As you know from many of my previous posts, we here in Paso Robles are part of an extremely dysfunctional school district and most all of it relates to the power dynamics.  All the power rests in the hands of a superintendent we got 3 and a half years ago.  She is a micro managing tyrant who received 2 votes of no confidence from her previous district.  She going to get another as soon as spring break is over.

She has the weak school board completely in her pocket and they perpetually rule, not only against teachers who they consider losers or they wouldn't be teaching, but against education in general.

She has hired new principals, some are currently going through classes to get their administrative credential and all are actively seeking to go to another district, who are powerless and do her bidding without fighting for what is right. 

She "seeks" advice in a transparent effort to show our input has some relevance, but then discounts everything and does whatever she pleases and that is normally what she was going to do anyway.

She hierd an expensive attorney who specializes in state employee dismissal and has set forth policies that will make it very difficult for older teacher to keep their jobs.  The 260 point evaluation is an example.  Yes that's right, 260 point.

When she took over, we had a committee to investigate a "possible" schedule change and it involved parents, teachers, administrators, and her.  She wanted us to go to a trimester system.  This removed 6 weeks of assimilation time for the kids to learn more material.  We went from teaching 10 sections a year to twelve without an increase in pay.  We all had to be exactly where every other teacher who taught that subject was on that day.  The kids changed teachers every trimester seldom having the same teacher AN in most instances, their trimester was not back to back.  Most would take a math course the first trimester, skip math, then take it in the last trimester.

Everyone was absolutely against this but guess what?  We went to the trimester system.  Kids are stressed, parents are stressed, and we teacher's are stressed.  Test scores plummeted but she only blamed our bad techniques.

Through bad management of funds, we "lost" 2 million dollars and the state auditors came in and declared us insolvent.  That means a state take over unless we fix the insolvency.  She wanted a 9% pay cut for this year with a continuing 6 % each year after that.  We were willing to help with our salaries but through furloughs due to retirement issues.  She declared impasse and we were on the verge o a strike when, for the first time, she relented.  But still, for her mismanagement of funds, which is under investigation, we have to make up the difference retroactive to the start of the school year.  What it amounts to is, for the next 3 months, we will have a 12% cut in pay but get them in the form of furlough days.  We will only be teaching 3 days a week all during May.

Power dynamics in our district?  Non existent.  Oh, and somehow she got it into her contract that if we fire her, even for cause, she is entitled to 18 months salary...around 200,000 a year.