Re “Demystifying the Rumors About Mileage and ‘Extra’Position”
[Editor’s Note: Mr. Mielke is President of the Teachers Union.]
Just a quick response to School Board member Scott Zeidman's latest post yesterday afternoon:
First, in justifying those $250/month mileage allowances for the Culver City Unified School Dstrict’s Assistant Superintendents, Mr. Zeidman explains that those employees are actually driving enough to warrant those allowances.
He cites one example of an Assistant Superintendent driving 562 miles in one month on school business.
My question is this: Do these employees not have access to email? Telephones? Fax machines? And just where do they need to go?
By comparison, itinerant teachers, who serve more than one school site on a daily basis, receive mileage allowances ranging from $10 to $25 per month.
Let's call a spade a spade here.
These are perks, pure and simple. When we are laying off teachers and support staff at our schools, these mileage allowances (for employees already earning six-figure salaries) must end.
Thankfully, Mr. Zeidman did not try to justify outgoing Superintendent Myrna Rivera Cote's $900/month mileage allowance.
As to the new administrative position being created at the District office, Mr. Zeidman is correct.
While it is a position we've never had before, the number of supervisory employees in that department is remaining the same. But that's the problem.
We're cutting most, if not all, electives from Culver City Middle School. French, Spanish, Choir, Home Economics and Music are slated for reductions.
What the union is saying is simply this:
If we're downsizing at the school sites, shouldn't we be downsizing at the District office as well?
Mr. Mielke may be contacted at david.mielke@ccusd.org
