Fired Teacher Wants to Join School Board

Prince William Candidate Says He Would Hold 'Corrupted Folks Accountable'

Manes Pierre, an English adjunct professor with the online University of Phoenix, sticks out among the candidates for Prince William County School Board.

Pierre, 40, was a county school teacher from 2004 until the school system terminated his employment this spring, according to Prince William school sources. His probationary contract was not renewed, the sources said, primarily because of alleged problems he had with other teachers.

The sources declined to be identified, citing the confidentiality of personnel matters, but Pierre confirmed the general circumstances of his departure. He also denied having any trouble with former colleagues and said job evaluations showed he had an exemplary record. He believes his contract was not renewed because he had voiced concerns about the use of certain federal funds at Stonewall Middle School near Manassas, as well as Freedom High School in Woodbridge, where he taught English for Speakers of Other Languages and U.S. history.

"It was complete retaliation," Pierre said. "I will not compromise my credibility and ethics when I know that federal funds are being used for purposes other than educational." The funds at issue, Pierre said, were meant for ESOL instruction.

Pierre's unusual candidacy -- as a former employee terminated by the school system he now wants to help oversee -- distinguishes what is an otherwise low-key campaign for the board of Northern Virginia's second-largest school system.

Pierre is one of two challengers facing incumbent board member Julie C. Lucas (Neabsco) in the Nov. 6 nonpartisan election. The other is Belkacem Hacene-Djaballah, the head of a local foreign language school.

In another competitive School Board race, for an open Brentsville district seat, D.R. "Desi" Arnaiz, a technology company owner, faces Gilbert A. Trenum Jr., a systems engineer for a defense contractor. Six incumbents face no opposition for other board seats.

Lucas, a board member since 2002, declined to comment on Pierre's job history, citing the confidentiality of personnel matters.

Also, Pierre has filed two complaints against the Prince William schools with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in the past two years, both of which have been dismissed.

As a teacher in Prince William for fewer than three years, Pierre had a probationary contract, the sources said, which meant he could be let go without cause and without the possibility of lengthy, closed-door personnel hearings. Some teachers felt "threatened" by him, one source added: "He was one of those people who constantly wanted to create problems."

Questions about Pierre's relationship with the school system began percolating in public last month on a Virginia politics blog, Black Velvet Bruce Li.

Pierre, born and raised in Haiti, said he was a teacher in Florida before moving to Prince William. From 2004 until this spring, he taught at McAullife Elementary, Stonewall Middle and Freedom High School.

Frank E. Barham, executive director of the Virginia School Boards Association, said it is not uncommon for aggrieved former school employees to run for school board -- and win. "They come in with an agenda or an ax to grind," he said.

Pierre said that, if elected, he wants to cut some administrative jobs, make it easier for employees to raise concerns, increase the graduation rate and reduce the use of trailers at overcrowded schools.

With a bit of humor inspired by his favorite U.S. movie star, Pierre said: "I am the 'Chuck Norris' candidate who will hold corrupted folks accountable, wherever they may be within the school division."