Emery Teachers' Slipshod Election Offering

Late October Election Chicanery?

Mistake Riddled Door Hanger Appears, Attributed to Emery Teachers

A mysterious 'door hanger' flyer has been appearing on Emeryville doors all over town lately that announces a slate of two candidates endorsed by the Emery Teachers Association union for Emery School Board, but surprisingly the text of the hanger, reported to be written by Emery teachers, contains numerous typos and punctuation mistakes including a misspell of the union's own name.  The mistake riddled flyer, which was not printed in a union shop, a surprising thing for a union to put its name on, was authored by the Emery Teachers Association (ETA) according to the president of the School Board Brynnda Collins.  The president of the ETA however refused to confirm or deny the group wrote the text of the flyer leaving the true authorship open to speculation.

The flyer, urging voters to cast their ballots for the slate Ms Collins and Katy Brown, makes reference to funding from Emeryville Families, a group reported to be registered through the Fair Political Practices Commission. However a check with the FPPC showed there is no record of any such group. 
Adding to the furtive nature of the door hanger is its failure to identify other endorsers, listing only "current and former board members",  incidentally the exact verbiage used by current Board member Cruz Vargas in his election campaign two years ago.  Mr Vargas, who was censured and stripped of the title President of the Board by a unanimous vote of his colleagues earlier in the year (including by Ms Collins), is endorsing the two candidates.

Emeryville, being overwhelmingly Democratic, normally draws Democrats to elected office (even though the positions are non-partisan) making Ms Brown, not affiliated with any political party, unusual.   Further, the Democratic Party of Alameda County has endorsed Ms Collins, a Democrat (as well as her opponents Democrats Susan Donaldson  and Sarah Nguyen) making the slate of Collins and Brown unexpected; a Democrat slating with a candidate rejected by the Democratic Party.
Another door hanger currently making the rounds in Emeryville, produced by the Democratic Party of Alameda County, features the Party's endorsement of Ms Collins, Ms Donaldson and Ms Nguyen.

The mysterious door hanger, if it is authored by the Emery Teachers Association is quite remarkable; at least ten errors were noted in its text and such mistakes are not something normally attributed with school teachers.  It appears to be a late October piece of election chicanery, something voters have come to expect in our current polity.

Is it the Teacher's association or the Teachers Association?
Apparently, the teachers themselves can't decide.
But still, you'd think they'd get their own name right.

Vergara Case: Emery Unified School District, Right Wing Victorious Against Teachers Unions

Emery Plays a Part in the Infamous 

Vergara Case

News Analysis
A Los Angeles judge ruled against California teachers and in support of a Silicon Valley billionaire today in the much watched Vergara Case, a lawsuit with major Emery Unified School District connections.  It's a case that has pitted school privatizers and anti-union right wing forces against teachers and public school supporters.  Emery Unified sent two strong anti-teacher's union supporters, former school superintendents Tony Smith and Debbra Lindo to argue in support of billionaire plaintiff David Welch (57).  The case will have repercussions far beyond California as the plaintiff vows to take the case nation-wide, a prospect that has drawn cheers from all manner of conservative pundits and right wing think tanks across the land.

Both Emery superintendents supplied the plaintiff with 'letters of declaration', using their Emery credentials to bolster their case that teachers are to blame for the poor state of education in Emeryville and in California.

Silicon Valley Tycoon David Welch
The Republican billionaire used
Emery School Superintendent's
help to argue that teachers unions
should be deep sixed. 

The plaintiff used Emery's superintendent's letters of declaration to argue that only the destruction of the teachers union and tying teacher pay with student test scores can save education, something that needs to be done "for the students".  The idea is that well qualified teachers will flock to school districts that offer no job security and pay poorly although neither Emery superintendent nor anyone representing the plaintiff has shown how this will work.  The Vergara plaintiff argued good teachers aren't interested in due process and instead clamor for their job and pay to be dependent upon the capricious whims of superintendents and other things beyond their control like student poverty and associated dysfunctional home life.

Emery Unified: Anti-Teacher Incubator 
Emery, being such a small school district, has played an over sized role in today's victory against teachers.  The district here has long taken an adversarial position against its teachers, most notably when the School Board resolved to support Superintendent Lindo over the teachers in the infamous Teachers Resolution fight.  Tony Smith and his program of shutting down schools, cutting teacher pay and turning over public schools to private charter corporations while he served as Oakland's superintendent is still revered by the School Board here at Emery.
Emery's role in the anti-teacher/ pro-privatization movement has come to be that of an incubator.  The district here collects those with disdain for teachers and elevates them to superintendent.  After attaining superintendent status, Emery sends them out into the world where they can help right wing causes and inflict damage to teachers statewide.
It's a recipe that has rankled teachers here at Emery.  Emery Teachers Association president Dawn Turner told the Tattler today, "We have the dubious distinction of having provided not one but two former superintendents as expert witnesses on the Vergara case.  They are using students to forward a right wing agenda".  Ms Turner echoed her colleagues vow, "We will fight this" she said.

In a tragicomic irony, the ruling in Los Angeles today comes right on the heels of last week's "Teacher Appreciation Week" here at Emery.

Former Emery School Superintendant Tony Smith: Teachers Unions Must Be Destroyed

The Long Shadow Cast By Tony Smith

"We're Doing What's Best for the Children"

Opinion

Remember, I only want what's
best for the children.
(Repeat often)

Recently there's been a national debate begun about public education and while charter schools, most operating at the expense of public schools have proliferated and teachers unions have come under attack on many fronts, public education supporters have begun to push back against this concerted push to privatize the nation's public schools.  At Emery Unified School District however, the course was set years ago and Emery has played its own small role in this conservative attempt to cripple public education, especially where that attempt seeks to destroy teachers unions.  To see this one only needs to look to the legacies of former superintendents of its schools Tony Smith and the recently deposed Debbra Lindo.

Even though they had the same goals in mind, of the two former superintendents, the great mentor and architect-in-chief of Emery's slide into it's current anti-teacher state of affairs is inarguably Tony Smith.  His shadow is long and even though he left Emery years ago to command Oakland Unified and has since left there amid a witness tampering scandal, Tony Smith and his school privatization philosophy continues unabashedly to serve as guiding principles for Emery.  The School Board here is quite clear about their tutelage by Tony Smith, proud even.

Ditto.

While at Oakland, Tony's divisive anti-democratic program of cutting, shutting and chartering schools while taking on the teachers caused a massive grassroots citizen's push back.  He is revered nonetheless by the Emery School Board and they have even picked up some of his affectations: think the oft publicly repeated and ever popular "we're doing what's best for the children" as a way of shutting down those who would disagree, as in; what YOU'RE advocating then must therefore be by definition NOT what's best for the children.

After Tony left Emery, the School Board looked to find a permanent replacement and they ultimately found a near carbon copy in Debbra Lindo (except she lacks Tony's easy going and chipper personality).  Tony's influence was evident as Debbra Lindo and her Board surrogates began their siege against Emery teachers following the release of the Teachers Resolution in 2012.

Mega ditttos.

The Emeryville duo Tony 'n Debbra have now very publicly entered the national debate with their support in the Los Angeles Superior Court's infamous Vergara case.  They tell us that everything will be great if we just tie teacher's pay to high stakes 'bubble' test outcomes, kill due process for teacher's employment and make their jobs teeter on the whims of unelected superintendents.  We'll get the best and the brightest apparently if we de-professionalize teaching: sever their job security, cut pay and make their fates dependent on things beyond their control.


Below is a recent letter to the Oakland Tribune from Tony Smith (filled with right wing memes and dog whistles) that might seem sincere to the uninitiated. To those following the Emery School Board (Tony's begats)  however, it's just part of the continuing attack on and privatize of public education.  Here is Tony Smith, the Great Man to Emery Unified continuing to release his toxic brand of divisive politics even as he has decamped to Chicago, some 2000 miles distant:

Guest commentary:  

Let's start protecting all of our students

By Tony Smith, guest commentary © 2014 Bay Area News Group
POSTED:   03/30/2014 04:00:00 PM
California's education laws are currently designed to almost unconditionally protect a group of adults -- teachers -- at the expense of our children.
And students living in poverty -- those most in need of every opportunity our public schools can offer -- are being disproportionately punished by these laws. The system tells them: sorry, teachers' jobs are more important than your education and your future.
Is that right?
No, it isn't, say the nine students who brought the Vergara v. California case, currently awaiting a ruling in Los Angeles Superior Court. The students are suing the state because five state laws are denying them -- and the other 6.2 million California public school students like them -- their constitutional right to a quality education.
If the court agrees, then the dysfunctional statutes controlling teacher tenure, dismissal and layoffs will be struck down, creating a transformational opportunity to design a new system that puts students' needs first, ensures a high-quality teacher in every classroom and helps all Californians see a better future.
Supporting our teachers really matters. Effective teachers are essential for a well-educated California. Under current laws, though, the system fails to make effective teaching a priority, creating an environment that's bad for both hardworking teachers and students.
The tenure law forces administrators to grant lifetime employment to new teachers after less than 16 months in the classroom. I am aware of no other profession where someone is granted protected status in such a short time and without any real evidentiary basis for the decision.
Once permanent employment is granted, it is nearly impossible to dismiss ineffective teachers for any reason other than criminal activity. The dismissal process is so cumbersome and costly that in the past 10 years, only 19 teachers out of California's 1,052 school districts have been successfully terminated through the dismissal process for reasons including unsatisfactory performance.
When funding reductions instigate layoffs, administrators are not allowed to base staffing decisions on the quality of a teacher's service to children. The primary factor that may be considered is how long he or she has been employed by the district, so every year a district has layoffs, children lose passionate, hardworking, effective teachers -- just because they lack seniority.
As superintendent of Oakland Unified School District, I had to explain why excellent teachers were being let go, while parents pleaded and begged, saying, "Please, please keep this teacher. You don't understand what this year has been like for my child. This is one of the most extraordinary educators I've ever seen in my life."
But under the law, there is nothing we can do to keep that extraordinary educator.
Is the system I just described a system focused on what's best for children?
Not to me.
A system that prioritizes meeting the needs of California's students -- as the state constitution demands -- would focus on enhancing educational quality before protecting seniority.
A system that truly puts students' learning first would evaluate how well our students are doing and how much growth they are making.
We would discuss how to help teachers develop their practice, using growth in student learning as the primary data guiding our efforts.
When teachers demonstrate effective work in service of students, we would do everything in our power to enhance that work and reward those teachers. And when a few adults are consistently failing our children in the classroom, we would hold them accountable.
In a district like the Oakland Unified School District, where I served as superintendent for four years, 70 percent of students come from low-income households. Our students face serious challenges outside of school. For many students, the road leads either to graduation or incarceration. Having caring, attentive, effective teachers along the road makes all the difference.
Let's not lose sight of the goal of our public schools: to ensure that every child in the state has access to a good education, so every child can participate and thrive in our society.
I hope the Vergara student-plaintiffs are victorious in court. I hope the Vergara case marks a turning point in the trajectory of public education in California. Let's make a true commitment to current and future students: educational excellence, starting with an effective teacher in every classroom.

Tony Smith is a former superintendent of Oakland Unified School District.

Superintendent Lindo: In Her Own Words

Debbra Lindo Speaks!

The Tattler has obtained a copy of the declaration of former Emery Unified Superintendent Debbra Lindo in the anti-public school teacher Vergara v. California lawsuit now under way in Los Angeles.  Her declaration, reported by the Tattler, is embedded in its entirety below.  The document was signed by Ms Lindo on October 30, 2013 and filed with the court on December 13, 2013.

Some notable points from former Superintendent Lindo's declaration:

• Ms Lindo states that the evaluation of a teacher's effectiveness should include the standardized test scores achieved by the teacher's students. (Paragraph 4).
• She says that the teachers in Emery Unified are "well-intentioned and hard-working overall..." before going into a tirade against "grossly ineffective teachers." (Paragraph 6).
• She argues that teachers are granted tenure too early, when there is only one year of student test scores upon which to evaluate them. (Paragraph 9)
• She bemoans the due process rights provided to tenured teachers when a District seeks their dismissal, stating that if the process were easier she and the Emery Unified School Board would have dismissed more ineffective teachers. (Paragraph 14)

After the falsified credentials of a former superintendent, we were promised that Debbra Lindo was fully vetted.  This School Board assured us we knew exactly who we were getting when we hired Superintendent Lindo.  One must conclude then, that this School Board shares Lindo's dismal view of our teachers and the protections that seniority and tenure provide them. This School Board hired Superintendent Lindo.  This School Board stood by her when the teachers presented a vote of no-confidence making it beyond clear that they could not work with her.  This School Board did not flinch when the teachers announced that they were suspending the liaison meetings with her because they were of no value.  And this School Board bemoaned her retirement when it was first announced and have only given the most terse and uninformative response since.
We must thus expect new banners at each school site reading: "Teach to the test!" It is apparently the conviction of not only our former Superintendent, but also our School Board.

Lindo Declaration Vergara v California-2013-12-13 by sophbeau

The document can be viewed larger by clicking the icon in the bottom right corner.

Vacating School Superintendent Leaves Emeryville Teachers Newfound Clout

Post Lindo:

Emeryville Teachers Get a Much needed Shot in the Arm

Opinion
For those wishing well of the Emery School District and the children under its care, last month's resignation announcement of embattled School Superintendent Debra Lindo is all for the good. Central to education of course, are teachers and Emeryville's public school teachers have seen their power and prestige increase tremendously as a result of Ms Lindo's departure this spring.  They stand a real chance now of being valued in this community.  They may finally be allowed into the "family" Emery Unified School District so proudly claims they're creating.

After a shameful season and a half of marginalizing and ignoring the teachers by the School Board as a result of the Teachers Resolution with its litany of abuses foisted upon the teachers by Ms Lindo, we can say the School Board would not dare to hire another imperious superintendent who would disrespect the teachers as Ms Lindo has.  That would be a bridge too far, even for this School Board.
We can see it clearly now; the teachers here at Emery are finally going to be deferred to as they should be.  We think the Board is primed to hire a replacement who will listen to the teacher's concerns.  The price to be paid by the Board if they hired another anti-teacher Superintendent are just too high, and they know it.
However, the teachers shouldn't just sit by idly waiting for it to transpire this way.  The Board may need a reminder.  They need to make it clear to this School Board they're not going to passively take the sidelines, hoping for the best.  They need to flex their new muscles now and demand a say in who gets hired as a replacement for Ms Lindo.

Imagine a school district long on action 
and short on platitudes.  Imagine a 
district that did appreciate the teachers.  
Teachers at Emery are now well 
positioned to make that happen here.  

We don't know what happened behind the scenes with Ms Lindo's resignation; was it because of the heat the Board has been taking by not standing by the teachers?  Is it somehow connected with the recently announced resignation of Center of 'Community' Life Project Director Roy Miller?  Is there something nefarious going on?   We don't know and we may never know.  One thing is for sure, it isn't tenable for an entire School District to so utterly ignore their teachers as Emery has.  We think the School Board, for all their obvious fawning enthrallment with authority, can't keep up their charade of phony pro-teacher platitudes much longer.  They can't be comfortable with the status quo.

We call on Emery teachers; capitalize on the Board's discomfort, make your concerns front and center as they seek a replacement and we'll have your back.  Let's start the work of selecting a new Superintendent of the Schools for Emery Unified under a new banner.  A banner that puts  public education power and respect where it belongs; decentralized, with those who do the actual work, those who are in the trenches, the teachers.

We hope the teachers in this district will continue to be strengthened moving forward in the wake of the dark time of the 'Lindo epoch'.  We'd like to see them parlay their imminent new found respect and empowerment.  They certainly deserve it.  And so do the kids.

Breaking News: Emery School Superintendent to Step Down

Debbra Lindo Throws in the Towel 

Emery Unified School District's embattled Superintendent of the Schools Debbra Lindo has agreed to retire, clearing a major point of contention between the School Board and the teachers it was announced today.  The announcement caps a year and a half of antagonism between the Board and the teachers that has made a mockery the Emery School District's oft repeated slogan "we create a sense of family".  The bad blood began shortly after the Board hired Ms Lindo when 93% of the teachers released their 'Teachers Resolution', a damning litany of abuses piled on the teachers by the new superintendent.  The Board dug in their heels in response and wrote a resolution of their own; essentially an obscene hand gesture to the teachers, expressing full confidence in the superintendent.  Today's dramatic announcement promises to reset the dysfunctional dynamic between the Board and the teachers at Emery.

Here is the text of Ms Lindo's press release:

Superintendent of Emery Unified School District Announces Retirement

Dr. Debbra Lindo, Superintendent of the Emery Unified School District, announces her retirement effective June 30, 2014 after almost forty years in education. Lindo announced Wednesday night that she will retire at the end of the school year saying "I am announcing my retirement now to give the board enough time to analyze its option regarding my replacement."

"It has been a privilege and honor to serve the EUSD family. In many ways, this has been my second home and I thank you all for the opportunity to shepherd our students through this stage of their educational development. I greatly appreciate the opportunity the Board gave me to lead EUSD and will support the Board and staff to ensure a smooth transition. Over the next seven months I will continue to focus on engaging the schools and community in the development of our Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP), the rollout of the new Common Core Standards and Smarter Balance Assessments, and begin construction of Phase I of the Emeryville Center of Community Life (ECCL).

Dr. Lindo also remarks, " I want our exceptionally talented staff to know how much I appreciate them and their devotion to the students of EUSD. I know our students will continue to thrive because of you. I, too, want to thank the City of Emeryville who truly embodies the district's slogan, Partners Power Student Success. Emeryville is a very special community. With our bold and ambitious full service community schools vision, ECCL is well positioned to become a beacon in the region. We have a philanthropic business community that consistently supports our school's programs and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to serve this terrific community."

President of the EUSD school Board, Melodi Dice said, “Being an educator has not just been a job but a calling for Dr. Lindo. From day one she focused on doing what was right for each and every student by helping to stabilize the fiscal health of the school district and align resources to support teachers in creating the conditions for EUSD students to thrive.”

• Dr. Lindo started her career in the mid 1970s as an English teacher and art teacher in San Diego. Later she worked for the San Ramon Valley Unified School District where she taught English and social studies for 15 years. She began her administrative career in 1992 and has served as assistant principal, principal, director, assistant superintendent, VP of Ed Services for a software company and CEO of a national non profit, College Track, before arriving in EUSD. During her time in EUSD, she received the 2013 award of distinction from the California Association of African American Superintendent and Administrators (CAAASA) , was appointed to State Board of Governors for the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) and was appointed by State Superintendent, Tom Torlakson, to serve as co-chair and co-author of the Greatness by Design Educator Excellence Task Force’s Leadership and Career Development sub-committee.

"As the first in my family to graduate from college, I understand greatly the importance of an education." Public education is the great equalizer in a free and democratic society and the social policies that governing bodies create can critically impact the lives of students and families. I look forward to passing the baton to the next leader of EUSD who will work with teachers, board, staff and the City of Emeryville to build upon the positive momentum that has been made with our full service community schools initiative. It has been great working for a school community that so values it most important asset-children."

Emery Teachers Scuttle Superintendant Liaison Meetings Indefinitely

Emery Teachers Break Off Talks 

With Superintendent & District 

The Emery School District's frosty relationship with its teachers just got a little colder.
School teacher representative Dawn Turner told the School Board last month the teachers had collectively decided to end talks meant to resolve emerging problems with the Superintendent of the Schools and the District.  It marks the latest step a frustrated Emery Teachers Association has taken after more than a year of discontent with the Emery Unified School District and Superintendent Debbra Lindo.  
Emery Teachers Association President Turner told an indifferent School Board they will "suspend the Liaison Committee until further notice."
Ms Turner added, "If we continue it this year it will give you the false impression that all is well and we don't care to give you that impression.  We want you to understand we are experiencing problems."

The Liaison Committee was intended to serve as a forum to hash out problems between teachers and the District before the issues spiraled out of control but after the School Board ignored the teacher's request for intervention with a recalcitrant Superintendent Lindo last year, the teachers have been feeling disrespected and ignored according to a teacher.  The teacher who spoke to the Tattler but wished to remain anonymous fearing possible District reprisals, condemned the School Board's inaction after last year's Teachers Resolution as a tipping point in District/teacher relations.

Representative Turner summed it up, "We feel in the past, in previous years and past administrations, it [the Liaison Committee] was always very productive" recalling the better days before the School Board hired Superintendent Lindo.  "We don't want to provide lip service to these issues.  We want them addressed, resolved like they've been in the past" she added.

You Tube video courtesy of the Emeryville Property Owners Association