Saturday, November 25, 2017

High Stakes Rancor at City/School Committee Threatens ECCL

School Board Members Langner, Vargas Seek to End Committee That Bridges Schools & Community

Ad Hoc Ploy Threatens Center of Community Life 

"You want to embarrass & shame us" said Langner 

News Analysis
As a consequence of deteriorating interpersonal relations, Emeryville’s two elected bodies, the City Council and the School Board voted to convene an ad hoc committee to explore ways to sever the ties that bind them at their regularly scheduled October City/School Committee meeting.  The move to part company, brought in response to pressure built up over three years between the two entities, comes on the heels of what turned out to be a contentious October 5th meeting after School Board members lashed out against the City Council.  A vote was taken to terminate the Committee that failed (7-2 Langner & Vargas voting aye) before the Committee unanimously voted to form the unnamed ad hoc group, presumably in order to placate the insurgents.   School Board member Bailey Langner announced to her colleagues before voting to breakup the committee, “It is my intention to come into this meeting and talk about limiting the scope of the relationship [between the School Board and the City Council]” meaning she was already intending on talking of termination even before the meeting turned sour. 
School Board Member
Bailey Langner

Voted to deep six the committee.

She made it clear, first and foremost
are her feelings.  Accountability
comes somewhere farther down the list.

The mutinous faction, consisting of the two School Board members plus the non-voting administrative staffer Superintendent John Rubio, if ultimately successful in torpedoing the City/Schools Committee, will bring to a close a very remarkable partnership that culminated in the building of the Center of Community Life, Emeryville's epic $200 million  aspirational civic project meant to bridge the community and the schools.  The present function of the committee is to continue running the ECCL to fulfill its promise to the community and the schools for the betterment of both.  

That charge as it turns out is quite unusual given widely applied State constraints mandating the independence of municipalities and school districts.  The City/School Committee was instrumental in getting landmark legislation (AB 1080) written with the help of Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner back in 2009 enabling the building of the ECCL.  The legislation of AB 1080 thread a needle in a field of Sacramento roadblocks to form such a collaborative effort.  
The breakup of this committee now could reverberate across the California political landscape were it to actually happen.
As it is, the unseemly spectacle rising at the Committee earmarks the end of the season of accommodation and comity between the two government elected bodies, a heretofore special and uplifting feather in Emeryville’s cap according to Ms Skinner, now a State Senator.

The bad blood between the two groups was evident at the meeting, Board member Langner complaining she feels disrespected by the City Council members.  At one point after Council members brought up disappointing academic numbers reflecting a failing of the School District (in the purview of the Committee), Ms Langner said her feelings were hurt by the airing of factual information about the District and that she feels “hostility” from the Council, “I do not feel that the City Council is a partner with the School District.  It feels like you want to bring up these topics in an attempt to embarrass and shame us”.  City Council member Ally Medina responded to Ms Langner’s affecting lament, “Your individual feelings are not important.  The children and the residents you were elected to represent are important.”  Ms Langner actually was appointed by the Board to replace a resigning Board member.  She faces the electorate next November.

School Board member Cruz Vargas
He's outraged, OUTRAGED the City Council
is talking about academic achievement at ECCL.
It makes him look bad and he voted to crash
the committee he's so angry about it.

Superintendent Rubio, an authoritarian figure big on secrecy according to teachers at the District and the progenitor of the rancor between the two groups, provided fuel and directed the School Board’s fire at the meeting.   Accusing City Council committee members, he pointed his finger, “I saw the Council members judging the School Board members for their actions” adding he finds unacceptable “the level of disrespect and unprofessionalism [sic] that occurs in our meetings.”  Those comments brought out Council member Christian Patz who said the non-voting staff member Rubio had stepped over the line with his didactic hyperbole, “I take a challenge for you to highlight good members and bad members.”  Mr Patz reminded the administrator,  "It is outside your role.” 

Council member Scott Donahue says the dust ups at the City/School Committee, no matter how rancorous won't likely result in the termination of the committee regardless of the wishes of Ms Langner, Mr Vargas or Mr Rubio.  He told the Tattler the Committee brings accountability and he believes the group will go on, “The City Council is ultimately responsible for protecting the public’s investment in this [ECCL] project.  The City/School Committee represents a necessary collaboration between the City and the School District”.  The Councilman finished, “It is vital to ECCL’s success.” 
 It would appear the School Board (at least two of them plus the Superintendent) will have to figure out how to conduct public policy without making things personal, the first job of any elected official.  In a Rodney King moment speaking to that, Council member John Bauters addressed his colleagues, exclaiming forlornly "It is really important for the City and the schools to find a way to get along."

The City/Schools Committee will meet in January to hash out details of the new ad hoc group they will look to as they consider throwing in the towel on bridging the community and the schools.  The public can look forward to accountability, their interests, taking a holiday at the School District and at City Hall if the towel is indeed thrown in.

Correction:  We originally reported the vote to end the City/School Committee was 8-2 against.  The actual vote was 7-2 against.  School Board member Bryynda Collins did not attend the meeting and therefore didn't vote.  We apologize  for the mistake. 

Emery School Superintendent
John Rubio


He works for the School Board.
Or do they work for him?  It's not clear.
He's supposed to serve a supporting role, 

not a voting member on the Committee.
But he acts like a Committee member. 
 

11 comments:

  1. Scott Donahue is right. To protect the interests of the community, the committee needs to stay.

    Interpersonal clashes happen in all spheres of life, and as grownups we mostly learn to mitigate or ignore them. If that's asking too much of some committee members, maybe they should ask whether it's worth the pain to stay on.

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  2. Rubio could care less about the children of ECCL or the communities they live in.
    Neither he nor Cruz Vargas need ANY help to look bad.
    Rubio IS an authoritarian figure big on secrecy. He is also big on falsifying records, writing false reports.... oh hell! Rubio is an liar, a coward, and a crook. Vargas. You're his lapdog.

    Fewer and fewer people believe you and of the lackeys you employ, fewer and fewer of them are finding out increasingly hard to find ways to make excuses for you and create distractions.

    Kinda like Trump and the idiots around him.

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  3. This is just so wrong. Where do these school board members get off pulling this cheap trick? To Bailey Langner- grow up. It's not about you and your feelings. This is part of the job. Get used to it.I agree with Ally Medina, if you can't take the other side bringing up stuff that they're entitled to like academic results at the schools, if that's too much for you then you should take off .And take Cruz Vargas with you.

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  4. If a school board member has to ask at a board meeting "what is the Book Fair?" at Anna Yates, that person does not deserve to be on the school board, appointed or elected. An occasional visit to the schools would be most informative.

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    Replies
    1. Who asked that?

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    2. She needs to go. Why is she even on our school board and who put her on there?

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    3. This is unreal , How is a person in charge asking "What is a Book Fair" . Should we ask, when is it time for a overhaul. Everyone is complaining while the ship is sinking in deeper waters. It is sad that people having no vested interest within the school should not even be in there , The ones that are in there with no balls and no knowledge of what our Teachers and Children need, need to step down so we can have a great school again.

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  5. This woman is one of the reasons our school is jacked up. But let's not hang it all on her head. Yes you are absolutely correct! If a person sitting on the board doesn't know what the book fair is then please show that person the door and give them a quick nudge out. And while we're at it why don't we get rid of the rest of your board members with no children in this school district or in any other school district. What are you doing there? Vargas! Take that dumb look, Cruz Vargas, and bounce along with the rest of your cronies

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  6. Rubio! You and the people under you are killing this school and this community. You, Rubio. Not the individuals who rightfully complain about your criminal activities and I said criminal because failing to report incidents of sexual assault on one of our children is a criminal act. Step down and stop making excuses for yourself Rubio. Nobody's buying it and I along with many other people see through your slick sleazy greasy facade

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