DEAR EDITOR:
With the recent events at Gilroy High School and the firing of
Kristen Porter, it all caused me to relive the same experience that
happened to me.
DEAR EDITOR:
With the recent events at Gilroy High School and the firing of Kristen Porter, it all caused me to relive the same experience that happened to me.
I had been teaching for seven years or so, all with high marks and evaluations. I resumed a teaching career in the late ’90s and my first year received a good review. The second year, my principal once again questioned me why I did not move my children over to Las Animas School. I felt they were secure and doing well and did not want to move them. I had only worked there for one year. Why uproot them? Then one day, I said simply, “How are we suppose to make a difference, I don’t even have books and the proper materials in my own classroom to make a difference?”
That very day, I was called into the office and told teaching was not about the books.
Perhaps, but they would help. Then I was told the next day, if I did not comply with this list of over 50 items, I would not be rehired. I looked on the list. I already did most of them. But I set out to win the fight. I worked harder than anyone, worked weekends, stayed late, despite that I had a family of three elementary and preschool age sons.
When the time came in spring, I had successfully done everything on the list. Within 60 seconds of walking into that principal’s office he told me I would not be rehired. I said, “You don’t even want to see the stuff?”
I realized then, they never intended to rehire me. I left the office feeling humiliated and lost. I lived in this town and this was my home. I volunteered here, worked, here, raised kids here, and put them in Gilroy Unified School District public schools. I went to my union representative. And she said because I was probationary, there was nothing I could do.
I asked to see Superintendent Edwin Diaz, many times, the secretary never let me communicate with him and he never had time to see me. I did meet with Dom Galu, the assistant superintendent of personnel at the time, and he basically told me it is not always about one’s ability but the “fit.” He said many people have come through this door before from other districts in this same predicament. There was nothing I could do.
He told me that I could reapply in a year. In a year I wrote a note, and reapplied and never heard from anyone.
I want you to imagine for a moment how it would feel to be rejected by your own public school system, one you supported, and you had nothing but positive teaching reviews and how it felt to have no voice, no chance, and you did nothing wrong. I felt isolated, alienated, and did not want to live in this nice community anymore.
Somehow I swallowed it all, and within a year, I had a job north in Morgan Hill that paid me $10,000 a year more. So I guess every cloud has its silver lining. If I could have had my choice, I would have remained in my home town. I felt betrayed by the system, not supported, and it had an impact on me that will last the rest of my life.
I do believe that Gilroy Unified is being held accountable for its actions – and this has happened before. The same year that it happened to me, three others were let go for the same reason. We all were probationary employees, so we had no voice. Need I add, that on our meager salaries we mandatorily had to contribute about $65 a month to a union that would not help us? I hope that something can be done about this awful practice – dismissal without substantiation. I hope you will wake up and smell the dead roses in this situation. It is a shame … You have qualified, devoted community members right here in your own town, and you are losing them. These teachers have experience and something to contribute.
I will never return to teach in this town and am very disappointed in many things I see going on.
People who are not within GUSD do not know – but this is happening on a regular basis.
Holly O’Mara, Gilroy
Submitted Saturday, March 27 to ed****@****ic.com
