I learned a couple things from Marcos Breton’s column today: First, he owns a gun. 
Second, he’s tired of the teachers’ union “pulling the strings.” Also, some day a real rain will come…
Other than the gun thing, I’d say that’s pretty much the editorial position taken by most of the local media in this town. The Bee in particular, of course. My guess is that since their union is so powerless to protect its members from routine reamings by their bosses at McClatchy, they sort of resent anybody with more effective representation. I’ve never been in any union, except the Wobblies, so fuck all y’all.
I do live with a union teacher, I have some biases. I try to be transparent about them. I’m pretty aware of how much some people don’t like teacher unions, or teachers, for that matter. I hope not too many of them are armed.
Where was I? Right, schools. It doesn’t get any more complicated and politically charged than schools. In the Sac City schools, you’ve got fights over brutal budget cuts, fights over teacher seniority, fights over charter schools, and that’s just the obvious stuff.
We had the crazy idea to invite a teacher to give us a rundown on some of the more political issues. And there’s no one better for that than Lori Jablonski. She teaches government at McClatchy High School, and is a union rep there too.
We talked about the current budget mess the district finds itself in, and how the double bond measures being pushed in the district may not help all that much. (Yes, in fact they are titled Measures Q & R. Why? You superstitious?)
We talked about the fights over seniority rules related to Superintendent Jonathan Raymond’s special Priority Schools–and how that program has sparked a class action lawsuit by dozens of pink-slipped teachers. We even got a little bit into Proposition 32 and Citizens United, and a whole host of broader political developments that affect the classroom.
It’s a pretty detailed look, but you’re getting a lot of the teacher’s perspective. I happen to think the local media doesn’t really get the teacher’s perspective across that well or that often. You may disagree. Please don’t shoot.
Local music this week is “Here We Go Again,” by Art Lessing. Thanks Art Lessing!
PS…
The image below is taken from an email sent by Hiram Johnson High School principal Felisberto Cedros–well, by his secretary– to his teachers. It basically let them know that if they wanted to keep their jobs, they’d come to the Sac City board of education meeting and support the Superintendent’s “skipping” policy at Raymond’s Priority Schools. Note that Cedros seems to let the cat out of the bag, saying that Raymond wanted this lawsuit. Kind of a crazy email, if you think about it, a principal lobbying his his teachers to try and influence the board…
