What the heck is this?As president and spokesperson for the Lebanon Education Association, I am responding to current events surrounding the athletic situation in regards to the coaches whose salaries are determined by our contract.
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Athletics is a fundamental need in any school district and there is data-supported proof that a strong athletic program helps support student achievement, district morale and community spirit. Considering the increase in state budget, it would be appropriate for the district to fully fund the current athletic programs before adding new positions elsewhere. We need every coach we have and they should be paid the salaries that were bargained.
Kimberly Fandiño, LEA President, Lebanon
It's a fairly straightforward letter, but it lacks context. Like, for example, why did she write it? Why put this statement in the paper? Who is she trying to reach?
If it's teachers, then she's the LEA President and she's got email. I suppose that she's trying to reach the public to counteract the impression that she isn't fully supportive of coaches. I wonder where anyone could have got that idea?
Second, letters like this almost always work on at least two levels. The first is the level the general public is going to read it at, and the second is the level at which the parties involved are going to read it at. I wonder what's going on over at Level 2? One suspects her support for Lebanon coaches is in doubt, and she's trying to shore it up.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
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4 comments:
To the contrary, what Fandino is trying to do is scheme on behalf of Bo Yates (probably to fan the flames of her vendetta against Jim Robinson) and the discriminatory coaching pay schedule she is fronting for Yates. It gives an advantage to football coaches.
She is doing this without checking the situation out with the membership - - - once again.
Anonymous,
This still makes little sense. Certainly, her letter can be interpreted as a shot at Robinson for not "supporting" athletics enough. More to the point, she chose to take that shot by pointing out the reduced coaching pay. However, my understanding is that the reduced pay scheme is supported by Yates, and as a Yates ally (?), she argued for it - see the link to Lebanon Truth in the post.
It looks like she's trying to play both sides of the fence.
She's not that stupid, is she? If I can figure this out, then certainly there will be other folks who know what's going on, and it will cost her even more credibility.... unless, like Rob Allen and his call for Yates to be reinstated, she's banking on gaining credibility with the public and/or with Alexander supporters, and that the gain will overcome any losses (among her own union membership, no less) she takes as a result of this letter.
I must be naive.
Rumor has it that the district was willing to keep all coaching positions AND PAY THE FULL CONTRACT RATES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But Yates talked the coaches into offering a reduction. Isn't it interesting that Yates, a member of the district administration, is going around getting the coaches to take a pay cut when the district wants to pay them the full rate. Why does Yates want the coaches to take a pay cut? So that he can give himself a raise and buy a huge number of new uniforms. Why, one asks, are these coaches so loyal to Yates when he obviously does not have their best interests at heart.
Why do these coaches think that Kim Fandino is their advocate when she conspires with an administrator to screw them?
Anonymous #2,
I think I disagree with you on this one. The coaches, it seems to me, have what they perceive as their best interests in mind when they support Yates - for one, he is in favor of greater support for athletics in general, and second, they are under the impression he helps them win. (I am talking primarily about the football coaches.)
Given those two things, I think both Yates and by extension Kim are on their side. And I believe them, just like I believe that they wanted to take the pay cut voluntarily: They believe it is in the service of creating better and better sports programs.
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