Gym Fire, Music and Teachers Contract

Feb 3, 2000

Dear Editor,

Two of my children attend Santa Monica High School. They both participate and gain many wonderful experiences being part of the marching band. Performing with the band teaches students how to work together co-operatively, the importance of committment, follow through and interdependence. These students form strong bonds with each other as they work together as a whole to support each other and help each other to succeed. Being in the band teaches a child skills that they can take on to college and the future as they go on to successful careers. Learning to play an instrument, to get a piece right, or to play with the group in concert, takes time, focus and determination to continue until one achieves the goal.

These skills transfer to how they approach their academic subjects which require many of the same types of skills to make a student successful. Please consider the important studies that have shown how positive learning to play an instrument is for students of all races and socio-ecconomic levels to help them in their scholastic performance, behavior and attitudes. By starting with young students the benefits can, and do, make a huge difference in a child failing or succeding academically and socially.

I am a property owner as well as a long time resident of Santa Monica. Our city has been known for the quality of schools that we have. Many residents, like myself, came here because of the well known academic sucess of our school system. While we are beautifying and trying to keep our city ecconomically successful we would be negligent in allowing one of our most important assets, our school system, to crumble. But most importantly, we cannot disregard our most important citizens, our children, the future of this city, who have no voice but ours.

Sincerely,

Ann Steinberg

Feb 3, 2000

Dear Editor,

With respect, I strongly urge you not to cut the music program under any circumstances. It would be a terrible loss to the children and to the future of music!!!

Sincerely,
Sonya Sones

Feb 3, 2000

Dear Editor,

Dear sirs and ladies,

As a parent of two Santa Monica public school children who have benefited enormously from elementary school music education - not only as musicians, but as students, and as creative, responsible human beings - I implore you not to cut a single penny from the budget for elementary music education. You cannot savage the roots of a tree without harming the fruit. The celebrated middle school and high school music programs will be severely damaged if you destroy their foundation. Be smart, farsighted and don't do this to our children!

Thank you,
Bennett Tramer

Feb 2, 2000

Dear Editor,

We request strongly that you assist in the effort to continue the music programs in Santa Monica. From our personal experience and those of our friends and relatives, these types of programs are seen as very valuable, at least as valuable as a number of the courses in the standard curriculum.

Jules and Marion Schwartz

Feb 2, 2000

Dear Editor,

There are several inaccuracies in your article, "SMC Trustees Greenlight 10% Raise for Faculty". I am attaching an article I have written that explains the chronology: that might help. I can also fax you several documents that provide evidence that I am telling the truth, as opposed to the District.

The mix-up is not your fault: Bruce Smith's Press Release contained several inaccuracies and worded other items in a misleading way.

Before I get into the details, I'd like to make three points that I hope don't get lost: 1. The raise offered is an attempt to BUY-OFF faculty with money, so that they will lose sight of all of the working conditions changes and take-backs that their Last Best offer contained. Because there is no retroactivity, it actually is intended to punish faculty for not accepting their no-compromise contract proposals back in 1998.

2. The Board is ANTI-STUDENT SUCCESS! Even though while campaigning in the Candidate's forum held on campus they claimed to support Office Hours for Part-Time faculty-they have refused to implement the State's recommended (and subsidized at 50%) program to pay part time instructors to provide students with office hours! There refusal to budge on this point throughout the negotiation, mediation and fact-finding process-- even when provided with compromise counterproposals that anticipated every objection--is a key reason negotiations have been protracted. They imposed ZERO pay for office hours; their Last Best and Final had a provision (not imposed) that would only affect three

(3) people (Dr. Robertson has confirmed this). They claimed in their letter to faculty that this would cost $70,000-another intentional misrepresentation.

3. The Neutral Factfinder's recommendations-while not "binding"-were not merely advisory-they represented a careful weighing of the facts over a 4 month period. Factfinder recommendations are usually regarded as guiding principles in coming to agreement. The Factfinding panel Neutral, Eugenia Maxwell, was selected by both the District and the Association from a list provided by PERB. She was a good choice because of her reputation for fairness, integrity, willingness to be thorough and work hard to understand the issues. Most of her decisions were in the District's favor, in fact. But because she didn't decide 100% in favor of the District, THE DISTRICT (spitefully, and with the same regard for negotiation and compromise that they have shown to the Faculty Association) REJECTED EVERY SINGLE RECOMMENDATION.

Now to the misrepresentations in your article:

1. The phrase "retroactive to the beginning of this year" implies, in an academic calendar, retroactivity to August. This raise is effective this month, January 2000.

2. "Even a state mediator couldn't solve" is not the end of the process. He certified us to "factfinding." The Factfinding Neutral DID resolve most of the issues. She issued her report on January 17th. I forwarded a copy as an attachment to email I sent Jorge Casuso. The District rejected this report in its entirety.

3. Dorothy's comment that "There is no indication that the [Faculty] Association is prepared to offer any real compromise proposals" is a lie. We made the last counteroffer-it contained a $2 million concession on salary; in addition every recommendation by the neutral represented a compromise position with respect to the Faculty Association's Last, Best offer.

4. Re: Cattell's comments: "Paucity of state funding" does not exist for SMC. There was a $12 million increase in 98-99 in unrestricted money; Partnership for excellence money-which is entirely supposed to be spent on student success measures is up $920,000 this year for a total of $2.75 million. Why won't they spend that on office hours?

5. RE: Cattell's comments: "In a matter of a few months from now there is another raise of COLA..." She is right. As of July 1, 2000, the State will fund the District for a COLA of what now stands at 2.84%. The District does not intend to begin to pass this on to Faculty until January, 2001. It will only affect 6 pay periods for the 2000/01 school year, even though the District gets the State money for the whole year (July 2000-June 2001).

6. Clarity on unfair practice: A District that has been found GUILTY of Failure to Bargain in Good Faith cannot legally implement a unilateral offer. Even when the Board was made aware of this at the Board meeting, they acted anyway, reading from prepared scripts.

7. Bruce Smith misspoke regarding part time office hours. He has access to the Factfinding report and to all of the information that comes from the Chancellor's office. The Chancellor's office reported that nine schools had already received reimbursement for part time office hours for the 98-99 school year, even though the program had been in effect for less than a year and only colleges whose collective bargaining contracts had expired would even have been eligible. Eleven colleges as of September 1999 had implemented paid part time office hours; I'm sure that more have bargained those rights in the meantime. The Governor's new Budget recommends an expansion of the funding.

8. The Faculty Association is not "expecting any word on a lawsuit it filed on unfair labor practices." We have filed no such lawsuit. The three unfair charges filed with PERB were decided by Gary Gallery in January. We do intend to file additional charges related to this most recent illegal action taken by the District, but it is not a lawsuit.

Feb 1, 2000

Dear Editor,

To: SMMUSD Board of Education, et al

There is great concern regarding recent reports of overwhelming illiteracy rates within the public schools; yet, I'm not sure why anyone is surprised. Funding for arts education was drastically decreased in the 1980s. Since control group studies have repeatedly demonstrated the relationship between arts education and enhanced achievement levels, wouldn't it hold true that the minimization of such programs would reflect an equivalent negative impact? We are now reaping exactly what was sown.

SMMUSD is currently in a situation where every dollar must be maximized. Money invested in music education does not lie dormant within the walls of the rehearsal facilities; but rather echoes its benefits throughout every curriculum within the entire district.

You were elected in good faith to provide our children with every academic advantage possible. In light of the correlation between arts education and scholastic excellence, any additional reduction in those curriculums can only be perceived as a violation of that trust.

In all fairness, however, blame for this situation must be shared by the educational structure at state levels as well as local. California is one of the wealthiest states within the wealthiest nation in the world; yet we rank very close to the bottom in per student funding. Even the Governor's recently announced increase will not solve this problem. Since a great deal of the money provided by the state is earmarked as "categorical" rather than "discretionary", incorporating a myriad of qualifying criteria, SMMUSD will probably not even receive half of the proposed per student increase.

Both state and federal guidelines have deemed arts education as curricular; yet dedicated funding for such programs within our state is virtually nonexistent.

California's legislators should be ashamed.

The community has already defined our music program as a valued commodity. We can now only hope that our School Board will reflect the voice of the public and do the same.

Thank you for your continued concern and interest,

dk stanton
JAMS/Edison Parent
http://www.maestrophilia.com/4musiced.htm

Feb 1, 2000

Dear Editor:

Your article concerning the fire at Broadway Gym only partially captured the feeling of extended family when extends over the gym, its gymnasts, parents, and other supporters.

Most people fail to understand that Broadway Gym was more than just a business. It encompassed a separate foundation which provided assistance and scholarships to special athletes as well as competitive gymnasts.

The foundation conducted a number of events and fundraisers during the year to help defray the costs associated with competitive gymnastics. Without financial assistance many of the finest young gymnasts on the Westside could not participate.

It also raised funds for the training and competition expenses of Special Olympians both physically and developmentally disabled. The gym and its associated foundation worked with the Westside Regional Center to assist many other disabled children who do not compete but who need to learn the mastery of their own physical bodies.

From February 24 through February 27, the Broadway Gym and the Broadway Gymnastics Foundation will conduct the Peter Vidmar Invitational Men's Gymnastic competition at UCLA. This is the foundation's major fundraiser for the year. Without its financial success many deserving young people from our community will not receive the assistance they require.

The devastating fire destroyed not only gymnastics equipment, but it also destroyed computers, computer scoring equipment, and related equipment necessary to conduct this meet.

As a board member of the foundation and a volunteer, I can assure you that we will conduct this meet. The meet will be a gigantic gymnastics success. Previous Peter Vidmar Invitationals have received accolades from all over the world.

But to be a financial success, we need the help of our community. We need financial support from the community far in excess of previous years to replace the equipment and other supplies which were destroyed.

I want to thank The Lookout for alerting the public to the efforts and account at Santa Monica Bank.

Sincerely,
Donald Lewin Nelson

Feb 1, 2000

Dear Editor,

Great article on the Broadway Gym fire. My three daughters all went to their gym, so I was really saddened wentI got called out (Red Cross Disaster Action Team) to a "commercial " fire and found out it was Michael's gym. All I could offer was a big hug, give him some coffee and make some phone calls. At 4 in the morning there's not much else you can do.

The pictures added interest and the story line was compelling. I hope a lot of people help out. Thank you for being the vehicle that will provide support for the Cates. They are two incredibly wonderful people who have a meaningful business in Santa Monica.