Att: Mrs. Bertha Peña, Brownsville Independent School District Area Administrator
I am writing this letter of concern to you in hopes that you will help our department.
Over the last six months our department (Special Services) has come under immense scrutiny and most recently it was the focus of a Texas Education Agency hearing. Most of us who are just employees realize that the basis of all this attention has been good old-fashioned politics.
As a professional with over seven years of experience, I have seen directors come and go and as Mr. (Art) Rendon began to make changes and reorganize the department most of us eventually understood that the changes and realignment were necessary not for us but for the district and the students we serve.
At the beginning of Mr. Rendon’s tenure many of us resisted change and did not care for him or for Dr. Lee Garcia. Some of the old supervisors were moved and new ones came in with fresh ideas and more accountability.
The lead school psychologists who now left the district will be seriously missed. When will the district get the chance to hire another LSSP with a doctorate who is bilingual? The district cannot afford to go back to its old way of doing things. LSSPs need to pull their weight just like us. They need to attend ARD meetings and talk to the parents like the rest of us.
Many of us do not know why Mr. Rendon is out on leave and since he is, do not understand why assistant director Dr. Lee Garcia is not in charge until Mr. Rendon comes back.
Kathleen Jimenez is a teacher with no experience or expertise or mid-management credentials; she has neither the experience nor expertise for this position. It is hard for us to respect her leadership when she has none. Is she given permission by someone to leave work and attend classes or is she doing it on her own? Is it fair to other employees who are denied this privilege? Why is the district paying for and allowing her to attend PDAS meetings (during work hours) at Region One when other BISD employees have had to pay their own way and obtain this training on their own time?
Although Mrs. Jimenez is often absent she is reportedly not submitting absence reports like the rest of us? Isn’t this against district policy? Is this really then time tom have a novice on a job that requires years of administrative experience? She has never served as a campus administrator or department administrator and she is quickly proving that her inexperience is taking us back to the old ways.
Why are Special Services employees and a clerk going to Dallas for CPI training when this area (CPI) had already been cleaned up By Mr. Rendon and Mr. Garcia? How can clerks be involved in training teachers on CPI?
Why is Mrs. Jimenez allowed to make drastic changes when she is only temporary? Arnold Pineda was moved from his position and this is going to hurt all of us. He was the most knowledgeable worker regarding the program that we use. We do not need to go back to hiring old presenters that cost us thousands of dollars when we have Region One to assist.
Many of the employees are very upset that they are now being supervised by Lupita Garcia who has a less than admirable track record. Everyone knows she was the principal of not one school, but three over a brief period of time. Sylvia Barguiena was doing a wonderful job of supervising the speech personnel and had them all organized. Everyday we see more and more that Mrs. Jimenez is making changes because of Mary Jo Monfils and some school principals like Dr. Gallegos.
The diagnosticians’ assignments need to stay in place as Sylvia Barguiena planned it out. Many of us want to see you or go to a board meeting and make our concerns known but are afraid of retaliation and for our jobs. But if things continue then all we can do is file a grievance so that we can be protected. How can an employee supervise and evaluate other personnel without having the proper experience and certifications? If you ask any campus personnel that since Mr. Rendon is not there, Dr. Garcia takes care of everything. Please stop these premature changes to a department that was finally coming together for our students and parents.
Copy: BISD board members
Ron Rowell (TEA)
Over the last six months our department (Special Services) has come under immense scrutiny and most recently it was the focus of a Texas Education Agency hearing. Most of us who are just employees realize that the basis of all this attention has been good old-fashioned politics.
As a professional with over seven years of experience, I have seen directors come and go and as Mr. (Art) Rendon began to make changes and reorganize the department most of us eventually understood that the changes and realignment were necessary not for us but for the district and the students we serve.
At the beginning of Mr. Rendon’s tenure many of us resisted change and did not care for him or for Dr. Lee Garcia. Some of the old supervisors were moved and new ones came in with fresh ideas and more accountability.
The lead school psychologists who now left the district will be seriously missed. When will the district get the chance to hire another LSSP with a doctorate who is bilingual? The district cannot afford to go back to its old way of doing things. LSSPs need to pull their weight just like us. They need to attend ARD meetings and talk to the parents like the rest of us.
Many of us do not know why Mr. Rendon is out on leave and since he is, do not understand why assistant director Dr. Lee Garcia is not in charge until Mr. Rendon comes back.
Kathleen Jimenez is a teacher with no experience or expertise or mid-management credentials; she has neither the experience nor expertise for this position. It is hard for us to respect her leadership when she has none. Is she given permission by someone to leave work and attend classes or is she doing it on her own? Is it fair to other employees who are denied this privilege? Why is the district paying for and allowing her to attend PDAS meetings (during work hours) at Region One when other BISD employees have had to pay their own way and obtain this training on their own time?
Although Mrs. Jimenez is often absent she is reportedly not submitting absence reports like the rest of us? Isn’t this against district policy? Is this really then time tom have a novice on a job that requires years of administrative experience? She has never served as a campus administrator or department administrator and she is quickly proving that her inexperience is taking us back to the old ways.
Why are Special Services employees and a clerk going to Dallas for CPI training when this area (CPI) had already been cleaned up By Mr. Rendon and Mr. Garcia? How can clerks be involved in training teachers on CPI?
Why is Mrs. Jimenez allowed to make drastic changes when she is only temporary? Arnold Pineda was moved from his position and this is going to hurt all of us. He was the most knowledgeable worker regarding the program that we use. We do not need to go back to hiring old presenters that cost us thousands of dollars when we have Region One to assist.
Many of the employees are very upset that they are now being supervised by Lupita Garcia who has a less than admirable track record. Everyone knows she was the principal of not one school, but three over a brief period of time. Sylvia Barguiena was doing a wonderful job of supervising the speech personnel and had them all organized. Everyday we see more and more that Mrs. Jimenez is making changes because of Mary Jo Monfils and some school principals like Dr. Gallegos.
The diagnosticians’ assignments need to stay in place as Sylvia Barguiena planned it out. Many of us want to see you or go to a board meeting and make our concerns known but are afraid of retaliation and for our jobs. But if things continue then all we can do is file a grievance so that we can be protected. How can an employee supervise and evaluate other personnel without having the proper experience and certifications? If you ask any campus personnel that since Mr. Rendon is not there, Dr. Garcia takes care of everything. Please stop these premature changes to a department that was finally coming together for our students and parents.
Copy: BISD board members
Ron Rowell (TEA)
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