Tuesday, May 7 was National Teacher Day.

It was also the day that the Anaheim Union High School District (AUHSD) Board of Trustees — under the direction of Superintendent Michael Matsuda — issued final layoff notices to seven AUHSD teachers.

The decision was the latest example of AUHSD being unwilling to listen to the pleas of the Anaheim community they are tasked with serving.

During the public comments section of the board meeting, students, teachers, families, and community members spoke passionately about how the district’s decision to undergo an unprecedented RIF process has negatively affected students and schools.

Lexington Junior High teacher Tracy Heck addresses the AUHSD Board of Trustees.

Tracy Heck, an English teacher at Lexington Junior High, regretfully admitted that she has lost confidence in AUHSD after 28 years of teaching in the district. Referencing the Illumination Institute Empathy Training provided last week at the district office, she argued that the Board of Trustees lacked compassion in their recent decision making.

Heck noted that the district showed empathy toward its business interests while disregarding the interests of Anaheim teachers.

“You stated ‘These aren’t just names on a piece of a paper. They are people with real lives, business interests, and feelings,” Heck said, quoting a district statement on consulting contracts released on Thursday, April 25. “You also said you ‘can and should do better.’ Now imagine how much better those words would be if you meant them for your teachers and not for your business partners.”

ASTA President Geoff Morganstern provides his association report during Tuesday’s AUHSD Board Meeting.

In his association report, ASTA President Geoff Morganstern asked the Board to throw out all of the remaining RIF notices due to poor planning by AUHSD and a potential violation of due process for ASTA members. He argued that because of extensions to the RIF timeline the true repercussions of the district’s decisions have yet to be seen.

“The disruption to our classrooms and school communities will be widely and deeply felt,” Morganstern said. “It’s only then, in the first week of August, that we’ll know the total effects of this year’s layoffs.”

Despite arguments based on fact and merit, the Board of Trustees went ahead with a vote that many presumed to be merely a formality.

With the Board unwilling to rescind the remaining RIF notices, AUHSD teachers will once again return to Katella High on Tuesday, May 14 for the fifth day of RIF proceedings.

Day 4: CTA Attorneys Call out a “Rolling RIF”

Anaheim educators were left with a cliffhanger worthy of a season finale on Day 4 of the AUHSD RIF hearing on Thursday, May 2.

In the closing moments of the proceedings, CTA Attorney Marianne Reinhold made a motion asking Administrative Law Judge Eric C. Sawyer to throw out all remaining RIF notices based on what she deemed to be a violation of due process. Reinhold argued that the district’s inability to follow California Ed. Code guidelines on providing final notices to teachers by May 15 has left Anaheim educators scrambling. She referred to the process as a “rolling RIF” that left teachers blindsided by the lack of certainty, lack of transparency, and lack of focus.

The motion was echoed by CTA Conflict Counsel Jean Shin and Meg Degeneffe.

District Attorney Anthony De Marco rebutted the motion by arguing that the district attempted in good faith to come into the RIF process with as clear a record as it could. De Marco acknowledged that there had been modifications made to the approach taken by AUHSD because of information brought to the attention of the district by CTA counsel and respondents.

Sawyer listened to the arguments, but declined to grant an immediate ruling. Rather, Sawyer noted that he would give his decision when the group reconvenes on Tuesday, May 14.

Additional hearing dates were previously scheduled for Monday, May 20, Wednesday, May 22, and Thursday, May 23: all days that fall within the final week of classes.

Despite best efforts by CTA counsel and ASTA leadership, Anaheim educators are now looking at the very real possibility of being out of the classroom on the last day of school. 

Jessica Naudin, an English teacher and Civic Lead at Lexington Junior High, highlighted the anxiety and guilt felt by many teachers as the RIF process continues to disrupt instruction.

“We’ve spent the year building an understanding and community with these students. I’m so proud of all they’ve accomplished and now I won’t be there to see them off to their next huge milestone.”

–Jessica Naudin, Lexington Junior High

By the end of the RIF hearing, AUHSD students will have lost over 10,000 hours of instructional time with their teachers. 

ASTA and CTA leaders understand the toll this can take on both students and teachers. Local leaders like ASTA Director-at-Large Ian Sabala have stepped up and volunteered to help during the RIF hearing despite missing valuable class time with his students. For Sabala and other union leaders, the experience not only highlights the value of teachers but also serves as an opportunity for students to get involved.

“It truly is (the union’s) duty to be there for members in good times and in bad,” Sabala said. “I hate that I’m away from my students, but this experience is showing them and the community the importance of teachers being in the classroom, as well as showing students to stand up for what’s right and speak out against what is wrong.”

AUHSD’s failure to take appropriate care in noticing educators has hampered end-of-school activities and placed a dark cloud over what should be a joyous and celebratory time of the year. Instead of serving students in classrooms across Anaheim, educators are forced to continue taking part in the district’s ill conceived and poorly executed RIF hearing.

ASTA and CTA will continue to fight to ensure that the RIF process is thoroughly vetted and legally carried out so that fairness prevails now and in any future layoff scenarios.