A Pretext for Removing as Many High Priced Teachers as Possible

Written by Leonard Isenberg
(one of my civil rights heroes)

(For a national view of public education reform see the end of this blog post) 

Since the regrettable Miramonte child molestation scandal, the numbers of teachers that the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is targeting, harassing, and summarily removing on bogus charges has exploded as Superintendent John Deasy and others in charge at LAUSD try to use this administratively allowed scandal as a pretext for removing as many high priced teachers as possible. This has created a culture of fear at LAUSD where those attacked tend to allow LAUSD to frame the conversation while trying to defend themselves against trumped up charges. This is a big mistake.

 Yesterday, when I appeared at the LAUSD Board meeting to speak against the proposed settlement of the Scot Graham - Ramon Cortines sexual harassment allegation, I bumped into LAUSD Head of Human Resources Vivian Ekchian, who asked me who I was. When I told her that I was a teacher who she had illegally terminated as an LAUSD teacher almost two years ago, she told me to send her any other information I might have to prove my innocence. 

 This is a perfect example of allowing LAUSD to frame the conversation. Under American law, I am presumed innocent until proven guilty, something that has not been the case for close to three years, since I was removed from my classroom. It is not for me to prove my innocence, but rather for LAUSD to prove that I did anything wrong that justifies my removal as a teacher without due process of law, which should take place in a timely manner to avoid the de facto punishment it continues to allow against myself and teachers who should be presumed innocent until proven guilty.

 As I was not given a legal Skelly Hearing, where charges, evidence, and witnesses were presented by the District nor subsequently dismissed with a "verified" letter under penalty of perjury by Ms. Ekchian, who actually has no knowledge of the facts in my or any other teachers' cases she signed to dismiss, minimal due process of law had not been met.

 It is LAUSD that must fulfill its legal burden to show that I was guilt of a firing offense by a preponderance of the evidence. As I pointed out to Ms. Ekchian, the vast majority of teachers are not in the financial position to fight back against the coordinated assault that LAUSD levels against them, with the active and/or passive collusion of United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) and their attorneys at Trygstad, Schwab & Trygstad. So why am I different, I asked her? Because, as I explained to her, "I have "f..k you" money sufficient to pay my overhead for the years LAUSD gets its expensive outside attorneys to unjustifiably protract the legal process. Most teachers who have been put on unpaid administrative leave pending termination do not have this luxury. All that Ms. Ekchian could say was that she found my use of the "f" word regrettable as did I. So I tried to put it into a context where she might better understand what I believe to be my justifiable use of this regrettable term under the circumstances. "Ms. Ekchian, if you were dealing with a Turkish official today in 2012 that continued to deny the murdering of one and a half million Armenians in the Armenian genocide in 1915, clearly perpetrated by the Turkish government, might you not use the "f" word too? Ms. Ekchian did not answer.

 To my way of thinking, vulgar is firing hundreds of teachers without cause or recourse to law. In my case or yours, if Ms. Ekchian or Mr. Ira Berman of Staff Relations, who was also sitting with her for hours in the LAUSD Board room, waiting for the Board to return from closed session, actually wanted to know more about my case or yours, all they would have to do is ask LAUSD legal counsel or the outside counsel they have hired at great expense to harass me and protract the process to let them see for the first time what evidence LAUSD has - or doesn't have - in any of the hundreds of cases against good teachers they are presently moving to fire. Ms. Ekchian chooses to sit and do nothing, which is probably what got her the job in the first place. Ms. Ekchian, Mr. Berman, and all the other employees of LAUSD are for the most part decent people, they just live and try to survive without making waves in the longstanding purposefully dysfunctional environment of LAUSD, where blindly following orders is the longstanding essence of LAUSD's change nothing philosophy, where no good act goes unpunished. If consequences, both good and bad, as well as external checks and balances against LAUSD's present unbridled power are put in place, Ms. Ekchian, Mr. Berman, and the vast majority of LAUSD administrators might actually do a good job.
 At the very least, they might even enjoy their work for a change.

If you or someone you know has been targeted and are in the process of being dismissed and need legal defense, get in touch: Lenny@perdaily.com

 NATIONAL EDUCATION REFORMERS LA Progressive Dick Price and Sharon Kyle http://www.laprogressive.com/ Dick and Sharon dick_and_sharon@yahoo.com Dick and Sharon are a pair of citizen journalists and information activists who were fed up with mainstream media. Rather than just kvetch about the media, they decided to try to become the media. So, together they founded the LA Progressive. Dick is the editor and Sharon is the publisher and webmaster, handling all technical aspects of the site. This site was launched in March 2008, with Dick and Sharon doing most of the writing. Today, a host of gifted writers contribute to the LA Progressive's daily offering which typically amounts to about 45 articles a week. Dick and Sharon continue to write for as well as edit and publish the LA Progressive and distribute its daily e-news each morning. 

 Jo Scott Coe Riverside, California Jo.Scott-Coe@rcc.edu www.joscottcoe.com Excellent Video Interview about Professor Coe http://vodpod.com/watch/4959969-jo-scott-coe-teacher-at-point-blank Assistant Professor of English at Riverside Community College and former high school English teacher. She is the author of Teacher at Point Blank and has been a teacher of English and literature in California since 1991. Her writing on intersections of gender, violence, and education has appeared in the Los Angeles Times as well as literary venues including Hotel Amerika, Fourth Genre, River Teeth, Ninth Letter, Memoir(and), Bitter Oleander, and Green Mountains Review. Her essay, "Recovering Teacher," won the NCTE 2009 Donald Murray Prize, and other selections of her work have received a Pushcart Special Mention as well as Notable listings in Best American Essays 2009 and 2010. As an independent researcher, Jo authored and published the most extensive study to-date of Adams v. LAUSD, a nearly 10-year legal case of student-on-teacher sexual harassment, in (Re)Interpretations: The Shapes of Justice in Women's Experience (Cambridge Scholars Press). Jo values the aesthetic, political, and socially transformative powers of literary narrative--especially to dispel unhealthy silences and witness cultural blindspots. She works currently as an assistant professor of English at Riverside Community College in SoCal, and her book, Teacher at Point Blank (Aunt Lute 2010), has been selected as a Great Read for Fall 2010 by Ms. Magazine. Punk rock? Yes. Hockey games? Yes. Coffee? Always black. Find Jo on the web at joscottcoe.com and on Twitter @joscottcoe. 

 Betsy Combier New York, New York betsy.combier@gmail.com Betsy Combier's blog - http://www.parentadvocates.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=article&articleID=488; This article is a jewel that chronicles the corruption in NYC's Dept of Education. She has accomplished a wonderful piece of journalism, and created one of the rare places where corrupt educational governance is chronicled and revealed. Professor Samuel Culbert Los Angeles, California is a professor at the UCLA Andersen School of Business who also teaches in the Education Department's Principals' Leadership Institute. Check out the following 3 minutes on ABC News:
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/conversation-performance-review-11126992 

 Stuart Goldurs Los Angeles, Califonia StuartComputers@gmail.com Don't send LAUSD Librarians to the Inquisition, send the downtown bureaucrats Tests, What Are They Good For? Absolutely Nothing! LAUSD students to attend school on contaminated land, again! Some schools teach only to the tests, so how are the students being prepared for the next grade and for life? New LAUSD superintendent adds six-figure positions to management team

 http://www.examiner.com/public-education-in-los-angeles/lausd-test-scores-up-to-failure-levels-what-are-the-students-learning Has been a teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District for 30 years. He is greatly aware of the district waste, large bureaucracy, and other major issues of the time. He started his blog with the sole purpose of informing the world about the truths of education in LAUSD. E-mail him at: StuartComputers@gmail.com. 

 LAUSD has selected a new Superintendent of Schools Karen Horwitz Chicago, Illinois wccbook@gmail.com Former award winning teacher who co-founded NAPTA, National Association for the Prevention of Teacher Abuse, and wrote the book White Chalk Crime: The REAL Reason Schools Fail to expose how teacher harassment and terrorization maintains a system of deeply hidden corruption. Disposing of dedicated teachers forms the core of the "White Chalk Criminal's" agenda since dedication and white collar crime do not mix. Given that all agree that good teachers are essential to good teaching, a system that cannot tolerate good teachers is worthless. This is what we have in place. With Bernie Madoff-like leaders - he was as much about investing as our school leaders are about educating - anointed with unlimited power, including the ability to fill the airwaves with propaganda, education is no longer about education. It is about money and power for those who play a very corrupt game and with an agenda of privatizing schools so their power, profit, and personal beliefs will increase and take hold. (Privatization may have merits. NAPTA does not take a position on that. But privatizing a system that is rotten to its core - where quality teaching cannot survive, where a cover up of pretense that they do not know this despite so many of us reporting these truths prevails - documents that those advocating privatization cannot be trusted! It shows they want our schools for their own interests, not the children, nor the community.)

 NAPTA welcomes parents, teachers, students, citizens or anyone who understands that without a real system of education, we no longer have a democracy! Membership is free.  (Truth is we no longer have a democracy, if ever. What we have is a corrupt mutation of capitalism in its stead. Not born of freedom but of corporate and personal greed. A "Cult of Wealthy Personalities" as our chosen leaders. With one national religion, the worship of the dollar above all lesser gods) 


Go to: EndTeacherAbuse.org or WhiteChalkCrime.com. Become educated about what is going on. Jerry Mintz Director Alternative Education Resource Organization (AERO) 417 Roslyn Rd., Roslyn Hts., NY 11577 For those of you who cannot wait for corrupt public education to be turned around, AERO offers an excellent source to get connected with viable alternatives right now. www.EducationRevolution.org info@EducationRevolution.org 800-769-4171 (domestic) 516-621-2195 (international) 

 Susan Ohanian Charlotte, Vermont susano@gmavt.net http://www.susanohanian.org She is a longtime public school teacher who, after 20 years, became staff writer for a teacher magazine and then went freelance. I've maintained a website of activism for nearly 9 years--ever since the passage of NCLB. People can subscribe to the website and then they get updates about new content. I answer all the mail I get through the website and with the answer, people have my e-mail. I also try to stir things up on Twitter, though I find this medium frustrating. I have a Facebook page--just so people can find me. I don't initiate anything on it, The website keeps me busy. http://susanohanian.org/show_atrocities.php?id=9593

 Susan Lee Schwartz Suffern,
New York,  Susan studied literacy education, English literature, and fine arts and holds a BA ('63) and MS ('65) from Brooklyn College, and has the equivalent of two master's degrees, earned in graduate studies of literacy, arts and education. She taught literacy skills and art, for four decades in NYC in elementary and secondary school. In 1998 she won the New York State English Council (NYSEC) Educator of Excellence Award for her successful teacher practice, studied by Harvard and the LRDC at the University of Pittsburgh for the New Standards research. At the end of her research, her unique curriculum was selected by the LRDC to be used in their national staff development seminars for school superintendents. She was among six teachers -- from among the thousands across the nation-- observed during the research project, and her teaching practice met all the principles of learning. In the nineties, she rose to prominence in national educational circles, while teaching at a new magnet school, East Side Middle School. The reading scores of her seventh grade students were at the top of the city, and on the first ELA, which two thirds of city students failed, her former students (then in the eight grade) were TENTH IN THE STATE. She writes often about what she learned about the genuine standards for learning, in an attempt to begin a national conversation about the authentic standards, so that there can be genuine reform. Her experience that ended her fine career in the NYC Public Schools has led her to write about the process that removed the top educators, silencing the voices of the classroom practitioners who would not accept anti-learning policies. Her essay here on Perdaily, is one that describes this process.

Read more as she talks about education, literacy and learning on her site, from the perspective of the experienced teacher-practitioner of pedagogy. She is the voice of dedicated and talented classroom teachers who know why the schools are failing. 

Her website is: http://www.speakingasateacher.com/Susan_Lee_Schwartz_(Steiner)_/index.html Joel Shatzky: Brooklyn, New York Joel.Shatzky@cortland.edu Professor of English Emeritus--SUNY, College at Cortland (1968-2005) Adjunct instructor-Kingsborough CC (CUNY) 2006-- ) Regular contributor to the Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/searchS/?q=Joel+Shatzky Author of "The Thinking Crisis" with Ellen Hill (Authors Choice Press: New York, 2001) Numerous articles on education in Jewish Currents. Script-writer for three YouTube satires on educational "reform." "The Lessons": www.youtube.com/watch?v=D712J1V2Jsg&feature=player_embedded

"Numbers Lie": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57BRNLviVTQ "The Charter Starters": www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnrrw5CV3Gw Here's Joel's latest post about the low percentage of "college ready" high school graduates. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joel-shatzky/educating-for-democracy-t_2_b_821410.html

 Lorna Stremcha Havre, Montana http://www.endteacherabuse.org/Stremcha.html http://twitter.com/lornapstremcha lornastremcha.com callmescarlet.blogspot.com facebook HER STORY: "I know first hand the financial, personal, emotional and physical damage that can result when school administrators, the Montana Education Association and the National Education Association put their own interests above the students, teachers and the taxpayers of the State of Montana My files contain mountains of paperwork including depositions, declarations of truth, notarized documents and exhibits resulting from an arduous legal process that finally ended when the Havre (Montana) School District settled two lawsuits - a Federal suit and one filed in State District Court. These documents also include a letter from a union representative stating, " This is nothing more than a witch hunt." Yet the union continued to allow the school administration to harass, bully and bring harm to me. These two lawsuits resulted from a single incident that, had it been handled differently and under the light of public scrutiny, would not have snowballed into awards of more than $200,000 worth of damages. Funds that eventually came from the taxpayers' pockets. Ironically, as a taxpayer in Hill County, my family and I are helping to pay for the damages awarded to me. This covered the attorneys' fees. The settlement did not include my attorney fees, however the district, insurance and taxpayers paid the defendants attorney bills, which exceeded mine. The settlement was made on March 2, 2006.

"http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-Jim-Taylor/125893225652 http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-Jim-Taylor/125893225652 http://twitter.com/search?q=DrJimTaylor Lois Weiner Jersey City, New Jersey Professor, Elementary and Secondary Education New Jersey City University 2039 Kennedy Blvd. Jersey City, New Jersey 07305 drweinerlo@gmail.com Blog http://newpolitics.mayfirst.org/blog/5 

Democracy Now http://www.democracynow.org/2010/9/3/educators_push_back_against_obamas_business RESEARCH INTERESTS Impact of urban school characteristics on teachers' classroom practice How race, class, and gender mediate academic achievement Teachers' work and the school as a workplace. Effects of changes in global political economy on teaching, teachers, and schools.

 (Para una visión nacional de la reforma de la educación pública ver el final de esta entrada del blog) Desde el escándalo de abuso sexual infantil Miramonte lamentable, el número de profesores que el Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) está apuntando, de acoso, y de la remoción de los cargos falsos se ha disparado como Superintendente John Deasy y otros a cargo en el LAUSD intentar usar esta vía administrativa permitido el escándalo como pretexto para eliminar a muchos profesores de alto precio como sea posible. Esto ha creado una cultura del miedo en el LAUSD donde t manguera \ atacado tienden a permitir que el LAUSD para enmarcar la conversación mientras intentaba defenderse de acusaciones falsas. Este es un gran error. Ayer, cuando me presenté en la reunión de la Junta del LAUSD para hablar en contra de la propuesta de acuerdo del escocés Graham - Ramón Cortines alegación de acoso sexual , me encontré con la cabeza de los Derechos Humanos del LAUSD Ekchian Recursos Vivian, quien me preguntó quién era yo. Cuando le dije que yo era un profesor que había terminado ilegalmente como profesor de LAUSD hace casi dos años, ella me dijo que le envíe cualquier otra información que podría tener que demostrar mi inocencia. Este es un ejemplo perfecto de lo que permite el LAUSD para enmarcar la conversación. Bajo la ley estadounidense, estoy presunción de inocencia hasta que algo pruebe lo contrario, que no ha sido el caso durante casi tres años, desde que fue retirado de mi salón de clases. No es para mí para demostrar mi inocencia, sino más bien por el LAUSD para demostrar que yo haya hecho nada malo que justifique mi remoción como un maestro sin el debido proceso de ley, que debe llevarse a cabo de manera oportuna para evitar el castigo de facto que sigue para permitir que contra mí mismo y los profesores que deben ser considerado inocente hasta que se demuestre su culpabilidad. Como no se le dio una audiencia judicial Skelly, donde los cargos, las pruebas y los testigos fueron presentados por el Distrito, ni posteriormente despidió con un "verificado" carta bajo pena de perjurio por la Sra. Ekchian, que en realidad no tiene conocimiento de los hechos en mi o cualquier otro de los casos de otros profesores que firmaron para despedir, el proceso de un mínimo de vencimiento de la ley no se habían cumplido. Es el LAUSD que debe cumplir su obligación legal para demostrar que yo era culpable de un delito de disparo por una preponderancia de la evidencia. Como he señalado a la Sra. Ekchian, la gran mayoría de los maestros no están en la posición financiera para luchar contra el asalto coordinado que los niveles del LAUSD en contra de ellos, con la complicidad activa y / o pasiva de Maestros Unidos de Los Ángeles (UTLA) y sus abogados en Trygstad, Schwab & Trygstad. ¿Por qué soy diferente, yo le pregunté? Porque, como le expliqué, "Tengo" f .. k que "el dinero suficiente para pagar mis gastos para los años del LAUSD recibe sus abogados externos costosos para prolongar injustificadamente el proceso legal. La mayoría de los profesores que se han puesto en licencia administrativa sin pagar hasta que se ponga no tienen ese lujo. Todo lo que la Sra. Ekchian podía decir era que se encontró con mi uso de la palabra "F" lamentable al igual que I. Así que traté de ponerlo en un contexto en el que podríamos entender mejor lo que creo que ser mi uso justificado de este término lamentable que, dadas las circunstancias. "La Sra. Ekchian, si se trataba de un funcionario turco de hoy en 2012, que siguió negando el asesinato de un año y medio de armenios millones en el genocidio armenio en 1915, claramente perpetrado por el gobierno turco, no podría utilizar la palabra "F" también ? La Sra. Ekchian no respondió.A mi modo de pensar, vulgar está despidiendo a cientos de maestros sin causa o el recurso a la ley. En mi caso, o la tuya, si la Sra. o el Sr. Ira Ekchian Berman de Relaciones con el personal, que también estaba sentado con ella durante horas en la sala de Junta del LAUSD, esperando a que la Junta volviera a sesión a puerta cerrada, en realidad quería saber más acerca de mi caso, o la tuya, todo lo que tendría que hacer es pedirle a un abogado del LAUSD legal o el asesor legal externo que han contratado a un gran costo para acosarme y prolongar el proceso para que vean por primera vez, lo que evidencia el LAUSD tiene - o no tiene - en cualquiera de los cientos de casos en contra de los buenos maestros que actualmente están en movimiento para disparar. La Sra. Ekchian elige para sentarse y no hacer nada, que es probablemente lo que le consiguió el trabajo en el primer lugar. La Sra. Ekchian, el Sr. Berman, y todos los demás empleados de LAUSD son para las personas decentes su mayor parte, que acaba de vivir y tratar de sobrevivir sin hacer olas en el ambiente desde hace mucho tiempo a propósito disfuncional, donde las órdenes ciegamente siguientes es la esencia de muchos años de LAUSD cambiar la filosofía de la nada. Si las consecuencias, tanto buenas como malas, así como los controles externos y contrapesos contra el poder desenfrenado de la actualidad del LAUSD se ponen en marcha, la Sra. Ekchian, el Sr. Berman, y la gran mayoría de los administradores del LAUSD en realidad podría hacer un buen trabajo. Por lo menos, que incluso podría disfrutar de su trabajo para un cambio. Si usted o alguien que usted conoce ha sido blanco de ataques y se encuentran en proceso de ser despedidos y la necesidad de defensa legal, póngase en contacto: Lenny@perdaily.com Los reformadores nacionales EDUCACIÓN LA Progresista Dick Price y Kyle Sharon http://www.laprogressive.com/ Dick y Sharon dick_and_sharon@yahoo.com~~V Dick y Sharon son un par de periodistas ciudadanos y activistas de información que fueron alimentados con medios de comunicación. En lugar de simplemente kvetch acerca de los medios de comunicación, decidieron tratar de convertirse en los medios de comunicación. Por lo tanto, juntos fundaron la progresiva Ángeles.Dick es el editor y Sharon es el editor y webmaster, el manejo de todos los aspectos técnicos del sitio. Este sitio fue lanzado en marzo de 2008, con Dick y Sharon haciendo la mayor parte de la escritura. Hoy en día, una gran cantidad de escritores de talento contribuir a la realización progresiva del ofrecimiento diario de Los Angeles que por lo general equivale a cerca de 45 artículos por semana. Dick y Sharon seguir escribiendo para, así como editar y publicar la progresiva Ángeles y distribuir su día por e-noticias todas las mañanas. Jo Scott, Coe Riverside, California Jo.Scott-Coe @ rcc.edu www.joscottcoe.com Video Entrevista con el Profesor Excelente Coe http://vodpod.com/watch/4959969-jo-scott-coe-teacher-at-point-blank Asistente de Profesor de Inglés en el Riverside Community College y ex profesor de escuela de Inglés. Ella es el autor de Profesor en Point Blank y ha sido profesora de Inglés y la literatura en California desde 1991. Su escritura en las intersecciones de género, la violencia y la educación ha aparecido en Los Angeles Times, así como lugares literarios, entre ellos Amerika Hotel, de Género En cuarto lugar, los dientes del Río, la Carta Novena, Memoria (y), Bitter Oleander, y Revisión de Las Montañas Verdes. Su ensayo, "Recuperación de Maestro", ganó el NCTE 2009 Premio Donald Murray, y otras selecciones de su obra ha recibido una Mención Especial la carretilla de mano, así como listados de notables en mejores trabajos de América de 2009 y 2010. Como un investigador independiente, Jo escribió y publicó el estudio más extenso hasta la fecha de Adams v LAUSD, un caso de casi 10 años de acoso judicial por estudiantes y maestros en el sexual, en la (re) interpretaciones: Las formas de la justicia en las mujeres La experiencia (Cambridge Scholars Press). Jo valores de las facultades estéticas, políticas, y la transformación social de la narrativa literaria - especialmente para disipar los silencios no saludables y ser testigo de ciegos culturales. Ella trabaja actualmente como profesor adjunto de Inglés en el Riverside Community College en SoCal, y su libro, Profesor de Point Blank (laúd tía 2010), ha sido seleccionada como una gran lectura para el otoño de 2010 por la revista La Sra.. El punk rock? Sí. Hockey sobre los juegos? Sí. Café? Siempre de color negro. Buscar Jo en la web en joscottcoe.com y en Twitter @ joscottcoe. Betsy Combier Nueva York, Nueva York betsy.combier @ gmail.com Blog de Betsy Combier de http://www.parentadvocates.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=article&articleID=488 es una joya que narra la corrupción en la Ciudad de Nueva York Departamento de Educación nacional (DOE). Ella ha logrado una maravillosa pieza de periodismo, y ha creado uno de los pocos lugares donde se narra la gobernabilidad educativo corrupto y reveló Profesor Samuel Culbert Los Ángeles, California es un profesor de la UCLA School of Business Andersen quien también enseña en el Instituto de Liderazgo de los directores del Departamento de Educación ". Echa un vistazo a los siguientes 3 minutos en ABC News http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/conversation-performance-review-11126992 Stuart Goldurs Los Ángeles, Califonia StuartComputers@gmail.com No envíe a los bibliotecarios del LAUSD a la Inquisición, enviar a los burócratas del centro Las pruebas, lo que son buenos para? Absolutamente Nada! LAUSD estudiantes asistan a la escuela en tierras contaminadas, otra vez! Algunas escuelas sólo enseñan a las pruebas, así que ¿cómo son los estudiantes se están preparando para el siguiente grado y para la vida? Nuevo superintendente de LAUSD se suma de seis cifras posiciones al equipo directivo Ha sido un maestro en el Distrito de Los Angeles Unified School durante 30 años.Él es en gran medida al tanto de los residuos del distrito, gran burocracia, y otros aspectos importantes de la época. Él comenzó su blog con el único propósito de informar al mundo sobre las verdades de la educación en el LAUSD. Su e-mail a: StuartComputers@gmail.com. El LAUSD ha seleccionado un nuevo Superintendente de Escuelas Karen Horwitz Chicago, Illinois wccbook@gmail.com Profesor galardonado ex cofundador NAPTA, Asociación Nacional para la Prevención del Abuso de Maestros, y escribió el libro de la delincuencia White Chalk: Las Escuelas VERDADERA razón por la falla para exponer cómo el acoso y el terror profesor mantiene un sistema de corrupción profundamente escondido.Eliminación de los maestros dedicados constituye el núcleo de la agenda del Penal White Chalk desde que la dedicación y la delincuencia de cuello blanco no se mezclan. Teniendo en cuenta que todos coinciden en que los buenos maestros son esenciales para una buena enseñanza, un sistema que no puede tolerar a los buenos maestros no sirve para nada. Esto es lo que tenemos en su lugar. Con Bernie Madoff como líderes - que era tanto de inversión como los líderes de la escuela tienen que ver con la educación - ungido con poder ilimitado, incluyendo la capacidad para llenar las ondas con la propaganda, la educación ya no es acerca de la educación. Se trata de dinero y el poder para aquellos que juegan un juego muy corrupto y con una agenda de privatización de las escuelas por lo que su poder se incrementará. (La privatización puede tener méritos NAPTA no toma una posición al respecto, pero la privatización de un sistema que está podrido hasta la médula -.. En la enseñanza de calidad no puede sobrevivir, en un encubrimiento de la pretensión de que ellos no saben esto a pesar de que muchos de nosotros la presentación de informes estas verdades prevalece - documentos que las privatizaciones defender no se puede confiar Esto demuestra que queremos que nuestras escuelas para sus propios intereses, no los niños, ni la comunidad) NAPTA da la bienvenida a los padres, maestros, estudiantes, ciudadanos o cualquier persona que entiende que sin un real!. sistema de educación, ya no tenemos una democracia. La membresía es gratuita. Ir a: EndTeacherAbuse.org o WhiteChalkCrime.com. Infórmese acerca de lo que está pasando. Jerry Mintz, director De Educación Alternativa Resource Organization (AERO) 417 Roslyn Road., Roslyn Hts., NY 11577 Para aquellos de ustedes que no pueden esperar a que la educación pública corrupta que se dio la vuelta, Aero ofrece una excelente fuente para conectarse con alternativas viables en estos momentos. www.EducationRevolution.org info@EducationRevolution.org~~V 800-769-4171 (nacional) 516-621-2195 (internacional) Susan Ohanian Charlotte, Vermont susano@gmavt.net http://www.susanohanian.org Ella es una maestra de escuela pública que desde hace mucho tiempo, después de 20 años, se convirtió en redactor de una revista de maestro y luego se fue por cuenta propia. He mantenido un sitio web de activismo desde hace casi 9 años - desde la aprobación de la ley NCLB. La gente puede suscribirse a la página web y luego obtener las actualizaciones de nuevo contenido. Contesto todos los correos que recibe a través de la página web y con la respuesta, la gente tiene mi dirección de e-mail. También trato de agitar las cosas en Twitter, aunque encuentran en este medio frustrante. Tengo una página en Facebook - sólo para que la gente me puede encontrar. Yo no inician nada en ella, el sitio web me mantiene ocupada. http://susanohanian.org/show_atrocities.php?id=9593 Susan Lee Schwartz Suffern, Nueva York Susan estudió la alfabetización, la literatura Inglés, y las bellas artes y tiene una licenciatura (63) y MS (65 ') en el Brooklyn College, y tiene el equivalente de dos grados de maestría, obtuvo en los estudios de posgrado de la alfabetización, las artes y la educación. Ella le enseñó las habilidades de alfabetización y el arte, desde hace cuatro décadas en Nueva York en la escuela primaria y secundaria.En 1998 ganó el estado de Nueva York Inglés Consejo (NYSEC) Educador del Premio a la Excelencia por su exitosa práctica de los docentes, estudiada por la Universidad de Harvard y el LRDC en la Universidad de Pittsburgh para la investigación de nuevas normas. Al final de su investigación, su plan de estudios único fue seleccionado por el LRDC para ser utilizado en sus seminarios nacionales de desarrollo del personal de los superintendentes escolares. Ella estuvo entre los seis profesores-de entre los miles en todo el país - observados durante el proyecto de investigación y la práctica docente, se reunieron todos los principios del aprendizaje. En la década de los noventa, se levantó a la prominencia en los círculos educativos nacionales, mientras enseñaba en una escuela magnet nuevo East Side Middle School. Las puntuaciones de lectura de sus estudiantes de séptimo grado se encontraban en la parte superior de la ciudad, y en el primer ELA, que dos tercios de los estudiantes de la ciudad no, sus antiguos alumnos (en ese entonces en el octavo grado) fueron DÉCIMO EN EL ESTADO. Ella escribe a menudo sobre lo que había aprendido acerca de los estándares reales de aprendizaje, en un intento de iniciar una conversación nacional acerca de los estándares auténticos, por lo que no puede haber una verdadera reforma.Su experiencia que puso fin a su carrera muy bien en las escuelas públicas de Nueva York la ha llevado a escribir sobre el proceso que elimina los mejores educadores, silenciando las voces de los practicantes del aula que no aceptaban las políticas anti-aprendizaje. Su ensayo aquí en Perdaily, es la que describe este proceso. Leer más como ella habla de la educación, la alfabetización y el aprendizaje en su sitio, desde la perspectiva de la experiencia docente-profesional de la pedagogía. Ella es la voz de los maestros dedicados y talentosos que saben por qué las escuelas están fallando. Su sitio web es: http://www.speakingasateacher.com/Susan_Lee_Schwartz_ (Steiner) _ / index.html Joel Shatzky: Brooklyn, Nueva York Joel.Shatzky @ cortland.edu Profesor Emérito de Inglés - SUNY College at Cortland (1968-2005) Adjunto un instructor Kingsborough CC (CUNY) 2006 -) Colaborador habitual de The Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/searchS/?q=Joel+Shatzky Autor de "La Crisis del Pensamiento" con Ellen Hill (Prensa Autores Elección: Nueva York, 2001) Numerosos artículos sobre la educación en Corrientes judías. Guionista de tres sátiras de YouTube en la educación "reforma". "Las lecciones": www.youtube.com/watch?v=D712J1V2Jsg&feature=player_embedded~~V "Los números mienten": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57BRNLviVTQ "Los arrancadores de la Carta": www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnrrw5CV3Gw Aquí está el último mensaje de Joel sobre el bajo porcentaje de universitarios "listos" los graduados de secundaria. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joel-shatzky/educating-for-democracy-t_2_b_821410.html Lorna Stremcha Havre, Montana http://www.endteacherabuse.org/Stremcha.html http://twitter.com/lornapstremcha lornastremcha.com callmescarlet.blogspot.com Facebook Su historia: "Sé de primera mano el daño financiero, personal, emocional y físico que puede resultar cuando los administradores escolares, el Montana Asociación para la Educación y la Asociación Nacional de Educación anteponer sus propios intereses por encima de los estudiantes, profesores y de los contribuyentes del Estado de Montana Mis archivos contienen montañas de papeles, incluyendo declaraciones, declaraciones de la verdad, los documentos notariales y exposiciones resultantes de un arduo proceso legal que finalmente terminó cuando el Havre (Montana) del Distrito Escolar se establecieron dos pleitos-. una demanda federal y una presentada en la Corte de Distrito del Estado Estos documentos también incluyen una carta de un representante del sindicato diciendo: "Esto no es más que una caza de brujas". Sin embargo, el sindicato continuó permitiendo la administración de la escuela para acosar, intimidar y hacer daño a mí. Estas dos demandas el resultado de un incidente aislado que, de haber sido manejado de manera diferente y bajo la luz del escrutinio público, no habría una bola de nieve en los premios de más de $ 200,000 en daños y perjuicios. Los fondos que eventualmente llegaron a los bolsillos de los contribuyentes.Irónicamente, como contribuyente en el Condado de Hill, mi familia y yo estamos ayudando a pagar las indemnizaciones concedidas a mí. Esto cubre los honorarios de los abogados. El acuerdo no incluye honorarios de mi abogado, sin embargo el distrito, los seguros y los contribuyentes pagan las facturas de abogado del acusado, que superaron la mina. El acuerdo se hizo el 2 de marzo de 2006. "Http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-Jim-Taylor/125893225652 http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-Jim-Taylor/125893225652 http://twitter.com/search?q=DrJimTaylor Lois Weiner Jersey City, Nueva Jersey Profesor de la Educación Primaria y Secundaria New Jersey City University 2039 Kennedy Blvd.. Jersey City, New Jersey 07305 drweinerlo@gmail.com Blog http://newpolitics.mayfirst.org/blog/5 Democracy Now http://www.democracynow.org/2010/9/3/educators_push_back_against_obamas_business INTERESES DE INVESTIGACIÓN Impacto de las características de las escuelas urbanas en la práctica docente de los profesores ¿Cómo la raza, clase y género mediar en el rendimiento académico Trabajo de los docentes y la escuela como un lugar de trabajo. Efectos de los cambios en la economía política mundial sobre la enseñanza, los maestros y lasescuelas.

California Court of Appeal Determines Supervisory or Management Employees (Administrators) May Be Held Liable for Retaliation under the Reporting by School Employees of Improper Governmental Activities Act

Originally published on the website of legal firm Dannis, Woliver and Kelly -DWK.

On April 26, 2012, the Fourth District California Court of Appeal reversed the trial court in part, holding that management employees may be liable for retaliation under the Education Code. The Court of Appeal issued its decision in Hartnett v. Crosier (D058914), a case in which a former employee of the San Diego County Office of Education (“SDCOE”) sued several SDCOE employees, alleging that they retaliated against him in violation of the Reporting by School Employees of Improper Governmental Activities Act (Ed. Code, § 44110 et seq.). 

 Background

The California Legislature enacted the Reporting by School Employees of Improper Governmental Activities Act (“Act”) in 2000, so that public school employees, particularly classified school employees and teachers, may “bring forward to their supervisors or management improper activities without having to fear they are endangering their jobs.” Education Code section 44113 prohibits employees from using or attempting to use official authority or influence to interfere with protected disclosures under the Act. A protected disclosure is a good faith communication that discloses or demonstrates an intention to disclose information that may evidence either an improper governmental activity or a condition threatening health or safety of public employees for purposes of remedying the condition. 

The Act’s prohibition on use of official authority or influence to interfere with a protected disclosure includes “promising to confer or conferring any benefit; affecting or threatening to affect any reprisal; or taking, directing others to take, recommending, processing, or approving any personnel action, including but not limited to appointment, promotion, transfer, assignment, performance evaluation, or other disciplinary action.” (Ed. Code, § 44113, subd. (b).) An employee who violates the prohibition may be liable in an action for civil damages brought against the employee by the offended party. Education Code section 44114, subdivisions (b) and (c) provide also that a person who intentionally engages in acts of reprisal, retaliation, threats, coercion, or similar acts against a public school employee or applicant for having made a protected disclosure is subject to a fine not to exceed $10,000 and imprisonment in jail for up to one year as well as liability for civil damages, including punitive damages for malicious acts. 

Rodger Hartnett’s complaint stated that he was a claims coordinator in SDCOE’s risk management department. He alleged that he was discharged in 2007 not for incompetency, insubordination, and dishonesty as the school district contended, but in retaliation by several SDCOE employees for reporting that some SDCOE employees referred legal business to friends and family members in exchange for gifts, gratuities, and discounted personal legal services. He claimed his discharge violated the Act and entitled him to punative damages and attorney fees among other relief.

The trial court granted summary judgment for the individual employee defendants, finding that Education Code section 44113, subdivision (a) did not impose liability because the defendants were management employees as defined in the Educational Employment Relations Act (“EERA”) and that Education Code section 44114, subdivision (d) did not provide punitive damages and attorney fees for Hartnett because he was also a management employee. Hartnett appealed, contending the trial court erred in these determinations

.

Decision

The Court of Appeal held that management employees who are also supervisory employees with authority over personnel actions are not exempt from liability under the Act. The Act references the EERA to define “employee,” which excludes management employees, but the EERA also separately defines supervisory employees.   The Court agreed with the Third District Court of Appeal’s conclusion in Conn v. Western Placer Unified School Dist. (2010) 186 Cal.App.4^th 1163, that Education Code section 44113 does not exempt management employees from liability for retaliation if the employees were acting as supervisory employees when they committed the allegedly offending acts. In Hartnett, the Court of Appeal reasoned that to exempt management employees exercising supervisory authority in personnel actions would exempt those most likely and able to retaliate against employees making protected disclosures and thwart the Act’s very purpose. The Court did uphold the trial court’s determination that Hartnett was not entitled to claim the additional remedies of punitive damages and attorney fees because he was a management employee.

Impact

Management employees may be held liable for claims of retaliation under the Reporting by School Employees of Improper Governmental Activities Act if such employees are acting as supervisory employees with authority over personnel actions when they commit the allegedly offending acts.

Bail Reduced for MVUSD Board Trustee Mike Rios Second Felony Arrest

Judge Becky Dugan reduces bail for Mike Rios from the original bail which was set at $500,000.00 to $250,000.00. Riverside County’s District Attorney’s Office had sought a bail increase of ten times the original bail amount of fifty-five thousand.


As with Mike Rios’ other pending charges related to the attempted murder charge, the D.A.’s office will seek a 1257.1 hearing regarding the legal source of any monies used to secure bail in this case, however here they have also chosen to challenge Mr. Rios’ source of collateral as well.
In the Riverside Case No. RIF1201429 for  two counts of attempted murder, as well as witness intimidation and several criminal enhancements Rios’ bail was reduced by Judge Becky Dugan from the set uniform bail schedule of one million dollars down to a mere $250,000.00, where she cited Rios’ benefit to the community (by benefit I think she meant he was an elected official).


In order to obtain bail on that case, Rios allegedly used a credit card for the required 10% or $25,000.00 and his present home on Palm Shadows Dr. as the needed $250,000.00 collateral. With a new bail amount of equal to his last, it would seem almost impossible for Rios to obtain bail as his only true source of securing the needed collateral was his home, and that is already being used for the prior bail amount.


Mvgordie.com will be looking into the issue of the use of his residence to secure the prior bail, as years ago in his attempt to circumvent the payment of child support Mr. Rios quick claim deeded that residence in its entirety to his alleged wife Dora Landaverde-Torres. If the home hasn’t been deeded back to Mike, or she took other actions which would allow it to be used on his behalf the bondsman is holding a trust deed on a home which Mike would have had no legal right to use for such financial purposes.


If the latter is true, the bail bondsman can revoke bail on Mike Rios and place him back into the custody of the Riverside Sheriff’s office until he makes bail on that prior amount.

Thanks to MVgordie for this story