Superintendent Garcia:

When you use the inter-district email to explain to your certificated staff why you absolutely must lay them off and you haven't got any reserves - really, you even searched the couches in the lobby - your certificated staff finds it rather offensive.

Also, you need to decide if you have or have not already budgeted in the $6 million Rainy Day dollars you anticipate from the City, since at least twice you or your functionaries have said that the $6 million was taken into account already, allowing fewer layoff notices to be sent.  It's a little confusing when you keep changing your mind about that, although the weasel words in your email give a lot of leeway.

Given that you take no more furlough days than your certificated teaching staff and have done nothing personally to offer even token support toward the massive budget cuts you visit upon your schools, there is no good reason to believe what you say.

My recommendation?  Go hobnob with the Governor and other Superintendents some more - at least they understand all the terrible pressure the little people want to exert on you.

Us little people will remain leery, angry, and ready to vote to authorize a strike.

Best,

E. Rat