Re “All of Silver’s Job Wishes Had Been Granted When She Chose to Leave”
Re “A Different Set of Facts About Sheila Silver”
I am writing to you once again at the request of those who want the truth to be known.
Hence…
Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2011, 1:30 p.m., Toast Restaurant:
My friend Justin Lujan invited me to meet for lunch. Mr. Lujan's intention was to tell me that on Aug. 3, 2011, Tony Spano and Kristine Hatanaka [co-Executive Directors of the Academy of Visual and Performing Arts] had offered him my position of Creative Academy of Theatre for the AVPA.
He not only had accepted the position, but he asked me to mentor him in this new, very overwhelming, job. I am not sure who was more humiliated; myself upon learning this information or Mr. Lujan, when I told him that I was still a full time employee of the CCUSD.
I not only lost my position, I lost my friend.
Was this offer legal?
Was this offer authorized?
Does it show the extreme measures Ms. Hatanaka and Dr. Spano were using to force me to out?
Was Mr. Lujan another pawn in an already horrible situation?
Meanwhile, School Board member Kathy Paspalis masterfully manipulates the Board and District's actions. She contends that I “….promised to return in May 2011.” That was never for me to promise: that was the decision of my medical team. After the School Board rescinded its decision. I was bullied on a regular basis by CCHS administration and the AVPA creative directors.
If you doubt this, simply look up the CCUSD's anti-bullying policy. There is an abundance of evidence and documentation to prove this. I became very, very ill, which led to a medical leave. Initially, my doctors would only grant the leave for one month; however, I was too incapacitated to return to the classroom thereafter. I would love to know the name of Ms. Paspalis's doctor if he/she can guarantee recovery from illness. Wow! My medical team advised me never to return to CCUSD. However, I optimistically hoped that with Dylan Farris in charge as he new Principal, the bullying would cease. Such was not to be the case.
The District activated a clause in the Ed. Code that because of my medical leave, I had not taught the mandatory number of days to receive tenure. I was short three days. The District refuses to acknowledge that my illness was caused by work-related stress. Imagine if the District had considered the hundreds of hours I spent in rehearsals, that would have added years of service!
Ms. Paspalis also cites the pink slip I received in March, but fails to note that it was only for 1/5 of my position. Foolishly, we all assumed that it was for the one section of English I taught each year.
Here we see the most deceptive action of all. Ed. Code states that a district does not have to guarantee what class(es) a teacher will teach upon having a pink slip rescinded. Dr. Spano and Ms. Hatanaka somehow worked with someone to ensure that when I was given back the 1/5, it was not the English class that was affected, but the section of AVPA Drama.
Clever. Deceptive. Unkind.
She further claims that the District had to hire two teachers. Another untruth. Had they not already given the job to Mr. Lujan, who is not a credentialed teacher, they could have found any number of qualified theatre teachers on the market to take the position. The bottom line is, I did not seek employment until which time I had been informed of these two decisions — no tenure, no AVPA.
Ari, do your inside sources have any idea when the District was going to inform me of this directly? Were your inside sources planning to allow me to come onto campus only to be further humiliated when I learned that my position had been given away? It is evident that the intention was to continue to bully me. Sadly, none of it surprises me or anyone else who followed the way this contnues to be handled.
I challenge Mr. Lujan,Tony Spano, Kristine Hatanaka, Patti Jaffe, Leslie Lockhart and/or Board members to deny that this is how events transpired. To do so would yet perpetuate more lies about me — which became the pattern from December of last year to …well…. today.
As for my new school, I love it. From the ashes I rise as the phoenix. It is amazing how being in a positive environment, once again immersed in the creative process, has restored me. And as you wrote, why should any of this matter? It doesn't.
Here is what matters — that voters elect a candidate on the School Board who will seek and speak the truth, Nancy Goldberg.
Ms. Silver may be contacted at octoy97@hotmail.com
