I am already getting a lot of email from district employees wondering how they could attend such a town hall meeting without losing their jobs. Here is the position you take.As a district employee you have the right to demand the protection of your employer's reputation. You are not attending to support the blog or to support Mark Zandberg, you should be attending because you want these unflattering accusations investigated. No one wants to work under a cloud of suspicion. If there is no corruption, as Marla and Nick claim, then they should be supportive of a complete and objective investigation.
By attending this town hall meeting, and joining the many other voices in the room, you can help motivate the State Senate to look into the many accusations that have been surfacing on the blog.
If the blog has been manufacturing stories, for no other purpose than to attack Marla Miller and the Board, a full and objective investigation will prove this to be the case. In fact, Marla and Nick should be encouraging the State Senate to investigate so as to destroy the blog and its stories once and for all.
By attending the town hall meeting, you will be there to support your employer, the superintendent, and the board. Every great employee should be there.
Spread the word. See you there.
8 comments:
I'll be there to ask "What is happening? What can we do to get to the bottom of all of the bad press about the Edmonds School District? It's really hurting our reputation--let's have an investigation and clear our name." (I'll sound so sincere. Actually I probably won't have to say a thing as there will be plenty of mad activists there who aren't employed by the district!) PS Mark, I probably won't come up and shake your hand, but you might notice a slight nod of the head in your direction.
This, of course, places a lot of faith in there actually being a competent "investigation" by a neutral organization able to perform. Remember, the information they receive will come from Marla and her cronies. Many documents and emails have been disposed of. Anyone can falsify documents and can testify dishonestly. Other organizations in the past, such as the EEOC have failed to follow through with any findings of clear wrong doing. By all means everyone should do what they feel they must, it is rare anything is ever achieved by doing nothing (as this successful website demonstrates) but don't paint too positive a picture for any satisfactory conclusion or closure. As most attorneys will recognize, the truth falls somewhere in between. How far from the center is not always so easily determined.
I'll be glad to shake your hand hell I give you a big hug! I'll be there how could I miss this chance to ask for the investigation out right. I have emailed everyone I could think of in OSPI!
An investigation to discover what happened to the 2 million dollars she overspent on the property? I think it has already been determined that it was a foolish purchase with regard to the amount spent. Do you think it can be discovered the overpayment was to a friend and this was the motivation to follow through? It has yet to be determined if the soil is definitely contaminated and if this is confirmed how long it will take future employees to develop the cancers or whatever physical form this contaminate may effect. What, exactly will we hope to gain by any investigation? Am I missing something or haven't we already determined by your evidence that the School Board are (probably)not qualified to continue along with Marla and possibly Nick (Carter, Juzon, Harding, etc). Will the investigation mean that we get to start over but still be lumbered with this lousy piece of dirt?!
With regard to the EEOC - if they were investigating a rape, they would ask the rapist if he had done it and if he replied that he hadn't, their investigation would be over. Less than 2% of their claims ever result in findings or settlement. Just another government organization bleeding the taxpayers and encouraging the corporate mentality.
"Investigation"? I would accept 'most any investigation by any outside authority over what I have experienced from the District.
In June '05 a meeting was to occur with HR to air my complains of bullying which I had been documenting for two years. The day before the meeting was to happen, it was canceled. I was told by EEA president Wilson that the reason for cancellation was that HR was busy showing new employees (among them Tam Osborne) around the offices. Months later Wilson changed his story and said that it was cancelled because HR wouldn't talk to me about the problems unless I made a formal charge. At no time was that ever mentioned to me previously. If Wilson knew that was the reason, he didn't inform me in a timely manner. My course of action would have been different.
Since this avenue seemed blocked, I wrote an e-mail to Mr. Limon outling the treatment that I had endured and witnessed. I used the term "bullying" as it was my understanding that an investigation of the charges must occur. Because this e-mail was sent right at the end of the school year and I was returning to CWU to finish my MA degree, I did not read his reply until I returned to my building 7 days prior to our "official" teacher in-service days. His "investigation" apparently consisted of asking the bullying administrator if he was bullying people. I found Limon's reply loaded with falsehoods and patronizing comments; obviously parroting what he had been told. Not surprisingly, Limon told me that nothing was happening to me and urged me to improve my attitude.
My response to Limon was that I hoped that we had heard the last of this matter, but that if the behavior continued, I would not be silent. The behaviors grew worse and came from new sources.
In Feb. '06, after observing the principal and office manager bullying students, I publicly requested the office manager to stop the behavior toward me(something we teach our children to do with bullies). Osborne placed me on administrative leave (harassing e-mail) on a Tuesday, stating that his "investigation" would be complete by Friday or the following Monday. Two weeks later, he had not contacted me to speak to him about my side of the story. When he finally did make an appointment, he scheduled half an hour. I told him that he would need at least two hours for me to go over the information. He laughed.
The first session lasted about an hour and a half, the second over two hours. He has seen less than 20% of the evidence that I had been collecting to prove my case. (And I have added to that collection since.) To the best of my knowledge, he did not contact all of the people who I named as potential witnesses.
Any investigation would be better than the "investigation" that I got. And I'm not the only one in my building or the District with a similar story.
All we are asking for is a fair and open airing of the business, personnel, and board policies of the District. As taxpayers, you have an interest in knowing that the efforts and energies of the loyal employees of the District are being directed in a positive way and in the best interest of the kids, parents, and taxpayers.
You are paying for this; are you getting what you are paying for?
No, we are not getting our moneys worth! I sympathize with the writer who experienced bullying and a "run-around" by Tam Osborne, Ken Limon and others; this is what they do, they try to "wear you down" thinking you will tire of the procecss and write a letter of resignation. The District retains a very well known law firm in Seattle, and they put their trust in the attorneys, who take their time in repsonding. Can you imagine the cost the District pays to this firm, especially since the Weblog came to light. A good portion of our tax dollars are going to this law firm, while kids suffer; we must pass levies so kids can have the necessary tools to "learn".
Okay, you are right. Since I have been told to send all of my public records requests to the District's lawyers, perhaps it would be more appropriate to job out that portion of the blog's work.
I will take the matter up with our leadership and maybe designate an unknown individual to make requests directly to the District on our behalf.
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