Organize!!

Organize!!

Monday, April 9, 2007

Poor Dale...has to pay for his benefits...

This morning KPFA interviewed Dr. Vigil, Mercedes Faraj and Maribel Herredia. Of course, Dr. Vigil wouldn't come on the air WITH Mercedes and Maribel....so, he was interviewed separately. When asked about health benefits, Dr. Vigil explained that we pay our own benefits. He continued to say that he has to pay his own benefits too. He said it at least three times. The interviewer asked what the average salary of Hayward teachers is. He said $65,000. What he wasn't asked...and what he didn't volunteer was that HE MAKES $229,500 PER YEAR!!!! He can afford to pay for his benefits!!!! Follow the instructions below to hear the interview.

Go to this link. On the left side, choose audio archives, then choose 7:00 a.m. download and you'll get the broadcast of this morning's show.

http://www.kfcf.org/

5 comments:

SPF said...

Poor baby!

And the interviewer gave Vigil so little attention, compared with the air time Mercedes and Maribel got. Gotta love free speech radio!!!

Anonymous said...

Totally!! I can't believe that Vigil went on KPFA. Obviously he doesn't know their demographic.

julie g. said...

Actually, my understanding was that he gets medical benefits for life as part of his buyout from the Santa Rosa school district..does anyone know if that's true?

Kate D. said...

April 10

If you've been trying to access this broadcast via the archives and have not been able to, as has been my experience, it is because, as of 10:40 a.m., yesterday's Morning Show has not been "uploaded," yet, but according to KPFA staffer, should be by "later on this afternoon." Call the station if you can't find it (510) 848-6767, speak with station operator.

K. Day

Susan S. said...

Message to Hayward School Board...DO THE SAME!


BOARD FORCES VIGIL TO QUIT SR SCHOOLS CHIEF SAYS `NO LONGER A MATCH'
Published on February 24, 2000

© 2000- The Press Democrat

BYLINE: Robert Digitale
Staff Writer PAGE: A1

Santa Rosa City Schools Superintendent Dale Vigil, a man credited with developing rigorous academic standards but criticized for lack of ``managerial focus,'' resigned Wednesday at the request of the Board of Education.

The board unanimously accepted Vigil's resignation at a special meeting Wednesday morning -the end of negotiations that the elected officials had kept a closely guarded secret. Vigil had been superintendent less than two years.

The news of the superintendent's departure stunned teachers, many of whom have complimented him for seeking their input on the district's plans for boosting student achievement.

Board President Bill Carle formally announced Vigil's resignation Wednesday evening at the regular board meeting at City Hall. Teachers received a statement from the board earlier in the day at their schools.

Contacted at home, Vigil differed with board members who suggested he lacked managerial skills needed to successfully implement a series of new programs. But to continue such work, he said, would have required the support of the school board members.

``At this time there is no longer a match between the board and me,'' Vigil said. ``I think in the interest of the school district that it's best that I move on.''

Board members credited Vigil with helping craft the new academic standards and other programs for improving student performance. But they also have expressed frustration with him for his controversial removal of principals last year and, more recently, for killing a student testing program involving neighboring school districts around the city.

On Wednesday, the board directed administrators to try to revive that testing program. Some board members acknowledged Vigil's attempt to end it without their approval was a factor -- although not a decisive one, they insisted -in their decision to ask for his resignation.

Instead, all five board members maintained the district now needs a superintendent with stronger administrative abilities to carry out the plans that Vigil had helped develop. And they insisted that removing Vigil won't impede their efforts to start programs to provide more training for teachers and more tutoring and special classes for failing students.

``In my opinion, this action enhances rather than jeopardizes the chances for successful implementation of the district program,'' said board member Hugh Futrell.

Board members said they will hold a meeting within the next 60 days to decide how to select a new superintendent. In the meantime, Deputy Superintendent Mel Solie will take over Vigil's duties.

Vigil began a paid administrative leave Wednesday that will last until June 30. Board members said the paid leave was part of a negotiated settlement over Vigil's three-year contract, which wasn't slated to expire until June 30, 2001. His salary was $130,000 a year.

Board members were reluctant to say much about the timing of their action. But President Bill Carle said the board evaluated Vigil's performance about a month ago -- a review called for in his contract. That review, he said, set in motion the process that culminated in Vigil's resignation.

Other officials privately suggested two factors that may have affected the timing of the resignation. First, the board by this spring would have been been forced to decide whether to extend Vigil's contract another year. To refuse an extension would mean the district would have had a ``lame duck'' superintendent with only one year left on his contract. Second, Vigil may have concluded it was more advantageous for him to seek another job now rather than later because many school districts look for administrators in the winter or spring.

Whatever the reasons, board members insisted the negotiated settlement was acceptable to Vigil and to them.

``Due to the fact that the resignation happened so rapidly, it was really apparent to both parties that there was a desire to sever the relationship,'' said board member Frank Pugh.

Many teachers expressed shock at the news of his resignation. However, Wednesday evening's board meeting was relatively quiet. Santa Rosa Teachers Association President Larry Haenel declined comment on the resignation and Vigil's work as superintendent. But he did say he supported Carle's remarks that the board was going to continue its efforts to improve communication with teachers and gain their input into efforts to improve student achievement.

Vigil, 56, was Santa Rosa's first Latino superintendent. His 34-year career in education included seven years as a school board member in Boulder, Colo. He was an assistant superintendent in the San Diego Unified School District when Santa Rosa board members selected him in June 1998 as the top candidate to run their district of 17,000 students.

Before hiring him, the entire school board that month traveled to San Diego, along with teachers and other district representatives, and interviewed a broad-based group of educators and community leaders about Vigil. They heard him described as a gifted administrator who had brought teachers and others together to write new standards for language arts and mathematics. Santa Rosa was about to embark on the same process.

During fall 1998, Vigil began gathering educators and community members to draft academic standards for math and language arts. He also helped the board work on creating new high school graduation requirements.

The first expression of frustration by board members came a year ago when Vigil publicly fired two principals rather than allow them to quietly resign as typically occurred. His action, along with the proposed transfer of Fremont School's principal, set off angry protests against the school board at three different schools.

Another sign of dissatisfaction occurred this past spring when board members and a facilitator met twice with Vigil behind closed doors to discuss his job performance. Only Pugh would comment, saying there were ``significant issues'' between the board and Vigil.

Then in the fall the board members came under intense criticism by teachers and administrators at a nationwide conference that Vigil had helped bring to Santa Rosa. In those meetings and ones that followed, the educators argued that the board members were moving too quickly to implement their ambitious programs and that they had failed to listen carefully to the concerns of their staff members.

Board members quickly moved to address the criticism, but some suggested indirectly that Vigil shared responsibility for the pace of change because he had set up the time line. For his part, Vigil said he wrote the time line as directed by the board.

In recent days, board members expressed frustration that Vigil had killed the testing program for sixth-grade students in Santa Rosa and seven neighboring districts.