Vista Teacher... wrote on Dec 27, 2007 12:18 PM:The root of the problem is the No Child Left Behind act which CUTS funding for schools whose students don't perform up to expectations. Pressure is being put on school and staff to work miracles with some of the districts least capable students. The kids are not stupid...they just need more bilingual education to acheive the expected marks. Of course no one wants to pay for bilingual education (or even say that word on a Vista Campus) so you get what we have now. A micro-manager at the top and low morale at the bottom. Why would any educator want to stay in the Vista system when they can take their credentials and teach in the affluent suburbs? We need more funding for these schools. not less. Why should Torrey Pines High School get all the cash?

Kathleen wrote on Dec 27, 2007 12:26 PM:Joyce Bales works for the Board of Trustees. She does not need to build relationships with any other constituency, including principals, teachers or parents.

curly joe wrote on Dec 27, 2007 2:54 PM:Bales and her cronies in Linda Mood Bell have denied kids quality education for test scores. They call it literacy!!!!Students in LMB miss out on language arts and math. Teachers are told to not mark report cards in the areas that are missed. Vista can do better for all children!!!Those that march with Bales wouldn't send their kids to at risk schools.Hypocrits!!! The truth is kids are left behind when they are denied equal access to a cirriculum rich environment. In Vista segregation is thriving. VUSD FAILS KIDS.We can do better!!!!!!! Keep the DREAM ALIVE.

To curly joe wrote on Dec 27, 2007 4:28 PM:Literacy is the basis of education. Illiterate students never achieve. Language is a necessity, not an ART, and MATH is a skill that requires one to be able to read and comprehend. VUSD was failing in these areas for many years before Bales arrived. Yet, I never heard a peep out of you back then. VUSD has been FAILING the Children of Vista since well before Bales and LMB, so we can only determine from your newfound hatred that the segregation that has been in VUSD for the last 15 years is what you want to keep around. Graduating students who can't read or write in English or Spanish does not support the American Dream. In fact, even if these students graduated with honors speaking only their "native?" language, they still would not realize the American Dream. In America we speak English, and those who immigrate and succeed here Speak English too! As for Hypocrites, is it hypocritical of one to want the best for their children? If they can provide something better than the current Public School in their area, should they not do all they can to provide such? And if they do, should this then be looked down upon, especially when they take their desire for Quality Education and try to bring that to their local Public Schools by running for Office? I'd say the nearly 50% of VUSD Teachers who put their own kids in schools other than VUSD would have to be lumped into your definition of Hypocrite.

jvc wrote on Dec 27, 2007 4:53 PM:Kathleen,
If you think Bales is only accountable to the Board, you will find out you are sorely mistaken. This attitude, if held by her, will lead to her removal visavis pressure from the groups you mention. Hopefully she doesn't share the same opinion as you or her time at Vista will be short.
jvc

To jvc wrote on Dec 27, 2007 5:22 PM:The Board would have to be pressured by these groups to remove Bales. She was hired by a unanimous vote by the Board, and she answers to the Board. That is our Current System of Government in CA. Now, I know the Union does not agree with Local Control of our Schools and has continued to do all it can to change the laws that allow for Local Control. But, we still have the Local Control of Electing our Board (even if the Union spend large sums to stack the deck in their favor), and our Board still has the control over the District Management, such as the Superintendent. So, until the Board decides to get rid of Bales, she will remain.

Vista Teacher wrote on Dec 27, 2007 5:25 PM:By the way, "Vista Teacher," NCLB does NOT cut funding to schools. Rather it requires schools that have been receiving EXTRA money to actually perform with that extra money or face the possibility of loosing it. However, before that actually happens the Federal Government requires Administrators at the failing schools be replaced, and even requires some of the teachers to be replaced. Title 1 funding was intended to be "Temporary" funding to "Aid" low performing schools in "Achieving" equity. It was NEVER intended to be a permanent source of BONUS money to cover salaries and benefits. As for Bi-lingual education, you know only too well that Bi-lingual education at VUSD produced students who could not master either English or Spanish. After nearly 30 years at VUSD I've seen the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, and Bi-lingual Education was the worst! As for moral, well some of us "REAL" teachers actually enjoy the fact that we are once again getting the opportunity to teach, as opposed to being forced to indoctrinate, and dumb down our lesson plans for the illiterate! Finally, if you believe Torrey Pines High is so good, and that you can take your "credentials" and get a job there, then please do! We don't need your kind in our ranks, as your attitude is exactly what got us into this mess in the first place. Good teachers Teach using what they have available to them. The socio-economic status of their students and current location of job does not play into their skill of teaching. I've met many a great student from countries where their schools had to make do with far less than anything we have ever seen at VUSD. Yet, as a direct result of their GOOD teachers, they achieved great things! (You might want to read some writings from my mentor, Booker T. Washington, one of the greatest Teachers in America!). So, please, if you can't stand the heat, go find another job in some other profession.

To Vista Teacher #1 wrote on Dec 27, 2007 5:58 PM:If VUSD is such a poor District it is my understanding that new Teachers coming in to the District qualify to have their education costs re-imbrued (or education loans waived). Not so at Torrey Pines. Teachers there have to pay their own way. It is also my understanding that schools are funded directly from Sacramento using the Average Daily Attendance (ADA) figures, and that each District get approximately the same dollars per student. Granted, there are some adjustments made to cover the extra expenses associated with the cost of living within a reasonable distance of the schools. But, all in all the funding is the same. Maybe Torrey Pines know better how to manage their funds to get the most bang for the buck? Then again, can you truly fault the parents of these students for wanting to live somewhere that will enable their children the best opportunity to excel and achieve? I can assure you that equity can't be achieved simply by taking money from affluent schools and pumping it into low socio-economic areas. Take one look at LAUSD and you will see what I mean: the average dollars per student in Los Angeles is significantly higher than anyplace else in CA. Yet, we still see large disparities in the results coming from these schools? Could this be a cultural thing? Or is it that we have lost sight of what students really need: structure, discipline, and high expectations. If you think students aren't learning because they need to be educated in their native language then you will get what you've seen in VUSD for so long: high dropout rates in the Hispanic community, and students who can't pass a simple college entrance exam because it's not in their native language.

if you think wrote on Dec 27, 2007 6:14 PM:For any plan to work it needs the support of the individuals that are responsible for the day to day implementation. since the system in place does not allow for the mass replacement of all of the employees, it would behoove the parties that be to try and get the support of those employees. unfortunately Dr. Bales has not done enough to make the employees part of her dream and that is a shame.

another voice wrote on Dec 27, 2007 6:27 PM:So "to curley joe" tells us that 50% of VUSD teacher's children do not attend VUSD. Please enlighten us where did that statistic come from? Sounds made up to me.

TOW wrote on Dec 27, 2007 7:09 PM:The article was not about how best to teach our kids or about LMB or NCLB. It was about the high turnover and low morale in VUSD. For Jim Gibson to think that the changes have been positive shows just how out of touch he is, not surprising considering how rarely he sets foot on a campus.Kim Tullis nailed it when she said the atmosphere is "toxic." Freedom of speech has been totally eliminated. Dr. Bales could have done alot of good for the district if she had tried to develop some team spirit.

Maria wrote on Dec 27, 2007 7:16 PM:The saddest loss was Dr. Hall. I worked under him and he was the finest principal I have had the honor to work for--and had the track record in prior assignment that proved he was worthy to be given the time to turn around Lincoln/Rancho Minerva.

wondering wrote on Dec 27, 2007 7:23 PM:Raise your hand if you think this article will be headlined on the district's homepage along with all the others with politically correct spin. Just wondering.

Chris wrote on Dec 27, 2007 7:35 PM:I see we have Jim Gibson talking about how it was a good thing to get rid of personel at VUSD because they weren't doing their job. Since that is the case then that means that we should get rid of this school board and Gibson should be the first to go. I wonder how much it cost us taxpayers for that investigator they hired to snoop on the baseball coach who was just recently reinstated after he was fired from being the baseball coach.

MilesK wrote on Dec 27, 2007 8:50 PM:Our family moved away from Vista back in 2001. The primary reason we started to look at moving was our dealing with 1st Grade at Lake Elementary... I had to get my kids into a school district that was going to educate my kids. We were really amazed at the poor level of education an parent involvement. So I looked at Poway, Temecula and wound up settling in Murrieta. WOW!! What a difference... sure I have to drive farther... but since my son and daughter have been in school up here ... they now 5th and 8th graders... they have been honor students every semester!! The parent involvement and the Murrieta School District is heads above what Vista had to offer. No need to put my kids in private school in this community. I think it is great to see some of that stale old funk leaving from Vista... hopefully they can get some folks down there that care about the kids and not preserving the status quo.

Change RBVHS wrote on Dec 27, 2007 8:59 PM:There needs to be a change at Rancho Buena Vista High. How Varda Levy can fire Leo Fletes and rehire him in a few months is another example of her poor leadership

Priorities wrote on Dec 27, 2007 9:08 PM:Each year over 30% of our high school students drop out. Why is that turn over rate acceptable, but when 20% of mostly deadbeat bureaucrats leave we are worried? Only Herrera would worry about losing people who failed 60% of the time (60% of our students are below grade grade level)

Jamie wrote on Dec 27, 2007 9:15 PM:Very sad that North County Times has scooped so low and continues to write trashy articles about Dr. Bales. Yet the North County Times has NO FACTS to support their story, pure gossip and complaints from disgruntled teachers. Possibly the same teachers who failed the Mexican, poor white, and black students for almost two decades. In these two decades not a single one of them complained and either did their superintendent and administrators to the contrary. We were told that everything was JUST FINE and that the CDE was all SCREWED UP! Yet the land of milk and honey came to an end with their RACIALLY SEGRETATED TRACKS and boy did they LOVE THE TRACKS! They loved the extra pension dough and the extra month vacation that came along with the lily-white tracks. While other teachers in the state, county and neighboring school districts had to teach for a living VUSD teachers were living high of the hog until the SDCOE send their superintendent a little letter telling him to stop the PORK SPENDING or else the SDCOE or the state would take over VUSD. The superintendent buddy left with a golden parachute before the deadline of the EXTRA PENSION fund CUT. Yes and many other teachers and administrators left before the deadline and they too got their golden parachutes (extra pension funds.) so quit the story telling and stop stretching the truth. The North County Times needs to get the facts streight.

Sour Grapes wrote on Dec 27, 2007 9:19 PM:I think Carol Herrera is unhappy because she was not elected as PRESIDENT of VUSD at last Boar's meeting.

TOW wrote on Dec 27, 2007 9:21 PM:Nobody has said the "status quo" should have been preserved. But we play with the cards we are dealt. I would LOVE to have the same parent involvement that takes place at my grandkids' school. We can't MAKE parents be involved. It does help enormously. I don't know why Lake parents weren't involved, but at many schools, it's because of the language barrier. We have a parent liaison whose job description is simply to get parents involved.
I'm nor sure what all of this has to do with administrators leaving and district morale, but I don't think the difference you found has to do with either; nor does it have to do with dedication of teachers. I'd be interested in knowing how Murrieta makes it happen. Maybe lower cost of living allows more stay-at-home moms.

union vs. administration wrote on Dec 27, 2007 9:39 PM:This is a classic union vs administration scenario

Unions want tenure and Administration wants performance.

The unions in the US continue to decline.

interested wrote on Dec 27, 2007 9:56 PM:It's interesting to me how many comments here are straying from the subject of the article....(purposeful distraction??)..i.e. turnover and district morale. Our school is one with a new administrator. We were very upset to lose our former principal, but the new one has great people skills and is helping us make the best of it. It would be nice if Dr. Bales had come in and said, "I have a plan I'd like to share with you. Give me a chance. I need your buy-in." It would have been a whole different ball of wax. Motivation works as well for adults as it does for kids. Instead she has instilled a climate of fear and intimidation.

American Parent wrote on Dec 27, 2007 11:30 PM:Vista Teacher...
[-] wrote on Dec 27, 2007 12:18 PM:

Do you know what language is spoken while attending school in The Netherlands? Answer: Dutch.

Do you know what language is spoken while attending school in Norway?Answer: Norwegian.

In both of those examples, private business is experiencing rapid growth providing language services to those whom do not speak the native language and necessary for education or employment.

Why should taxpayers shoulder the financial burden in America?

If enrollees are not proficient enough in English to adequately complete training, then the parent or guardians should be financially responsible for that part of their education. Hopefully, in the future, the State will not be considered a guardian. Eliminating the bilingual education system would improve the quality of education students receive, improve their scoring, and overall contribute to higher performance, bringing in the much needed State funds.

American Mike wrote on Dec 28, 2007 12:23 AM:It's interesting to see how many post don't make it as well.

Shallow editor wrote on Dec 28, 2007 5:42 AM:The editor could have picked a better title. The article basically points out that the district lost 20% of its administration. Not bad considering that we have a child centered academic focus under Bales instead of the good old boy system. It has got to be hard on anyone who has grown up in a system of doing what's convenient for adults to suddenly start doing what is necessary for kids. When we start getting editors who care more about whether the kids are reading than that administrators are pushed out of their comfort zone then the community will get unbiased reporting.

To: union v. administration wrote on Dec 28, 2007 7:24 AM:I think your statements are an oversimplification, and testament to the fact you really don't know what you're talking about .... just regurgitating attitudes you've been told and believing them without really researching the facts. It's not a "classic" scenario at all.

RAY wrote on Dec 28, 2007 8:09 AM:Mr. Gibson with all due respect, I am very dissapointed with you as a board member because is so eloquent that your intentions to be on the board are totally contrary to what they must be. lately you have been investing your time and attention on defending what was part your decision to hire a superintendent that came from a district that does not compare at all with VUSD and it's needs or environment. You must start thinking about accountability and results in order to show us taxpayers that your intentions are not just politics. I do not know if you have ever own a bussiness but more than 10% turnover is not healthy.
Mr. Gibson I personally don't have a problem if you do not have children that attend VUSD or your writting skills are not good because afterall you are a taxpayer who has the right to run for office but I, as many citizens would like you to make children our priority.

Mr. Gibson please start delivering results! Not excuses, reasons, opinions etc.

MilesK wrote on Dec 28, 2007 9:47 AM:Reply to TOW:
Yes, parental and community involvement is voluntary. From what I've seen there is more community spirit at school events that I've been involved in with my kids since moving to Murrieta than what I felt when I lived in Vista. When I lived in Vista it seemed like everyone wanted to live in Carlsbad... it was actually kind of strange. I know parents who brag that they left Vista and moved to Carlsbad so the kids would have a better education! It is like folks in Vista are doing time there just waiting to escape to somewhere better. I remember moving up here to Murrieta... people were telling me that it was hot and that I wouldn't like it away from the coast. It does get hot for some of the summer days... but that time is brief and even on those days we have beautiful cool nights! Perception and reality are sometimes far apart! I have to say in this case they are miles and miles apart. I know there are many good folks who work for Vista Schools and there are some that really need to just find a new profession. I know that going to school for my kids since moving to Murrieta has been exciting for them. They have great programs that go beyond what was available to them in Vista. One thing I was amazed at was that when they build the schools up here... they have what they need to get the schools going... the classrooms are wired, in the elementary and middle schools the classrooms have computers, they have morning TV School News for announcements (with kids as anchors, camera and editing!) the sports fields are in place when they open the schools, they are ready to teach and to help our children grow. I remember the Vista community took many years to try and get money to build the football field at Buena Vista. With all the Administrators and staffing they couldn't figure out a way... because of lack of funding? With all the tax dollars rolling in for Vista schools... why are so many of the schools still temporary trailers? Why have the sports fields been an after thought? I just say come and visit Murrieta and Temecula schools. The buildings are top notch. The sports programs and fields are top notch. The music programs are top notch. They are academically at the top tier of California public schools which says the Administrators and Teachers are all doing what they are paid to do. When you look to the Administrators, Principals and Teachers... they are proud to work for Murrieta and the teachers I know have kids that attend the districts schools. As a parent I find that the evidence is pointing to the fact that someone cares more about doing it right and our kids up here are the ones that benefit. Vista gets the same money as Murrieta does per child... it is what they have been spending that money on that is the difference. It can be on a bloated bureaucracy or on teaching the kids. As a parent ... I'm very happy with my decision to move, rather than put my kids in Tri-City (My son went there for Kinder-which was expensive for us.) or another private school, and having to pay additional money out of my pocket to have them get a quality education that should be provided as we all are paying taxes for this benefit of education! All I can say is Go Murrieta! I hope Vista can rise up and sort out what they have and what they can do to fix what has been crumbling for many years! My wife and I made the tough decision to move away from family and farther from work... and our kids our thriving. Off topic... a bit... but the point of the article is the turnover in Vista. THERE IS ONE REASON... the schools are not good in Vista and they just haven't been getting any better. Something has to give... or like I said it will be status quo... and that is what Vista has been all about for many, many years.

observer from the North wrote on Dec 28, 2007 10:11 AM:Shallow, how wrong you are, the "Good ol boy system" to which you refer is thriving the only Difference is the "Good ol boys" are now comming from Dr Bales Former stomping grounds , its just sad and the exidous is far far from over or even slowing down.

More will be leaving wrote on Dec 28, 2007 10:32 AM:At the end of this year, three more elementary principals will be "retiring." That means that there will only be 2 or 3 original principals left at the elementary level! No way is that 80 - 90% turnover healthy. No way. The first question I'm asking is why these folks are LOOKING to leave in the first place? The second question I'm asking, is if you are to believe that Joyce is just cleaning house of the "dead wood" in VUSD, why are so many of these folks getting much better positions in Encinitas (API's of over 900) or the SDCOE? The ANSWER I keep coming up with is the old saying" "The good ones always leave." The GOOD talent is what is leaving. Oh, and to prove my point: Kim Tullis, the Bobier principal Joyce pushed out in the first round, ended up with the THIRD HIGHEST API INCREASE of 38 points at the VUSD elementary level! Carrie Brown, the Beaumont principal who left this month, had the SECOND HIGHEST API INCREASE at 50 points! "The good ones always leave."

question for all of you who think this turnover is for the better wrote on Dec 28, 2007 10:59 AM:If you think it is good that all these people resigned, if you think it was because they were so lazy and did not want to work hard...then why did other districts snatch them up so quickly? Vista is losing wonderful teachers and administrators to other districts. Wouldn't it be nice to work in a distrcit that actually supported you instead of bashing you in public? How come you never hear the SM or Carlsbad or Encinitas board blabbering in the paper about how horrible their employees are? You wonder why people are leaving? We are losing GOOD people, not the ones that need to go.

To Ray wrote on Dec 28, 2007 11:47 AM:I know Mr. Gibson. All his kids are older and out of school. He does own a nation wide hi-tech telecommunications BUSINESS with employees. He is the one holding people accountable! That is why underperforming VUSD employees are leaving. Ray, you need to get your facts straight!!

TOW wrote on Dec 28, 2007 1:15 PM:to..TO RAY Read again the earlier letters from "question for all..." and "more..." re where these employees went, i.e. high performing districts or higher supervisory positions. Furthermore, Kim Tullis is now overseeing implementation of Reading First in Southern California. Not exactly a step down. I have no idea who you are, but your take on why they are leaving is the uninformed one. The only reason they left is they were unwilling to be mindless puppets. I will repeat, We ALL.....even Gibson, Dr. Bales, et al...have the best interests of children at heart. But change for change sake alone - as Mr. Gibson seemes to believe - serves no purpose, and Dr. Bales could have brought about more positive changes in a less hostile manner.

TOW wrote on Dec 28, 2007 1:48 PM:to..TO RAY My earlier version didn't get through..See if this works.Read again the earlier letters from "question for all..." and "more..." re where these employees went, i.e. high performing districts or higher supervisory positions. Furthermore, Kim Tullis is now overseeing implementation of Reading First in Southern California. Not exactly a step down. I have no idea who you are, but your take on why they are leaving is the uninformed one. The only reason they left is they were unwilling to be mindless puppets. I will repeat, We ALL.....even Gibson, Dr. Bales, et al...have the best interests of children at heart. But change for change sake alone - as Mr. Gibson seemes to believe - serves no purpose, and Dr. Bales could have brought about more positive changes in a more motivational manner.

to TOW and Ray wrote on Dec 28, 2007 3:36 PM:Gibson demands results not just change. He is the one who said in the NC Times last spring that the top employees need to be rewarded and that the bottom 10 percent need to go. Where do you see "change for change sake" there? Read what he said, his goal is to make VUSD the best in San Diego.

concerned wrote on Dec 28, 2007 9:40 PM:responses to this article seem to be filtered, as I submitted a response at 8 pm last night and it is not in the list. [Many] principals at the helm prior to Dr. Bales arrival will have left their schools by the end of this school year. That's a massive turnover that contributes to the unsettled feeling that teachers have. Additionally, it would be interesting to know how many of the 1200+ teachers in the district have been with VUSD 3 years or less. Thoughts to ponder.

Vista Teacher wrote on Dec 29, 2007 9:42 AM:Teaching is NOT as easy as many people think. It is not uncommon for a new teacher to last less than 5 years before "burning out." Of those that survive you will find many of them also "burn out" but know no other profession in which to ply their trade, and so they stay. Our Union continues to protect these "burnouts" and ensures they keep their jobs. Unfortunately this is not good for those us that truly LOVE what we do, as it gives us a bad rap. What I find of interest in this article is that there seems to be a lack of information concerning how long these people were at VUSD, who hired them, what positions they held during their tenure, and where many of them headed off to. Retirement of many of the VUSD teachers and administrators is not surprising since there was a large growth in our community 20 to 30 years ago. As for people choosing to move on, one only need to look at the lack of potential for growth in a District with falling enrollment to realize that greater career growth can be found by leaving. This does NOT mean the district you are leaving a good or bad, just that there are greater opportunities for your career path found by moving. This is seen in the private sector as well, but I guess in this tenured system of schools we have lost track of that reality. However, I personally have seen VUSD go from top to bottom in San Diego County, while the CA Education System also went from #1 to #49 in the Nation. Although change is difficult, and leadership styles vary greatly, there is no one method of changing that had yet proven to be the Silver Bullet of improvement. All I can say is that from what I have seen here at VUSD Dr. Bales has begun to change the focus to that which we real teachers know is best: Children come first, Children need to know how to read (in English), reading comprehension is critical to learning, and teachers need to have the tools to help them know what each child needs to support their specific learning style. We teachers once again have some freedom to actually teach our students, and in time if we pull together and support our new administration and leadership, WE TEACHERS can turn this district around and again place it on the TOP in SDCOE, CA, and the Nation! PULL it together and stop your complaining, do your job of teaching by putting your students first! You'll find that if you bury yourself in your profession of teaching, focusing on your students' needs, all the many other distractions will fade away and you job will again be a true joy!

Does it really matter? wrote on Dec 29, 2007 10:31 AM:Does it really matter who leaves VUSD (usually for more money or recognition), who is upset because Dr. Bales didn't make them her best friend, or was it because they really wanted to retire and have no other agenda? Waa! Waa! Snap out of it!!! It is not about agendas, turnovers, or any other political garbage! Yes, it is garbage! It is about the children learning to read and becoming part of a productive community. Remember why teachers teach, it is to educate children and to open doors for the children to achieve greatness.

And why wrote on Dec 29, 2007 2:18 PM:do parents have children?

to "And why" wrote on Dec 29, 2007 4:41 PM:If they did not have children they would NOT be parents. Therefore, one must wonder the true meaning of what you ask. I believe you'd have done beter to ask, "why do people have children?" To which one might answer, "to procreate." However, as to exactly how any of this fits the article above, we are still at a loss. I guess you just wanted to see if your tripe could actually get printed.

to and why wrote on Dec 29, 2007 4:47 PM:you need take a look school at VUSD schools and then re-ask your question, "why do so many CHILDREN have children?" Is this too a reflection on why so many Administrators have chosen to leave VUSD: Because the school system is basically nothing more than a glorified babysitting service? We need to get back to basics, and let our children be CHILDREN! Stop playing all the Social Engineering games with them and allow them the opportunity to explore their own futures, but ONLY after providing them with the necessary tools to become productive members of society.

Observer to Ray wrote on Dec 29, 2007 8:08 PM:Obviously, you are not aware that the school system Bales came from was an area exactly like Vista and succeeding as poorly or moreso than VUSD. In a few years it became a model of success under her leadership and the teachers training just as is now happening in Vista. The testing some are protesting so vociferously is proving accountability that you are asking to be present. I believe Gibson and the rest are doing the proper techniques.

To Observer From The wrote on Dec 29, 2007 8:11 PM:North - as far as "stomping grounds" go, I would rather have a group who can and do work together well as a bunch of laggards or complainers. They get the job done properly. Did some of your union buddies get the boot?

Amanda wrote on Dec 30, 2007 11:06 AM:More will be leaving- the answer is quite simple they are leaving because under Bales they will be asked for ACCOUNTABILITY for the performance of the teachers and schools. They cannot hack it and they are bailing out it is that simple, they liked the EASY MONEY. As to the principal that got a job in EUSD are the parents in that school happy to get VUSD leftovers? PUSD, EUSD and those so-called upscale communities are suffering from a whole lot of racism within the student and parent population. As far as the so-called “good employees” bailing out; well, the good ones don’t bail out, actually the good ones stay. They fight to educate the kids that is what this is supposed to be all about, the ones the left were the ones that wanted a FREE paycheck for showing up to work sometimes.

Ted wrote on Dec 30, 2007 5:11 PM:... VUSD has lost some excellent administrators. 3 principals leaving in the middle of a school year should indicate that there is a problem in the management style.

to amanda wrote on Dec 30, 2007 6:07 PM:Why would you say that good employees stay regardless of the circumstances of their employment? That is insane. yes, teacher and administrators love children, but they are also entitled to work in a positive environment, and it sounds like VUSD may not be that. Would you tell someone in sales or business to stay with a horrible employer because that's what "good employees do" Educators have families to support, and they deserve to work where they are happy. I'm sure more people wish they could leave VUSD. And as far as VUSD leftovers go, it is a highly competive job market, so those districts did not have to hire from VUSD "leftovers" They probably had hundreds of applicants to choose from and chose the best.

June wrote on Dec 30, 2007 8:00 PM:It's good to finally see an article in the NCT about the slow death of VUSD that has been playing itself out for about 18 months. Here we have The Great Leader Gibson, who confuses public education with private business, and boasts about rewarding good teachers, except, of course, when it comes to cost-of-living raises. Then we have Ax-Wielding Bales, who has been cutting our administrators ...

And while you�re explaining, where is the DATA that says our already rising test scores are directly attributable to fewer than 500 kids who received LmB at the cost of $3.4 million? Every month we �creditable� teachers ask for that data at each board meeting, and every month we get stonewalled. Are the data that disappointing?

And finally, why is it that the �higher� performing districts such as Poway, Torrey Pines, and Carlsbad, even with their unique sets of clientele, are abandoning NCLB because of its statistically unattainable projection for improvement? Tell me how by 2014 no one will be below average? That might work in Lake Woebegone, but it won�t work here. Why did our school board hire an NCLB superintendent whose one-size-fits-all approach does not fit the future?

In a climate of distrust and mistrust, rather than one of collaboration and cooperation, is it any wonder that staff morale is at an all-time low?

To June wrote on Dec 31, 2007 6:58 AM:Guess you'll have to askk the Union Majority why they hired Bales. She was their pick and it was the other Minority two who then agreed with their choice. Maybe you need to investigate VTA's top three picks on the Baord? Two of them are up for re-election this year. Maybe it is time to replace them? Maybe it's time to personally evaluate your cnadidate of choice as opposed to simply voting the Union line. By the way, as for COLA's VTA has been to biggest obsticle to our getting our rasises over the years: They get them for their choice friends in Administration, but hold out for a big package that they know they can never get for us teachers. Thus, we teachers suffer with no contract for many years, while their buddies all end up with golden parachutes! And yes, June, there is DATA to back that up!

fed up wrote on Jan 6, 2008 11:13 AM:Dr.Bales I do not know personally, but I do know many are intimidated by her. Why is that? Many good people have left the district because they do not agree with her plans for the district. Why is everything about test scores? So forget all the learning in the classroom and make the kids prepare to pass a test with high scores so the teachers don't get fired. That's what's really happenening. Sad but true. Dr. Bales is not for the kids.