The meeting of the Governing Board of Gilbert Public Schools scheduled for January 26, 2016 looks to be a Katrina of a disaster for Gilbert Public Schools Superintendent Christina Kishimoto. Or not: she has Her Three Votes for anything and everything she wants, so all that any member of the public can do is tune in to watch the coming disasters. They will come. Let’s preview how GPS teacher contracts will be handled this year.
First, let’s pause in memory of how GPS employees used to take payday for granted … the checks, small as they were, arrived on schedule until January 2016. That’s when the new GPS Infinite Visions software took over from the old, antiquated system that made the checks appear on time. Superintendent Christina Kishimoto made it a BFD, going on and on about how important it was to hand out raises to the incompetents folks who would be doing the *implementation* of the new $1.3 Million software, which was the subject of numerous reports from Those on High, the Occupants of the White Castle. Our moment of reflection is now over. Back to Westie’s regular post.
The new Stepless Salary Schedule and the 7% Salary Increases that supposedly will go to long-suffering, loyal teachers who stayed with GPS through The Great Recession will be on the agenda. New contracts will be rammed through on January 26, 2016 (by a 3-2 vote, most likely) so that teachers will have to commit the next eighteen months of their lives to GPS. Do you really believe their promises THIS TIME? Like they have come through with any crumbs from the Great Table in the White Castle for you deserving folks [dripping sarcasm]. Keep in mind, Diane Drazinski President of the Gilbert Education Association [it’s not a union] agreed to every word that’s in your new contracts, teachers. Now, aren’t you happy to hand over to Diane Drazinski so much money out of your own pockets in the form of hundreds of dollars of dues that you pay each year?
Superintendent Christina Kishimoto and Her Three Votes are shocked, just shocked they say, that enrollment in Gilbert Public Schools is decreasing. They’re planning for doomsday scenarios for losses of 1,350 students and/or 2,000 students for next year. That doesn’t include the massive losses that are happening right under their noses, like the first day of school in January 2016, a new semester, where there were lines out the doors of local charter schools as parents and students voted with their feet by leaving GPS. Christina Kishimoto and the Governing Board have this new thingy called a *dashboard* that should be able to show them, day-by-day if necessary, exactly how many students GPS has lost on Christina Kishimoto’s watch. You can’t blame it on any *former* anything now, guys. You own this.
What this loss of students has to do with new salary schedules, the stepless salary schedule and teacher contracts is that THE LOSS OF STUDENTS could well be a *trigger* that GPS can use to reduce your pay. Sure, Superintendent Christina Kishimoto and Her Three Votes are trying to wait until the State Department of Education releases data about how many students GPS has; we all know that the Top Dogs already know how many students GPS has, and how many students GPS has lost recently. But they want to be able to claim they were surprised, so they can reduce the salaries they promised in January 2016 if the state comes through with less money, in let’s say about March 2016, than the big bucks Superintendent Christina Kishimoto demanded from the legislature wanted the legislature to give her since she’s so deserving and all. See how easy it will be to screw you loyal teachers? And of course, it won’t be Superintendent Christina Kishimoto’s fault, we’re sure [somebody get a bucket and mop for all the dripping sarcasm!].
Another trip down Memory Lane: remember how GPS gave out contracts with a teensie-tiny salary increase and then increased employee costs for health insurance? How many times have the Top Dogs in Gilbert Public Schools pulled that trick? Expect it again. Once you teachers have committed to your contracts, golly gee, the superintendency will be just so gosh-darn SORRY that you won’t be able to keep the full 7% (for the lucky few who will be promised that much). But the smart money is on Superintendent Christina Kishimoto keeping the amount of the health insurance increase secret until about March 2016, probably as soon as her deadline for returning 2016-2017 teaching contracts is over. BTW – since the Kishimoto Carpetbagger and Scalawag Administration is in the dark about any history of GPS, they probably don’t know this has been done before. Perhaps they’ll throw their shoulders out of joint while patting their own backs.
Next, expect another hostage clause. Good Time Charlie Santa Cruz told the superintendency he wanted to see that go away in future contracts, but that doesn’t mean it won’t reappear. They might try to put some lipstick on that pig, but the $2,500.00 *liqidated damages* clause will be there to prevent defections. When loyal teachers see how little of their salary increases actually remain in their bank account, they’ll stick around again rather than pay the hostage clause. You own this one, Dr. Charles Santa Cruz:
The hostage situation is this: any employee who leaves GPS after signing a contract for 2015-2016 will pay $2,500 as liquidated damages…unless they quit before they sign a new contract with minimal time to consider said draconian contract. The other alternative is if the Governing Board waives the liquidated damages. Don’t hold your breath for that; even though Good Old Charlie Santa Cruz said he wasn’t thrilled with the hostage clause, he sat down and shut up and voted for it anyway.
We all want to know if Superintendent Christina Kishimoto’s *alleged* boyfriend paid the $2,500.00 hostage clause when he bailed out of GPS a couple of days after the anonymous letter about his *inappropriate relationship* with his top boss surfaced. After all, he still has his $10,000.00 raise, so $2,500.00 in hostage fees are not a big deal, right? Maybe life looked different back then, before the superintendent’s *alleged* boyfriend decided to cut and run in the middle of his contract. Maybe he’s just a quitter like Sarah Palin, perhaps? Check out the similarities, including *frivilous* ethics complaints and public records requests decried by The Quitter:
According to the Anchorage Daily News, “Early estimates put the cost of Sarah Palin’s midterm resignation as Alaska governor at a minimum of $40,000, not including a special legislative session partly linked to her departure. … The final price tag will be a mere fraction of the roughly $2 million Palin has said it cost the state dealing with “frivolous” ethics complaints against her.” Information on the cost of the resignation was obtained by The Associated Press through a public records request.
Look for Weasel Words, they’ll be in the teacher contracts, Westie promises. There probably will be words to the effect that if we want to change the salary schedule because we didn’t get as much money as we wanted, teachers just have to suck it. Also, look to see *extras* carved out of your contract – things like 301 money and other extra funds from the state may become just too appetizing for the Top Dogs to spend on you loyal employees. Superintendent Christina Kishimoto has done this to you before, with the blessing of Her Three Votes she keeps in her nether regions pocket.
Here’s the history: in December 2014, Gilbert Public Schools received an extra $700,000 in Student Success Funds from then-Governor Brewer, as Christina Kishimoto said, “To ‘reward’ districts for student performance.” Showing how depraved is her soul how little use she has for the teachers and staff in the classrooms every day, Superintendent Christina Kishimoto kept that little secret slush fund in the background for “our budget planning mitigation strategy.” Her Three Votes on the Governing Board approved, as always. Other school districts did not screw their teachers over play such stupid games with their unexpected windfalls. In fact, Superintendent Christina Kishimoto was never going to give you teachers raises before she absolutely had to:
You loyal GPS employees should know that neighboring school districts gave their employees pay raises as soon as their overrides passed. It says much about Christina Kishimoto and her Three Musketeers Lily Tram, Jill Humpherys and Charlies Santa Cruz that GPS was totally unprepared to do anything like that.
Be prepared, GPS teachers! Signing your new contract will tie you up for the next 18 months. Maybe you want to call the HR people in the school districts you favor and let them know about this window. If they want you, they’ll negotiate to get you signed before your GPS contract is due.