Time to Crack the Whip

Tom Moore, one of the distractors of the Poway Unified School District wrote an "Opinion" piece in the Voice of San Diego (VOSD) titled; "Time for the Poway Unified Board to Crack the Whip". This “Opinion" piece is written as if Tom Moore speaks for the masses against all things wrong in Poway. Tom Moore and a small group of vocal distractors have gained the attention of some members of the media and taken this attention as approval and validation to their distractions. The “facts” used by these individuals contain a sliver of truth with the remainder of the information innuendo, speculation and falsehoods.

The focal point of attacks by Moore and his group is the Superintendent of the Poway Unified School District (PUSD), Dr. John Collins. Moore alleges in his many rants that Dr. Collins’ involvement in negotiations is a conflict of interest. Moore opines and says others (Bob Fellmeth and Michael Colantuono) agree Dr. Collins’ involvement in negotiations is in some way illegal. Moore says Fellmeth and Colantuono; “have opined that this self-dealing is a breach of fiduciary duty to Poway taxpayers and likely illegal”.

As with any opinion, the information given to the person asking to opine on a particular subject will greatly dictate the resulting response. I would suspect Moore provided his slant on the information to elicit the response he needs to continue his distractions.

I spent twelve years (1994-2006) serving as a Trustee for the Poway Unified School District. I was one of the trustees who participated in the implementation of Interest Based Problem Solving (IBPS) as a way of doing business in PUSD. Prior to implementation of the IBPS model, negotiations were strained and difficult. The process was one that most always created a level of anger and mistrust.

When the IBPS model was implemented, Board members became participants in the process. During the traditional model of negotiations, the board would provide input and suggestions for outcomes, but were not directly involved in the process by sitting at the table. This changed and board members became participants at the table during the process. The Superintendent and his staff, one or two board members (no more than two were allowed at a time to conform to the Brown Act) as well as members of the Teachers Union were involved.

Moore’s repeated use of the phrase “back room deal” conjures up a vision of illegal, non-transparent, breach of responsibility on the part of the superintendent, board and anyone else in the process who will in some way benefit from the process. The reality and truth of the matter is, this is completely false and not true. Moore will point to a technical error by the district and PFT by not conforming to the “Sunshine” rules as they relate to negotiations as proof of his beliefs.

Let us talk about reality when it comes to negotiations. The Board sets the goals and policy for the Superintendent and his staff for negotiations. The Board of Trustees is involved and kept continuously updated and aware of what is going on with these negotiations. The Superintendent is accountable to the Board and responsible for ensuring the goals and policies set by the Board are met. The Board considers a multitude of information provided by staff when setting these goals and parameters for negotiations. Included in this discussion, is the effect raises at each level will have on the bottom line.

Updates are proved on a regular basis and anytime a board member is interested in additional information they simply ask the Superintendent for an update and it is provided. If the board member wishes, they ask to sit in on negotiations and listen to the discussion and gage for themselves, if there is a problem. These negotiations are conducted in a closed setting for more reasons than I have time to explain here. Many will disagree with this part of the process demanding “transparency” and alluding to the nefarious “back room deals” as illegal. This is not the case.

Ultimately, all contracts are presented publicly and the board votes for or against ratification. This vote is taken after many days, weeks or months of back and forth discussion and negotiating, crunching numbers and understanding the effect each contract will have on the district and the bottom line.

The participation of the CEO of the district, the Superintendent, Dr. John Collins, in no way taints or make the process illegal as opined by Tom Moore. The Board of Education, through its Trustees, provides direction to the Superintendent as it relates to ALL negotiations. The Board of Education holds the Superintendent accountable for ensuring the direction of the Board is carried out. The Board of Education sets the limits of what will be allocated for negotiations. This is done with the knowledge that each and every employee of the district is important and ALL employees will share in the moneys allocated. This includes the Superintendent and his staff, as well as every other employee of the District.

It is easy to distract from the good Dr. Collins has contributed to in PUSD, when false accusations are continuously repeated and then given a semblance of authenticity by allowing publication in various media. The simple fact of saying something over and over does not make it true. The election of three new members to the Board of Education was a direct result of the outcry over the Capital Appreciation Bond. Efforts have been made by the superintendent, staff and the board to rectify the issues surrounding the bond.

In the interest of “Transparency” it is Tom Moore who, by his own words, spent a boat load of money to get Charles Sellers and Michelle O’Connor-Ratcliff elected to the Board. When Ms. O’Connor-Ratcliff did not vote the way Moore believed she should vote, he began a bully campaign demanding she vote his way, reminding her that it was he who paid to get her elected. Ms. O’Connor-Ratcliff is a very intelligent, caring and knowledgeable person who has voted to approve or not items, AFTER gathering all the necessary information about the item. This has earned her the scorn of Tom Moore and his vocal minority, because she has chosen to do what it right and best for the district, AFTER knowing and understanding ALL of the information.

Tom Moore and others should learn from Ms. O’Connor-Ratcliff. The vocal few have created a distraction for the Board of Education and District Staff. They are taking energy away from the primary goal of the School District. It is time for these distractions to stop, so the district can get back to doing what expect of them; Putting Children First – Educating Our Children.