As in the famous Lewis Carroll poem, the time has come to talk of many things. As the first school year draws to a close on our first term as Co-Presidents, the surrealism of Lewis Carroll fantasies seems, somehow, an apt metaphor for this year in America and in Burbank.
We all were jolted and shocked by the events of September 11th. Who could have imagined that such a national nightmare could actually have happened? Yet, as our country worked through the unimaginable, we discovered a strength of purpose and a national unity that many had never known, and others had assumed was long forgotten. A new resolve has replaced the shock, a resolve to bring the guilty to justice, and to learn from our collective mistakes so that it will not happen again.
As we began to move past the shock and return to the important work of being teachers, we were soon to be shocked again by a far lesser calamity, but one that, nevertheless, had deep personal ramifications for us all. We learned that our District had bungled its financial management and we had a shortfall for the coming school year of nearly $2 million. This figure has since grown to $3 million. The managers responsible for Fiscal Services when the errors were made had already left the District. It seemed futile and non productive to engage in any finger pointing. We all got down to the unpleasant task of seeing what cuts could be made to make up the deficit, mindful of the need to put in place future safeguards so that this could not happen again.
Suddenly, and without warning, our superintendent was gone. In many districts this news would be greeted by revelry and dancing in the streets. Not so in Burbank. Dr. Aponik, despite his imperfections, was a respected and TRUSTED leader whom we all relied on to help us work through the financial mess that District financial managers had gotten us into. We all knew that a superintendent had to have some culpability for the problems, just as we all recognized that our elected School Board leaders had some culpability as our designated oversight body. But this was not the time for backbiting — there would be time later for reflection on how accountable these leaders should be for our management difficulties. Instead, our School Board decided to reassign Dr. Aponik to a position of school psychologist.
There is controversy on just how this was communicated to Dr. Aponik, and around the details that led to his taking a leave of absence. What is not in dispute is that our School Board chose to obfuscate and deny their involvement in Dr. Aponik’s departure. The facts have since shown they were deeply involved, and we could only conclude that their timing was deplorable, unfair to Dr. Aponik, and counterproductive to solving our budget problems. The Board had created a ìcrisis within a crisisî which quickly became a mind boggling ìthree ring circus,î demoralizing teachers, parents, and staff throughout the District.
As we write this article, we can report that the School Board seems genuinely interested in repairing the damage done with respect to their credibility and trust with teachers. We have told them this is possible, that we remain willing to problem solve, but that our members must see deeds not words. We have suggested that a good start would be revising the onerous lost keys fee policy they implemented last summer. They have agreed in separate conversations with us that this is needed.
In respect to the budget crisis, BTA continues to be willing to problem solve while insisting that cuts be farthest away from impacting students and instructional programs. We have told concerned parties that teachers are not willing to consider a pay cut while we continue to be the ìposter childrenî for underpaid professionals in both the private and public sectors. Additionally, it is unconscionable to ask us to cut our pay considering we only recently made strides in making up cost of living pay raises lost through the recession of the 90′s, and considering we continue to be in the bottom third of teacher salaries in L.A. County. Teacher pay cuts are not an option.
In the midst of all these catastrophic distractions, your Co-Presidents have tried to deal with individual teacher issues in which union assistance was needed. We have tried to be accessible and responsive. We believe we have been mostly successful in responding to your needs. We pledge that this will continue to be our goal next year. We also pledge that BTA will not become silent over the summer months. We will not start the 2002 – 2003 school year with short memories about what has happened this year. We will continue to insist that BTA be full partners in the decision making process of B.U.S.D., and that the old way of doing business will forever change in favor a new, open, and inclusive style of management. This new style will have to be inclusive of teachers, staff, and parents if there is to be meaningful change in the management paradigm. To help fulfill this goal we will insist that the newly formulated Budget Advisory Committee have an ongoing, permanent oversight role in District fiscal management.
Finally, we’d like to close by saying that we know that great teaching and great learning has been continuing in Burbank this year. That is an incredible testament to your skills and dedication in the face of adversity. We have never been prouder of you than we are now. Thanks for being there for the students of Burbank.