Community members address recent bullying report
October
16, 2014
Vallejo
Times-Herald
By John Glidden
Teacher salaries and reaction
to a [grand jury] report on bullying at Vallejo High School were among the hot topics as
more than 100 people packed the multipurpose room at Steffan Manor Elementary
School for Wednesday night's lively school board meeting.
Among the crowd for the public
forum portion of the Vallejo City Unified School District meeting were district
teachers who came to support the California School Employees Association, which
represents district classified staff.
"We have reached a
tentative agreement with the district," announced Sheila Gradwohl,
president of the Vallejo Education Association, which represents district
teachers.
During the Oct. 1 meeting,
district teachers showed up to protest low wages and asked the board for help.
According to the 2014-15 VCUSD
certificated salary schedule, the first step and range a credentialed teacher
can make in the district is $40,862. At nearby Fairfield-Suisun Unified School
District, a teacher in the same range and step will make $48,111 and at Napa
Valley Unified School District, teachers make $50,611, according to salary
schedules from the FSUSD and NVUSD, respectively.
"Please do for the CSEA,
what you did for us," she said to cheering from classified staff and
teachers.
CSEA President Michael Rhoads
also spoke during public comment, saying district staff suffered from the
district's fiscal mismanagement 10 years ago, which forced the state to take
over district operations for numerous years.
Rhoads also said that CSEA
members have to decide whether to use their salary on food, shelter or health
care.
"Take control of the
district and do the right thing," said Rhoads to the board, as he
concluded his remarks to loud cheering from district staff and teachers in
attendance.
Several members of the public
also spoke about the spring 2014 Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western
Association of Schools and Colleges report — which highlighted bullying and
other issues at Vallejo High School.
"I'm concerned with Vallejo
(High School) losing accreditation," said local resident Anzell Loufas
during public comment.
Also speaking during public
comment was Burky Worel, local citizen and a candidate for the school board
this November.
"I wish you for once would
take responsibility," Worel said to the board.
Worel also spoke about the May
2013 Solano County Grand Jury report, "Safety at Vallejo High
School," which noted lack of discipline enforcement, non-adherence to the
student handbook, absence of communication between the Vallejo City Unified
School District, the VHS administration and teachers as major issues at VHS.
"The same reports keep
coming out," he said about the WASC and grand jury report.
Current VHS Principal Roxanne
Brown-Garcia also spoke during public comment about the conditions at the
school.
"Two days after I was
hired, I sat down with Dr. Shackelford and we discussed the report,"
Brown-Garcia said. Alana Shackelford is the district's Director of Partnerships
& Community Engagement.
"We do not try to hide
anything," Brown-Garcia added. "We are building a culture of
excellence."
Brown-Garcia said that part of
her plan at VHS is not to use the term "at-risk" to describe VHS
students.
"The students are 'at
promise,'" she said as many in the crowd applauded.
District Superintendent Ramona
Bishop said during the meeting that the WASC report was an internal memo, given
to the school and district by the commission.
"(VHS) is in no danger of
(losing) WASC accreditation," she said.
Bishop also said that another
WASC visit is planned.
In addition, parents from each
of the district's full service community schools spoke about the positive
influence the various schools have had on their respective children. A showcase
on the full service community schools was the main focus of the special
meeting.
No comments:
Post a Comment