In Too Deep

Yet Workman’s accomplishments were eventually overshadowed by allegations of sexual harassment and bizarre behavior—incidents that led to the downfall of the district’s self-styled savior and eventually spelled the end of his career. 

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When he came on board, Workman began working his magic on the district. Val Verde campuses began to be known as schools superior to those in other nearby districts. With the advent of No Child Left Behind, districts began to be judged more and more on test results and those rose too; especially at the elementary level under the man who would one day replace Workman, Dr. Carroll Brown. And underpinning everything was the phenomenal growth taking place in the area: People kept moving to the Perris/Moreno Valley area and the district kept building schools for their kids to attend.

“The majority of the teachers felt we needed the modernization,” says Kennette  Babb, president of the Val Verde Teachers Association, the district’s faculty union. “We had schools that were old and delapidated. At the time,  we were growing by leaps and bounds and needed the space and the schools. Of course there were people who were opposed to that—tell me anybody who has 100-percent approval.”

Workman’s zeal for the district was never in question.

He would begin his yearly speech to the district in the gym by naming the new schools that were currently opening or under construction. With the missionary fervor of a Howard Beale, he would intone the list of schools, his speeches more akin to a Pentecostal revival meeting than an administrator’s pep talk. Indeed, the religious nature of the meetings often upset many, pleased others and certainly made meetings at the district far different than perhaps any other in the state.

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At the end of every speech Workman would publicly praise Jesus as his savior.

Asked to comment on Workman’s references to religion when addressing faculty members, Babb says the meetings were hardly evangelical sessions. But Workman did make it a point to mention God.

“He was very open that he was a Christian man,” Babb says. “He would often make reference to his religion. He’d begin every meeting by referencing what was important in his life. There were mixed opinions about that. We have some very Christian teachers that truly appreciated it, and some teachers who don’t believe the two should be mixed and should be separate.”

In many ways people in the district were either for Workman or they were against him—lines were drawn.

“I have a mixed opinion of him,” Babb says. “I liked him personally and we got along very well, but he and I did not agree on everything.”

This smattering of controversy did little to slow either Workman or the district down. It took the far more practical matters of both sex and money to do that.

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The financial fall came first. Years of accelerated building, along with the floating of several controversial bond projects left the district vulnerable should an economic slowdown happen—which happened. When the bubble burst, district officials were left in a serious financial lurch, and building and planning on several projects came to a stop almost overnight, including Southeast High and six other campuses.

Then matters got worse.

After Val Verde was accused by the state of wrongly spending allocated monies, Workman decided he would sue the state of California and accuse them of not adequately funding all children in the state and distributing funds unequally to favor wealthy districts. The lawsuit also underscored the zeal that Workman brought to a cause—he would go down with both guns blazing.

Some, by this point felt that a change was needed and that Workman was losing his grip somewhat. Perhaps this was due to personal grief and turmoil the man had undergone over the years, losing first his handicapped son, then a few years later, his wife. Workman the public figure vowed to continue the district’s lawsuit.

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The first axe to fall came when the district lost its lawsuit against the state. Not only was the suit expensive, but it destroyed Workman’s aura of invincibility. Suddenly he was vulnerable, but still defiant. Workman insisted that Val Verde would appeal the decision and that he would be vindicated.  

Workman’s final blow came when a female employee at the district office, Valerie M. Solorio, accused the superintendent of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment. According to a claim filed against the district, another employee, Amanda C. Retamar-Taveras, was coerced by Workman into being a go-between for the superintendent’s alleged and unwanted advances. Quickly and abruptly, the man who had always said he would fight his enemies to the end resigned when the allegations began to go public.

      The details that surfaced ranged from the incredible to the sordid. Workman allegedly told Solorio that he was at one time an operative for the CIA in Mexico, working undercover to bring down drug dealers as part of “team 126.” Workman allegedly would forward newspaper clippings of Mexican drug cartel killings and kidnappings to the women, “claiming he participated in these events and these were the situation he was being sent on missions to deal with.”

The claim also alleges that Workman constantly used Retamar-Taveras to pressure Solorio to concede to his romantic overtures. When Solorio rebuffed his advances he allegedly closed the door to his office and began brandishing a shotgun, telling the employee that he was the only superintendent in the county who had a concealed weapons permit.

The two women in question were clerical employees.

“I have two clients that were sexually harrassed over six months by a superintendent—the very top man of the school,” says Stewart R. Albertson, the attorney for the two women.

Superintendent Brown, district media contact Michael Bazan and Workman did not respond to requests for comments or interviews for this story.

Regarding the allegations, Babb says, “I’ve only heard stories. I’ve talked to teachers and talked to classified staff. Some feel very strongly that they’re true and that he deserves what he’s being investigated for, while some find it hard to believe.”

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The alleged harassment took place between May and October of 2008, according to Albertson.

At one point, Workman made light of a medical condition Solorio’s husband suffered from, Albertson said.

“[Workman] was just trying to show himself as being the big man, trying to make himself look better as a suitor,” he says. “At least I’m assuming he was trying to get that across. We have a dozen hand-written letters to Ms. Solorio that are quite revealing.”

These letters amounted to would-be “love letters” Albertson said.

Regarding the shotgun allegation, Albertson says whether or not Workman had a concealed-weapons permit, he would not have been authorized to bring a firearm to work.

And did Workman really work as a spook?

“No, we don’t believe he does,” Albertson states matter-of-factly.

Workman’s alleged would-be wooing took on many forms. It included phone calls to Solorio (“stating to her his fantasies of being in love with her, sharing their lives together,” according to the claim) and the sending of handwritten letters, messages and music CDs professing amorous intentions.

Workman would also give Solorio flyers for weekend getaways to local casinos and resorts and send bouquets of roses and greeting cards.

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At on point, Workman called Solorio into his office and forced himself on her in a “bear hug” and refused to let go, according to the claim. Workman allegedly provided Solorio with a cell phone so the superintendent could be in direct communication with her at all times.

Eventually, Workman resigned in December, declining to comment on the accusations against him. His career was done. The district left to sort things out.

“I don’t know,” Babb says. “I would like to believe [the accusations are] not true—I like to believe in the best of people. But I have heard stuff that leads to believe they might be true.”

And lawyer Albertson concedes his clients’ claims are substantiated.

 “Most of the time in these types of cases, it’s a ‘he said-she said’ kind of thing,” he says. “In this case, we have the letters and other information to support the allegations. It’s devastating as to what happened here.”