The EDMS crowd has been making noise and the community is listening...
Within the past few days we have had our school’s name, and pictures of the 16-chair protest, mentioned in multiple publications, both in print and online. We offer an enormous "thank you" to journalist Katy Murphy for covering our story.
Not only are we getting the media to take notice, but our lawmakers are getting our message as well. California Senator Mark DeSaulnier will be HERE, on the sidewalk, with us THIS FRIDAY, May 22nd! We would like to welcome all parents, friends, and community members to come this Friday between 7:30 and 8:00 am and meet the senator as he joins in our effort to protect our local schools.
Copy and paste the following URL to find out more about our local senator:
http://dist07.casen.govoffice.com/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={F4C28201-379D-44AD-AC25-67FD48576284}
13 comments:
It was a busy day at EDMS today. In the morning, CC Times was out for an upcoming article. In the afternoon, CBS was out to do a piece on our kids and the budget cuts. It was on the 5 and 6 o'clock news today. If you go to the claycord.com website, there are pictures of our "silent chair protest" and a blog that has generated 97 comments and counting.
Thank you to the following-
CC Times, CBS, Claycord.com and Radar
So what happens now? 16 positions have to be filled. How are they going to do that? There is a rumor going around that from this point on it will be about BUMPING RIGHTS. Teachers are going to be bumped by other teachers with more years in the district. Is that right? Can you guys clarify that? Also, word is that BUMBING will also occur to those wihtout pink slips. Confused- The community has a right to know! These are our children.
Lastly, how are they going to pay returning teachers? What is on the chopping block now? Please inform the community.
Now that we know the results of the election, we have to face our new reality:
- There will be a number of positions cut due to class sizes being raised and programs being cut.
- If Teacher A is currently in one of the positions that are no longer "needed," they can bump Teacher B, who holds a position that requires the same credential, from their slot, even if Teacher B was not given a pink slip. This is called an "involuntary transfer." Teacher B will then potentially bump Teacher C, and so on...
- All jobs will be offered to the teacher with the most seniority in the district first. One would hope that the first step will be to attempt to offer as many teachers their current job, or at least their current site, but the district IS NOT REQUIRED to do that.
- As for the issue of payroll, the district will only be able to hire back as many teachers as they can afford. Think about where that could lead. This is where the program cuts could get much worse. They will start by looking at what is mandated. This means what they are required by law to provide each student. Programs and positions such as elementary and middle school electives (and some in the high schools), sports programs, librarians, administrators, campus supervisors, and countless others will be labeled "unnecessary" and our students will be left with a bare minimum educational experience.
We have not been given any new information from the district office. All of the above is how I expect the process of cutting millions of dollars to play out. It is naive to assume we have seen the last of the cuts. This will get much worse.
Becka,
You put my thoughts into words very well. Thank you!! As a concerned parent and a teacher who currently will not have a job next year. I have been sitting here very emotional and trying to figure out what to say. I have come to the conclusion that I can not put into words what I am feeling right now. The fear, the worry, the concern is just overwhelming at this time.
Denise
More info can be found in the CC Times article titled:
"Mt. Diablo district braces for more cuts"
http://www.contracostatimes.com/contracostacounty/ci_12415133
An excerpt form the above mentioned CC Times article:
"Trustee Paul Strange said the district may even have to look at more layoffs, using a special Aug. 15 notice date that has not been allowed in the past."
Wow! There will be teachers cruising through the summer feeling safe only to get notice less than 2 weeks before the school year starts that they no longer have a job. How are they supposed to find a new job then?
I wanted to thank everyone for showing up this morning and for the continued support. As of right now, we are unsure of the reason why the Senator did not show up. Like always, we will keep you informed when we hear something. Thank you to all the kids and community members that showed up.
I would also like to thank everyone for coming out this morning and showing their continued support. I had several students ask me why we were out there when Measure D failed. I think this is a great opportunity to show them that this is bigger than that. This movement is about more than a parcel tax. It is about sending a message to legislators that education needs to be funded properly or at minimum adequately. We have not heard as of yet why the senator didn't show today. As soon as one of us hears - we will let you know but we do want to thank the students, teachers and community that showed up for their support.
My kid was proud to write a letter to the Senator. Her friends all wrote letters. They woke up early to be able to deliver it to him in person. Her letter was well written, by herself. It summarized her views of how the budget cuts are affecting her school, community and friends.
Bummer that he didn't show up. She was bummed. Her friends were. I am sure the teachers were. I'm sure there was a good reason. I told her that law makers are busy people. Please let us know when you get more info. I hope the sac trip is not cancelled too.
you guys are on claycord.com today.
It is disheartening to hear about the lack of support there is for education, teachers, and teachers.
The State does not have the budget to support educations. School Districts are laying off thousands of teachers. Our community did not approve Measure D. Senator Mark DeSaulnier cannot keep a simple promise of participating in today's demonstration. Students are left with their own letters of expression that was originally meant for all to hear.
It is incredibly frustrating and disheartening to read Claycord today. As a teacher, it is shocking to hear the comments of our community. I feel like those comments just "kick us while we are alread down". Unfortunately, I feel completely defeated tonight. This all on top of the fact that DeSaulnier made a commitment to the teachers and students and let us all down.
Now that we know the results of the election, we have to face our new reality: - There will be a number of positions cut due to class sizes being raised and programs being cut. - If Teacher A is currently in one of the positions that are no longer "needed," they can bump Teacher B, who holds a position that requires the same credential, from their slot, even if Teacher B was not given a pink slip. This is called an "involuntary transfer." Teacher B will then potentially bump Teacher C, and so on... - All jobs will be offered to the teacher with the most seniority in the district first. One would hope that the first step will be to attempt to offer as many teachers their current job, or at least their current site, but the district IS NOT REQUIRED to do that. - As for the issue of payroll, the district will only be able to hire back as many teachers as they can afford. Think about where that could lead. This is where the program cuts could get much worse. They will start by looking at what is mandated. This means what they are required by law to provide each student. Programs and positions such as elementary and middle school electives (and some in the high schools), sports programs, librarians, administrators, campus supervisors, and countless others will be labeled "unnecessary" and our students will be left with a bare minimum educational experience. We have not been given any new information from the district office. All of the above is how I expect the process of cutting millions of dollars to play out. It is naive to assume we have seen the last of the cuts. This will get much worse.
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