Negotiations are just that, negotiations. Both sides say what they are willing to give and what they are willing to take. If the state is willing to make concessions, why aren’t the unions?

Parents leave the district due to a few reasons: 1) lack of quality education, 2) lack of technology in the classroom, 3) lack of funding to create new projects, 4) lack of respect from district staff. Parents first line of contact is with the school site, not the district. While the district’s lack of leadership is apparent, it shouldn’t affect the classroom. Staff morale is at an all-time low.

Our interim state administrator is a regular reader of 2urbangirls so hopefully she is able to incorporate a survey at CWA that asks parents why they are leaving so we can analyze and report the findings. Parents are accountable for our childs behavior and teachers are responsible for creating an enviornment condusive to learning. Many teachers spend many “sick” days away from the classroom which leaves us with substitutes who do absolutely zero teaching.

Our loan of $55 million dollars is held against collateral. The collateral IUSD leveraged to obtain the loan is our school property. Should we fail to retain students and attract students back, we will be in default and many teachers will lose their jobs, no ifs, ands or buts about it.

My question to you is, why would teachers rather risk their job outright than to negotiate? The staff who will suffer the most is classified who are still scheduled for more cuts before school years end. Classified cuts will most likely take place in the summer as parents were told at the recent parent meeting that ALL upper management has been put on notice that change is coming.

Mrs. Hebert’s: I empathize with the students of Inglewood, my child will be there next school year. My wife who is one of the first to arrive and last to leave her campus empathizes with you and the students. Honestly, it is a frequent argument in our household that she sacrifices too much time and money that could go to our household and family in the interest of serving your and other peioples children. Do you realize how divisive your letter is and what an insult that is to the majority of hardworking, sacrificing, heroic teachers that serve in that district? Over the past three years, my wife has taken salary cuts, benefit cuts, materials and supply cuts (which actually takes away more of our income as she supplants the state budget shortfalls and decades of poor budgeting by IUSD). When I read your letter, I am infuriated that you would be so small minded and limited in your understanding to go as far as to blame the victims- underpaid and exploited teachers and underpaid secretaries, bus drivers and instructional aides. My wife has taken cut after cut, made sacrifice after sacrifice for this district with nothing in return. Let me ask you this since you claim to fact check, do you know that back in 2010, a whopping 3 years ago, FCMAT identified the same problems back then that you mention (excluding the teachers salaries portion). And my wife and most employees responded and shared the sacrifice by negotiating furlough days and benefit cuts (and if you read the report, employee salaries were not the problem by the way). Now that the state has come in, we find out none of those problems were ever addressed so I understand why my wife, a teacher in this district for 15 years does not trust to make those sacrifices again. The state it seems to me has some fault in this with over 6 billion in education cuts to public schools along with a school board who made unsound and/or late fiscal cuts, and legislators who turned a blind eye to the chaos and corruption. If you are going to ask me, my two sons 3 and 6 and my wife to cut our livelihoods by AT LEAST 15%-20% more than we already have by demanding that she agree to negotiate when they have not made any real changes, then YOU must also ask each parent of every child to contribute 20% of their household incomes, including yourself, to keep their schools and district alive. IT is just not fair to blame hardworking, sacrificing teachers like her, who tutors, hosts parent workshops, volunteers on all types of committees, attends students b-day parties, sports games and family weddings on weekends, buys her own Xerox paper, gadgets and rewards for her students and on and on for problems they did not cause. At some point the expectations for teachers to be ALL sacrificing no matter the cost has to stop and now it’s going to far!! SO please stand with me and other families and children of teachers in supporting their struggle to maintain some remnants of dignity and self-respect in upholding their contract instead of negotiating in the dark with people who have not earned their trust and undervalue her worth! If FCMAT can’t give a multi-year recovery plan for the district with all the uncertainty you write about, how can you in good sense ask my wife and my family to enter into an abyss of uncertainty? Let me get real, we wouldn’t be able to afford our rent here in Inglewood, just for starters! While your plea is heartfelt and I sympathize, your analysis lacks depth, consideration of all sides and any recognition that if it has gotten this bad that teachers have to contribute 20% of their salaries to keep the district serving your children, then so should anyone who signs your petition be willing to make the same contribution from their household! I’m just saying…. Be smarter than most and stop blaming the victims! Each time I suggest “why don’t you just leave and work in another district?” she replies “because I love my kids and families and I really feel like I make a difference serving this community!”. I smile and remember its her selfless disposition and relentless work ethic that make me fall in love with her again and again. As a resident of this great city myself, I wonder has the time come to cut our losses? I wonder how do the kids win with demoralized employees, gutted resource rooms, overcrowded classrooms, and unsafe understaffed schools?

Signed: Proud Husband of a Teacher