A few notes from the editor
By ksantos
Saturday, April 21st, 2007 at 10:12 am in General, Hayward, Odds & Ends, Schools.
I have attempted to change the size of the comment box. I don’t know if it will work. There may not be a way to fix that problem. It frustrates me as well.
RE: moderation. Some comments go to the moderation queue and have to wait for a blog administrator’s approval. I have stated before that I don’t know what kicks some comments into moderation. I believe I have found the answer: Whoever is posting the comment has to fill out the name and address fields. If they aren’t filled out, the comment will go to moderation. Also, comment authors must have a previously approved comment. If you’re a first-time poster, or using a different name and/or address, the comment will go to moderation. Now, a word on moderation. It is impossible for me to be on the computer all the time to approve comments. I left work at 7:30 last night after a 10.5-hour day, went to dinner, enjoyed my Friday night, and then checked my e-mail this morning. I’m sure everyone understands that even blog moderators need a little time off. 
So, quite simply put, if your comment goes to moderation and gets stuck there for a while, it’s because I haven’t had the chance to do anything with it yet. That’s the downside of a blog versus a chat room. Not all dialogue is going to happen in real-time.
I saw a comment somewhere that said The Daily Review should be pressured to ask Dr. Vigil the hard questions. I want to assure you that there is much going on behind the scenes of all this. We are indeed posing “the hard questions” to Dr. Vigil. However, some of them don’t always fit into whatever story we’re working on “today.” There are a lot of things in the works for the future. Sometimes the answers need to be researched before they’re given to us. However, I will risk opening this up to you: What question would you like to see us pose to Dr. Vigil? Some rules: One line only. No profanities/obscenities or yes-and-no questions. No questions about your specific personal problem. Questions must be related to the strike, and the strike only. Don’t post the question aqain if you see someone else has already posted it. Perhaps we can try to take these questions to Dr. Vigil and do a Q&A.
Similarly, what questions would you like posed to Kathy Crummey? Same rules as above.
OK, it’s Saturday and I have some things to do, so I may not be able to moderate comments for a while. Hope everyone enjoys their weekend!
[You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.]
April 21st, 2007 at 12:47 pm
Whoops, sorry guys, I apparently hit some weird setting when I was in trying to alter the size of the comment box. You should be able to post now.
April 21st, 2007 at 2:11 pm
I think I know the answers to most of these questions, but perhaps I am mistaken on some points. I tried to write “one-line” questions, but as you note, things are not so simple, and asking a one-line question would usually just result in a meaningless one-line answer.
My six questions for HEA:
(1) “Has the union hired a CPA to review the district’s books and identify specific budget provisions that would support the teachers’ current salary demands? Where could parents view the CPA’s report?”
To expand: On one of the TV interviews this week, a teacher in the HEA offices said that the union had not done a complete analysis of the district’s budget, which might have been a misinformed comment, but sounded to me like an admission that HEA doesn’t actually have a “fully informed” position on “what the district can afford.” I know that the administration has backed away from some of the unusual ‘reserves’ listed in the “interim budget #4″ presented at the March 14 board meeting, but what issues remain in the budget that the union believes would free up funds for a 16% raise? (Alternatively, is the union’s position simply that it is the district’s burden to “prove its poverty,” and that the district’s earlier deceptions make that virtually impossible?)
(2) “Is the union permitted to propose, as part of negotiations, any terms or conditions other than the amount of salary paid to teachers?”
To expand: My understanding is that if the union raises any issues other than “salary amount,” they would violate the current contract — and could be forced back to work for attempting to include “improper” matters in the negotiation.
Yet many teachers have voiced a willingness to accept a lower salary if the district would “show some respect” — for example, many teachers are outraged by the apparent lack of disciplinary action following Mr. Schimmel’s district-wide insult email (and his “non-apology apology”), and many teachers and parents are upset by statements by Dr. Vigil which they (and I) believe are factually inaccurate, inconsistent (hypocritical), and/or “insulting” (such as the “blue collar” comment).
For example, could the union demand (a) an admission of specific errors (disrespect, deception, or whatever) and an apology, (b) specific actions to address the “respect, honesty, and communication” issues that parents raised on Friday, (c) reduction of raises already awarded to administrators, or (d) the termination of one or more specific district administrators or board members, as a condition of accepting a lower salary increase?
Also, what restrictions may apply to negotiations due to the requirement that most “personnel matters” be kept confidential? (For example, I would hope that Mr. Schimmel would have received some discipline or sanctions following his “insult email,” but perhaps the district is prohibited from disclosing this information without Mr. Schimmel’s consent.)
(3) “What is HEA’s response to the district’s inclusion of ‘contingent’ salary-increase offers, including the earlier offer of ’1.6% if 60 teachers accept the $10,000 retirement incentive package,’ and this week’s offer of a salary adjustment in November ‘if district funds permit’?”
To expand: My assumption is that given HEA’s consistent complaints about financial manipulations, and especially after the manipulation in “interim budget #4″, the union probably has no trust for such “contingent” offers which might be prevented through budget manipulation; the union may also recognize that if such contingent-awards are included in the contract and later do not ‘qualify,’ then the next round of salary negotiations in 2008 are unlikely to be nearly as smooth as the current negotiations. I also assume that the union likely perceived these proposals as insulting — and that the district made these offers with no expectation that they would ever be accepted, but perhaps the district was simply being “un-artful” in attempting to identify a direction for further negotiations which might later remove the contingencies.
(4) “What is HEA’s response to the district’s inclusion of a new top-salary bracket for teachers with many years experience (which the district contends would amount to a 16.84% salary increase for those few teachers), and how would that proposal interact with the proposed early-retirement-incentive proposal?”
To expand: It seems likely that this proposal is also a non-starter because it would benefit a handful of individual teachers disproportionately; it looks like a clear conflict-of-interest for the union (which normally can’t make requests that would benefit one group of union members at the apparent expense of others). It also seems quite likely that the teachers who would otherwise be eligible for this “super-raise” would be the very same teachers who are eligible for the “early-retirement-incentive” offer, and thus the new offer would undermine the earlier offer of “1.6% if 60 teachers accept the early-retirement-package.”
(5) “Could HEA and teachers stop complaining about teachers ‘paying their own health insurance,’ and instead work to arrange for (or induce the district to negotiate) more reasonable or favorable health-insurance contracts?”
To expand: As my wife and I have discussed this issue with parents, it is clear that HUSD teachers are paying insurance rates which are significantly higher than most people, including those who are self-employed. When I quit working as a teacher for the Oakland Unified School District (in 2004) and had to pay 100% of my health insurance under COBRA, I was surprised at the high rates for the health package which Oakland teachers enjoyed (which was much more generous than my prior health insurance when I was self-employed) — but even those rates were a bargain compared to what Hayward teachers are paying. From the limited information I have, it appears to me that Pleasanton teachers pay much less for their insurance than Hayward teachers, despite a similar “teachers-pay-their-own” provision (and despite higher salaries in Pleasanton).
(6) “If a court order is issued forcing teachers back to work without a settlement, what will HEA’s position be on the planned boycott by parents and students?”
April 21st, 2007 at 2:35 pm
For ms.crummey :
What will happen to the kids education if the strike continues past may?
Will they be held back?
Will they need to attend summer school ?
Will there even be summer school?
Would they get passed to the next grade anyways due to the no child left behind act?
these are questions that are very important to parents which have not gotten answered!
Most of us have to work so we cannot go to rallies or daytime meetings so therfor we are left to only wonder.
April 21st, 2007 at 2:38 pm
thanks ms. santos for posting this new blog maybe here some parents can really get answers and not the run around:)
April 21st, 2007 at 2:46 pm
The following news release was just sent out by the Hayward Unified School District:
April 21, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Hayward Unified School District filed a request for an injunction Friday afternoon with the Public
Employment Relations Board (PERB).
The basis for this request is the complete breakdown of the educational process and operations of the
District’s 34 schools.
Additional information was requested of the District with the option to withdraw the current injunction
and submit a new injunction Monday morning.
Hayward Unified School District is withdrawing our current injunction request and will be submitting a
new injunction request to PERB Monday, April 23, 2007.
_______
The Review will look into this Monday.
April 21st, 2007 at 3:32 pm
For Dr. Vigil:
1. If you are so concerned about “bankrupting the district” why don’t you take a pay cut and give back your recent 16.84% raise to inspire staff and teachers to feel that you are all in it together? (At $228,000 he just barely makes less than
George Bush and does make more than Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House!).
2. Why did you lie to the parents and say that “the schools were safe and that standards based academic learning was going” on and two days later file a lawsuit against the teachers and cite that “schools are unsafe, and that students are being deprived of an education”? How can both things be true at the same time? Isn’t this lying?
3. Why did everyone in the district including subs receive a raise before teachers?
4. Isn’t it true that you have a history of adversarial and antagonistic relationships with teachers and teachers unions as evidenced in your behavior in Santa Rosa, L.A. and San Diego? Was the Hayward school Board aware of this when they hired you? Did they ask you about this when you were interviewed?
5. How do you expect to work with the teachers after this whole ordeal?
6. Why did you leave everyone in a lurch during Easter Break when it could have been settled then, and kids could have missed less school?
7. Why do you and the negotiating team keep drawing this thing out? Are you trying to break down the teachers and weaken their resolve? You say you are available to negotiate but you do not call HEA, and very few hours have been spent actually negotiating.
8. Why are you not raising the offer to teachers at all?
For the school board:
1. Why did you feel it necessary to give such a large raise to the top 4 administrators when teachers had not yet received a raise and negotiations had not been settled?
2. Are you standing by Vigil because you don’t ant to admit that you made =a mistake again i.e. Joan Kowal)
3. Why does H.U.S.D. need the highest paid Superintendent in the area?
4. Wouldn’t it be better to have a leader who was committed to Hayward rather than an outsider who will collect the money ad be gone in a few years?
5. Why has the board been absent from this whole ordeal? Why does it seem like the Board defers all of their authority to Vigil? Don’t they have more authority than him?
For the school board/ and Vigil:
1. Why did you give subs a $25 a day raise before the teachers contract had been settled? Is it because you anticipated a strike?
2. How do you justify paying subs $300 a day when they are showing students movies, letting them draw all day and letting them watch Sponge Bob in class?
3. Why do schools get Assistant Principals during the strike when only 25% of students are present and not during the regular school year?
4. Isn’t it true that the fact that teachers deferred their COLA and raises for several years is one of the main reasons that the district was able to balance their budget, not Vigil and Schimmel’s expertise?
For HEA and Kathy Crummey:
1. Will you ever make a counter offer below 16%?
2. Are you sure the district can afford 16%?
3. Why does Vigil say that the teachers’ demand for 16% will bankrupt the district in 3 years?
April 21st, 2007 at 3:54 pm
Thank you Kim Santos for all YOUR hard work during this strike process/coverage.
April 21st, 2007 at 4:14 pm
Many of “Another tired teacher’s” questions are good ones, but I believe that two of the questions contain incorrect factual assumptions. I’d also like to add an additinal sub-part to one other question.
“Another tired teacher” wrote: “Dr. Vigil: . . . why don’t you take a pay cut and give back your recent 16.84% raise . . . ?”
In fact, Dr. Vigil did NOT receive a raise (his salary is fixed at $229,000 per year, plus an additional $12,000 allowance for health care). The 16.84% raise was granted to Asst. Superintendents Barry Schimmel and Cheryl Peterson; raises in slightly different amounts were granted to other administrators. (Like Dr. Vigil, these other administrators had contracts that provided for a fixed salary for the three-year contract period from 2005-2008, and thus the raise was a “gratuitous” gift from the board to these administrators.) The $500-per-month car allowance was part of the administrators’ original 2005-2008 contracts.
And s/he also wrote: “Why are you not raising the offer to teachers at all?”
My perception is that the district has increased its “net offer” (the amount which would actually be paid to teachers for the two-year period from 2006-2008) several times, though some of the “increases” have been small, and some elements of recent offers are extremely speculative. My perception is that the district has misrepresented the union’s changed demands.
S/he also asked: “Isn’t it true that the fact that teachers deferred their COLA and raises for several years is one of the main reasons that the district was able to balance their budget, not Vigil and Schimmel’s expertise?”
To that question, I would add, “Didn’t the state’s default on its funding obligations trigger the district’s financial crisis, and hasn’t the state’s repayment of deferred allocations also account for a substantial part of the improvement of the district’s budget?”
April 21st, 2007 at 5:01 pm
SO WAIT, Vigil has the nerve to say he pays for his own helathcare just like teachers do but he gets $12,000 on top of his $229K??????????? i think that makes his salary about $243K?
i do believe they all get $500/month car allowance as well which, if i do the math correctly, is another $6000.
i am not happy with this.
and i have students asking me the same questions about having missed 7 days of school. they do not want strike school in the summer.
April 21st, 2007 at 5:36 pm
A quick clarification for Mr. Welch’s question #1 above. I am the teacher Thuy Vu interviewed. Ms. Vu said that “I admitted that the union has not done any research to prove that the district would not be 30 million dollars in debt.” I said no such thing. Notice that she does not have me on camera saying it! I will tell you that HEA/CTA knows the District budget better than the District does, and we know that they have shifted money away from the classroom so that paying teachers a fair wage seems impossible for our district. It is a matter of priorities, not money. Also calling Ms. Vu’s reporting into question: The ending of the piece, which said that the district is losing money because students aren’t in class during the strike, is completely inaccurate.
April 21st, 2007 at 6:12 pm
Mark: You make salient points–I noted on your website you taught in Oakland. May I ask what your connection to Hayward is?
My questions for the HUSD Board and Dr. Vigil:
1. Who bargains the insurance rates for HUSD and why can I not opt out of Delta Dental? I currently pay $600 per person in my family, which seems to be a lot more than most other people (in other districts and other kinds of jobs) pay for theirs.
2. What is the feasibility of making the COLA payments automatically granted each year? (Most other districts do this.)
3. When do you plan to raise my supplies budget so that it matches the COLA the state of CA sends to the district each year? (I currently get about $400 for the entire year to cover copies and all other supplies. I save that money for copies and buy my own supplies. Right now, I’ve put in $300 of my own money for copies and last year I put in about $1800 for classroom supplies.)
4. What is your motivation for making an offer than splits the union members? (I am referring to the last offer that added increases at 22, 26, and 30 years, which would currently affect only about 130 or so teachers. It’s a good idea in general, but not as a salary package for this year’s bargaining.)
5. Why did district office administrators go to the high schools, pull student Leadership leaders out of class, and basically tell them to stop referring to controversial issues (specifically the impending labor actions/strike) at board meetings or the board would refuse to provide these students with letters of recommendation?
6. Why didn’t you consider HEA’s Spring Break proposal more seriously? (Based on the $65,000 average salary, it was about $4500 less than the current “8-and-8″ proposal HEA has reverted back to.)
7. Why are you so dismissive of Hayward parents, students, teachers, and community members who comment during the open mike part of the Board meetings, particularly those who comment on the labor actions?
8. Dr. Vigil: Why did you spend the two weeks before Spring Break sending misleading emails to the district’s teachers and then bar teachers from using their email to email each other using the district lists (something we had no problems with before)?
9. Dr. Vigil: How long do you plan to stay at HUSD and why haven’t you bought a home in Hayward?
10. Dr. Vigil: Why did you choose to come to HUSD in the first place?
11. Dr. Vigil: What did you intend to mean by the “we’re not Pleasanton” comment?
12. HUSD Board: Why are you letting Dr. Vigil be your “fall guy” during the strike? You’re the ones who are really in charge of the negotiating, yet you remain largely silent.
My questions for HEA/Kathy Crummey:
1. Who bargains the insurance rates for HUSD and why can I not opt out of Delta Dental? I currently pay $600 per person in my family, which seems to be a lot more than most other people (in other districts and other kinds of jobs) pay for theirs.
2. (This is less a question and more of a plea–and I know it’s yes/no): Are you able to bargain the salary part of the contract so that COLA is guaranteed each year?
3. What happens if teachers refuse to follow the injunction (if it is granted)?
4. How does HEA plan to support the substitutes who are trying to form their own union, particularly the subs who have honored our picket lines?
April 21st, 2007 at 6:15 pm
Dr. Vigil:
I want to know why so many other districts can afford to pass the full COLA allocation down to all their employees, but Hayward can’t.?
And, where is this COLA money being spent?
Mrs. Crummey/ Dr.Vigil: Can you both negotiate a clause into the new contract that would make the district automaticaly pass the full COLA as received by the district
April 21st, 2007 at 7:52 pm
A question for HUSD:
How much money has been spent on outside consultants? I would just like a dollar value including the demographer, the lawyers filing injunctions etc., curriculum consultants, professional development, and any other consultant that has been hired from outside the district. How much this year? How much in past years? Some of these positions are clearly necessary, but are there any that could possibly have been done by those that are already receiving ample salaries in HUSD administration?
Thank you everyone, and I really mean everyone, for asking the tough questions. I have found myself extremely frustrated throughout this process that information is hard to come by and often unreliable. On days when there are negotiations, I have stayed up until 11pm, only to learn nothing has happened, and again having to wake up at the crack of dawn and hit the picket lines at 6:30am. I have searched the news of surrounding urban areas, and this story has barely received any attention statewide, much less nationally. The call for questions is an important one, because we all have them and we all want answers. It is my sincere hope that these questions do not remain in the blogosphere, but make their way onto the tangible, ink-and-paper copies of the Daily Review with real answers following the queries. Maybe the answers to the questions will give this story, and the bigger picture of which it is a part, the attention it deserves.
April 21st, 2007 at 10:43 pm
I second the previous questiont! I read the newspaper fairly carefuly and remember taking a pause when reading in the newspaper about yet another consultant or indendent firm doing whatever.
I would like to know about the defence and settllement of the tragic case of Jasmin Castro and the rail road incident.
Why have Mr. Vigil, Mr. Schimmel, and the Board not directed that the gate be locked?
Asides from the fact that our worst nightmare as a parent would be get a call like that…
Mr. Schimmel: Wouldn’t $20 dollars worth of chain and lock be an easy way to get rid of a big liabilty?
Unfortunately, I’m not saying that another person won’t get killed elsewhere along the tracks, just yeasterday yet another person did, but…
Mr.Vigil, Mr. Schimmel, Members of the Board of Directors:
This specific gate, and the contract with the rail road track owner make this particular location your responsibility.
Did any of you ask that the settlement be sealed by the judge in the case.?
Did the district’s insurance covered it?
If so, how much did the district’s insurance coverage went up on account of this incident?
After all it is us Hayward tax ayers that fool the bill.
Editor’s note: Please, strike-related questions only, as I stated in my post. And as I said in a previous post, we are trying to get the court documents unsealed in the Castro settlement. Our lawyer has been hard at work on the case. -Kim Santos
April 22nd, 2007 at 12:30 am
Thank you very much Ms. Kim Santos! I apologize for my patience! I thought you had an automatic system that would check on a few words before they were approved. I was not aware that it is done by a real life person. Again, thank you very much for taking the time to hear our voices. Have a nice weekend!
April 22nd, 2007 at 12:31 am
Ooopppsss, “I apologize for being impatient!”
April 22nd, 2007 at 12:43 am
CLARIFICATION: Please do not quote me on this, but it is my understanding that some or maybe none of the AEOTE union employees have received the COLA increase. It shows on the new salary schedules, which was accidentally (?) posted on the Internet by an employee in accounting. She was asked to remove it because some of us are not at that scale due not receiving the COLA increase. I’m not sure if it has been removed. Please remember that any raise that HEA gets – other unions receive too. The “Mee Too Clause” in the AEOTE contract.
April 22nd, 2007 at 1:10 am
Ms. Santos,
I promise this is my last comment for tonight.
Thank you!
Dr. Vigil,
In regards to your Spanish section on the http://www.husd.k12.ca.us web site, please find a professional who knows how to translate correctly in Spanish grammar. Months and days of the week are not supposed to be capitalized. As you may already be aware, some of the information given from your office in Spanish, has been interpreted incorrectly. On a daily basis, we receive complaints from Spanish speaking parents. Not only in regards to information related to the strike, but letters sent from the principals and the Y.E.P. office. Y.E.P. has an application and letter in Spanish, which needs to be corrected. There is a section that informs parents to please show proof of income if they can’t afford to pay the registration fees. Unfortunately, it says if you oppose (oponer o oponen) to paying the fee and not if you can’t afford the fees. This might not fully pertain to the strike, but I just wanted to make you aware that one word that is translated incorrectly, can make a difference. Please DO NOT FORGET that Hayward is a diverse community with rich culture of other nationalities/ ethnicity that are NOT only from Latin America.
Thank you,
Speechless & Confused
April 22nd, 2007 at 7:23 am
Feel free to e-mail us any question you have for Vigil or anyone else we can actually get a hold of (assistant sup’s and board members have gone AWOL). Our story is the truth so any questions will fit right in!
Power to the People!
e-mail swordfishtbone@yahoo.com
Truthfully Yours,
Oliver, Yanira, Celeste, and Robert
(Winton Middle School News Crew, and…Teachers!)
April 22nd, 2007 at 4:21 pm
Yes Ask Dr>Vigil why our childre are being threaten with being expelled from school for
1) supporting their teachers and 2) being safe !!!!! I have not sent my child to school due to his safety , being holed up with about 50 kids to a room and having to listen to the chaos outside and he was so worried on Friday saying that our kids need to be in school for testing and things, but he is going to consider expelling them in Wednesday’s school board meetin
This is another slap in the face from DR. VIGIL !!!!! Can he really do this to our children ???????
April 22nd, 2007 at 5:08 pm
I’m a Hayward teacher. I live in Hayward. My children attend Hayward public schools and will continue to do so. And I am making “childcare” arrangements WITHOUT PAY and that isn’t much less than I usually recieve.
I understand parents are frustrated. But they should be frustrated with the fact that Vigil has broken the entire school system, closing every school in the district. He knew LAST YEAR that teachers did not have a settled contract. His job is to negotiate and he has chosen not to do that and ignored the needs of our children.
Just a note. We are credentialed educators NOT BABYSITTERS! While we give 110% to the she safety and care of your children when we have them, our job is to teach them. We have attended college for 6+ years to learn how to teach your children. More than 90% of us continue with coursework in specific areas to improve our ability to teach them and we pay for those courses out of our own pockets. We buy classroom supplies the district does not provide. We have a limited amount of copies (administration does not) so many of us go to KINKO’s (very expensive) and pay for copies ourselves. And we rarely leave work before 5 p.m. As professionals we attend meetings, complete necessary paperwork for the district and state, make phone calls, hold parent meetings and this is after we manage and teach 27 -to 35 children per day (the 20 student class size is only on paper).
I’m insulted by parents who only want to share their childcare issues. 20,000 families have childcare issues right now and that is not the fault of the teachers. To the editor, stop insulting us with this “behind the scenes” nonsense. Do not print “stories” report the facts and if you don’t have them simply REPORT you don’t have them and why you don’t have them This is not a photo op or human interest story, this is NEWS that is affecting thousands of people we want answers not commentary!
Regarding substitutes. They are not simply babysitters. We have several WELL QUALIFIED substitute teachers. Many of them hold credentials and are retired or parents wanting a part time schedule, some are aspiring to earn full credentials and work in a class themselves. M
We consider them our peers, not pretend teachers. I use the same 3 substitutes whenever I leave my class. They know our routines, students names, personalities and needs. They are not babysitting my students they continue the academic program as required by the state. One is a retired credentialed teacher, another is aspiring to become a teacher and the third has a child the same age, she is a stay home mom with a bachelors and proper credentialing to substitute. Many of the substitutes are refusing to cross the picket line out of respect to us (their peers), the profession and the children. The SCABS ( and that statement denotes the disrespect I feel for them) are not struggling students. Several of them are coming from other “white collar” communities driving Range Rovers, Mercedees (those are the one’s I’ve seen and I’ve picketted 3 schools) Think about it $300 per day is $1500 per week, face it they want the money. Some are here all the way from LA and the district is paying for hotel and airflight to have them here. We request subs their job is to assist us, I’m responsible for the coursework I write the lesson plans. The reason for the pictures is that we will not be requesting these “teachers” in our classroom. (Not that they care about our children or will continue to be available at the normal rate of $110 per day)
The ultimate goal is to retain teachers. We cannot offer quality science, math classes, or the AP classes Vigil claims are so important to our students at the current pay.
April 22nd, 2007 at 8:18 pm
My daughter goes to Strobridge ele. Im not sure on whats going on there because I too
support the teachersand have kept my daughter home. I believe that the schools are not safe. My daughters teacher
Mrs. W. Norman is what I call a true teacher. My daughter had only been in school for one
week when I got a call from the school asking If it would be ok if Mrs. Norman keeps My
daughter at school for an hour to help her with her reading. At that moment I knew that this was a dedicated and loving teacher. I support her and all the teachers of Hayward who
are roll modles and also sometimes a second parent to our children.
April 22nd, 2007 at 8:20 pm
please excuse my typos I am tired.
April 22nd, 2007 at 8:33 pm
I am outraged that Dr. Vigil receives an additional $12,000 per year to pay for his health insurance! I worked for HUSD for over 5 years until I was injured on the job because of the stupitidy of another employee. I was thrown into the hell of the Workman’s Comp system and did not receive proper medical care until it was too late. I am now permanently disabled and since I had worked over 5 years I was no longer under the salary protection program. I am in constant pain and have to take narcotics 24/7. After paying over $1000 a month for my family of 3 Blue Shield insurance, I only receive $1000 per month! Laws prevent you from suing your employer; therefore I received less than $10,000 for my injuries. If you are a current HUSD employee you should be forcing the health care costs issues. How many of you can go from making over $50,000 a year to $12,000 a year and survive? I worked very hard to complete all the requirements to become a teacher and dearly loved my job. This was alll taken away from me in a split second and I have to live with being in pain for the rest of my life! Oh, by the way, the person whose stupidity caused my accident is still an employee! Where is the justice in this district? God help anyone else who is seriously injured on the job at HUSD because no one at the district office gives a crap!
April 23rd, 2007 at 7:37 am
Ok…one thing that many teachers are commenting on regarding expenses on the job i.e. copies made
one person has stated that the administration does not have copy limits while the teachers do. ALL of the copiers have limits. At the board meeting when they proposed the new XEROX project, 6 MILLION COPIES PER QUARTER throughout the district, including the Administration, were given. For those going to Kinko’s you make that your problem when its more expensive to go there where if you made the “overage” (0.059 cents per copy B/W) at your new copiers, you would get 17 copies for the price of one. So who is not doing the math??? Also that 6 million/quarter includes all copiers by XEROX that were placed (district-wide) however it does not include the old xerox machines, nor does it cover expenses on sites that have elected to keep the older machines with alternate companies. The new copiers contract with Xerox include Maintenance AND service and supplies, except for staples and paper. But with the printing paper, the district is saving more money by buying in truck loads rather than by individual packing. I have seen the off-loading myself. And for many of the teachers
who feel they do not have the materials they need…GET APPROVAL BEFORE YOU BUY SOMETHING ON THE DISTRICT BUDGET.
THE state is not the only reason this district went in crisis. ALL teachers contributed to ALL over-expenditures!!! I know all of this because I volunteered at the last Teacher’s Supply
Giveaway in August of 2006. All of you had the opportunity to grab any necessities. aLL OF THIS WAS FREE. and yes let it be known that you all tackled through each other then ALSO. I have pictures of this. One of your administrators (a Hayward Resident) got a local company to donate in excess of 125,000 dollars in materials, from pens to notepads to ledgers to butcher paper and art supplies, all kinds of paper and supplies for the office AS well as the classrooms. Alternate reading material was also available from the storage bins AND ALMOST NONE OF YOU EVEN TOUCHED THE BOOKS AVAILABLE!!! So you tell me you had to buy supplies…money is in the budget for this BUT there are limited resources. If you can’t live within your means in the budgets, ask that more general funds be alotted for these needs!!! stop complaining if you are not doing the necessary paperwork to get this!!!
In less than three years this was the 3rd Giveaway Provided and Organized by the same administrator. SO what was that about administrators NOT CARING or living in the city or about not wanting to do anything to contribute to this school community.
If ANYONE looks at the HUSD website there is a logo “PARTNERS IN EDUCATION”. cLICK ON IT and register your class needs and all companies within the district on this program are filling those requests from that website. SO WHO IS NOT UTILIZING THIS RESOURCE!!! Flyers were up all over.. Who is not reading???Who is not doing THEIR homework??? SO what was that about having to spend your own money for school supplies?!
Disabled Teacher Going Broke Says: Yes it is a shame that the former Administration did not take care of your needs however the new administration has implemented ways to weed out frivolous cases such as leaving school equipment in your vehicles/classrooms unlocked at the end of the day, and people who claim injury when they are not injured. Injury cases are very serious and are taken care of now but they do have to take the steps to process the claim. So yes time can become an issue but now they do have ways to reimburse costs…mandated laws that prevent this as long as you and your physicians can substantiate the claim. So in your case the previous Administration did fail you, do not take this out on the new one who has worked hard to change that program which previously failed you. With the new changes
all claims have to be processed in compliance.
And food stipend?…NO!!!! unless you teachers are giving the subs food from your picket line but I doubt that
April 23rd, 2007 at 2:55 pm
Despite all the generous contributions from businesses and community members, teachers still end up paying out of pocket for many things. Please do not discount this sacrifice.
April 23rd, 2007 at 4:11 pm
Thanks Hayward teacher:
I was just thinking about that. I know elm.teacher spends a fair amount of money as well on supplies for specific projects, specific items that have not been donated, and those contributions should not be minimized like that. As you say, they are a contribution and a sacrifice given in good faith for the betterment of our children.
Angela HM&A:
I commented on the possibility of a food stipend because as a tax payer, it did seem excesive to pay for hotel accomodations and air fare for people making $1500/week.
I think most of us would agree with that.
I’m not sure what the comment about teachers giving some of their donated food to the subs was all about? It seemed a little much.
We parents that have given sustenance to the teachers have done so because we support them, and understand how diffcult it is for them to stike, not only emotionally but financially . I’m not sure how bringing our food donations up, is constructive to the dialogue we are trying to have here.
Somehow, we seem to be drifting out of focus.
I also feel that e-mail communications like this tend to be prone to people missunderstanding each other. Except for the clear examples of people “yelling” out their opinions with the use of lots of exclamation marks and capitalized statements, I think most of us are keeping a fairly calm conversation.
I was a little surprized someone, I can’t remember who, said I sounded defensive in one of my comunications. The only comunication I have sent out that I’m somewhat troubled about would be my letter to Dr.Vigil, which indeed was vitriolic (bitterly scathing, caustic) Call me pompous, overly verbose, sure! But “defensive” caught me off guard.
I have decided to take a brake from the blog again. I will be joining the Families in Action folks at the park tomorrow. I think everyone who is writing here has in mind the improvement of our school district, but I’m not sure this is truly the right media to discuss the issues in depth.
I believe the fact that so many of you use handles rather than your real names makes it easy to put out statements in a manner that you would not, if the statement was associated to your name.
In the future I will refraing from commenting on posts from people whose names I don’t know. That is why I’m going to the pot luck tomorrow, I want to be able to see you in the face and dialogue in person.
Are there only a dozen of us reading this?, everyone else just say hi or something if you are there!
April 23rd, 2007 at 4:35 pm
Hayward Teacher…I’m not discounting the sacrifice…but don’t dramatize it if all avenues and resources haven’t been utilized. At the beginning of the school year, so many put in long
“wish” lists. Everything was given more than amply needed. That is a great resource and that is the community of Hayward that does it. Don’t complain that you have sacrificed in that way if all it would have taken was typing a “classroom needs” list. And for those who didn’t know until I mentioned the “partners in education”, now you do know so even you can’t complain about that resource problem being tapped out- it’s not. These teachers who complain of this are not using their heads. Principals, it’s your job to approve the expenditures from the budgets unless the amount is in question then it’s someone else’s job. So teachers…when you complain that there is no money, shouldn’t some of the blame go to your principals when the supply budget is blown two months into the school year, when all it would have taken was a simple, ” WE DON’T HAVE THAT KIND OF MONEY IN THE BUDGET”?! Your principals control your budgets even though another dept. controls the money accounting. Principals…tell your teachers to make lists if there is no money. Share the blame AND the responsibility so it can change from here on out.
All I have been saying is that I have seen both sides and I have done the research. The Administration is NOT the only parties to blame for the crisis and why the money hasn’t been given to the teachers. Money can go to no-one if all you’re doing is paying bills. Fiscal Budgets…I would love to see the budget reports for the schools as far as the $$ allotted for everything at each site, as well as the accounting for expenditures and what accounts they’re using for what purpose. Mainly…How much of the “restricted budgets” were spent by Jan. this school year? And how many written requests have the principals made to say the needs of the site has increased and therefore needs more money to cover those costs…wow who would of thought that process exists??? That exists everywhere. And if there is no “additional” money to contribute right away, they can in fact try to “find” the funds elsewhere, so long as they are unrestricted/general funds. The reason the teachers get paid less than the administration is because they teach, and although they should be applying rules and regulations in everything they do, it is the “administrators” who have to see that everything is in compliance with the law. The district overall is what gets a slap on the wrist if one thing wrong happens. These people have to make sure that everything state and law mandated is in compliance. How many teachers can say they have been trained to process worker’s comp. cases? Not many.
This district is not made of money. When you look at it sure it seems like they get a lot of money at the beginning of the fiscal year.
Subtract Worker’s comp/benefits/programs for the employees
Subtract Mandated Retirement spending (this is what you teachers want to cash out illegally)
Subtract Wages/Salaries
Subtract moneys for special ed./yep/educational programs
Subtract child nutrition funds
Subtract Supplies
Subtract vacation pay/ sick pay
Subtract $$ for insurance company for district and its employees(Mandated)
Subtract the Mandated $$ required by law to spend on fixing or upgrading the facilities
(does not include burbank elementary being rebuilt as the developers and the city are doing this, not the district)
AND how much $$$ do you think goes to last minute cleaning/painting of graffiti or damages made to the school properties. Personally…i think the families that encourage or enable their kids to do this, if caught, should pay for this if this hasn’t happened yet. Let the parents figure out how their child is going to pay for it.
And how much money has to get repaid if student enrollment declines…about $5000 per student if I’m doing my research right, which does not include the projected school
materials already paid for that goes wasted when the students don’t come, dropout, etc.
There’s more that comes out of the money given to start than what meets the eye. This stuff is mandated by law to spend. Live within your means, not stretch it till it breaks- as previously stated. There is no extra “unrestricted” money!!! and no one should have to budget hoping they will get more “one-time” gift monies to prevent bankruptcy. Because all-in-all that’s exactly what happens when that hope does not get ful-filled.
April 23rd, 2007 at 4:44 pm
Just a thought… Steve Jobs at Apple Computers takes an annual salary of just $1. Dale, would you be willing to do that this year, soas to help out the children, parents and teachers of hayward get this thing settled?
April 23rd, 2007 at 4:49 pm
oh and Angela lets not forget that the district was willing to sacrifice filed trips and assembleys to give teachers some kind of raise but that is not enough they want more more more ,
how can you squeeze water from a rock . you can’t
angela you make great points “you go girl!”
April 23rd, 2007 at 4:54 pm
mr Maloney ,
What about Dales family , is he supposed to lose his house , Apple computers is a multi
billion dollar company , there is no comparision,
April 23rd, 2007 at 5:59 pm
While I don’t think Dr. Vigil should give back his salary, I’m not sure what house you’re talking about — Dr. Vigil has not purchased a house here, but rents an apartment. Perhaps you mean a house elsewhere in the state where he plans to return when he succeeds in forcing the district to terminate him?
April 23rd, 2007 at 6:32 pm
I did not mean as in owning even as a renter if he does not have the money to pay rent wouldnt he be kicked out . To me that is losing a house , having no place to live no home , you do not have to own a home in order to lose a home , please remember that , how many of the poor have gotten evicted from rental homes after not being able to make the rent , they lose the home that they have made , for some people rentals homes are the only that they will ever know , and that does not make it any less their home. He is a human being whos job it is to pay bills , the districts bills and so far I see no true proof from the teachers that he is so bad . let me know where i can see proof . enlighten me on the budget , then maybe I will believe
April 23rd, 2007 at 6:34 pm
again only the children suffer
*keep the peace*
* I is not in team*
*put your feet in their shoes *
April 23rd, 2007 at 6:48 pm
I don’t publish my name because I don’t want anyone tracking me down for something I said online. Anonymity is safer in such a volatile situation, I think. As long as an anonymous poster remains courteous, I don’t think using a “handle” or initials is a problem. I hope people don’t skip my posts for that reason.
April 23rd, 2007 at 7:46 pm
So…. Where did all this come from again? How did we go from talking about the strike to talking about the district sacrificing while the teachers are trying to get “blood from a rock”? What about when we fought to keep music and PE for our kids? What was your precious administration trying to accomplish with that program-gutting nonsense?
I feel very badly for the children. Today, a fifth grade girl wanted to know when we are returning and let me know that the kids are “desperate” to have us back. Well, this is a situation of desperation. We made that sacrifice last year and others in times past, always with a promise that our time would come. Well, the time for empty promises is over. The district claims that the union is not “bargaining in good faith.” Yet they had ALL YEAR LONG to put a legitimate offer on the table. Why did they suddenly realize they could afford more the day before the strike? Why have all their offers included divisive and misleading clauses and contingencies? Why has the district consistently lied to the press and to parents about attendance, events on the picket line, and the state of negotiations?
As teachers, I really believe our goals are the same as yours. We do NOT want to see the district go bankrupt and be taken over by the state, we simply don’t believe the district because their track record is terrible, awful, atrocious, repugnant, you name it. This situation should never have escalated to this level. If the district has not slapped teachers in the face by giving un-mandated and unnecessary raises to the administrators, then offering 3% when they had promised (again empty) to start the bargaining at 5%, then we would all have been working comfortably under a new contract long ago. Working in a school system where you are constantly worrying that a strike might occur is a terrible thing. No matter how dedicated you are, it is always there in the back of your mind. Some people take second, or even third jobs to save up for this possibility. This strike is 100% legal because our union went through multiple steps before deciding to resort to this measure. What did the district offer at every stage of the game? 3%. We want to educate the kids and we want to be in the classrooms, but we will not be bullied by a reckless administration that thinks it is OK to wait till the day before the strike to put out an unacceptable offer. They are making power-plays every day, including starting today’s bargaining at 5pm so that they can stretch this out longer and make teachers sweat through another day without a paycheck. I’m sorry the kids miss us, and I miss them to, but I wouldn’t be out there walking the line every day from 6:30am till 3:30pm if I didn’t think that ultimately it would lead to improvement in this school system and a better future for each and every child in HUSD.
April 23rd, 2007 at 8:25 pm
angela,
What violence has occurred? If you are referring to the alleged incident that took place on day 2 at Palma Ceia, I can speak directly to that because I was there and the press grossly misreported it. As far as I know, there have been no actual violent altercations, and I am certain that the media would have a field day if anything of substance did take place. What I have seen is scabs running there cars into teachers and getting up in teachers’ faces. Are you basing your statement that the “violence needs to stop” on the false news reports, or personal experience?
Editor’s note: In regards to these claims of violence, we checked with the police yesterday and no reports have been filed. The police said they haven’t even gotten any calls related to strike incidents, from either side. I disagree that the media (all media, anyway) would have a “field day” if such an incident were to occur. Unless it resulted in death. Details about violent incidents would be included with our regular coverage. As for misreporting the Palma Ceia incident, we were working off information given by Hayward police. Was the police’s information wrong? If so, why?
We did check yesterday, and if subsequent violent or aggressive incidents have been occurring on the picket lines, then they aren’t being reported to the police. And there isn’t much we can do beyond that, because then it becomes a game of he-said-she-said as to what happened. If you have proof of something that happened, bring it to me. 22533 Foothill Blvd. I’ll see what can be done. -Kim
April 23rd, 2007 at 9:04 pm
I’m pretty sure Dale’s family is well taken care of. Doesn’t he have his benefits paid for
by the last District to fire him? I agree with C Brown these are teachers who are
educating our kids not babysitting them or taking over for a parent while they are away.
If the teachers are forced to go back before a settlement is made my child will be opting
out of STAR testing.
April 23rd, 2007 at 10:34 pm
Fernando Hernandez; We are here.
April 23rd, 2007 at 10:48 pm
What is this about violence!! The only incident that has a filed police report is the one that occurred at Palma Ceia. And the report was filed by the teacher, not the sub.
I am not sure what the HUSD told the subs when they were hired, but I have witnessed one who is so aggressive that he almost ran into the rear of a district employee’s car as she stopped to talk with a teacher at the entrance of our school. He repeated guns his vehicle in and out each day as if he is in physical danger.
Violence is not someone yelling their displeasure at you as you cross their picket line and take money out of their pocket.
Angela, please explain your comment, “the violence is out of hand.”
April 23rd, 2007 at 10:58 pm
FRED,
If you have accessto the police reports you will see there IS more than one!
April 23rd, 2007 at 11:01 pm
trust me when i say they may or may not be about tre hard core violence but concerning the strike and picketers there is more than one . I have seen two with my own eyes! Mainly about desturbing the peace in the neighborhood.
April 23rd, 2007 at 11:03 pm
Angela H. you are not a district accountant. You do not know about the COLA they kept from us. What are you talking about?
Angela,
what assemblies and field trip money went to teachers’ salaries? I mean really, do you people make this stuff up? This is ridiculous. These things come from seperate budgets that cannot be spent on other things.
Are you two aware that everyone in the district including subs have got raises excpet teachers, even though the state gave them money specfically designated for teacher raises and they still didn’t give us raises? And they are paying subs $300 a day during the strike? And they spent
$30,000 on copies of packets of coloring books and workbooks for the subs during the strike?? And now we are hearing that they flew in subs from LA? These are things that have been substantiated. And you question us on things you made up?
WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT.
April 23rd, 2007 at 11:19 pm
I second that, Angela you do not know the facts, so please until you have done your research stop writing this nonsense.
April 24th, 2007 at 5:04 am
Police reports do not amount to violence. Disturbing the peace is not violence.
April 24th, 2007 at 7:01 am
QUestions for the district:
(1) What specific actions has the district taken to restore trust and accountability?
To expand: Many statements by Dr. Vigil have been blatant lies; Mr. Schimmel and Mr. Peterson have verbally attacked teachers. Apparently the district endorses these actions, since nothing has happened to acknowledge, apologize for, or discourage such actions.
(2) Why does the district continue to make offers that contain contingencies that seem to be “deal-killers” for distrustful teachers?
To expand: In a climate of distrust and disrespect, the district seems to be wasting time and money, and insulting teachers, by making complex “contingent” offers. If the district won’t admit that its leaders have lied and disrespected the teachers, how can it ask them to trust it?
(3) Does the district want to reduce enrollment further? Will HUSD be a better place when enrollment drops below 15,000?
To expand: My perception, as I’ve mentioned at recent board meetings, is that the district’s unambiguous message to parents is “Leave – move your students to other districts.”
(4) Why is the district working to “push out” experienced teachers (specifically, with the “retirement incentive,” but more generally through hostility, disrespect, inadequate support, and low pay)? Will HUSD be a better place when it has less experienced teachers?
April 24th, 2007 at 9:04 am
I think it is time to end this strike.
April 24th, 2007 at 9:16 am
WHAT IS THE BEST OPTION TO END THIS STRIKE?
I’ve tried to identify the various ways this strike might end, and I’d like to know which option others think is the most desirable.
See the post at:
http://www.ibabuzz.com/hayword/2007/04/07/more-husd-strike-letters/#comment-5802
April 24th, 2007 at 11:49 am
So mental abuse is not considered a form of violence??
Please tell that to the psycologist that saw my daughter today!!!
Do you think i am lying???
How about i show you the report from her doctor!!
Mental is the worst form of any kind of abuse!!! Get your facts straight!
As for physical violence when protesters are trying to open apartments front doors and its tenats are scared and call the police and make a report then the police came and questioned me about it to see what i saw opps let me guess the ones that are holding the signs are not teachers ha ha yeah right !
You deserve your raise i agree on that i have saw proof to that but please do not lie on this blog about there being no violence people have done it but protected their identy because of fear!
Take some responsibility as i have.. Ha and im not even a teacher but yet i see and am able to admit when i am wrong. Tell me who now has more education!
April 24th, 2007 at 11:54 am
MARK,
i hope it ends like number 4 it seems the best way but how can we as parents make it happen like that?
April 24th, 2007 at 12:03 pm
Kim Santos,
Thank you very much for following up on the claims of violence. When I said “the press grossly misreported it” I was not referring to the Daily Review, but rather to several TV news stations. Channel Two actually did an interview showing the teachers side of the story, and acknowledged that no actual police action took place as a result. The other stations, which will remain unnamed, did not issue corrections to their misrepresentations, which is why I think it is still widely believed (at least by a couple of the bloggers here) that our strike is violent. Again, thank you for checking the facts and verifying the truth of the matter. We are peaceful people. We work with children. I appreciate the hard work done by the staff at the Daily Review, and in particular the moderation of these blogs. Thank you very much for providing a community forum in which these ideas can be exchanged. My lunch break its over, gotta go. Thanks again.
April 24th, 2007 at 1:24 pm
Some one educate me:
What exactly is a “parcel tax”? Is it a tax on the purchasing a speficic kind of item, like cigarretes or alcohol?
April 24th, 2007 at 1:33 pm
Never mind, I looked it up.
April 24th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
A parcel tax —–ready for this
tax the land of every building/piece of land in The HUSD , the teachers want to take us !!!!!!!!
April 24th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
and it s NOT tax deductible !!!!!!! I think as A Hayward parent I have paid enough over the last 2 weeks !!!!!!
April 24th, 2007 at 2:00 pm
I’m a home owner with many years left in my morgage, so before knowing what the amount we are talking about I can’t make an educated desision. .05%? .01%? What would it take to make a difference?
Also, in the case of renters, I imagine it is the property owner who pays, right?
Although I’m sure some of that would be passed down to the renters.
I would be willing to consider it, depending on the actual figures,
From the previous posts, I suspect I am part of minority but…
Anyone has the figures of how the vote went down the last time this was attempted?
April 24th, 2007 at 2:15 pm
I am a home owner too , And i can not afford another penny really and as for renters, yes
the person who owns the property paids the tax but then the renter’s rent went up !!!!!!
I know that last this parel tax was attempted it was shot down by the voters . I just wish
that the Hea would say
ok and take the parcel tax out of the deal and I am sure HUSD would have been more than happy to give them a deal !!!!!!
April 24th, 2007 at 4:14 pm
Disgusted Haywrad parent:
I’m not sure HUSD would have agreed to the proposal even if that clause wan’t there.
After all, then it would be in voter’s hands, not the Board and Vigil.
At least HEA is willing to take what would have been a big chance, considering the general negative attitude towards said tax.
April 24th, 2007 at 4:18 pm
Can we please talk about solutions instead of harping on the same personal problems over and over? We get it. People have been intimidated. People have been threatened. Children are scared, parents are tired, everyone wants to be self-righteous about What Happened To Me During The Strike. We feel your pain. Please get on with your/your child’s life and if you don’t have anything constructive to say, please don’t post your personal problems again.
April 24th, 2007 at 4:26 pm
Get back on topic or I’ll close the thread, guys.
April 24th, 2007 at 4:30 pm
I just came back from a HEA informational meeting and I was able to ask a question there that I think is very important to clear up. The current increases come from the COLA (cost of living allowance) already present in the budget. HEA’s proposal to push a parcel tax is for FUTURE wage increases, not the one’s currently on the table. The community is not burdened with the 11% over two years, or the one time, off schedule 1%.
So why throw in our support of a parcel tax in 2008-2009? (Note this is only our SUPPORT of a parcel tax. By saying yes to this deal, HUSD would not be enforcing this tax on the citizens of Hayward.) Much has been made of the necessity for competitive wages to retain teachers. This trend needs to continue over the long term. The parcel tax in 2008-09 is meant to provide a provision that will lead to a lasting growth in salaries across the board, including not just teachers, but also paraprofessionals, nurses, counselors etc. If the community chooses not to support the parcel tax, even after HEA members give their services to promote it, then we will be back at the bargaining table again, discussing the increase in the salary schedule without those funds (so only including whatever portion of the COLA that the district is willing to part with that year). The idea of the parcel tax is to provide long term stability in competitive wages so that the union and the district are not having staring contests every few years about salaries.
Again, if you don’t like the parcel tax, just don’t vote for it. The money is there for the suggested increases right now.
By the way, the district has countered with an offer that also includes HEA’s backing of a parcel tax, but includes the contingency that if the parcel tax does not pass, the union must completely renegotiate the contract! In HUSD’s offer, failure to pass the parcel tax brings us back to exactly where we are right now. In HEA’s offer, only additional changes to salaries will be on the table.
April 24th, 2007 at 4:38 pm
Is it that my facts are upsetting to you all!
Mrs. Santos i will be glad to e mail you a police report number if you wish!
I have said too many times to lets all find a solution but still people are attacking one another.
PH if you dont want to read anyones posts then skip them! Take all the information you can and use it to your benifit!
Again with the police reports some are not allowed to be viewed by the public for safty issues so nobody can really say exactly how many there are! That was told to me by the officer!
Read mark’s posts he seems to be really up to date on everything which is needed here!
April 24th, 2007 at 5:12 pm
This is very sneaky and an underhanded strategy to get a parcel tax passed in Hayward. It sounds like a sweetheart deal to me. I’m not in favor of a parcel tax for any reason. and I resent the teachers, and all the other husd unions wages being made my responsibility as a Hayward resident. This is going to divide the community even more because if I don’t vote for a parcel tax then I’m not for good teachers and other staff in Hayward schools.
April 24th, 2007 at 5:40 pm
How could the teachers resent the community after all the support that has been shown? Again, the community is not responsible for the increases on the table. If you do not wish to pass the parcel tax, then don’t. We are indebted to the community for everything they have done thus far, and will remain appreciative regardless of what happens in the future.
April 24th, 2007 at 5:47 pm
Unfortunately, when people keep haranguing the blog about personal situations, it makes it more likely readers *will* skip over them and miss whatever point (if any) the poster wanted to make. If a writer wants people to read their post(s) and get the information that the writer thinks is so vital, the writer needs to keep their personal problems out of it. So which is more important – venting (repeatedly) and not getting read, or sharing practical information and being seen as a useful contributor? For example, how would a police report help end the strike?
You bet I’m skipping posts.
April 24th, 2007 at 5:50 pm
Re the parcel tax: I don’t think it’s a good solution, but at any rate, wouldn’t that only be levied on people who own property in Hayward? Obviously costs would be passed down to renters as well. Also, it’s not the teachers’ responsibility to maintain the budget – presumably that’s why we have the school district bureaucracy.
April 24th, 2007 at 5:55 pm
property tax? come on teachers lets compromise here , i do not agree with that , there has to be other ways
April 25th, 2007 at 4:20 am
1. Assuming that this strike ended this week, would the district
merely tack on the time lost in the school term, so that students
are not punished? High school students have CAHSEE and other
exams, and it is doubtful that they learned much during since the
strike began.
2. Why has the HEA continued to take photos and post those
photos of subs on their HEA web blog, as it gives the unfair
impression that many regular district subs have crossed the
picket lines? The reality is that most regular subs are working
in other districts or are sitting home taking a financial beating?
3. Why has the HEA so far not offered any visible effort to help the
subs in their own union organizing efforts or taken them under their
protective wing & absorbed them into a separate section of HEA, as
HEA’s counterparts have done?
4. Has the HEA or the district made any tentative plans to convert their
current subfinder system to a partially online system, so that teachers &
subs could see what assignments will be available once a vacancy arises?
5. Has the HEA made any plans in case another similar HEA – HUSD salary dispute
arises, so that the subs the HEA wants not to cross their picket lines know well ahead
of time of a pending strike, as many substitute teachers were left flat footed
and are struggling financially? Many of us have found assignments in other
districts, but some have not, because they did not or could plan ahead.
April 25th, 2007 at 4:18 pm
Thus far, the district has indicated that it will treat the strike days as regular instructional days, although they’ve acknowledged now that they do not have instructional material or lesson plans, nor enough subs to teach.
I am surprised that any subs were surprised by the strike — certainly the district says in its PERB filing this week that it was aware that a strike was likely in mid-March, and of course HEA gave 48-hour notice which was widely publicized.
For those subs who work only in Hayward, and who don’t want to cross the picket line, this is certainly a hardship (just as it’s a hardship for teachers).
I assume that subs in some neighboring districts are probably also getting fewer assignments as Hayward subs who work in multiple districts accept work elsewhere. (I recall that back when I was working as a substitute teacher, when a strike was threatened in Oakland, subs there sought work elsewhere, creating a ripple effect that extended to most cities in Alameda County and probably beyond — subs saw the threat of a strike and planned accordingly by seeking and taking assignments elsewhere.)
April 25th, 2007 at 4:59 pm
Kim and Kris,
I hope that you are watching how the HUSD Board treats the parents and residents of Hayward as they request to speak tonight. Between the mispronounctions of Mr Peterson to the lack of coordination between Mr. Peterson and the security at the doors of the chamber there will many opportunities for speakers not being able to reach the microphone.
Keep smiling.
April 25th, 2007 at 7:14 pm
Holy crap. Wow. Oh, my God.
I am watching the HUSD board meeting from my home, while my wife and hundreds of other parents, teachers, students, and community members are at the meeting.
The board just did two things to undermine any belief that they care about the strike or the community.
First, all five board members chose to “pass” on their opportunity to make a comment at the beginning of the meeting. “No comment” is their reply to our community — they won’t respond to emails, letters, phone calls, or any other attempt to open dialogue. Instead, they refuse to talk with anyone other than administrators.
Second, the board announced a new rule tonight: at every meeting in the past, Mr. Peterson has announced that there would be a one-hour public comment period at the beginning of the meeting, and then additional public comment after the agenda is completed UNTIL EVERYONE HAS SPOKEN. Tonight, he announced a new policy: only 60 minutes of public comment will be allowed after the regular agenda is complete.
The school board does not want to listen to the community, and the school board does not want to communicate any message to the community, other than their consistent implied message: LEAVE.
During the first 60-minute public comment period, several parents stated that they are currently deciding whether to move their children to other districts. Several teachers stated that they are seeking employment in other districts.
The school board has NEVER asked anyone to stay. The school board has NEVER followed up with ANY of the THOUSANDS of parents and students, nor the HUNDREDS of teachers, who have left the Hayward Unified School District in the past several years.
My respect for Mr. Peterson, Ms. Truehill, Dr. Gonzales, Mr. Cook, and Mr. Frumkin has been eroding steadily, but now it’s clear that they do not want to communicate with ANY community members. Instead, they will continue to listen only to the administrators who provoked this strike, and who won’t give teachers, parents, or students any respect — and it is respect that will cost this district MILLIONS OF DOLLARS in salaries to the unions, which would have accepted much less if the district hadn’t persistently insulted and degraded teachers.
April 25th, 2007 at 8:01 pm
Ok People..this is supposed to be an open forum so let me say this…at tonights board meetin I patiently and quietly waited while others spoke during comments. I figure let them be heard and then I can be heard. As far as I could see, with exceptions of quite a few, the crowd was too quick to boo and insult anyone who did not jump entirely on board with them and to the tune of their drums. So to have what I was trying to say out to all who I wanted to hear it, I’m posting here for ALL to see as NO ONE can cut me off here, and if I might add very rudely.(Mark: the policy of the board minutes for public comments has been the same since 2004 but only if time will permit. The board moved the public comments from the end of the meeting to the beginning of the meeting. So Mark…they basically just restricted comments tonight to the beginning.)Also I noticed teachers were quick to leave when parents came. I guess not everyone is willing to hear ALL SIDES.
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All opinions were welcome and even though I was so disrespectfully interupted, thats ok. That just goes to show that not everyone supports individual opinions, and that my opinion,
the opinion that is on no ones side but my daughters…that is what I was trying to convey before I was so rudely interupted…
AND…yes the time was cut short for some. I know I did not speak 3 minutes as I had someone timing me. But that too is ok because I can truly say I participated in the discussion even though many did not want to hear it.
Leslie: It was a pleasure meeting you and your children. I am so sorry for what happened to your daughter and I hope you are able to heal your daughters wounds. Stick by your children and the rest would heal itself in time. Give your children a big hug from me and let them know they have people who know how they feel by their side. You are beautiful in every way that matters!!!
April 25th, 2007 at 8:06 pm
Angela, I have heard what had happened from my family who was there , and I am so upset at how they treated you , we are in the USA and should have the freedom of speech, well it seems to me that on the blog and off the blog the teachers , and board only care of themselves and are pusing us parents out , let them remember without us , they would not exist
April 25th, 2007 at 8:29 pm
Angela Hayward mother and alumni,
The board meets in closed session, then they usually have one hour of public comment at the beginning, then they conduct regular business sometimes with anther closed session, and they return to public comment after that. I have never noticed a time limit on the later part after the regualr business
April 25th, 2007 at 8:46 pm
Union and district officials reached a tentative agreement to end the strike tonight.
Teachers will have a minimum day Thursday and will vote on the agreement.
April 25th, 2007 at 8:48 pm
aNGELA OF HAYWARD ,
IT WAS MY PLEASURE !
I realized that my daughter will overcome everything but it will take time.
I just want this thing over and like i have said i am for the kids the hea and husd have them caught in the middle and now they are hurting. I am fighting so they can go back to scool and start that process! My concerns are still the safty issue wich i did not bring up tonight due to somebody rolling their eyes at me! so the board got to see a few of my bad colors! But i am not asshamed of that everything that i said tonight came from my heart . Your speach brought me to tears! Even i got slack for that and when you walked away and people stood and clapped so did i but i did it out of respect for the courage you had! That is why i got up to introduce myself to you! You are a good person with a good heart some people are just imature
keep your head up! Run for office i think you are what we need here! you already got my vote!
April 25th, 2007 at 8:50 pm
yeah finally we are making progress thanks for the update Kris
April 25th, 2007 at 9:00 pm
sorry for the typos baby again..
April 25th, 2007 at 9:04 pm
This is the best news I’ve heard all year!! Can’t wait to get back to my classroom tomorrow!! For those that aren’t familiar, the agreement is as good as passed of the union is giving it the go-ahead! Finally!!!!!!!
April 25th, 2007 at 9:21 pm
Finally!!! It’s TRUE for real. The union reps have activated the phone tree, so no lies this time!
Angela Hayward Mother: Many teacher left because we wanted the board to see that the PARENTS were present and concerned. We wanted them to see YOUR NUMBERS. It’s also why many teachers waited across from the district office last Friday. We wanted the district to see that the PARENTS have concerns about what’s going on in the district too. Parent and student voices often get “dismissed” by the board because they say we teachers are behind it (which is an insult–can’t parents and students think for themselves???).
While I hate the way the board treated the speakers (Peterson, et al) it’s good that a bigger audience has seen how the board treats the community–parents, teachers, students, everybody. It makes me sick to watch my students and their parents (many of whom speak at board meetings) treated so horribly.
I hope Families in Action stays focused and alive–there is much work left to be done to bring HUSD — parents, students, teachers, district — back together again.
April 25th, 2007 at 9:24 pm
Point of order: The HUSD Board has had one hour of public comment before the regular business seesion as part of its agenda for the 11 years I have attended or observed the proceedings. I have also witnessed the unlimited time for comment after the regular business was concluded as well.
April 25th, 2007 at 9:36 pm
Ladies and gentlemen, This is not over yet. I believe that the actions of the Board and the HUSD administration have opened a can of worms that will not be closed with a vote by the members of HEA.
The voters of Hayward have shown that education in Hayward is an issue that must be delat now. The voters, as represented by Families in Action, need to continue their activism until they feel they are represented by the Board of Education.
Considering all the issues that have raised during this situation, their activism may be a hard pill for both HUSD and HEA to swallow in the near future.
I do hope that tomorrow will be calm for all parties.
For HEA: Please consider the agreement carefully, remember when you gave up your medical benefit
April 25th, 2007 at 9:38 pm
Thank you Hayward Teachers for stayiong strong! Thank you Hayward familes for supporting us! Thank you Kris and Kim for helping get information out! Thank you to Mark and your your wife!
April 26th, 2007 at 5:12 am
Thank the Gods it is over! Thank you, Kim Santos for helping share the info and dialogue. Thank you channel 1684 for keeping the truth out there. Thank you bloggers for all the facts and dialogue. The fact of the matter is (now that this is over I can let out this secret) the distrcit proved they are not very media saavy, and that worked to teacher and community advantage. From Barry Schimmel screwing up the emails, to the Big Mouth dispensing erroneous facts, to the You Tube videos, the district TOTALLY underestimated the power of the media and the power of the community. Even if the district won this ‘battle’, the community will feel the ripples for a long time, and they won the ‘war’. Unity=Strength=Power=Respect. I hope Dale learned that lesson: Respect—give it, get it!
April 26th, 2007 at 6:53 am
To the Parents and community: This is good news…..
To the teachers: Congratulations, I hope it works for you— yes all of you!
But I do wonder whether or not you will write someone up for doing exactly what they (students) saw on the line…..
to some teachers: your double standards are beyond belief. My brothers will no longer have the option of attending Hayward schools. They are not going to be taught the BAD habits are displayed on the line. My Aunt’s and Uncle’s have all said that they are requesting transfers (for cousins) from their current teachers to others but are looking at other districts as well…… as a result of first hand witness of lies and misbehavior by their own teachers on the line. But then again, I forgot, nothing has happened on the line or on the streets– right?! My family has been a part of Hayward before HUSD became UNIFIED in 1963. It’s a shame that the teachers of 2007 have made my family feel they no longer need to be here. Hayward has shown it’s TRUE colors. Why spend countless hours to teach respect, honestly, integrity, loyalty, to our children only to have it undermined by those during hours of schooling. I hope you teachers enjoy trying to reteach what “respect” really means; and don’t get mad when your students tell you , you don’t understand the concept.
I hope the police do place charges against those that did commit acts during this strike. It will show that this behavior is not tolerated by no means! By anyone! The next time a student slashes your tire, I hope you see the double standard that you apply. Equal treatment for all – the good and the bad.
As I said before – - GET BACK TO WORK!
April 26th, 2007 at 6:54 am
ANGELA LOPEZ—SIGNING OFF!!!
April 26th, 2007 at 5:27 pm
As I stated in my very first posting, I am leaving next year due to outside circumstances. As a result of my choice to walk the line for ten days, I am going to lose money, but those that remain or come after me will benefit. I am very proud of this choice. Now I know that when I leave, young, energetic teachers will be drawn to this district by higher wages and the strength of the union. Those incredible teachers that I know and love (and the amazing ones I have never met) now have the incentive to stick around and contribute to the education of these wonderful children and this outstanding community. Hayward, you are the winner in this struggle, because the children are the future, and this short period of time will yield dividends for the community for at least the next two years, and much, much longer if the momentum of this struggle is harnessed and focused.
I lost a little money on this deal, which is nothing. Kids missed school. Parents took off work. Other teachers will be paying off their debts well into next year in order to look after their own children. Bad feelings are going to be harbored in schools for a long time in and out of schools. A lot was sacrificed in this process.
Let all of this not be in vain. Those that fear they do not have a voice, speak. If no one listens, speak to someone else. THE COMMUNITY IS MORE POWERFUL THAN TEACHERS OR THE DISTRICT, OR EVEN THE GOVERNMENT! However, please take a page out of the teachers’/union playbook: when you come together and you are organized, then you will be heard, then the issues that lie beneath the surface will rise to the top, and then we will all find out who we really are and what really matters. Thank you all and God bless you.
April 28th, 2007 at 11:37 am
Kim,
Thank you for your coverage of the strike. It is the best coverage the Daily Review has ever offered in my opnion. In the past teachers always felt like the DR had a bias against us.
Thank you for using so many of my questions in your article and asking Vigil “the hard questions”. What a shame that he did not really answer them. In addition, he was not truthful in denying that he did not contradict himself when sending home “Big Mouth” messages to parents’ homes saying that: “the schools were safe”, when we know that he was simultaneously preparing the injunction against teachers which stated that “schools were unsafe” and that the educational system had “totally broken down”. And blamed teachers for this. I guess being a superintendent these days means being a politician, and being a politician means not having to tell the truth to save face.
In addition, Schimmel’s response does not make sense. If teachers had automatically received the COLA that we had deferred at a later date as he stated, we would not have gone on
strike. Mr. Schimmel, I have only received a .83% raise in the past 5 years. That is less than 1%. That is not COLA.
As far as Peterman, Schimmel and Quinn not giving back their raises; they may have kept some money but they have lost any and ALL respect from the teachers FOREVER in
Hayward. The Board may be enamored of them, but teachers’ experiences with them are not good, and now are even worse.
Kim, finally, is there any way to ask why the district why it said over and over that it could “not afford to offer any more than 7% as its best, last offer without bankrupting the district” ? and then in the end they are able to offer 11%?! and state that they are “comfortable and pleased with this”? If I were a parent, I would be LIVID that they lied about this, and caused the
teachers to strike, and my child to miss so much school. At the very least this shows that the district is not credible. If they were able to offer this, we all could have been saved a whole lot of grief from the beginning. It will be interesting to see how they explain this one, or if they even try. Did they suddenly “find” money, did they finally listen to HEA? Or did they do as we know they did and finally see that the teachers and parents were serious and were not going to back down, and actually negotiate like responsible people as they should have all along.
Community of Hayward: take note! These guys are slick. We tried to tell you.
Now you see.
This really is my last post.
I am back to teaching Thank God. My plate is FULL.
Thank you Hayward!
Editor’s note: Kris Noceda did a great job covering the strike. We will try to follow up on the 11%. Thanks! -Kim
April 28th, 2007 at 8:31 pm
Yes, thank you Kris!
April 28th, 2007 at 9:40 pm
I agree w/ tired teacher–thank you Kris! And I hope that the community sees your points about HUSD admin.
And Kris–could you or someone at the DR cover the horrible testing conditions at Hayward High during the strike? Kids were in the bleachers, helping one another, talking…and they were told that they wouldn’t be able to make up the tests and now we’re giving the STAR test this upcoming week. A bunch of my students who came during the strike are very upset by this lie and very upset that they’ll be missing class time with their teachers b/c of the STAR test “make-ups” for students who didn’t cross the picket line during the strike.
I think it’s a great story just waiting for you–and I’ll be the CA state testing agency would love to know some of these details. I think it was even on 16.84 The Truth’s You Tube production for day 7 or day 8 of the strike.