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Paso Robles teachers vote no confidence in superintendent

February 2, 2013
Kathleen McNamara

Kathleen McNamara

The Paso Robles teacher’s union has voted “no confidence” in Superintendent Kathleen McNamara following the announcement of the district’s plan to implement nine furlough days next year as a cost saving measure.

During a union meeting, 97 percent of the teachers voted “no confidence” in McNamara. The union will formally present the results to the Board of Trustees at their study session meeting this Tuesday at 5 p.m.

During the last fiscal year, the district was near insolvency and faced being taken over by the state unless it took “corrective action.”

In March, the district and the teachers union agreed that teachers would help balance the districts stressed budge by taking a pay cut of 9.72 percent over two years.

In contrast, McNamara has received several raises in base salary since 2009, taking it from $161,813 to $182,500 in 2012.

 


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All fluffiness aside, the big problem in education today is the high cost of administration.


Does anyone really think that an administrator’s job is really all that difficult? Sounds like the only thing this admin job ‘requires’ is to know how to preserve ones own salary and ax others.


There is an alternative, I am sure there are many folks within the community that could be called to address this issue inexpensively. I think the school district needs a reduction from the top heavy administration. It might only save a few teachers jobs… but that is a move in the right direction.


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Government schools CANNOT be “reformed”! You are wasting your time with that!


Why stop there with the measures you mentioned? PRIVATIZE THEM!


That is the ONLY thing which is going to force them to change. FORCE is the only thing they understand!


And force only comes from a FREE MARKET.


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and that would be competition


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Kathleen should take a sabbatical. A new perspective never hurt anybody. She would do well to enroll here:


Ubiquity U: The Rise of Disruptive Learning


JANUARY 31, 2013 by MARK FRAZIER


Read more: http://www.fee.org/the_freeman/detail/ubiquity-u-the-rise-of-disruptive-learning#ixzz2JuOkP79K


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How is it that CCN continues to write such obviously slanted and dishonest pieces? First, the actual press release that was given to CCN said that the no confidence vote had a turnout of 77%. Last time I did math, 97% of 77% equals 72% that voted no confidence, not 97%. And the vote was taken through anonymous, non-serialized ballots and not at a meeting or any other system that can confirm one vote per person. Third world despots would be proud.


Think that misrepresentation of facts is beneath the union people? Not! This is the same group that continues to represent a 6% reduction as the result of 12 furlough days as a “cut” of 9.72%. A point that CCN continues to parrot as the ever obedient servant of the unions.


McNamara’s pay is based on the same “step” scale as the teachers and secretaries. Except teachers have 24 raises scheduled over their career. As for the superintendent and the secretaries, only 7. And they all get those raises despite what happens with furloughs. In other words, though all staff took furlough days, most teachers got a raise, too. That’s an important fact to know, isn’t it? Too bad that CCN has ignored it.


What other stories has CCN ignored? How about the complete exoneration of Paso schools with FEMA? Seems that Paso was right after all. And how about the county superintendents letter praising the school district on how much their financial situation has improved because of hard decisions by the school board and the superintendent, as well as sacrifices by all employees, not just teachers? Missed that story, too, did ya?


And for the comments from “cowards behind keyboards”. Her weight? Really? Pull your claws in people and quit being led around by the nose.


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I hit the submit button too soon. 77% of 97% is 75%, not 72%. My point still stands.


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Dear Divebomber,


Let me explain the significance of the vote.

There are approximately 400 teachers in PRPS.

400 X .77% = 308 teachers who voted.

308 X .97% = 299 teachers who indicated that they have no confidence in Dr. McNamara.


As one of those 308, I can assure you that the vast majority of the other 92 or so teachers who did not vote share our sentiments. I can also assure you that the vote was handled in a professional manner: anonymous, and only one vote per teacher–just like in official political elections Trust me, the outcome of the no confidence vote accurately reflects the sentiments at the school where I work and the sentiments of all of the teachers I know at other schools in the district.


The other thing to clarify is that this vote isn’t just about her refusal to reinstate the 12 furlough days and 6% paycut that we’re taking this year. It is about her entire management style. To our faces, she always claims to support us, but behind our backs she whips out the knife. Anyone who has heard her speak on KPRL knows exactly what I’m talking about. A real leader of teachers does not throw them under the bus, especially when she’s the one who drove it into the ditch. We have no confidence in her because we DO NOT TRUST HER to do what is best for us individually or collectively. The $1,590,000 accounting “mistake” happened on her watch, and she even tried to get us to take furlough days to cover it up, a year before we were even notified of the shortfall. If we had been foolish enough to accept those furlough days back in 2011, the 1.59 million dollar mistake never would have come to light. The bottom line is that she foolishly allowed/encouraged her negotiating team to present our union bargaining team with an insulting offer, as they have done repeatedly since she arrived.


No respect from her = no confidence in her ability to lead us any longer.


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inept & greedy?


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No disrespect, I totally agree with you, but as a parent, it is the kids that are getting short changed the most. After all schools are there to educate our children primarily. Seems all the attention goes towards the teachers and administration. I hate the Paso Robles public school system.


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PS I agree with you that comments about her weight are irrelevant and mean-spirited.

She deserves, as we all do, to be judged on her performance, not her appearance.


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