Did You Know? The September Edition

Did you know we almost didn’t write a “Did You Know?” column this month? Try as we might, we couldn’t come up with a current example of local irony to fill the space. Wouldn’t you know something would come up at the last minute? Did you know the Hispanic Development Corporation holds an awards ceremony each summer? They do, and it’s called “Portraits of Success.” Did you know they have a website? You can click here to check out the list of honorees

Didn’t we warn you that drinking a hot caffeinated beverage while reading The Unruly Advocate could lead to irreparable computer damage?

Faithful reader, you read correctly. On September 23, 2005, Dr. Esperanza Zendejas will be one of the honorees at the “Portraits of Success” luncheon at the Doubletree Hotel. A career built on two year superintendent stints, a disturbing pattern of deflating morale wherever the headhunting firm gets a commission to send her, a fabricated budget crisis, ample political skullduggery to shield board allies, the largest deliberate layoff of teachers in California history, and a hefty buyout to reward the incompetence, not to mention a series of self-published books prosaically reminiscent of a mediocre eighth grade essay about a week at summer camp.

If that’s the Hispanic Development Corporation’s definition of success, we’d hate to see their definition of failure.

Did you know this recent discovery has led to abundant speculation on the type of success Zendejas portrays? Besides the record for the largest unnecessary layoff, Team Unruly figures Dr. Zendejas achieved another milestone this year: the largest six-figure book advance in self-publishing history, courtesy of the ESUHSD.

And it gets better, friends. Did you know a familiar name was in charge of tallying the votes and nominations for the Hispanic Development Corporation, on behalf of the San Jose Hispanic Chamber of Commerce? Yep. Kathy Chavez-Napoli, whom insiders peg as an early candidate in next year’s East Side board race. She’s the one who submitted a list of fifteen cost cutting suggestions to last year’s Budget Task Force. 12 of the 15 had to do with cutting teacher salaries and benefits.

We just thought you’d like to know.