| Home Why This Website SDCOE CVESD Castle Park Elem Law Enforcement CTA CVE Stutz Artiano Shinoff Silence is Golden Schools and Violence Office Admin Hearings Larkins OAH Hearing |
| (1) In 2004, the school district got tired of problems caused by overbearing and abusive teachers, and transferred five teachers to other schools. One of them was Robin Donlan, who had initiated the rumors that Maura Larkins would come to school and shoot everybody. CVE President Gina Boyd and the "Castle Park Family" were enraged, not because Robin Donlan and her friends had committed a crime against a fellow teacher, but because Gina Boyd's close personal friend Robin Donlan was transferred. Gina Boyd, Robin Donlan, Peggie Myers, Stephenie Parker-Petitt and others held rallies and gave interviews to reporters. Even though the district had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars defending Robin Donlan in court, Donlan was not grateful that she got off so easy. She demanded that the district transfer her back to Castle Park Elementary. (2) $20,000 went missing from the Castle Park Elementary PTA accounts--at the same time that the San Diego Union Tribune, Chula Vista Star-News, and La Prensa were freely publishing the allegations of the PTA president and her ever-present sidekick (both were members of the "Castle Park Family") about the principal they were trying to get rid of. Shamefully, these newspapers kept quiet not only about the apparent embezzlement, but also maintained complete silence about the San Diego Superior Court case involving Robin Donlan, even though the case was going on at the same time that the newspapers were demanding in editorials that Robin Donlan be reinstated at Castle Park Elementary. (2) Due to the apparent embezzlement, the PTA organization at Castle Park was shut down. (Interestingly, $2,000 went missing from Castle Park Elementary's PTA in 1998. Teachers were told not to talk about it. Why?) (3) Felicia Starr, one of the two parents who led the campaign against the principal of Castle Park Elementary, is a member of the Chula Vista ethics board! She would be an ideal candidate to run a negative political campaign, but the decision to put something like this on an ethics board requires an explanation. Who appointed her, and why? Felicia Starr was the Castle Park Elementary Site Council Member and immediate past-president of the PTA who in 2004-2005 took the unusual and inappropriate step of bringing teachers union President Gina Boyd to Castle Park Elementary Site Council meetings in an apparent effort to intimidate the principal. How many PTA presidents devote themselves to ousting the principal of the school? (4) The press in Chula Vista printed in 2004 many allegations of the "Castle Park Five" and their two parent supporters. Some of the allegations bordered on bizarre. One allegation was that the principal was monitoring phone calls made from classrooms! The teachers were particularly upset that the principal knew about one particular phone call, made minutes before dismissal time on Tuesday, October 5, 2004. Apparently, the PTA president who rushed into that classroom, breathlessly begging permission to use the phone so she could call Robin Donlan, was unaware of the fact that thirty children were in the room. (Is this the problem here? That the students seem to be invisible to these powerful individuals?) The teacher gave the PTA president permission to use the phone, and then informed the class that she was angry at the principal. Did the teacher and PTA president somehow think that this dramatic incident could occur without a single child reporting it? Apparently they did. They could think of no other explanation for the principal's knowledge of this phone call than to suspect that he was monitoring their phone calls. Apparently the reporter who published this allegation also failed to question the rationality of the accusation. Neither the press nor the "Castle Park Family" has shown adequate respect for the children of Castle Park Elementary. |
| July 2006 How do Castle Park teachers see themselves today, after years of public and private campaigns to destroy their fellow employees? They invent their own version of events, in which they were actually doing their victims a favor. They think the past is of no importance. They prefer not to remember what happened. There is no plan at the school to deal with the reality of what has happened, to seek reconciliation with the victims of their actions, or to repair the damage they have done to fellow employees and students. Yet this is precisely what they claim to be teaching students to do! Most of the same individuals who wreaked havoc on Castle Park Elementary are in control of the school today. They see no reason to change the way they run the school. After all, it has turned out well for them, hasn't it? The staff still feels justified in its hostility toward any child or adult who asks for honesty or change. Will this attitude result in more problems? Of course it will. |
| Some schools are Mozart quality, others are more like Salieri. And, sadly, many schools are much worse than Salieri. |
| (The story of Mozart and Salieri was told in the movie Amadeus.) |
| A censored version of the Castle Park Elementary story has been told, beginning in the summer of 2004, by the San Diego Union Tribune and other newspapers. Here is the full story. The trouble started about 1995, when two teachers cliques put so many demands on a compliant principal, that the school budget went deep into the red. Since that time, the school has averaged about one principal per year. Teachers have fought for power instead of focusing on kids. Maura Larkins, Heather Smith, Ollie Matos, Heather Coman, and others were in the way of teachers who called themselves the "Castle Park family." |
| 1. Principal Ollie Matos was given the thankless task of fixing a dysfunctional staff. He was forced out by Felicia Starr and a group of teachers which included CVE President Gina Boyd. This group destroyed the PTA, damaged children, and brought down test scores. Ollie Matos went on to become Director of Educational Services in Lemon Grove School District. |
| 2. Teacher Luci Fowers became principal of Albert Einstein Charter School. |
| Grievances |
| EXHIBITS ATTACHED TO GRIEVANCES |
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| (For explanation of hoax, see Did CVESD Violate EERA?) |
| Politics and the Comer Program Gina Boyd wanted to be reelected, and was willing to break the law to achieve her goal. CVE President Gina Boyd admitted that there was hostility among teachers at Castle Park Elementary to the bilingual program. (This was never mentioned in the press.) Did this hostility result in an effort to end the bilingual program? Strangely, no. In 1994, these hostile teachers began to take out their frustration on the individuals who taught in the program. 1994 was the first, but not the last, time they did this. The lone bilingual teacher at the school was dismissed by the school board in 1995. Why? No one will say. CVE President Gina Boyd said Heather Smith, 23, was targeted not only because she was bilingual, but because she was a "strong" woman. Perhaps the motive of the teachers who initiated the action was hostility to the bilingual program, but the program was not ended. The targeted teacher was simply replaced by another bilingual teacher. In 2001 25% of teachers in the growing bilingual program were dismissed. This time the teacher was a veteran who had taught for years in both straight English and bilingual programs. Why was she removed from her classroom in the middle of the year? Assistant Superintendent Richard Werlin testified under oath that he removed her because teacher Jo Ellen Hamilton called him at home on a Saturday night and said she feared for her life. Jo Ellen Hamilton contradicted this story under oath. She testified that Richard Werlin SUGGESTED TO HER THAT SHE CALL HIM AT HOME! She testified that she called Mr. Werlin simply TO ASK HIM WHEN A PLANNED MEETING WOULD OCCUR. Who told the truth under oath? Perhaps neither. Probably the truth is located somewhere in the gray area between these completely opposing stories. Again, history repeated itself, and the bilingual teacher was eventually replaced by another bilingual teacher. (At first, however, she was replaced by a teacher who not only did not have a credential, but had not even done her student teaching!) What are the chances that two teachers at one school would be dismissed within a period of five years? Consider this. Not a single teacher (in a district with more than FORTY schools!) was dismissed during the next five-year period. Castle Park Elementary is off the charts when it comes to dismissing teachers. What did CVE President Gina Boyd say this time a Castle Park teacher was dismissed? Nothing. She was running for re-election, and she didn't want to offend powerful teachers, including a close friend who had initiated rumors that the bilingual teacher was planning to come to school and "shoot everybody." Gina Boyd herself had taught at Castle Park Elementary and was part of the "Castle Park Family." The dismissed teacher (Maura Larkins) asked Boyd, her union president, to demand an investigation, but Boyd refused to do so. No investigation has ever been done by the district. Did the teachers who attacked Maura Larkins have a reason, other than her bilingual position, to target her? Yes. They were furious when Larkins, who was working to implement the Comer Program at the school, helped conduct an election in response to complaints about the program by teachers. A majority of the teachers voted against the program. A few powerful teachers proceeded to twist arms and make a backroom deal to reinstate the program. These teachers were furious when Larkins reminded the staff that the whole point of the Comer Program is that "every voice should be heard," and asked that discussion be held. Larkins was called to the office to explain why she had written a think piece, and told that Robin Donlan questioned whether she supported the Comer Program. Larkins suggested a meeting with the Comer Representative. The meeting was canceled, and Larkins was told that the representative was "on a plane to "Virginia." Larkins called the representative and found him at home in Chula Vista. On Tuesday, February 5, 2001, teacher J.H. confronted Larkins at recess, screaming at Larkins in front of children. FOUR DAYS LATER, on a Saturday night, J.H. called Assistant Superintendent Werlin at home and said that she was disturbed that Larkins walked away from her when she confronted Larkins. Larkins was told the next day not to report to her classroom on Monday morning. |
| Castle Park Elementary teachers A. S., J. H. and L. W. wrote reports which, according to Mark Bresee of Parham & Rajcic, caused Larkins to be placed on administrative leave. Jim Groth, Gina Boyd, and Tim O'Neill failed to protest. No one in his right mind would believe that these reports caused Larkins' removal. Why were the accusations so outlandish? They worked, didn't they? This sort of behavior is normal procedure for bullies. These are the truly dangerous teachers. |
First grade teacher Third grade teacher Third grade teacher
| What are the school district and the district PTA organization doing to investigate and return missing money to the Elementary? Nothing at all. In other parts of San Diego County, this matter would be thoroughly investigated. But this sort of thing is covered up in South County. |
| SDCOE JPA lawyers and CTA lawyers increased the dysfunction of individual teachers at Castle Park Elementary School who were already on the edge, by pressuring them to continue lying, even under oath. |
| Test scores rose 30% the year after Peg Myers and Castle Park Five left the school. |
| What affect did the transfers have on kids? Test scores went down sharply in Maura Larkins class after she was forced out by the Castle Park Family. But test scores rose 30% after Peggie Myers, Robin Donlan, and the "Castle Park Five" were transferred! |
| A Dysfunctional School Culture in a Dysfunctional School District? |
| 3. Heather Coman went to Sunnyside School. |
| "Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive." |
| Who created the culture where this dysfunction grew out of control? Who controlled Chula Vista Elementary School District? Cheryl Cox (elected mayor of Chula Vista in 2006; wife of County Supervisor Greg Cox) Bertha Lopez Patrick Judd Larry Cunningham Pamela Smith CVESD Administration Lowell Billings, Tom Cruz, Dennis Doyle Susan Fahle Former administrators: Richard Werlin Libia Gil |
| Test scores went down when the "Family" was at the height of its power, and they came back up when some of the leaders of the family were transferred out. It appears that the "Castle Park Family" carried out its implied threats to sabotage the education of children. |
"There are serious and continuing problems at Castle Park Elementary and Chula Vista Elementary School District." May 2007 |
| WHO ARE THE LOSERS? THE KIDS! |
| .....Castle Park Elementary School was circling the drain during the years 2000-2005, when the vast majority of parents (most of whom were Mexican) were prevented from being involved in the decision-making process by one parent (Felicia Starr) and a group of teachers that had backing from the teachers union. Concern and respect for the law were thrown out the window by these teachers and the administrators they controlled. A small group of teachers connected to Chula Vista Educators President Gina Boyd ran everything. How did this happen? Problems resulted from a combination of the "site-based management" system instituted by Superintendent Libia Gil, and the easily-misused Comer Program, for which the taxpayers paid about $20,000. Current Superintendent Lowell Billings, however, continues Libia Gil's "don't blame me, I allowed the school sites to be in charge of themselves" method of administration. |
| "everybody thought that was going to be the end of it," ... Instead... the continuing parade of misdeeds has helped the state live up to a new nickname, "Corrupticut." "We just keep having 'em in Connecticut," Orman said. |
| 2004-2005 Castle Park Teachers of the Year Teri Coffey and Terri Spurgeon, for support beyond the call of duty to PTA President Kim Simmons. Teri and Terri have since reunited at Allen School in Chula Vista. |
| M.S. Report Librarian |
| Where are the people who were pushed out of Castle Park Elementary School by the "Castle Park Family"? |
| 2005-2006 Castle Park Elementary Teacher of the Year, Emily Claypool for support beyond the call of duty to the Castle Park Family. |
| San Diego Education Report Castle Park Elementary Award Winners |
| TWO PTA embezzle- ments |
| $100,000's of legal fees? |
| NINE principals |
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| 2003-2004 Castle Park Elementary Teacher of the Year, Ricardo Ramirez, for support beyond the call of duty to students. |
| 2006-2007 Castle Park Elementary Teacher of the Year to all teachers who have carefully self-monitored over the past decade, supporting whomever seems to be most powerful. |
| Teacher Who Initiated Crime Wave at Castle Park Elementary Is Now Famous for Stock Fraud |
| 'We need to get this out to the Hispanic community' --Peg Myers |
| “If the board gets away with this, they will do this to other teachers.” |
| What Myers didn't say is that the board had done much worse to other teachers, and she had helped them. One marvels at the outrage of the betrayed accomplice. Myers had helped force excellent teachers out of Castle Park Elementary, and had made sure that they never learned the reasons why they were forced out. Some were able to figure it out despite the documents that were kept hidden (or never prepared) and the dishonest testimony of teachers and administrators. |
| Current CVE president Peggie Myers has an interesting list of accomplishments |
| In fact, Peg Myers and her close associates Robin Donlan, Linda Watson and Richard Denmon put considerable effort into damaging the educations of Hispanic students in Maura Larkins' bilingual class. These third-graders lost their teacher in the middle of their transition-to-English year due to illegal and bizarre actions of Peg Myers' close associates. The children were given a substitute who had not even completed her student teaching. Hostility against bilingual children was a hallmark of the Castle Park staff for many years. Myers apparently has no awareness of the irony in her own words. Even though she worked to damage the education of bilingual students, she tried to play the race card regarding her own transfer! |
| The first embezzlement of PTA funds at Castle Park Elementary was relatively minor: $2,000 disappeared during the 1997-1998 school year. The matter was hushed up, and no one was held responsible. In 2005, $20,000 went missing. The Chula Vista Police Department let the matter rest until after the November 2006 election, when CVESD board member Cheryl Cox was elected mayor of Chula Vista. The primary suspect in the $20,000 missing Castle Park PTA funds case was arrested in 2006. It seems that Chula Vista mayor Cheryl Cox did NOT want this crime prosecuted. Heaven knows she could have it done if she wanted to. Cox isn't protecting the troubled woman who stole the money. She's protecting herself and her former school board colleagues who boast that all incumbents were re-elected because the public knew the truth! CVESD's incumbents have carefully kept the truth from voters. To protect themselves, the school board is also protecting Felicia Starr and a group of Castle Park Elementary teachers, all of whom used an embezzler to achieve their own ends. Perhaps most importantly, they are protecting Chula Vista Educators' former president (and former Castle Park teacher) Gina Boyd and current president Jim Groth. Why else would Chula Vista Educators suddenly be so supportive of people against whom they have campaigned for years? |
| CVE Chula Vista Educators (CVE) Board of Directors and Representative Council Jim Groth Joyce Abrams Barbara Dunwoodie Paula Lee Perry Yolanda Abrenica Monica Sorenson Gayle Calliger Nancy Potts Andy Johnston Guillermo Gomez Donna Padilla Lasha Allen Sandra Casares Gina Boyd (Former) President Tim O'Neill (Former) Exec. Dir. Robin Donlan Peggie Myers Ann Smith, lawyer for San Diego Metropolitan Employees Association (MEA), who also worked for Chula Vista Educators and CTA. |
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| Castle Park Elementary School |
| Or perhaps it was the dishonesty and secrecy that made it clear that wrongdoing had occurred, and all that was left was to figure out exactly what illegal actions were involved. The truth became apparent before long. |
| 2007 Lawsuit Against CVE and former President Gina Boyd and Castle Park teacher Linda Watson |
| A total meltdown of law and order and professionalism at Castle Park Elementary School 2000-2005 The "Castle Park Family" was put in control by the Comer Program |
| Peggie Myers, leader of the "Castle Park Family," claimed to be concerned for children. "They’re just rotating subs,” she told La Prensa newspaper. “There’s not a whole lot of learning going on there.” But Peggie Myers was one of the powerful teachers in the school who supported the rotation of substitutes when Maura Larkins was removed from her class. Is it really about the kids, Ms. Myers, or is it about control of the school? Strangely, Peggie Myers, after working so hard to aid and abet crimes against a fellow teacher, likes to pass herself off as a teacher representative. That's fine, as long as Ms. Myers reveals that she is working for political advantage for herself and her friends, rather than to give all teachers equal treatment under the law. |
| Wild Allegations about a "Dangerous" Teacher" Reports of Castle Park Elementary teachers |
| Will Castle Park turn into another Connecticut? Here's a quote from the Washington Post, July 3, 2006: "When [Governor] Rowland resigned, pleaded guilty and was sentenced in March 2005 to a year and a day in jail, |
| Peggie Myers, a former Castle Park Elementary Representative Council member, said in 2004, when she was transferred out of her school, |
| Robin Colls Donlan, famous as one of the place in Castle Park History for committing crimes from 2000-2004 and getting the school district to pay $100,000's of public dollars to cover up those crimes. Then Donlan filed a charge against the district for transferring her and the "Castle Park Five" out of the school. It turned out that Donlan, Peggie Myers, Nikki Perez and Stephenie Parker Pettit were a lot more interested in talking to the press than they were in testifying in court about crimes at Castle Park Elementary. (Stephenie Pettit refused to testify at all, claiming she was too busy on every single day of her summer vacation to testify.) Now Robin Donlan and her husband Vencent Donlan are being investigated by the FBI, SEC, IRS and Department of Justice for fraudulently obtaining stock options, buying the stocks, and reselling them for $7.7 million profit. Update: May 22, 2007 Robin Donlan has changed completely. When talking to the in attitude. |
| Castle Park Elementary has been in the news in Chula Vista and San Diego, but the most important part of the story has been left out by the local media. |
| PTA Embezzlements and School Board Incumbents |
| What happened behind closed doors at Castle Park Elementary? |
| Does Castle Park Elementary have a "self- monitoring" culture? |
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| Castle Park Teacher Reports |
| Not one teacher testified against Maura Larkins' at her OAH hearing. |
| Elizabeth Schulman also refused to point out to the Professional Competence Commission that the district's witnesses contradicted themselves and Richard Werlin. |
| Castle Park Teacher Reports |
| What did the California State Bar Association say about this? It said there was nothing wrong with this. Daniel Shinoff relied on the illegal OAH decision (which on its face violated Labor Code 1102.5) to defame Larkins. |
| Because Elizabeth Schulman, Maura Larkins' own attorney, and CVESD attorney Mark Bresee agreed to allow notes written by these people to be accepted into evidence as if the writers had been sworn in. Why did Schulman do this? She said privately to Maura Larkins that Richard Werlin had committed a crime, but warned her client not to mention it because "it would hurt her." Schulman was clearly determined to sacrifice her client to save Richard Werlin's reputation. She indicated that she believed Werlin would have been chosen superintendent if he hadn't done this, and she felt that losing that promotion was punishment enough. |
| So why were these teachers able to sway the OAH panel? |
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| Test scores show that Peggy Myers and Robin Donlan's transfer was good for students |
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| Why did Castle Park Elementary School in 9 years have: |
| When a group of Castle Park Elementary teachers wanted to get rid of bilingual education, how did they go about it? |
| Decision regarding Peggie Myers and Chula Vista Educators (Unfortunately, mediator Lionel Richman made this decision WITHOUT KNOWING that members of the Castle Park Five had caused CVESD $100,000s in legal fees.) |
| N.P. Report First grade teacher |
| Superintendent Lowell Billings has overseen almost a decade of dysfunction at Castle Park Elementary. Teachers Peg Myers and Robin Donlan and Stephanie Parker-Pettit left four years ago, but they are still able to influence the teachers at Castle Park. How many principals have they gotten rid of? How many taxpayer dollars that were supposed to go to education have gone toward defending them--and then trying to get rid of them? (See links at left for the answers.) Peg Myers is president of the local CTA affiliate, Chula Vista Educators. Ms. Myers obtained that position after keeping tight control over Castle Park Elementary teachers when she was the site representative during the Maura Larkins case. Teachers had to report to her if they had any contact with Maura Larkins. The pressure to hide the truth was successful. Teachers who are still at the school forced principal Ollie Matos to leave, and in 2008 forced principal Carlos Ulloa to leave. Are some teachers of Castle Park out of control? Are they covering up crimes? The San Diego Superior Court will decide in the 2009 case of CVESD lawyers versus Maura Larkins. |
| Robin Donlan Special Education (The report has not yet been produced by district, but it was referred to in Gretchen Donndellinger's notes.) |
| San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) |
| Chula Vista Elementary School District |
| Castle Park teachers need to learn to discuss problems in an open, reasoned manner instead of having a few teachers dictate decisions. |
| Here's how Superintendent Lowell Billings and the teachers union have caused Castle Park Elementary to have 11 principals in 11 years: team dysfunction. These "leaders" want to exert personal power, and in doing so, they have directly harmed students. |
Letters to the editor: South Edition
September 23, 2004
Castle Park loses an exceptional teacher
Regarding "Chula Vista district must be held accountable" (South
County Letters, Sept. 16):
As a senior in the credential program at the University of San
Diego, I continually learn more about the educational system in the
state of California. This semester, I am taking a class titled "Health
and Inclusive Education," which is helping me to better understand
special education.
Recently, five teachers from Castle Park Elementary in the Chula
Vista Elementary School District were "administratively transferred"
from the school. One of those teachers was the best special
education teacher I had ever observed and been influenced by for
10 years of my educational career. Her passion and life's work were
dedicated to her students. Each child left her special education
classroom with improved skills for the future.
However, her greatest gift of all was not an excellent education.
Rather, it was acceptance. In a world that still has trouble accepting
people with disabilities – mental, physical or emotional – this
specific teacher loved them all as equal human beings.
Having this teacher "administratively transferred" cannot be in the
best interest of the students, parents and community. Replacing
her with a substitute teacher for the first two weeks of school and
counting is horrific. If my student were in this class, I would be doing
anything in my power to get her back! The students deserve it.
HEATHER BROWN
Senior at University of San Diego
September 23, 2004
Castle Park loses an exceptional teacher
Regarding "Chula Vista district must be held accountable" (South
County Letters, Sept. 16):
As a senior in the credential program at the University of San
Diego, I continually learn more about the educational system in the
state of California. This semester, I am taking a class titled "Health
and Inclusive Education," which is helping me to better understand
special education.
Recently, five teachers from Castle Park Elementary in the Chula
Vista Elementary School District were "administratively transferred"
from the school. One of those teachers was the best special
education teacher I had ever observed and been influenced by for
10 years of my educational career. Her passion and life's work were
dedicated to her students. Each child left her special education
classroom with improved skills for the future.
However, her greatest gift of all was not an excellent education.
Rather, it was acceptance. In a world that still has trouble accepting
people with disabilities – mental, physical or emotional – this
specific teacher loved them all as equal human beings.
Having this teacher "administratively transferred" cannot be in the
best interest of the students, parents and community. Replacing
her with a substitute teacher for the first two weeks of school and
counting is horrific. If my student were in this class, I would be doing
anything in my power to get her back! The students deserve it.
HEATHER BROWN
Senior at University of San Diego
Ironically, the teacher discussed in the
letter at right was instrumental in
triggering problems that caused truly
horrendous problems for children in
classrooms other than her own.
letter at right was instrumental in
triggering problems that caused truly
horrendous problems for children in
classrooms other than her own.
| Team Dysfunction |
| Several more teachers were removed from the school in summer 2008 |
| Is the community voting with its feet? Castle Park Elementary has lost two entire classes over the summer, one at second grade level and one fifth grade. |
| Are teachers with weak egos more likely to be abusive? "Teachers' perceptions of student threat to teacher status and teacher pupil control ideology" by Donald J. Willower James D. Lawrence " ...a direct relationship between teachers' perceptions of student threat to teacher status and custodialism in teacher pupil control views." |
| Does this mean that Superintendent Lowell Billings and new principal Alicia Moreno are now in control of the school? No. Billings has been getting rid of teachers at Castle Park Elementary for years, and the school has continued to spiral the drain. Billings doesn't understand that team building requires openness, honesty and freedom to speak. The five teachers are: Nikki Perez (who came back to Castle Park in 2006 after exiting in 2004); Terry Spurgeon and Lynne Del Galdo Sallans, who supported illegal actions in 2001; also Micheline Martucci and Emily Claypool, who were new to Castle Park in 2001, but were quickly inducted into the dominant culture of Castle Park teachers, which consists of anger, secrecy and constant struggle for power. |
| Who controls Castle Park? |
| "Castle Park Family" leader Peg Myers Ms. Myers seems to be better at causing problems than solving them. |
Education Reform Website Talking to Kids Homework Book Boondoggle? Phonics Spanking Nat'l Board Certif Ordinary People Writing Sample Toss Democracy School Violence |
| Has cronyism by the "Castle Park Family" resulted in poorer teaching quality? |
| Here is the article from La Prensa Sept. 17, 2004 "Approximately 40 teachers, parents and school children protested at a Chula Vista Elementary School District School Board meeting on Sept. 14 because of a recent transfer of five veteran teachers from Castle Park Elementary School... “They still don’t have a credentialed special ed teacher, teaching special ed class; they’re just rotating subs,” said one of the transfered teachers Peggie Myers... "Billings does have the right to make an administrative transfer with certain conditions, according to Myers, but she believes Billings has misinterpreted his rights. “If the board gets away with this, they will do this to other teachers,” she said. |
“'We need to get this out to the Hispanic
community,' she said. 'If this had happened
at Allen, Sunnyside, Tiffany, or Hedenkamp
we wouldn’t be standing here right now.'"
community,' she said. 'If this had happened
at Allen, Sunnyside, Tiffany, or Hedenkamp
we wouldn’t be standing here right now.'"
| How hypocritical are Peg Myers and the "Castle Park family" members? |
| Why Was Rae Correira transferred in 1998? Because she was working to integrate children who were in all-Hispanic classrooms into the grade level teaming programs in first and second grades. Below is the announcement by Rick Werlin that put an end to implementation of the Civil Rights Act at Castle Park Elementary: |
| Rick Werlin's announcement about Rae Correira |
| by Maura Larkiins I arrived at Castle Park Elementary in 1997 to initiate the bilingual program at the third-grade level. I did not know that the staff had been very hostile to the arrival of the program three years earlier--so hostile, in fact, that consultant Peter Barron Stark had been called in to teach the staff how to conduct a staff meeting without yelling at each other. Nor did I know that the teacher who started the bilingual program at the kindergarten level had been non-reelected after her first year. I was surprised to learn that the teachers at various grade levels, including mine, refused to integrate bilingual students into their 45-minute daily teaming activities. That summer the principal had been fired because he spent too much money; he had been unable to resist the demands of powerful teachers; also, Richard Werlin had come from Florida to be the Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources. My case was typical in that it involved teacher culture, which works to keep the status quo and values politics above professionalism. But my situation was also due to an unusual convergence of events and personalities. One Castle Park Elementary teacher, Gina Boyd, had become president of Chula Vista Educators not long before. This summary continues HERE. |
| My Personal Story of Life at Castle Park Elementary |
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| Castle Park Teacher Reports |
| Castle Park Elementary has provided Chula Vista Educators with two of its past three presidents. Here are their depositions: |
| Where does the paper trail lead? |
| Chula Vista Elementary School District demonstrated its awareness of the illegality of its actions by preparing NO documentation regarding its actions on February 12, 2001, April 4, 2001, and April 20, 2001. |
| The fact that they were together gave teachers in the controlling clique do things that none of them would have done alone. |
| District administrators worked closely with the teachers union to create an atmosphere of fear and retaliation at Castle Park. But the district and the union turned out NOT to be equally powerful at the school. |
| “The lust for power is not rooted in strength but in weakness. It is the expression of the individual self to stand alone and live. It is the desperate attempt to gain secondary strength where genuine strength is lacking.” Erich Fromm |
| "..freedom has a twofold meaning for modern man: that he has been freed from traditional authorities and has become an 'individual,' but that at the same time he has become isolated, powerless and an instrument of purposes outside of himself, alienated from himself and others; furthermore, that this state undermines his self, weakens and frightens him, and makes him ready for submission to new kinds of bondage. Positive freedom on the other hand is identical with the full realization of the individual's potentialities, together with his ability to live actively and spontaneously." Eric Fromm Escape from Freedom |