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Lodi Unified School District's Barbara Johnston secures job in Berryessa
By News-Sentinel Staff
Friday, July 3, 2009 6:20 AM PDT
Barbara Johnston, Lodi Unified School District's assistant superintendent of secondary education, has accepted a similar job in the San Jose area. Her first day is Monday.
Berryessa Union School District is quite a bit smaller than Lodi. It has about 8,300 students enrolled in kindergarten through eighth grade. There are more than 800 certificated and classified Berryessa employees who work at 10 elementary schools and three middle schools, according to its Web site.
Johnston's standard two-year renewable contract with the district was approved at Tuesday's school board meeting, according to Superintendent Marc Leibman.
As assistant superintendent of education services, she will oversee all curriculum and English-language learners, among other things, he said.
Her annual base salary is $144,500, but with additional credits for her master's degree and Ed.D. experience, she will be paid $160,396, which includes benefits, according to school board president David Cohen. The board unanimously chose Johnston for the position June 16 and followed up with the control approval Tuesday.
"We're lucky to get her," said Liebman, who is long-time friends with Bill Huyett, Lodi Unified's former superintendent.
He added that there were more than 50 applicants. Johnston, who has already left Lodi Unified according to an administrative assistant, has been with the district for nine years, eight of those in the superintendent's cabinet. At one point during budget negotiations, her position was targeted for elimination to save money.
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max stanfield wrote on Jul 11, 2009 8:44 PM:
max stanfield wrote on Jul 11, 2009 8:42 PM:
Lodian wrote on Jul 10, 2009 12:34 AM:
Lou wrote on Jul 9, 2009 6:37 AM:
Perhaps you are right. It may be time to close this one off. It's fair to say that Barb will be missed, really missed. Barb thank you for whatever you've done over the last 9-years ($1,300,000)worth.
Bye, Bye, Barb... it's been swell. "
Bob Hussein Loblaw wrote on Jul 8, 2009 6:46 PM:
edumacation wrote on Jul 8, 2009 6:14 PM:
Bob Hussein Loblaw wrote on Jul 8, 2009 4:12 PM:
edumacation wrote on Jul 8, 2009 3:50 PM:
Its purely a game of musical chairs with taxpayers money. There are teachers and there are edumacators and kleptocrats preparing LUSD students to "gradumacate" when they are 18 or older, many with straight A's even though many can not read or write. "
Bob Hussein Loblaw wrote on Jul 8, 2009 1:12 AM:
You are that much closer to your goal of rudderless anarchy in the schools. Good for you!
Why is it anyone's business where this woman works next? Back off LNS. "
Lodian wrote on Jul 6, 2009 11:02 PM:
edumacation wrote on Jul 5, 2009 7:46 PM:
I was reading a story about graduating seniors and learned that they REALLY called the process "gradumacation". Oh yes--- gradumacation from the edumacators. These students had just gradumacated IN THEIR OWN WORDS. Did they pick up this lingo from the gradu-ma-cators? LOL
I remember hearing locals say "We don't want standardized tests because it makes kids stupid". Oh yes...so that's why test scores are so low?
I speculate that if we stop testing the kids they will get smarter? Thats the implication! "
Lou wrote on Jul 5, 2009 6:23 PM:
edumacation wrote on Jul 5, 2009 6:21 PM:
By externalizing our ESC musical chairs games, we could eliminate waste and abuse AND help their careers! I don't want to hold anyone back! Lets watch them grow and prosper in careers at districts where ALL will appreciate their skills!
We need positive attitudes for these future Superintendents. It is their goal, so why don't we help them achieve the success that they deserve, but IN ANOTHER DISRICT.
Promote them out and our students will benefit. The educrats will benefit and the future districts will be in awe at all their amazing abilities at administering public educational programs. Since they are in such demand (high salaries and bwenefits), they should be hired out in only a few weeks. "
dyan wrote on Jul 5, 2009 5:23 PM:
Lou wrote on Jul 5, 2009 3:04 PM:
'All of them crooks, most of them just theives;' hey, reasonable minds can differ. Let's split the difference and just call them what I know they really are: "Kleptocrats"....and for the sake of being a lot nicer than I should, let's just say that keptocrats reallocate resourses (our resourses i.e., money) to less than legitimate uses. For some, for many, for most ...that would be their own silk-lined pockets. Others just watch and become willing conspirators who otherwise help, aid, assist...take your pick. Wash, rinse, repeat as necessary.
As far as I am concerned they are all tarred with the same duplicity; therefore, all equally guilty, and should all be scooped up like so much "crap" and composted out of the area where they can be recycled. Maybe Berryessa Union can be "influenced" to take a few more of these morons off our hands.
Hey, now there's an idea...let's set up a slush-fund, a graft account, a payola unit to sell some more of these highly paid nothings to other districts. Now, I don't consider that kleptocracy, I consider that shewd business. "
edumacation wrote on Jul 5, 2009 1:57 PM:
Watch what happens if any of them "ask the wrong question". All hell breaks out, and they won't do that again, if they don't get demoted or fired first. The more accurate term is defined in "personnel-speak": Reorganization. "
edumacation wrote on Jul 5, 2009 9:49 AM:
Is this his own little agenda, or did it mass muster with parents, board members and taxpayers FIRST??
Wellesley Centers for Women, July 2009 "...The 2009 New Leaders' Workshop of the National SEED Project will be held July 9-16 in San Anselmo, CA, and will enroll approximately 40 new SEED leaders, alone or in teams of two. Schools pay a $3,900 participation fee per new leader toward the cost of the summer training and year-long technical support. They also provide a $1,000 book budget for the school-based, voluntary seminar. SEED Seminars are led chiefly by teachers in K-12 classrooms. In some cases, parents, college teachers, and administrators have also led seminars....How can curriculum and teaching methods provide, in the metaphors of Emily Style, both windows into each others' experiences and mirrors of each student's own reality and validity?
SAY WHAT?
Where does THIS money come from? Did the LUSD pay them any money, EVER?
Lets talk about administrator accountability to the PARENTS and TAXPAYERS? Please? No more hiding behind the school board. "
Lou wrote on Jul 5, 2009 9:47 AM:
Davis is on the Board for 17 (going on 18 years). Davis directs the Board, the Board directs their minions. These servile invertebrates are academic thugs who don't give a damn about children, education, what's right or what's truthful. All they care about is checking in-and-out of kleptocrat-central with their marching orders. If they are good little minions they are rewarded with higher pay, free cars and free lunches. Conversely, like poor Anne found out recently, if you speak out or say anything that could be construed as critical of the kleptocrat-And-Chief you will be thrown out on your ear.
Now, for the bad news....you teachers have been completely bamboozled by these pigs. The kleptocrats have 'somehow' perverted your own union (you know, the one you pay a hundred bucks a month to...every month)...how else do you explain 12% of the teachers loosing their jobs and jamming an insurance plan up a place where the sun don't shine.
Don't you get it? These folks are crooks and they're going to continue being crooks...because being a crook pays very well. "
Robb wrote on Jul 5, 2009 9:40 AM:
edumacation wrote on Jul 5, 2009 9:34 AM:
Lets not beg the question? I would like to edit your question, as follows, and please tell me if this sounds more tenable?
My take on this "...Could it be that many of the postings I am reading are those of KNOWLEDGEABLE AND EXPERIENCED district teachers, administrators AND other employees...who actually know the people involved and the work they are supposed do...?
How is that edit? Think about the "cabinet" meetings and the hubris, power and egos of those involved..?
CABINET MEETINGS?? I can see Odie Now! Will he try another attempt at advocating for SEED. My friends at Wellesley believe he will continue. Why is that? LOL ROFL "
edumacation wrote on Jul 5, 2009 9:22 AM:
Here is how we can solve the issue. Our board could ORDER that all district funds IN WHOLE OR IN PART, that go to Lobbying organizatons including conduits through "professional" organizations to lobbyists be restricted. That means NO MORE so-called "professional dues" or "fees" to "educational" advocacy groups that really serve as lobbying organizations. I can give you many many examples of the stealth and not so stealth machinations of these edumcation lobbyists who serve the organizations who pay them---NOT TAXPAYERS. There are many of them who extract money for their own private benefits. The best way to find them is by studying bills in the legislature. The advocates names can be found by contacting the author of the bills. These advocates get political power and also provide power to the legislator. What about the transparency and rights of taxpayers? We are rarely consulted.
The laws affecting public education are not created in a vacuum, but by advocates within public education. Where does that money come from? Guess? "
edumacation wrote on Jul 5, 2009 9:07 AM:
do you have any facts that support your stance that the ESC (I guess that is another word for the district office - correct me if I am wrong) is manipulating the board?." YES, of course! I can give you to obvious examples.
First is s quote from an LUSD board member who voted NO concerning the million dollar golden handshake last year. His comments were quoted in the Stockton Record. He spoke to the "administrative error" in the paperwork for the pay of the Interim Superintendent. The bottom line is that the LUSD did not want to get sued because of administrative personnel procedures so they acquiesced to the demand for a million dollar worth of future benefits. It distilled to approximately an INCREASE of $10,000 per work day over 100 days in future pension benefits that must be paid by taxpayers.
Second, our district directly and indirectly pays for lobbyists whio advocate for technical changes in Administrative law (The Ed code is one example) that gives more power and authority to edumacrats. The Ed Code was small and now it is HUGE. "
edumacation wrote on Jul 5, 2009 8:54 AM:
Maybe we should conspire to promote ALL OF THESE educrats to other districts? That could go a long way towards educating our kids instead of political edumacation games. If administrators are so good, why are our test scores so poor? I forgot, its the test thats wrong---they don't like standardized tests. So lets give all students "A's to help their self esteem and keep parents happy. But what about the self-esteem of the students when they can't read, write or balance a checkbook? "
edumacation wrote on Jul 5, 2009 8:39 AM:
edumacation wrote on Jul 5, 2009 8:26 AM:
Please explain why a pensioner should have higher income as a retiree than while working!! It does not happen anywhere but in our SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
I haven't even counted the ample COLA that administrators receive. A little inflation will cause that one million to soar higher. Hopefully in good health he can extract even more. I don't blame him, I blame the board and system for allowing this. It's only natural for him not to say a word about it. Don't you get it? These employees are OUR EMPLOYEES. They are supposed to be teaching our children. You can blather about "needing" administrators, but why have them instead of teachers? The LUSD is laying off teachers who teach. Most of these administrative jobs should be contracted out. Other districts do this. Do other states give million dollar handshakes to their administrators? Not many! Our GOVERNOR of over 37 MILLION people earns less. "
edumacation wrote on Jul 5, 2009 8:14 AM:
This person should hacve assumed the job cheerfully at NO EXTRA PAY. According to the Stockotn Record (not the Lodi News Sentinel) he was making MORE in his retirement, than he ever earned in his regular job. But the technical "error" that created this was allegedly from WITHIN HIS OWN department, where the musical chairs of promotions keeps running. I don't believe that "
sjteacher wrote on Jul 4, 2009 6:47 PM:
I am a teacher in the Berryessa district of San Jose and it's nice to know who we are working with. We are facing a huge budget mess but our Superintendent insisted we just had to hire Ms. Johnston and then at the same meeting, layoff classified and some teacher staff with the promise of wage and benefit cuts to the employees for last year a month after signing contracts....but no salary cuts to the administrators. "
Lets Be Real wrote on Jul 4, 2009 11:26 AM:
This sounds like it is your opinion - and it is certainly your right to voice it. However, do you have any facts that support your stance that the ESC (I guess that is another word for the district office - correct me if I am wrong) is manipulating the board? I mean, if I was a board member or union head for that example and an accusation was made that i was being unreasonably manipulated, I would certainly do everything within reason to stop it. I say "unreasonably manipulated" because i have now come to believe that many of the things which are seen as the duplicit actions of do-nothing administrators is nothing more than the implementation of pass-down of mandates from sacramento and washington, dc. It seems to me that the district can either do what is mandated by these external entities (which i guess is largely housed at the district office) or can suffer the monetary consequences leaving even fewer financial resources for our kids. THis is something i do not want. "
Giovanina wrote on Jul 4, 2009 10:00 AM:
Is this a conspiracy or what? Last time I checked, the district's trustee board were the ones who set the direction of the district....AND NONE OF THEM WORK AT THE DISTRICT OFFICE IF I AM CORRECT.
Could it be that many of the postings I am reading are those of disgruntled district teachers or other employees who are using blog forum as a way of expressing their frustrations? There is nothing wrong with this if it is the case, but it sure sounds like it. "
ESC has been manipulating all sides, school board, unions, parents, etc, for a very long time. Sorry, it eludes you. "
Lets Be Real wrote on Jul 4, 2009 12:30 AM:
Is this a conspiracy or what? Last time I checked, the district's trustee board were the ones who set the direction of the district....AND NONE OF THEM WORK AT THE DISTRICT OFFICE IF I AM CORRECT.
Could it be that many of the postings I am reading are those of disgruntled district teachers or other employees who are using blog forum as a way of expressing their frustrations? There is nothing wrong with this if it is the case, but it sure sounds like it. "
edumacation wrote on Jul 3, 2009 8:02 PM:
Oh the webs that are being woven! "
edumacation wrote on Jul 3, 2009 7:56 PM:
I don't think another ONE MILLION DOLLAR kiss on the cheek will occur soon---Remember Mr. "...He is a nice guy"...lets give HIM, YOUR tax money, will happen again soon.
I do have some predictions, but the cauldron of deceit and chicanery is still bubbling and boiling at the ESC, while the many sycophants are arranging their chairs for the next game of musical chairs. A few took "early outs", but will try to come back as consultants. Why bother to retire, when you are ALREADY retired in a cushy do-nothing job??
Lets keep watching the games. I found it best NOT to look at "positions" --- LOOK AT THE PEOPLE.
Ask yourself: 1) WHO gets promoted or "re-organized" into a power postion (not just salary)? 2) WHY is that important? Lets abolish all jobs that become vacant. Thats what they do in the private sector. The "Ed code says" games---- are only justifications. "
lodimaestro wrote on Jul 3, 2009 2:54 PM:
Giovanina wrote on Jul 3, 2009 12:12 PM:
Lou wrote on Jul 3, 2009 10:30 AM:
"Betcha" they don't abolish the job as Mr. Davis is quoted as saying: We need someonge in that "position to ensure the integrity of our front-line administrators." He never explained what in the world that could possibly mean in the face of laying off nearly 200 teachers. Doesn't laying off 12% of all teachers erode integrity?
Pretty expensive and foolish way to keep up appearances I'd say. However, if you don't have enough cabinet members how are you going to hold cabinet meetings. Yes, boys and girls, that's what they call the formal meetings among top-brass ("cabinet meetings). The staff will just tell you ... so and so is not available for your call "he/she is in cabinet." It makes your stomach turn does it not? "
Lou wrote on Jul 3, 2009 10:21 AM:
That said, I'd still like to know if she received somekind of severance package "parting gifts" for leaving her post [here in Lodi] in a timely manner. "
edumacation wrote on Jul 3, 2009 9:22 AM:
So sad: Look at the money we will save by NOT having more meetings! Think about all the little plans and schemes that stop when another educrat position is closed. I wonder who the Grand Poohbah will select to refill the position? It needs to be abolished permanently.
It's sad that the state must issue I.O.U's, while Educrats suck the blood out of our school district budgets.
Hey Berryessa USD, we have some more educrats for you to hire. We have a building on Vine street filled with promising candidates. Its called the "Areida Center" for eduocracy. Hire away! "
So Sad wrote on Jul 3, 2009 8:54 AM:
Do not refill her position let one of the HIGH PAID DO NOTHINGS fill in for her! "
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