Unruly News & Updates

Friday, February 4, 2005

We Don't Swim in your Toilet,
Please don't Pee in our Job Pool

The ESUHSD is preparing to hire a number of new site administrators. Team Unruly wonders if anyone will apply.

At the end of January, Dr. Zendejas informed the attendees of her monthly Academic Advisory Council meeting that the district is reviewing a stack of resumes for open administrative positions at various sites. She claims to have many applicants from both outside the district and within. But one look at why these positions are vacant raises serious questions about the validity of Zendejas’ statement.

Many qualified teachers in the district possess administrative credentials, but the eleven interviewed by the Unruly Advocate say they are not submitting their resumes to Human Resources chief Bob Nunez. All echo the same sentiment: they are unhappy with the current state of East Side leadership, nor do they see moving into administration as an inviting prospect. “I want to be valued for the work I do, not worry if I’ll have a job at the end of the year,” one teacher tells us.

Their primary concern is Zendejas’ management style. The November edition of the on-line journal District Administration politely notes “[Zendejas’] demeanor, which has been called condescending—[has] been criticized.” (read the whole article here: Zendejas ). District employees know from bitter experience that condescending is a mild term; the word most often used to characterize the superintendent is “bully”. This website documented one public instance when she humiliated Warren Strauss and Bernie Olmos at a mandatory district meeting in front of their peers (see “Bon Gaffes”). The undocumented incidents are far more damning. The Unruly Advocate editorial board has personally witnessed eight different site administrators across this district break down in tears over humiliation suffered at Zendejas’ hands. The path from the superintendent’s office is a trail of tears that district administrators travel to discover at a whim they will be demoted or transferred back to a school site. Some bear the scorn and suffer the humiliation, others leave the district for saner pastures, and a few feel they have no other choice but to retire.

Recent examples of Zendejas’ retributive behavior are being discussed at schools across the district. A reader informs The Advocate that Oak Grove’s Rich Frias is purported to have been harshly admonished because unruly staff members sent letters to board members criticizing the superintendent. Frias was going to be transferred to Foothill, but refused the position and accepted a demotion. When Dr. Geraldine Forte transferred in, Frias was ordered to move into the old school psychologist’s office.

Piedmont Hills’ Carol Blackerby was given an order related to altering her school budget, one that clashed with Blackerby’s ethics. She refused and decided to retire in June. Word from Piedmont Hills is the district chose to force her out now instead of later.

When Andrew Hill High School’s staff told the district they were intending to convert to a charter school, the Mercury News’ Jon Fortt interviewed Zendejas, who implied Hill’s staff were upset over “the resignation of longtime Andrew Hill administrator Bruce Shimizu, which veteran teachers believe resulted from differences he had with Zendejas. Zendejas said she was surprised when Shimizu left for Fremont Union High School District. She said she never indicated she wanted him to leave.” (read it here: Zendejas_2 ) Team Unruly reporters from Andrew Hill claim Zendejas lied to the Mercury News, stating that Shimizu was told by Zendejas that she wanted to pink slip him.

The Unruly Advocate has just learned that at an administrative meeting this week, Zendejas announced that two of the three remaining administrative directors (Cathy Giammona, Brenda Childress, and Aurora Quevedo) would be demoted—including their pay—to coordinators. She didn’t name names (Team Unruly suspects time—and perhaps nepotism—will influence the decision). She asked if there were any questions, but the room remained silent. She further demanded that site administrators be ready to move at a moment’s notice. She called for questions, and again silence permeated the room. Enraged, she ordered each table to come up with a question to prepare for the “hard questions” they—not her—would have to answer from school site employees.

Team Unruly hopes the Board of Trustees pays attention to these incidents. If Payne and Blackerby’s departures alone are any indication of the climate of this district, the Board needs to realize the deep job pool they believe will fill these administrative vacancies is actually quite shallow.

Then again, perhaps the Board is well aware, and quite satisfied, with the direction the district is heading.