October fires was met with passionate criticism by the Justin community. Nearly 1,600 people signed a petition to “Fire Jordan and Bring Back Bordelon,” and 41 faculty members signed a vote of no confidence in Jordan. Hundreds of letters came in support of Bordelon, and two trustees resigned in protest. Chair Mel Preimesberger, one of the resignees, said that she felt that due process had not been present in the decision.

Napa attorney and school parent Anthony Celaya has been advising the former Justin principal and said that Bordelon is now looking forward and asking for the community to focus on the students rather than on him.

“I respectfully ask you to turn your attention away from me and to focus it on supporting the students, faculty, counselors, and administrators we all love so deeply,” Bordelon wrote.

He voiced his appreciation for his passionate supporters.

“I cannot tell you how deeply my family appreciates your love, generosity, encouragement, and advocacy,” he wrote. He does not specifically mention the $110,000 raised in a still-active Go Fund Me account but Celaya said he expects that donors who desire will be able to obtain a refund. The language on the fundraising account has been changed from seeking to support a legal fight to helping Bordelon with lost income and relocation expenses.

Sonoma Valley Justin parents Ginny and Mickey Breen are heartbroken that the drama has ended this way.

“In the end, the decision to let this man go, was reckless and irresponsible,” said the Breens in a letter to the Index-Tribune. “At any time, this ‘wrong’ could have been ‘righted,’ but the powers that be just wouldn’t do it. Were they not listening to the outcry from community of students, teachers and parents? Who, after all, is the school? The emotional and financial impact on the school will be long felt.”

According to several parents who were only willing to speak off the record, Justin has lost more than $2.5 million in rescinded pledges and donations and they named two dozen current students who they say have informed the school that they will not be returning next year.

“Not to mention all the prospective families who are really turned off the school now,” added one parent.

Justin’s communications director Eileen Mize paints a far more optimistic picture.

“Our admissions cycle is healthy,” she said on Thursday. “The topic has really not come up among prospective parents.”

Bridgit Dunnington told the Index-Tribune that her daughter will transfer out of Justin this week.

“The abrupt and misguided firing of beloved and respected Principal John Bordelon and the disingenuous ‘management’ of the ensuing aftermath, by the Lasallian Brothers forced this decision for our family,” she said.

Dunnington said that Bordelon was the main reason she chose the school for her daughter.

“I was new parent to Justin this year, and my interaction with Mr. Bordelon as part of the prospective parent/student process was what compelled me to send my daughter to Justin-Siena, after hearing mediocre reviews of the school from friends, colleagues and alumni,” she wrote.

Students say that they held out hope until this week that Bordelon might return.

A group of six student leaders at the school say that they reached out to Brady and the Board of Trustees weeks ago in hopes that they could meet with them and voice their concerns. They say they were not given the opportunity and that they felt that “the student voice has been underrepresented with people in high positions of power” so they crafted a 2,000-word statement instead.

On Dec. 12, the group was invited to meet with Brady, who, they say, listened respectfully to their concerns. But a few hours later, they received word that Bordelon would not be reinstated.

“We are extremely saddened by the recent news that he plans to relocate,” they wrote.

They credit Bordelon with positive advancements at the school, and their letter details several examples, from the changes he implemented that improved the quality of the education at Justin to the school pride he fostered among students.

While Bordelon and his family are moving on, the school community seems not quite ready to follow suit.

Brady’s letter acknowledges that lingering anger exists on campus.

“Recent events have been confusing, emotional, and have caused a degree of unrest,” he writes in his letter. “I know among some, there is anger, mistrust, and a sense of loss. I apologize for those unsettling feelings and the sense of hurt that you are grappling with. I also see great hope and resilience.”

The Bordelon family has not provided any specifics as to where they are headed, but parents assume they will return to the Southeast, where they are from.

Lauren Bordelon informed Presentation School on Tuesday that she will not be returning to her kindergarden classroom after winter break. Head of School Scott Parker said that he was disappointed by the news.

“Sonoma has also lost a great teacher in Lauren,” said the Breens. “Two school communities have been impacted by this horrific decision.”

Contact Lorna at lorna.sheridan@sonomanews.com.

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