Trustees of the Dry Creek Joint Elementary School District have endured a roller-coaster year of elections, money woes and now angry constituents.
The upside of the ride came in February when trustees celebrated voters' narrow approval of Measure E, a $67.3 million bond proposal to finance improvements and to add technology to district classrooms. The slide started as the trustees wrestled with the threat of limited state funding for schools, but the real dip occurred May 12, when they learned of a budding recall effort against them.
A notice to circulate a recall petition was issued against four of five trustees of the district, which serves parts of Sacramento and Placer counties. Trustees Tracy Pittman, Diane Howe, Barry Stillman and Ryan Darke were served the notice while conducting a meeting in a packed auditorium at a Roseville middle school. They were told they had been targeted because of their decision in March to tentatively lay off 35 veteran teachers who were not certified to instruct English language learners.
Board President Pittman said she thought she was following the law when she voted to lay off teachers who, despite having seniority, had not undergone training to earn a Cross-cultural, Language and Academic Development certificate. The district, which includes about 13 percent English language learners in its enrollment, is required by the state to provide students with CLAD-certified instructors, Pittman said. However, individual teachers are not required by the state to have the certificates.
"At the end of the day when I cast my vote, I have to do what I believe the law requires," Pittman said.
But an administrative law judge recently recommended that the district not require CLAD certificates for teachers to keep their jobs. District Superintendent Mark Geyer asked the board to reject the judge's recommendation but to keep the senior teachers lacking the certification this fall, pending their completion of certification requirements.
Twenty-eight of the 35 layoff notices have been rescinded. Geyer attributed the move to revisions of the district budget, projected student enrollment and more teachers getting their CLAD training. Geyer said if the state budget picture improves, he will propose that the seven junior-level teachers get their jobs back.
Residents in the Dry Creek district said while teacher layoffs might be necessary at the moment, the district's selection process is unfair. Some parents had warned against possibly losing a wealth of experience and dedication in classrooms.
"We have tried, to no avail, to use our democratic rights and to express to you our concerns," parent Paul Di Loreto told board members at the recent meeting.
"By electing you, we have entrusted you to set policies of our public elementary and middle schools that represent our values," Di Loreto said. "The trust in the school board has been broken."
Tina Sinnott, a district teacher for 22 years, said she was encouraged for years to become CLAD-certified but never warned that she may lose her job because of her procrastination. "It's not that we don't want the certificates. We just don't always have the time or resources," Sinnott said, explaining that the training costs about $1,200 and requires using personal time at home to study.
The Dry Creek teachers association accused the district of skipping over junior-level teachers to get rid of more experienced, tenured teachers with larger paychecks.
"(The administrative hearing) was wasted time, energy and money that affected morale," association President Jay Pierce said. "What you are seeing right now is backlash from the parent groups."
But not everyone is convinced that a recall is the best approach to solving problems.
"I'm neutral on the recall" parent Bob Kunnmann said. "I'm afraid of the result of such a resolution and the vacuum effect it would cause."
A successful recall would require collecting signatures from 20 percent of the registered voters in the district. Brad Buyse of the Sacramento County Registrar's Office said proponents would need about 5,000 valid signatures. If the recall petition is successful, the district most likely would call a special election in 2009, which could be cost-prohibitive, Buyse said.
Recall organizers did not target trustee Anne Silberstein, who publicly denounced basing tentative layoffs on whe- ther teachers held CLAD certificates.
The Bee's Lakiesha McGhee can be reached at (916) 773-7630.
