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TEMECULA: District could ask for waiver reinstating teachers' tenure
Part-time teachers' tenure could be restored
By RANI GUPTA - Staff Writer | ∞
TEMECULA ---- School district officials could turn to the state Board of Education in seeking to restore tenure to some part-time teachers who had been mistakenly granted protected status.
This spring, district officials learned they had misinterpreted state law requiring that teachers work 75 percent of the days in the school year to receive credit toward tenure, a status that gives them more rights than a probationary teacher.
For years, district officials had granted tenure to teachers who worked only two or three days a week because they split a job with another teacher.
The mistake affected the employment status of at least one teacher who received a layoff notice this spring when the district was cutting its teaching ranks because of expected state budget cuts.
Most job-sharing teachers were not laid off this year but 28 of them received letters in June saying their status would be downgraded to probationary. Those teachers worry their jobs could be in danger in future years because state law requires probationary teachers to be laid off before tenured ones.
Superintendent Carol Leighty said district officials recently began exploring a possible waiver of the law requiring that teachers work three-quarters of the year to receive tenure. On Thursday, Leighty said a Department of Education official confirmed the district could apply for an exemption to that part of the code.
Leighty said the first step in the process will take place July 15. Trustees are expected to vote then to hold a public hearing in August on whether to seek a waiver.
"I'm very glad that they're doing that," said Lisa Lock, a job-sharing teacher at Abby Reinke Elementary. "It shows at least they're trying to do something about that."
Leighty said trustees sympathized with teachers because they had made life decisions based on being told by district officials that they were tenured.
"We just feel we owe something to these teachers," she said.
But Leighty noted that a waiver, if approved, would not apply to all of the 28 teachers who received letters. As of now, she plans to include only teachers who have worked for the district for at least four years and worked more than half of the school year. However, Leighty said that could change because she hasn't finalized the waiver language.
If approved by the state, the waiver could make full-time teachers who have not worked in the district as long as the job-sharing teachers more vulnerable to future layoffs.
"It is going to impact other people," Leighty said.
If the trustees agree to hold the public hearing in August, they could then vote on whether to seek the waiver. Leighty said district officials are hoping to go before the state board in November.
Contact staff writer Rani Gupta at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2625, or rgupta@californian.com.
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Ive heard of that... wrote on Jul 4, 2008 6:54 AM:It's called the 'Sorry, We're Idiots Waiver'. The State gives them out all of the time, infact the TVUSD has dozens of them.
Yes but... wrote on Jul 4, 2008 7:57 AM:This is causing the D.O. extra work so they may vote themselves a 5% raise.
Just wondering wrote on Jul 4, 2008 8:24 AM:If TVUSD are such Idiots why do they have so many teachers wanting to work here? Come on did the teachers not read what was important to them.....and if TVUSD has such a record of being not fair do you not think you should go over everything.
FAIR IS FAIR wrote on Jul 4, 2008 9:35 AM:How about doing what is the right thing to do and include all 28 teachers affected by the district's "misinterpretation" for the past 12 years. Each of the teachers made a life-altering decision based on what information they were provided, not just teachers working more than 4 years in the district.
It is a great start by the district to fix their wrong, but it must include all the teachers involved, not just a select few.
unfair wrote on Jul 4, 2008 1:49 PM:TVUSD officials continue to collect their fat checks while they ruin the live of teachers.
tem resident wrote on Jul 5, 2008 11:26 AM:Tenure is BS..... Who else get guaranteed a job.. We all have to prove to our bosses we deserve the job and any raises. Teachers should stop whining and work on job performance... Tenure just makes some (Not all) teachers lazy and not as good of a teacher as they could be.
Losers wrote on Jul 5, 2008 12:23 PM:Once again the top officials (yes, that's you carol, Jeff and Chris) have not quite understood state law. I'm sure it's to protect one of thier friends (or, relatives) or they wouldn't bother. And by the way...administration not only got back the five days they were going to give up (yeah, right) but they have reorganized and given out new titles and pay raise to the select few...and I mean SELECT.
JUST THE FACTS wrote on Jul 6, 2008 9:42 PM:Reasonable people (not the ones posting here) judge others NOT by their mistakes, but by how they ADMIT and CORRECT their mistakes. If this is an admission and a correction, the district has done the right thing and should be credited. In light of the hateful folks just waiting to pounce, an admission once again makes the district an easy target. Yet they publicized the mistake and how they would correct it. It's pathetic and quite ironic that the hateful posters (above) take every opportunity to demonstrate how miserable their empty lives must be - that they find pleasure in trying to hurt others. How sad.
Good idea a reminder wrote on Jul 7, 2008 5:36 AM:To Just the Facts: Regarding the admission & correction of mistakes, I don't suppose you remember the Grand Jury Report & the TVUSD's response to that.
To all others: When you vote in this year's election, remember who was (& still is) on the school board then.
please share.... wrote on Jul 7, 2008 7:22 PM:What Grand Jury Report????
Grand Jury Report wrote on Jul 8, 2008 9:18 AM:Google the following & you'll get links to the report, TVUSD's reply to that & a number of articles that appeared in this paper.
"grand jury" and "temecula valley unified school district"
Read everything & draw your own conclusions.
Dear Fair is Fair wrote on Jul 8, 2008 12:59 PM:Why not also ask Chris Cordner, Dr. Leighty, Jeff Okun and the Governing School Board why they did not go in person to Sacramento and Riverside Dept. of Education Offices to ask for the rectification immediately before releasing their mistakes. It would have shown they truly cared.
They drive and/or fly up for conferences but not for such an important issue as ruining employees' lives?
to Just the Facts wrote on Jul 8, 2008 7:45 PM:My life is neither miserable or empty, but even if it were that wouldn't negate the fact the TVUSD has a history of lies and corruption. A history that includes many people that are still around. I am only grateful that Mrs. Tooker will not be around too much longer and hopefully Morris will be having some extra time on his hands soon.
For you new comers wrote on Jul 9, 2008 7:04 AM:Read the full page and a half news coverage over the abuse of employees done by an investigation panel against Allmen, Okun, and the Administration/School Board back in December 03, 2003 in the Press-Enterprise Newspaper.
Then, you will understand a little better the [alleged] unethical greed and conduct of the TVUSD Administration and this Governing School Board Trustees.
In a community of over 100,000 persons living out their overly busy lives, they do not have or take the time to be truly informed; work, family, activities, cooking, cleaning, trying to pay for gasoline, etc.
An old saying, "The Fox counts on the owners of a farm not to be watching their hen house".
We have not been watching the real over spending of our children's monies by this district or the mistreatment of our employees or our children's programs.
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