March 25, 2010
Stories need to be told
Dear ER:
Thank you for writing this kind and sensitive article (“Friends say student who took life was friendly, outgoing,” ER Mar. 18, 2010). Hopefully, other reporters will model their coverage of suicides in such a way. You have provided an incredible balance of information and answers to questions everyone has, yet avoided harmful sensationalism, which could precipitate the development of suicide clusters.
I think it is very hurtful both immediately and long term to ignore a death by suicide, both to the family and the community. Healing and ultimately prevention and the decreased stigma of suicide and mental illness begins with acknowledgement and discussion. In my opinion, your voice as professional, talented writers benefits everyone.
Susan Phillips
Web site comment
TimingDear ER:
Was it DD that caused the property values to drop or was it the sub-prime market collapse that caused a devaluation of virtually all property (“City, schools land swap deal collapses”)? Let’s not put a political spin on this and just call it what it is; unfortunate timing.
South Bay Guy
Web site comment
Wash-out
Dear ER:
“We really wanted to be able to find a point where both parties would win – where they would have property to build a new police station and we would be able to bring in revenues to the district to help offset cutbacks we’ve had from the state,” [school board trustee Todd] Loewenstein said. “We’ve spent years on this now. It’s incredibly frustrating. I have personally spent a lot of time dealing with this. I kind of wash my hands of it” (City, schools land swap deal collapses,” ER Mar. 18, 2010).
Offsetting education cutbacks on the back of the city isn’t useful. Coming from that perspective, no wonder it didn’t work out. And “washing your hands of it.” Great work. It’s for some someone to replace Loewenstein.
In this case, incredibly, the city has the right attitude. Assistant city manager David Biggs: ‘We were trying to craft a win-win scenario that worked beyond the economics of revenue generation for the district.”
Renee
Web site comment
Sand Dune dust offDear ER:
Will the Sand Dune Park people please just shut up and go away. What is it about these sweaty over-adrenalized spandex clad, narcissistic fascists who insist that our whole world is theirs to foist the ”exhilarating workout” ethic all over the public landscape. Do we really need Gilad-type bodies in motion tramping our parks and Strand? There are acres and acres of wide open sand available for there exertions. It’s called the beach. A sand dune is created by centuries of wind blowing sand uphill. Since the dune in question is no longer naturally replenished but must be restored at great expense by city workers it only makes sense to protect it from the constant displacement caused by people pushing themselves up and down the hillside in endorphin frenzy.
Paul Chapman
Hermosa Beach
Tired of waiting
Dear ER:
How many hours of my life do I have to waste waiting to cross Rosecrans from Highland when I come home from work? The backup all the way down Vista happens every afternoon. The problem was made a lot worse when the city closed Ocean Drive. The Strand owners got relief, but I and thousands of other Manhattan citizens don’t get relief from traffic in front of their house. The city has done nothing to alleviate this problem. The least that can be done is to have someone directing traffic at Rosecrans and Highland avenues at 5 p.m. Get a meter reader to do it. There will be plenty of money available now that the rate has been increased by 75 cents. I don’t care how they do it but fix the problem.
Octavio Girbau
Manhattan Beach
Help
Dear ER:
I found out Friday about one of our school’s teachers getting laid off because he has not been here as long as the other teachers (“Teacher gets NASA award and pink slip,” ER Mar. 18, 2010). He is the first person who has made me want to come to school. Unlike some other teachers, he gets kids not just to come to school but to do their work.
The sad part in all of this is that the man I am talking about is not even a teacher I have a class with, yet I want to do better in every aspect of my life because of him. I want to do something about his dismissal, but I do not know how. Communities need to help out to keep teachers who help out students.
Kathleen
Web site comment
Why am I donating
Dear ER:
And of the 35 teaching jobs saved last week, how many have received a NASA fellowship? Have started a GeoKids Club? A Science Club? Are in STEM (“Teacher gets NASA award and pink slip,” ER Mar. 18, 2010)?
Why, exactly, am I donating to MBEF — purportedly an Education Foundation — when the best educators are being dismissed?
David
Web site comment
Why we can’t compete
Dear ER:
I work in private industry. We also have had to let employees go, as have many other businesses over the past two years (“Teacher gets NASA award and pink slip,” ER Mar. 18, 2010).
As difficult as it is to see anyone lose their job, that is the reality of a recession and there’s no reason governmental agencies should be exempt from fiscal responsibility.
However, I am disgusted by the means by which they determined who will be laid-off. When corporations have to make these difficult decisions, they evaluate who within the organization works the hardest, has the best results and has the most critical job functions. To ignore passion, energy, work ethic and proven results when making hiring and firing decisions is irresponsible. (I do realize Teachers Unions have administrators over that barrel). If private corporations ignored these qualitative indicators, they would be left with a very average work force rather than their best and brightest, and would find it very difficult to compete in the market place. Miko’s story exemplifies why the United States has an education system that no longer competes in the global market place.
Beth Bohl
Hermosa Beach
Not sporting
Dear ER:
There is something seriously wrong with these kinds of rigidly stupid union rules (“Teacher gets NASA award and pink slip,” ER Mar. 18, 2010). What possible justification can be made for putting a higher value on the length of time someone has been receiving a paycheck from the school district than on his/her actual ability? While it’s a temporary setback for this teacher (although I have no doubt he’ll quickly end up with a better gig) the people who will really end up paying the price for this kind of idiotic decision are the students.
To use a sports analogy, suppose it’s 1987 and the Chicago Bulls need to let a few players go for budget reasons. Would anyone seriously suggest that Michael Jordan should get the pink slip, because he lacks the seniority? According to the teacher’s union, yes, firing Jordan would be the right decision.
Best wishes for the future, Mr. Miko.
South Bay local
Web site comment
Early retirement for administration
Dear ER:
Laying off teacher Mike Miko is a ludicrous act that should disgrace the dysfunctional California Teacher’s Union (“Teacher gets NASA award and pink slip,” ER Mar. 18, 2010). Miko is the best teacher in the district, and because of the inflexibility of the union he will be one of the first to get laid off? Where are the directors of the school district whose job it is to manage the Union?
Giving Miko a pink slip yet again demonstrates that the business model of the School District and the Teachers Union is not capable of meeting the responsibility of reasonably managing the Manhattan Beach teaching staff. In a functioning business model, you layoff your underperforming employees first, not your best performers.
I call for the layoff or early retirement of underperforming senior teachers prior to the layoff of the highest performing young teacher in the district. I call for the recall of the Manhattan Beach School District Superintendent. Parents and taxpayers of Manhattan Beach must hold the Teachers Union and the Manhattan Beach Unified School District Executives accountable for their actions. Let’s publicly review the performance records of each and every teacher in the Manhattan Beach School district. Let’s publicly make the decision of who gets laid off and who gets retained and let’s stop the insanity of allowing lousy teachers to treat our kids poorly while we turn away teachers who inspire our children to do their best. If the School District and the Teacher’s Union can’t get it done right, then let’s do it ourselves.
Dad
Web site comment
Charter solution
Dear ER:
Using my poor math skills that I have from attending public schools with seniority policies, it seems that the $4.1 million from the Manhattan Beach Education Foundation saved 35 jobs, at over $117,000 per job (“Teacher gets NASA award and pink slip,” ER Mar. 18, 2010).. Which teacher is making $117,000? If teachers actually made this much than we might have more teachers like Chris Miko. Charter schools are the way of the future in California. I recommend to everyone move their children to a charter school to get a solid education.
Josh M.
Web site comment
Miko gets it
Dear ER:
Keep Mr. Miko (“Teacher gets NASA award and pink slip,” ER Mar. 18, 2010). He is one of the few teachers besides Mr. Barakat and Mr. Chow who actually get it. The children benefit from these young, passionate teachers. My daughter Soleil had him as her 5th grade teacher, and she thrived in science because of his intellect and ability to teach the children, and actually inspire the children.
Perla Druilhet
Manhattan Beach
Lasting impression
Dear ER:
My son was in Chris Miko’s first class at Meadows. He is now a 7th grader and still mentions his name at least once a week. After school on Fridays he walks up to Meadows to serve as a mentor for the science club. My son talks about taking AP Physics and Biology in 10th grade. How many 7th graders have this type of discussion with their friends and parents? I attribute it to the spark that grew into an immense passion for science that Miko ignited in my son. I am sure he will go on to do great things because of it. My younger son can’t wait to have Miko as a science teacher next year. Miko is considered the rock star of science at Meadows.
It makes no sense to me that an individual with Miko’s achievements could be laid off. His exceptional performance includes raising the STAR test scores in Science 20 points in his first year at Meadows. I attribute his success to his ability to connect with the students and apply the concepts of science to every day life.
In the private sector, Miko would be considered an indispensable company resource. Something is dreadfully wrong with our system when an organization would consider laying off a NASA fellow.
I’d welcome a response from the Teachers Union on Miko’s situation, as well as how they are supporting young, bright, teachers who are at the bottom end of their seniority system. What is the future for new teachers in California with our budget situation and this type of system?
Christine
Web site comment
He gets me
Dear ER:
Chris Miko was my son Anand’s teacher last year and I was hoping he would be my daughter’s teacher next year when she reached 5th grade. He is a very inspiring teacher and in the words of my son, “He gets me.” This is high praise and the reason why we shared news of the NASA fellowship with him. Although I know he has a philosophical view on this whole situation, it does frustrate me that we can not retain such a quality individual who has more than proven his passion for his subject of science and inspiring kids to learn in a way that is relevant to their generation. This isn’t easy, I know being a teacher myself.
Kalpana
Web site comment
Character
Dear ER:
I don’t know Chris Miko personally, but my children do and for that I’m thankful. He made a difference in their lives. He got my son off of dinosaurs and into Space. My out of town friends still talk about the visit they made to Meadow’s Space Night and my daughter likes him so much she’s looking forward to fifth grade
I would like to share two quotes from James Michener, my Space teacher, about the choices made by MBUSD.
“An age is called Dark not because the light fails to shine, but because people refuse to see it.” Let’s fight to keep Chris Miko at Meadows because “character consists of what you do on the third and fourth tries.”
Rob
Web site comment
Cost-benefit analysis
Dear ER:
Is seniority really the only measure we can use to determine which teachers stay and which ones must be cut due to the budget shortfall? When we can’t afford something in our household, we make decisions about what we need and what we most benefit from having. This might leave a lot of discretion to an administration, but then again if they are held to the same level of accountability and cost-benefit analysis they might exert better, rational decision making than “last hired, first fired.”
Kyle
Web site comment
Life lessons
Dear ER:
I certainly don’t want to trivialize seniority, but what does this say to the teacher inspired to do a good job? My kids, when they went through Mira Costa, noted the several more senior teachers were just going through the motions. And they noticed the younger inspired teachers who became more jaded as they saw the lack of reward for excellence. What does this tell the kids? The unions and administrations need to ask themselves if they are really doing the kids a favor by not rewarding merit at all.
Bill Mosier
Manhattan Beach