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Superintendent skips class to spend time with teenage girlfriend

February 1, 2010

BY KAREN VELIE

Last week, taxpayers paid for the San Miguel Joint Union School District superintendent to attend a symposium in Monterey. However, Supt. Dean Smith apparently skipped some of the meetings to spend time with a teenager with whom he is allegedly having an affair.

Smith, a former pastor, recently left his wife of more than 30 years for “Anne” (not her real name), a young woman he began “mentoring” while she was in the sixth grade.

According to eyewitnesses, on Jan. 28, the second day of the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) Superintendents’ Symposium, Smith ducked out after less than a half hour of State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell’s speech to spend time with “Anne.”

Smith however did make it in back to the Marriott Hotel in time for the symposium cocktail hour with his 18-year-old date in tow.

“ACSA’s Superintendents’ Symposium is a must for all California superintendents,” the ACSA’s website says. “It is one of the only opportunities for superintendents to come together, share ideas, network and engage in world-class professional learning. The program is a balance of workshops and interactive sessions focusing on the hot topics facing the superintendency, including leadership, legislation, legal issues, budget, diversity and accountability.”

Smith, 55, recently informed several parents with children in San Miguel elementary schools that he is not in a romantic relationship with “Anne.” He added that he has spent time “mentoring” the girl because of a problematic home life.

However, several different sources have witnessed Smith and “Anne” acting physically affectionate in public and some have even snapped photographs to verify their claims. In some, Smith is walking hand-in-hand with her through the Wal-Mart in Paso Robles. A few days later, Smith and “Anne” were spotted embracing in a public place.

Prior to the woman’s 18th birthday last spring, Templeton school officials took their concerns about the relationship to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department after a school employee witnessed Smith picking “Anne” up from Templeton High School.

Although the resulting investigation found no illegal activity, some board members and law enforcement officials have wondered if Sheriff’s Deputy Clinton Cole informed Smith of the pending investigation. Just hours after the first report had been made to the sheriff’s department, Smith began asking school officials why they had made the report.

Cole, the officer assigned to the San Miguel Joint Union School District beat, has denied he is a close friend of Smith. Despite that, sources report that the pair regularly spend their lunch hours together and have also been seen socializing after school.

Smith, then principal of Templeton Middle School, first met and began spending time with “Anne” when she was in sixth grade in about 2003. One teacher described how Smith would ask her to treat the girl differently than the other students.

“He was very protective of her,” the teacher, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of losing her job, said. “He said she came from a troubled home.”

San Miguel Joint Union School District board officials have hired an investigator who is looking into the allegations that Smith has had an inappropriate relationship with the former student. On Feb. 11, the school board is slated to discuss the issue in closed session.


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In parts of the arab world, they have determined a girl becomes a woman at 10 or 12 which is when she can begin to bare children, neuroscientists will tell you that the human brain isn’t fully completed until around the age 25 so maybe that’s when we become ‘adults’, my mother-in-law — however –said that people were too young to vote until they became 60…. we have determined — however — that an ‘adult’ is 18.


As an 18 year old she can date whomever she wishes… even someone who has had power and influence over her at an earlier time in her life.


Our county has had a shameful series of instances when teachers and coaches have abandoned their role and used their influence on younger people to satisfy their own desires. In almost every case that I have seen or heard of the ‘activities’ of the adult in question were protected and/or overlooked by administrators and fellow teachers. The reasons to excuse the behavior were almost universal from acceptance to ‘I don’t want to get involved.’


I do not know anything about this situation… but I would guess that relationships like this seldom begin at someone’s 18th birthday… they just become more public. If something was going on… did her friends know? other teachers? parents? administrators?


If you don’t want things like this to happen in the future… there must be a zero tolerance and a big penalty… not a wink, smile and a nod.


Roger Freberg


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Right on Roger good post! Another scenario, let’s say they get married, stay married for two years she finds a younger better looking gentleman at 20, divorces Smith and the two new love birds live happily ever after on the old man’s dime, stranger things have happened, the time will come for “Anne” to contemplate this and in California, the wife gets half, oh and “Anne a prenuptial agreement is definitely out of the question right? What say you, Mr. Smith? Will you walk her down the isle, and hope she doesn’t divorce your sorry old *ss later?


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Why does San miguel School district keep this guy? Why don’t they put him on administrative leave and be done with him. He needs to be gone and away from students that are in jeopardy. The blatant disregard for what is right is beyond belief and this guys was a pastor?? I don’t want to stand behind him in line at the pearly gates…he’s not getting in!


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That’s what he’s hoping for; not to work and yet still get paid for the duration of his contract. (Mind you, he is the LAZIEST administrator I’ve ever worked for!) It’s extremely difficult to get rid of superintendents due to their contracts. He’s been screaming the ‘sue’ word out a lot lately. TUSD even had their internal emails supeonaed by him saying that people are slandering him. (poor guy! not!) San Miguel has to be real careful about getting rid of him (and believe me, they WANT HIM GONE!) because he’ll sue. He’s such a slime ball– he’s worse than all the things he used to tell me were wrong in the world. Dean, what goes around, comes around. Your time is up!


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If there is poop to step in, you can count on one of the little Sheriff’s boys to be involved. Unethical behavior appears to be contageous and spred into the school district. What does it take to trust any public offical and keep our kids safe? I don’t think that is asking too much. My sympathy goes out to the teachers and staff of the schools and to the sheriff’s deputies who are out there doing the best the can. This sliver of garbage needs to hit the road.


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Unbelievable. I know this man. I know this girl. I want to puke..but I honestly will have to see it with my own eyes. My jaw drops every time I even consider it.


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This makes the third discovery of a sexual predator who has been employed by the district in recent years. Prior to that was an athletic coach/father and a younger, married computer sciences teacher. Three is a lot for a small population and a teacher’s roster of less than 50. Paso Robles School District has had their share of offenders, too (Collier, Fitch, Solorio). Dean Smith was the consummate “favorite” principal at the junior high school. He would have been the very last person anyone would have suspected of this sort of thing.


No doubt, there are honorable hard-working teachers who truly care for our children. Still, how are we to support our school system (not to mention take them out of public schools) when this seems to be so prevalent? And to consider that these are the offenders who actually got caught. What about those who have been inappropriately approached or assaulted, but never report out of feeling shamed – or who fear no one would even believe them? One can’t help but think of other children who have been likely groomed and for victimization over the duration of Smith’s employ.


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By the “district,” I mean Templeton alone. My heart goes out to the respectable, underpaid teachers everywhere who help protect our children and have been deceived by Smith’s leadership.


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Deceived? Most of us knew he was a scum bag from the beginning. Especially when he made comments about the cute little girls at school. He hid behind Christianity and looked down on the rest of the unfortunate people who saw through his hypocrisy. He protected his predator buddy because they are both alike. Many girls told parents and teachers stories of what went on, yet no one said a word. His superiors knew, yet never acted and chose to protect both of them because the good ol’ boys club was stronger than the truth. The Templeton community should be ashamed because they knew and no one said a word.


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Save for a few individuals who don’t want to get involved as they say, I seriously doubt “the Templeton community” would collectively become complicit in selling out its children to keep anyone on staff anywhere. No, if the Templeton community was truly aware of this man’s actions, let’s say the last thing Smith would be concerned about would be his job.


Your response has the potential for serious ramifications and begs questions: What did you personally do to get the truth revealed and bring justice to Smith’s victim(s)? Did you document these things and tell the school? The police? CPS? DA’s office? Anyone?


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just so this person knows, the coach wasnt punished for being a sexual predator it was a much different matter. so before you make more accusations know what you are talking about. i had him for a coach so i knew him very well. he wasnt a sexual predator and didnt lose his coaching position for that.


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You “knew” him very well? Tell his daughter that one. That will go over big, eh?


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My wife and daughter who both know Dean Smith and the girl who was a classmate of my daughters saw them in the stores at Xmas time and they were showing affection to each other.

They immediately ran the other way to avoid the embarrassment for themselves,these 2 love birds are not smart enough to stay out of public,my daughter said for 2 weeks, how gross Dad,she can’t believe the trust he has broken with hundreds or thousands of kids that have passed through the school in Templeton he was in charge of,he picked a daughter that does not have a Dad that would challenge him,I am glad he did not target my child for my sake and his!


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I’d like to see these photos. Blur the woman’s (a term I use loosely) face if you like, but let’s see the pictures. I want to see the DIRT!

As for the symposium, one can hardly blame him for skipping out on O’Connell’s speech.


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This man is incredible! Why does San Miguel allow him on campus?


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If this was my daughter, Mr. Smith would be meeting with the business end of my knuckles.


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