KUSD playing hardball?
At the Wednesday, Feb. 20, meeting of the KUSD Board of Trustees, the teachers” union report was deleted. Knowing that many teachers and supportive parents and community members wanted to speak, they also delayed community comments until after 10:30 p.m. Earlier this year I thought things might get better, but now they seem to be getting worse. The board wants to play hardball.
They take advantage of the fact that we are salaried workers by giving us so much to do that we cannot possibly do it all in even 12 hours a day. They are savvy enough to know that most teachers feel guilty if we are not giving 200 percent. Many of us are making ourselves change that, though, in response to their actions.
Extra meetings are a catch-22. Many meetings after school are three-hour blocks when we, and the parents involved, are usually exhausted. For daytime meetings like the DSLT all-day meetings, they do not offer the teachers any extra money for extra time to prepare detailed lesson plans for the guest teacher.
Because the Board is now making decisions against some of the top results of the voting in our recent Town Hall meeting, I have resigned from the Small Learning Communities Leadership Team, and I hereby resign from the Pomo District School Liaison Team (DSLT).
While I fully emotionally support my colleagues at Pomo in their endeavors to improve their test scores, I must acknowledge the very real fact that this board, no matter what we do as a DSLT, will make their own mind up as they did with Oak Hill”s DSLT process.
I used to hold the officers and many of the board members in a higher regard. I am sure that is also true of their regard for me. It seems we each must, unfortunately, do what we must do. It is not an easy battle. Too bad it has to be a battle at all. However, if they want to play hardball, my mitt and bat are ready and I can so easily step up to the plate.
Sue Chisam
Oak Hill Middle School
Fallen oak had a great potential for disaster
On Feb. 2, at approximately 2 p.m. and while the Clearlake Oaks Water Company was cleaning our sewer drain, our precious oak tree fell over. Thankfully, the tree fell south away from our house; however, it tore out all the wiring and snapped the utility pole in half. Not to mention it put 98 people without power.
The first emergency responders were on the scene within 3 to 4 minutes of calling 911. They included the fire department, an EMT paramedic unit, PG&E, the police department and the phone company.
Without exception these people were compassionate, polite and thoroughly professional. They and the other workers labored through the night and by 6 a.m. the next morning a new pole had been installed and all of the wiring had been replaced. The street was partially cleared and services were restored.
Miraculously no one was injured and property damage was minimal. We were very thankful that the two water company employees were not hurt for they were working only a few steps from the tree.
The potential for disaster was great and the immediate arrival of the emergency responders was an invaluable buffer.
The oak tree will be missed and it was a very big tree. A lot of people came to cut wood, fill their trucks and always asked if we needed anything.
We both thank you all from the bottom of our hearts.
Eleanor Hunter and Carolyn Potter
Clearlake Oaks
Time for a fair settlement
Did you know that over 300 of these flyers were given out tonight (Wednesday, Feb. 20)? Did you know that KEA supporters have signed petitions and we now have over 1,000 signatures?
Did you know that in the rooms behind you are at least 25 parents who do not speak English — here to support teachers?
The board radically changed the times of tonight”s meeting — to further their own point of view and shun the public input of the hardworking parents and teachers of our district. This does not demonstrate respect or support.
Cynthia Ott
East Lake Elementary School
Editor”s Note: The flyer in question states “The time for a fair settlement is now! We support teachers and so should you!” KEA members distributed the flyers and also displayed signs saying “Settle now” at the Feb. 20 school board meeting.
Teachers and community are united in their efforts
Once again the teachers and community are let down by a school board who continues to make cowardly decisions. On Wednesday, Feb. 20, the Konocti Unified School District Board of Directors manipulated and distorted their agenda keeping hundreds of hardworking parents and community members waiting as they flexed their corrupted power.
The past practice of the school board has always been taking community comments in the first few items of the regular agenda. On this past Wednesday the Carol McClung Conference Room was filled with teachers and community members who support teachers, many of which carried signs and had intentions on addressing the school board. Instead of respectfully accommodating the working parents who had brought their school-age children to the meeting the school board decided to make them wait more than three grueling hours.
After community members and teachers started to stir and children were falling asleep the school board president threatened to adjourn the meeting. Again cowardice from the beginning! It is one thing to make teachers and other staff wait but using power to control and subdue parents and the community is flat out disrespectful. This is a demonstration of what the teachers face on a regular basis, a school board with selfish priorities.
The unfortunate fact of the matter is that the current school board has failed to recognize and value its staff from teachers to all classified staff and now it is flat out failing to value the parents and the community. More than 1,040 signatures were collected on a parent driven petition that circulated the community and which read; “We support our teachers in their effort to convince the school board to make teachers a priority. After seven years without a raise we completely support teacher efforts in obtaining a fully funded raise by the district.” Unfortunately these pleas for support of teachers have fallen on deaf ears as mediation sessions continue between teachers and the Konocti Unified School District. It seems clear that this school board is not willing to acknowledge the unity found amongst the community and teachers even if it is posted on signs throughout the town and means filling the meetings with hundreds of supporting people not to mention the thousand-plus signatures that were collected.
The teachers of KUSD want the community members, parents and support staff to know that we do appreciate you, we hear and feel your support and again we are proud to be united with you in our efforts.
Jennifer Bertram
Second-grade teacher
Lower Lake Elementary School
Save our parks
The thought of Governor Schwarzenegger closing our parks upsets me as I feel he is picking on little Lake County because he doesn”t think we”ll voice our objections and if we did voice them, there are not enough people to make large waves. We could and should prove him wrong!
Terry Knight said in his column (Observer*American, Jan. 23) that “The actual cost to run the park (Anderson Marsh) is insignificant in comparison to the pleasure that it offers visitors.” He also said “Volunteers provide much of the manpower and serve as trail guides.” If this is correct, then the closing would not be saving much money. A drop in the bucket, so to speak?
Instead of closing the park and losing the home it provides to such a wide variety of birds and animals, why not deed the park to Lake County? Could this be the solution? We need the park because we are growing by leaps and bounds and every time we build a new home or shopping center we are shrinking, by acres, the homes of our wildlife. In my opinion, we cannot afford to lose our wildlife.
Julia R. Hurst
Clearlake
Don”t forget to write!
The Clear Lake Observer*American welcomes letters responding to articles and opinions that have appeared in this newspaper, as well as on topics of general interest. Letters can be sent to letters@clearlakeobserver.com or mailed to PO Box 6200, Clearlake, CA 95422. Pleases include complete name, address and telephone number. Anonymous submissions will be discarded.
