Chula Vista teachers speak out

   I wanted to make you aware of the fact that hundreds of teachers working for the Chula Vista Elementary School District will be laid off by May 15, 2010. The district administration led by Superintendent Dr. Lowell Billings has been completely unwilling to negotiate in good faith with Chula Vista Educators, the union representing teachers. The Superintendent is demanding that teachers give up 5 teacher preparation days and take a 3% pay cut. The District Budget Advisory Committee created a list of recommendations for the Superintendent that would preserve the District’s budget without having to resort to pay cuts and loss of preparation days. However, Dr. Billings has stated that he isn’t required to follow their recommendations. With retirement looming, Dr. Billings isn’t worrying about any repercussions from his decisions or the way teachers have been treated this school year.

   Being that teachers are refusing to accept the “take it or else” demands from Dr. Billings in light of the District Budget Advisory Committee recommendations, the District has elected to layoff teachers as a scare tactic. I’m a third grade teacher at Wolf Canyon Elementary School and I have personally witnessed the panic, the fear, and the depression with teachers who received pink slips back in March. Next week, these same teachers will now be officially laid and looking at a gloomy future. If the District is unable to negotiate a settlement with the union before the start of the upcoming school year, it’s very possible schools like the one that I work at will be severely impacted. Entire grade levels of teachers eliminated. Class size in primary grades increased back to 31 students from the current 20. Many of the teachers being laid off are those who coordinate art, science, technology, and sports programs. That means schools that will lose the few things that keep elementary schools from turning completely into state testing mills.

   I have attached a photo for you to view to see just how many teachers are being affected at my school alone. It’s representative of what’s happening in many other schools in the Chula Vista area. I don’t think the community served by the Chula Vista Elementary School District is truly aware of what could happen to their schools.

John Kinloch
Wolf Canyon Elementary School