Samohi staffers allege they weren’t included in school restructuring
A plan to permanently divide Santa Monica High School into six smaller schools is in jeopardy.
More than one-third of Samohi teachers and staff signed a formal grievance last month, alleging administrators didn’t include them in their plans to split up the campus.
Samohi is scheduled to divide its 3,400-student school into six separate schools on June 24. Proponents say the new arrangement will improve learning and give students more personal attention.
The grievance, which is expected to go to arbitration soon, alleges Samohi broke its contract with the union that represents teachers, school advisors, nurses and librarians. The contract demands the school consult with its workers before any restructuring take place. The grievance asks that the school staff be included in the restructuring plan and seek their approval.
The grievance further alleges that the school staff wasn’t properly included in the plan according to the terms of the union contract.
3AB,“If the process was followed, we could make things better for teachers and kids,” said Harry Keiley, president of the Santa Monica-Malibu chapter of the California Teachers Association. “It has not been followed.”
“If the process was followed, we could make things better for teachers and kids.” — move their rooms. Moving is stressful.” — HARRY KEILEY California Teachers Association, president
Samohi administrators disagree. They maintain they have acted within the parameters of the contract and attribute the grievance to a group of teachers who don’t want to leave the classrooms they’ve taught in for decades.
“It’s a change and change produces anxiety,” said Samohi principal Ilene Straus. “People do not want to move their rooms. Moving is stressful.”
Straus left Lincoln Middle School as its principal of 16 years last summer to initiate change at Samohi. She described the massive overhaul as a difficult but worthy project.
“We are doing this professionally and appropriately with the best intentions,” Straus said. “My argument is we haven’t done anything in 10 years to improve achievement at this school.”
Straus said she invited all Samohi workers to give their input to a committee of teachers, parents, students and administrators that planned the redesign over the past several months.
Union officials don’t dispute that but said the district still violated part of the contract that deals with restructuring schools. Keiley added the union has a legal and ethical commitment to uphold the contract.
Before the district can restructure its programs, it must seek the advice of the union, according to the contract, which also mandates a presentation be made and that 70 percent of workers agree with the proposal.
Keiley said the union’s goal is to resolve the grievance as soon as possible.
Once a grievance is filed, the school named in it makes a formal reply. If Samohi administrators do not agree with the complaint, union officials can then send the grievance on to the district. If the district still does not agree, the union can opt to send the grievance on to a third party arbitrator.
The union is expected to make a decision in the next two weeks on whether to send the grievance to arbitration.
“We feel the process was violated,” said Susan Dresher, a Samohi advisor and union board member. “The union feels very confident this will be arbitrated and decided in our favor.”
Both union officials and school representatives say the ultimate effect the grievance will have is unclear. Union officials said they want the contract upheld but would not speculate on the specifics of how that could occur. If the grievance does go to arbitration, the ruling is binding for both parties.
Both sides said they don’t want to see students suffer.
“We want students to be successful,” Dresher said. “That’s our purpose for being here, not to be combative about things. Being able to help and really have an impact on all the students, even those who are not successful, is an important part of what we do here every day.”
Dresher added that there were many more Samohi teachers and staff members that expressed support for the grievance but didn’t sign on for fear of political ramifications.
If the administration’s plan to split the school goes ahead as scheduled, the move will displace as many as 80 teachers and begin shortly after next Thursday’s graduation. The exact number of teachers who will be moved will not be known until next week, Straus said.
Staff have been instructed to have their rooms and offices completely packed by Monday, June 23. Movers will work Tuesday through Thursday and teachers will have Friday and the weekend to prepare for summer school, which begins the following Monday.
Teachers are not allowed on campus during the move so movers can work quickly, Straus said.
The new arrangement is expected to raise test scores and allow instructors to give students more personal attention with their teachers. Each of Samohi’s six houses would have an assistant principal, two advisors and a teacher leader who oversees the other house teachers.
Sports, music, clubs and central services — including college mentors, nurses, psychiatrists and others — would be shared by the entire school, which would be overseen by Straus.
Harry Keiley
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 12, 2003. Read the original PDF.