Update 3/5/08: This post now has 2,003 comments! However, it has exceeded the capacities of our server and has been truncated recently at about 1,529 posts. But one of our readers has stepped up to the plate and painstakingly copied all of the comments into three NEW posts:
- SAUSD-Mijares corruption thread, 2008 Comments
- SAUSD-Mijares corruption thread, 2007 Comments
- SAUSD-Mijares corruption thread, 2006 Comments
We have also started a NEW open SAUSD thread, which I hope our readers will post to regarding new SAUSD news and views.
You can also go to our home page and go to the right column. Click on “SAUSD Posts” and you can get links to ALL of our past SAUSD articles.
I must say, I am amazed at the stories that have been posted on this blog in the wake of Al Mijares’ exit from the Santa Ana Unified School District. I am posting this item merely to give SAUSD bloggers a place to post their comments. Post away my friends – we have an opportunity now to finally do away with the corruption left over from the Mijares regime. Change is at hand, but we must remain resolute.
I noted that someone affiliated with the SAUSD administration recently posted a threat on this site – alleging possible legal action against SAUSD employees who post anonymously on this site. That is despicable and a form of terrorism. Do not let fear restrain any of you from revealing the truth.
The final challenge we face in Santa Ana is to replace Mijares with someone competent. We won’t have another opportunity like this anytime soon. This process must be open and focused and whatever else happens we must keep Audrey Noji out of the Superintendent’s position. As a member of the Cerritos College faculty and a member of the teacher’s union at that campus I opposed her when she tried to get a job at our campus. If she goes after the SAUSD superintendent post I will do so again. I know we can do better!
All of my children are in the SAUSD system. For their sake and that of all schoolchildren in the district, I urge those who are rebelling against the last vestiges of Mijares’ broken empire to keep the information flowing and to do whatever it takes to ensure that our next superintendent will be up to the task. Mijares certainly was over his head throughout his doomed tenure.
Fact or Fiction?
Did Miyashiro
To: About Time,
I’m an officer at school police. I’ll be happy to reveal my name if you want to reveal yours.
Please help me understand why you think we are “patrolling Santa Ana City”. We focus our attention on the schools and have never been directed otherwise. Unfortunately, we have some officers that don’t do the job well,and I will make no excuses for them, but you will find them in any profession.
We Frequently receive calls involving truancy, and often pick up kids on the streets or in their homes. We are sometimes contacted by citizens regarding non-school related incidents and we contact SAPD for reponse.
We do traffic enforcement, because that’s what the schools call us to do. Traffic enforcment is “child safety” and we do not focus all of our attention on this issue. If we encounter a “drunk driver” and it is not school related, should we ignore it? What if the driver hits a student? When we stop a driver that does not have a driver’s license, the law states we are to impound the vehicle. Should we let unlicensed drivers pick up our students? Traffic enforcement is a part of our job. Students without bike helments, students j-walking, drivers busting through crowded crosswalks, are all traffic related issues.
Bash me if you want, but myself and most of the officers here work very hard to repond to the districts needs and provide safety to the schools. We are often requested to deliver documents for the board, pick up and deliver money from school sites, open gates and doors for teachers, open personal car doors when the keys are locked inside, attend meetings, maintain equipment and vehicles, attend required training etc. These things are not related to “child safety” either, but it’s part of the job.
Like I said, you can bash us all you want, but try and remember the times we’ve gotten guns and knives off of kids, rescued an injured child, arrestd gang members, child molesters and drug dealers, and recovered stolen district property. We respond when your car has been broken into or you’ve been locked out. We can’t always do it as quickly as you might want, but we do respond.
Last year we took 2493 reports. That does not include the number of acutal calls for service or alarm calls that do not require a report.
It’s very difficult to want to come to work and do the best we can, when we receive little support, and even more so, when every day you hear you may not have a job tomorrow. Many of the other employees in this district can relate to that as well.
To my knowledge we are not responding to any alarm calls for Mike Harrah’s buildings. We don’t even know the address of those buildings.
You are invited to ride with me on any day of the week so that you can have a better understanding of the complexities of police work. I will be open to any suggestions or helpful solutions you have to offer.
To poster 1/11/2007 11:14 AM
I am not poster “About time”, but your reply from a school police officer was interesting.
The first thing interesting is that you posted your comment at 11:14 am during school hours. Who is patroling your school while you read and post on this blog? Since you invited the other poster to ride with you any day of the week it seems that you must be on duty at the present time.
The number of reports you state that were written last year were 2493. Very impressive. If you are going to quote that number how about being a little more specific.
How many were on campus and how many were off campus? How many were related or unrelated to school business? How many were just information reports? How many were cold crime reports such as discovered graffiti,other vandalism, or auto burglaries found in the parking lot long after the crime was over? How much money was spent for repair work in damage to the schools last year from these cold crime reports? Where were the night patrol school police officers that didn’t find the damage all night?
How many of these 2493 reports were actual arrests found by a school police officer rather than handed to them by a school administrator or DSO that actually caught the kid with a knife, gun, or doing some other crime?
You mention traffic enforcement. No one wants any cop to let a drunk driver go. How many drunk driving arrests have the school police made on or near a school in those reports?
You also mention tickets. How many of those tickets were actually written on or near a campus, during school hours? How many were written in the middle of the night or on weekends anywhere in the city of Santa Ana when their was no school? How many were written in Tustin or on the 55 or 91 freeways for diamond lane violations? How many were written in Riverside or San Bernardino counties?
Since you brought it up, Isn’t it true that before last year school police impounds were done through the Santa Ana Police department and the only reason school police began an impound program of it’s own was to take cars from unlicensed drivers strictly to make the money instead of giving it to the city? Isn’t it true that the district now takes the liability and costs for improperly impounded cars or cars that are never claimed by the owner unless sold off at auction later?
While you and most of the other officers may have noble reasons for the jobs you perform well as you said there are a few in any organization that are not so dedicated. The truth is it is all about the income, not about protecting children for some of those officers isn’t it?
#624
Many of us haven’t a clue what you’re talking about since Tuesday’s school board meeting was NOT televised. One can only presume that About Time attended Tuesday’s meeting and that’s why she’s able to blog about the pending police school cuts.
Who has Jones been targeting? Every time someone has been attacked, it is met with the same thing: That
The pattern as identified by European research and now confirmed in Australia indicates that those at high risk of being ganged up against are:
To anonymous poster 1-11-07 at 11:14 am:
If you want specifics,ask the district to hire someone to comb through records and identify each and every incident, as this would be a full time job. Most city agencies smaller than school police have at least one person who catagorizes crime statistics on a full time basis. SAPD has an entire staff dedicated to sifting this data.
Again, all I can offer is that you take time to come see for yourself. School Police is open to citizens for ride alongs at any time. I’ll show you our record keeping system, schedules, policies, or anything else you might want for clarification.
I took the time to answer “about times” blog because I felt it was important for people to communicate as accurately as possible and I provided what I had available. Your blog is somewhat antagonistic, but I’ve choosen to ignore it because I think communicating without attacking is a much better avenue to solutions.
Parents, citizens, employees etc., all have a responsibility for the safety of our community, not just the police, and the more people are informed,the better off we will all be.
#628 Thanks for your comments. It helps everyone understand the issues. I don’t think anyone blames the officers in general. But there do appear to be some problems
Saddleback administrators are telling the instructional assistants that Dan Baker, ELD teacher, was fired before Christmas. It
http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/news/local/article_1541277.php
Register article on Jane Russo.
School chief rooted in Santa Ana
New superintendent has been a teacher and principal in the district.
By FERMIN LEAL
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
SANTA ANA
To: 1/11/07 11:14 am
I’d like to add one more point to my last blog regarding school police.
I agree with your comment about information or conficated knives or guns being given to school police by administrators or DSO’s. DSO’s are an intrinsic part of safety within our schools. They give us great information. I never implied that school police did their job singlehandedly, it requires participation by everyone,including the victim. But DSO’s and administrators don’t have to write a report to the DA explaining why someone should be charged with a crime. My blog was never about discounting someone else’s job or criticizing how it should be done.
Also keep in mind that all police agencies are supported by funds from impounds, citations, taxes, fines etc. LA School Police is supported by funds from citations for truancy, parking, impounds, and traffic enforcment. It would be great if all public safety agencies could be funded by donations, but that’s not reality.
Jones
Jumpin’ Lizards, I thought my school, Willard, was fraught with the worst principal. We’re hoping the good news about Russo’s appointment results in getting him transferred outta Willard, for good!
I know Dan and he’s one of the good guys. Hope he’s up and about and settled in a school that appreciates him.
Willard’s Bishop in the running against Saddleback’s principal? I feel sorry for you!
In response to #615’s question .. Mark Mcloughlin’s app has Miguel Pulido listed as a reference. While Richardson recruited Mcloughlin to apply, he could not be listed as a reference.
To:
623 Anonymous Says:_1/11/2007 11:14 AM
I will agree with you on this!
Not all of school police officers are a joke, but most of you are!
How do you know the # of reports written and not know the specifics?
If a college like Santa Ana College can publish a detailed yearly report on crime statistics, why is it that you can
Apparently, our District has mismanaged its way into another deficit. Instead of playing the childhood game of “fact or fiction” as stimulating and arousing to some of you on this blog that it may be, maybe we should take an in depth examination into our “expenditures” instead of which school police officer is writing a ticket on Sunday or which DSO is sleeping in his golf cart.
Why is it that our superintendent of schools is paid in excess of $200,000.00? Can someone please tell me why someone in this position should make nearly as much money as the President of the United States of America? I’m sure she “cares” about the kids of Santa Ana and her employees, I know, let
To the Anon school police officer and poster about time.
It was not my intention to sound antagonistic in my earlier post. I simply asked some questions about report numbers that you tossed out there. As I previously wrote I don’t doubt a number of officers are truly dedicated to their jobs.
Your reply failing to answer even one question about those report numbers is very telling, or better said not telling.
As ‘about time’ points out if your computer system keeps track of all the reports then it should categorize them also. These are public documents and they have to be reported to the state. Undoubtedly your computer can and does break down and categorizes those reports.
My point was that you put out a total number of reports for the year but failed to indicate that this is a sum lump total of every kind of report your department files for anything.
Statistics can be manipulated and this is not one statistic you can just toss to the wind to show how hard the school police work.
If you wanted to take this further 2493 reports a year breaks down to just a fraction over 6 reports a day based on a 24-hour period 365 days a year. Six reports a day no matter what they are seems a little low for a department of how many working each day?
Poster # 638
You make some very valid points and ask some serious questions about expenditures and mismanagement.
While the apparent focus on school police may seem trivial to you, in truth the questions amount to the same as yours. Mismanagement and expenditures.
School police average salaries over 50k or as much or more than some teachers. Cost to maintain the equipment they use, cars motorcycles and so forth is not cheap either. Have you checked out the salary of their Chief and second in command and then factor the so called income vs the product they produce? I think every department should be seriously looked at for productivity vs expense. The police department just happened to rise to the surface of the cesspool first.
I never said the reports could not be broken down. Our report system is not current technology and would require someone to sit down and spend dedicated time to sift the data. It’s all there, just not in neat little columns with totals. I personally do not have have access to the neat little columns at my fingertips or I would have provided it.
You also did not read my paragraph regarding the 2493 reports. I said this does NOT include the calls for service or alarm calls not requiring a written report. I’m confident in this number and if you are willing to take the time we can show it to you.
Also, we only have one to two officers assigned on a night or weekend shift to cover sixty sites.
If you really want information, step up to the plate and come in and see for yourself. Asking questions and challenging information is good critical thinking, however if you are truely interested in obtaining the facts, you would come in and take a look.
Poster 638 said …
Apparently, our District has mismanaged its way into another deficit. Instead of playing the childhood game of “fact or fiction” as stimulating and arousing to some of you on this blog that it may be, maybe we should take an in depth examination into our “expenditures” instead of which school police officer is writing a ticket on Sunday or which DSO is sleeping in his golf cart.
*** It’s beginning to look like fiscal mismanagment is amouk, however didn’t the BOE charge the BRC with the task of examining/ evaluating expenditures? If their work has concluded where’s the report of their findings?
#638 …belitting and chastising bloggers is not the answer. Holding district administrators accountable is a good start.
Who serves of the BRC, what was their charge and what are the results? The public deserves a BRC presenation detailing their findings.
Will the shroud of secrecy grow tighter as the district’s academic and fiscal problems escalate?
http://www.latimes.com/news/education/la-me-santaana4jan04,1,2408959.story?coll=la-news-learning
Santa Ana Unified to cut 60 teachers, $15 million from budget
Declining enrollment causes the district to lose revenue.
By Seema Mehta, Times Staff Writer
January 4, 2007
Facing declining enrollment, which means less money for Orange County’s largest school district, Santa Ana Unified will eliminate 60 teaching positions and cut $15 million from its upcoming budget, according to the district.
Santa Ana has cut $58 million from its budgets since 2004.
“The last few years, we’ve hacked. The effort has always been to keep it out of the classroom,” said district spokeswoman Susan Brandt. This year “we may wind up getting to things like the music and arts program. It’s very, very difficult.” Brandt said schools may need to close.
The 53,000-student district is facing the same problem that is decimating school district budgets across the state. About half the districts statewide and nearly three-quarters in Orange County have declining enrollment, and fewer students means fewer dollars, because state funding amounts are determined by enrollment and attendance. Urban districts such as Santa Ana have been hit harder in recent years, said Hilary McLean, spokeswoman for the California Department of Education.
The district’s enrollment has declined four of the last five years, while it has faced growing special education and health benefit expenses. A $29-million deficit in the 2004-05 budget was plugged by increasing class sizes, eliminating 420 jobs and persuading teachers and administrators to agree to a 4% pay cut for two years.
David Barton, president of the Santa Ana Educators Assn., said he was hopeful that enough teachers would retire that no layoffs would be necessary. He said there was a backlog of teachers waiting to retire.
The superintendent should take a 50% pay haircut? Sounds like some sourpuss chestnut fat cat worried about what fat Russo’s going to cut out. Maybe one of those on that list that was posted earlier.
At the last Board meeting they did give a BRC report here is the link:
http://www.sausd.k12.ca.us/departments/budget/docs/07-08_brc_recs_update.pdf
Did you know that they spent $4-5,000 dollars on devices that they use to vote with,about the size of a credit card, like raising of hands is not good enough, now that’s a waste of money.
If anyone read the newspaper article the District is blaming the 4% restoration money as part of the budget problem.
“Officials are in the middle of determining how to trim a $17 million deficit. District officials blame the deficit on declining enrollment and the repayment of a 4 percent teacher salary cut from two years ago.”
They fail to mention that Administration also received the same 4%, and many Administrators make over $ 100,000 a year. Maybe if only Administration takes a 10% reduction we could save Teaching positions and Classified layoffs but that would be to easy.
The BRC is comprised of approx. 59 members
Site Admin. (11), Parent / Parent Group Reps (10), Community Reps. (2), Association Reps. (4), Dept. Heads (25), Fiscal Rep. (1),
& Cabinet/PIO (6) [non-voting].
Look at the ratio of Administrators, Association Reps. (4)!!!!! Both Associations representing thousands of employees only get 4 Rep’s that an insult! The 1 Fiscal Rep is a consultant named Dean West who has been with the District since FCMAT was here, my guess about 3-4 years. How much is he getting and why do we need him when we have 3-4 Fiscal Management people, another waste of money.
Look at page 21 if the BRC proposals:
Proposals Not Yet Discussed but Requiring In-Depth Discussion
4.Increase Reliance on Santa Ana Police $400K
What does that mean, elimination of Police Officers and Dispatchers as was told to the School Board by Mr.Trigg. You think Jim’s got your back, NOT!!!
After you have looked at the Proposed BRC cuts you will notice NO reductions or eliminations of any type of Admin. position.
If these budget cuts were not enough we are being told there may not be enough money to re-open Valley. State take over is sounding better all the time.
http://www.sateach.org/
Important Bargaining Update! SAUSD has proposed massive increases in health care costs to be borne by the teachers–increases designed to wipe out the Blue Cross PPO coverage by forcing those who prefer Blue Cross to pay over $800 per month for the “privilege.”
The District and the Association met on December 4th to hear the District’s proposals regarding salary and benefits. The District made no mention of salary. Instead, it proposed massive increases in health care costs to be borne by the teachers–increases designed to wipe out the Blue Cross PPO coverage by forcing those who prefer Blue Cross to pay over $800 per month for the “privilege.”
We believe that the District’s position is not based on sound estimate of current costs or future projections. The Association views the District’s proposal as arrogant, unwarranted and a further indication of the District’s incompetence when it comes to financial matters. Indeed, CTA’s analysis of the District’s proposal indicates that the District is hiding money in unused accounts, overfunding its reserves and placing the entire burden of health care costs on teachers. The District’s proposal is out of touch with reality and we believe the District has no clear understanding of the consequences of its proposals.
Clearly, SAEA and its members will not subsidize District waste and irresponsibility. We do not accept the notion that you will be willing to trade salary, for benefits while also letting the District keep all new money provided by the state.
A second meeting was held on December 14th, where the SAEA bargaining team presented its preliminary report on the District’s finances. Having carefully analyzed the District’s first interim budget, the SAEA team pointed out District inconsistencies, errors and questioned why money was being allocated to apparently inactive accounts. The team also indicated that an honest, fair and precise analysis of the District’s finances was essential for any settlement.
SAEA does not support the idea that the District cannot afford the Blue Cross PPO plan. We do not believe that it is prudent to kill the plan because of some vaque and unjustified notion. We do believe that you deserve a salary and a health care plan that is designed to serve the needs of all members.
The District and the Association met again on January 9, 2007 where some progress was made though much still needs to be done.
SAEA will continue to meet with the District in the hope of reaching a solution. In the meantime, we urge you to keep in touch with your reps, visit the SAEA website (sateach.org) and prepare to support our bargaining team in their efforts.
David Barton
SAEA President
http://www.sateach.org/January%2012,%202007%20Update%20ll.html
January 12, 2007
BARGAINING UPDATE I I
The District and SAEA met for negotiations today. At that Time , the District largely ignored the Association’s latest proposal and declared that it would seek to go to impasse. SAEA does not agree that we are at impasse.
Once again, the District is seeking to cut teachers’ compensation in order to cover their own financial mismanagement. In this case, they seek to raise the cost of the Blue Cross PPO coverage (which the vast majority of teachers have opted for) from $45 a month for a family to over $850 a month.
The Association has been bargaining in a reasonable way based on the data provided by the District. We want to continue to negotiate and find this move toward impasse to be arrogant, insulting and an attempt to rob teachers of their just compensation.
Further bargaining updates will be sent to you shortly.
David Barton
SAEA President
#626
Saddleback
Fifteen Signs of an Evil
or Incompetent HR Director
1. Doesn’t effectively respond to bullying incidents
2. Doesn’t treat complaints as valid and important
3. Criticizes the complainer for not fitting in
4. Requests the complainer to change to accommodate a bully
5. Doesn’t confront a bully
6. Automatically supports a bully
7. Ignores the intentional pain that the bully inflicts on others
8. Ignores the demeaning nature of a bully’s behavior
9. Doesn’t consider the underlying cause of bullying
10. Doesn’t investigate similar bullying reported by others
11. Labels bullying as “ordinary personality conflict”
12. Explains bully’s vicious behavior as “mood swings”
13. Treats problem as caused equally by bully and complainer
14. Doesn’t follow through on request for bully to modify behavior
15. Primary goal is to pacify the complainer, not change a bully
#645
The BRC is one big joke! This committee was formed to give the appearance of transparency, cooperation and inclusion. It’s none of these. BRC is merely an apparutus designed to make the committee members “feel” like they are making a difference. They are not.
Trigg et al will parade this committee before the public announcing to all – it was an open process.
Suckers.
It would be nice to see the names of the district personnel who are on that bargaining committee.
I’ll bet there’s some real dead enders from the district trying to hamper earnest negotiations.
Anyone know their names? It’d be nice to see at least bargaining as a transparent process.
Having a decent school system in Santa Ana should be important to anyone who owns property in Santa Ana. If you’ve got a broken down, shoddy district that can’t keep experienced teaching staff, your housing prices are going to nosedive in any kind of housing pull back. A cynical bunch of school district managers trying to screw the teachers AGAIN will backfire this time.
Can any of you bloggers get the names of the bargaining unit members? It will be interesting to see how many of them are already known in this blog!
Santa Ana teachers took a 4% paycut 3 years ago in order to keep SAUSD solvent. We finally got restoration and a salary increase for the first time in about 4 years and now SAUSD goes to the Times about how they need to cut back 17 million dollars and send out about 60 RIFs. Every year it’s the same old story. They sent out over 100 RIFs last year and now everyone has been hired back. (I’m sure some found jobs elsewhere or resigned.) So now SAUSD says they want to raise our Blue Cross PPO for families to over $800 a month according to SAEA’s lastest bargaining update. They have a lot of nerve to ask its teachers to sacrifice our PPO benefits after we sacrificed 4% of our salary a few years ago. I think Santa Ana teachers have sacrificed more than enough. What about the huge COLA SAUSD has received from the state this year?
Coincidence or not?
After Russo is selected as superintendent, district decides to go impasse.
That’s what you get when you’re stuck dealing with a novice in such matters. Unfortunately Russo is heavily relying on the district thugs to push through their agenda.
The dancing Scotsman will only reinforce the Richardson/Pulido agenda and poor Audrey is forced to kot-tow to Miguel.
This is the tough part of the job that has been put off for years. All those club members inhabiting the district offices need to be eliminated for redundancy. Public relations office? Who really needs that when you can put things on the web? Certainly the information is slow to come and only after some muscle flexing by influential community members. The Byfields, the Machados, the Espinosas have occupied enough time at SAUSD. Go ahead and Riff teachers who will probably be called back next fall. But do the whole system a favor and cut out the real fat.
I think it is important, too, to see the names of the wage bargaining committee from management. It looks like they are trying to justify their own jobs.
What instructional assistant would be able to purchase quality health care at over $800.00 a month?
Let’s see the names of those who suggested that idea!
One could say many negative comments about the district and most would be accurate. But it is reasonable to ask teachers to pay the extra cost of the PPO health insurance that is above the HMO cost which is only $45. a month.
The PPO plan is significantly more expensive to the district than an HMO, and if you want the extra benefits, then pay for it. Most if not all other districts have that model.
To answer #654 question, an instructional assistant could pay the $45 or so a month and get quality health insurance, just not PPO.
I certainly agree that a public relations office is unneeded. And why do they need 8 people in research and evaluation?
A professional Public Information Office is a great assest to any business. And a bad Public Information Office, such as SAUSD, is detrimental. The past PIO officers are two examples of poor administrators sanctioned by the supt. If it’s rotten at the top, the decay filters down.
To # 655
That’s a pretty cavalier attitude regarding medical benefits for the PPO system you seem to have. From $45 to $800 a month is a pretty healthy percentage jump even if you can afford it. That doesn’t even include co-pays for medications or $300 deductibles annually for each member of the family that already exist. Presently a man and wife pay a minimum of $1050 annually not including ongoing medication co-pays. Statistics tend to show as we age we need to take medications, usually ongoing. Although not a large expense but in some cases it can amount to $100 per month bringing an annual total to approximately $2250 per year. Do you really think upping that to about $10,000 per year is reasonable?
Some people elected to take PPO’s out of neccessity. They don’t live near a Kaiser facility. Their family doctor takes the PPO but not the HMO. Whatever the circumstance, people selected this option for a reason.
I came to this district about the same time Dr. Noji was first elected to the board. I chose SAUSD because at the time they paid full benefits including retirement. With what appeared to be a climbing enrollment, the overall package was very enticing. But then an interesting thing happened. New district departments began to be created. Other departments were enlarged as much as 10 fold. New administrators popped up all over the place. Administrative salaries began to climb at a significantly higher rate than teacher’s or classified salaries.
Within a few years the district no longer could afford to pay full retirements or medical coverage. Medical coverage became a game of musical chairs of choices as different companies were dropped and replaced with new ones that employees had to choose from. Yet enrollment and ADA continued to climb.
Now that enrollment has gone in the other direction, I’m not seeing the downsizing of these district departments, nor the elimination of these increased numbers of administrators. What I’m seeing is teachers and classified taking it on the chin time after time up to and including reductions in salary or raises frozen.
No doubt about it. This latest proposal clearly shows that the state needs to step in and take a seriously hard look at the books and who is cooking them at the expense of the staff.
#651
The Public Information Officer is paid handsomely for her work. I suggest you contact Ms. Brandt or her sidekick, Ms. Zavala, and ask for that information.
There’s a reason there are over 650 posts on this thread. The district refuses to conduct its business in an open and transparent fashion. If it did, this thread would more than likely be dead.
Every Hitler has its brownshirts. Esther Jones has Evelyn Carrigg blindly carrying out retributions.
Lately, things have been tense between the two and they’ve been fighting in front of the main office staff. They’ve been caught in a lot of lies lately and they’re trying to figure out who should be holding the bag.
Their latest target? New VP Fred Gomeztrejo is the scapegoat.
It’s frustrating that mismanagement of Saddleback is allowed to continue by Jane Russo and Ms. Noji.
However, it is satisfying to see malicious conspirators turn on each other.
Good Luck, Fred. You’re going to need it.
One piece of advice.
Contact Christine Anderson for help with those terrible HR problems.
She seems to have the ability and drive to get things done productively.
Juan Lopez is a large part of major HR issues.
To #659
Look for Jones/Carigg to escalate their in-fighting as March 15 draws closer.
Why is the grievance procedure not working at SAUSD with certain Administrators who are over-represented by the number of grievances filed?
Grievance procedures are inappropriate and ineffective in dealing with bullying a for a variety of reasons:
bullying is equivalent to rape (it’s psychological and emotional rape because of its intrusive and violational nature) and grievance procedures force the victim of this rape to have to relive the trauma repeatedly
the person who normally handles the grievance is usually the bully, or a friend of the bully
if the bully is a co-worker, the manager who would handle the grievance has already failed as a manager for allowing the bullying to occur and for failing to deal with the bullying before it got to the grievance stage
the bullying manager has lots of friends in HR and management and will blacken the target’s reputation before grievance procedures begin
most bullies will successfully lie, cheat and deceive their way through grievance
the bully will make sure the grievance lasts as long a possible (eg a year or more)
the bully will deny the target access to records, sometimes rifling the target’s desk and stealing notes
the bully will ban the target from having contact with fellow employees
the bully will threaten fellow workers into withdrawing support for the target
the bully and the employer will limit representation to a union representative (many reps are untrained, unsupported, and some are part of the problem) or co-worker (all of whom are too frightened to stand up for a fellow worker)
plus all the reasons listed at http://www.bullyonline.org/workbully/standup.htm
http://www.bullyonline.org/workbully/grieve.htm
#662
Every word written in your post is true. What is missing is a solution or did I miss it?
The problems have been identified over and over again on this blog but I see few, if any, answers.
I suppose everyone hopes a new Superintendent or board member will overhaul the district because over 600 complaints have been written here telling them where to look. Has the Superintendent looked in the past 6 months?
Some might say yes. Several principals have been outed, moved to the district office, or elsewhere at the same pay in a new job. Why does that not feel like house cleaning to me? That feels more like shuffling the deck so no one can find the joker!
Sometime someone is going to realize this mess can’t be fixed internally and reach out for help. That’s what state take overs are for. It won’t be a pretty picture. But it could not be any worse than the one painted in this blog.
>>>What is missing is a solution or did I miss it?<<<<<
When a problem can be properly identified, then most of the work towards a solution is done. Framing a problem is a very important part of the process of moving forward. We know many of the issues and this blog helps uncover the problems that will need to be addressed.
I think that Human Resources is a mess. Juan Lopez lacks leadership and ethical standards necessary to support healthy employee relations. Why would employees chose to pay for attorneys to deal with HR, unless there are very entrenched problems? He has no investigative skills. He sides with malicious practices.
Lewis Bratcher has overseen the High Schools and middle schools where many managerial problems remain. Is he now part of the solution or a continuing part of the problem by covering up legitimate concerns that should be brought to the superintendent
I don’t understand the bullying comments on this blog. Who is bullying who? Perhaps this person can be a bit more specific instead of criticizing and blaming everyone from managers, HR, union reps, other co-workers.
#662
You are not alone. District administrators also engage in bullying students, parents and community members. Anyone who is a critic of SAUSD – a public entity – is bullied.
The readership of this blog is far reaching.
>>>What is missing is a solution or did I miss it?<<<<<
When a problem can be properly identified, then most of the work towards a solution is done. Framing a problem is a very important part of the process of moving forward. We know many of the issues and this blog helps uncover the problems that will need to be addressed.
I think that Human Resources is a mess. Juan Lopez lacks leadership and ethical standards necessary to support healthy employee relations. Why would employees chose to pay for attorneys to deal with HR, unless there are very entrenched problems? He has no investigative skills. He sides with malicious practices.
Lewis Bratcher has overseen the High Schools and middle schools where many managerial problems remain. Is he now part of the solution or a continuing part of the problem by covering up legitimate concerns that should be brought to the superintendent
>>>>>>I don’t understand the bullying comments on this blog. Who is bullying who? Perhaps this person can be a bit more specific instead of criticizing and blaming everyone from managers, HR, union reps, other co-workers<<<<<< I’ve read about bad managers bullying and Juan Lopez as part of that act. Not sure where you read that Union representation is deliberately hurting others. A few department heads are complicit. But the accusations have been pretty specific.
#665 your score card is a mess! you’ve not been paying attention or you’re just acting dense.
But since you asked, The three most-grieved principals are Espinosa, Jones and Bishop. They all fit the classic workplace bully profile. Now that Mijares is gone, those never-ending grievance days are coming to an end.
Art,
If you want to take a check of how “service and support” oriented the district is, just contact the PIO and ask for the names of the bargaining unit members who represent SAUSD so you can post them here. We all know Susan Brandt is capable of emailing and posting, so just maybe she’ll be forthcoming with the information here after your request.
Luis, Oscar, Ryan Gene, Gordon, Claudio? Aren’t you guys paying these servants’ salaries? You just might be suprised at what happens in that small exercise .
Right here, this person wrote that some reps are “part of the problem.” This person is blaming everyone. I’m aware that we have adminsitrators who bully their teachers. But this individual seems to feel that everyone is against him or her.
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That is information supported by a link. The highlighted lines are the most relevant for SAUSD HR.
I got the impression that the poster was trying to add to the discussion, not trying to act persecuted.