A California school board and it’s superintendent had to face the people they claim to serve and explain why teachers have to spend their own money for school supplies while the superintendent gets over $400,000 above his agreed upon salary and a sweet heart low interest home loan.
“You should all step down and walk away from this! This is ridiculous! This is nuts, this is crazy! I give my wife everything! I do anything I can for my wife! I’m sleeping with her! Who are you sleeping with?” one man shouted during the meeting.
Jose Fernandez was hired as superintendent of California’s Centinela Valley Union High School District at a generous $271,000 annual salary. But apparently it wasn’t generous enough. When a local paper, the Daily Breeze, disclosed that Fernandez’s total compensation was $663,000 for 2013, an emergency school board meeting was hurriedly called so that residents could voice their concerns, the Breeze reported.
His district includes only three high schools with a combined total of 6,500 students.
The district also reportedly floated Fernandez a loan of more than $900,000 at 2 percent interest over 40 years. The loan was granted at a time when the superintendent had already declared bankruptcy. The meeting attracted about 100 residents after only two days notice.
“I propose that there be a special recall election of this whole damn board, and a criminal investigation into the board for breach of fiduciary responsibility,” one man yelled during the emergency meeting held Tuesday.
“Not only is it wrong, it’s unethical, it is immoral to pay anybody that amount,” a woman added.
For his part, the superintendent said he’s mindful of the needs of the people in his district.
“I do hear you. I’ve listened very carefully, and I will sit and work with the board to deal with your concerns and the concerns they may have, and I think we’ll go through a process,” he said during the meeting.
He continued, claiming he lifted the district from its previously derelict state.
“The facilities here were…my God…some of them were similar to the situation in Haiti,” he said.
Fernandez, like many in government, feels entitled to help himself to compensation the school district never intended for him.
Fernandez declined to address any of the complaints about his compensation package, choosing instead to express his appreciation to the board for its support and touting his accomplishments.
“I want to thank the board for their support,” he said, over catcalls coming from a few members of the audience. “I want to thank residents in the area who voted for the bonds that funded new buildings, new science labs.
Caryn Charles is a high school teacher in Hawthorne, Calif., and she says she has to pay out of pocket for paper for her students while the district lavishes the superintendent with handsome loans and a massive salary.
“It’s really embarrassing as a teacher that we don’t have any paper at our department at our school. With all due respect to all of you, but it’s embarrassing when I have to go to Office Depot and buy paper, and I read that other people don’t have to worry about things like that,” she said.
Also weighing in Tuesday night were leaders of both the teachers union and classified union serving nonteaching employees.
“Many of the things you said before were a lie,” said Cesar Perez, president of the classified union. “We were told, ‘There is no money, there is no money.’ We had to basically beg for crumbs.”
Teachers union President Jack Foreman said that while he supports the bond measures passed by voters in 2008 and 2010 and the school construction they’ve paid for to date, he is upset about Fernandez’s contract.
“We didn’t work this hard so Mr. Fernandez can get this kind of compensation. This contract that was passed just was wrong,” he said.
Sandra Suarez, a former board member, said Fernandez should resign from his post immediately.
“I think the superintendent needs to resign and give back everything he’s taken. It’s morally and ethically wrong, and it’s affecting our children,” she said.
