Sunday, May 6, 2018

Emery Loses 20% of its Teaching Staff: Dr John Rubio's Swan Song

Rubio's Swan Song: 20% Teacher Loss 
This Year

Emery Superintendent's Legacy:
Worst Teacher Retention in the Bay Area
a Net Failure for Academic Achievement 

Eight teachers are not returning to Emery in the fall according to recently released School District documents, marking a continuation of a four year trend of disruptive teacher churn that has earned the little district the dubious and ongoing distinction of having the worst teacher retention problem in the Bay Area. The teacher exodus is accredited to outgoing superintendent John Rubio who has claimed responsibility as part of a self described scorched earth program of jettisoning what he has characterized as the  “dead wood” of bad teachers.  
The eight certified teachers driven out so far this year represent 20% of the entire teaching staff at Emery, an improvement over last year’s epic 37% teacher loss but still far higher than any other district in the Bay Area. 

Critics of the Superintendent’s policies point out the fallacy of his claim he is merely firing bad teachers by noting the teachers he is now driving out (or firing) are the same ones he himself hired, a point conceded by an Emery teacher who told the Tattler recently, “He’s getting rid of the teachers he hired.”  The teacher, who wished to remain anonymous out of fear of losing his/her job, added that after four years at it (representing Mr Rubio’s entire tenure at Emery) almost every teacher left at this point is one he himself has hired.
Bold Experimenter in Teacher Purges:
Outgoing Emery Schools Superintendent
Dr John Rubio

He overturned the education status quo and delivered
maximum disruption in teacher retention as part
of a bold plan to raise student academic standards
by massive teacher churn.
The results for Emery have been failure.
 
For his part, Mr Rubio has thus far refused accountability for ill effects visited upon Emery as a result of the massive and disruptive teacher loss the District has been subjected to, effects universally recognized by educational professionals it should be noted, lashing out instead against his critics including the Tattler who has documented the teacher loss associated with his policies.

Educators commonly cite teacher retention as the single most important metric for measuring the efficacy of a school superintendent and also a school district.  Studies have shown districts with high teacher retention as being the best predictor for high academic progress regardless of student demographics.  Mr Rubio’s oft repeated assertion that the opposite is true; namely that the lower the teacher retention, the higher the academic performance, at least at Emery under his tutelage, is not indicated by the evidence; not at Emery or anywhere else in the world.  In fact, Emery’s academic standing has been markedly degraded since the implementation of Mr Rubio’s slash and burn teacher retention policies marked beginning in his first year at Emery.       

Lots of Bad Teachers at Emery?
Superintendent Rubio has often said the poor teacher retention numbers he has garnered at Emery are really a feature rather than a bug.  He states unequivocally that the academicians are wrong and he's right: low retention rates are a sign of a bold superintendent setting things right.  Besides testing people's skeptical nature with his claim, Mr Rubio's postulate assumes a strange and unquantified inability for Emery to attract quality teachers in the first place.  Implicit in his assertion is the notion that bad teachers really love Emery.  Somehow, other school districts can attract good teachers but Emery only seems to get the bad ones.  How else to explain the Superintendent’s astounding record of his firing and driving out teachers only to have to keep at it year after year with his own hires continually heading for the exits?  
In education, perhaps more than any other field, evidence-based policy has been the standard as opposed to whatever capricious policy has been coming from Mr Rubio, a man heretofore interested in keeping his employment at Emery.  As we search for a new superintendent,  Emery should try experimenting with what education academicians and sucsessful school districts around the world have for decades found to be true and leave the teacher purging experimenters for another district.


Board Meeting DateSchoolEffective
4-25ESS6-30
4-25ESS6-30
4-25AYE6-30
4-11ESS6-19Retirement
4-11AYE6-18Retirement
4-11AYE6-30
4-11AYE6-30
4-11AYE6-30
4-11AYE6-30
4-11AYE6-30
4-11ESS6-30Counselor
From EUSD Board packets:
Eight teachers quit or forced out, two retired and one councilor quit. 

12 comments:

  1. Here we go again with this stuff about the teachers. If Dr Rubio is so unpopular with the teachers why do they all like him? The only person that cares about this retention thing is you. Dr Rubio is a good man and you chased him out of this district and I hope you feel proud of yourself. The children will pay for your actions.

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    Replies
    1. They all like him? Are you sure about that? What about the nine outgoing teachers that called him a racist and a bully on camera last June at the end of the school year Board meeting? They appeared none too fond of him. Use of the epithets "racist" and "bully" usually means they're not happy with the person having the charges leveled at him.

      RE- 'I chased him out': Well, I thank you for your vote of confidence in the Tattler's influence. I like to think you're right; I think the Tattler DID possibly have some affect on his firing (yes he likely was fired, he didn't quit...he still doesn't have a replacement job according to sources). We certainly tried to make his tenure here as uncomfortable as possible for him. Thanks for the compliment and thanks for the comment.

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  2. Good riddance to this guy. Emery finally has a chance for a new beginning. Don't f*** it up Emery. Keep the school board away from the replacement decision!

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  3. I think you did help oust this supe and you are to be thanked for it. Rubio has been the worst supe possible for emery. we can only do better with a replacement. Lots of people don't know how bad he really is.
    -a parent

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  4. The most damning thing about this is that Rubio is driving out his own hires. That ends any argument that he’s getting rid of bad teachers.

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    1. Agree with that. I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt before. Now after 4 years of this it's clear this man has some kind of messiah problem. He's trying to be the savior when all he needs to do is improve the schools for the students. It was a mistake to hire him. Lesson learned EUSD?

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  5. I think it's time for Emery to get absorbed by a neighboring district. I don't see how it can justify using tax dollars to support all the extra salaries to stay it's own district, and also, being so small, it can't attract a competent superintendent.

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    Replies
    1. Setting aside the likely improvement in school culture and improved academic results such a merger would engender, the fiscal benefits obtained by efficiencies of scale you cite are absolute. I remember how Emeryville, specifically Nora Davis's City Council, for years resisted allowing the Emeryville Fire Department to merge with Alameda County Fire. Nora led the charge in resisting the loss of our autonomous fire department in the face of irrefutable numbers that would save the taxpayers of Emeryville with such a merger. No, she said, we must engage in civic boosterism at all costs. That finally ended with the crash of '08 and the onset of the Great Recession. Finally Nora had no argument (because we had no money). Since merging with Alameda Fire we now have better service at lower costs to the taxpayers: a rare and real win/win.

      We're still in civic boosterism denial with Emery Unified School District. The renting out of our two former school sites has cushioned Emery from a total financial crash up until now but better performance and more efficient finances for Emeryville schools are lying just beyond the mindless civic boosterism standing in the way.

      Again, how about making room for evidence-based policy at Emery?
      Because it's...you know...evidence based.

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  6. Did Rubio fire the high school music teacher?

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    Replies
    1. The music teacher resigned. It is unclear if he was forced out by Mr Rubio or if he left because of intolerable work conditions (because of Rubio). BTW- this teacher was extremely popular with students AND parents and many publicly testified to that.

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  7. Hey Rubio! How in the hell, let me correct this, I know how it can happen because we have you as a superintendent. Why is it that you allowed your former board member and Miss Collins daughter threatened me out loud in front of you and the rest of the board? Just because I haven't gotten to the police station yet to make the report does not mean that that report isn't coming. Your board members daughter threatens me right there at the board meeting and then inexplicably shows up at a bar that I hang out at to tell me that you guys have my license plate number, you know where I hang out, you know where I live, you've been to my Facebook page, you've been to all of my social media sites. Why are you guys stalking me and why were there several men at the same bar two nights after this incident with Britney who were trying to prevent me from leaving?

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