Merry Christmas! How About Some PKS Reduction ?

It's Not That Bad, It's Only A Little 
PKS Reduction

Opinion
A school district has many little problems that arise, details it must contend with to keep the whole enterprise humming.  A lot of what needs to be done is routine clearing out of miscellaneous detritus and clutter that tends to build up... like PKS for instance.  The Emery Unified School District recently informed the Tattler they're ready to clean the place up by getting rid of the extra PKS.
 In the spirit of full disclosure and total transparency, Emery Unified lets Emeryville residents and the surrounding community know about pretty much everything about the day to day running of the schools, including the minutia like reducing the PKS.  We've noticed they don't make a big deal about it probably because they feel the parent, guardian and citizen stakeholders need to keep focused on the bigger issues facing the District but the fact that Emery puts PKS reductions on the public School Board agendas shows the level of commitment this District has to properly informing the public.  We do appreciate knowing about little problems like too much PKS building up and the requisite trimming and clearing out performed by the Board.

For the uninitiated, learn about the troublesome PKS build up HERE.

Let's Clean This Place Up!
Don't be concerned, It's just a little PKS reduction.
Just tidying up... really there's no need to pay attention even.
We're just sweeping away the detritus, the build up of excess PKS

School Board Calls For A "Conversation" On Teacher Lay-offs

Teacher Lay-Offs:

What Kind Of "Conversation" Is This?

Opinion
Facing angry parents and teachers at a regularly scheduled February 27th School Board meeting, School Board member Josh Simon tried to calm them; we're not laying off teachers, he said, "we're having a conversation" (about teacher lay-offs). The culmination of the "conversation" was that the Board, including Mr Simon, voted to lay-off the teachers anyway.
The parents that showed up at that fateful meeting may have known teacher lay offs were on the agenda or maybe not.  The parents learned at the meeting that the Board saw fit to call the lay-offs  "PKS Reductions" for the sake of the publicized agenda. The Board arrogantly noted the crowd wasn't very large that night, an attempt to de-legitimize the pleas from the parents to not engage in the PKS Reductions.
This is how the Emery Unified School District and its Board has a "conversation" with the public.

The word "conversation" implies two way communication coupled with good faith action.  That's certainly not what's been going on here.

Ever since the School Board glommed onto the ironically titled Center of Community Life, this is how it's been.  And it's the Center of Community Life that's driving the teacher lay-offs...not that you'd know that from listening to the School District.  The Center of Community Life, with it's former $400 million price tag (now something lower) has certainly used up Emeryville voters' good will towards the schools.  To keep teachers at the District, Emeryville residents would need to vote themselves another parcel tax, now rendered an unlikely prospect.  This expensive new school building project is forcing the laying off of teachers; not a part of the Board's "conversation" it should be noted.

Dissenting views about the Center of Community Life are scoffed at by this District.  Citizens advocating for a real conversation are given their state mandated three minutes but the Board disinterestedly watches the seconds tick away, casts aside any critiques with blinders firmly intact and proceeds forthwith towards its Center of Community Life heedless of the dangers ahead.

The ignorance of parents over the impending closure of the popular Anna Yates Elementary School, necessitated by the Board's interpretation of the building of the Center of Community Life, is testament of the failure to have a proper conversation.  Ask around, you'll notice that most parents don't know that the Board intends to close the newly remodeled Anna Yates School, the gem of the School District.  The District, it would appear is content with the parental ignorance, all the well publicized "community engagement" notwithstanding.

The School Board effectively tricked the public with its "PKS Reductions" mumbo-jumbo on February 27th.  The overflow angry crowd at the next meeting, last Monday, is further testament to that.  There was no way the Board could play down the sheer number of citizens in the Emery Theater Monday night. The people were angry at having been deceived previously.  The Board responded by quieting down the crush of peeved parents by holding back information about how they've already decided on teacher lay-offs, a further deception, even while parents pleaded to be appraised.

There's no way any of this can be construed as a "conversation". What it is, is deception.

School Board Votes To Lay Off Teachers

Board Makes First Move Towards
Teacher Layoffs

Tonight the Emery School Board voted to start a State mandated process to lay off teachers at Emery High School.  The unanimous vote to fire at least six teacher positions came after the Board heard impassioned pleas against the action from several parents.  The action initiated tonight will culminate in a March 12th finalization vote by the Board and the actual layoffs would happen in June according to School Superintendent Debbra Lindo.
Board members inveighed against the negative fiscal effects of the cessation of a rental agreement with the Piedmont Unified School District for their use of Emery's middle school facilities, a major source of cash for Emery over the last couple of years.

The School District duly and legally noticed the agenda for tonight's meeting but some parents cried foul for the lack of notification for such an important issue.  Indeed, the notification seemed to have been not enough for any of the parents in attendance; they railed against the lack of transparency and candor from the Board regarding the layoffs.

Board member Josh Simon, jarred by the rancor from the crowd tried to mollify the parents, "We're starting a conversation" he intoned.  Board President Cheryl Webb highlighted that some of the layoffs are being done in response to "programmatic changes" prompted by the impending start-up of the Center of Community Life building project.

It's Not That Bad, It's Only A 'PKS Reduction'
The crowd, while larger than a typical School Board meeting, would likely have been larger still if parents knew ahead of time, the meaning of "Administrative PKS Reductions" listed in the official agenda made public for the meeting.  To the uninitiated, "PKS Reductions" means 'Particular Kinds of Staff' Reductions; a euphemism for teacher layoffs.
The PKS gobbledygook may serve as a diversion from the job at hand tonight but it was noted at the meeting the District had satisfied the minimum legal posting requirements for a public meeting.