A Parent's Letter to Dr. Hinojosa
Submitted by morganwee4 on Fri, 10/17/2008 - 23:25.
Dr. Hinojosa,
As I stood in our elementary school yard today waiting for my sons, I couldn’t help but contemplate how the fallout from the latest Dallas ISD debacle would affect our own school. As I learned the fate of our teachers I realized that this is yet another series of missed opportunities:
· DISD again missed the opportunity to fulfill their fiscal responsibilities to our community, the taxpayers, the DISD teachers, we parents, and, more importantly, our children.
· DISD again missed the opportunity to prove that they are a school district committed solely to the education of our students.
· DISD again missed to opportunity to prove that they are a school district worthy of our votes for “yes” on bond packages. This year voters approved a $1.35 billion (with a “b”) bond package to build 15 new schools. Will these schools stand empty because there will be no teachers?
· Dr. Hinojosa, you missed a learning opportunity of your own. It should have been mandatory that you learn first-hand how your actions affect your teachers and our children. You should have been present as teachers tearfully announced to their students that they have lost their jobs and will not be returning on Monday. You should have been present as our teachers and our children were sobbing after those announcements and as they said goodbye after school.
· With Halloween just around the corner, I realized that again I missed the opportunity to market what could have been the best-selling new Halloween decoration in Dallas – “Hinojosa’s Head on a Platter”.
We will continue to support our school, our students and our teachers because the education of our children is paramount and the staff at our school works hard every day to do their best. But we will fight with all of our might to be sure that we do not miss another opportunity. The people responsible for this mess will answer for their actions or lack thereof, and because of your administration’s improper handling of school funds, yet again, I for one will work as hard as I can to be sure that the fallout now begins with you.
Most sincerely,
RFM
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In Response
I have read and continue to read all of these people who slam Hinojosa saying that "DISD missed the opportunity to prove that they are a school district committed solely to the education of our students." because there were teachers laid off. It seems to me, to be pretty basic math. If you hire too many teachers and go over budget, then you eliminate those teachers that were hired.
"Get Rid of Central Staff!" seems to be everyones answer to everything. However, the Dallas Morning News just reported that DISD isn't even the top in regards to "Central Staff". Not to mention the fact that Central Staff includes all of the people who make or keep the schools running.
Yes it's a very sad time. Yes Hinojosa royally screwed up. Yes he should probably resign. No the layoffs didn't happen because no one cares about the education of students.
Wrong
They didn't hire too many teachers.
Quit drinking Hinojosa's kool-aid.
They have stated that they based the 08-09 budget on the previous year, even though they had already found the error in teacher salaries.
The Dallas Morning News reported that compared to similar districts, they are about average in central staff.
What you are confusing is the fact that other urban districts are also top heavy and outdated.
Central staff doesn't keep the schools running. They aren't needed for too many services, and most of them need to be riffed.
The fact that Hinojosa would keep them over teachers tells parents everything they need to know about this distric.
Schools are run by teachers and principals, but usually by extremely competent teachers.
Who in central staff is needed to keep the schools running? Give me a break.
Too many teachers hired
Okay, JTF...I can dig the whole too many teachers argument. What no one is digging is WHO they unhired. Very simple: last one in, first one out. Unfortunately, that is not how it went down. In fact, I would venture to say that many of those who were riffed are folks who had previous encounters with central staff, legal representatives and grievances. I could name several, but I don't think they should be victimized all over again. Many of these people "won" court cases against DISD. Many were demotees who were being paid their previous salary at a lower level of title--please do not assume that all demotees deserved it or were incompetent. This as an opportunity to retaliate disguised as a RIF--pure and simple. Working with DISD is like living in an upside down universe. Right is wrong and wrong is right. That is how they operate. They always have just not to this level of inhumane treatment and unabashed cruelty.
When?
At what point does TEA admit malfeasance and mismanagement.
Who do they encourage to leave? Experienced teachers who are both highly qualified and certified. Who do they keep? Teachers who are still trying to pass their certification exams or ... not even trying (as in critical needs areas such as math and science).
(For the record, the teachers described above are not bilingual/ESL or foreign nationals.)
Dallas' attitude and past behavior related to Texas Certification and AYP "highly qualified" status; knowingly employing those with criminal records; continued misappropriation of federal, state, and grant funds; and testing irregularities are well documented...
But TEA stands by and does nothing.
The Laws allow this
Your question is a good one. The TEA needs to have laws violated and there needs to be specific violation that the individual that has grievence needs to file a formal complaint and there needs to be evidence to substantiate the violation.
I am sorry you have to deal with the non-humane practices of the DISD Royal POS but you can not be any the worse to be black balled by DISD. If you love kids and are a great person, this will look like just another DISD coverup, when the OCR sees this. The issue you need hard facts and evidence, and the district KNOWS how to get the TEA confused. It is like a game, smoke and mirrors... Like they think rather than efficently do the job of administrating education, they are engaged in the malicious cover up and deception and will bully and lie to both the parents and teachers.
Contact the State representatives on the last leg of the polling period and ask about getting mores laws to stop the corruption of Public Institutions like DISD is experiencing. Send letters to your Washington Rep and file a civil rights complaint if the true issue of them ruining your reference as a rebuttal, it is simply not allowed. If you don't file a complaint within the time limit, you may be able to get an extention, but do things timely.
DISD does try to blackball
I tried to get out, and was given a bed reference, time and time again. That is the only reason I am still here. Hopefully, I will stand a chance, now that I was RIF'd. If it continues, I will have to get my evidence together to frame her. The principal is a heartless, compulsive liar.
Absolutely Correct it is retalliation
I WON A CASE AGAINST THEM!!! 12 years experience. Teachers still in the school that I left, with no certification and not 1 year experience, some with 1 &1/2. I Never had a bad evaluation before this past year. It was 1 area out of about 10, that I supposedly did not meet the mark. However, my overall evaluation is GOOD!!!!!! The part about teaching and learning on my evaluation, I was given Exceeds Expectations, which is the highest mark that can be made under that cetegory. Unbelievable!!!!
Even a dummy can remember that if you take a test with 10 questions and miss 1, that is 90%. But in this case with DISD, it was the basis of my dismissal. I have known many teachers who did not teach well, and they were given due process. They were given a chance to improve. That is the LAW.
And all bilingual teachers were kept, even the ones with 3 or 4 areas needed to be improved. It seems unbelievable, but very TRUE.
They did not even have the decency to tell me why I was being RIF'd. They read a script. How TACKY!!!. I had to find out from the Alliance.
I do believe that it will all come to the light.
RIF selection process
Don't you think everyone who was riffed should have received an explanation of how their status met the criteria. It was my impression that this would be an objective operation - with no place for who's friends with who. So in this time of 'data' driven decisions there should be no problem supporting their objective selection of RIF candidates. Mention has been made of DISD not following policies. So if a policy was not followed,is the outcome valid? I would challenge the outcome because they did not follow their own rules...and everyone at DISD is accountable to the rules.
RIF criteria
For example, there is a four year veteran Assistant Principal who was RIFFED despite having been a DISD teacher of the year. She has been given conflicting explanations by her Learning Community leader and Col. Olson's regiment (one said PDAS and one said certification). Additionally, there is evidence of the Northwest Leader, Ivonne Durant, keeping administrators who are not even certified yet!
She was told by a Central Staffer that complaining would only get her blackballed and make employment elsewhere a challenge. So now she is scared to fight. This leads me to the following conclusions:
1. Some principals were given a prepared list of people to RIF because they are not "favorite sons" of their leader.
2. Some principals were able to RIF whomever they chose because they are "favorite sons" of their leader.
3. Learning Community Leaders were the "veto" on the lists and the ones to hold accountable in a legal setting along with Olson and Hiney.
4. There was a strong hispanic/bilingual agenda in place in certain areas--if not all (particularly the Northeast and Northwest)
5. The RIF was a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Person by Person!! NOT Campus by Campus???
RIF was a joke!!!! Board stated campus by campus, ha ha!!
It was a premeditated way for the Learning Community to get rid of unwanted people. There were 10 people released from my school. However, more teachers came in to replace some of them, so 10 teachers did not need to leave. Therefore it was not done on a campus by campus basis.
If it was done by campus, there would have not been more people let go than were needed on the campus.
There was a set list of people that were to leave. There were people that volunteered, and that messed up the whole agenda. Many were believing that those that volunteered were saving someone else's job, well they may have been, but not from that campus. The targeted ones were still gone, and more teachers were brought in to replace them.
That is the real deal.