Yesterday a “protest” of some sort was held by the Compton teachers in conjunction with Compton Mayor Aja Brown and recently elected Councilwoman Michelle Chambers. As the teachers current contract prepares to sunset, they have taken their message to the streets to drum up support to receive a significant raise. A former Compton Commissioner has weighed in and provided their thoughts on the matter.
comptonDear 2UrbanGirls,
Please let me enlighten you about why Wednesday’s “Teacher Rally” was not about students and more about adults. I’ve seen this happen before, same time or year with different players. A quick view of the Compton School Board agenda I noticed that Compton School District employee unions in the last month included items to “sunshine” sections of their contracts. What does “sunshine” mean? It’s the official terminology to say we want to open up discussion with the district about these sections in our contract. One section that unions had a request to sunshine had to do with “salaries”. It seems the offering from the school district is the same across the board for each union within the Compton School District. The Compton School District offered 3% to every Cafeteria Worker, Security Guard, Teachers Aide, Secretary, Plant Worker and Teacher.
Just about every employee union except the teachers have come to an agreement about how they want their 3%. By no surprise the Teachers Union has said “NO we are not talking with the School District until they offer us 8% we deserve because we work harder than the Cafeteria Worker, Security Guard, Plant Worker and teachers Aide! And no we will not teach any different than we do now for more money. This is absolutely appalling to be so selfish to think that Teachers deserve more than anyone else. I’m not sure about how everyone else feels but EDUCATION IS NOT JUST ABOUT TEACHERS. It starts from the time a Plant Worker opens up the gate in the morning, to the breakfast the cafeteria worker serves my child. The security guard and teachers Aide that provide services to all students in and out of the classroom. These professionals work hand-in-hand with teachers to educate Compton students.
Like I said at the beginning, this teachers rally had nothing to do with students and all to do about greedy adults.
And about Mayor Aja Brown and Council Woman Michelle Chambers involvement with this…
Mayor Brown and Council Woman Chambers are on a crusade to have their say in Compton School District Affairs because they need money to close the budget deficit at the city. Those first 100 days are coming to the end and all we’ve seen is a half done park and a Town Hall Meeting in a space that only fit 30 community members so others had to stand. What is even more disturbing is that their little minions refuse to have a friendly debate about issues with Board Member Charles Davis about the issues and progress the district has made. If your school district insider School Board Member Sandra Moss isn’t willing to help you defend your position, which leading you down a rabbit hole why not hear what the more tenured board member Charles Davis has to say.
Former City Commissioner
At the end of the day the facts are facts and if all you want to do is cry foul without having a discussion, what change are you really out for? Is this really for the students or a power hungry policy failing Mayor and her new wingman?
Bottom line is Compton School District has improved tremendously over the last few years and is still improving. These improvements have been recognized around the state and even in this country’s capital of Washington D.C. This is all because of hard work put in everyday by the employees of the Compton School District and its School Board.
The City on the other hand…. ABOUT THIS POTHOLE I KEEP HITTING ON ROSECRANS AND SANTE FE!Michelle and Aja you familiar with it?
Thank you 2UrbanGirls for giving us a platform to voice our opinions!
8 Comments
This chick is on the district payroll. Her whole approach to CUSD changed after she interviewed two of the board members. You know how they like to entice folks with district dollars.
Frauds
To Whom It May Concern:
Whenever you offer an Educator a 3% raise, every three or four years, you may as well just throw them a little chicken feed, instead, for we will probably take it the same way. It’s ridiculous. Also, if you don’t want to pay teachers what they’re worth, then why not get rid of the prerequisite of having college degree, since none the other professions that the article mentioned have to have one? Or better yet, why not simply have parents drop their child off at the front gate, and let the plant worker teach them how to read? Or better still, if you really want to try something new and innovative, why not have the cafeteria workers grade essays during their break time? Therefore, enough with this divide and conquer soliloquy. But I digress. So anyway, as an educator who works in a school district where they pay the top administrators more than President Obama earned during his first term in office, let me conclude by suggesting that if you’re going to make a false claim, then please back it up with both reliable and valid evidence.
I don’t know where you got your facts but as a teacher in Compton we are not nor were we asking for 8 percent . With asking for more it will make us have more minutes to our day which we were against, I’m appalled at these gross and false accusations against us. You would think as an editor you would fact check before posting such garbage
Whoever wrote this letter to the editor has their facts mixed up.
This chick is on the district payroll. Her whole approach to CUSD changed after she interviewed two of the board members. You know how they like to entice folks with district dollars.
I love when they use a pseudonym here…and use all CAPS…too. Interesting back attack letter here. Our daughter in Howard U now, no thanks to their lousy math modeling concept at McNair Elementary. She’s doing fine now, with extra math college courses there, but she mentioned how the math teaching in CUSD didn’t really help the way she realized taking the online placement for esteemed Howard, a HBCU now. So if she knows the score, who the heck cares about this shouting letter? Not me, seriously and I left a group on FB, same writing style, so I can backtrack and figure out the “commissioner” who may have written this, but it’s not really worth my time, TBH. Rants always get attention yet it’s futile if we all know the school district isn’t doing as well as this person presents. As if students don’t know the difference themselves when applying for higher educations. Let’s hear more on this topic. Mayor knows, Councilwoman also knows and here we go again, folks, down this miserable rabbit hole…typical of our city’s main problem. I guess. Go pound sand, please. Thanks and I don’t play well with others…never will. Sorry…have a good day and weekend folks. And if you don’t vote during the next election and help the good people here, drain this swamp and get better people on the School Board, shame on you. The letter alone should convince the reasonable minded that it’s been too long for some who sit and post ridiculous letters defending incompetence. So it must be a friend of the CUSD Family. Protecting their friends from the rest of us, who know the real deal. Sounds so desperate too…tip, next time, dump the caps, please. Thank you…I’m amused. Aren’t we all…at turns. Thanks 2 Urban Girls…I read you all the time, BTW. They know me too, but in case not…I was a commissioner once. Don’t try to guess which one, not that important. I was President of the World too…in my mind’s eye…kidding. This is ridiculous. Later gators…
We are ALWAYS appreciative of those who take the time to send us letters on topics related to the community in which they live in. If anyone feels they can do better than the current board, they are welcome to put their name to election papers and drum up support to be voted in. No one entity has the responsibility of educating our children more than the parents themselves. No one is forced to stay in a school district they deem as failing their child. It is the same determination that drives immigration and those fleeing unstable countries for a better life.