Rumor has it that John (Tre) Kennedy (Business partner of Tom McHill who is the legal counsel for the other blogger) has offered to act as a mediator between the district and various entities....
What's wrong with that? one might ask....
When Board Directors Alexander, Wineteer and Shimmin tried to place Mr. Robinson on leave and tried to limit the influence and scope of his control over the district they were met with threats of lawsuits for trying to interfere with Mr. Robinson power.
Unless Mr. Kennedy was representing Mr. Robinson (which we know he does not), he would appear to be trying to lure people into looking like they were "trying to interfere" so that Mr. Robinson could increase the realm of his threats to litigate.
Rumor also has it that a community member who was approached believed that Mr. Kennedy was indeed the district representative.
Mr. Kennedy might want to make sure that he clearly states his role, scope of influence and motives when approaching highly charged political situations in Lebanon.
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2 comments:
My question: How long has Mr. Kennedy been a member of our community? Dr. Barish, Mike Farnsworth, Joyce Weatherly are responsible for Jim Robinson tenure. Do we hassle them - NO. Do we still trade with their businesses - YES. So why do they believe that their behavior or expounding nonfactual information is OK?
Here's what long-term Lebanon teacher and union president had to say to the board about the state of the district when she stepped down in June:
Members of the Board, district administration, faculty, staff, and members of the community,
It is with mixed emotions that I come before you with my final statement as the official spokesperson for the Lebanon Education Association. There were apparently questions as to the reality of my resignation because I had said that I was stepping down before… I want to set the record straight. I have twice in the past wanted to step down… the first when I was expecting my son (who is now six) and the second during the last election cycle a year ago. Because of the contentious and volatile relationship with the superintendent, few people are willing to put themselves in the line of fire that goes with Association leadership in this district. The first time I tried to step down, no one was willing to run and so I agreed to continue on. The second time, we had a candidate who was ready and excited about the prospect, but unfortunately, between nominations and the election he was forced to resign from the district and move home to be with his family after multiple deaths and illnesses in his family. What makes this time different, is that the resolution of the ULP and the lack of major grievances or bargaining makes right now a fairly safe time for others to get their feet wet and learn the ropes. Leadership must change from time to time in order for organizations to continue to grow and improve upon themselves. I am proud of my colleagues and it has been an honor serving them.
As the representative of your certified employees, I have spoken for the Association on many issues before this board. However, I have never put all of our concerns into one statement. It actually would be impossible to do so because the number of issues and nature of concerns that have come across my desk, email, voicemail etc. would be impossible to quantify. If I were to be paid at the going rate for counseling services, legal advice, financial advising etc., that I have had opportunity to provide to my members, I probably could have retired by now.
During my tenure, there has been significant change and upheaval. The district has transitioned from a fairly stable and reasonable place of employment into a chaotic quagmire of distrust and intimidation tactics.
I have been in a position that has dealt with district-level leadership issues for longer than anyone else here. I bargained with Superintendent Hazen over a decade ago, and although a few building administrators have been in the district longer than I, they have not been on the front lines of issues district-wide as I have. I have been placed in a position of having to know the law and contract inside-out because this district administration has consistently played fast and loose with rules, regulations and policies. Asbestos exposure of students and staff, illegal bargaining practices, forcing teachers to work more hours than allowed by the contract, discrimination and harassment, failure to report complaints of sexual harassment, violations of student rights and Special Ed laws, failure to reimburse faculty in a fair and equitable manner and involuntary transfers based on personality issues and poor leadership rather than teacher performance are just a few of the issues I have witnessed.
Reedsport teachers and administration explain that they are still, and I quote, “repairing the damage done by Jim Robinson,” more than a decade after he was non-renewed. When we took the vote of No Confidence in 2004, new teachers voted in support of the motion because their welcome speech by Mr. Robinson included the statement that if you were not comfortable with chaos, this is not the district for you.
Mr. Robinson has made statements over the years that have clearly demonstrated his agenda. He views bargaining as a battle to be won. He views grievances as acts of war. He views teachers as enemies who are not to be trusted if they disagree with him or advocate for students in opposition to his philosophy.
We have programs and ideologies in play that directly counteract each other…. For example, the Communities that Care group used to do surveys about the numbers of indicators students had for being at risk. We had a whole training about what children needed. At the top of the list were a few things relative to relationships. A strong tie to peers was very close to the top. And yet, our student achievement system, yanks students away from peers based on test scores and our academies direct students away from their support group and they latch on to the first person they come to, which may or may not be a good thing. Considering the deeply entrenched cliques that the academies have become, I do not view it as good. I used to think that social promotion wasn’t a good thing until now. The loss of the peer group is weighing on our students.
During the recent budget discussions, the elephant in the room has not been discussed. We are losing students, yet our community is growing, why is that? As a parent, I have removed my elementary daughter from Lebanon Schools because I wanted her to be a third grader who will grow with a core group of students from now until graduation. She is a TAG student, but I have made it clear as a parent that as long as she is loving school and feels connected, I have no need to place her in a different program just because she is eligible. The social aspect is much more important. Also, in her new school she has PE twice a week, Music twice a week, art, and drama. I believe she is being treated as whole child. We are not providing that sort of education in Lebanon.
I have always been a sort of “bloom where you are planted” kind of person that develops deep loyalty to people, places and circumstances. However, I also believe in fairness and equity and unlike some of my peers, I am not willing to sit by and watch damage be done without speaking up. When I was little and my father would say, “Kim, life isn’t always fair.” My response always was and continues to be, “but it should be.”
Life in Lebanon isn’t fair for teachers and students. It is not fair for the parents or the community. Programs have been slashed or eliminated, advanced programming has been decimated and eliminated. Philosophical perspectives have turned enabling students into a fine art. There are no clear standards for behavior nor academics. Teachers and staff have for the most part stopped enforcing rules because there is no back-up from the next level. Brand-new teachers are thrown into the deep end without life preservers and while we spend hours figuring out what to do about advisory they are struggling to figure out how to get their content across to the kids in the classes they need to graduate.
Don’t get me wrong, there are some very good administrators in some of these buildings who support their teachers and students and have clear expectations. However, there are some buildings at every level that push down every teacher concern and mark down teachers who express concerns for not being “team players” or they are transferred to another building. Again, why would anyone speak up if they knew that would be the result? At that point you are looking at job security.
For whatever reason, many of you have been convinced of the lack of importance of the two unions in the district. Ms. Sprenger has made it clear that my comments are of no difference in weight than those of a general audience member. However, by legal standing and by election, I have the weight of over 200 employees behind me. My comments, whether you believe me or not, have always been tempered by the expectations and requirements of my executive board who represent each and every building. The very small minority of teachers and other certified staff who have come and spoken before the board in opposition to my statements at times have that right, but make no mistake, they are a tiny minority of the licensed staff. Also, they have tended to be people who have benefitted from current administration and/or administrative direction who know that they are on the “side” that won’t get blogged or punished in some other format.
Bad things happen when good people do nothing…. Bad things are happening and good people are doing nothing. Why is that? It is because of the actions of those who have bought into a philosophy without any real investigation or discussion as to the logic and efficacy of that philosophy. It is interesting to note that when Mr. Wineteer and Mr. Alexander were dissenting votes, they were viewed as the minority. When Ms. Shimmin joined them at times in their actions and Ms. Sprenger and Mr. Fisher found themselves in the minority, the majority was labeled as illegal, immoral and unethical, they were blogged, insulted, slandered and libeled and it was all sanctioned by the minority and a few of their supporters.
Why would any logical person who wants to keep their job and wants to have a peaceful life put themselves in a position of having themselves attacked, reprimanded, blogged or having a letter put in their file? No one wants to be treated like Kim Fandiño, Bo Yates, Ed Sansom, or Debbie Shimmin. The attackers (anonymous and known) violate Board policy and even law in their attempts to discredit and hurt anyone who disagrees with them.
Those of you who are at this very moment plotting your next blog or letter to the editor in response to my comments have in the vast majority of cases never come and spoken to me or any of the people on “my side” of the issue about our positions or perspectives. You have been and continue to be one-sided, close-minded, single note opponents to the very people who you need to implement any programs or activities you may want in the future.
What needs to change?
This district needs a positive leader who is trusted by all sides.
We need building administrators who have experience with effective strategies, not just philosophical ideologies that mesh with Mr. Robinson’s.
We need faculty and staff that feel respected and trusted in their positions.
We need time and facilitation to align the curriculum vertically and horizontally.
We need a blog-free, intimidation-free, harassment-free work place.
I have one final official request as the president…
We know that the bargaining that is coming up will be difficult due to budget constraints; however, it does not need to be difficult due to philosophies nor demonstrations of the depths of one’s power or position. We are prepared to bargain in good faith and look at common solutions and ideas to get to a win-win outcome.
Unfortunately, we do not believe that Mr. Robinson’s stated philosophy on bargaining has been productive or appropriate in the past. He has repeatedly refused to allow us to use a truly collaborative model for resolution and as I stated before, views bargaining as a game to win. For us, it is not a game. It is our lives and our livelihood. We do not believe that good faith bargaining is possible under the current circumstances, unless we can do it collaboratively and without the input of Mr. Robinson. This is not unprecedented, Mr. Robinson has removed himself from the bargaining before.
We therefore would ask the board to consider the following.
We bargain in January of 2010.
We would like to utilize the collaborative method of bargaining.
We would like to have two board members involved in the process and at least one board member present for every session.
We would like to request that Mr. Robinson not be involved in the bargaining on behalf of the district.
While this may all seem like a negative diatribe. I felt compelled by honesty and decency to let you know what the elephants in the room are, and will continue to be, if things don’t change. This community is in danger because the heart is being destroyed piece by piece. The educated adults in the community are increasingly sending their students to other schools. The behavior in the schools is escalating and in some cases we have classes that look like they should be in an inner-city school.
However, even with all that, I love this district, I love these kids…. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t even speak up because I just wouldn’t care.
I am not afraid, but many others are…you will not hear from Kim Fandiño’s mouth on these kinds of issues in the future, but you will hear from me… in the voice of my president Make no mistake, my president speaks for me and for about 90% of the rest of the teachers. Take that person seriously, no matter who is in the position, they are representing all of us. If you doubt that, please feel free to survey all of your employees in a confidential, unfiltered manner, and you will get a fair representation of perspectives.
I appreciate the opportunity to address you.
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