Some things never change. And some things just get worse. The Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) is a lot like the City of Santa Ana. Both prefer a closed system of government. Both are dishonest. Both are inept. Both are corrupt. But SAUSD just made a move to clam up even more. Bad enough that they are laying off hundreds of teachers…they are also refusing to divulge exactly who they are laying off. And there is no mention of any of this on the SAUSD website.
“Santa Ana Unified officials on Thursday released the names of the 385 certificated teachers and other educators who were notified in March that they could lose their jobs as part of an effort to trim $27 million from the district’s budget,” according to the O.C. Register, which only received the information after making a public records request.
However, “District officials declined the Register’s complete request to release the names, school of employment, subject or grade taught, and years of experience of all 573 educators who they said received layoff notices.” This is the part where the SAUSD took a step back. According to inside sources, the district has never before refused to release this information.
And, of course, the SAUSD only released the names of teachers who “requested hearings to determine just cause for their potential layoffs were released by Santa Ana Unified.”
Hows this for spin? The SAUSD attorney actually claimed that the district did not give out all the names out of some concern for the teachers’ privacy! Sure, they are worried about privacy. The truth is they don’t want us to know who got canned.
Now why would the SAUSD do something that NO OTHER school district in Orange County has done? That’s right. All the other districts gave up the reports about the teachers they were laying off, without being asked to. The Register has all that info up on their website. I think that the SAUSD is trying to play games because, unlike the other districts, they are trying to raise our taxes again with another school bond, which will be on the June ballot.
Why any voters in the SAUSD would trust a school district that behaves like the SAUSD does is beyond me. This secretive bunch does not deserve more of our tax money, particularly after they bungled so much of the proceeds from the first bond. No, what they deserve is the boot. The SAUSD school board members and most of the SAUSD administration needs to go. Vote No on the new school bond and teach these miscreants a lesson!
The cat’s out of the bag. The distrcit bungled, big-time, the RIF’g of teachers. Teachers that SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN RIF’d were and some that should have been were not. Oops.
I’m sure there’s some legal reason for the district not honoring a public records request.
Time and again, district administrators confirm their ineptness at handling administrative matters.
The recent mailer sent out supporting Measure G claims the passage of Measure G ensures safe and modern classroom and that it’s good for Santa Ana students.
NEWSFLASH .. what’s good for Santa Ana students and all residents is a competent school board and superintendent!!!!!!
The school board majority – Rob Richardson, Audrey Noji and the millionaire immigrant – continue to saddle this community with incompetent administrators.
VOTE NO, MEASURE G, June 3
Because SAUSD thrives on power by intimidation and threat. Juan Lopez in HR is a coward and will do anything he can to try and discourage any challenges to his petty decisions. At Saddleback HS, for example, there is a brand new employee acting as “Activities Director” and is on “special assignment” there. Her name is not on the list of RIF’ed employees. Someone snuck her into that position and there is a chance she’ll get to keep the job while other teachers who have been in the district for many years, will be let go.
They don’t release all names because then you’d be able to see who all is being secretly protected -regardless of how many years of service- by a school district that is determined to bypass fair practices and the union contract.
http://www.sausd.us/sausd/lib/sausd/FMP_3_19_08.pdf
Teachers’ Union is supporting Measure G.