To the Editor:
Commercial marijuana is banned in Fillmore, partly due to public participation in the meeting at City Hall last July, however, the Fillmore City Council is considering removing the bans to allow industrial marijuana operations such as cultivation farms, dispensaries, advertising, processing or deliveries in Fillmore. The Fillmore City Council has planned an event to host leading advocates from the marijuana industry to convince Fillmore that commercial marijuana will be good for our city. Public attendance at the event will help show the City Council that we need the bans to be remain in place. The event is supposed to include some time for questions and comments from anybody who is willing to speak against commercialization of marijuana in Fillmore.
WHEN: SUNDAY, JUNE 25TH, 2017
WHERE: VETERAN’S MEMORIAL BUILDING
511 SECOND STREET, FILLMORE, CA
TIME: 3:30 PM – 6:00 PM
Sincerely,
André Le Comte

***

To the Editor:
Thank you for your interest in teachers’ concerns. I would like to clarify some things that you heard at the board meeting. You said in your editorial that the disagreements expressed by teachers were centered on money, but there really are many issues that led to this no-confidence vote. Respect is the common expectation and it’s missing under Dr. Palazuelos’s leadership despite how congenial he appears. The fact that there were so many issues that passionate teachers had to speak about gave you the impression that we were beating-down on Dr. Palazuelos. In the midst of what he has been pressuring us with, we needed him and the school board members hear us clearly.
Instead of teamwork, he has:
• Stalled contract negotiations until May when the school year is nearly over despite announcing last year that they wanted to tackle this task early. FUTA announced they were ready in September, and monthly inquiries to the district received no response. January 30, District administration said they were very close to announcing their bargaining openers by the end of February. Tammy read the timeline of this to the board members on June 6.
• Proposed severe elimination of teachers’ Seniority rights
• Proposed elimination of contract language protecting Class Size at all grade levels – teachers voiced concerns about the ramifications of oversized classes. It is not good for students.
• Without discussion, he sprung the dramatically changed calendar. Adrien wants teachers to agree to add 15 minutes to the teaching day in order to achieve his model of Collaboration, and hoped October Break would be a deal maker for that. Two hours additional teaching time without increased compensation is not necessary at elementary school level, but Adrien refused to modify his plan. This information is contained on page 2 of this week’s Gazette.
• The district’s excessive spending for attorney fees. July 2016-Feb 2017 $79,091 spent to resolve bargaining issues, grievances, member discipline, layoffs, unfair labor practices and complaints. This is our tax dollars being spent on lawyer fees that could be used for students. They continue to add up.
• He has continually added Administrative layers to our District leadership so that the District offices now bulges firmly onto the old Sespe campus. I believe we have 10 Directors and 3 Assistant Superintendents. I need to locate Mary Ford’s letter to the Gazette where she researched and compared the number of Fillmore’s administrators to those in Ventura Unified. This money would be much better spent in the classroom in ways that benefit students.
• The district sent a negotiations update to its staff explaining that they proposed to meet for again for bargaining 6 days in June after school was let out. Conveniently, this is when Administrators are still working at their desks but teachers are on Break. Several are out of town as I type this email to you.
These issues led to our members insisting on implementing a vote to determine confidence in our leadership. A vast majority of our members voted, and 90% of those had no-confidence. This is a huge statement. That is why you heard such discontent. Dr. Palazuelos’s leadership is unprofessional towards teachers despite the hopefulness we felt when he took over after Nishino’s reign three years ago. We expect Adrien to treat us the way he would like to be treated and keep the valued teachers that Fillmore Unified employs. We are still hopeful that he will make a turnaround and do this.
I hope that I kept this overview simple although it is not brief. If you have questions I recommend that you click REPLY TO ALL to include Tammy Ferguson (our Bargaining Chair for Fillmore teachers FUTA) who is currently not away on vacation. Meanwhile, you may receive emails from teachers who want to share the details of their concerns as Letters to the Editor. This may spark more questions from you for the articles you plan to write.
Sincerely,
Sandy Butts
"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."
--Eleanor Roosevelt

***

To the Editor:
Fillmore Superintendent Continues Disruptive Leadership
Fillmore Unified Teachers Association is both dismayed and disappointed by the behavior of Superintendent Adrian Palazuelos as he recommended a “tentative” work year calendar for teachers without getting their agreement. This come become a huge obstacle to an agreement on the current negotiations for 2016-2017. According to the Association of California School Administrators, a Superintendent should lead in a manner that models personal ethics, develops leadership capacity in those with whom he leads, and respects the rights of both students and staff. Having seen leadership come and go within Fillmore Unified, it is perplexing to identify these qualities under current leadership.
This year alone, under the administration of the Superintendent of Fillmore Unified School District, there has been:
1. 17 grievances filed by FUTA and members for alleged violations of the collective bargaining agreement,
2. 5 mediations,
3. 3 complaints,
4. 4 (2016-17) arbitrations and a possibility of 3 more in 2017. This is at a cost of roughly $35,000 to have substitutes for FUTA members away from students, for court transcribers, for the arbitrator, and other clerical fees,
5. A potential Unfair Labor Practice due to School Board’s June 6th adoption of a calendar
FUTA is an affiliate of the 325,000-member California Teachers Association and
is also affiliated with the 3 million-member National Education
that includes teacher work days and staff development days without agreement from the Fillmore Unified Teachers Association,
6. At least $110,000 of Fillmore Unified School District funds spent on legal fees beginning in the 2013-2014 fiscal year through February of this current fiscal year with yet unknown current totals to address contract negotiation sessions, labor issues, mediations, complaints, and consultations regarding calendar adoption.
Imagine the magnitude of time and still to be tabulated resources robbed from Fillmore students and their educational rights in an effort to address the issues from this school year alone? This excess spending is unnecessary and a direct reflection of the low ethical standards Superintendent Palazuelos possesses towards the staff he is responsible for developing. Rather than invest in students, Fillmore Unified School District consistently seeks to dismantle the rights of their teachers who facilitate such a crucial role in the education of students. Fillmore Unified teachers are dedicated, and tireless in their endeavors to serve students and meet the often very difficult needs within the Fillmore community. It is shameful that they continue to be broken down and devalued by Superintendent Palazuelos and his continual efforts to challenge and usurp the tenets of the contract, compounding an already arduous task significantly more than is necessary.
Fillmore Unified School district teachers and students deserve a leader that promotes respect and mutual understanding in the face of such monumental challenges.
Brian Ricards,
Vice President,
Fillmore Unified Teachers Association