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.
Dear SAEA Members
We would like to thank the following teachers and classified folks for speaking at the SAUSD Board meeting last Tuesday evening. We would also like to thank all those teachers who showed up at the Board meeting showing their support for the bargaining team.
Despite the Boards typical underhanded delaying tactics designed to discourage our teachers from speaking most teachers were able to hang in there until 9:30 p.m. when we were finally allowed to speak. It was a fantastic turnout for our first Board meeting. Hearing the HR Assistant Superintendent Juan Lopez’ shaky voice after our presentations (with all of us in black) made the long night worth it. Observers said that the points made by teachers were the best and most professional they had ever heard. Kudos to everyone involved!
So again, a big shout out and a round of applause to: Steve Plumly – Saddleback, Susan Fisher, Mike Weber – Taft, Tammi Detviler – SAHS , Ilene Shapiro – Diamond, Sandra Cuevas – Mendez, Gary Reynolds SAHS, Patricia Davenport – Saddleback, Robert Chavez – Freemont, Meg Robinson – Saddleback, Larry Collier – Saddleback, Judy Harrington – Walker, Lori Harrington, Fred Lammers – Valley, Carolyn Setterland – Diamond, Margo Parmenter – Muir, Caitlin Struelens – Speech Pathologist, -Mitchel and Jacquelynn Beiter kindergarten teacher at Garfield whose statement was read to the Board by Alice Borelli.
SAEA is urging certificated and classified employees, along with their friends and family to join the rally in support of the SAEA bargaining team on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2007 at Villa Fundamental School (1441 E. Chestnut Ave) at 4:30 P.M. Villa is directly adjacent to the District Office. We want to put so many people there that the district cannot ignore us.
I hope the observers were not the only ones who noticed the points made. I also especially hope our new board member set aside the little phone calls, board dinner parties, get togethers at fancy dining establishments and realizes what a mess he has found himself in.
all we can hope for is that the new board member is an independent thinker.
what were the odds that Richardson,Noji and Palacio would rank Hernandez #1?
How did Mr. Hernandez slip through? He is an intelligent, well spoken man who is an independent thinker. Do you think there is hope?
http://www.sausd.k12.ca.us/board/
Public is prohibited from looking at the board’s policies and procedures on their website.
Can a copy be ordered?
By the time this budget is approved SAUSD will have shaved off $80 million dollars over the past 4 years.
If you subscribe to their explanation that these deep cuts are due to declining enrollment, then you need a refresher course in math.
SAUSD Budget cuts:
http://o-juice.blogspot.com/2007/02/proposed-cuts-for-sausd.html#comments
Need some budget cuts? How about zeroing in on administrators that continue to create hostile work environments that cause employees to visit their doctors more often and require medications just to cope with the hostile conditions at the workplace?
Esther Jones at Saddleback is back out humiliating office staff by yelling and demoralizing the workforce in front of everyone.
One of the lingering problems is that when you have out of control supervisorial behavior, who can the employee contact? Years and years of ignoring the problem has caused staff at that school to bear the brunt of abuse with no one to call. Who can an abused employee call? Office of Civil Rights? Their union? An Attorney?
Lewis Bratcher, Risk Management, and Juan Lopez have not been the typical resource to call. They don’t return calls when staff is abused. They just shift the problem back to the employee who has to use precious medical resources, including worker’s compensation. This lack of accountability is costing the school district a huge amount of money.
My suggestion would be that if there is a hostile work environment and harassment, that Jane Russo make it absolutly clear that employees should be able to call her office IMMEDIATELY. Her secretaries could screen the calls and alert her to any developing emergencies.
There is absolutely no reason that a site principal should be able to throw these kinds of unprofessional tantrums that threaten employment and income status of other employees.
It’s an outrage. It must be stopped.
When is Russo going to step up and do her job? Juan Lopez is leading her down a path that could be runious to her career. It has not escaped those in the know that it was benefical to appoint Russo because of her lack of experience.
Unfortunately she has surrounded herself with the wrong people.
#730
Where is Lewis Bratcher? Why should Russo be the go-to guy on the dysfunction of high schools?
Someone should name him as an item to be cut from the budget.
All ELD department heads at the high schools don’t have any classes to teach. In fact some of them have a paid extra period to hang out on their cell phones and talk to family and friends. Talk about a waste of district funds.
Is anyone paying attention to these wasted monies?
Art, Claudio, Luis, you have a stake in this sham of a school district. Demand accountability and change.
BACK TO THE BARGAINING TABLE!
We
http://www.latimes.com/news/education/la-me-teachers23feb23,1,4157716.story?track=rss
Whopping health cost proposal riles teachers
Santa Ana district officials say the huge jump in fees envisioned is just to highlight a budget problem and ‘get a reaction.’
By Seema Mehta, Times Staff Writer
February 23, 2007
Even though it is only the opening salvo in what are expected to be bitter negotiations over teachers’ healthcare costs, a Santa Ana Unified School District proposal to raise premiums as much as $800 per month has teachers fuming.
District officials say the proposal was meant to draw attention to rising health costs the district is paying.
“You’re trying to get a reaction out of them, and then you sit down and you negotiate,” said district board member Audrey Yamagata-Noji.
Like many districts in California, it is in financial straits. Years of declining enrollment have reduced state funding, while health costs have skyrocketed. On Tuesday, the school board will consider cutting $21 million from next year’s budget, which could include closing an elementary school and trimming high school athletic programs.
Santa Ana teachers, who earn an average of $58,000 annually, pay significantly less for their health insurance than most employees across the nation.
According to a 2006 report by the Kaiser Family Foundation, single adult coverage in employer plans averages $52 per month, and family coverage averages $248. Teachers in Santa Ana pay $5 per month for a single person, $15 for two adults and $45 for a family to receive their choice of Kaiser or Blue Cross HMOs, or Blue Cross PPO.
District officials say they are spending $66 million on health insurance this year, a 20% jump over last year, with the bulk of the spending for the Blue Cross PPO plan.
Late last year, the district proposed offering Kaiser to teachers free of charge, the Blue Cross HMO at the current monthly rate, and the Blue Cross PPO
I wrote a post today about the health insurance issue, at http://o-juice.blogspot.com/2007/02/santa-ana-school-district-angers.html. In my opinion, the school board and the administration are negotiating in bad faith.
The medical issue is the old shell game district’s have been playing for years. They know what they want, ask 5 times more and then get the other side to agree to what they expected in the first place. Not unlike department heads spending their entire budget to prove they need as much or more money the next year. Same old story
Even better than the shell game is the side track tactic. While everyone is worrying about medical benefits everyone has forgot about the job cuts of teacher’s assistants, the keeping of useless administrators on the backs of cutting other jobs and the unknown reserve budget.
Does anyone remember the old straw man tactic? Does anyone believe the district ever expected the unions to agree to an $800 p/mo increase in medical costs? No! But they got the attention off of all the other issues. Keep your eye on the ball folks.
#737
You’re on target.
Less than 3 mos. ago Tony Espinoza was relieved of his duties as Valley principal and re-assigned to head up the district’s gradution program. Recent reports say Espinoza has a total of 2 students and that he’s rarely on campus during his 3 to 9 shift.
It took the state’s intervention to pull Espinoza from Valley because the Supt. and board failed to do their job.
Why does the district subsidize these incompetent adminstrators?
The district bargains and administers in bad faith.
Here is a time line as reported by the OC Register, some articles are paraphrased. Look at the bottom for more comments.
Sunday, April 24, 2005
O.C. superintendents in elite pay class
School districts say the salaries are simply the cost of getting the right people for difficult executive jobs.
By BLYTHE BERNHARD and TONY SAAVEDRA
The Orange County Register
Santa Ana Unified has the lowest test scores in the county, and Irvine Unified has the highest. Yet Santa Ana pays almost $50,000 more to its superintendent than Irvine.
“I think test scores are a part, but they’re not the full picture,” said Santa Ana Superintendent Mijares, who has had the job for 10 years. “It has to do with the size as well as the issues that we face in an urban center.”
Santa Ana Superintendent Mijares took the same pay cut as his teachers. Still, he has the highest base salary in the county at $205,056.
“To find out that your boss is making so much money, it’s disheartening and it brings your morale down,” said Helena Pasquarella, a teacher who quit the district after the pay cut. “Why is the superintendent of the poorest district getting such high pay?”
_____________________________________________________________________________
OCRegister may 2006
STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION THE RACE:
Five candidates are competing for the position of state superintendent of public instruction. The top two finishers in the June primary election will move on to the Nov. 7 general election.
THE JOB: The winner in November will serve a four-year term as the chief of the California Department of Education. He or she will be paid $148,750 per year for the position.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Friday, Feb 23rd, 2007
Local section page 4
Our towns
Superintendent Salary: Santa Ana Unified Trustee
Golly Gee! I wonder how much a person with an Ed.D or Ph.D. with superintendent experience would have fetched? $300K plus bennies.
Do you think the SAUSD community is getting its 1/4 million dollars worth?
When did SAUSD buy the Register? Nevermind that teachers are getting cut or assistants are being cut in favor of keeping AP’s. It’s the worst pablum I’ve ever read right out of the district’s press release. Does the reporter even go to the meetings or note the superintendent makes more than the county superintendent? Obviously not. I wonder who bought off the paper
Re: Santa Ana School District/ At-Large Elections Fail Kids
At-large school board elections have been a tool of right wing
extremists with a savvy political sense as a way of controlling
local school districts for many years- in many unassuming
districts. Especially in places like Orange County, where much of
the voting population sees public schools as failures and teachers
as government waste. Why not prove their point by running for
school boards and essentially, purposely, drive a distict into the
ground to the point where the only “hope” is what these people want
in the first place- vouchers and “charter schools.” At-large
elections have been effectively challenged in court and the
practice ceased in some areas. Court cases cite at-large elections
as unconstitutional. What are at-large elections? They are
elections where one section of a city can basically vote in an
entire majority if not enough people in the other sections of the
city vote. In districts like Santa Ana, city council seats are
divided and voted on by representative areas of the city.
Therefore, each area of the city gets a supposedly representative
that can speak and act towards the concern of that neighborhood.
Most local government elections, including county supervisors, city
government seats, etc. operate in this truly representative form of
election process. Why not school boards? You already know the
answer. Because generally no one cares about their local school
board elections- except those with certain “political agendas.”
Many teachers who work in the schools can;t vote in the school
board elections because they don’t live in the city.
Another trick these school boards use is to hold their elections
on “off years” meaning years where there are no bigger races at
stake. That only ensures less people will vote- better for them.
Does your district school board seem reckless?
Do they make decisions that seem to hurt public education rather
than help it?
Do they cut pay and benefits that causes quality teachers to avoid
their schools instead of trying to attract them?
Do they hide money in secret accounts, yet cry about budget cuts
every year?
If yes to these questions, guess what…Your school board probably
actually has an agenda that is against true public education- a
quality education for all. Your board is probably elected at-large
too.
It’s very sick, but its happening. These self-righteous people
don’t care that they are hurting kids. The kids are just political
shrapnel to them in their quest to prove public education is a
failure.
What can you do? Do a little research.
Are your school board elections held during strange times of the
year, seperate from most “bigger” elections?
Where do most of the members reside? All in the same area, or
scattered throughout the city?
The at-large election process has to be challenged in court to be
ended. That’s the only way. When Santa Ana gets some real
community activists that care about this issue and true
representation, then and only then might things improve. Right now
their board is the end-al-be-all and they aren’t going anywhere
because no one in the city votes except the bloc at the north end
of the city.
#738 – You could be right about the state’s intervention regarding Espinoza’s dismissal as Valley principal. My money is on the numerous lawsuits filed by Valley employees. The security guard and peeping tom custodian matter is still alive.
What makes this case special is the coddling Espinosa garnered from Mijares, Noji and Juan Lopez. Lopez involunatrily transferred a classified employee and Noji declared the internal investigation of the alleged pervert without merit. It will be interesting to see if this case makes its way to a jury or will the district settle at the last moment.
Meanwhile March 15 is upon us.
The recent removal of a Taft AP is quite the buzz about town. What’s astounding is his lackluster performance as an SAUSD administrator and the district’s loyalty afforded him. Within the past two years he’s been yanked from Mendez only to be placed at Century for a timeout. At the beginning of the 06-07 school year he was assigned to Taft. His recent removal, from Taft, stems from an alleged outburst at a parent meeting – do you think the shuttering of Taft’s 6th/7th grades created this hullabloo? Oh well, he’s been shipped to Spurgeon until the end of the school year.
The scuttlebut says he plans on retiring this year, but isn’t it a coincidence that his departure is condusive to the board’s mandate to eliminate the 6th/7th grades at Taft.
This illustrious administrator joins the club of the $100K warehoused admins – Machado, Baron,
and Silva.
Kudos to a culture of retaining the incompetent. And you wonder why we’ve had to slash $80 million dollars. No wonder the Grant parents feel betrayed and forgotten. Hernandez can fault these parents for not appearing in large numbers at the last board meeting, but these folks know MANDACITY and aren’t afraid to tell the board that the emperor has no clothes on. Shame on Hernandez for talking down to these parents. Shame on Hernandez for dissing the Grant teachers.
#744
Is retiring in the offing for this disgraced, former Taft AP?
ART:
Would you please consider storing this whole group of postings under a category of its own on the front page of the blog, so that everyone can find and post to it more easily. This contains a lot of history of SAUSD and I think that nearly 800 postings deserve recognition.
Think about it!
#744
At least someone is making a problem administrator move. It’s better than sheltering abusive employees over at Saddleback who seemed determined to harass employees until they are made sick.
From the February 13 Board of Education minutes, minutes page #453 here is an entry. I wonder if any administrator got back to him! That kind of unprofessionalism is standard at the school. And it starts at the top.
Mr. Hernandez:
#748
Thanks for the post.
I know Hernandez is new to the board, but I’m LMAOF over his choice of battles. He ignores the Grant parents and does not make an effort to meet them; publicly chastises them for not understanding the gravity of the matter; and finishes it up by commenting not very many parents or teachers made the effort to attend the school board meeting and pay homage to me (Hernandez). BUT, he has the eyes of an eagle and zeros in on a high school student’s t-shirt which displays a weed graphic.
When was Hernandez appointed SAUSD’s fashion czar? And isn’t he overstepping his duties as an appointed trustee?
Hernandez touted the need for better communication in his interview for the position, yet he failed to deliver when it mattered most. He should have made the effort to meet with Grant parents and teachers.
How many Asians in sausd?
http://www.hiwhy.com/2007/01/21/santa-ana-unified-school-district-2006-api/
# 750
I’m sorry I think I missed the significance of your question. All the teachers and staff I know are basically color blind. What’s the point here? I’m hoping you have a reason for bringing this link to our attention but I fail to see it.
#751
It is interesting because it is a Chinese website that chose to highlight Santa Ana’s asian statistics.
anyone know Art Pedroza’s email address?
March 15th, the Day we should start finding out what Administrators are going, has anyone heard? There are postings for Principals, A/P’s but it does not says for which site.
Tentative Union agreement at.
http://www.sateach.org/Tentative%20Agreement.html
You decide what you think.
Police Sergeant Arrested For Child Pornography
Last Edited: Friday, 16 Mar 2007, 5:33 PM PDT
Created: Friday, 16 Mar 2007, 5:25 PM PDT
Child Porn Suspect KENDALL SCOTT POOLE
CNS
Irvine — A Santa Ana Unified School District police sergeant was arrested today in a child pornography investigation, according to Irvine police.
Kendall Scott Poole, 49, was arrested at his home in the 4600 block of Roxbury Drive about 6:30 a.m., said Irvine police Lt. Rick Handfield.
No information was made available about what led to his arrest.
Handfield said the investigation was just getting under way and he didn’t want to jeopardize it by saying too much.
http://www.myfoxla.com/myfox/pages/Home/DetailcontentId=2696588&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=1.1.1
#755
SAEA’s posting on the tentative agreement states …
“The District
Poster 746,
We do have a link on our front page to all of the SAUSD posts. Go to the top right corner of our home page and scroll down to the orange boxes on the right. Look for “SAUSD posts.” Click on that and you will have instant access to every post we have had about SAUSD. Enjoy!
Poster 753,
My email address is apedroza@earthlink.net.
There needs to be an investagation of School Police to look at what’s happening at SAUSD, and NOT by the District. It should come from an outside agency. Jim Miyashiro has settled 2 sexual harrasment law suits and a 3rd maybe on the way, Lt. Hansen had asssault charges filed in a fight in Arizona and now Ken Poole has been busted in kiddie porn investigation. These people are in charge of keeping our student safe???
Time for Jan Russo to clean house before any children are harmed or assaulted. Maybe that’s why we are having budget problems, settling and fighting lawsuits.
What I think about the tentative agreement is that teachers will be paying over 250% more for PPO insurance while receiving a touted 5% increase in pay. If you break it all down for a family and you are a teacher making $50,000. You just got a $2500 raise. Your PPO insurance cost will go up to $1632 from $450 yearly. You do the math after you subtract your union dues and those are how much a month?
# 761 Why would you subtract your union dues? Do you think that the union owes you a rebate of your dues each year?
Do the math! Your raise was just taken away to pay for your Health Insurance. You all got nothing!
Thank you #763. You made my point! Too bad some who teach can’t absorb the obvious. Must be a PE teacher or union rep.
#760
Why bother doing an investigation of School Police? After 2 lost sexual lawsuits involving the Chief, an arrest of the Lt. for an assault, and now an allegation that the sgt has a child pornography problem do you really think the district administrators care?
This is the entire management staff of school police. If the district hasn’t looked at these cops by now they never will.
March 16, 2007
By now you should have received the notice I sent out regarding the tentative agreement reached between the Association and the District. Our ability to secure the first real raise in years as well as contain the District
#761 & #763
PE teachers are not to blame nor are union reps. The choice that you had was what you ended up with or what the district wanted to take from you. Now explain why you would choose to take what the district was offering as a benefit package.
# 767
Of course it wasn’t PE teachers. You obviously can’t absorb sarcasm either.
No I wouldn’t have taken what the district original offer was. But then again anyone with half a brain knew the district wasn’t seriously expecting anyone to.
Yet don’t ask me to get all warm and fuzzy at what the union did accept. Contrary to the diatribe written by the union “Part” of the raise was not the restoration from three years ago. It was most of it! All 13.4%. The other so called raise of 5% was nullified by the PPO agreement.
So what the union is proud of negotiating is the pay restoration long ago agreed to be returned when taken, and a 5% raise that is completely negated after you subtract the new PPO expenses.
What the union basically did was give the district a raise because logically we can assume a majority of the teachers will switch to an HMO or Kaiser plan except for the few that can afford to remain at their current level of expenses.
So to again answer your question no I wouldn’t have taken the district original offer and although the new one will probably pass, I won’t vote for it either because the union has the gaul to brag about how much they did for us. When the union starts to play the district word game with such phrases as ‘part’ of the raise was the restoration when it was the majority, then they have sunk to the same depth as the district.
When I quit reading about teacher abuse on this blog stopped by the union, then ask me what I think. I can live with this contract since I’ll have to but what little respect I had for the union went right down the drain because they can’t admit the truth any more than the district can.
For #768 ..
and what is that truth you seek?
#769
Well Grasshopper how many truths are there? Only one that I know of and that is called straight honesty. If you know of another please enlighten me.
#770
What is straight honesty? Pen in plain English. Honesty needs no flourish.
#767
You are correct that the teachers will accept the settlement. Here are some reasons why they will do so.
In 2004 a teacher on step 6 class III made $50422 and paid $45/month for family Blue Cross.
That same teacher will be making $69521 on step 9 class III and paying $163/month for family Blue Cross.
It has been difficult to go years with only the rasises provided by step and column increases but SAEA negotiated the structure of the salary schdule. SAEA also negotiated the changes that result in the numbers above.
The district would not have provided the same level of salary and benefits achieved by SAEA. The district finally relented on benefits when 600 teachers attended that rally. Were you there?
Since you seem to enjoy sarcasm (“PE teachers and union reps”) and attacking people(“half a brain”), try this out. Gaul noun: an ancient region of western Europe, which rhymes with Saul is not the same as gall noun: the trait of being rude and impertinent, also noun: a feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will(which you seem to have), which rhymes with ball. Even my PE teacher friends know this. Sorry, but I could not resist.