Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - I Won't Back Down

Unfair Labor Practice

Joseph Hunter appears to have taken complete leave of his senses. On Wednesday of last week, he sent the email memo reproduced above to all district staff. On pages 2-3, he discusses collective bargaining with the Central Education Association. As you may recall, the district and the CEA have been in negotiations since last spring but have been at a standstill for some time now. According to both state and federal labor law, employers must bargain in good faith with the bargaining team chosen by the members of the union. It is absolutely forbidden for management to attempt an end-run around the bargaining team and directly approach rank-and-file union members. Joseph Hunter knows this very well - we had discussions about it when I was on the Board. What can he possibly be thinking? He is now subject to a fine ($1,000 for each unfair labor practice - does each teacher count as one or is it a single violation?) He is also liable for filing fees and attorney fees. Does the district have to foot the bill if the CEA files a complaint or is it his personal responsibility for being so thoughtless?

"Open and Transparent"

This ad appeared today in the Salem Statesman-Journal. In it, the Salem-Keiser School District invites the public to come and share their thoughts on how to minimize the negative impact of inevitable budget cuts. It represents a marked contrast to decision making in our own school district. In Central SD 13J, the administration (read "superintendent") decided on a series of "tiered cuts" which have been kept secret from the public. Why? I believe it is to prevent any kind of public outcry about particular cuts until it is too late to do anything about them. The district even refused my public records request for this information. While our superintendent likes to use the word "transparency," he is doing everything he can to prevent the very dialog the superintendent in Salem-Keiser in trying to initiate. Do we have openness and transparency in our district? Does our superintendent welcome public input? You be the judge.

Comments

I have, for now, disabled the option of posting comments anonymously. Comments are still welcome, both for and against, but posters will need to have the courage of their convictions and identify themselves. No more sniping from the shadows.

If you have things you would like to say to me privately, information you would like me to track down, or issues you would like me to research further you can contact me at: kps57@minetfiber.com

Sticks and Stones

I've now been called a skunk and a liar by Joseph Hunter's supporters but what they have yet to do is provide one shred of evidence to contradict what I have written.

If you think I'm lying and that:

He has the support of his staff? Prove it!

He didn't call us "provincial?" Prove it!

He didn't get paid twice for the same mileage? Prove it!

He didn't get the district to pay for his golf outings? Prove it!

He provided a detailed accounting of the bond? Prove it!

He didn't shift some bond projects into this year's budget? Prove it!

More students are passing the state tests? Prove it!

He has submitted monthly expense reports as required? Prove it!

He hasn't used district money to take his administrators out to lunch? Prove it!

He's already signed his new contract? Prove it!

Administrative costs don't now take up a larger share of our budget? Prove it!

You have the moral high ground in this controversy? Prove it!

Why Hasn't Joseph Hunter Signed His New Contract?

The Board approved the new contract back in July but it still hasn't been signed by Joseph Hunter or by Susan Stoops on behalf of the Board. As you may recall, under the old contract he would be paid the remainder of his three-year contract should the Board seek to terminate his employment. Because of changes to Oregon Revised Statute, the new contract does not offer that. Instead he would be allowed to work out the remainder of his three-year contract. The new law prohibits paying public employees for work they have not done. For someone looking at possibly being terminated, then, the old contract is obviously better. I can see where Hunter would not want to sign the new one. What is not clear is why Stoops has not insisted that he do so. The Board voted to accept the new contract and, from what I have heard, she has not discussed the missing signatures with the other Board members. Is she once again setting aside a decision of the entire Board and acting as a free agent (as she did with the meetings format)? Is she conspiring with Hunter to make sure he gets a nice pay-out when he gets fired? Against the wishes of the Board? Is it time to call in State officials to clean up this mess?

Democracy? Not Here!

Believe it or not, the district has refused to release the names of the people who have applied to fill the vacant Board position prior to next Monday's meeting. Even though they will be appointed by the Board, they are supposed to represent the public. So why doesn't the public even have the right to know who they are? Because the Board members have not requested that information in advance. So we have no right to know it either. The commitment to basic democratic principles in our school district is almost nonexistent. We not only need a new superintendent, we need a new School Board, and we need a new set of rules. Democratic ones this time!