Well, we are in a New Year and we need to close up our 2008 SAUSD corruption thread before it becomes overwhelmed with comments. Consider this to be our new 2009 SAUSD corruption thread.
Click here to read our 2008 thread. And here are links to all our previous SAUSD corruption threads:
- SAUSD-Mijares corruption thread, 2008 Comments
- SAUSD-Temporary Thread (Migration 5/16/2008) Comments
- SAUSD-Mijares corruption thread, 2007 Comments
- SAUSD-Mijares corruption thread, 2006 Comments
The results of last year’s SAUSD School Board elections were disappointing. The incumbents were re-elected. Shame on the teacher’s union for supporting them! And the one new Trustee, Roman Reyna, is not likely to make a difference.
The SAUSD budget is a mess and our Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, appears primed to make it worse. So this is going to be a very tough year. As always, this forum will be here to allow you to vent about what is going on at the SAUSD!
Al Mijares is long gone, but the corruption at the SAUSD continues unabated…
Actually, after reading what I wrote I realized that I should have said that I teach them until THEY almost reach frustration and then back off. But it was a little bit of a natural slip because I actually do reach frustration when I see blank stares as I try to teach what these kids are “supposed” to know.
Forget the problems at the state and federal level, just reading the entries about Santa Ana schools can be saddening. In no particular order I would like to make several comments:
1) Santa Ana’s fundamental schools are the biggest racist/elitist campuses in OC, and the least discussed. Just look at their enrollment and free and reduced price lunch numbers. Fundamental teachers, students, and parents work hard for their results, but is well known that they receive admin. and district backing. Now, what is the district doing for the at-risk student? Very little. If the district were to dedicate the same amount of energy to this population as they do to the fundamentals, SAUSD would be a better district.
2) Wilson parents and students are crying because they are stuck having to attend Willard (see #241)? Quick! Someone send this info. to Supt. Russo. Whatever it is you feel about Willard, it really is a lot worse. It is well known that most Santiago students (once eager to go to Willard) get lucky and get to go Mendez. Ask Mayor Pulido how he was able to get Santiago to open a special 6th grade class so his child woudn’t have to go to Willard.
3) To #132 Teacher Old – Do you teach at a Fundamental school? Yikes! You need to go back to school and take Remedial English!
4) How did our Day of Action (wear pink on March 13) go? Other districts had parents and students involved, did Santa Ana? Getting parents involved in real school matters is key to making changes in the district. We cannot wait for our district to do this, because it won’t happen. Fundamental school parents are so happy they got into the fundamental schools, they don’t dare make a peep. The parents who are “stuck” at the other schools are either oblivious to what’s going on or they simply have given up.
5) Right now, raising test scores is the focus in the district. The best way to raise test scores is to focus on the students and on their learning, for learning’s sake, not on testing. Test scores don’t really affect a student’s life. My question is: How do we get district officials and administrators to understand this?
6) Once upon a time Willard teachers and counselors opened up a parent center out of an abandoned computer junk yard. Parents attended meetings and invited other parents, teachers were informed and were actually invited to be part of the program. Soon Bishop and Medrano arrived and changed it to the Willard Puppet Center. I left two years ago, but friends tell me that even the PTA has abandoned Willard. (What did they do with the PTA money?)
Sad in Santa Ana,
Welcome to the SAUSD discussions. It is always great to get parent perspectives and participation. Kudos.
To new and familiar posters to this thread, here are some links that you might find of interest:
Pink Friday http://www.pinkfriday09.org
San Francisco Unified has a very active parent/teacher email listserve. Many of their issues are common to districts all over California. If you are interested in joining their group for email discussions, send a request to:
sfschools@yahoogroups.com
A Retired Teacher from Florida has some timely missives about Charter Schools and Merit pay. For the full articles, click on the Link embedded in the Titles. At the end of each article there are lots of comments and discussion that follow at the original links. I’ve provided a snip of the content for each:
Article 1. Let’s talk about merit pay from two teachers’ views.~~Snip~~
One teacher was in a school in a deprived neighborhood. The principal was not a very good one. The county knew that, but they put their less capable administrators in the schools whose parents would not be too critical. The parents cared deeply about their children and wanted a good education for their children.
These parents lacked the money and community standing to be demanding of a principal. No one listened to them that much except the devoted teachers. Many did not speak good English, some spoke almost none. In the fancier schools there were people to help translate and aid communication. The poorer school had little access to specialists.
This school had much of the supply money shifted from it to a charter school, or a magnet school, or a school of choice. This school had old worn out text books. Yet when the students did not “produce” in the charter, magnet, choice schools…..they were sent back to the deprived school.
Guess what. The funds never came back with them.
The children were just like children everywhere, some were intelligent, some were challenged. But there were not the amenities or facilities provided for them.
While the poor school had old worn textbooks, the schools with advantaged students had in many cases two textbooks. One set for home, another set for school. Didn’t want them to sprain their backs.
The difference was not in the children and their capabilities and intelligence….it was in the lack of resources that were desperately needed.
Article 2. Some background on why I am concerned about charter, choice, or magnet schools.
~~Snip~~
First off, I know my resistance to phasing out public schools is a losing battle. Many teachers and retired teachers like me see a train wreck coming for public schools, but there is no way to head it off. That train wreck will not affect families with good financial resources. It will greatly affect those from deprived backgrounds as it will create a two levels of schools. I wrote about it in an earlier post here.
Since the charter schools are the way our party has chosen to go, here is some background. This idea is a mainstay of Al From and the Democratic Leadership Council. These schools were started to get away from the regulation in the public school sector, and in his own words…to provide competition and choice.
He decried the fact that public schools have a monopoly on education. Me, I always thought that was a good thing. But the propaganda has worked, and now the public schools and their teachers are seen as often being unworthy. All of that as funds are being taken away for vouchers to private schools, funding for kids in charter schools….leaving the public schools with less money all the time.
Then as the resources are drained, they speak of how little the public schools are getting done. So I know this post is like a little cry in the wilderness for what used to be and won’t be again. It will not change minds at all, and it will make no difference in the push for charter schools.
Key point. The charter, choice, magnet schools will not keep students who do not learn at that tier of education. They send them back to tier 2…the public schools that are left.
Sad in Santa Ana.. Am not understanding what you meant here by this line? “Santa Ana’s fundamental schools are the biggest racist/elitist campuses in OC”
my other comment: More parents need to get involved that’s the bottom line. Parents can whine and cry all they want but if THEY do not step up to the plate and make some noise no one will care. Why are they not doing this?
By the way my daughter is at a Fundamental school. That is my choice to put her there. I went to a Fundamental school. Damn glad my parents did that too. At that time there were no Fundamental High schools.. I for one wished there was. So yes..It is my choice to have my child there. I was not pressured into doing it, I was not bullied. AS A PARENT I felt this is where I wanted my child to go. I also think it’s funny that there was also the line ” “Fundamental parents dare not make a peep” because they were lucky to get in one. Give me a break..Mr. or MS you don’t get a chance to get to the Fundamental High Schools do you? If you did you would see parents are not afraid to say what they want or to express what they feel they want in a good education. Don’t get me started.. On other line With alot of good teachers losing their jobs..and also let’s not forget those great office staff people that also help make the schools run..I feel more emphasis should be placed with parents get out there and make a difference.
Just my opinion..
Sad in SA- I agree with many points you have made. A few exceptions though:
“it is well known that fundamental schools receive admin. backing” This is quite frankly, a load of crap. Unless you have actually taught in a fundamental you would not realize it though. The fundamental teachers have to fight almost everyday to keep our schools standards. We feel that the district administration (as well as the school administration at times) are constantly trying to sabotage us by trying to make us “do what everyone else does”. Only through organization and being quite vocal are we able to stand our ground and hold to the ideals our upon which our schools were founded.
“racist/elitist” I don’t think this is fair in anyway. We open the fundamental schools to all, of course not all get selected in a random lottery. There is no favoritism played in the lottery, believe me as a parent and Santa Ana teacher whose child did not get into a fundamental school, I know (just ask Pulido who called our school after the lottery registration and was told “sorry”). If the population of people applying for the lottery isn’t the same ethnic make-up of the city in general, there really isn’t anything that can be done about it. Of course, our population in the fundamental schools is still predominantly Hispanic, but we do have more diversity than most of the neighborhood schools.
I completely agree that what has happened at Willard is a travesty. I can only imagine how frustrated and desperate the parents of students who do not get into Mendez and cannot afford a private education must feel. I met one a few weeks ago and she is really angry that she is paying state taxes and property taxes, yet has not one viable option for her child for 6th grade.
Just got my RIF! I have seven years… anyone know how far back it’s going?
I think it depends on subject area. Math, science and Special Ed are safe last I heard. I think that the other subject areas will probably go back about 7 years. Elementary teachers could go back farther as the possibility of no CSR has become very real. In my opinion, half of the 530 have a good chance of losing their jobs, but I think with 7 years, you will probably be ok. Horrible times, sorry.
1. Did Jane Russo or Juan Lopez take a pay cut at all or even consider it? Does anyone know what they make exactly?
2. SAUSD is always cutting the MOST. Does anyone know how to operate a budget there?
3. It’s time to stand up for ourselves and get this leadership out of there. We need people in there who will help us and take cuts themselves.
What exactly is the Santa Educator’s Association doing for the teachers exactly? Their website stinks and it is not even updated. David Barton’s last message to the people was in in Dec. 2008. If you plan to be a Union President then do something. I don’t see what our Union had even done for the teachers. If I am missing something here, then let me know. I just think that their site needs to be updated frequently and have more info to help it’s teachers.
Take it from a teacher who has been riffed year after year for 7 years now. David Barton and SAEA do NOTHING! They put on a show of concern at the beginning of the rif process by holding one meeting and introducing you to their do-nothing attorney. After that, you NEVER hear from them again. You can’t even contact the attorney. He refuses to provide his contact info. We would have a better chance of saving our jobs if we gave our 95 dollars a month to the district to help it with its budget.
Last year I called CTA and told them that our union wouldn’t give me the contact info for the attorney. Legal at CTA said I should be able to contact the attorney, and gave me his contact info right away so I could call directly. It sucks that we have to call CTA and make a fuss to get what we want, but if that’s what it takes, that’s what it takes.
260, 261, 262:
Jeff Goldberg maintains the SAEA website. He’s a full-time teacher at Sepulveda Elementary. All the union stuff he does after hours. He gets zero pay for this. When something appears out of date, send Jeff an e-mail. His e-address is on the SAEA website – click on Executive Board.
If you got the thumbs down on access to an attorney, it was probably during the riffing
period last year. SAEA uses “Group legal services” which contracts with several school districts. They have 3-5? attornies, experts in school law, but during the lay-offs they are completely deluged with work and basically conduct “triage” with the caseload. During this time one person can’t demand personal attention; resources simply arn’t there to do it.
Over 50% of our dues go to CTA and NEA, by any reasonable analysis, bloated bureaucracies. But whatd’ya wanna do — allow SAUSD’s HR director to set the salary schedule, work hours, work rules, and handle disputes with your principal? We need our bureaucrats to go head-to-head with Districts’ bureaucrats. Who else ya got?
Seriously, come to the rep-council meetings, 3d Tuesday of the month at 4:00 and talk to the people you’re complaining about. They’re teachers, no different status then you or me, volunteering they’re time to make this a tolerable profession.
SAEA has about 10 grievances going right now from what I read on one of the last notices sent out. That means that at least 10 colleagues have serious issues with our employer. Enforcing our contract against abuse by management is an ongoing thing. I’ve had assistance from Jennifer and David with the grievance process. Believe me, it is difficult to keep focused on job duties when you have serious ongoing safety issues that need resolve. If the contract is being violated, you might feel comfortable conducting your own grievance due process, but I was lost. I will forever be grateful to those two for helping me keep my students safe and for helping me keep my job while it got sorted out.
David and Jennifer got attacked by the new superintendent, Russo, when false rosters and fraud was brought to light. What a thankless, ugly time that must have been. But it had to be done.
SAEA negotiates our contract provisions. That is a job that has to be done right or who knows how bad things could get if we were left to district mercy?
CTA and NEA fought off Govenor Arnie when he wanted to raid our retirement funds. Remember?
Unions have their downside, but without them, I think working conditions would be a whole lot more difficult.
Thank you to those of you who have come to the defense of the union. Many people just don’t realize what we would be dealing with without them. If you had a chance to look at all of the things the union is trying to protect us against, you might change your tune. Yes, things are bad, but not nearly as bad as they would be. We are fighting for every little thing right now and concessions have to be made. This is a recession/depression and it’s not like we are the only ones suffering. Health care in this country is in a crisis and unless some type of universal health care agreement is reached, teachers are close to being without health care or with a plan that is financially unmanageable. Please, those of you who are willing to complain about your representation, get involved and find out what the true issues are. I know it’s bad, but the one-sided arguments without true activism need to stop.
To # 260,
I keep copies of all the messages from SAEA.You say you got nothing, but I have seven pages sent out since January on Rifs, the budget, retirements and negotiations. Maybe the problem is that you just can’t read, not that SAEA didn’t inform you.
I have to agree that there has been a great deal of communication since December. Maybe you should talk to your rep or make sure that the union has your personal e-mail address as they are not allowed to send communications to you via your district e-mail address.
To SAHS Teacher,
I understand your point, but most private businesses do function very well with HR directors setting salaries, schedules, and disputes with bosses. In fact, I wish our district could make some decisions like that without being hampered by the union oversight. For instance, I doubt that I would be threatened with losing my job in the layoff if the district were allowed to determine which teachers it wanted to lay off based on merit. The union mantra that all teachers are the same and that only seniority should count is ridiculous. Every school has good and bad teachers. The district should have the flexibility to choose which teachers, senior or junior, young or old, to lay off in times of economic crisis. Forcing the district to lay off many talented teachers and keep less talented teachers is a disservice to the students. As for the attorney “triage” in the riffing, we deserve more than that. We are forced to pay an outrageous amount of dues for very little from SAEA, CTA or NEA.
To anon,
I’m glad the union has helped you with your issues, but I don’t think I should have to pay $95.00 a month because you were lost. I personally think being a member of the union should be optional.
There is a lot of blame being tossed around.
As an SAUSD employee, I would like to know if there are really any problems happening between the district and the union employees?
Are the union members actually voicing ANY concerns? Are the union members actually presenting alternatives? Is the district making available the financial numbers for all their cuts? Is the SAUSD listening to any of its members?
To me, it just seems that people are mad, sad, or angry that their jobs are being cut (potentially). But as a corruption thread, I have seen little information about SAUSD being corrupt or even secretive in their decision making process.
Subscribers to this thread should be magnetized to this thread, as a tell-all blog mentioning our district’s wasteful spending and poor decision making.
I am not here to listen to people, whining about their job or their job security. Many of my students, their moms, dads, aunts or uncles, my co-workers, we all potentially have lost or are going to lose our jobs.
The district obviously needs to make cuts… as will many districts. I just want to see a group of people who actually realize that cuts need to be made, and focus more on responsible cutting, rather than cutting of programs that are more important than wasteful district policies.
In short, where is this district wasting money?
If it were entirely up to the district, they would only keep the employees that cost the least. As you move up the salary scale, keep in mind that your job would be in jeopardy if it weren’t for the protections afforded to you by the union. Is it a perfect system? NO. But would you want decisions made entirely based upon how much it cost to keep you? Either say goodbye to any raises whatsoever or say goodbye to your job. The district doesn’t really care who is the best educator, only who is the cheapest to retain. Maybe some type of merit system would work, but it is hard to devise one that is fair and doesn’t leave the decisions to a bunch of people who decided long ago that they didn’t want to teach (or actually couldn’t). Let’s face it, the majority of administrators in education were not very good teachers and don’t have a handle on what a good teacher is, do you want them to decide who is deserving of a job or a raise, think about it.
Rif-Rif,
First off I’d like to be clear that no one could hate unions more than I do. They overcharge, do little and parade what they do to all like a little kid yelling “See what I did mommy”.
I’m not a teacher but I’ve worked for this district, and others, for nearly 30 years. I go back to when joining unions was optional and not “closed shop”. Back then unions worked harder, did more, and fought tooth and nail with management for one reason. They wanted more employees to join and pay dues. But the union discovered the majority of employees would not join while reaping the benefits of what the union did for its meager membership. Eventually some smart ass invented closed shop forcing everyone to join. That’s when union officials began to put their feet up on their desk, sleep with district management, and basically only do what they had to do.
You raise the matter of merit vs seniority citing that some teachers should be removed for whatever reason, which of course doesn’t include you. What planet are you from?
In case you have not noticed the district is a big old boys club. If you are a member of course you have no worries. If you are not you could be the best teacher in the district and tossed out in a merit system. You would simply be ‘papered’ to death until enough was written to justify firing you. You may be loved by this administration and hated by the next and where are you then? Sadly that is one of the few reasons I see for having a union at all.
You mentioned private sector employment and a fair HR. The two concepts are diametrically opposed. In private sector you can be 64 ½ and be fired for no other reason than the owner doesn’t like your hair. Of course they won’t admit you are being fired because you are about to retire or that you are older because that would be age discrimination. If you believe a private HR or merit system is better then go work for a private school and let us all know why you are paid less, have less insurance, and why it’s cut throat out there in the cold. Another Anon Teacher # 271 makes several other valid comments thus I won’t repeat them.
UNION AND DISTRICT; I agree with your comments. In past years this thread was completely on target with corruption problems, but right now some teachers have shown up to sing “Cum-by-Yah” for the district until they got their Rif notices last Friday. Let it play out and be patient. When the cuts actually happen and anger boils up we will start reading again about principal unfairness and programs that are being mismanaged. When the 250 classified are cut and they start writing about what is really going on inside there world you will have plenty of corruption to read about.
#270- Where is this district wasting money?
Remodeling their offices time and again.
Giving raises to District admin when non-certificated staff are being laid off.
Way too many ineffective administrators at school sites.
BENCHMARKS for the last few years that are inaccurate and overtaxing to students, when many of the textbooks adopted in the last 5 years ALREADY have periodic standards assessments built into them.
Keeping teachers who continuously get horrible reviews for YEARS and shuffling them from school to school so they can inflict the least damage, instead of letting them go with due cause.
Renting portables instead of building new classrooms with the bond money (which thank god they are finally changing).
The special certified postage for mailing the 570 RIFS last year and the fact that they had to pay for a sub for every RIFed teacher who wanted to be at the RIF hearing; they ended up calling back the majority of the people RIFed.
Should I keep going?
Anonplus,
To a degree, I respect your wisdom of thirty years. That is a lot longer than my 7 years. But I can’t agree with everything you say. It seems to me that teachers who by all accounts deserve to be fired aren’t because it is too onerous to paper to death the worst teachers, never mind the best. I also have more faith in the private sector than you do. There are anti-discrimination laws that control employment decisions in the private sector, and for the most part they function. Right now, the public schools are failing, and parents, administrators, teachers, and, most importantly, the teachers’ union, have to share the blame for that. Without throwing the union out, which would be virtually impossible anyway, there must be some way to fairly work merit into the system. Of course administrators are fallible and sometimes unfair, just like any supervisor in any business, but this does not mean that they know absolutely nothing and are totally unqualified to give input into personnel decisions. Seniority could still count for something. Positive past evaluations could also count if a teacher thinks a current administrator is biased. Maybe parents could share in evaluating teachers to a small extent. No doubt a merit system would have to be carefully designed. But to insist as the union does that merit should be irrelevant when it comes to a layoff is a huge disservice to our students. Year after year, lazy incompetent teachers are protected by this ridiculous rule while caring and competent teachers have their lives turned topsy-turvy. I am aware, by the way, that public school teachers generally have it better than private school teachers, but take it from a relative newbie that there are public service and other reasons to work in a public school that are not related to salary, benefits, and the “privilege” of being a union member. If it’s all the same to you, I think I’d prefer to stay where I am if the layoff is rescinded.
WELL I WOULD LIKE TO VOICE MY DISSATIFACTION WITH SA SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THE LEADERS THAT HOLD THE POSITION. I THINK THAT ALL OF THEM ARE ALL OVER PAID AND NEED TO GET THE BOOT. IF I CAN, SOEM WAY OR ANOTHER HAVE A LAW VOTED IN THAT STATED THAT ALL CITY COUNCIL AND SCHOOL BOAD MEMBERS SHALL NOT GET PAID MORE THEN 100K. aND THEY SHALL NOT HOLD THE POSITION MORE THEN 2 YEARS. THEY SIT IN A POSIOTN THAT IS SUPPOSE TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY AND INSTEAD THEY SERVE THEIR GREED ISTTING THERE AND NOT HELPING OUT THE PARENTS.
I AM SO UPSET THAT ALL THE SCHOOL ARE NOT HELD TO A HIGHER STANDARD WHIOCH ARE NON FUNDAMENTAL. PARENTS WHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE AS WELL AS THE STUDENT.
THE SCHOOL BOARD AS WELL AS THE CITY COUNCIL OF SANTA ANA ARE FULL OF SLIM EATING PIGS WHO NEED TO BE VOTED OUT. WAKE UP SANTA ANA AND VOTE FOR PEOPLE WHI WANT CHANGE INSETAD OF GREED.
LETS VOTE IB PEOPLE IN LIKE WE HAVE VOTED BUSH OUT OF OFFICE.
ITS TIME FOR CHANGE IN THE SANTA ANA SCHOOL DISTRICT AND ALS IN THE CITY COUNCIL OF SANTA ANA.
SO NEXT ELECTION DONT VOTE FORTHE SAME FAT GREEDY SLIMY PIGS THAT SIT THERE NOW…….!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rif,
I never expected you to agree to anything I wrote. My comment, after all, was just one persons opinion and not even the opinion of a teacher.
http://orangejuiceblog.com/2009/03/why-is-the-garden-grove-school-district-not-firing-anyone-while-sausd-fires-over-500-teachers/
Art, Garden Grove is a very well run district. Much better managed. End result – no teachers layoffs.
Does anyone know why our district is the only district to send RIF notices through certified mail? All other districts hand deliver them at job site – saves many $$$$.
Nowhere near the number of teachers that were RIF’d will actually be laid off. If they were we’d have 50 kids in our classes. The district is just so disorganized that they frighten far too many people in order to give themselves room. It’s horrible. I’m not sure about the certificated mail thing. One person at our school received his RIF but not by certificated mail, just regular mail.
There are a number of top-notch young teachers from SAHS that got rif’d, true educational treasures. Boston Univ. grad, U.C. grads, CalPolyS.L.O. … from competitive universities you get competitive teachers, with passion for academics and love of their subject which carries over to their students. These are not the kind to sit on their butts. They have job offers pending if they’re not re-hired immediately by Santa Ana. Our Boston U. grad is headed back to Massachusetts (a SAHS grad himself). We do have lesser talented teachers throughout the district who got rif’d … grads without a similar passion for academics, and who carry this slacker attitude into their classrooms. Being more laid back, they haven’t yet lined up new jobs, preferring to see how things go. We’ll be able to hire most of these guys back, even if the District dithers for a time.
SAHS, you apparently represent both the saea and the administration.
“We’ll be able to hire most of these guys back, even if the District dithers for a time.”
We?
The District?
Is there a difference?
Union complicity got the present board re-elected.
Teachers pay the price for a pathetic minging cowardly local- the saea.
Sorry, hadn’t quite got started… to continue, SAHS, are you suggesting only inferior teachers will wait around to be re-hired by your district, the sausd?
“We do have lesser talented teachers throughout the district who got rif’d … grads without a similar passion for academics, and who carry this slacker attitude into their classrooms. Being more laid back, they haven’t yet lined up new jobs, preferring to see how things go.”
Good of you to make it to veteran status, SAHS, what does that say of your goals and aspirations?
But enough of the ad hominem argument…the sausd/saea is doomed because its operatives/teachers are overwhelmingly republican, store-front church attending, American Taliban, libertAryan blow-hards who do not believe in public education…or the public good.
Things have gotten so much worse. My suggestion is that everyone that can get another job in another school district do so immediately.
SAUSD has no intentions of being your friend. The top heavy administration wants you to leave now.
The runaway train can’t stop now.
People, your “wait and see” attitude has failed you once again. You have to unite together. Getting an attorney is not the best answer either.
This district is breaking the law. They get away with it. You can’t win by yourselves…..you have to do it together. (But you didn’t help the people affected months ago, and now it’s your turn.)
I can’t believe Russo gets away with this!
I suppose they’ll want the students to go next.
You know……. have them stay home everyday, but mark them as being in attendance, so they get $$$$$$$ from the Gov.
(similar to the SAHS attendance fiasco, with Russo lying, to cover up her BS in order to look innocent)
Hey, did you wave at her at the parade?
What a bunch of crap that is!
Rintrah,
I’m getting really tired of your same old line-
“the sausd/saea is doomed because its operatives/teachers are overwhelmingly republican, store-front church attending, American Taliban, libertAryan blow-hards who do not believe in public education…or the public good.”
I don’t know what school site you are at, but at my site the majority of teachers are caring and work their butts off for these kids out of the belief that educating these students will help the public good. Stop projecting and start actually getting to know other teachers in the district, because ad-hominem attacks and hasty generalizations do nothing to help your point or anybody involved.
SAUSDTeacher
…getting to know teachers. Newsflash … how about teachers getting to know the community.
Residents have made overtures to get to know their neighborhood schools but have been run off by teachers and administrators. Front desk admins don’t care about Ed Code; they engage in scaring off good people because,in my opinion, they don’t want outsiders interfering and/or exposing their school culture for what it is.
And that’s why there in NOT one strong and cohesive parent organization at SAUSD. Divide and conquer that’s the mentality nurtured by the Supt., her cabinet and supported by principals and teachers.
Rintrah,
I know the fire in your posts, like in 283, comes from the frustration of seeing such a wide gulf between what needs to be done, what could be done, and what actually is done in the public schools. The California public school system is indeed highly dysfunctional, injuring the state, its citizens, and the students within the system. Your characterization of the vast majority of teachers and administrators isn’t fair, but the view from outside the schools may make you want to lump everyone inside it as part and parcel of an oppressive, failed system. Our own frustration with the school system, though aimed at different targets within it, is no less than yours.
To anwer your question, my 281 post is intended to be darkly satirical. The current RIF (lay-off) process is going cause long-term damage to the quality of the faculty of this high school, by driving off the best of its younger teachers.
http://orangejuiceblog.com/2009/03/sausd-superintendent-booed-at-obama-orange-county-townhall/
I have been teaching close to 20 years (Total) and for 7 (SAUSD). I get a RIF notice every year and my number constantly changes. Last year, my number changed 3 times. “The list” is always hidden and when you ask to see “it” they act like it is the Declaration of Independence just signed. Everything is always hush hush and the list is always changing. I don’t think things are always on the up and up and the lawyer that we had last year was a nightmare so I am not even going to bother with that whole process this year. Last year, he told everyone to get into a line and tell him about yourself. I think about 3 people got to tell him their story. He then told everyone to go home, that he would present something in writing for ALL of us who were in line (and didn’t get a turn to talk to him) that he would send it in to the district on behalf of all of us. That is what we received for our representation last year and Union dues. Maybe the Union is helping, but I am just going by what happened last year and it was not good. Yes, we got hired back, but what’s going to happen this year? I also don’t think it’s fair that they play favorites for Science, Math, and Special Ed. If they are going by years of seniority, then that is what they should be going by. I will be checking to make sure that those in those positions are fully credentialed…be sure of that one!
#286
How can the teachers get to know their parents? I wish that were the case for Willard! The front office (the only office) can’t keep their heads above water long enough to do their own job much less act as nurse for the 3 days a week they have to. First of all none of the “parents” who visit the parent room actually check in. They just parade in and out the front door, no one the wiser. There was an unauthorized parent (relative) on campus last week actually disturbing a math class and no administrator could be found to intervene. There have been long term subs who have been invested enough to get involved with calling parents and attempting to conduct a positive learning atmosphere only to have students collude and attempt to “set” up the teacher on mock charges to stop him from actually teaching! He won’t be back, not because of that threat but because he was told no matter how good a job he did, he wouldn’t have a job. Where is the motivation in that? Now the other 2/3’s of the school has been told “they” have no job next year. How can teachers get to know their parents? For the last seven years these teachers have been fired. At the last minute they have been hired back and then treated awfully. You talk about patience, they are angels because they’ve been repeatedly rift’d for the last 7 years and continue to come back to this site of their own free will. They continue to teach their hearts out as opposed to those credentialed teachers who have been forced from the district office and back into the classroom and the only site available has been Willard. They have proven themselves incapable of handling the classes; they’re not able to handle the kids. They were lucky enough to claw their way high enough to be Title One or an “Acting” administrator; thus keeping them out of the actual classroom. Long term subs are covering their jobs as well as some other positions where teachers have just up and left. Willard is in deep trouble and it will be interesting to see how it looks next year with all the displaced teachers from the district and other schools along side of Jeff Bishop.
The Santa Ana teacher who had gotten a pink slip asked if education money from the president’s stimulus package would go to urban school districts “that need it the most.” She said class sizes in her school run as large as 44.
Obama said that virtually all the money flowing to states under the plan was “designed to retain teachers.” <—if this is the case then why were 530 teachers Rif (ed)????????
“Classes that large are unacceptable,” he said.
“You’re right that class size is something that we’ve got to deal with. You can’t have a fifth grade class with 40 kids. There’s no teacher who can deal with 40 kids all at the same time — especially if many of them are at different levels in terms of reading and math skills and so forth. So we’ve got to do something about that.”
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-obama-trip_final-webmar19,0,2965645.story
Question: The SAUSD is the largest district in OC and receives the most funding. Every year, the SAUSD has to cut the most and is always the most in debt. Why?
Question: Other districts with similar operating budgets (in most cases, receive less than the SAUSD) and they don’t have to cut teachers. What is our district doing differently and why can’t they operate a balanced budget like the other districts can?
Question: Obama said the stimulus money should be going to retain the teachers and no lay any of the teachers off. If he gave the money for this reason and it is stated numerously on many sites + newspapers, then why is the SAUSD not honoring his request and they are RIFing 530 teachers? The money is supposed to go to saving the teachers he said…now everyone needs to watch carefully to see where they put this money.
Question: Did Russo or Juan Lopez take a pay cut or did they receive a raise? I hope someone can answer this one. I read somewhere on this blog that Juan Lopez received $20,000 extra in pay. Interesting…while his teachers are losing their jobs. It sounds a lot like AIG going on.
Question: If they cut 530 teachers and 230 classified they cannot expect test scores to go up can they? If they do, they must be on crack.
#289
I agree, the rif process is a joke. The attorney has a conflict of interest because he pushes the district to adjust the list the way the union wants it. The union is in collusion with the district. The hearing last year was a farce. I was in the line and never had a chance to talk to the attorney before he told us to leave. There is absolutely nobody to protect us and nobody trustworty overseeing the district and I don’t think there is anything we can do about it. The system is completely broken. My number changed a bunch of times too. I especially couldn’t believe it when they changed the list in the middle of the process to favor teachers hired with emergency credentials over teachers hired with full credentials. The same favoritism is going on this year. Is there anything we can do to assure that those of us hired with a credential have a voice this year? Unfortunately I don’t think the union or that disgrace of an attorney will help us.
AIG Revisited???? Read this if you think you are so smart…….
I’d like to see Obama cut through the crap and make Russo and those other greedy *&!^%$ return their self serving bonuses like he is doing to AIG.
Unfortunately Obama is at a disadvantage. He already has those @sskissers nipping at his heels and he doesn’t even know just how corrupt they are, or he wouldn’t have anything to do with them.
How lucky for Russo that the booing crowd was blamed on someone higher up the ladder! How often does that happen? Will Obama ever know?
What if Obama found out how Pulido and the city of Santa Ana approved and gave Markum Industries permission to dump toxic heavy metal pollution in Santa Ana? Markum Industries did all of this legally after applying and paying for the permit. Then after being hauled into court, the company again paid fines. It is the weasels like Pulido who are hurting the children of Santa Ana.
Teachers……. You are always trying to solve the problems within the school district, but you never really deal with what the actual problem is. You talk about teachers who are good and bad, different programs for this and that, but you never focus on the corruption that is rampant in SAUSD.
Secretly, I know you wish Obama would do what he has been doing since he came into office. He’s cleaning house, and you wish he’d kick every one of those greedy leaders out of the district.
It would be fun to watch, but there is a chance they’ll fool him into thinking they are nice.
Will somebody please tip him off? It’s a lot easier than doing what you’re doing now, which will get you nowhere.
Rif Rif,
Who was the attorney that you were waiting to see?
Was he an attorney for the SAUSD, the Union, or is he the attorney that Camille “Lawsuit” Boden uses to cover up her dirty deeds of breaking employment laws by discriminating against permanently and temporarily disabled employees…Mr Thompson?
Since the teachers have a contract which specifies length of employment as a basis for seniority rights, how can any attorney sidestep what they have agreed upon?
They want to save money by keeping the teachers who are making the least amount of money, but aren’t they feeling at all threatened by a lawsuit for breach of contract ?
How is it that no one is bringing the contract with them to show Mr. Attorney what is what?
Like I said before, no one is confronting the real issues here. The teachers’ classroom performance is not to blame here. Teachers are to blame for not taking UNITED legal action against SAUSD when they pull this kind of stunt.
I’m sorry this is happening to the teachers of Santa Ana. They would be treated better in other School Districts.
The list was adjusted last year in order to give people who started teaching full-time on a ‘special’ (intern, emergency) credential seniority based on when they started teaching, not when they had their full credential finalized. This adjustment came as a result of two lawsuits – the most commonly referred to is Bakersfield- which found seniority should be started on the first day of a full contract.
In my opinion, regardless of credential status, if someone is working on a full contract and doing the same job as a credentialed teacher then they should be given those years towards their seniority. The perk you get for starting with a credential is that you get to stay in that job- if you started on emergency, there was only so much time to finish your credential before you lost the job.
And really, having a credential doesn’t necessarily make one teacher better than another- we all probably know people who are credentialed but are horrible teachers, and people who started without a credential that are dynamic and effective in the classroom. The credential and BTSA process is meant to help make people better teachers, but mostly weeds out those who do not have the dedication to stick with the job. The main difference between people who start with their credentials is that they don’t have to sit in a classroom 2-4 times a week on top of working full time because they’ve already taken those classes (they just have to sit in one 2 times a month to suffer through BTSA for another two years), whereas someone without a credential has to take the credential classes for one to two years at night and then serve another two years of BTSA.
#291
SAUSD is complying with California Ed Code as it pertains to RIF’g.
Do you endorse that the district violate the law?
#296
You state:”SAUSD is complying with California Ed Code as it pertains to RIF’g.”
And you would know this to be true because you are what?
If SAUSD is in compliance with the Ed Code you would obviously know the section from reference. Please direct us to it so the issue can be put to rest.
The district is not even complying with its own policy, much less the Ed.Code. The letter we all got in January to verify our credential status states as follows:
“According to the Education Code, the seniority date is determined by the first date of paid service with the District in a probationary position. To obtain probationary status, an individual must have a full credential either a preliminary or a professional clear credential.”
Again, this was the district speaking in an official writing in January. So why then is the riffing being done based on hiring date, not credential date? My speculation is that the union pushed them into it, but who really knows for sure?
Rif,
That seems pretty straightforward to me. Speaking of district policy, is it just my computer or has anyone else gone to the SAUSD web site and tried to access the board and administrative rules ending up with a page stating that the page can not be displayed?
Regarding the Bakersfield people: No one is saying that anyone is better or smarter. What we do want to know is….why did the SAUSD hire so many people who did not have full credentials in the first place???????? If I had my credential in the 80s and switched districts, then yes, I do think that they should go by TOTAL years of experience.