Saying that a lot has happened in S.U.H.S.D. since our December Rep Council meeting is an understatement.  Events in our District have been reported in the Washington Post, Huffington Post, LA Times, and Sacramento Bee.

 

Last summer, we organized in collaboration with community members to remove our former superintendent. Our theme was "Stop Corruption."  Obviously, we have more work in front of us to accomplish that mission.  Those of you that attended the School Board meeting in July were given Stop Corruption buttons.  To increase awareness of our dissatisfaction with the status quo, we have ordered more of the buttons.

 

The buttons have arrived.  Let your site reps know that you want to a Stop Corruption button. The buttons can be worn during our duty day, including while teaching. However, encourage teachers not to discuss the issues while teaching unless it is a part a lesson plan that is directly tied to the standards.  One principal has given her staff a directive to not discuss the recent events with students. We need to follow such directives.

 

We also have Stop Corruption flyers available to distribute to the community to encourage them to attend the next school board meeting. These flyers can be distributed off campus. Typically, the sidewalks in front of your schools are off campus. Talk to site reps about requesting flyers and organizing at your pass them out. 

 

The SEA Board of Directors will meet next week. We will discuss SEA's role in bringing an end to corruption in our district. Any official position that is generated would need to be approved by the Rep Council. Our next Rep Council meeting is on January 31st. Please encourage your reps to attend this meeting, which is open to all members.In the meantime, it is safe to say that we do not support corruption.

 

I also hope to see you at the next School Board meeting which is scheduled for January 30th. The meeting is currently scheduled to take place at the Hilltop High School gymnasium. Currently the Closed Session is scheduled to begin at 5:30pm with the regular Open Session meeting scheduled for 6:30pm. We should know by mid week if there is a change in venue.

  

Alex Anguiano, President

Sweetwater Education Association

Despite Crisis, the work of the Bargaining Team continues.

 

Despite the crisis swirling around the Board of Trustees, the Bargaining Team continues with preparations for contract negotiations. Our current team is composed of the Chair of the team, Roberto Rodriguez (ORH), Colleen Cooke-Salas (MVM), Jason Leichter (CVA), Sandra Finkelberg (MOH) and Tricia Lyons (ELH). As always they are assisted and counseled by CTA Executive Director Lian Shoemake. 

 

The group met last Wednesday, January 18 to do some of the preliminary work. Survey responses were reviewed and Open Hearing presentations were discussed. Not surprisingly the survey results show the following priorities:

1. Health Benefits

2. Salary

3. Class Size / Master Schedule

 

Also, many of the survey comments reflected a desire for job security.

 

During the Open hearings we heard from Science Teachers, ELD/Bilingual teachers, Librarians, Robotics Teachers, PE teachers, Alternative Education teachers, and others. One of the recurring themes at the hearings was a major concern for class size. 

 

An opening bargaining proposal will be presented to the SEA Board of Directors at their next meeting on Jaunary 24th. The Board will then make a recommendation to Rep Council, which meets on January 31. The Bargaining proposal approved by Rep Council will then be presented to the SUHSD Board of Directors in the regularly scheduled February board meeting. The proposal will be presented to the members as soon as it's approved by Rep Council. 

 

 

When I first began teaching in Sweetwater, about 13 years ago, I was so proud to be part of this district. I recall attending the district-wide back to school events and trainings, and the enthusiasm and passion shared between me and my colleagues was palpable. Whatever problems we faced were, truly, LOCALIZED. We worked in a system in which students, teachers, support staff, and administrators were valued. Those who demonstrated the utmost responsibility and competency were promoted and revered. Shining stars were rising all over the district.

Then, 2005 happened. The inspirational pep-talks and informative conferences were replaced with pyrotechnics and grandstanding. It wasn't long before an exodus occurred - a forced exodus in some cases, or a voluntary exodus led by countless staff who "got out while the gettin' was good." There are times when I wish I was part of the latter group because the district in which I work is no longer a shining star; it has become a black hole of corruption, incompetency, and intimidation. The pull of greed, ambition, and grandiosity is so strong that our own school board has crossed the event horizon, the point of no return.

Unfortunately, it seems as if all of public education is in jeopardy of being sucked into a political black hole, which is what makes the alleged actions of our board even more disturbing. Were any of them truly concerned with the students, with achievement, with the betterment of our district, then they would NEVER put the integrity of our district into question, especially during times when faith in public schools is eroding. Even if they are not guilty of criminal offenses, they are most certainly guilty of unethical behavior, and their lack of scruples fuels the belief that public education is a sham and a crock.

What I would like Sweetwater parents, students, and stakeholders to know is that Sweetwater Education Association actively campaigned against the current board in the last election. In fact, there was a unanimous vote of no confidence in Arlie Ricasa and Jim Cartmill. You won't find us listed as campaign contributors for them. In addition, in 2009 we drafted a vote of no confidence in Jesus Gandara and presented it to the board. Many Sweetwater principals, teachers, counselors, and support staff have publicly voiced their disgust and distrust of the current administration at board meetings and to the press, even when we experienced repercussions for doing so. I think I can safely speak for all of us when I say that we are immensely grateful to the UT Watchdog team for exposing the political machine that threatens to destroy our district, our careers, and ultimately our students' hopes for a quality education.

According to Bonnie Dumanis, the corruption in Sweetwater is systemic and pervasive. It seems the abyss is expanding, and likely will consume even more of our "leadership" in the weeks ahead. Yet, all of Sweetwater will not be engulfed. Although the stars in our district may have been dimmed by the actions of a shameless and self-serving administration, there are still plenty of us who have and will continue to defy the physics of the situation and escape the black hole created by the Sweetwater Union High School District Board of Trustees. 

California can't cut it's way of a budget deficit

 

The Governor's 2012-13 State Budget proposal makes it crystal clear that California cannot cut its way out of its ongoing budget deficit. Additional revenue is the only way to protect public education and the essential public services that all Californians count on every day, and that millions of our students deserve.   

 

Our schools and colleges have already been cut more than $20 billion in the last four years, and that doesn't include the latest round of millions in midyear cuts to colleges, universities, and home-to-school transportation. We already rank 46th in per-pupil funding-additional cuts will not help us move in the right direction. This is another stark reminder that our state, with the eighth-largest economy in the world, has lost its way.

 

CTA is gravely concerned about the Governor's new school funding formula, which eliminates the state's successful Class Size Reduction program. This change allows districts to increase class sizes even further. Squeezing more and more students into California's already overcrowded classrooms will not improve student learning.