VEA is a member of:

“Vallejo Fails To Nominate A Top Teacher”

I am a retired teacher from the Mt. Diablo U.S.D. and a resident of Vallejo. Failing to pick a top teacher in the district is a major slap-in-the-face to all teachers working in the Vallejo City U.S.D. Not only does the district pay their teachers 10,000+ dollars per year less than equal counterparts in surrounding districts, the district has been run into the ground by poor decision-making and corruption (such as 2 years without a contract for the teachers, losing the 21 st Century Grant, overpaying administrators ($27,000 pay raise for the new interim Superintendant) and adding new administrative positions. What are the administrators paid to do?

Teachers get very little recognition for their efforts with the students as it is. In this district it is obviously a thankless job. Many teachers arrive at school at 7:00 a.m. and do not leave till 6 or 7:00 p.m. at night. They don't get paid extra for overtime (they instead get paid at least 15% less for working here). They work extra hours for the students. The district often uses teachers as scapegoats for problems that should be solved at the district level. (Its always the teachers fault) test scores, discipline, grades etc. “When in doubt, blame a teacher, deflect responsibility (“protect your own back”) somewhere other than where it truly lies (SPIN).

· There should be a system in this district that is set up to honor excellence in teaching, clerical, and support staff, for those employees who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. It should be recognized both at the site level and the district level at least once a month and announced and celebrated at faculty meetings and district ceremonies.

· Also, there should be a system set up district-wide to recognize excellence in student behavior and performance at least once a month at the site and district level. We need to celebrate these achievements not only for the students who attain success but demonstrate to other students these role models.

The district administration is again blaming someone else for dropping-the-ball in presenting a top teacher. Was no one in charge when they placed the then superintendent Mary Bull on administrative leave? When will they take responsibility for anything they do or fail to do? Giving deserved recognition to students and employees makes them feel good about the job they are doing. It raises morale and shows everyone the positive direction in which education should be headed. These awards should be released to the media. Why do we need a public relations administrator? What is he doing to increase recognition in the community of the students, teachers and staff's efforts to highlight Vallejo school's achievements? The only time we see the VCUSD public relations administrator is when he is “spinning” bad news.

Thank you Times/Herald for keeping the community informed on these issues, otherwise we would never know what our paid officials are up to.

Patrick Loushin