Teachers seem skeptical of superintendent
By John Loesing
Acorn Staff Writer

Is a recent "no confidence" vote that Las Virgenes Unified School District (LVUSD) teachers gave to Superintendent John Fitzpatrick a genuine attempt to change the district’s leadership or is it just another shot across the bow in a lingering cold war between teachers and LVUSD administrators?

Probably neither, according to people close to the issue.

Of the 350 teachers who cast ballots at a special meeting last week, 329 said they had "no confidence" in Fitzpatrick’s ability to lead LVUSD. Sixteen indicated they did have confidence and five voters left their ballots blank.

Because Fitzpatrick is under contract until 2004, it’s doubtful that teachers think he’ll be replaced. On the other hand, the action sends a message that Fitzpatrick should change his leadership style and become more of a "people person," according to representatives of Las Virgenes Educators Association, the teachers’ union.

Fitzpatrick, hired by the school district in 1995, makes $132,000 a year.

Sixty percent of LVUSD teachers participated in the vote. The results cast doubt not only on Fitzpatrick’s leadership, but his ability to mend fences.

Animosity between teachers and the district often peaks during annual salary negotiations, but the current discord has continued almost nonstop since last year’s bargaining agreement in which teachers reluctantly accepted a 10 percent salary increase.

Teachers complained the raise should have been retroactive for the full year.

"We were convinced the district was close to the precipice in terms of financial disaster primarily because of cost overruns and special education," said Hal Vick, executive director of the union.

"John [Fitzpatrick] basically said everything’s wonderful."

Fitzpatrick said LVUSD cut $400,000 in student programs to enable the raise.

"We weren’t going to cut additional programs for kids in order to give more of a raise," Fitzpatrick said. "My job is very clear in terms of our clients, our students and parents, and that should be the highest priority. Obviously we want the teachers to be happy and get what they need and pay them what they want."

Fitzpatrick called the vote a "symbolic attempt" by the teachers to say "listen to us."

The sides grew further apart when a pair of popular teachers was transferred from Calabasas High School against their wishes. English teacher Diane McEvoy returned to class last month after filing a grievance against the district. An appeal by history teacher Lee Shagin is pending.

The union and LVUSD also butted heads over the power a teacher has in assigning certain grades. Under pressure by parents, the principal at A.E. Wright Middle School in Calabasas, who has since retired, overturned the poor citizenship grades that math teacher James Ferris issued to three of his students. The State Appeals Court ruled Ferris had the final say on grades, not principals and parents.

Reluctance by the school district to support its teachers is at the heart of the problem, according to union officials.

Before the vote was taken, union president Sandi Pope issued a four-page letter to LVUSD’s 600 teachers outlining her concerns.

"Teachers are doing a great job," Pope said. "So why are we seeing an increase in parent assaults on teachers? … These attacks need to be stopped … We need a superintendent who puts the teachers first."

Pope said Fitzpatrick should be held accountable for low teacher morale.

"Teachers are saying they’re more unhappy now working in Las Virgenes than they have been for along time," she said. "[Fitzpatrick] has not established a sense of family or a strong sense of allegiance or looking to him as an instructional leader. Teachers feel they’re just workers in a system … You can’t get excellent educators with passionate energy for their profession if you’re beating down on them all the time."

As ammunition in the argument, both sides appear to be taking credit for the district’s excellent academic standing. Teachers complained that because LVUSD placed high in last year’s Academic Performance Index, a statewide ranking, more API reward money should have been funneled their way.

Bruce Kaye, LVUSD coordinator for parent-faculty groups, joined school principals and administrators in supporting Fitzpatrick.

"The role of the superintendent is and should always be to hold children first in the educational process," Kaye said.

He called the teachers’ action "damaging" to schools.

"I see nothing positive coming out of that vote," Kaye said. "I think it sends a poor message. Everybody needs to work together and have a dialogue."

Both Fitzpatrick and members of the school board agreed to step up their communication with teachers and parents, and while a district-wide newsletter was eliminated last year in a cost-cutting measure, Fitzpatrick said additional staff might be hired to renew the district’s outreach efforts.