Saturday, October 27, 2012
Positive changes at VUSD: Vodicka and the iPad
My wife just finished entering grades for her third grade class with the district issued iPad. She was thrilled with how fast and easy it was this time compared to the last year when the only option for entering grades was a computer. This year instead of having to laboriously type everything in, she was able with the iPad to enter using quick touch screen movements. Using the stylist is even faster. She recommends every teacher give it a try.
Besides the iPad another thing that is less stressful for teachers this year is the leadership of the new school superintendent. Dr. Devin Vodicka has changed the tenor at the district office. Teachers are no longer despised as impediments. He is not letting Matt Doyle run rough shod over the teachers the way that Joyce Bales adversarial approach apparently encouraged. Jeanie Luckey's attitude has changed as well. She seems to be quite capable of being a good chameleon. Under Joyce Bales she was dismissive in her contacts with classroom teachers. Now she seems to like teaches again. She has taken in Vodicka's "new view" of teachers as collegues to be trusted and helped instead of the former district office view of teachers as enemies to be crushed.
Congrats to all who had a hand in bringing in Dr. Vodicka and his technological innovations like the iPad to our district. He seems to be an examplary superintendent in the mold of Dr. David Cowles and Dr. Rene Townsend. I am so glad to see Vista Unified with a good, strong and fair leader again.
Voting Recommendations for Vista School Board and beyond
I recommend Elizabeth Jaka who has done a superb job on the board. She always puts the needs of our students and district first. This school district owes her a great debt of gratitude for her work in getting the school bond passed and especially her work on getting the new high school built. She kept pushing and pushing against the impediments that Jim Gibson put in the way of our third high school. She got that high school built despite Jim's best (worst) efforts. She deserves to be re-elected.
For Vista City Council I recommend:
Garry Garretson and Cody Campbell. The Vista Firefighters have endorsed Garry which is good enough for me. Cody was a voice of sanity who was willing to speak up and correct the excess of Stephen Guffanti and Jim Gibson when he served on the VUSD school board as a student representative. He is fearless.
For Vista City Council I recommend:
Garry Garretson and Cody Campbell. The Vista Firefighters have endorsed Garry which is good enough for me. Cody was a voice of sanity who was willing to speak up and correct the excess of Stephen Guffanti and Jim Gibson when he served on the VUSD school board as a student representative. He is fearless.
Let's talk teacher evaluations and test scores
I found the link to a great article about the inherent unfairness of evaluating teachers by looking at student tests scores at the Diane Ravitch. The link was under a short posting entitled "Do we all love teachers?"
http://dianeravitch.net/
The article itself is found here:
http://www.policymic.com/articles/17490/romney-loves-teachers-what-teacher-evaluations-and-tests-mean-for-american-teachers
Below is a small excerpt from that article:
Now, I don't know a single educator who outright opposes the idea of fair evaluations and/or some level of teacher accountability. But as I sat quietly in that little red plastic chair, a voice in me cried:
"You want to evaluate me? Great. No problem.
"But let's also evaluate the misaligned (or nonexistent) curriculum I was given to plan for my classes."
"Let’s evaluate the number of chairs huddled around single desks, because there are more students in the room than there were last year, and the copy machine, the one that never works.
"Let’s evaluate the number of students with IEPs that aren't being adequately serviced, and the number of English Language Learner students sitting voiceless in the back of the room, because they have yet to be admitted into nonexistent ELL classes.
"Let’s evaluate the employers who are smugly underpaying/underemploying my students’ parents or guardians, forcing them to work multiple jobs, likely without ever securing benefits for themselves or for their families. Or the number of students who have lost parents or loved ones due to gang violence, substance abuse, or the labyrinth that is our failing criminal justice system. Or the number of my students who didn't eat dinner last night.
"Let's evaluate how many hours of sleep I got last night, because I was not afforded adequate prep time during my 10 or 11 hour day in the building, or how many times I've skipped out on doctor's appointments and family events to be here for my students.
"And, finally, let's evaluate my motivations for being here — because it sure as hell isn't for the money."
http://dianeravitch.net/
The article itself is found here:
http://www.policymic.com/articles/17490/romney-loves-teachers-what-teacher-evaluations-and-tests-mean-for-american-teachers
Below is a small excerpt from that article:
Now, I don't know a single educator who outright opposes the idea of fair evaluations and/or some level of teacher accountability. But as I sat quietly in that little red plastic chair, a voice in me cried:
"You want to evaluate me? Great. No problem.
"But let's also evaluate the misaligned (or nonexistent) curriculum I was given to plan for my classes."
"Let’s evaluate the number of chairs huddled around single desks, because there are more students in the room than there were last year, and the copy machine, the one that never works.
"Let’s evaluate the number of students with IEPs that aren't being adequately serviced, and the number of English Language Learner students sitting voiceless in the back of the room, because they have yet to be admitted into nonexistent ELL classes.
"Let’s evaluate the employers who are smugly underpaying/underemploying my students’ parents or guardians, forcing them to work multiple jobs, likely without ever securing benefits for themselves or for their families. Or the number of students who have lost parents or loved ones due to gang violence, substance abuse, or the labyrinth that is our failing criminal justice system. Or the number of my students who didn't eat dinner last night.
"Let's evaluate how many hours of sleep I got last night, because I was not afforded adequate prep time during my 10 or 11 hour day in the building, or how many times I've skipped out on doctor's appointments and family events to be here for my students.
"And, finally, let's evaluate my motivations for being here — because it sure as hell isn't for the money."
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Devin Vodicka visits more VUSD school sites in a month than previous superintendent did in five years
He seems to care about the full extend of his job as superintendent unlike our previous disaster, Joyce Bales who only seemed to relate to numbers.
Imagine a superintendent tweeting something good about a teacher. Never could have happened under Bales. (Did she seem a little autism spectral disorder-ish to any one else?)
When does Vodicka find time to sleep? I remember being young and full of energy but nothing like the energy, drive and vigor of this new superintendent even on my best day in my twenties. How long can he keep it up? I mean any good superintendent would be trying to do what Vodicka is doing (except the really exceptional tweeting) but not at such a phenomenal rate. This guy so far looks like a sprinter in a marathon. (Hopefully he is part Kenyan and can sprint the whole way.)
I have read and heard nothing but good stuff about Superintendent Vodicka so far. We seemed to have gotten a great hire. Congrats to the school board on their pick. Even Jim Gibson voted for him only, of course, after he and his group of malcontents first whined about how the other mean trustees should wait until November to hire a superintendent. What good hires would be available seven months after prime superintendent hiring time? Silly Jim.
Also should be noted that the Gibson Gang posters on North County Times complained about the "outrageous salary" that Vodicka was given (see my July 17th post) of 229K, never mentioning that Joyce Bales salary was 270K plus a 12K car allowance.* For that salary she had to be ordered to visit school sites by the school board because she spent so much time hidden in her office at the district office. (Even when ordered to make regular visits, I am told she merely checked in with the site office at the schools and then left immediately.) So for a tax payer savings of 41K, we get an actual superintendent who does the job he was hired to do in an outstanding professional energetic way and Gang Gibson still finds a way to complain but what else to expect from the gang?
But who wants to dwell on the negative.
So far this Devin Vodicka is a breath of badly needed fresh air for the parents, students and staff of VUSD. Let's hope the good stuff from Vodicka continues. So far the honeymoon is grand.
*"Her (Bales)compensation package was about $270,000 annually, including a $12,000 annual car allowance." http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/jun/13/vista-unified-announces-new-superintendent/?print&page=all
Diane Ravitch blog--my new favorite education blog
Diane Ravitch is fighting for public education in America like a fierce tiger mama protecting her own. After decades of employment in a "think tank" dedicated to trashing teachers and public education, she had a 'road to Damascus' moment. She realized that the folks she worked for were only about enriching themselves and cared not a fig for the destruction they wrought on one of America's greatest success stories--K-12 public education.
Here is her post from today:
August 21, 2012
//
Reformers constantly deny any evidence that contradicts their narrative.
They insist that our public schools are failing, despite the clear evidence in the national assessments that test scores have never been higher for every group tested.
They insist that merit pay is necessary, even though it has never “worked,” in any sense of the word, not in raising test scores or in making teaching more attractive as a profession.
They insist that charters are better than public schools, even though study after study shows this is not true.
They insist that vouchers will “save” poor children, even though this has not happened in any of the districts that have vouchers (Milwaukee Cleveland , D.C.
Their goal is privatization.
Their goal is to push schools into a market-system despite any evidence that such a system makes any sense for anyone except those selling stuff to schools or wanting to take over schools and make a profit by cutting costs (teachers).
They are deniers.
This reader sees the denial strategy as part of a larger pattern:
They will not stop denying it [the evidence about charters], and they will continue to get promotion and protection from both silent support from fundraising and legislative action groups, and open PR/policy forwarded by elected officials. Truth is moot or arbitrary to them, and once light is shed on one false narrative (see “cake walk”, “shock and awe”, “shared sacrifice”, “lavish salaries…) they scurry for the shadows to gnaw away at another spot.
Right now the narrative is that public schools are the burden fueling the poverty cycle, as opposed to the truth-that the poverty cycle burdens families and students, hampering academic success. The genius of the jokers driving the reform agenda is they have turned the struggling classes upon each other, fully intending to further dis-empower them all economically, and politically. Siphoning of the easiest to educate; protecting their own in gated communities and private schools others will never see; cementing a caste system that will entitle some to the education and knowledge they can afford, relegating the rest to street vendor markets or tech-support phone banks.
Here is her post from today:
Denial as a Reform Strategy
Reformers constantly deny any evidence that contradicts their narrative.
They insist that our public schools are failing, despite the clear evidence in the national assessments that test scores have never been higher for every group tested.
They insist that merit pay is necessary, even though it has never “worked,” in any sense of the word, not in raising test scores or in making teaching more attractive as a profession.
They insist that charters are better than public schools, even though study after study shows this is not true.
They insist that vouchers will “save” poor children, even though this has not happened in any of the districts that have vouchers (
Their goal is privatization.
Their goal is to push schools into a market-system despite any evidence that such a system makes any sense for anyone except those selling stuff to schools or wanting to take over schools and make a profit by cutting costs (teachers).
They are deniers.
This reader sees the denial strategy as part of a larger pattern:
They will not stop denying it [the evidence about charters], and they will continue to get promotion and protection from both silent support from fundraising and legislative action groups, and open PR/policy forwarded by elected officials. Truth is moot or arbitrary to them, and once light is shed on one false narrative (see “cake walk”, “shock and awe”, “shared sacrifice”, “lavish salaries…) they scurry for the shadows to gnaw away at another spot.
Right now the narrative is that public schools are the burden fueling the poverty cycle, as opposed to the truth-that the poverty cycle burdens families and students, hampering academic success. The genius of the jokers driving the reform agenda is they have turned the struggling classes upon each other, fully intending to further dis-empower them all economically, and politically. Siphoning of the easiest to educate; protecting their own in gated communities and private schools others will never see; cementing a caste system that will entitle some to the education and knowledge they can afford, relegating the rest to street vendor markets or tech-support phone banks.
http://dianeravitch.net/
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Strike Fears Ended! VUSD and VTA come to a tenative agreement
The Vista Unified School District website is announcing that after 13 hours of negotiations a Tentative Agreement has been reached. This agreement for all intents and purposes means an end to chances of a strike or other work actions by the school teachers. Of course T.A.s have to be ratified by the Vista Teachers Association membership, agreed to by the majority of VUSD school board members and reviewed by the County Office of Education, but all of those steps usually are more or less pro forma.
Congrats and a big thanks to the VTA Bargaining Team for their many, many long hours of work while the rest of us enjoyed summer vacation.
Read more at the VUSD website home page : http://www.vusd.k12.ca.us/Pages/default.aspx
which says:
"Vista Unified School District (VUSD) and the Vista Teacher’s Association (VTA) reached a tentative agreement at 10:32pm on Friday, August 3rd, 2012 after roughly thirteen hours of mediated negotiations. Next steps will include ratification of the agreement by VTA, review by the County Office of Education, and approval from the VUSD School Board on August 16th. The tentative agreement is for 2012-13 and 2013-14. Details of the agreement will be released soon."
or Superintendent Devin Vodicka's twitter account which is also on the VUSD splash page and says:
Congrats and a big thanks to the VTA Bargaining Team for their many, many long hours of work while the rest of us enjoyed summer vacation.
Read more at the VUSD website home page : http://www.vusd.k12.ca.us/Pages/default.aspx
which says:
"Vista Unified School District (VUSD) and the Vista Teacher’s Association (VTA) reached a tentative agreement at 10:32pm on Friday, August 3rd, 2012 after roughly thirteen hours of mediated negotiations. Next steps will include ratification of the agreement by VTA, review by the County Office of Education, and approval from the VUSD School Board on August 16th. The tentative agreement is for 2012-13 and 2013-14. Details of the agreement will be released soon."
or Superintendent Devin Vodicka's twitter account which is also on the VUSD splash page and says:
dvodicka After 13 hours of mediated negotiations, VUSD and VTA sign Tentative Agreement for 2012-13 and 2013-14.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
My Favorite Educational Blog On-Line--Seattle Education
Best site for a teacher's perspective of the disaster that has become American public education as directed by billionaire bullies without consciences, Bill Gates and Eli Broad--http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/
Today's topic how the collosally arrogant and egotistical monster, Bill Gates is completely wrong with the 'facts' he uses to justify his viscious assault on innocent public school teachers and their students entitled "Bill Gates needs to get his facts straight on test scores."
Today's topic how the collosally arrogant and egotistical monster, Bill Gates is completely wrong with the 'facts' he uses to justify his viscious assault on innocent public school teachers and their students entitled "Bill Gates needs to get his facts straight on test scores."
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Jim Gibson's Gang outrage over new VUSD superintendent's salary
Today's announcement of the salary being offered to our new superindent has generated anger and outrage from those who like to feel angry over nothing.
J-Dub wrote:
"I've got to agree. $229K is an obscene"
V Resident wrote:
"Oh My gosh! That kind of money, between the two of them, could be spent on the kids. This IS the mentality of our School Boards which is why they should be voted out! When they keep making cuts to balance the budget and then approve salaries like this, CRAZY!"
pnpmiller - wrote:
"And you wonder why school districts are suffering, The superintendent does not need a salary that high. It is rediculous(sic) how much money these administrators make. I struggle for my job every year, because of budget cuts, when the cuts need to start at the TOP!!!!!!"
Of the five unified school district (K-12) in the North County, the VUSD superintendent salary is on the low side. Below are last year's salary for the other four unified school districts in our area.
Oceanside Unified School District superintendent pay in 2011: $228,837
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/26/995141/see-how-well-your-school-district.html?appSession=982306647367302
San Marcos Unified School District superintendent pay for 2011: $241,090
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/26/995141/see-how-well-your-school-district.html?appSession=405306648348373
Carlsbad Unified School District superintendent pay for 2011: $229,952
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/26/995141/see-how-well-your-school-district.html?appSession=640306650987427
Poway Unified School District superintendent salary: $253,280
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/26/995141/see-how-well-your-school-district.html?appSession=563066555381000
Those Unified district's superintendent salaries are a tremendous bargain over non-unified school districts that pay TWO superintendents for K-12. The combined salaries for NON-unified school districts TWO superintendents are far, far more than any unified school district's SINGLE superintendents salary. In non-unified school district the elementary schools (K-8) are in separate district from the the high school district (9-12) in their towns. Each separate district pays for its own separate superintendent.
Below we see how much more NON-unified Fallbrook and Escondido school districts pay for their TWO superintendents each.
Fallbrook Union High School District superintendent pay for 2011: $170,000
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/26/995141/see-how-well-your-school-district.html?appSession=318306648959843
Fallbrook Union Elementary District superintendent pay for 2011: $163,200
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/26/995141/see-how-well-your-school-district.html?appSession=756306649472714
The combined salaries of the two Fallbrook school district's superintendent salaries is over 100K more than the single VUSD superintendent salary. What a savings for tax payers. The combined student enrollment for both Fallbrook school districts is much smaller than VUSD. Even the most impaired Limbaugh listener or FOX News viewer should be smart enough to understand what a bargain $229K is for the vastly larger K-12 Vista Unified School District.
Escondido Union High School District superintendent pay for 2011: $184,433
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/26/995141/see-how-well-your-school-district.html?appSession=535306649854600
Escondido Union Elementary School District superintendent pay for 2011: $210,185
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/26/995141/see-how-well-your-school-district.html?appSession=911306650341342
The combined salaries of the two Escondido school districts' superintendents is almost 400K!
There are more than fifty school districts in California with higher salaries for superintendents that Vista Unified is offering. (http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/26/995141/see-how-well-your-school-district.html?appSession=563066555381000)
Sorry to the our angry friends who seem to so enjoy feeling outrage, but the truth is that the Vista school trustees got a real bargain for their superintendent. He was well loved in his previous district. Not to mention that the salary for the immediate former VUSD school superintendent, Joyce "Dixie" Bales was at one time; third highest, not just in the North County, but in all of San Diego County.
Did any of our Tea Party trouble making/Limbaugh listening/FOX viewing angry friends ever complain about Joyce Bales' salary? No!
Wonder why? Could it be that she was a Republican who prominently supported 'W' re-election campaign in 2004 She was also favorite of VUSD school board trustee Jim "Carrie Prejean Day" Gibson. Interesting how selective our angry friends are with their outrage.
J-Dub wrote:
"I've got to agree. $229K is an obscene"
V Resident wrote:
"Oh My gosh! That kind of money, between the two of them, could be spent on the kids. This IS the mentality of our School Boards which is why they should be voted out! When they keep making cuts to balance the budget and then approve salaries like this, CRAZY!"
pnpmiller - wrote:
"And you wonder why school districts are suffering, The superintendent does not need a salary that high. It is rediculous(sic) how much money these administrators make. I struggle for my job every year, because of budget cuts, when the cuts need to start at the TOP!!!!!!"
Read the article and comments in full here:
Here is some common sense for our angry friends:
Of the five unified school district (K-12) in the North County, the VUSD superintendent salary is on the low side. Below are last year's salary for the other four unified school districts in our area.
Oceanside Unified School District superintendent pay in 2011: $228,837
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/26/995141/see-how-well-your-school-district.html?appSession=982306647367302
San Marcos Unified School District superintendent pay for 2011: $241,090
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/26/995141/see-how-well-your-school-district.html?appSession=405306648348373
Carlsbad Unified School District superintendent pay for 2011: $229,952
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/26/995141/see-how-well-your-school-district.html?appSession=640306650987427
Poway Unified School District superintendent salary: $253,280
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/26/995141/see-how-well-your-school-district.html?appSession=563066555381000
Those Unified district's superintendent salaries are a tremendous bargain over non-unified school districts that pay TWO superintendents for K-12. The combined salaries for NON-unified school districts TWO superintendents are far, far more than any unified school district's SINGLE superintendents salary. In non-unified school district the elementary schools (K-8) are in separate district from the the high school district (9-12) in their towns. Each separate district pays for its own separate superintendent.
Below we see how much more NON-unified Fallbrook and Escondido school districts pay for their TWO superintendents each.
Fallbrook Union High School District superintendent pay for 2011: $170,000
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/26/995141/see-how-well-your-school-district.html?appSession=318306648959843
Fallbrook Union Elementary District superintendent pay for 2011: $163,200
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/26/995141/see-how-well-your-school-district.html?appSession=756306649472714
The combined salaries of the two Fallbrook school district's superintendent salaries is over 100K more than the single VUSD superintendent salary. What a savings for tax payers. The combined student enrollment for both Fallbrook school districts is much smaller than VUSD. Even the most impaired Limbaugh listener or FOX News viewer should be smart enough to understand what a bargain $229K is for the vastly larger K-12 Vista Unified School District.
Escondido Union High School District superintendent pay for 2011: $184,433
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/26/995141/see-how-well-your-school-district.html?appSession=535306649854600
Escondido Union Elementary School District superintendent pay for 2011: $210,185
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/26/995141/see-how-well-your-school-district.html?appSession=911306650341342
The combined salaries of the two Escondido school districts' superintendents is almost 400K!
There are more than fifty school districts in California with higher salaries for superintendents that Vista Unified is offering. (http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/26/995141/see-how-well-your-school-district.html?appSession=563066555381000)
Sorry to the our angry friends who seem to so enjoy feeling outrage, but the truth is that the Vista school trustees got a real bargain for their superintendent. He was well loved in his previous district. Not to mention that the salary for the immediate former VUSD school superintendent, Joyce "Dixie" Bales was at one time; third highest, not just in the North County, but in all of San Diego County.
Did any of our Tea Party trouble making/Limbaugh listening/FOX viewing angry friends ever complain about Joyce Bales' salary? No!
Wonder why? Could it be that she was a Republican who prominently supported 'W' re-election campaign in 2004 She was also favorite of VUSD school board trustee Jim "Carrie Prejean Day" Gibson. Interesting how selective our angry friends are with their outrage.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
North County Times Attacks School Teachers Rights Again--Seniority the Target
Another day, another attack on public school teachers by the uber conservative "editor" of the North County Times who apparently thinks teacher rights are evil.
Read his screed here:
http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/editorial/editorial-fresh-air-on-pink-slips/article_b40017df-8a63-5647-acc8-b346487f921c.html?mode=story
In his editorial, our uber conservative editor follows the typical script of billionaire bullies, Bill Gates and Eli Broad. His propaganda piece extols how wonderful beginning teachers are while casting aspersions on experienced older teachers. The agenda of the billionaire bullies is to get all school districts staffed exclusively with poorly paid young teachers. Our bully boy friends love the idea of education on the cheap because it means they can contribute even less to the community good and welfare of others even though they made use of tax funded opportunities that past generation gave them. Selfish, selfish, selfish.
As far as the billionaire bully lie that young teachers are better teachers, better human being, harder working and more exciting than experienced teachers, NO STUDY SUPPORTS THIS LIE. NONE. NOT ONE. All carefully controlled education studies find just the opposite. Experience in the classroom is the single most important factor in being an effective teacher.
What about the other billionaire bully lie that seniority is unfair to young teachers. The truth is just the opposite. All teachers are protected by seniority, even the newly hired ones. If seniority lay offs are scheduled, then even the beginning teachers are laid off in order. Here is an example, let's say that Joe was hired on August 2, Jill on August 3, and Jose on July 31. The lay offs go in reverse order of those hire date. In this example Jill is laid off first, then Joe and last Jose. Jose is more protected than Jill and Joe and knows that fact. That knowledge is security.*
Further being laid off as a result of seniority carries NO STIGMA when looking for the next teaching position. If a laid off teacher gets a good reference from their former principal, getting another teaching job at equivalent salary is more than easy. Districts are constantly looking for good young teachers with good references. Young teachers are very inexpensive. Because of the poverty wages paid to young teachers, they are about half cost of a more experienced teacher. Their low cost only becomes a liability if they are so inexperienced that they are ineffective. But there is no problem for an well referenced, "seniority laid off" teacher to get another job--those folks are gold. Often the districts, from which they are laid off, soon find another opening for them.
Once a young teacher has seniority with a district, they can feel safe to start a family and buy a house. That happens very quickly. Two years in a district and most get permanent status. At that point banks will make house loans. Homes can be purchased and families begun.
Right now we are in a very rare time of vicious blood letting that means even a very few of new teachers who have permanent are being laid off. This is not normal and will not last. No reason to change a seniority system that protects teachers from horrendous abuse of the past for this anomaly. Why go back to a time when teachers were laid off so principals could create an opening for relatives or school board trustees could make jobs for their political friends (patronage abuse). That is how it was in the fifties. Is that what we want to go back to?
Sacramento Republicans are entirely responsible for the current fiscal crises in our state and lack of funding for schools. About half California's state budget is spent on education. So when the state budget declines teachers are laid off.
Sacramento Republicans using the very UN-democratic and archaic two thirds rule, have forced revenues in only one direction--down. No state revenue, no money for school districts which get 80-90 percent of their money from Sacramento. Good bye to small class sizes and newly hired teachers (many of which are middle aged folks who wanted to start a second career.)
If you want new teachers not to be laid off, don't vote Republican. Say what? you ask.
All Republicans in our state capitol, Sacramento, have sworn an oath of loyalty to a Washington DC lobbyist named Grover Norquist. "King" Norquist has said he wants to strangle government (services for middle class and poor, school, roads, veterans, medicare social security, etc.) until it is small enough to drown in a bath tub. He controls a vast pool of money given to him by uber rich, uber right wing billionaire bullies. King Norquist uses this money to destroy any elected state house Republican who does not follow his imperial commands to destroy government services by de-funding them.
How you ask? His "imperial majesty' runs and funds a challenger in the next Republican primary against any Republican who will not take his imperial orders.
Our Sacramento Republicans are terrified of King Norquist. They NEVER cross him. Their loyalties are to him first and to you, the voter, never.
In the next election, VOTE for ANYONE but a Republican to stop King Norquist and get funding levels for schools, hospitals, the elderly, the poor, the disabled, state parks, veterans etc. back into reason.
King Norquist is extremely well paid for his disreputable service to the billionaire bullies. His salary and benefit packages are worth in the high hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. He never has to worry about bills for house payments or health costs. He lives in a bubble of privilege and cares not what happens to those who don't. Remember the King and his Sacramento servants in November.
Read more about "the king" here:
http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2011/05/washington-tax-activist-norqui.html
or here:
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/05/25/3651880/jerry-brown-grover-norquist-spar.html
or watch Samantha Bee's take on his pledge here:
http://sacramentofordemocracy.org/node/36142
*(Although if Jose has less than two years with a district, there is really not much security at all. He can be laid off for any or no reason at all because he is a probationary teacher with absolutely no rights at all (except seniority). One probationary teacher I know was laid off for refusing to coach a third sports team in his second year on the job. Each coaching position takes HOURS every day after school and there is little extra pay. Very tough for newbie teachers who need the time to prepare lessons for class but if you are probationary and refuse the "voluntary' extra coaching assignment you can find yourself fired--referred to in educational-ese as being non re-elected.)
Read his screed here:
http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/editorial/editorial-fresh-air-on-pink-slips/article_b40017df-8a63-5647-acc8-b346487f921c.html?mode=story
In his editorial, our uber conservative editor follows the typical script of billionaire bullies, Bill Gates and Eli Broad. His propaganda piece extols how wonderful beginning teachers are while casting aspersions on experienced older teachers. The agenda of the billionaire bullies is to get all school districts staffed exclusively with poorly paid young teachers. Our bully boy friends love the idea of education on the cheap because it means they can contribute even less to the community good and welfare of others even though they made use of tax funded opportunities that past generation gave them. Selfish, selfish, selfish.
As far as the billionaire bully lie that young teachers are better teachers, better human being, harder working and more exciting than experienced teachers, NO STUDY SUPPORTS THIS LIE. NONE. NOT ONE. All carefully controlled education studies find just the opposite. Experience in the classroom is the single most important factor in being an effective teacher.
What about the other billionaire bully lie that seniority is unfair to young teachers. The truth is just the opposite. All teachers are protected by seniority, even the newly hired ones. If seniority lay offs are scheduled, then even the beginning teachers are laid off in order. Here is an example, let's say that Joe was hired on August 2, Jill on August 3, and Jose on July 31. The lay offs go in reverse order of those hire date. In this example Jill is laid off first, then Joe and last Jose. Jose is more protected than Jill and Joe and knows that fact. That knowledge is security.*
Further being laid off as a result of seniority carries NO STIGMA when looking for the next teaching position. If a laid off teacher gets a good reference from their former principal, getting another teaching job at equivalent salary is more than easy. Districts are constantly looking for good young teachers with good references. Young teachers are very inexpensive. Because of the poverty wages paid to young teachers, they are about half cost of a more experienced teacher. Their low cost only becomes a liability if they are so inexperienced that they are ineffective. But there is no problem for an well referenced, "seniority laid off" teacher to get another job--those folks are gold. Often the districts, from which they are laid off, soon find another opening for them.
Once a young teacher has seniority with a district, they can feel safe to start a family and buy a house. That happens very quickly. Two years in a district and most get permanent status. At that point banks will make house loans. Homes can be purchased and families begun.
Right now we are in a very rare time of vicious blood letting that means even a very few of new teachers who have permanent are being laid off. This is not normal and will not last. No reason to change a seniority system that protects teachers from horrendous abuse of the past for this anomaly. Why go back to a time when teachers were laid off so principals could create an opening for relatives or school board trustees could make jobs for their political friends (patronage abuse). That is how it was in the fifties. Is that what we want to go back to?
Sacramento Republicans are entirely responsible for the current fiscal crises in our state and lack of funding for schools. About half California's state budget is spent on education. So when the state budget declines teachers are laid off.
Sacramento Republicans using the very UN-democratic and archaic two thirds rule, have forced revenues in only one direction--down. No state revenue, no money for school districts which get 80-90 percent of their money from Sacramento. Good bye to small class sizes and newly hired teachers (many of which are middle aged folks who wanted to start a second career.)
If you want new teachers not to be laid off, don't vote Republican. Say what? you ask.
All Republicans in our state capitol, Sacramento, have sworn an oath of loyalty to a Washington DC lobbyist named Grover Norquist. "King" Norquist has said he wants to strangle government (services for middle class and poor, school, roads, veterans, medicare social security, etc.) until it is small enough to drown in a bath tub. He controls a vast pool of money given to him by uber rich, uber right wing billionaire bullies. King Norquist uses this money to destroy any elected state house Republican who does not follow his imperial commands to destroy government services by de-funding them.
How you ask? His "imperial majesty' runs and funds a challenger in the next Republican primary against any Republican who will not take his imperial orders.
Our Sacramento Republicans are terrified of King Norquist. They NEVER cross him. Their loyalties are to him first and to you, the voter, never.
In the next election, VOTE for ANYONE but a Republican to stop King Norquist and get funding levels for schools, hospitals, the elderly, the poor, the disabled, state parks, veterans etc. back into reason.
King Norquist is extremely well paid for his disreputable service to the billionaire bullies. His salary and benefit packages are worth in the high hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. He never has to worry about bills for house payments or health costs. He lives in a bubble of privilege and cares not what happens to those who don't. Remember the King and his Sacramento servants in November.
Read more about "the king" here:
http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2011/05/washington-tax-activist-norqui.html
or here:
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/05/25/3651880/jerry-brown-grover-norquist-spar.html
or watch Samantha Bee's take on his pledge here:
http://sacramentofordemocracy.org/node/36142
*(Although if Jose has less than two years with a district, there is really not much security at all. He can be laid off for any or no reason at all because he is a probationary teacher with absolutely no rights at all (except seniority). One probationary teacher I know was laid off for refusing to coach a third sports team in his second year on the job. Each coaching position takes HOURS every day after school and there is little extra pay. Very tough for newbie teachers who need the time to prepare lessons for class but if you are probationary and refuse the "voluntary' extra coaching assignment you can find yourself fired--referred to in educational-ese as being non re-elected.)
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
More on Crazy Gary Cass founder of "Christian" Anti-Defamation Commission
Gary Cass was allowed to publish a fact free editorial in North County Times yesterday. It was full of sound and fury, hate and loathing for public school teachers in VUSD. Statements written as facts had no substantiation at all. Read the diatribe here:
http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/forum-labor-bosses-run-vista-school-district/article_a34db6e3-bafc-54c3-ba8a-fd5c8c9c8b0c.html?mode=story
More on Gary Cass--He was a Grossmont School Board member who was elected according to Concerned Women of America to get rid of pro gay agenda and crooks in 2002. Grossmont is the second most infamous school district in San Diego County, after VUSD, for conspiracy theorist's attacks on public education.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Bush2003/message/3681,
"Voters in Grossmont School District Throw Pro-'Gay' Crooks Out of Office"
(The original article was removed from the Concerned Women of America website--hence its posting on yahoo groups).
Cass moved to Vista in 2008 where he vowed to form the "Christian" Anti-Defamation Commission. http://www.christianadc.org/about-us/founders
He is a member of an anti-Gospel, anti-Jesus group whose message of hate and rejection of those less fortunate or different is the very opposite of the Gospel message of love and tolerance taught by Jesus.
These folks are also known as "little god" Christians because their god is so small compared to the God of the Bible. They worship a god only six thousand years old whose rules a universe only six thousand light years across. The actual universe is just over 13 billion light years across. Their 'god's' universe is 2.2 million times smaller than the size of the actual universe we live in--hence their nick name "little god christians."
Gary Cass also believes Barack Obama is so different from 'real' Christians that he could not possibly be one. He intends to 'prove' that in a series of videos leading up to the this coming
election in 2012.
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/category/people/gary-cass
Gary Cass is also associated with the Family Research Council and Coral Ridge Ministries. Concerned Women of America have four audios featuring Gary Cass as speaker:
http://search.freefind.com/find.html?si=4208944&pid=r&mode=ALL&query=Gary%20Cass&t=s
BEST COMMENT about Gary Cass forum:
mac4me said on: March 20, 2012, 10:03 pm
Wow. This forum article totally panders to the uninformed, uneducated, and mindless followers who do not question what an author writes or its validity and truth. Cass writes like his statements are facts, yet there is no journalistic backup whatsoever. Reminds me of the Nazi propaganda against the Jews in WWII - all inflammatory/incendiary remarks, without any stated basis in fact as proof. Sentence after sentence is devoted to unfounded, gratuitous, vain attempts to influence folks who can't think for themselves. The only follower he may get is the Scarecrow in Oz. The rest of us have a brain, and see this article for what it is - one person's opinion.
http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/forum-labor-bosses-run-vista-school-district/article_a34db6e3-bafc-54c3-ba8a-fd5c8c9c8b0c.html?mode=story
More on Gary Cass--He was a Grossmont School Board member who was elected according to Concerned Women of America to get rid of pro gay agenda and crooks in 2002. Grossmont is the second most infamous school district in San Diego County, after VUSD, for conspiracy theorist's attacks on public education.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Bush2003/message/3681,
"Voters in Grossmont School District Throw Pro-'Gay' Crooks Out of Office"
(The original article was removed from the Concerned Women of America website--hence its posting on yahoo groups).
Cass moved to Vista in 2008 where he vowed to form the "Christian" Anti-Defamation Commission. http://www.christianadc.org/about-us/founders
He is a member of an anti-Gospel, anti-Jesus group whose message of hate and rejection of those less fortunate or different is the very opposite of the Gospel message of love and tolerance taught by Jesus.
These folks are also known as "little god" Christians because their god is so small compared to the God of the Bible. They worship a god only six thousand years old whose rules a universe only six thousand light years across. The actual universe is just over 13 billion light years across. Their 'god's' universe is 2.2 million times smaller than the size of the actual universe we live in--hence their nick name "little god christians."
Gary Cass also believes Barack Obama is so different from 'real' Christians that he could not possibly be one. He intends to 'prove' that in a series of videos leading up to the this coming
election in 2012.http://www.rightwingwatch.org/category/people/gary-cass
Gary Cass is also associated with the Family Research Council and Coral Ridge Ministries. Concerned Women of America have four audios featuring Gary Cass as speaker:
http://search.freefind.com/find.html?si=4208944&pid=r&mode=ALL&query=Gary%20Cass&t=s
BEST COMMENT about Gary Cass forum:
mac4me said on: March 20, 2012, 10:03 pm
Wow. This forum article totally panders to the uninformed, uneducated, and mindless followers who do not question what an author writes or its validity and truth. Cass writes like his statements are facts, yet there is no journalistic backup whatsoever. Reminds me of the Nazi propaganda against the Jews in WWII - all inflammatory/incendiary remarks, without any stated basis in fact as proof. Sentence after sentence is devoted to unfounded, gratuitous, vain attempts to influence folks who can't think for themselves. The only follower he may get is the Scarecrow in Oz. The rest of us have a brain, and see this article for what it is - one person's opinion.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Gary Cass attacks without facts. Paranoid screed published in North County Times
The North County Times continues the attack on Vista Unified school teachers. Today they published an attack on school teachers. This one was written by Gary Cass apparently the Gibson Group has been 'talking among themselves.' Whenever they do they turn their most paranoid fears into gibson group "fact". This process allows them to hate and still feel good about themselves.
Read the Cass crazy rant here:
http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/forum-labor-bosses-run-vista-school-district/article_a34db6e3-bafc-54c3-ba8a-fd5c8c9c8b0c.html
Below the three most inflammatory false charges highlighted in red:
Cass accuses teachers in VUSD of malfeasance and corrupt practices when he writes:
"Now the labor union bosses, who had been using the kids' reading money for their friends"
Where is his evidence? Why doesn't he take these charges to the district attorney? If his charges were true, then folks should go to jail.
But then we all know why he didn't. Cass is just making stuff up.
Sadly he has been allowed to get it published in the newspaper. Why?
"Union officials have in the past complained to the board that they wanted to give teachers a raise with the money required by law for reading improvement."
This is simply not true. Cass provides no evidence to back up this smear. It does not even pass the smell test. Where is the name of the person who asked for this? When did this happen? At what meeting?
There are minutes taken at EVERY meeting of any importance in the district, including school board meetings. Board meeting minutes are published on line. Yet Cass cannot reference any meeting or any speech or any person? He writes it, so we are to believe it's true? Really?
Without any evidence of any kind the North County Times publishes such an incendiary charge?
Remember when newspapers had standards?
Next paranoid raving:
"Because teachers get more pay when kids are not able to read English. That's right. There's an insidious incentive to hold kids back for the economic benefit of teachers."
Wow, that's pretty inflammatory stuff. Teachers are paid more when students learn less. This could be national news! Gosh darn his evidence must be rock solid to get such a contrary- -to-expectation charge, printed in a newspaper. So where is Cass' evidence?
Oh he doesn't give any? Therefore we must just trust that his OUTRAGEOUS, INSULTING, and INFLAMMATORY charge is correct because after all, he said it?
Really? What happened to standards and fact checking at the North County Times? So now anyone is allowed to get published any paranoid rant without anyone at the North County Times requiring the writer to verify his "facts"?
Apparently so. Another sad day in the slow, painful death of this once fine newspaper.
Read the Cass crazy rant here:
http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/forum-labor-bosses-run-vista-school-district/article_a34db6e3-bafc-54c3-ba8a-fd5c8c9c8b0c.html
Below the three most inflammatory false charges highlighted in red:
Cass accuses teachers in VUSD of malfeasance and corrupt practices when he writes:
"Now the labor union bosses, who had been using the kids' reading money for their friends"
Where is his evidence? Why doesn't he take these charges to the district attorney? If his charges were true, then folks should go to jail.
But then we all know why he didn't. Cass is just making stuff up.
Sadly he has been allowed to get it published in the newspaper. Why?
"Union officials have in the past complained to the board that they wanted to give teachers a raise with the money required by law for reading improvement."
This is simply not true. Cass provides no evidence to back up this smear. It does not even pass the smell test. Where is the name of the person who asked for this? When did this happen? At what meeting?
There are minutes taken at EVERY meeting of any importance in the district, including school board meetings. Board meeting minutes are published on line. Yet Cass cannot reference any meeting or any speech or any person? He writes it, so we are to believe it's true? Really?
Without any evidence of any kind the North County Times publishes such an incendiary charge?
Remember when newspapers had standards?
Next paranoid raving:
"Because teachers get more pay when kids are not able to read English. That's right. There's an insidious incentive to hold kids back for the economic benefit of teachers."
Wow, that's pretty inflammatory stuff. Teachers are paid more when students learn less. This could be national news! Gosh darn his evidence must be rock solid to get such a contrary- -to-expectation charge, printed in a newspaper. So where is Cass' evidence?
Oh he doesn't give any? Therefore we must just trust that his OUTRAGEOUS, INSULTING, and INFLAMMATORY charge is correct because after all, he said it?
Really? What happened to standards and fact checking at the North County Times? So now anyone is allowed to get published any paranoid rant without anyone at the North County Times requiring the writer to verify his "facts"?
Apparently so. Another sad day in the slow, painful death of this once fine newspaper.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Number of Million dollar a year Californians up sharply
Jim Gibson who apparently thinks that funds for school children will appear magically if we slash taxes and slash teacher salaries might be shocked to know that as the number of his million dollar A YEAR friends increase dramatically the jobs they DON'T CREATE don't appear. I wonder why after all Gibson's God, Rush Limbaugh, says he never got a job from a poor person. Aren't the filthy rich job creators the way the Rush, the Republicans, and Jim Gibson say?
Of course not, we all know rich people don't create well paying jobs, only DEMAND creates jobs. If there is no demand, our rich friends are happy to keep every cent safe in their vaults. If there is demand, they pay as little as possible to the "servant" class, to meet that demand. But it is that demand that makes jobs. Nothing else.
Make the rich pay their fair share. Increase benefits and salary to what the billionaire bullies call the rabble or the "servant class" (folks like you and me), and we will spend the money to create demand. Silly billionaires strangling our wages strangles the economy and ultimately strangles their income.
To create demand their must be decent salaries and benefits. Only strong unions create high paying middle class jobs that make the demand. Jim Gibson and his rich friends don't get it. Never have, never will.
----------------------------
http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2012/01/californians-with-million-dollar-incomes-up-sharply.html
January 11, 2012
Number of Californians with million-dollar incomes up sharply
The number of Californians reporting incomes of more than $1 million increased sharply last year, as did their share of the income stream, a new report from the Franchise Tax Board reveals.
The new data will fuel the political debate over whether high-income Californians should pay higher taxes.
There were 10,000 taxpayers in the million-dollar income club during the 2009 tax year -- just one-third of one percent of all returns -- but that number jumped 27 percent to more than 13,000 for 2010, based on tax returns filed in 2011.
The income millionaires reported adjusted gross incomes of $22.4 billion in 2009, an average of $2.2 million each. In 2010, the total jumped 30.2 percent to $29.1 billion, with the average remaining virtually unchanged.
Those increases were by far the largest of any income group, the FTB said, while that group's share of all adjusted gross income increased from 3.7 percent in 2009 to 4.5 percent in 2010, while its share of taxes jumped from 9.5 percent to 11 percent.
The top 1 percent of income taxpayers, about 140,000 returns with incomes averaging $1.1 million in 2009, saw their share of personal incomes drop sharply during the recession years, from a high of 25.2 percent in 2007 to just 18.4 percent two years later. Their income tax burdens also dropped, from 48.1 percent of the state's total in 2008 to 36.9 percent in 2009 -- a decrease that hit the state budget, which is largely dependent on income taxes, hard.
The 2010 data indicate that the wealthy are rebounding, which explains the recent surge in state revenues, but how extensive that recovery will be is the source of great controversy, especially the varying revenue estimates of the Brown administration and the Legislature's budget analyst. Gov. Jerry Brown also hopes that voters will agree to impose income tax surcharges on the highest income Californians this year.
Categories: California by the Numbers, State budget
Read more here: http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2012/01/californians-with-million-dollar-incomes-up-sharply.html#storylink=cpy
Of course not, we all know rich people don't create well paying jobs, only DEMAND creates jobs. If there is no demand, our rich friends are happy to keep every cent safe in their vaults. If there is demand, they pay as little as possible to the "servant" class, to meet that demand. But it is that demand that makes jobs. Nothing else.
Make the rich pay their fair share. Increase benefits and salary to what the billionaire bullies call the rabble or the "servant class" (folks like you and me), and we will spend the money to create demand. Silly billionaires strangling our wages strangles the economy and ultimately strangles their income.
To create demand their must be decent salaries and benefits. Only strong unions create high paying middle class jobs that make the demand. Jim Gibson and his rich friends don't get it. Never have, never will.
----------------------------
http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2012/01/californians-with-million-dollar-incomes-up-sharply.html
January 11, 2012
Number of Californians with million-dollar incomes up sharply
The number of Californians reporting incomes of more than $1 million increased sharply last year, as did their share of the income stream, a new report from the Franchise Tax Board reveals.
The new data will fuel the political debate over whether high-income Californians should pay higher taxes.
There were 10,000 taxpayers in the million-dollar income club during the 2009 tax year -- just one-third of one percent of all returns -- but that number jumped 27 percent to more than 13,000 for 2010, based on tax returns filed in 2011.
The income millionaires reported adjusted gross incomes of $22.4 billion in 2009, an average of $2.2 million each. In 2010, the total jumped 30.2 percent to $29.1 billion, with the average remaining virtually unchanged.
Those increases were by far the largest of any income group, the FTB said, while that group's share of all adjusted gross income increased from 3.7 percent in 2009 to 4.5 percent in 2010, while its share of taxes jumped from 9.5 percent to 11 percent.
The top 1 percent of income taxpayers, about 140,000 returns with incomes averaging $1.1 million in 2009, saw their share of personal incomes drop sharply during the recession years, from a high of 25.2 percent in 2007 to just 18.4 percent two years later. Their income tax burdens also dropped, from 48.1 percent of the state's total in 2008 to 36.9 percent in 2009 -- a decrease that hit the state budget, which is largely dependent on income taxes, hard.
The 2010 data indicate that the wealthy are rebounding, which explains the recent surge in state revenues, but how extensive that recovery will be is the source of great controversy, especially the varying revenue estimates of the Brown administration and the Legislature's budget analyst. Gov. Jerry Brown also hopes that voters will agree to impose income tax surcharges on the highest income Californians this year.
Categories: California by the Numbers, State budget
Read more here: http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2012/01/californians-with-million-dollar-incomes-up-sharply.html#storylink=cpy
See Video that Jim Gibson and Rush Limbaugh don't want you to see
Here is a link to the Kardashian video that Rush Limbaugh, FOX News owner Rupert Murdoch, and Jim Gibson don't want you to see:
http://www.millionairestaxca.com/
http://www.millionairestaxca.com/
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Rusty Harris lie: Teachers are given more time to speak than others
Rusty Harris charge that teachers are allowed to speak to the school board longer than non teachers is just as phoney as the rest of his error filled screed. http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/columnists/harris/harris-vista-teacher-union-stakes-out-big-win/article_6b4453cc-5ca9-508e-b897-8eb35b889d57.html
Rusty writes: "The trio took a "some are more equal than others" stance and upheld the practice of giving union representatives an unrestricted amount of time to speak."
The fact is that at each board meeting reports are made to the school board by various committees appointed by the school board. The two employee associations are also allowed to give reports. They are allowed the same amount of time that the committee reports have. This is a longer time than given to individuals, NOT ON THE AGENDA, who show up to speak to the board. The proposal of Jim Gibson was to reduce the time of the association report to the time allotted to those NOT ON THE AGENDA.
The Gibson motion was rejected by the majority for good reasons. It is important for the school board to know what their thousand plus employees are thinking. Hearing a brief report is a good way for this to happen. There had been no case of abuse by the two associations, so the majority of school board members voted not to reduce the time for association spokesman to report to the board.
Besides Gibson's motion also struck many as petty politics. Why give in to that? The majority chose not to.
Rusty writes: "The trio took a "some are more equal than others" stance and upheld the practice of giving union representatives an unrestricted amount of time to speak."
The fact is that at each board meeting reports are made to the school board by various committees appointed by the school board. The two employee associations are also allowed to give reports. They are allowed the same amount of time that the committee reports have. This is a longer time than given to individuals, NOT ON THE AGENDA, who show up to speak to the board. The proposal of Jim Gibson was to reduce the time of the association report to the time allotted to those NOT ON THE AGENDA.
The Gibson motion was rejected by the majority for good reasons. It is important for the school board to know what their thousand plus employees are thinking. Hearing a brief report is a good way for this to happen. There had been no case of abuse by the two associations, so the majority of school board members voted not to reduce the time for association spokesman to report to the board.
Besides Gibson's motion also struck many as petty politics. Why give in to that? The majority chose not to.
Harris lie: Bales was forced into retirement
This crazy break from reality was also in Rusty Harris' editorial found here:
http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/columnists/harris/harris-vista-teacher-union-stakes-out-big-win/article_6b4453cc-5ca9-508e-b897-8eb35b889d57.html?mode=story
According to the North County Times article Joyce Bales retired at age 65 after forty years in education. http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/vista/article_f8ff610c-75c6-50c8-9d61-b4bc86554f2e.html
She is going to Tennessee to retire, not to look for another job as a superintendent. She made no mention in the article about wishing she could stay on longer. She was allowed to become FULLY vested in the California state teachers retirement system when she was re-hired in 2008. She will have retirement income from at least two states. The California amount should be more than six figures a year. Why would she want to stay any longer?
Where does Rusty Harris come up with the fantasy that she wished to stay?
Does he realize that she is doing virtually no work now?
At the cabinet meetings at the district office, she hardly ever even utters a word. All the work is done and presented by associate and assistant superintendents. At least that is the skinny I have heard from one person who attends those meetings.
Joyce is no longer has the ump or enthusiasm for the job. She has been treading water since the 2008 election. Some have hinted at cognitive decline. Who knows?
What we do know is she has NEVER indicated she wanted to stay here any longer. She is the one who set her retirement date not the school board.
Where does Rusty Harris get off writing, "the board's ruling trio made clear to Bales her contract would not be extended, thus forcing her retirement." There is zero evidence of that except perhaps in the fantastical stories Jim Gibson makes up to entertain his gullible supporters.
http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/columnists/harris/harris-vista-teacher-union-stakes-out-big-win/article_6b4453cc-5ca9-508e-b897-8eb35b889d57.html?mode=story
According to the North County Times article Joyce Bales retired at age 65 after forty years in education. http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/vista/article_f8ff610c-75c6-50c8-9d61-b4bc86554f2e.html
She is going to Tennessee to retire, not to look for another job as a superintendent. She made no mention in the article about wishing she could stay on longer. She was allowed to become FULLY vested in the California state teachers retirement system when she was re-hired in 2008. She will have retirement income from at least two states. The California amount should be more than six figures a year. Why would she want to stay any longer?
Where does Rusty Harris come up with the fantasy that she wished to stay?
Does he realize that she is doing virtually no work now?
At the cabinet meetings at the district office, she hardly ever even utters a word. All the work is done and presented by associate and assistant superintendents. At least that is the skinny I have heard from one person who attends those meetings.
Joyce is no longer has the ump or enthusiasm for the job. She has been treading water since the 2008 election. Some have hinted at cognitive decline. Who knows?
What we do know is she has NEVER indicated she wanted to stay here any longer. She is the one who set her retirement date not the school board.
Where does Rusty Harris get off writing, "the board's ruling trio made clear to Bales her contract would not be extended, thus forcing her retirement." There is zero evidence of that except perhaps in the fantastical stories Jim Gibson makes up to entertain his gullible supporters.
Rusty Harris lie: Olive School was dismantled
Rusty Harris tried to show that three of our duly elected school board members were controlled by the union because "the Olive team was dismembered for showing lackluster fealty to the union by adhering to Bales' ideas, methods and goals"http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/columnists/harris/harris-vista-teacher-union-stakes-out-big-win/article_6b4453cc-5ca9-508e-b897-8eb35b889d57.html?mode=story
Ridiculous. This is fantastical and paranoid charge with no basis in fact or evidence or reality.
The school was not dismembered. It was not closed. It was moved several hundred yards to save the district money.
Is Harris pro-waste of taxpayer funds?
There are as many VTA and CSEA members (a majority) at Olive school as at any other campus in the district. Is that is "lackluster fealty"? What?
Come on Rusty get your facts straight. Next time talk with someone besides Jim Gibson when deciding what is true and what is not true in VUSD. There are FIVE school board trustees, not just one.
Ridiculous. This is fantastical and paranoid charge with no basis in fact or evidence or reality.
The school was not dismembered. It was not closed. It was moved several hundred yards to save the district money.
Is Harris pro-waste of taxpayer funds?
There are as many VTA and CSEA members (a majority) at Olive school as at any other campus in the district. Is that is "lackluster fealty"? What?
Come on Rusty get your facts straight. Next time talk with someone besides Jim Gibson when deciding what is true and what is not true in VUSD. There are FIVE school board trustees, not just one.
Rusty Harris lie: Teachers demolished Linda Mood-Bell reading program
Rusty Harris in his editorial said that teachers demolished Joyce Bales, "costly but effective reading program." http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/columnists/harris/harris-vista-teacher-union-stakes-out-big-win/article_6b4453cc-5ca9-508e-b897-8eb35b889d57.html?mode=story He is referring to the Linda Mood-Bell program that Joyce Bales mandated for every school site in the school district.
(http://www.lindamoodbell.com/)No one argues that it was not effective for the small number of students cherry picked by LMB staff to be helped. The problem was there are equally effective reading programs recommended by the State of California that are far cheaper that helped all students.
More importantly it was not the teachers who were upset at this waste, so much as the parents who previous to Joyce Bales had LOCAL SITE DISCRETION to choose and purchase for their own kids the program they wanted through funds provided to the state mandated School Site Council (http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=edc&group=52001-53000&file=52850-52863)
The parents at several school campuses opposed Joyce Bales grab of SSC money for her LMB program. They spoke against Bales plan at school board meetings and pursued legal challenges. However the parents lost at the school board meetings and in their other challenges. So the parents did what all disgruntled folks do in a democracy. They organized and elected two new members of the board who were more parent friendly (former PTA officers Jaka and Chunka) and re-elected another (Herrera).
The new majority decided SSC's could once again use their site money and make their own local site decision instead of having a district wide decision rammed down their throats.
NOTE: No other school district in California besides VUSD under Dr. Bales used LMB as their primary reading supplement. There are over one thousand school districts in the state.
Also note: LMB is NOT on the California Approved List of Intensive Interventions for reading.http://www.vusd.k12.ca.us/Departments/BusinessServices/BAC%20Meetings/BAC%20Minutes%202-12-09.pdf
(http://www.lindamoodbell.com/)No one argues that it was not effective for the small number of students cherry picked by LMB staff to be helped. The problem was there are equally effective reading programs recommended by the State of California that are far cheaper that helped all students.
More importantly it was not the teachers who were upset at this waste, so much as the parents who previous to Joyce Bales had LOCAL SITE DISCRETION to choose and purchase for their own kids the program they wanted through funds provided to the state mandated School Site Council (http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=edc&group=52001-53000&file=52850-52863)
The parents at several school campuses opposed Joyce Bales grab of SSC money for her LMB program. They spoke against Bales plan at school board meetings and pursued legal challenges. However the parents lost at the school board meetings and in their other challenges. So the parents did what all disgruntled folks do in a democracy. They organized and elected two new members of the board who were more parent friendly (former PTA officers Jaka and Chunka) and re-elected another (Herrera).
The new majority decided SSC's could once again use their site money and make their own local site decision instead of having a district wide decision rammed down their throats.
NOTE: No other school district in California besides VUSD under Dr. Bales used LMB as their primary reading supplement. There are over one thousand school districts in the state.
Also note: LMB is NOT on the California Approved List of Intensive Interventions for reading.http://www.vusd.k12.ca.us/Departments/BusinessServices/BAC%20Meetings/BAC%20Minutes%202-12-09.pdf
False Harris charge: District caved into a union friendly settlement
In Rusty Harris' editorial, he charges that there are three members of the VUSD school board are controlled by the teachers union. (What an insult to both our fine school board members and the voters of VUSD who elected them!)
Harris writes: VUSD "Caved into a union-friendly settlement of a lawsuit focused on the fact district taxpayers had been subsidizing the teacher association president's pay for decades."
This is twice wrong.
First district tax payers had never subsidized teacher association presidential pay. The VTA paid more than the full cost to the district of a release time president under the old fairly negotiated, MUTUALLY AGREED UPON, collectively bargained contract. The VTA paid slightly more than the cost of a replacement teacher for the president's classroom position.
This MUTUALLY AGREED UPON arrangement was not unique to VUSD. Close to one hundred other school districts in the state used similar language in their contracts. For more than a decade this provision was considered legal and passed all tests. But the VUSD vs VTA lawsuit overturned this precedent not only VTA, but for ALL other school districts and associations in the state. Hardly a "union friendly" thing to do.
Second the amount the school teachers were forced to pay in the settlement was the full amount allowed in the law due to statue of limitation rules.
Now all teachers in our district and every other district in the state are forced to subsidize their school districts for a release time president. Associations must pay not the actual cost to the district for a replacement for the released association president but far more. This lawsuit's success now means the FULL amount of an identical teacher with same place on salary schedule must be paid even when the district hires a much lower price replacement teacher. This is far above and beyond the districts costs. It amounts to a subsidy for the school district taken from the salaries of every teacher in the school district.
This lawsuit means the salary expenses for a school district actually go DOWN when an association president is given release time. This is blatantly unfair and not the intent of the original legislators nor would any fair minded average person think this arrangement fair. Sadly a poison pill was quietly inserted by Republicans into the original legislation that allowed this unfair and undemocratic ruling to be made by the court.
Neither the lawsuit or its settlement were in any way "union friendly." To call them so is to be either ignorant or worse.
Harris writes: VUSD "Caved into a union-friendly settlement of a lawsuit focused on the fact district taxpayers had been subsidizing the teacher association president's pay for decades."
This is twice wrong.
First district tax payers had never subsidized teacher association presidential pay. The VTA paid more than the full cost to the district of a release time president under the old fairly negotiated, MUTUALLY AGREED UPON, collectively bargained contract. The VTA paid slightly more than the cost of a replacement teacher for the president's classroom position.
This MUTUALLY AGREED UPON arrangement was not unique to VUSD. Close to one hundred other school districts in the state used similar language in their contracts. For more than a decade this provision was considered legal and passed all tests. But the VUSD vs VTA lawsuit overturned this precedent not only VTA, but for ALL other school districts and associations in the state. Hardly a "union friendly" thing to do.
Second the amount the school teachers were forced to pay in the settlement was the full amount allowed in the law due to statue of limitation rules.
Now all teachers in our district and every other district in the state are forced to subsidize their school districts for a release time president. Associations must pay not the actual cost to the district for a replacement for the released association president but far more. This lawsuit's success now means the FULL amount of an identical teacher with same place on salary schedule must be paid even when the district hires a much lower price replacement teacher. This is far above and beyond the districts costs. It amounts to a subsidy for the school district taken from the salaries of every teacher in the school district.
This lawsuit means the salary expenses for a school district actually go DOWN when an association president is given release time. This is blatantly unfair and not the intent of the original legislators nor would any fair minded average person think this arrangement fair. Sadly a poison pill was quietly inserted by Republicans into the original legislation that allowed this unfair and undemocratic ruling to be made by the court.
Neither the lawsuit or its settlement were in any way "union friendly." To call them so is to be either ignorant or worse.
Rusty Harris falsely villifies Vista school teachers
Rusty Harris continues the long tradition at the North County Times of one sided vilification of the Vista Teachers Association today. http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/columnists/harris/harris-vista-teacher-union-stakes-out-big-win/article_6b4453cc-5ca9-508e-b897-8eb35b889d57.html
As usual the attack is without merit and without fact. Apparently the only source Rusty Harris has is VUSD school board member, Jim Gibson. Gibson whose ability to tell fantasy tales is legendary also seems to have an anti-public education bias that filters everything he understands, sees or hears so that even the most ordinary school business is turned into dreadful tales of union and teacher maleficence. His accounts of what happened at a school board meeting are so tinged with this bias that they bear no relationship to the reality reflected in the recordings of the meeting, the minutes of the meeting or the heard or seen by the rest of the folks in attendance including the North County Times report Stacy Brandt.
Harris in the editorial today simply repeats the old Gibson shibboleth that the teachers control the school district with the additional paranoid touch that now the teachers will pick the new superintendent to get as Harris puts it "the big award it has diligently strived for during the past six years ---- total control of the school district."
This last bit of paranoia strangely contradicts the standard Gibson group propaganda lie that the teachers took control of the district in 1994 when two trustees were recalled by the VUSD community. The Gibson group use as proof of their false "control" accusation the democratic participation of Vista teachers in school board elections. The Gibson group views democracy by teachers as threatening or demonic.
As you may recall the Vista Teachers were forced into politics for the first time when radicals took majority control of our board in 1992 and made national headlines by their antics. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vista,_California
Apparently it is an outrage when school teachers avail themselves of the same democratic right as every other American. Even when they only did so to save the district from the circus that occurred during the take over of the school board with major network satellite trucks stationed outside our school board meetings and national reporters from many national news papers assigned to cover the meetings. Hundreds of radical religious right showed up to yell support for gutting FACT based sex education and diluting science programs with superstition.
I presume since Vista Teachers have one of the lowest median salary in San Diego County and since the school board we "control" sued us, the lie that the false allegation that teachers control the district just will not fly any more so now it has morphed into teachers 'will control' the district soon.
As to controlling the process of picking the new superintendent because the VTA "controls" three school board members what an insult to duly elected representatives of the school district. Besides the president of the VTA was informed by the school board that neither she nor any teacher will be involved in the search for a new superintendent. There will be no seat at the table for teachers even a non-voting, non-speaking seat. No teacher will be able to listen in or have input in the selection process at all until possible the field has been narrowed to three candidates. And then perhaps if the board is in a good mood that day, they might inform the VTA of just who the top three candidates are. Wow, that sure sounds like control of the process to me, yeah right.
Poor Rusty, he needs to go back to basic Journalism 101 and get facts from more sources than one, grouchy old man (Jim Gibson) who frequent statements show a disdain, even hatred, for fact based public education, who refused to allow his four children to attend public schools, who pushed religiously based discrimination issues (Prop 8, Carrie Prejean Day) and never has one nice thing to say about any school or any teacher in Vista
.
As usual the attack is without merit and without fact. Apparently the only source Rusty Harris has is VUSD school board member, Jim Gibson. Gibson whose ability to tell fantasy tales is legendary also seems to have an anti-public education bias that filters everything he understands, sees or hears so that even the most ordinary school business is turned into dreadful tales of union and teacher maleficence. His accounts of what happened at a school board meeting are so tinged with this bias that they bear no relationship to the reality reflected in the recordings of the meeting, the minutes of the meeting or the heard or seen by the rest of the folks in attendance including the North County Times report Stacy Brandt.
Harris in the editorial today simply repeats the old Gibson shibboleth that the teachers control the school district with the additional paranoid touch that now the teachers will pick the new superintendent to get as Harris puts it "the big award it has diligently strived for during the past six years ---- total control of the school district."
This last bit of paranoia strangely contradicts the standard Gibson group propaganda lie that the teachers took control of the district in 1994 when two trustees were recalled by the VUSD community. The Gibson group use as proof of their false "control" accusation the democratic participation of Vista teachers in school board elections. The Gibson group views democracy by teachers as threatening or demonic.
As you may recall the Vista Teachers were forced into politics for the first time when radicals took majority control of our board in 1992 and made national headlines by their antics. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vista,_California
Apparently it is an outrage when school teachers avail themselves of the same democratic right as every other American. Even when they only did so to save the district from the circus that occurred during the take over of the school board with major network satellite trucks stationed outside our school board meetings and national reporters from many national news papers assigned to cover the meetings. Hundreds of radical religious right showed up to yell support for gutting FACT based sex education and diluting science programs with superstition.
I presume since Vista Teachers have one of the lowest median salary in San Diego County and since the school board we "control" sued us, the lie that the false allegation that teachers control the district just will not fly any more so now it has morphed into teachers 'will control' the district soon.
As to controlling the process of picking the new superintendent because the VTA "controls" three school board members what an insult to duly elected representatives of the school district. Besides the president of the VTA was informed by the school board that neither she nor any teacher will be involved in the search for a new superintendent. There will be no seat at the table for teachers even a non-voting, non-speaking seat. No teacher will be able to listen in or have input in the selection process at all until possible the field has been narrowed to three candidates. And then perhaps if the board is in a good mood that day, they might inform the VTA of just who the top three candidates are. Wow, that sure sounds like control of the process to me, yeah right.
Poor Rusty, he needs to go back to basic Journalism 101 and get facts from more sources than one, grouchy old man (Jim Gibson) who frequent statements show a disdain, even hatred, for fact based public education, who refused to allow his four children to attend public schools, who pushed religiously based discrimination issues (Prop 8, Carrie Prejean Day) and never has one nice thing to say about any school or any teacher in Vista
.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Tea Party Traitors continue their attacks on the middle class by attempting to destroy the NLRB
I watched CSPAN in horror yesterday as billionaire bullys', House of Representative, Teaparty traitors rammed through a bill in the House of Representatives to destroy what's left of the National Labor Relations Board. This push to end the NLRB is a continuation of the massive campaign which attempts to end American unions and the middle class jobs they create. It is no doubt organized and funded by the billionaire bully, Koch Brothers, David and Charles.
http://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/09/koch-brothers-million-dollar-donor-club
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/irishred/wisconsin-recall-election-races_n_921215_101864009.html
Currently the NRLB is nearly toothless as a result of previous Republican Robbercons attacks. But what tiny bits of power it has left to protect our right to get middle class wages and benefits is being targeted for elimination by this bill.
Robbercons and the billionaire bullies that hire them want no shreds of regulation and power left to protect the middle class. All will be gone if this bill passes the Senate and if President Obama yet again 'compromises' with the Billionaire Bullys,' bought and paid for members, of Congress by giving in and allowing them to walk all over him.
Let's fight back against this attack.
Read the alert below on this same topic from the AFL.
Republicans Push NLRB Attack Bill Through House
http://blog.aflcio.org/2011/09/15/republicans-push-nlrb-attack-bill-through-house/
by Mike Hall, Sep 15, 2011
House Republicans today continued their attack on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) when they passed (238-186) a bill that would cripple the agency and allow employers to retaliate against workers who exercise their workplace rights. Under the bill, employers would even be able to legally eliminate workers’ jobs. The bill is not expected to be brought up for a Senate vote.
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka says about the bill (H.R. 2587):
Instead of creating good jobs, Tea Party Republicans are wasting time and playing partisan politics. H.R. 2587 is an over-reaching, special interest bill that advances the interests of corporate donors while attacking working people, their rights and their jobs. It’s one more example of an anti-worker agenda that’s bad for America and bad for the middle class.
Republicans, tea party extremists and business groups have used a routine complaint the NLRB issued against the Boeing Co. in April as cover for their near hysterical and sweeping attacks on workers and the NLRB.
In April, the general counsel of the nonpartisan, independent NLRB issued a complaint against Boeing for moving a planned production line for its 787 Dreamliner from its unionized Puget Sound, Wash., plant to a nonunion facility in South Carolina. The complaint says the move was in retaliation against the Puget Sound workers for having previously exercised their federally guaranteed right to strike against Boeing and to prevent these workers from striking in the future.
In a videotaped interview with The Seattle Times, a senior Boeing executive said, “the overriding factor” in the company’s decision to move the line wasn’t “the business climate. And it wasn’t the wages we’re paying today.” It was, he said, to avoid strikes. That is illegal. (For more information, check the NLRB’s fact sheet on the complaint against Boeing.)
In a letter to House members, AFL-CIO Government Affairs Director Bill Samuel says:
Retaliating against workers for exercising their legally protected rights, as Boeing is alleged to have done, is against the law, and has been for 75 years. H.R. 2587 would take away the NLRB’s authority to restore workers to their jobs when companies simply eliminate work in order to get rid of employees who are pro-union or when companies eliminate work to avoid their legal obligation to bargain.
Earlier this week 250 professors said the bill would mean that:
Employers will be able to eliminate jobs or transfer employees or work for no purpose other than to punish employees for exercising their rights and the Board will be powerless to direct the employer to return the work regardless of the circumstances. And these employees will lose their jobs because they tried to exercise their federally protected rights.
In June, an NLRB administrative law judge rejected Boeing’s motion to dismiss the charges. The case is now being heard in Seattle.
Yesterday, NLRB acting general counsel Lafe Solomon issued a statement, saying his decision to issue a complaint against Boeing “was based on a careful investigation and a review of the facts under longstanding federal labor law.”
The decision had absolutely nothing to do with political considerations, and there were no consultations with the White House. Regrettably, some have chosen to insert politics into what should be a straightforward legal procedure. These continuing political attacks are baseless and unprecedented and take the focus away from where it belongs—the ongoing trial in Seattle.
Says Trumka:
The American people are calling on Congress to focus on job creation. Shame on those who are pursuing a political agenda that does the bidding of big corporations.
http://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/09/koch-brothers-million-dollar-donor-club
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/irishred/wisconsin-recall-election-races_n_921215_101864009.html
Currently the NRLB is nearly toothless as a result of previous Republican Robbercons attacks. But what tiny bits of power it has left to protect our right to get middle class wages and benefits is being targeted for elimination by this bill.
Robbercons and the billionaire bullies that hire them want no shreds of regulation and power left to protect the middle class. All will be gone if this bill passes the Senate and if President Obama yet again 'compromises' with the Billionaire Bullys,' bought and paid for members, of Congress by giving in and allowing them to walk all over him.
Let's fight back against this attack.
Read the alert below on this same topic from the AFL.
Republicans Push NLRB Attack Bill Through House
http://blog.aflcio.org/2011/09/15/republicans-push-nlrb-attack-bill-through-house/
by Mike Hall, Sep 15, 2011
House Republicans today continued their attack on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) when they passed (238-186) a bill that would cripple the agency and allow employers to retaliate against workers who exercise their workplace rights. Under the bill, employers would even be able to legally eliminate workers’ jobs. The bill is not expected to be brought up for a Senate vote.
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka says about the bill (H.R. 2587):
Instead of creating good jobs, Tea Party Republicans are wasting time and playing partisan politics. H.R. 2587 is an over-reaching, special interest bill that advances the interests of corporate donors while attacking working people, their rights and their jobs. It’s one more example of an anti-worker agenda that’s bad for America and bad for the middle class.
Republicans, tea party extremists and business groups have used a routine complaint the NLRB issued against the Boeing Co. in April as cover for their near hysterical and sweeping attacks on workers and the NLRB.
In April, the general counsel of the nonpartisan, independent NLRB issued a complaint against Boeing for moving a planned production line for its 787 Dreamliner from its unionized Puget Sound, Wash., plant to a nonunion facility in South Carolina. The complaint says the move was in retaliation against the Puget Sound workers for having previously exercised their federally guaranteed right to strike against Boeing and to prevent these workers from striking in the future.
In a videotaped interview with The Seattle Times, a senior Boeing executive said, “the overriding factor” in the company’s decision to move the line wasn’t “the business climate. And it wasn’t the wages we’re paying today.” It was, he said, to avoid strikes. That is illegal. (For more information, check the NLRB’s fact sheet on the complaint against Boeing.)
In a letter to House members, AFL-CIO Government Affairs Director Bill Samuel says:
Retaliating against workers for exercising their legally protected rights, as Boeing is alleged to have done, is against the law, and has been for 75 years. H.R. 2587 would take away the NLRB’s authority to restore workers to their jobs when companies simply eliminate work in order to get rid of employees who are pro-union or when companies eliminate work to avoid their legal obligation to bargain.
Earlier this week 250 professors said the bill would mean that:
Employers will be able to eliminate jobs or transfer employees or work for no purpose other than to punish employees for exercising their rights and the Board will be powerless to direct the employer to return the work regardless of the circumstances. And these employees will lose their jobs because they tried to exercise their federally protected rights.
In June, an NLRB administrative law judge rejected Boeing’s motion to dismiss the charges. The case is now being heard in Seattle.
Yesterday, NLRB acting general counsel Lafe Solomon issued a statement, saying his decision to issue a complaint against Boeing “was based on a careful investigation and a review of the facts under longstanding federal labor law.”
The decision had absolutely nothing to do with political considerations, and there were no consultations with the White House. Regrettably, some have chosen to insert politics into what should be a straightforward legal procedure. These continuing political attacks are baseless and unprecedented and take the focus away from where it belongs—the ongoing trial in Seattle.
Says Trumka:
The American people are calling on Congress to focus on job creation. Shame on those who are pursuing a political agenda that does the bidding of big corporations.
Music program likely to be cut again this January 2012
The elementary music program has temporarily been re-instated by VUSD school board trustees.
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/vista/article_03f567f3-a913-5dc1-815b-94657b480bba.html?mode=story
The music program is unlikely to survive past January when the new state projection of tax revenue income will be released. The January report will likely show that the state is not meeting the very rosy revenue projections found in last July's budget projections for this year.
Already the first month of the new budget year showed more than one half billion dollar shortfall over the July rosy scenario. This report, http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifreleased in August, from the State Comptroller’s office indicates more than a 10% short fall in revenues. Push that same shortfall forward six months to January and it could easily top six billion dollars.
http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/site/node/9248
Given the present economic condition, it is very unlikely that the January report will be anything, but awful. If that shortfall trend holds out until January, the state will be forced immediately to cut state funding to every entity that gets state funds including K-12 school district like VUSD.
At that point what the state promised in this years July 2011 budget to provide to VUSD won't matter. State promises for funds are all predicated on the state actually taking in the money needed to meet those promises.
Without expected money coming in, the state will be forced to make cuts in January to match its expenditures. This will require drastic reductions in state funds to school districts, state colleges, and health and welfare programs for elderly disabled and ill. State expenditures must match income, as required by law.
This coming January cut will also have TWICE the impact because at that point in time, the state will have already supplied money (at least ten percent too much) for the first six months of the budget year to K-12 school districts, etc. That previous July-January funding will have been based on the state tax income coming in at the predicted level which we already know it will not. Since the tax revenues will likely not come in the state will have spent "too much" for that first six months.
So in January 2012, the cuts for the last six months of the budget year (January to June) must be double. The state must make up for the too much money already given out PLUS reduce the amount it had planned to spend for the next six months. That means DOUBLE the impact on school districts for the last six months of the school year.
To match local VUSD spending to these likely massive January cuts, look for the elementary music program to be lost again this January. That music program cut will be one of many other onerous reductions in local school services needed at that time.
I see no way but a shortened school year for VUSD and other school districts in the state, perhaps by as much as a month, to meet the looming January shortfall in revenue from the state. (A shortened school year reduces school district costs by cutting employee salaries, as well as school site lighting, heating and AC costs).
The cause of this funding gap is the direct result of SACRAMENTO Republicans who refused to allow, we the people, to decide for ourselves whether we wanted these drastic cuts to our schools or whether we might chose to extend existing taxes for five more years.
A special election was needed last June to allow, we the people, to stop these cuts with a tax extension but that did not happen. Washington DC http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.giflobbyist, Grover Norquist, convinced (cowed with threats?) every single Sacramento Republican and got them all to say “no” to the people’s right to vote. http://www.sacbee.com/2011/05/25/3651880/jerry-brown-grover-norquist-spar.html
Due to the archaic 2/3rds majority rule in California, Republican votes were absolutely required for this measure to reach the ballot. Only four elected Sacramento Republicans were needed to allow us the right to vote. But every single SACRAMENTO REPUBLICAN refused to allow us that right to decide.
OUR LOCAL SACRAMENTO REPUBLICANS:
California Assembly
Martin Garrick (R) (760)929-7998(When not drunk driving, now running for Mark Wyland's state senate office)
Nathan Fletcher (R) (858) 689-6290 (running for mayor of San Diego)
Diane Harkey (R) (760) 757-8084 (Jim Gibson ran a nasty campaign against her for her Sacramento Assembly seat and lost a few years back.)
California Senate
Mark Wyland (R) (760) 931-2455 (term limited out of office in 2012-- by far the most personable of our local Republicans)
*The State of California provides between 80 and 90% of the funds to run local schools. Local taxes are the far far less important than state revenues for vast majority of school districts in the state including VUSD.
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/vista/article_03f567f3-a913-5dc1-815b-94657b480bba.html?mode=story
The music program is unlikely to survive past January when the new state projection of tax revenue income will be released. The January report will likely show that the state is not meeting the very rosy revenue projections found in last July's budget projections for this year.
Already the first month of the new budget year showed more than one half billion dollar shortfall over the July rosy scenario. This report, http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifreleased in August, from the State Comptroller’s office indicates more than a 10% short fall in revenues. Push that same shortfall forward six months to January and it could easily top six billion dollars.
http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/site/node/9248
Given the present economic condition, it is very unlikely that the January report will be anything, but awful. If that shortfall trend holds out until January, the state will be forced immediately to cut state funding to every entity that gets state funds including K-12 school district like VUSD.
At that point what the state promised in this years July 2011 budget to provide to VUSD won't matter. State promises for funds are all predicated on the state actually taking in the money needed to meet those promises.
Without expected money coming in, the state will be forced to make cuts in January to match its expenditures. This will require drastic reductions in state funds to school districts, state colleges, and health and welfare programs for elderly disabled and ill. State expenditures must match income, as required by law.
This coming January cut will also have TWICE the impact because at that point in time, the state will have already supplied money (at least ten percent too much) for the first six months of the budget year to K-12 school districts, etc. That previous July-January funding will have been based on the state tax income coming in at the predicted level which we already know it will not. Since the tax revenues will likely not come in the state will have spent "too much" for that first six months.
So in January 2012, the cuts for the last six months of the budget year (January to June) must be double. The state must make up for the too much money already given out PLUS reduce the amount it had planned to spend for the next six months. That means DOUBLE the impact on school districts for the last six months of the school year.
To match local VUSD spending to these likely massive January cuts, look for the elementary music program to be lost again this January. That music program cut will be one of many other onerous reductions in local school services needed at that time.
I see no way but a shortened school year for VUSD and other school districts in the state, perhaps by as much as a month, to meet the looming January shortfall in revenue from the state. (A shortened school year reduces school district costs by cutting employee salaries, as well as school site lighting, heating and AC costs).
The cause of this funding gap is the direct result of SACRAMENTO Republicans who refused to allow, we the people, to decide for ourselves whether we wanted these drastic cuts to our schools or whether we might chose to extend existing taxes for five more years.
A special election was needed last June to allow, we the people, to stop these cuts with a tax extension but that did not happen. Washington DC http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.giflobbyist, Grover Norquist, convinced (cowed with threats?) every single Sacramento Republican and got them all to say “no” to the people’s right to vote. http://www.sacbee.com/2011/05/25/3651880/jerry-brown-grover-norquist-spar.html
Due to the archaic 2/3rds majority rule in California, Republican votes were absolutely required for this measure to reach the ballot. Only four elected Sacramento Republicans were needed to allow us the right to vote. But every single SACRAMENTO REPUBLICAN refused to allow us that right to decide.
OUR LOCAL SACRAMENTO REPUBLICANS:
California Assembly
Martin Garrick (R) (760)929-7998(When not drunk driving, now running for Mark Wyland's state senate office)
Nathan Fletcher (R) (858) 689-6290 (running for mayor of San Diego)
Diane Harkey (R) (760) 757-8084 (Jim Gibson ran a nasty campaign against her for her Sacramento Assembly seat and lost a few years back.)
California Senate
Mark Wyland (R) (760) 931-2455 (term limited out of office in 2012-- by far the most personable of our local Republicans)
*The State of California provides between 80 and 90% of the funds to run local schools. Local taxes are the far far less important than state revenues for vast majority of school districts in the state including VUSD.
Friday, August 19, 2011
VUSD Trustees forced to cut Sixth Grade Camp
Our school board trustees were forced to cut all sixth grade camp in the school district because there was not enough money to pay for all sixth graders to go. Allowing some to go and denying that privilege to others who cannot afford to pay is discriminatory. A violation of our US and California Constitutions. So why don't we in VUSD have the money for sixth grade camp?
There is one reason and only one reason that fifth grade camp was cancelled, lack of money from the state of California thanks to the unconscionable actions of Sacramento Republicans. If VUSD school board trustees had the money for sixth grade camp, they would spend it.
The state of California provides some 80% of the funds to run VUSD, local taxes only 20% or so. In some school districts the difference is even more. In the rural San Joaquin school district where I was superintendent, the state provided 91% of our revenue.
If you want money for the sixth grade camp, art and music programs then the revenue that the state takes in must increase. By law more than 50% of state revenue must go to K-12 schools in California (Prop 98). But how to get more revenue for the state? Talk to a Sacramento Republican.
One hundred percent of Sacramento Republicans voted to deny we, the people of the state, the right to vote on whether we wanted a DOOMSDAY BUDGET that forces terrible decisions on local school boards or extend our current taxes for five more years. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2011/06/brown-and-democrats-team-up-on-budget-plan-without-gop-input.html
How could the minority party control our whole state? Easy our archaic two thirds rule for raising revenues plus the Sacramento Republicans vote in lockstep. Not one Republican is brave enough to vote his conscience. All must vote as the party bosses tell them to.
California has some of the lowest taxes in the country-- including oil extraction, car, real estate and income taxes on California's wealthiest (over 250K a year) which HAVE FALLEN by half in the last 15 years. But NOT ONE SINGLE Sacramento Republican would allow any discussion of increasing any of these sources of revenue or even allowing EXISTING taxes staying the same to be voted on by WE THE PEOPLE.
BTW California currently ranks squarely in the middle of the pack of the fifty states in all state taxes not anywhere near the highest as the lie-a-cons keep claiming.
Not only did Sacramento Republicans DENY, we the people our right to vote on extending existing taxes, they also would not agree to a SARAH PALIN approved tax on oil extraction in California.
Our state is the third largest producer of oil in the country after Alaska and Texas. In Alaska the whole state is financed by an oil extraction tax. Only in California is Big Oil allowed to take a limited precious resource for free from OUR California soil and give we the people back, bupkis.
Sarah Palin while governor of the state of Alaska signed an increase in her states oil extraction tax. If we in California had the very SAME TAX as Sarah Palin APPROVED, we would have billions more to spend on schools. But the Sacramento Republicans said NO NO NO to the idea at the direction of Grover Norquist aka "The King".http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/01/06/us-california-taxes-idUSTRE7055L420110106
If you want sixth grade camp or art and music for our kids, then tell our local Sacramento Republicans to stop kissing the ring of "the King" Norquist and help we the people in California first.
OUR LOCALLY ELECTED SACRAMENTO REPUBLICANS:
California Assembly
Martin Garrick (R) (760)929-7998
Nathan Fletcher (R) (858) 689-6290
Diane Harkey (R) (760) 757-8084
California Senate
Mark Wyland (R) (760) 931-2455
When you vote for Sacramento Republicans whose first loyalty is to a Washington DC lobbyist (the King Norquist) and not to the people of the state, your vote has consequences. In this case cut to sixth grade camp, on top of music and art cuts and class size increases and a shortened school year that VUSD students have already endured.
There is one reason and only one reason that fifth grade camp was cancelled, lack of money from the state of California thanks to the unconscionable actions of Sacramento Republicans. If VUSD school board trustees had the money for sixth grade camp, they would spend it.
The state of California provides some 80% of the funds to run VUSD, local taxes only 20% or so. In some school districts the difference is even more. In the rural San Joaquin school district where I was superintendent, the state provided 91% of our revenue.
If you want money for the sixth grade camp, art and music programs then the revenue that the state takes in must increase. By law more than 50% of state revenue must go to K-12 schools in California (Prop 98). But how to get more revenue for the state? Talk to a Sacramento Republican.
One hundred percent of Sacramento Republicans voted to deny we, the people of the state, the right to vote on whether we wanted a DOOMSDAY BUDGET that forces terrible decisions on local school boards or extend our current taxes for five more years. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2011/06/brown-and-democrats-team-up-on-budget-plan-without-gop-input.html
How could the minority party control our whole state? Easy our archaic two thirds rule for raising revenues plus the Sacramento Republicans vote in lockstep. Not one Republican is brave enough to vote his conscience. All must vote as the party bosses tell them to.
California has some of the lowest taxes in the country-- including oil extraction, car, real estate and income taxes on California's wealthiest (over 250K a year) which HAVE FALLEN by half in the last 15 years. But NOT ONE SINGLE Sacramento Republican would allow any discussion of increasing any of these sources of revenue or even allowing EXISTING taxes staying the same to be voted on by WE THE PEOPLE.
BTW California currently ranks squarely in the middle of the pack of the fifty states in all state taxes not anywhere near the highest as the lie-a-cons keep claiming.
Not only did Sacramento Republicans DENY, we the people our right to vote on extending existing taxes, they also would not agree to a SARAH PALIN approved tax on oil extraction in California.
Our state is the third largest producer of oil in the country after Alaska and Texas. In Alaska the whole state is financed by an oil extraction tax. Only in California is Big Oil allowed to take a limited precious resource for free from OUR California soil and give we the people back, bupkis.
Sarah Palin while governor of the state of Alaska signed an increase in her states oil extraction tax. If we in California had the very SAME TAX as Sarah Palin APPROVED, we would have billions more to spend on schools. But the Sacramento Republicans said NO NO NO to the idea at the direction of Grover Norquist aka "The King".http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/01/06/us-california-taxes-idUSTRE7055L420110106
If you want sixth grade camp or art and music for our kids, then tell our local Sacramento Republicans to stop kissing the ring of "the King" Norquist and help we the people in California first.
OUR LOCALLY ELECTED SACRAMENTO REPUBLICANS:
California Assembly
Martin Garrick (R) (760)929-7998
Nathan Fletcher (R) (858) 689-6290
Diane Harkey (R) (760) 757-8084
California Senate
Mark Wyland (R) (760) 931-2455
When you vote for Sacramento Republicans whose first loyalty is to a Washington DC lobbyist (the King Norquist) and not to the people of the state, your vote has consequences. In this case cut to sixth grade camp, on top of music and art cuts and class size increases and a shortened school year that VUSD students have already endured.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Vista Teachers get the shaft in lawsuit settlement
The North County Times has indicated that the CTA lawyers representing the Vista Teachers Association 'for free' have settled with the Vista Unified School District.
Read the article here: http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/vista/article_f0705fa3-44e7-5158-a4a4-ccaa4a65c7b8.html?mode=story
The settlement is wrong and the Vista Teachers' Association should have insisted that the CTA continued to fight it.
The agreement for a release time president between the VTA and the district was BARGAINED. In bargaining the teachers give up on some of their requests and the district gives up on some of its requests. The teachers gave up a lot of other potential benefits that might have cost far more to get the release time president. Will the teachers get those back now that the district has "stolen" the value of the release time president and imposed a new 'tax' on teachers?
The release time president provision in our VTA contract was the same provision that dozens and dozens of other unions in large districts throughout the state had.
This provision in the contract COST THE DISTRICT NO MONEY. NONE. The payroll was the same with the president of the VTA in the classroom or in the VTA office. The only addition cost was the cost of the replacement teacher. Under the previous agreemetn VTA paid more than that cost.
Under this unfair settlement the teachers of the district will be SUBSIDIZING the district. The district will receive FAR MORE THAN the cost of the replacement teacher. That difference will be in the tens of thousands of dollars. Every single teacher in the district will be paying an additional "tax" to the school district amounting to that difference in cost divided by the number of teachers.
Teachers lost a week of pay this year and now are hit with this new "tax."
Thanks to the dictates of highly unpopular VUSD superintendent Joyce Bales, teachers no longer have the authority to teach their classroom students according to the needs that they see in their classroom. They are forced to teach like robots the exact same thing on the same day and give the same test on the same day in every elementary classroom in the district. No individuality. No ability to respond to the individual needs of the UNIQUE children in their classroom. Now an additional tax.
The CTA and their lawyers, who represented our fine VUSD teachers, threw the teachers of our district under the bus. This should have been fought in the courtroom.
Mothers don't let your children grow up to be teachers.
Read the article here: http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/vista/article_f0705fa3-44e7-5158-a4a4-ccaa4a65c7b8.html?mode=story
The settlement is wrong and the Vista Teachers' Association should have insisted that the CTA continued to fight it.
The agreement for a release time president between the VTA and the district was BARGAINED. In bargaining the teachers give up on some of their requests and the district gives up on some of its requests. The teachers gave up a lot of other potential benefits that might have cost far more to get the release time president. Will the teachers get those back now that the district has "stolen" the value of the release time president and imposed a new 'tax' on teachers?
The release time president provision in our VTA contract was the same provision that dozens and dozens of other unions in large districts throughout the state had.
This provision in the contract COST THE DISTRICT NO MONEY. NONE. The payroll was the same with the president of the VTA in the classroom or in the VTA office. The only addition cost was the cost of the replacement teacher. Under the previous agreemetn VTA paid more than that cost.
Under this unfair settlement the teachers of the district will be SUBSIDIZING the district. The district will receive FAR MORE THAN the cost of the replacement teacher. That difference will be in the tens of thousands of dollars. Every single teacher in the district will be paying an additional "tax" to the school district amounting to that difference in cost divided by the number of teachers.
Teachers lost a week of pay this year and now are hit with this new "tax."
Thanks to the dictates of highly unpopular VUSD superintendent Joyce Bales, teachers no longer have the authority to teach their classroom students according to the needs that they see in their classroom. They are forced to teach like robots the exact same thing on the same day and give the same test on the same day in every elementary classroom in the district. No individuality. No ability to respond to the individual needs of the UNIQUE children in their classroom. Now an additional tax.
The CTA and their lawyers, who represented our fine VUSD teachers, threw the teachers of our district under the bus. This should have been fought in the courtroom.
Mothers don't let your children grow up to be teachers.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Why protest at the offices of SACRAMENTO REPUBLICANS like Martin Garrick
One of our old favorite angry friends, Vista Watchdog, posted that he did not know why our heroic VTA president, Barbara Franklin, went to Republican State Assembly offices and Republican State Senate offices like those of Martin Garrick (infamous for cheering on the steps of the state Capitorl at cuts for the poor), Diane Harkey (who Jim Gibson smeared in his campaign for her office), Mark Wyland (a descent sort of man, almost moral, except he goes along with the entire Republican agenda if less angrily and vindictively) and Nathan Fletcher, a rising hate star in the SACRAMENTO REPUBLICAN anti-middle class galaxy of villains). VWdog's post is after the article with the infamous mis-leading headling about our VTA president being arrested, found here:http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/vista/article_f05347f3-864d-5a8a-98aa-17390b9fd476.html?mode=story
As VWdog knows SACRAMENTO REPUBLICANS (Martin Garrick, Diane Harkey, Mark Wyland, Nathan Fletcher, et al) have forced BILLIONS of dollars of life threatening cuts in programs for our neighbors who happen to be poor, elderly, sick or school children. How many will die from these cuts in social service support is still an open question.
The SACRAMENTO REPUBLICANS were able to force these cuts because of the two thirds requirements of our State Constitution. Four, just four, SACRAMENTO REPUBLICANS were needed for a chance to stop the DOOMSDAY cuts, but not one could be found.
The lemming like SACRAMENTO REPUBLICANS took an oath of loyalty and fidelity to a Washington DC lobbyist, Grover Norquist that supersedes there duty to California.
Norquist demanded that the voters of California be denied the basic right to vote on question of extending their same rate of taxation for five more years instead of imposing DOOMSDAY BUDGET cuts to California's poor, sick, elderly and school children. EVERY SINGLE SACRAMENTO REPUBLICAN, said, 'yes sir, King Norquist, whatever you demand, your majesty. We will follow your every desire."(After all King Norquist controls a vast pool of hundreds of millions of dollars of billionaire bully campaign money, so Republicans tremble when King Norquist speaks) Every SACRAMENTO REPUBLICAN denied we, the people, the right to vote on this crucial issue of endangering our most disadvantaged citizens. It was a decision of basic decency and morality. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THE SACRAMENTO REPUBLICANS said no to we, the people.
That is why there are protests at their offices as VWdog is well aware.
If you want to comment on the immoral cuts to the poor, sick, elderly and school children, here are the names and numbers where our locally elected SACRAMENTO REPUBLICANS can be reached:
OUR LOCALLY ELECTED SACRAMENTO REPUBLICANS:
California Assembly
Martin Garrick (R) (760)929-7998
Nathan Fletcher (R) (858) 689-6290
Diane Harkey (R) (760) 757-8084
California Senate
Mark Wyland (R) (760) 931-2455
As VWdog knows SACRAMENTO REPUBLICANS (Martin Garrick, Diane Harkey, Mark Wyland, Nathan Fletcher, et al) have forced BILLIONS of dollars of life threatening cuts in programs for our neighbors who happen to be poor, elderly, sick or school children. How many will die from these cuts in social service support is still an open question.
The SACRAMENTO REPUBLICANS were able to force these cuts because of the two thirds requirements of our State Constitution. Four, just four, SACRAMENTO REPUBLICANS were needed for a chance to stop the DOOMSDAY cuts, but not one could be found.
The lemming like SACRAMENTO REPUBLICANS took an oath of loyalty and fidelity to a Washington DC lobbyist, Grover Norquist that supersedes there duty to California.
Norquist demanded that the voters of California be denied the basic right to vote on question of extending their same rate of taxation for five more years instead of imposing DOOMSDAY BUDGET cuts to California's poor, sick, elderly and school children. EVERY SINGLE SACRAMENTO REPUBLICAN, said, 'yes sir, King Norquist, whatever you demand, your majesty. We will follow your every desire."(After all King Norquist controls a vast pool of hundreds of millions of dollars of billionaire bully campaign money, so Republicans tremble when King Norquist speaks) Every SACRAMENTO REPUBLICAN denied we, the people, the right to vote on this crucial issue of endangering our most disadvantaged citizens. It was a decision of basic decency and morality. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THE SACRAMENTO REPUBLICANS said no to we, the people.
That is why there are protests at their offices as VWdog is well aware.
If you want to comment on the immoral cuts to the poor, sick, elderly and school children, here are the names and numbers where our locally elected SACRAMENTO REPUBLICANS can be reached:
OUR LOCALLY ELECTED SACRAMENTO REPUBLICANS:
California Assembly
Martin Garrick (R) (760)929-7998
Nathan Fletcher (R) (858) 689-6290
Diane Harkey (R) (760) 757-8084
California Senate
Mark Wyland (R) (760) 931-2455
"CALIFORNIA IS BANKRUPT. RUINED." No, bankruptcy is not legally possible. However, CA is in a fiscal crises caused by SACRAMENTO REPUBLICANS.
Another of our angry friends who has been CONfused by the hired gun word thugs on AM talk radio and FOX News repeated what he had heard from those paid word thugs, namely that California was bankrupt. This comment was made after the North County article with the inflammatory and misleading headline about our fine VTA president and her courageous stand against de-funding FACT based California public education.
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/vista/article_f05347f3-864d-5a8a-98aa-17390b9fd476.html?mode=story
After the article was this comment by a CONfused blogger calling himself Person X:
Person X at 12:00am incorrectly wrote, "California is bankrupt. Ruined."
Neither is true. Even the Weekly Standard, a rag that publishes only anti-union, anti-worker, billionaire bully paid for articles admits (and laments) that no American state can go bankrupt in the following article.
www.weeklystandard.com/.../give-states-way-go-bankrupt_518378.html
However, California is in a fiscal crises caused by SACRAMENTO REPUBLICANS who mis-used the two thirds California Constitutional requirement to refuse to even allow a vote on simple no brainers like a Sarah Palin tax on oil extraction in our state.
We are the third largest oil producing state in America. Oil companies in California pay ZERO dollars back to the state for taking OUR OIL and selling it for HUGE PROFITS.
www.nytimes.com/2011/02/01/business/01oil.html
www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/.../chevron-latest-oil-company-big-profits_n_855404.html
The bill that Sarah Palin signed into law in Alaska, if passed here, would provide billions of dollars to fix our funding crises in California without DOOMSDAY cuts to our neighbors who happen to be poor, elderly, sick, or school children.
For more common sense fixes to our problem California's REVENUE crises go here: http://caltaxreform.org/?p=211
Here is also a video by Megan Fox called "Hot for Teachers" that details billions in cuts already made to our California schools under our former governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger:
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/7d5ec0278e/megan-fox-is-hot-for-teachers
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/vista/article_f05347f3-864d-5a8a-98aa-17390b9fd476.html?mode=story
After the article was this comment by a CONfused blogger calling himself Person X:
Person X at 12:00am incorrectly wrote, "California is bankrupt. Ruined."
Neither is true. Even the Weekly Standard, a rag that publishes only anti-union, anti-worker, billionaire bully paid for articles admits (and laments) that no American state can go bankrupt in the following article.
www.weeklystandard.com/.../give-states-way-go-bankrupt_518378.html
However, California is in a fiscal crises caused by SACRAMENTO REPUBLICANS who mis-used the two thirds California Constitutional requirement to refuse to even allow a vote on simple no brainers like a Sarah Palin tax on oil extraction in our state.
We are the third largest oil producing state in America. Oil companies in California pay ZERO dollars back to the state for taking OUR OIL and selling it for HUGE PROFITS.
www.nytimes.com/2011/02/01/business/01oil.html
www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/.../chevron-latest-oil-company-big-profits_n_
The bill that Sarah Palin signed into law in Alaska, if passed here, would provide billions of dollars to fix our funding crises in California without DOOMSDAY cuts to our neighbors who happen to be poor, elderly, sick, or school children.
For more common sense fixes to our problem California's REVENUE crises go here: http://caltaxreform.org/?p=211
Here is also a video by Megan Fox called "Hot for Teachers" that details billions in cuts already made to our California schools under our former governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger:
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/7d5ec0278e/megan-fox-is-hot-for-teachers
TEACHERS ARE JUST HIGHLY PAID BABYSITTERS! No, we just wish we were paid that well.
Today in the comment section following the highly inflammatory headline, "Vista:Teacher Union President Arrested" a bunch of our angry friends posted there usual CONfused comments that illuminate more their ignorance and anger than anything to do with the article, we had the following posting:
-----------
Cranky said at 8:20pm on April 16, "Most (referring to teachers) are just highly payed babysitters."
See the article here: http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/vista/article_f05347f3-864d-5a8a-98aa-17390b9fd476.html?mode=story
-----------
No, Cranky they are not. Babysitters would be paid at nearly triple the rate as school teachers are paid.
It has been more than twenty years since I had a small child in need of babysitting, but even then the going rate was $5 per hour per child.
In a typical underfunded California classroom there are 35 to 40 students for 6.5 hours per day. Let's take 35 students times 6.5 hours times $5 per hour, I get $1137 for one day. Typical sub rate is $100 per day. Salaried teacher rate can vary, but is slightly more than subs. However, even the highest paid teacher salaries are not in the same league with the babysitters' salaries, the babysitters would make far more per day than any public school teachers.
What about per year? Let's multiply that $1137 daily babysitter rate by 180 day school year--$204,750!
The top salary for a VUSD school teacher in the 2010-2011 school year was $78,612 and that is ONLY for the one or two older teachers in our entire district. These teachers must have spent at least thirty years teaching IN VUSD and must also have a master's degree AND 75 units of EXPENSIVE post graduate units.
Most teachers never get close to that salary. They are either not teachers exclusively in VUSD that long or paying for the EXPENSIVE post graduate units is too prohibitive on their miniscule salaries. Rent or post graduate units? Hmmm, which should I pay? Most teachers chose paying the rent.
So let's see one could become a 'rich' college graduate teacher who after paying off college debt and thirty years in a district in addition to laying out tens of thousands of personal money spent on post graduate work gets a mere 78.6K or a babysitter whose rates TWENTY years ago would come to nearly triple that amount.
No, Cranky, teachers are not babysitters. They just wish they were paid that well.
Here is the URL of the Vista Unified School District's teacher salary schedule: http://www.vusd.k12.ca.us/Departments/hr/certificatedHR/Certificated%20HR%20Documents/Teacher%20Salary%20Schedule%202010%20-%202011.pdf
-----------
Cranky said at 8:20pm on April 16, "Most (referring to teachers) are just highly payed babysitters."
See the article here: http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/vista/article_f05347f3-864d-5a8a-98aa-17390b9fd476.html?mode=story
-----------
No, Cranky they are not. Babysitters would be paid at nearly triple the rate as school teachers are paid.
It has been more than twenty years since I had a small child in need of babysitting, but even then the going rate was $5 per hour per child.
In a typical underfunded California classroom there are 35 to 40 students for 6.5 hours per day. Let's take 35 students times 6.5 hours times $5 per hour, I get $1137 for one day. Typical sub rate is $100 per day. Salaried teacher rate can vary, but is slightly more than subs. However, even the highest paid teacher salaries are not in the same league with the babysitters' salaries, the babysitters would make far more per day than any public school teachers.
What about per year? Let's multiply that $1137 daily babysitter rate by 180 day school year--$204,750!
The top salary for a VUSD school teacher in the 2010-2011 school year was $78,612 and that is ONLY for the one or two older teachers in our entire district. These teachers must have spent at least thirty years teaching IN VUSD and must also have a master's degree AND 75 units of EXPENSIVE post graduate units.
Most teachers never get close to that salary. They are either not teachers exclusively in VUSD that long or paying for the EXPENSIVE post graduate units is too prohibitive on their miniscule salaries. Rent or post graduate units? Hmmm, which should I pay? Most teachers chose paying the rent.
So let's see one could become a 'rich' college graduate teacher who after paying off college debt and thirty years in a district in addition to laying out tens of thousands of personal money spent on post graduate work gets a mere 78.6K or a babysitter whose rates TWENTY years ago would come to nearly triple that amount.
No, Cranky, teachers are not babysitters. They just wish they were paid that well.
Here is the URL of the Vista Unified School District's teacher salary schedule: http://www.vusd.k12.ca.us/Departments/hr/certificatedHR/Certificated%20HR%20Documents/Teacher%20Salary%20Schedule%202010%20-%202011.pdf
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Fewer of our angry friends, leaks on the VUSD school board, and teachers' legal protections are racist
Good News--there are fewer and fewer of our local angry friends posting on line. After articles mentioning Vista Unified School district, we used to have more than a dozen of them posting paranoia, slander, and out right lies regarding our fine public schools and fine VUSD school teachers. Now we have only two or three and their attacks on FACT based public schools are getting stale. The same silliness is posted over and over virtually verbatim. Their simple arguments are easily refuted. Their rants are not catching on and their number continue to diminsh.
The newest line of attack concocted by Jim Gibson and his allies against the four school board members, who are actually trying to improve education in VUSD, has to do with the possibility that the school board might come to a settlement with the Vista Teachers Association in the VUSD lawsuit against the VTA for less than the original amount asked for.
It appears that someone on the VUSD school board is informing his supporters of what is being said at closed door meetings of the VUSD school board when the board members discuss their strategy in the lawsuit. (Gee, I wonder which school board member would break confidence and back stab the other school board members while not caring that the privileged information he was illegally sharing with his supporters would make the lawsuit more time consuming and costly for the district?). The VUSD school board strategy that is being leaked seems to be to try to come to a quick resolution of the lawsuit for an amount of less than 540K.
Now, personally, I do not think the VTA should settle at all. The VUSD school board had lawyers who advised them and read and approved each new collective bargaining agreement before the school board agreed to sign on. These agreements are mutual--both sides agree to them in writing. The VUSD school board's lawyers thought the bargaining agreements were legally 'kosher" for a decade and a half. To now decide that the bargaining agreements were in error and that the VTA negotiators--ordinary classroom teachers with no law experience and who often had no access to a lawyer-- somehow pulled the wool over the eyes of the hired gun VUSD lawyers for 15 years is ludicrous. VTA should just say no to any agreement that is not forced on them by litigation with damages assigned by the court. I think the VTA has a good chance of owing nothing or even being OWED money by the VUSD if they just refuse to settle and let the court case run its course.
However, if the school board wants to offer a settlement. Let them. The teachers can consider it. With at least one trustee leaking self serving information to his supporters, a settlement seems harder and harder to achieve.
More bad news--teachers rights including salary schedule, set duty hours, seniority, and permanent status are under attack and being labelled as racist locally, state wide and nationally in the newest front in the war on public education.
Our local angry friends who post at the North County Times recently been saying that VUSD teachers are not working hard enough to help Hispanic children and hinting at racism. Poster El Chapo wrote on April 19, 2011 after an article about four teachers at VUSD being named teacher of the year:
How could you choose this teacher if they don't know how to speak spanish(sic) to teach our kids remember 80% of the vista teachers don't speak spanish(sic) thats (sic) why our schools are falling.
Makeeda formerly Roxy wrote, "built several white schools for other school districts at the VUSD taxpayers cost"
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/vista/article_0bba9676-7bad-502a-998a-0f582f4f923e.html
On February 6 El Chapo wrote about the relocating of Olive to the Washington campus,
", hey why don't they bus students from shadowridge (sic) area so they don't have to close olive (sic) and have the smart parents help the school"
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/vista/article_a7f3e661-35db-5bfc-a0ff-3cbaea624297.html?mode=comments
The theme that teachers rights like duty hours, salary schedules, seniority, and permanent status are racist in nature is the latest billionaire bully funded attack on American education and the teachers who provide it. They have paid for hired gun word thugs to created anti public education 'think tanks' and to build many websites to promote this view. The latest I have run across is called Democrats for Education Reform. See its slick website here: http://www.dfer.org/ This organization has branches in states all across the country Ohio, New Jersey, New York and of course California.
It is secretly funded by billionaire bullies who are able to hide the fact that they fund it and also to get IRS tax deductions while doing so.
The main theme of these hired gun word thugs is that teachers having rights amounts to racism and that destroying teachers' rights is the next great civil rights movement.
Racism resentment is the same theme of the small cadre of misinformed activists that are posting their comments after North County Times articles mentioning VUSD and who have taken over our the Districts English Language Advisory Committee, DELAC, activists like Alejandro Sancehez, Eduardo Preciado, Silvia Peters. Sadly they took the leadership of DELAC from the capable hands of Gabriela Hooshman a year ago last January.
They have used the racism charge in organizing against the relocation of Olive Elementary School. Apparently former extremist Trustee Stephen Guffanti and his wife Maureen helped to organize the parent protests and the misplaced resentment at Olive.
http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/letters/article_e9235ab6-7a56-552f-9302-580cab826a61.html
Luckily ANTI immigration fervor also motivates the Guffantis resulting in Maureen writing a letter to the editor expressing her praise for the arrest and deportation of a mother, a grandmother and a child in less than a school day while two other children were still in school. The other two children arrived to an empty house with three of their family members gone.
http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/letters/article_daca7dc3-af26-58f3-a3f0-a898ad6ac457.html
When I pointed out this last letter to the editor to Makeeda/Roxy, she reacted in rage as usual but since that time I have not noticed any of our local misinformed angry Hispanic parents supporting the Guffanti only Gibson.
Our Hispanic angry friends are correct in one thing, their children are being discriminated against and held back from achieving all that they could. Sadly the billionaire bullies have focused them on the wrong target--the hard working teachers in the public schools and not on the right target--the underfunding of public education, public health programs, food programs for the poor, medical and dental help for the poor. Imagine how much better low income students of ALL RACES could do if they did not have the stress of not knowing where they were going to live, if they were going to have food at night, if their sore teeth and sick stomachs were going to get appropriate medical treatment and if their parents could stop working three jobs a piece and be home to parent them. A society where all children have the right to food, shelter, and medical and dental access would go a long way towards improving test scores.
Study after study have shown that test scores follow the money. Test scores have nothing to do with drill and kill programs and they have nothing to do with teacher having job protections. The highest scoring students in the country are in states with teacher protections and rights (Massachusetts) and the very lowest scores are in states in the south with no teacher protections at all.
We should always remember that these hard fought for rights were granted to teaches to stop the outrageous abuses of the early to mid twentieth century when male teachers were paid more than female teachers, teachers were fired for reasons of political consideration, teaching spots were given to political supporters, and teachers were dismissed for arbitrary and even for no reason at all (just as probationary teachers still are). Calling them racist is an outrage and slander against the teaching profession and is historically inaccurate.
The newest line of attack concocted by Jim Gibson and his allies against the four school board members, who are actually trying to improve education in VUSD, has to do with the possibility that the school board might come to a settlement with the Vista Teachers Association in the VUSD lawsuit against the VTA for less than the original amount asked for.
It appears that someone on the VUSD school board is informing his supporters of what is being said at closed door meetings of the VUSD school board when the board members discuss their strategy in the lawsuit. (Gee, I wonder which school board member would break confidence and back stab the other school board members while not caring that the privileged information he was illegally sharing with his supporters would make the lawsuit more time consuming and costly for the district?). The VUSD school board strategy that is being leaked seems to be to try to come to a quick resolution of the lawsuit for an amount of less than 540K.
Now, personally, I do not think the VTA should settle at all. The VUSD school board had lawyers who advised them and read and approved each new collective bargaining agreement before the school board agreed to sign on. These agreements are mutual--both sides agree to them in writing. The VUSD school board's lawyers thought the bargaining agreements were legally 'kosher" for a decade and a half. To now decide that the bargaining agreements were in error and that the VTA negotiators--ordinary classroom teachers with no law experience and who often had no access to a lawyer-- somehow pulled the wool over the eyes of the hired gun VUSD lawyers for 15 years is ludicrous. VTA should just say no to any agreement that is not forced on them by litigation with damages assigned by the court. I think the VTA has a good chance of owing nothing or even being OWED money by the VUSD if they just refuse to settle and let the court case run its course.
However, if the school board wants to offer a settlement. Let them. The teachers can consider it. With at least one trustee leaking self serving information to his supporters, a settlement seems harder and harder to achieve.
More bad news--teachers rights including salary schedule, set duty hours, seniority, and permanent status are under attack and being labelled as racist locally, state wide and nationally in the newest front in the war on public education.
Our local angry friends who post at the North County Times recently been saying that VUSD teachers are not working hard enough to help Hispanic children and hinting at racism. Poster El Chapo wrote on April 19, 2011 after an article about four teachers at VUSD being named teacher of the year:
How could you choose this teacher if they don't know how to speak spanish(sic) to teach our kids remember 80% of the vista teachers don't speak spanish(sic) thats (sic) why our schools are falling.
Makeeda formerly Roxy wrote, "built several white schools for other school districts at the VUSD taxpayers cost"
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/vista/article_0bba9676-7bad-502a-998a-0f582f4f923e.html
On February 6 El Chapo wrote about the relocating of Olive to the Washington campus,
", hey why don't they bus students from shadowridge (sic) area so they don't have to close olive (sic) and have the smart parents help the school"
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/vista/article_a7f3e661-35db-5bfc-a0ff-3cbaea624297.html?mode=comments
The theme that teachers rights like duty hours, salary schedules, seniority, and permanent status are racist in nature is the latest billionaire bully funded attack on American education and the teachers who provide it. They have paid for hired gun word thugs to created anti public education 'think tanks' and to build many websites to promote this view. The latest I have run across is called Democrats for Education Reform. See its slick website here: http://www.dfer.org/ This organization has branches in states all across the country Ohio, New Jersey, New York and of course California.
It is secretly funded by billionaire bullies who are able to hide the fact that they fund it and also to get IRS tax deductions while doing so.
The main theme of these hired gun word thugs is that teachers having rights amounts to racism and that destroying teachers' rights is the next great civil rights movement.
Racism resentment is the same theme of the small cadre of misinformed activists that are posting their comments after North County Times articles mentioning VUSD and who have taken over our the Districts English Language Advisory Committee, DELAC, activists like Alejandro Sancehez, Eduardo Preciado, Silvia Peters. Sadly they took the leadership of DELAC from the capable hands of Gabriela Hooshman a year ago last January.
They have used the racism charge in organizing against the relocation of Olive Elementary School. Apparently former extremist Trustee Stephen Guffanti and his wife Maureen helped to organize the parent protests and the misplaced resentment at Olive.
http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/letters/article_e9235ab6-7a56-552f-9302-580cab826a61.html
Luckily ANTI immigration fervor also motivates the Guffantis resulting in Maureen writing a letter to the editor expressing her praise for the arrest and deportation of a mother, a grandmother and a child in less than a school day while two other children were still in school. The other two children arrived to an empty house with three of their family members gone.
http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/letters/article_daca7dc3-af26-58f3-a3f0-a898ad6ac457.html
When I pointed out this last letter to the editor to Makeeda/Roxy, she reacted in rage as usual but since that time I have not noticed any of our local misinformed angry Hispanic parents supporting the Guffanti only Gibson.
Our Hispanic angry friends are correct in one thing, their children are being discriminated against and held back from achieving all that they could. Sadly the billionaire bullies have focused them on the wrong target--the hard working teachers in the public schools and not on the right target--the underfunding of public education, public health programs, food programs for the poor, medical and dental help for the poor. Imagine how much better low income students of ALL RACES could do if they did not have the stress of not knowing where they were going to live, if they were going to have food at night, if their sore teeth and sick stomachs were going to get appropriate medical treatment and if their parents could stop working three jobs a piece and be home to parent them. A society where all children have the right to food, shelter, and medical and dental access would go a long way towards improving test scores.
Study after study have shown that test scores follow the money. Test scores have nothing to do with drill and kill programs and they have nothing to do with teacher having job protections. The highest scoring students in the country are in states with teacher protections and rights (Massachusetts) and the very lowest scores are in states in the south with no teacher protections at all.
We should always remember that these hard fought for rights were granted to teaches to stop the outrageous abuses of the early to mid twentieth century when male teachers were paid more than female teachers, teachers were fired for reasons of political consideration, teaching spots were given to political supporters, and teachers were dismissed for arbitrary and even for no reason at all (just as probationary teachers still are). Calling them racist is an outrage and slander against the teaching profession and is historically inaccurate.
Best Education Web site in the country--billionaire bullies, Arne Duncan, and the agenda to destroy public education
I found a terrific site on the web put together by Seattle teachers in response to the attacks on them, their profession and the FACT based public schools in Seattle launched by billionaire bully Bill Gates, Eli Broad, et al.
http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/
A well written and researched article about the attempts of non educators (billionaire bullies) to impose their version of education on America's crown jewel, its FACT based public education system and Arne Duncan's (Barak Obama's appointed education secretary)complicity in the same can be read here:
http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/2011/05/10/the-f-word-of-ed-reform-and-its-unholy-alliance-with-right-wing-union-busting/
Here is a bit of the article:
Union-busting has traditionally been considered the blood sport of right-wing corporatists. But Democrats, including the current president, have joined the fray.
There is no greater example of bipartisan union-busting and attacks on middle and working class citizens right now than what’s being done in the name of “education reform.”
President Barack Obama - Why should teachers vote for him in 2012?
All the celebrity names of corporate ed reform are collaborating in this pile-on: Arne Duncan, Michael Bloomberg, Michelle Rhee, Jeb Bush, Bill Gates and his foundation’s “ed reform” grantees. The Eli Broad-trained school superintendents are indoctrinated with this cut-throat corporation uber alles mindset. New Mayor Rahm Emanuel is squawking the same anti-labor dogma in Chicago (Emanuel backs crackdown on teachers, Chicago Sun-Times). And one of the key targets is teachers.
And yet, faithful Democrat activists blindly seem to think their own party has nothing to do with these efforts. I recently received this email from Bob Fertik, at Democrats.com:
Dear S.,
Are you outraged by the Republican class war against unions, teachers, and the entire middle class?
Yes, Bob, but I’m even more outraged by the Democrats’ complicity in it, including President Obama.
Though this may seem a Republican agenda, Democrats have done their bit to support these assaults on workers and middle class rights. For example, before new Republican Governor Snyder in Michigan recently signed into law a bill that gives the state treasurer the right to hand over unprecedented control of cities and school districts to “emergency financial managers,” the previous Democratic Governor, Jennifer Granholm, appointed a corporate Broad Foundation slash-and-privatizer Bob Bobb to financially manage and pillage Detroit’s Public Schools.
http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/2011/05/10/the-f-word-of-ed-reform-and-its-unholy-alliance-with-right-wing-union-busting/
http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/
A well written and researched article about the attempts of non educators (billionaire bullies) to impose their version of education on America's crown jewel, its FACT based public education system and Arne Duncan's (Barak Obama's appointed education secretary)complicity in the same can be read here:
http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/2011/05/10/the-f-word-of-ed-reform-and-its-unholy-alliance-with-right-wing-union-busting/
Here is a bit of the article:
Union-busting has traditionally been considered the blood sport of right-wing corporatists. But Democrats, including the current president, have joined the fray.
There is no greater example of bipartisan union-busting and attacks on middle and working class citizens right now than what’s being done in the name of “education reform.”
President Barack Obama - Why should teachers vote for him in 2012?
All the celebrity names of corporate ed reform are collaborating in this pile-on: Arne Duncan, Michael Bloomberg, Michelle Rhee, Jeb Bush, Bill Gates and his foundation’s “ed reform” grantees. The Eli Broad-trained school superintendents are indoctrinated with this cut-throat corporation uber alles mindset. New Mayor Rahm Emanuel is squawking the same anti-labor dogma in Chicago (Emanuel backs crackdown on teachers, Chicago Sun-Times). And one of the key targets is teachers.
And yet, faithful Democrat activists blindly seem to think their own party has nothing to do with these efforts. I recently received this email from Bob Fertik, at Democrats.com:
Dear S.,
Are you outraged by the Republican class war against unions, teachers, and the entire middle class?
Yes, Bob, but I’m even more outraged by the Democrats’ complicity in it, including President Obama.
Though this may seem a Republican agenda, Democrats have done their bit to support these assaults on workers and middle class rights. For example, before new Republican Governor Snyder in Michigan recently signed into law a bill that gives the state treasurer the right to hand over unprecedented control of cities and school districts to “emergency financial managers,” the previous Democratic Governor, Jennifer Granholm, appointed a corporate Broad Foundation slash-and-privatizer Bob Bobb to financially manage and pillage Detroit’s Public Schools.
http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/2011/05/10/the-f-word-of-ed-reform-and-its-unholy-alliance-with-right-wing-union-busting/
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Seniority Rights why teachers and students benefit
Public schools, public school teachers, their benefits, meager salaries and pitiful pensions are under attack in America today by billionaire bullies and the hired gun word thugs they employ on AM radio and FOXnotNews. These attacks are having success. The easily swayed and the poorly informed are beginning to believe the massive disinformation campaign of attack. Here is an example of one such CONfused person calling himself, "Person X" who posted on the North County Times website today:
Person X said on: May 4, 2011, 5:33 pm
It is too bad some kind of IQ test in concert with past performance criteria cannot be used to retain the best teachers during budget cuts, instead of the seniority system pruning, willy nilly, both good and bad teachers from the roster during budget cuts. It is not fair to the kids, the way it is now.
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/vista/article_c63a33ed-14ee-57e5-8e54-2247ba7528d4.html?mode=comments
Seniority rights do not keep poor older teachers at the expense of wonderful younger teachers contrary to the propaganda of the vast "right wing"* mind control machine's overwhelming media message saturation.
Seniority protects wonderful older teachers from being dismissed for partisan political reasons, corruption related reasons, and financial reasons because their increased cost of salary and particularly medical insurance.
In the recent past, good teachers were dismissed for these and many other terribly unfair reasons UNRELATED TO THEIR SKILLS AS TEACHERS.
As a young man my father-in-law taught music in the same Missouri high school with 20 year veteran female English teacher who was beloved by all--students, parents, fellow staff members. She was summarily fired by her principal because his nephew had just graduated from teaching college and needed a job. He gave her job to his nephew--a totally inexperienced brand new baby teacher. The principal made his relatives happy, but did no service for the students in his high school.
In the time before salary schedules and seniority, female teachers of the forties and fifties were almost always paid less than male teachers because 'a man has to support a family.' When lay offs were required due to budget problems again female teachers were laid off first for the same reason.
Teaching jobs were also used by politicians as gifts to their political supporters. Don't believe that happens? Think of horse breeder, "Heck of a job, Brownie" being made FEMA director under our previous president.
Salary schedules, seniority (first hired, first fired) were systems put into place to stop these outrageous abuses. They are a good thing for students and for public education.
The propaganda that teachers are difficult to fire is just that propaganda. It is nearly entirely false. Other than a very few examples, two or three teachers in LAUSD and a few more than that in New York City, the vast majority of good principals and good school districts have no problem getting rid of poor teachers.
In fact they seldom need to as teaching is one of the most challenging and difficult jobs in our society, the burn out and quit teaching rate approaches 50% of all teachers in their first five years. Teachers leave to get more pay, fewer hours, and more respect that nearly any other profession provides.
The respect part is very new. It has to do with this same massive, dishonest, vicious smear campaign being directed at school teachers in our country organized and paid for by billionaire bullies. There goal to destroy every base of power of the workers of this country so the political parties only give them more rights, more tax breaks and less safety and work regulations that protect ordinary Americans.
Don't be fooled by the propaganda! Fight for teachers rights!
---------------------------------------
*The terms right wing and conservative have been co-opted and re-defined by the elite corporatists, aka the billionaire bullies, using the sophisticated propaganda machine of FOXnotNews and the AM radio con man especially hired gun distorted, Rush Limbaugh. I used the term here to gently mock Hillary Clinton mis-labeling of this ANTI American ANTI middle class group of the selfish extremists who happen to be billionaires. Terms like "Right wing" or "conservative" in today's America have little to do with Barry Goldwater or other traditional patriotic conservatives.
Seniority rights do not keep poor older teachers at the expense of wonderful younger teachers contrary to the propaganda of the vast "right wing"* mind control machine's overwhelming media message.
Seniority protects wonderful older teachers from being dismissed for partisan political reasons, corruption related reasons and for their increased cost of salary and particularly medical insurance. In the recent past good teachers were dismissed for terribly unfair reasons. As a young man my father in law taught with 20 year veteran female English teacher who was beloved by all students parents fellow staff members. She was summarily fired by her principal because his son had just graduated from teaching college and needed a job. He gave her job to his nephew.
In the time before salary schedules and seniority, female teachers of the forties and fifties were almost always paid less than male teachers because 'a man has to support a family.' When lay offs were required due to budget problems again female teachers were laid off first for the same reason.
Teaching jobs were used by politicians as gifts to their political supporters aka horse breeder, "Heck of a job, Brownie" being made FEMA director under our previous president.
Salary schedules, seniority (first hired, first fired) were systems put into place to stop these outrageous abuses. They are a good thing for students and for public education.
The propaganda that teachers are difficult to fire is just that propaganda. It is nearly entirely false. Other than a very few examples two or three in LAUSD and a few more than that in New York City, the vast majority of good principals and good school districts have no problem getting rid of poor teachers.
In fact there is seldom a need to fire teachers as they usually quit long before a principal even notices a problem. Teaching is one of the most challenging and difficult jobs in our society, the burn out and quit teaching rate approaches 50% of all teachers in their first five years. Teachers leave to get more pay, fewer hours, and more respect that nearly any other profession provides in far greater abundance. (Sanitation workers are treated and paid better than most teachers.) The quiting over lack of respect part is very new. It has to do with the vicious smear campaign being directed at school teachers in our country.
*The terms right wing and conservative have been co-opted and re-defined by the elite corporationalists, aka the billionaire bullies, using the sophisticated propaganda machine of FOXnotNews and the AM radio con man especially hired gun distorted, Rush Limbaugh. I used the term here to gently mock Hillary Clinton mis-labeling of this ANTI American ANTI middle class group of the selfish extremists who happen to be billionaires. Terms like "Right wing" or "conservative" in today's America have little to do with Barry Goldwater or other traditional patriotic conservatives.
Seniority rights do not keep poor older teachers at the expense of wonderful younger teachers contrary to the propaganda of the vast "right wing"* mind control machine's overwhelming media message.
Seniority protects wonderful older teachers from being dismissed for partisan political reasons, corruption related reasons and for their increased cost of salary and particularly medical insurance. In the recent past good teachers were dismissed for terribly unfair reasons. As a young man my father in law taught with 20 year veteran female English teacher who was beloved by all students parents fellow staff members. She was summarily fired by her principal because his son had just graduated from teaching college and needed a job. He gave her job to his nephew.
In the time before salary schedules and seniority, female teachers of the forties and fifties were almost always paid less than male teachers because 'a man has to support a family.' When lay offs were required due to budget problems again female teachers were laid off first for the same reason.
Teaching jobs were used by politicians as gifts to their political supporters aka horse breeder, "Heck of a job, Brownie" being made FEMA director under our previous president.
Salary schedules, seniority (first hired, first fired) were systems put into place to stop these outrageous abuses. They are a good thing for students and for public education.
The propaganda that teachers are difficult to fire is just that propaganda. It is nearly entirely false. Other than a very few examples two or three specific individuals in LAUSD and a few more than that in New York City, the vast majority of good principals and good school districts have no problem getting rid of poor teachers.
In fact there is seldom a need to fire teachers as they usually quit long before a principal even notices a problem. Teaching is one of the most challenging and difficult jobs in our society. Teacher burn out and quitting the profession rate approaches 50% of all teachers in their first five years.
Teachers leave to get more pay, fewer hours, and more respect that nearly any other profession provides in far greater abundance. (Sanitation workers are treated and paid better than most teachers.) The quitting over lack of respect part is very new. It has to do with the vicious smear campaign being directed at school teachers in our country.
*The terms right wing and conservative have been co-opted and re-defined by the elite corporatists, aka the billionaire bullies, using the sophisticated propaganda machine of FOXnotNews and the AM radio con man especially hired gun distortionist, Rush Limbaugh. I used the phrase, 'vast right wing conspiracy' here to gently mock Hillary Clinton's mis-labeling of this very real ANTI American, ANTI middle class group who in reality are financed by a few selfish extremists who happen to be billionaires (Koch brothers, Rupert Murdoch, etc.) The use of terms like "Right wing" or "conservative" in today's America have little to do with Barry Goldwater or other traditional patriotic conservatives of a previous generation.
Person X said on: May 4, 2011, 5:33 pm
It is too bad some kind of IQ test in concert with past performance criteria cannot be used to retain the best teachers during budget cuts, instead of the seniority system pruning, willy nilly, both good and bad teachers from the roster during budget cuts. It is not fair to the kids, the way it is now.
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/vista/article_c63a33ed-14ee-57e5-8e54-2247ba7528d4.html?mode=comments
Seniority rights do not keep poor older teachers at the expense of wonderful younger teachers contrary to the propaganda of the vast "right wing"* mind control machine's overwhelming media message saturation.
Seniority protects wonderful older teachers from being dismissed for partisan political reasons, corruption related reasons, and financial reasons because their increased cost of salary and particularly medical insurance.
In the recent past, good teachers were dismissed for these and many other terribly unfair reasons UNRELATED TO THEIR SKILLS AS TEACHERS.
As a young man my father-in-law taught music in the same Missouri high school with 20 year veteran female English teacher who was beloved by all--students, parents, fellow staff members. She was summarily fired by her principal because his nephew had just graduated from teaching college and needed a job. He gave her job to his nephew--a totally inexperienced brand new baby teacher. The principal made his relatives happy, but did no service for the students in his high school.
In the time before salary schedules and seniority, female teachers of the forties and fifties were almost always paid less than male teachers because 'a man has to support a family.' When lay offs were required due to budget problems again female teachers were laid off first for the same reason.
Teaching jobs were also used by politicians as gifts to their political supporters. Don't believe that happens? Think of horse breeder, "Heck of a job, Brownie" being made FEMA director under our previous president.
Salary schedules, seniority (first hired, first fired) were systems put into place to stop these outrageous abuses. They are a good thing for students and for public education.
The propaganda that teachers are difficult to fire is just that propaganda. It is nearly entirely false. Other than a very few examples, two or three teachers in LAUSD and a few more than that in New York City, the vast majority of good principals and good school districts have no problem getting rid of poor teachers.
In fact they seldom need to as teaching is one of the most challenging and difficult jobs in our society, the burn out and quit teaching rate approaches 50% of all teachers in their first five years. Teachers leave to get more pay, fewer hours, and more respect that nearly any other profession provides.
The respect part is very new. It has to do with this same massive, dishonest, vicious smear campaign being directed at school teachers in our country organized and paid for by billionaire bullies. There goal to destroy every base of power of the workers of this country so the political parties only give them more rights, more tax breaks and less safety and work regulations that protect ordinary Americans.
Don't be fooled by the propaganda! Fight for teachers rights!
---------------------------------------
*The terms right wing and conservative have been co-opted and re-defined by the elite corporatists, aka the billionaire bullies, using the sophisticated propaganda machine of FOXnotNews and the AM radio con man especially hired gun distorted, Rush Limbaugh. I used the term here to gently mock Hillary Clinton mis-labeling of this ANTI American ANTI middle class group of the selfish extremists who happen to be billionaires. Terms like "Right wing" or "conservative" in today's America have little to do with Barry Goldwater or other traditional patriotic conservatives.
Seniority rights do not keep poor older teachers at the expense of wonderful younger teachers contrary to the propaganda of the vast "right wing"* mind control machine's overwhelming media message.
Seniority protects wonderful older teachers from being dismissed for partisan political reasons, corruption related reasons and for their increased cost of salary and particularly medical insurance. In the recent past good teachers were dismissed for terribly unfair reasons. As a young man my father in law taught with 20 year veteran female English teacher who was beloved by all students parents fellow staff members. She was summarily fired by her principal because his son had just graduated from teaching college and needed a job. He gave her job to his nephew.
In the time before salary schedules and seniority, female teachers of the forties and fifties were almost always paid less than male teachers because 'a man has to support a family.' When lay offs were required due to budget problems again female teachers were laid off first for the same reason.
Teaching jobs were used by politicians as gifts to their political supporters aka horse breeder, "Heck of a job, Brownie" being made FEMA director under our previous president.
Salary schedules, seniority (first hired, first fired) were systems put into place to stop these outrageous abuses. They are a good thing for students and for public education.
The propaganda that teachers are difficult to fire is just that propaganda. It is nearly entirely false. Other than a very few examples two or three in LAUSD and a few more than that in New York City, the vast majority of good principals and good school districts have no problem getting rid of poor teachers.
In fact there is seldom a need to fire teachers as they usually quit long before a principal even notices a problem. Teaching is one of the most challenging and difficult jobs in our society, the burn out and quit teaching rate approaches 50% of all teachers in their first five years. Teachers leave to get more pay, fewer hours, and more respect that nearly any other profession provides in far greater abundance. (Sanitation workers are treated and paid better than most teachers.) The quiting over lack of respect part is very new. It has to do with the vicious smear campaign being directed at school teachers in our country.
*The terms right wing and conservative have been co-opted and re-defined by the elite corporationalists, aka the billionaire bullies, using the sophisticated propaganda machine of FOXnotNews and the AM radio con man especially hired gun distorted, Rush Limbaugh. I used the term here to gently mock Hillary Clinton mis-labeling of this ANTI American ANTI middle class group of the selfish extremists who happen to be billionaires. Terms like "Right wing" or "conservative" in today's America have little to do with Barry Goldwater or other traditional patriotic conservatives.
Seniority rights do not keep poor older teachers at the expense of wonderful younger teachers contrary to the propaganda of the vast "right wing"* mind control machine's overwhelming media message.
Seniority protects wonderful older teachers from being dismissed for partisan political reasons, corruption related reasons and for their increased cost of salary and particularly medical insurance. In the recent past good teachers were dismissed for terribly unfair reasons. As a young man my father in law taught with 20 year veteran female English teacher who was beloved by all students parents fellow staff members. She was summarily fired by her principal because his son had just graduated from teaching college and needed a job. He gave her job to his nephew.
In the time before salary schedules and seniority, female teachers of the forties and fifties were almost always paid less than male teachers because 'a man has to support a family.' When lay offs were required due to budget problems again female teachers were laid off first for the same reason.
Teaching jobs were used by politicians as gifts to their political supporters aka horse breeder, "Heck of a job, Brownie" being made FEMA director under our previous president.
Salary schedules, seniority (first hired, first fired) were systems put into place to stop these outrageous abuses. They are a good thing for students and for public education.
The propaganda that teachers are difficult to fire is just that propaganda. It is nearly entirely false. Other than a very few examples two or three specific individuals in LAUSD and a few more than that in New York City, the vast majority of good principals and good school districts have no problem getting rid of poor teachers.
In fact there is seldom a need to fire teachers as they usually quit long before a principal even notices a problem. Teaching is one of the most challenging and difficult jobs in our society. Teacher burn out and quitting the profession rate approaches 50% of all teachers in their first five years.
Teachers leave to get more pay, fewer hours, and more respect that nearly any other profession provides in far greater abundance. (Sanitation workers are treated and paid better than most teachers.) The quitting over lack of respect part is very new. It has to do with the vicious smear campaign being directed at school teachers in our country.
*The terms right wing and conservative have been co-opted and re-defined by the elite corporatists, aka the billionaire bullies, using the sophisticated propaganda machine of FOXnotNews and the AM radio con man especially hired gun distortionist, Rush Limbaugh. I used the phrase, 'vast right wing conspiracy' here to gently mock Hillary Clinton's mis-labeling of this very real ANTI American, ANTI middle class group who in reality are financed by a few selfish extremists who happen to be billionaires (Koch brothers, Rupert Murdoch, etc.) The use of terms like "Right wing" or "conservative" in today's America have little to do with Barry Goldwater or other traditional patriotic conservatives of a previous generation.
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