This is another example of government schools have TOO MUCH money. Instead of hiring more teachers, buying more technology, technology more tech classes, they prefer to be politically correct and hire a “sustainability” director and staff. Money that could be used for the children is being used by those who support and promote junk science—instead of education.
“Lingering tensions between Santa Barbara Unified School District Superintendent Cary Matsuoka and school board members Laura Capps and Kate Ford reached a boiling point Tuesday in a discussion over whether to hire a full-time sustainability position this summer.
Capps and Ford pushed strongly for Matsuoka to hire a full-time environmental sustainability official for the upcoming academic school year. Matsuoka wants to perform a phased-in rollout, starting with a half-time position before hiring a full-time staffer in the winter of 2020 for the 2020-2021 school year.
Where are the parents? Where are the taxpayers? They need to demand education instead of indoctrination. The lack of quality education is because parents are silent.
Santa Barbara School Board Members, Superintendent Clash Over Sustainability Position
Trustees Laura Capps and Kate Ford flash frustration that district is not immediately hiring a full-time official
By Joshua Molina, Noozhawk, 6/29/19
Lingering tensions between Santa Barbara Unified School District Superintendent Cary Matsuoka and school board members Laura Capps and Kate Ford reached a boiling point Tuesday in a discussion over whether to hire a full-time sustainability position this summer.
Capps and Ford pushed strongly for Matsuoka to hire a full-time environmental sustainability official for the upcoming academic school year. Matsuoka wants to perform a phased-in rollout, starting with a half-time position before hiring a full-time staffer in the winter of 2020 for the 2020-2021 school year.
Capps has lobbied hard for the position in previous meetings, so much so that Matsuoka stood up for himself and defended his process.
“Laura, I know this caught you off guard,” he said. “I apologize to you that this feels like a change in course. But this is a board conversation. I feel like I get a lot of singular direction from you about this topic, and this needs to be a whole superintendent-board-governance team decision.”
Matsuoka was clearly frustrated during the meeting and frequently paused before speaking.
“I work for a board, but I also work for five individuals and this just gets to the hardest part of being a superintendent,” he said. “I try to tend to each board member’s hopes and dreams, but there’s a bigger picture some times.”
Capps said she was “discouraged, disappointed and dismayed” with what she called the lack of a “robust conversation” on the topic. She and Ford said that, based on previous board conversations, they were under the impression that the district would move ahead immediately with a full-time position.
“We are far behind as a district,” Capps insisted. “We have no solar on any building in this district. There are so many ways that Oxnard (School District) is saving money in ways that we are not saving money, and I am very concerned that this change in approach reflects a lack of commitment that I want to know is there.”
Matsuoka disputed her contention and said hiring a full-time position in July or August doesn’t make sense because teachers already have committed to positions for the upcoming school year. He expressed concern that a teacher in a current position would apply for the job, get hired, and then the district would have to quickly try to hire for a more core position before school resumes.
Ford dismissed his concerns.
“That’s hypothetical, so scratch that,” she said. “You don’t know what your applications will look like.”
Ford said the district should advertise the position full time with an Oct. 1 start date.
“I am excited that someone would see it and want to start as soon as possible,” she said.
The board approved the position in April, with Capps, Ford and board member Jacqueline Reid voting for it. Board chairwoman Wendy Sims-Moten and board member Rose Muñoz dissented because of the timing and other issues that they believed had a greater district priority.
During the June 25 board meeting, both Capps and Ford piled on Matsuoka — forcing a conversation about the role of the board and the role of the superintendent.
“I was surprised to see it in the agenda without any notification,” Capps said. “Had I had a heads up, I would have given communication to hard-working, very passionate committee members who are spending a lot of time on this …”
Matsuoka said Capps and Ford were trying to micromanage the execution of the job rollout, when they are supposed to be setting policy first.
The comment prompted Ford to blurt, “Please, I feel like you are scolding me. It is an agenda item for discussion.”
Matsuoka said the board should rely on his experience in his role as superintendent.
“I ask that question, who is in charge of the process, the answer is supposed to be me because that is what you hire a superintendent for, so you can give me your input,” he said.
“I am allowed to push back. I am sorry if it comes across as scolding.”
Capps even got into a brief exchange with Sims-Moten.
Capps alleged that when the district decided to delay the implementation of a high school Ethnic Studies graduation requirement, supporters of the plan were OK with it. Sims-Moten interrupted her.
“I beg to differ that the community wanted to pause,” she said. “They did not want the pause. It was a very difficult conversation.”
Capps put her hand in the air and declared, “I’m still talking.”
Sims-Moten tried to understand the urgency of hiring a full-time sustainability official.
“What is wrong with us taking a pause,” she asked. “I don’t see the pause or giving more time to look at it as saying we are any less committed to do that.”
The school board will meet again in late July to continue discussion on the matter, although the majority Tuesday was in favor of the phased roll-out with a part-time position.
Matsuoka urged the board to trust him.
“This is gonna work,” he said. “Give us a chance.”
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