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HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?

(Times Herald 9/4/07)

by William Innes

Vallejo Times-Herald

 September 4, 2007

I cannot even begin to describe the reaction my colleagues and I felt when we read the “New Principal Resigns Amidst Credential Questions” written by Sarah Rohrs on August 29.  We read this article with a combination of gaping mouths and disgust.

Many wonder how Franklin Middle School's newly hired Vice-Principal, Terry Harvey, made it through the screening process without the proper credentials needed for a position of such importance.  While Ms Rohrs wrote a fine piece, the article failed to mention that Mr. Harvey is ONLY qualified to be a substitute teacher until the end of December, 2007 (this information is easily found on the California Teaching Credentialing website). In essence, any Certificated Educator working for the Vallejo City Unified School District is more qualified to work with students and implement policy than Mr. Harvey.

Even more appalling is that VCUSD District “leaders” have created a position for Mr. Harvey while they scramble for him to meet the minimum qualifications for the job of Vice-Principal. All the while VCUSD's District leadership has created a position which does not justify the high salary paid to an administrator.  To add further salt to the wound, VCUSD has hired an interim Vice-Principal, since Mr. Harvey is not yet qualified for the position for which he was hired.  If one crunches numbers, then we're talking a sum of $200,000+ a year (salary and benefits) for two people to do the job of one person.  This occurred in a district that has been taken over by the State of California for not being fiscally solvent.

VCUSD's spokesperson, Tish Busselle, predicts that this matter will be resolved within two weeks.  I wish I could express relief upon learning of this news, but I find it difficult.  Rather, I'd like to see Ms Busselle utilize her two weeks of energy, as well as the extra $100,000+ to do the following:

1) Find a way to eliminate the combination classes (for example, a classroom of 4 th and 5 th graders in the same classroom).  In these days of scripted curriculum and rigorous pacing guides, this is akin to asking a high school teacher to teach Biology and Spanish during the same time-period.  It's just about impossible…and the learning of students suffers as a result.

Ms Busselle has been busily creating combination classes during these first two weeks of school.  Last year she commented that students don't always conveniently fit into groups of 20 or 32.  It should be noted that Ms Busselle does not have a Teaching Credential, has never taught in a classroom setting, and, needless to say, Vallejo's educators see it as a slap in the face that someone with no classroom experience is placing an impossible mandate upon us.

2) Rather than have Ms Busselle spend two weeks and wasted District money to see that Mr. Harvey becomes qualified, perhaps she could better serve Vallejo's students by finding a way for every student to have a set of text-books at home. This would be a tremendous help to vigilant students and parents.

3) Currently many of VCUSD's students are scavenging for basic school supplies.  At the 3 rd grade level, the grade I teach, we are without Math Practice Workbooks, having been told that the District can no longer afford this expense.  It is with a jaundiced eye with which many of us greet such news.  The District can hire two people to do the job of one, create a position that is hardly necessary (and highly overpaid), but the District is unable to supply its students with the bare necessities needed to succeed in their academic setting.

Bottom line, this is the State of California who managed such a mishap. Once again the District leadership created a position which most likely doesn't justify such a high salary, continuing its practice of being top-heavy with administrators, all the while allowing our students to flounder.  Again, we see an example of priorities, practices and policies from VCUSD that put administrators first while our students are treated as an inconvenient afterthought.  Dr. Damelio and his minions were brought to Vallejo to help solve a fiscal crisis…not add to the crisis. It begs the question: Who watches the watchmen?

William Innes

Cave Elementary School