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Citi Field to host Ecuador-Chile soccer match
By Anthony DiComo and Adam Rosenbloom / MLB.com
The match features two teams with significant fan bases in the tri-state area. Queens County boasts the largest population of Ecuadorians of any county in the United States with more than 100,000 residents, while the tri-state region boasts the largest Chilean population of any area in the country with more than 20,000 residents.
The 11th-ranked team in the world, Chile leads the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) with a 4-2-0 record and is currently seeking qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Ecuador has a 3-2-0 record in CONMEBOL and a world ranking of 36.
Ecuador will return to Citi Field after battling Greece to a 1-1 draw last June before a near-sellout crowd of 39,656, in the first soccer match played at Citi. Tickets for this year's match start at $30 and go on sale Thursday at 10 a.m. at tickets.com, and by phone at 718-507-TIXX. The game will take place rain or shine.
Bay targeting return right after All-Star break
NEW YORK -- Once entirely uncertain when he might be able to return from a concussion, outfielder Jason Bay is now targeting the stretch of schedule immediately following the All-Star break.
"Optimistically, it would be right after the All-Star break if everything goes swimmingly," Bay said Tuesday, after working out in front of Mets medical staff members. "But we haven't gotten this far down the road yet as to know exactly what that might entail."
Symptom-free for nearly two weeks, Bay simply must remain healthy as he continues to ramp up his rehab from a June 15 concussion. If all goes well this week at Citi Field, Bay will travel to Florida over the weekend to begin playing in rehab games for Class A St. Lucie.
And if he continues to progress without setbacks in Florida, that would put him in line for a return sometime after the July 10 All-Star Game.
"That's run by the medical department," manager Terry Collins said. "Certainly they're the ones who are on top of how bad the concussions can be. I know Jason's champing at the bit. Hopefully, by the end of the week, he's down in Florida starting to amp up for once the break's over."
How best to fit Bay back into the daily lineup will be Collins' challenge later this month. But with starting outfielders Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Andres Torres and Lucas Duda all struggling offensively to some extent, there should be plenty of at-bats available for a former 30-home run threat.
Though Bay has not come close to those sorts of power numbers in his first three injury-riddled seasons with the Mets, he has shown flashes of his old self when healthy this season.
"I haven't been out there very much, and that's been the frustrating part," Bay said. "I just really want to be a part of what we've got going on in here. I've been a fan for most of the season watching this, and that definitely makes it a lot more enticing to get back and try to be a part of it."
Mets place Tejada back in leadoff spot
NEW YORK -- Jose Reyes came, he saw and he conquered. And then he left for Miami.
So at the start of Spring Training, finding a replacement at the top of the Mets' lineup was one of the top priorities for manager Terry Collins. Andres Torres began the season as the team's regular leadoff hitter, but he went down just one game into the season with a left calf injury. He was replaced by Ruben Tejada -- a move Collins initially disliked -- who thrived in the role until landing on the disabled list on May 6 with a recurring right quadriceps strain.
Tejada rejoined the Mets on June 24, and he has been nothing short of sizzling since. In eight games -- all batting second in the order -- he was batting .353 (12-for-34) with six runs scored and three RBIs entering Tuesday, including a four-hit performance against the Dodgers on Friday, which matched a career high.
So on Tuesday, Tejada re-assumed his role as the Mets' leadoff hitter -- at least for one night -- for the team's series opener against the Phillies.
For Collins, Tejada's recent production -- and the fact that he hits right-handed -- were the incentives for the move. As a team, the Mets are batting just .244 against left-handed pitching, compared to .264 against righties.
"The Phillies have four left-handed relievers, and two left-handed starters coming up," Collins said.
Right-hander Vance Worley got the nod for Philadelphia on Tuesday, but southpaws Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels are scheduled to take the mound on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.
"We're trying to decide how we can mix this lineup up so we can protect ourselves a little bit," Collins said.
Collins has used a mix-and-match approach against lefties in 2012, but he has been admittedly desperate for production from right-handed hitters. Enter Tejada.
"It's about getting to the starter. That's ultimately what it is," Collins said. "If you can get the lead, you can ultimately dictate what goes on."
So Collins' expectations for Tejada out of the leadoff spot? Pretty simple.
"Get on. That's what I want him to do," he said. "We've got to get him on base."
Daniel Murphy, who has also heated up of late, batted second behind Tejada on Tuesday. Murphy had 10 RBIs over his last four starts entering Tuesday, including five against the Dodgers on Friday.
Worth noting
Nieuwenhuis was scratched from Tuesday's game against the Phillies with a right hand bruise. Torres replaced him in center field.
Anthony DiComo is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @AnthonyDicomo. Adam Rosenbloom is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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The Center for Public Education (Center) is a national resource for accurate, timely, and credible information about public education and its importance to the well-being of our nation. The Center provides up-to-date research, data, and analysis on current education issues and explores ways to improve student achievement and engage public support for public schools.
Our intended audience includes school board members and other policymakers, educators, community leaders, parents, and everyone concerned with the education of our children.
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The Center serves as America's one-stop shop for clear, concise, and trusted information about public education, leading to more understanding about our schools, more community-wide involvement, and better decision-making by school leaders on behalf of all students in their classrooms.
The Center was launched by 2006 by NSBA and the National School Boards Foundation, having emerged from discussions between NSBA and its member state school board associations about how to effectively inform the public about the successes and challenges of public schools. NSBA and its members believe that accurate, objective information is essential for building support for public schools and creating effective programs to prepare all students for the 21st century jobs and life in our democratic society.
The Center provides practical information, analysis and expertise on key education issues:
The Center also works in close partnership with state school board associations to translate the lessons of research into effective policies and practices at the state and district level.
The Center thanks the many foundations, organizations, and individuals who support our work through their generous contributions. Additional support for the Center is provided by the National School Boards Association. A list of our major contributors can be found by clicking this link.
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subset: commoncrawl


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PHILADELPHIA - The Rockies announced today their 25-man roster for the 2009 National League Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies:
Right-handed Pitchers (9): Rafael Betancourt, Matt Belisle, Jose Contreras, Aaron Cook, Matt Daley, Jason Hammel, Ubaldo Jimenez, Jason Marquis, Huston Street
Left-handed Pitchers (2): Joe Beimel, Franklin Morales
Catchers (2): Chris Iannetta, Yorvit Torrealba
Infielders (7): Garrett Atkins, Clint Barmes, Jason Giambi, Todd Helton, Ian Stewart, Troy Tulowitzki, Eric Young, Jr.
Outfielders (5): Dexter Fowler, Carlos Gonzalez, Brad Hawpe, Seth Smith, Ryan Spilborghs
Colorado is scheduled to play its first postseason game tomorrow afternoon (Wednesday) at 2:37 p.m. (EDT) in Philadelphia. The scheduled starters for Game 1 are right-handed pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez for the Rockies and left-handed pitcher Cliff Lee for the Phillies. The game will be televised nationally on TBS.


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Another blast of wintry weather should arrive from the Gulf of Alaska by Tuesday, the National Weather Service says, with rain and mountain snow along with possible thunderstorms and hail.
The low-pressure air system also is expected to bring strong winds from the west.
Orange County should begin to see more clouds and cooling Monday, with partly cloudy skies after clouds and fog in the morning.
Highs should be 59 to 64 inland, 57 on the coast.
The first chance of light rain comes Monday night, ahead of the approaching cold front.
Then Tuesday looks rainy in the morning amid some patchy fog; more rain is expected in the afternoon along with a slight chance of thunderstorms, some of which could produce small hail.
Highs should be a chilly 49 to 54.
A wind advisory takes effect at 4 p.m. Tuesday, lasting through 10 a.m. Wednesday, with gusts from the west up to 35 mph especially along the coast.
A winter-weather advisory also takes effect in the Santa Ana Mountains and foothills from 4 p.m. Tuesday until 6 a.m. Wednesday.
Snow levels could drop as low as 2,000 feet, the Weather Service says.
Tuesday night brings more rain and another slight chance of thunderstorms and hail, with heavy rain possible in some places.
Overnight lows could dip into the 30s, while wind gusts could rise to 40 mph.
And Wednesday is partly cloudy with a chance of rain in the morning and a slight chance in the afternoon. Highs should be 54 to 59, with winds continuing to gust as high as 30 mph.
Then Thursday through Sunday are partly cloudy with a slow and modest warmup.
Expect highs of 55 to 60 Thursday, with a slight chance of rain.
Highs should be 58 to 63 Friday, 59 to 64 Saturday and 62 to 67 Sunday.
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Send your recent, Orange County weather photos to email@example.com along with your name, home city, when and where the picture was taken and what it shows.
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Hello all,
My first post: I have a 2002 R1150 Rt. I love it. It is my second BMW and even though I have been riding them for 3 years now I still feel like I am learning them.
The latest trick my bike has been doing has been spontaneously changing the time on the clock. Why is this happening
Could this be caused by and electrical problem?
The other thing my bike does is eat oil. It does not smoke and the spark plugs come out clean. It does not leak. Is it hiding in the tires or what???


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HECTOR — The Hector Youth Program will host its final registration for T-ball, softball and baseball from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the old gym. Call Mike Huffman at 567-0278 for more information.
CADDIS 16th banquet Saturday
The CADDIS Fly Fishing Club's 16th annual celebration banquet will begin at 6 p.m. Saturday inside the W.O. Young building on the campus of Arkansas Tech University.
Tickets are $25 per person, $12 for children. A complete fly rod outfit will be the door prize. A silent auction, numerous giveaway items and a special membership drawing are scheduled. Call Grant Ehren at 970-8320 or Martin Dils at 264-2201 for more information.
Fourth annual tennis scholarship
A scholarship(s) will be awarded to a graduating senior with a GPA of 2.5 or above and a member of a high school tennis team for a minimum of two years in a school under the umbrella of the Arkansas River Valley Tennis Association (ARVTA), which includes Russellville, Clarksville, Dover, Pottsville, Atkins and Dardenelle.
He/she must plan to attend an Arkansas university or college. Applicants must submit an essay (minimum 500 words) detailing why they are deserving of this scholarship and how tennis has influenced them. Applications must be received on or before March 31 to be considered.
Interested persons may visit the website www.rivervalleytennis.com to fill out the scholarship application.
Junior tennis holds meeting, pizza party
The Arkansas River Valley Tennis Association (ARVTA) and Arkansas Tech University will host an informational meeting and pizza party at 6 p.m. March 1 at the Chartwells Women's Sports Complex on the ATU campus.
Kids are encouraged to bring their rackets and play with members of the ATU Golden Suns tennis team, eat some pizza and learn about USTA Junior Team Tennis. Parents can ask questions and gain information about the registration process. The season starts at the end of April and continues through the end of June. Parents are strongly encouraged to attend to obtain registration information.
For additional information, contact ARVTA president Abby Davis, firstname.lastname@example.com.
Adult Summer Softball League meeting Monday
The Russellville Recreation and Parks Department will host an organizational meeting for Adult Summer Softball at 6:30 p.m. Monday in the Hughes Community Center.
Anyone interested in entering a team in the summer softball league will need to have a representative present at this meeting. Registration will begin on March 11 and end at 5 p.m. March 22.
If you are unable to attend, the necessary forms are available in the Russellville Recreation and Parks Department office or online at www.russellvillearkansas.org. For information, contact the Hughes Center at 968-1272.
Dardanelle youth registration Saturday
DARDANELLE — Registration for baseball, softball and T-ball is open and will continue through Satruday. The Dardanelle Recreation Department will host a special registration day from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. Registration fee is $30 per player and $20 for each additional player.
All players must bring their birth certificates to the Dardanelle Community Center and must be 4 years old as of Jan. 1 to play T-ball. Call (479) 229-5084.
Boater education course in March
Lake Dardanelle State Park, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) and the Auxiliary Coast Guard are partnering to provide a boating education course open to the public from 6-9 p.m. March 11-12 at the Lake Dardanelle State Park Visitor Center Classroom. You must attend both nights to complete the course.
The AGFC's Mandatory Boating Education Regulation states: "Anyone born after 1985 must take and pass an approved Arkansas Game and Fish Boating Education Course and carry proof that he or she has satisfactorily completed the course in order to operate a motorboat in Arkansas."
The minimum six-hour course includes boat classification, registration, and lifesaving equipment, navigation aids, rules of the road, maintenance, courtesy, and much more. The course is free of charge and is open to a limited number. Pre-registration is required. Call 967-5516 for more details.
Sand Lizard alumni game March 16
DARDANELLE — Dardanelle High School will host the ninth annual Sand Lizards alumni basketball game beginning at 4:30 p.m. March 16, hosted by Kevin Bloodsaw and Matt Robinson. Door prizes and will be available, as will additional information by contacting Bloodsaw at (503) 532.6079 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
5K run/walk April 6 at Bona Dea Trails
A 5K run/walk to benefit the River Valley Heat basketball teams has been scheduled for April 6 at Bona Dea Trails. Entry fee is $25 per runner or walker, and every participant will receive a T-shirt if they pre-register by March 15. Email email@example.com for additional information.
Battle on the Bayou softball on March 30
The Russellville Recreation and Parks Department will host the 18th annual Battle on the Bayou softball tournament March 30 at Pleasant View Park. The USSSA-sanctioned tournament is for men E and C/D teams and women D and below teams. Entry fee is $175 plus a sanctioning fee. The entry deadline is noon March 27. Contact the Hughes Center at 968-1212, 880-1519 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Nazareth Campus Breathes New Life into Former Nursing Home
Home » About Us » News » 2009 News » Nazareth Campus Breathes New Life into Former Nursing Home
May 20, 2009
With the closing of Nazareth Nursing Home in 2007, Catholic Health created "Nazareth Campus" and an opportunity to breathe new life into this beautiful facility located on North Street in the city's historic Allentown district. Already home to Catholic Health's Continuing Care corporate offices and the Continuing Care Foundation, the building's remaining administrative offices and a former nursing home unit have been renovated to accommodate additional corporate offices from throughout Catholic Health.
"We have many corporate departments taking up valuable space in our hospitals – space that is needed to expand clinical programs and services," said David Vitka, Vice President of Facility Planning for Catholic Health. "By moving these departments to the Nazareth Campus, we are creating a centralized location for many corporate functions while providing a valuable re-use for the Nazareth property."
Renovations began in the fall of 2008 to transform the resident rooms into functional office space. Catholic Health corporate offices that have moved to the Nazareth Campus include Facility Planning & Property Management, Care Connection, Quality & Patient Safety, and Materials Management.
Nazareth Nursing Home became part of Catholic Health in 2001. "We owe a great deal to the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, who established Nazareth Nursing Home in 1947 and took such great care of this facility over the years," said Chris Kluckhohn, President & CEO of Catholic Health Continuing Care. "After the Berger Commission forced the closure of the nursing home, we knew there was an opportunity to create something positive on this campus that would help support our mission for years to come."


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Mariqueen Maandig (aka Mrs. Trent Reznor) at the Fox Theater. Photo: David Hall, for the Register
If you're one of those dead-set on ending the first Friday of Coachella with either the Stone Roses on the main stage or Tegan and Sara at the Outdoor Theatre, this tidbit out of the Fox Theater in Pomona likely won't sway you.
But after witnessing Wednesday night's world premiere performance from How to Destroy Angels – an industrial-electro project featuring Nine Inch Nails' longtime art director Rob Sheridan and mastermind Trent Reznor, the latter man's wife Mariqueen Maandig and composer/producer Atticus Ross – I'd urge anyone remotely curious about the new outfit to at least stop by the Mojave tent and soak in some of the experience.
Not to fall back on grand clichés, but it bears saying: the 75-minute show, packed with the most jarring cuts from the just-released debut Welcome Oblivion, included a multimedia undertaking the likes few have ever attempted – comparable to what Roger Waters might stage yet tailored to a gothic-electro audience appreciative of surrealism.
Multiple 3D projectors that cast futuristic and ethereal imagery across mobile curtains of white beads – sometimes obstructing the band, other times framing them as they moved along tracks – enhanced complexly glitchy compositions like "The Wake-Up" and "A Drowning," the main set's respective opener and closer.
Surround sound, achieved by extra speakers set up at the room's rear, completed the scheme. What resulted was an extrasensory hypnosis with nuanced analog blips and synth lines that could be unexpectedly calming (as on the serene, stripped-down "Ice Age," sung solely by Maandig) or just the opposite, grinding and nearly overwhelming in combination with Reznor's animal wails and familiarly fiery guitar on "Parasite" and "The Loop Closes."
The set's three-song encore concluded with a cacophony comprising Ross's, Sheridan's and Maandig's synths and effects. Overlaid with Reznor's guitar, his tone altered to resound like a hurricane-strength wind, the noises echoed in and out of the speakers, eventually resolving into a clearly and sweetly delivered final lyric from Maandig: "I can't seem to tell if I am dreaming anymore."
Assuming you're lucky enough to actually worm your way inside Mojave to get the full effect Friday night, those words pretty much sum up the end result.
Trent Reznor (aka Mr. Mariqueen Maandig) at the Fox Theater. Photo: David Hall, for the Register


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Read the full story here Web Link posted Thursday, February 28, 2013, 4:18 PM
Town Square
Palo Alto teachers seek pay raise
Original post made on Feb 28, 2013
Read the full story here Web Link posted Thursday, February 28, 2013, 4:18 PM
Comments (89)
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Feb 28, 2013 at 4:31 pm
The PAUSD teachers have a very nice work lifestyle and environment. I think periodic pay raises are appropriate, though, but I am NOT in favor of across-the-board union-demanded raises.
Teachers are professionals and should be evaluated individually.
It is time to de-unionize. Some teachers here are outstanding, and some should not have been tenured after the short couple of years. Like any work environment, there are a spectrum of individuals with different performance, aptitudes, accomplishments.
BTW, noting that Superintendent Skelley had a nice 5% raise recently (last year? - it was noted in a Daily Post issue this week), I can see how teachers are also interested in raises.
Another point is the often eye-opening pay many local area government employees receive; I think the PAUSD teachers have a point when compared against many of those folks.
So - I guess I can see two sides to this issue.
BTW to my knowledge, in the local private employment sphere, bonuses and raises are hard to come by in the past couple of years.
Also, many people can't live in the city where they work - no one is necessarily entitled to that. I had to commute to San Francisco and couldn't afford to live there...I lived in another peninsula city with rotten weather and lower rents.
a resident of Charleston Gardens
on Feb 28, 2013 at 5:06 pm
Will the Special Ed teachers who didn't take care of the bullying case properly and the personnel who transferred the second student with the same sickness to Terman also get raises with the bonus last year? I am so amazed that still some teachers are working very hard.
a resident of Duveneck/St. Francis
on Feb 28, 2013 at 6:01 pm
It is a little gross that Paley is calling an average salary of $85,721 indecent, when the average US salary is $46k and the median is only $26k (and those people work all 12 months a year). Not to mention the California unemployment rate sitting around 10%. How about being grateful for that money and the great job in a great city?
It is unfortunate that living in PA is so expensive that it excludes people who work here, but that doesn't mean the money is available to fix that.
a resident of Downtown North
on Feb 28, 2013 at 7:55 pm
Since when teachers have to live in the city they teach???? That is silly. There are so many people that works in Palo Alto and does not live here. Our city is expensive and not everyone can live here, that is a fact. It is silly to think that we need to raise teacher's salaries for them to be able to afford one million dollar+ homes. Really silly. We are already paying well, and there are a lot of teachers in our district that do a terrible job and most definetly do not deserve a raise.
a resident of Midtown
on Feb 28, 2013 at 7:59 pm
Brian Guth-Pasta is a registered user.
For those who don't know, Cystic Fibrosis patients who come into contact with one another can lead to further complications which the school would be liable for. In 2009, the median predicted age of survival was in the mid-30s, and that's without the cross-complication risk. Web Link)?
a resident of Downtown North
on Feb 28, 2013 at 11:16 pm
$85,000 to work 9 months a year is excellent. Too bad many Palo Alto teachers are paid it but don't earn it. Don't like the pay, choose a different line of work. Unions supporting non-qual members is what is wrong with America. You are entitled to nothing, earn your wages.
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Feb 28, 2013 at 11:36 pm
Brian, that subject has been discussed in depth on other threads. The child who was transferred did not have CF, he carried a gene, and it sounded like the district blew it all out of proportion. At the district level, they have a way of not working with parents, and just sort of going off on their own, believing and doing whatever they want because mostly they get away with it - that case was no different.
I have family who are high-level college administrators, in the most highly-paid departments, and they typically don't make a lot more than just the plain professors. When did we get to where the superintendent and this massive bureaucracy at the top commanded perks plus salary that were so much higher than teacher pay? Cut those excessive admin salaries back to be reasonable in relationship to teacher pay and you'd probably be able to increase the teacher pay bump by half or more.
Our teachers do important work. I do not begrudge them a good salary. I do begrudge that we pay the superintendent and assistant superintendent both more than the salary of the governor of California, WHICH by the way, was cut back not that long ago. Maybe we should make a rule that we can't pay them more than the governor, including the perks package. That would save, what, $400,000? more? right there, just between those two administrators, and there are lots more administrators making way more than they provide value to the district. We could save millions. I'm sure there are lots of qualified people out there who are a little more hungry and inclined to want to work with families instead of lord over them.
a resident of Old Palo Alto
on Mar 1, 2013 at 7:10 am
Not worth it.
a resident of Downtown North
on Mar 1, 2013 at 7:37 am
Raises should be on performance.
a resident of Charleston Meadows
on Mar 1, 2013 at 8:11 am
Teachers are actually compensated quite well in comparison to other professionals. If the worked 12 months instead of 9, thier salary would be around $114k. This doesn't include the extraordinary retirement benefits they accrue nor the fact they have amazing job security. All of which adds up to an a high level of compensation for a lot of teachers who phone it in. Teachers need to realize the union mentality of everyone is treated the same regardless of merit hurts their case. Some are amazing but there are also a lot of lazy and just plain bad teachers also and we have to treat them as equals. It's simply not the Real World, so teachers shouldn't compare themselves to that world unless they want to have the same risks and retirement benefits as the rest of us.
a resident of Professorville
on Mar 1, 2013 at 9:03 am
"It's time to de-unionize".
Yeah right, that has about a snow balls chance in hell.
And that is their decision anyway, not yours.
In this despicable climate, where the "citizens" view the teachers with about as much respect they would show their gardeners or housekeepers (actually less) this probably won't fly.
But keep it up!
a resident of South of Midtown
on Mar 1, 2013 at 10:52 am
Generally speaking, one evaluates an entire compensation package--not just salary. What is the value of retirement, health and other benefits that are provided?
More information,please.
a resident of Old Palo Alto
on Mar 1, 2013 at 11:13 am
While health, etc. should be counted let's not forget that those aren't take-home pay items and can't buy food or gas. The majority of teachers work very hard not only during 10 months school is in session but over the summer on their own time prepping for the next year.
Over 50% of Palo Alto teachers have Master's degrees. The PAUSD students benefit from having such an educated teaching staff, and that comes at a price. You get what you pay for.
a resident of Barron Park
on Mar 1, 2013 at 11:27 am
Absolutely grossly overpaid in wages and benefits and incredible job security. Private sector has wages and benefits coming down for years. In public sector you have job security AND escalating wages and benefits (they never go down)..paid for by that down escalator of the private sector. Completely unsustainable.
a resident of Palo Alto High School
on Mar 1, 2013 at 11:36 am
The $85K average figure is misleading. That average includes all of the teachers in the district who have multiple degrees and have been teaching 20 + years. I have been teaching for several years and make nowhere near $85K. Also the salary schedule "caps out" at around $105K, so no teacher will ever make more than that. I'm not complaining, I'm just clarifying. The salary schedule can be found online as a PDF document -- google "pausd certificated salary schedule."
The underlying issues here are respect, equity, fairness, and teacher morale. Teachers in this district work hard, are expected to do a lot of extra work outside the classroom, beyond contract hours, on weekends and many work on curriculum over the summer too. We have watched administrators (Skelley in particular, but not just him) who lie and are borderline incompetent get raises yet when we ask for a meager one, the community calls us greedy and lazy. We have watched the district spend incredible amounts of money on facilities and ipads and smartboards,not to mention lawyers to clean up the messes made by the immoral and incompetent above us, but when we ask for the sake of our and our students' safety our classroom door locks be replaced with ones that can be locked from the inside, we are told it's "too expensive." And all the while they cut our medical benefits and keep our salaries flat, all the while asking us to "do more" and "do better."
I don't know how many people saw the recent article in the news that relayed the state wide survey of California public teachers, but the feedback was dismal. Teachers state wide are feeling the negative sentiments reflected often on this forum.
Palo Alto teachers are dedicated and hard working for the most part. We are constantly evaluated by parents, department heads, peers, students, and administrators. We put in lots of extra hours beyond what is "required" because we are passionate about the quality of our work and our commitment to students.
For a community and a district that demands "the best" for its students, one would think that they would honor teachers a lot more, and not be outraged that we are asking for a humble salary increase for the first time in years, as district spending on other things continues to increase and the district reserves get bigger and bigger. We would never have dreamed of asking for a raise when the budget crisis was real -- but now the district can certainly afford it, and it's the right thing to do.
a resident of Barron Park
on Mar 1, 2013 at 11:37 am
Teachers here work 10 months, not 9. They must be back on campus August 10, 2013. They also work far more than 40 hrs a week. Lesson planning & preps, homework & test corrections/grading, plus the numerous emails & phone calls from & to parents questioning grades, asking for test re-takes, assisting students outside the classroom, etc, takes many hours per week.
Not all teachers are "great" but their working conditions aren't that great either, depending on the school in which they teach & the quality of the administrators there. Some principals are notoriously unsupportive of teachers and seriously out of synch with classroom & student issues. Most teachers spend their own money for classroom supplies, photocopying, and, if the classroom has a printer, it's because the teacher purchased it himself. Middle & HS teachers buy dictionaries & thesauri for their own rooms because the doesn't provide them. Might sound like no big deal to you, but teachers plopping out $200-400 of his own money each August to equip his room is something people forget about. Classrooms at most PA schools don't have telephones, so teachers use their personal cell phones, or home phones, to answer all the parent requests for return calls. At PAHS, there are only 2 phones in the English dept. office, shared by about 25 teachers.
Teachers aren't perfect but they are human. If you're going to complain about how much they get paid, please consider the actual time & personal costs that are involved as you compare their salaries with those in other local professions.
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Mar 1, 2013 at 11:44 am
If teachers don't get a raise, I suspect some will re-evaluate how hard they want to continue to work in a town that demands a lot from them while disrespecting them all the time. It's not immoral, it's basic self preservation logic and it applies to all careers, not just teaching. If you are repeatedly told you are not worth it, you will adjust your energies accordingly. Just read this forum once a week and you get a pretty good idea of how they are treated, and a small salary increase is hardly something to condemn them for. My kids have had a great education in Palo Alto and I think the teachers deserve much better than they're getting on this forum. Be careful -- You get what you pay for!
a resident of Palo Alto High School
on Mar 1, 2013 at 12:10 pm
Sue and Teacher-
I agree that most PAUSD work hard, but I disagree with a few of your comments. A beginning teacher's pay is over $51K, which is a great starting salary. Teachers may start on August 10th, but school now ends in May, so they get 2 1/2 months off. Teachers should NOT be paying for supplies at all in this District, our PTAs raise enough money, teachers just need to ask. Many PTAs routinely give teachers an amount at the beginning automatically to spend on supplies. Facilities money comes from a different source than salaries. A lot of the white boards, etc. have been purchased with PTA funds too.
I think elementary teachers put in a ton of hours. Middle and High school not so much (depends on the teacher). Once you have your curriculum in place, secondary teachers have less to do. Many of my kids teachers do not answer emails for weeks (middle school, some never answered) and would only meet with parents during their prep period, during school hours. One of my kid's middle school math teacher refused to meet with parents ever (even kids with 504s or IEPs when requested to join a School Study Team by the Guidance office). A couple teachers have their email set up to tell parents that they are off work and will respond during school hours only. As far as there not being phone lines for teachers to use, every one of my kids teachers from 4th grade on has asked parents not to contact them by phone, only email.
While work conditions may not be perfect in PAUSD, the kids generally come to school clean, well fed, healthy, with school supplies, homework done, etc. Parents are often demanding, but are also usually supportive. Most of the principals are good.
All that said, I think the teachers deserve a raise. I also would love for the unions to be gone so we could reward our outstanding teachers with even larger raises. Salary based on years of experience instead of effort and performance is just wrong.
a resident of Palo Alto High School
on Mar 1, 2013 at 12:12 pm
I'm a teacher at Paly and I spend my own money on things for the classroom and for my own professional development all the time. And until this year I was using my personal cell phone for all parent (and across campus) calls because we did not have phones in our rooms.
a resident of Professorville
on Mar 1, 2013 at 12:37 pm
"Absolutely grossly overpaid in wages and benefits and incredible job security. Private sector has wages and benefits coming down for years. In public sector you have job security AND escalating wages and benefits (they never go down)..paid for by that down escalator of the private sector. Completely unsustainable."
So the private sector gets rampaged by consultants and out-sourcing. Then this is used to foster envy and resentment towards public sector workers. And then buzz word "unsustainable".
Yes unsustainable. We need to regain unionization of the private sector, tax the bejesus out of the wealthy, and keep the progress that we have.
In Finland the teachers are unionized. Best schools in the world.
The problem is the disrespect and totally unsustainable superiority attitude expressed by the quote above. May the chickens come home to roost!
a resident of Barron Park
on Mar 1, 2013 at 12:49 pm
What is interesting is the fact there are many tutoring places opening up in Palo Alto. Why is that if the education is so superior?
I think they should get rid of homework, or at least have kids complete the work in class. There is a lot of lecturing that goes on in class. Better to have them doing something. If they don't finish then it is homework due the next day. Have quizzes to see if they are understanding the material.
Private tutoring was, the last time I used them, was $75/hour. That is not bad.
I think a good idea would be to tie a raise to responding by phone.or email parents concerns and at the end of the day. Make that part of their contract.
a resident of Charleston Gardens
on Mar 1, 2013 at 12:51 pm
If you need a telephone and materials for your class, the district should buy them with the surplus money. Probably not you, but other lazy teachers will just pocket their raises and even not bother to buy stuff for their classes. Oh, they do online shopping during their classes. Students are watching.
Gunn science department collects donations from students every year, warning that they can't buy enough stuff for science unless they have enough money. There is no surplus. The district just doesn't spend money for students.
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Mar 1, 2013 at 12:55 pm
I'm for giving them all the raises they want, if they just quit the horrible union.
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Mar 1, 2013 at 1:01 pm
Paley spoke at length about the message the board's actions on compensation send to teachers. He could afford to listen more himself. He refused to use InClass (now Schoology) citing illogical concerns like security, which make no sense coming from a computer scientist in a world where trillions of dollars are managed securely.
Spare a thought Josh, for what message YOUR actions send to parents and students.
a resident of Palo Alto High School
on Mar 1, 2013 at 1:02 pm
Teacher - I am truly curious, have you asked the PTA for the $$ for supplies? Or your students' parents? Or asked for the specific supplies from parents? Over the years, we've been asked for everything from Kleenex to a photo printer, someone has always come through. I know a lot of teachers pay for their own professional development, I pay for some courses related to my career too. Thank you for doing that! I'm not sure what the big deal is with using your own phone for phone calls, your students and their parents are a local call, although not having a phone in the classroom could be a safety issue.
a resident of Mountain View
on Mar 1, 2013 at 1:33 pm
Wow, I use to want to teach in Palo Alto because of the EXCELLENT reputation the schools have and the quality of teachers. After reading all of these awful comments about greedy teachers and horrible unions, I am glad I teach in a district that has supportive parents. They may not have the resources that Palo Alto parents have to their schools, but they RESPECT us. I wouldn't want to work in a district where parents will be so disrespectful of the teachers.
The teachers are the union, it isn't a separate entity. The executive board of a teacher's association are all teachers, who step up to be the voice of the teachers. The union doesn't protect bad teachers. Teachers are given permanent status by administrators, not the union (other teachers), they are evaluated by administrators, not their fellow teachers. If there is a teacher who isn't doing their job, a district can take steps to help improve that teacher and if the teacher chooses not to improve a district has a right to get rid of them. Administrators need to do their jobs. The union only protects due process and helps protect good teachers that might be higher on the salary schedule, so that they don't get fired for being expensive. Maybe the private sector needs that. Instead of being down on teachers for having job security, maybe you should want that for ALL professions. Because you might not have job security, no one should?
Also, teachers pay into their pensions and they DO NOT get 100% of their pay when they retire. People need to stop spouting things they hear on Fox news and learn the facts.
No wonder morale is down for Palo Alto teachers. To be treated so poorly and called names by such obviously, entitled and demanding community members would make anyone feel unvalued and beat down. Not only do you get what you pay for, but you will get back what you put out there. If I taught in Palo Alto I would seriously consider leaving!
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Mar 1, 2013 at 1:51 pm
Teacher from Mountain View, what you have written sounds like CTA drivel, something that Wendy Plew or Lisa Vieler would spew. Union leadership spend their time with lawyers either asking for more money or protecting those bad lemons that you wrote about. Our top administrator's latest issue demonstrates that there are good and bad ones just like their are many truly great Palo Alto teachers, some horrible ones, and a bunch in the middle. Should we pay each one the same amount?
a resident of Mountain View
on Mar 1, 2013 at 2:21 pm
Do your job, I don't work in a district right around here and I don't know either of those people you mentioned, who I am assuming work for CTA. What I said isn't "CTA drivel" it is what I feel. I don't need to listen to others and spout their words. I am an intelligent, educated individual. I can think and speak for myself. I have been in a leadership position in my district in the past and I NEVER met with a lawyer and we never protected "bad lemons". It sounds like you are a teacher if you know CTA staff. Do you protect a bad teacher? Do you go and tell them they aren't doing their job well? Do you let Admin, know YOU are the union, if you don't speak up and do something, then YOU are protecting those bad lemons, not the leaders. Maybe you should Do your job
a resident of Downtown North
on Mar 1, 2013 at 2:40 pm
Dear Teachers,
I am so ashamed by some of these comments. My only hope is that the vast majority of
people do respect the people that teach our children, and want a decent living standard
to extend to them. I am almost crying as I read these disrespectful comments. I am also nearly speechless.
a resident of Palo Verde
on Mar 1, 2013 at 3:29 pm
I'm just curious, how do teachers at private schools fare comparatively?
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Mar 1, 2013 at 3:56 pm
I work in a private, independent school. Looking at the PAUSD salary schedule, it looks like our school pays similarly to PAUSD +/- a few hundred dollars. The medical benefits at public schools are typically better. We have defined contribution plans, not benefit plans. Our class sizes are smaller, we have few classroom management issues, and we typically don't have to ask very loudly to get resources.
But most of all, it sounds like my school's parent community values us more than this group values their public teachers. Perhaps the posters are the most vocal detractors of PAUSD; hopefully, they are not the majority.
a resident of Gunn High School
on Mar 1, 2013 at 3:56 pm
My son, my nephew and my three nieces all went to private schools. My son went to a school in Los Altos at the time, my nephew in Aptos, one niece in Woodside, and two nieces in Japan.
ALL of those teachers made more than public school teachers, the ones in Japan WAY! WAY more. Most, except the ones on Japan, did not have benefits quite as good.
However, a close friend teaches at a private school in Los Gatos. She teaches preschool there. She makes more money doing that, and even has a shorter day, than she did teaching fifth grade in Los Gatos public schools previously. She also has MUCH better medical benefits, but no other benefits than that.
a resident of Duveneck/St. Francis
on Mar 1, 2013 at 4:15 pm
The issue isn't that some teachers don't deserve more money, or even a lot more money. It is that it should be merit based, not an across the board increase.
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Mar 1, 2013 at 4:20 pm
Obviously what should happen is to dismiss Charles Young, who as the district's compliance officer failed to implement our written policies for complaints. Young earns nearly 200K. That money could be redistributed to teachers, along with the salaries of other surplus district officials who are unnecessary given that we have a system of site based control. Frankly you could leave Young's job vacant because having no one might be an improvement over having someone who is often inaccurate in the representations he makes. Or you could get a recent Stanford graduate intern in that job, since at least they would be diligent and care about whether they get a good recommendation or not.
a resident of Duveneck/St. Francis
on Mar 1, 2013 at 4:26 pm
If the district wouldn't waste money on things like landscaping Churchill and the excessive building of the athletic facilities (do we really need that huge entrance tower at Paly? Is that the Hansen Tower? ) then there'd be more money for teachers.
Hard to defend the teachers given their protection by the union. But also amazing that with all the money flowing in to the district that they're having financial problems.
Josh Paley says that his teachers back in Urbana, IL could afford to live in Urbana. First off, Palo Alto has obscenely expensive real estate, so that's just not realistic. A quick check shows that a 1st year teacher in Urbana makes $36,100, in Palo Alto, $51,422, or 42 % more. A teacher w 10 yrs experience a Masters and 30 credits of post grad work makes $49,027 in Urbana and $75,516 in Palo Alto, 54% more. The highest salary shown in Urbana is $81,174, which isn't even the "average" here in Palo Alto.
a resident of another community
on Mar 1, 2013 at 4:31 pm
Look at the RANGE of teacher salaries published today in the Daily News.....look at the range. Most teachers don't earn anything like 80k.
Why is wealthy Palo Alto so cheap? You really want your teachers to live 50-60 miles away and commute on those salaries.
I believe teachers should ABSOLUTELY have their raise.
a resident of Stanford
on Mar 1, 2013 at 5:08 pm
I am not a big fan of unions. That said, I respect and value teachers more than I can say. Do some posting here have any idea of the hours they put in outside of school, how mentally and emotionally involved they are in their work and their students, and the depth of their commitment? Not all, of course, as in every profession. And in Palo Alto they also expected to note psychological changes in their students, to almost act as therapists AND teachers.
I say they deserve every penny of their salaries.
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Mar 1, 2013 at 5:53 pm
I have every idea of what it means to be a teacher. I am one. The pay is fine, increased contributions to health plans eats up more of my paycheck, and teachers in all districts deserve a raise. But to suggest that we are all equally effective is where you lose rationale people. Parents can honor and value teachers without turning a blind eye towards ineffective teachers. but will everyone admit that we have ineffective teachers? Notice that PAEA and CTA have not come out and supported Skelly and Young nor have they proposed suggestions to combat bullying in the PAUSD. All you heard from Teri Baldwin was we need more money because some of us can't afford to live in Palo Alto.
a resident of another community
on Mar 1, 2013 at 6:09 pm
No one ever suggested that talent/effectiveness doesn't vary among teachers. Some teachers are terrific, some are not -- just like in any profession. Doctors, lawyers, IT professionals included.
But this community has chosen to attack its teachers, despite the evidence that the district's students consistently perform at the highest level, despite tremendous pressures at home to perform.
Reading some of the anti-teacher posts on this site suggests that it would not be unreasonable to see this salary increase as "hazard-pay" for enduring the vicious community attacks. But there are objective economic reasons for the pay increase.
a resident of East Palo Alto
on Mar 1, 2013 at 9:54 pm
@Teacher, a member of the Palo Alto High School community - any thoughts about your fellow (transparent) classified? Moral? respect? fairness?
I have posted the following just prior to the recent OCR news -link: Web Link
Several threads in the past months addressed financial issues - those threads were not about kids safety, bullying etc. A parent commented there:
"It is a plantation mentality and it is clearly split down racial lines, you simply need to know your place. " - great description of PAUSD for many of us who need to know our place. Plantations had methods of teaching one's place.
Unfortunately, bullying is not "reserved" only to kids. That mentality hearts all. The kids breath the plantation air many hours a day. Classified are many times the closest to the kids, know what is going on.
a resident of Palo Alto High School
on Mar 1, 2013 at 11:12 pm
After 10 years teaching (working my butt off, by the way) in Palo Alto, I have finally had enough. Enough parents bullying me, kids begging for points, parents' relentless crusades to persecute teachers in order to save their kids from consequences for cheating or a teacher "giving" their kid anything less than a B. I am overworked, disrespected, unprotected by administrators, and have basically been working at a pay CUT (no cost of living increase combined with a decrease in district coverage of medical benefits = pay cut) for 4 years. Every other public high school and private high school I have researched pays MORE than PAUSD and I am 100% sure has a much more respectful and reasonable parent population. We should actually be asking for a 7% raise by my comparative research. Good luck, palo alto. I'm moving on.
a resident of Palo Alto High School
on Mar 1, 2013 at 11:30 pm
Thank you to those in the community who support us and our request for a very small raise. The union issue is an entirely different subject and one that teachers do not have control over. I must say that in this particular community no teacher in his/her right mind would teach here without union protection from parents and lawsuits.
And to those who continue to disparage us for asking that our hard work and value to hour children be acknowledged financially just to keep our salaries at #5 (I think it's not even that high if you compare pausd to san mateo county and marin county districts) compared to other local districts, I certainly hope you aren't asking your kids' teachers to do a minute of work (especially responding to your emails and meeting requests!) outside the contracted school hours.
a resident of East Palo Alto
on Mar 1, 2013 at 11:36 pm
@PA teacher, a member of the Palo Alto High School community,
@Teacher , a member of the Palo Alto High School community -
Any thoughts about your fellow (transparent) classified? Moral? respect? fairness?
a resident of Professorville
on Mar 1, 2013 at 11:47 pm
How is the raise calculated, a percentage of base salary?
The raise for the 100,000+club, would be gynormous. Can the biggest earners ask for less?
I really wish that the union would allow performance pay in PAUSD. I bet parents around here would put in buckets into a bonus pool for good teachers.
a resident of Barron Park
on Mar 2, 2013 at 6:40 am
PAUSD teachers are scheduled to work 185ish days, 180 of which are with students. Please note that there are 240 working days each year so they work approximately 75% of the normal year-round job. Please note that they also get 10 sick days on top of that that they can bank and use to be out of the classroom for weeks or even months at a time.
And while we do have some amazing teachers, it would be VERY easy to replace each and every single one of them. For every job posting, they get hundreds of applications. Teachers would gladly commute over an hour each way to have the average salary in PAUSD - and these are GREAT teachers.
Please don't live in a bubble and think that PAUSD teachers are amazing. Yes, like any district, there are some PAUSD teachers who are great and very talented. BUT every district has teachers like this, some of them many many more.
And as a rough guess, if there wasn't tenure in PAUSD and the principals were given permission to let go of the teachers who put in a minimal effort, teachers who create problems because of their behaviors towards students and parents, and/or teachers who just generally collect a paycheck each year, you'd see at least 25% of PAUSD replaced that summer.
And that 25% is a low estimate.
I'd fully support a substantial wage increase for the good teachers. That's for every district though. In fact, instead of donating to PIE, we take those funds and provide them directly to our student's teacher for use in the classroom.
a resident of another community
on Mar 2, 2013 at 9:06 am
To those in PA who constantly disparage teachers (and firefighters, etc.) -- how about doing the job for a month, then seeing how you feel about the salaries?
a resident of Leland Manor/Garland Drive
on Mar 2, 2013 at 9:13 am
Private school teacher - You said "Our class sizes are smaller, we have few classroom management issues, and we typically don't have to ask very loudly to get resources" I would LOVE to give our teachers that! I assume you are not in a union and that if you do your job poorly, you can be let go. Unfortunately, the few bad teachers that we are stuck with are the ones parents talk about, not the great ones. And we have a lot of great, hard-working teachers that make a difference in our kids lives every day.
I would love to be able to reward the great teachers. And eliminate the terrible ones that make kids dread going to school.
a resident of East Palo Alto
on Mar 2, 2013 at 11:20 am
@PA teacher, a member of the Palo Alto High School community;
@Teacher , a member of the Palo Alto High School community -
Any thoughts about your fellow (transparent) classified? Moral? respect? fairness?
Extra credit:
How would you define by-standing?
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Mar 2, 2013 at 12:09 pm
> I'm a teacher at Paly and I spend my own money on
> things for the classroom
We hear this sort of complaint all the time, yet we almost never are offered any details to explain the situation. Can the person who posted this provide a little clarification?
Please tell us:
1) Do you have any budget (as a teacher, or as a department) for classroom supplies?
2) If so, how much?
3) Do you ever spend your own money for supplies, and then seek repayment from a school source?
4) Has any group of teachers ever pooled their receipts and presented them to the School Board (and the public) as to how much you believe (at a minimum) your need for "classroom supplies" might be?
5) Could you provide us here, in this thread, how much you believe you should be provided by the public for "supplies"?
6) Have you sought any funds from PIE, or PTA, sources for these "supplies"?
7) Could you itemize some of the items, and costs, you've paid for over the last year?
> and for my own professional
> development all the time.
In the real world, most people pay for their own "professional development". So, why should people (taxpayers) be expected to pay for their own "development"—and then be expected to pay for yours too?
So—could you tell us how much you are paying yearly? And could you relate that number to future pay increases that come with "professional development"?
> And until this year I was using my personal cell
> phone for all parent (and across campus) calls
> because we did not have phones in our rooms.
This is an interesting. Way back in the mid-90s, teachers were complaining about no telephones in the classrooms. So, the taxpayers passed Measure B, and then Measure A. Telephone access should have been available via those funds. Are you saying that there are still classrooms in district schools without some sort of telephone service?
By the way, these days there is email, Instant Messenger, and VoIP—all of which are Internet-based. Are you aware of these new communications tools, or just unwilling to use them?
a resident of Charleston Meadows
on Mar 2, 2013 at 12:18 pm
I totally support to give a raise to good teachers. There should be a performance review of each teacher, not just by their boss in school, but also includes parents and students survey. And, this performance review should be available for public for auditing. Then, base on this review, good teachers should have pay raise, and bad teachers will get warning notice without raise. Since you teachers are all public workers, this info should be open to any resident in Palo Alto. Last Thursday's Daily Post published each teacher's salary, which is a little shocking to see many make $95-100k a year. And, I do recognize some names that my kids and I used to complain about them, but fell into a "black hole" anyway....that is the frustration of a student and parent.
California is ranking #41 at the bottom of the US schools and gets "F". This is a shame for such a rich state. Do teachers feel the responsibility that they should work on this lower rating to improve it, instead of only asking money?
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Mar 2, 2013 at 12:53 pm
> California is ranking #41 at the bottom of
> the US schools and gets "F".
Comments like this frequently appear in discussions like these, but really don't mean anything—because there are many, many, variables that need to be added to the equation before anyone can make any sense out of the results.
For instance, California is the home of millions of recent, and illegal, immigrants from south of the border (primarily Mexico). High school graduation rates in Mexico are barely 30%, and college graduation rates far, far, lower. Most of these immigrants do not speak English well, and most certainly don't spend a lot of time in intellectual pursuits. This clearly disadvantages their kids—with high school graduation rates in the Los Angeles area at about 50% for these sub-groups.
It doesn't matter how much you pay teachers, because the parents are the driving factor in their education, their socialization, and the transmission of "culture". These kids are clearly disadvantaged, by birth, and the California Public School System is not going to mitigate that situation very much.
We also have to look at the hidden costs of education—such as capital expenditures. Most school districts do not clearly track capital costs—which can often be in the hundreds of millions of dollars. One high school in Los Angeles recently ended up costing over $500M! Here in Palo Alto, with Measure B and Measure A expenditure authorizations ($85M + $375M + financing costs)somewhere over $600M to $700M in building rehabs/new construction, from 1995 until maybe 2020 (or so). It will be very hard to find the PAUSD openly tracking these costs, although there might be tidbits in the yearly budgets. It's very likely that less than 5% of the current parents are remotely aware of the capital that has been funneled into this school district over the years.
The Legislative Analyst's Office for the State of California tracks educational costs, as the US DoE. California is about average in its per-student spending (about $10,500 per student per year).
Another point to remember is that there are no tests that are fully nationalized. The NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) is not administered to every school. The aggregate scores are extrapolated statistically. So, whatever rankings that people come up with are based on a less-than-rigorous set of test data.
Even national rankings of teachers' salaries are just raw data. To make any sense of of them, they would need to be weighted by various factors, such as years-in-service, and local cost-of-living. These sorts of analyses are never done—particularly by the teachers unions, which are most always the source of these data.
What's also missing from these sorts of comparisons are the long-term pension payouts for teachers who retire at 30 years. In California, teachers who retire at 30 years will receive 72% of the final salary. For teachers retiring with salaries at/above $100K, that means that they will receive a pension payout of at least $72,000 each year for the rest of their lives. COLAs are applied, so that over time, this $72K creeps up, and could easily be at/over $100K per year. This means that these "underpaid" teachers will also be receiving between $3M and $4M in retirement—all of which is not on the table, when we are talking about salary increases.
It's very hard to find jobs in the private sector these days where people get $3M-$4M pensions. However, these pension payouts seem to be guaranteed by the taxpayers for people like teachers, however.
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Mar 2, 2013 at 1:20 pm
I do criticize some teachers in the PAUSD. There are some awful ones in certain schools and like anything awful in any body or organization, they tend to take attention from the majority of good to great teachers. However, after reading this thread, there are a couple of you out there who seem to think that it is not allowed to criticize teachers, PAEA, CTA, or their leadership, such as Teri Baldwin, who told us publicly last Tuesday that a teacher was actually commuting from Santa Cruz. Does she know how elitist she comes off? Why are teachers not storming the board meetings and 25 Churchill demanding the resignation of Kevin Skelly and Charles Young? Why are they not protesting the incompetence of the board, which said they would have liked to know about tr OCR violation "in April"? Why haven't the principals spoken up?
Obviously, the culture of the PAUSD is one of silence. Be quiet and collect your check and health benefits, which is evidence of a corrupt, broken system. It's just something that we have to accept. But if teachers and principals had spoken during Open Forum last Tuesday, think how heroic those of us would have viewed them. Taking a social and professional risk to benefit a child or children is what we are all about. Teri Baldwin, never approach that dais again unless you make that abundantly clear. We don't care that you have to buy gasoline. We have to buy it to. Doesn't matter that you are not living in Professorville. There are affordable apartments in the Ventura corridor. Stick up for kids, stand up against tenured teachers who are not performing, and I'll march down to the board and lead the charge to double whatever you are asking for.
a resident of Professorville
on Mar 2, 2013 at 1:24 pm
To the teacher who posted she has to buy some of her own supplies...
The poster "Wondering" has provided you with an itemized list for which he/she expects a reply to. Your failure to do so in an expedient manner shows your lack of respect for her ordinate position. This means you are probably one of the "bad" teachers. And only your union is preventing you from being summarily dismissed for this rank insubordination.
Snap to it!
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Mar 2, 2013 at 1:44 pm
Thank you, Wondering?
You have added vital details to put the situation in a context where it can be better understood. I hope we can all get better educated on the subject of public education and the incredible vast resources devoted to it.
On a related matter, I have contacted my legislators to recommend streamlining of CA's public ed system, including consolidation of districts, consolidation of the two top execs, and other creative ideas to reduce bureaucracy and bring more dollars to the classroom, but these emails and letters have received no meaningful response - EVER - from our politicians.
a resident of another community
on Mar 2, 2013 at 5:34 pm
I think people should also know that teachers contribute over 8% of their salary towards their pension. Teachers do not get a "match" of what they put in. What current teachers contribute now, helps support the retired teachers.
I'm curious to what the private sector put towards their retirement and what percent receive a match from their company?
a resident of Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on Mar 2, 2013 at 6:55 pm
Just a teacher -
Depending on the type of retirement plan somewhere between 20-50% of full time employees have a retirement plan (the average being 34%). The best retirement plans typically match the employees' contribution of up to 6% of their income.
In other words, most private employees don't have a company retirement plan at all.
a resident of Professorville
on Mar 2, 2013 at 7:11 pm
All your inane questions are answered here.
Web Link
BTW it was created by the CA Teachers Union. This is really what's it all about.
a resident of Duveneck/St. Francis
on Mar 2, 2013 at 10:03 pm
@A Noun Ea Mus - California has a very progressive income tax. The top 1% account for 40% of income tax revenue. The top 10% account for 75% of revenue. Don't blame the rich not paying enough for the terrible management of California.
a resident of Palo Verde
on Mar 3, 2013 at 1:06 am
>> what the private sector put towards their retirement
In the private sector I contribute 6.2% of my gross income toward my pension and my employer matches with another 6.2%. (I note that my employer doesn't print this matching money, I must earn it for the enterprise, or looked at another way our customers pay it through increased prices.)
I may retire at age 67, after 40+ years of contributing, and collect around 22% of my final covered salary for the rest of my life, indexed for inflation. Non-teachers will recognize this as Social Security.
Even though it's regressive, I may live long enough to collect what was put in, as long as the government doesn't begin to means-test it.
My tax-deferred 401k will add to this, but will probably turn out to be a wash compared to just banking it as post-tax dollars. Moving to Nevada might help.
a resident of Evergreen Park
on Mar 3, 2013 at 8:02 am
In four months when PAUSD gives the teachers a 3-5% raise on the salary schedule, don't be surprised.
Horrible decision but it's going to happen.
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Mar 3, 2013 at 12:25 pm
Paley's argument suggests that because he works in Palo Alto and serves the community here, that he is somehow entitled to live here. It would be nice but that doesn't mean it's justified. I doubt he wants to pay his garbage worker or street cleaner (who also serve the local community) the wage they would need to live here. If this is his only justification for asking for a raise, it's nonsense. He needs to understand that wages (and property values) are based on supply and demand, not on some other principle -- the USSR tried some of the other approaches and we all know what happened there.
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Mar 3, 2013 at 12:34 pm
> And until this year I was using my personal cell
> phone for all parent (and across campus) calls
> because we did not have phones in our rooms.
I use my cell phone for my work every day. My employer does not compensate me for my cell phone (other than my salary). Welcome, teacher, to the real world your non-pensioned taxpayers live in.
And as for this:
> I think a good idea would be to tie a raise to responding by
> phone.or email parents concerns and at the end of the day.
> Make that part of their contract.
I could not agree MORE. The number of times I have emailed a teacher and gotten no response or just a completely useless response is disgusting. Some of them take advantage of the fact that they're really not held accountable for communication. No wonder they want to stick it out here rather than in the real world and risk unemployment.
a resident of Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on Mar 3, 2013 at 1:00 pm
There are actually a couple things I would like tied to teacher's raises (or their contract)
Posting grades on Infinite Campus on a regular basis (more than 3 times a semester). Some teachers are wonderful, some never or almost never post anything.
Grading work in a timely manner
Posting assignments to Schoology
Responding to parent's emails in a timely manner (our kids have had teachers that never respond and/or refuse to meet with parents even at the request of administrators)
And in my ideal world, we would have only one online source for school, not a combo of Infinite Campus, Schoology, Facebook and teacher websites.
a resident of another community
on Mar 3, 2013 at 2:33 pm
As an out of state teacher (reading paloaltoonline because my children attend Stanford), I am amazed at all the negativity toward your teachers. Your schools are nationally recognized as top notch. Your teachers (at least most) are likely outstanding. My "real world" husband who works "12 months"... well, his companies provided him stock options and 401K matching funds, and 2 weeks' vacation for every 3 years he worked. He had more "time off" than I. Now that he is self-employed, he has that perspective. I pay 9.78% into my pension every month, and a formula determines my pay out. When I started teaching, it was because of a passion I had (I didn't even know about my defined benefit plans). Now that I am at the end of my career, I can't get out fast enough. I'd never let my talented children become teachers and put up with all this disrespect.
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Mar 3, 2013 at 2:53 pm
If you look at my posts, you will see they are not disrespectful but they raise both sides of some issues.
Many in the private sector have not had regular raises or bonuses in recent years and we are very highly taxed here.
Since I am familiar with high-performing schools in several states, I will disagree with you the Palo Alto is unique; I have received yawns in Boston, trust me.
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Mar 3, 2013 at 3:40 pm
Our schools are not top notch. [Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff,] being found to have disproportionately put Latino and African American child in special ed (10-11), and having the OCR declaring that district administrators and teachers violated the civil rights of a child are evidence that this system is not top notch.
This system includes at the very least all of its employees so all should be scrutinized. Unfortunately, this district does has a history of parents driving out superintendents, principals driving out superintendents and associate superintendents, and teachers driving out principals. All are part of a system that few can deny is broken and dysfunctional.
This thread may be about teachers, but every other member of the system has had to face this criticism, it would be unfair to hold them to a lower standard than the superintendent or a custodian.
a resident of Charleston Meadows
on Mar 3, 2013 at 4:06 pm
It is true that every time there is a "news" about PAUSD, there are lots of comments about teachers in this forum. This is because the parents in Palo Alto really care about education. It is a positive sign that parents want to be involved. I think PAUSD/teachers should take this as a positive one instead of negative reaction to these comments.
I am sure most teachers in PAUSD are good/excellent teachers. However, there are few bad teachers that damage the reputation of the whole teacher body of PAUSD. For those good teachers, you should united together to get your reputation back by changing the union rules and firing those bad ones. How to find out who is bad? Listen to the students and parents...they are your customers. Otherwise, you will see many negative comments here because your customers are frustrated!
a resident of another community
on Mar 3, 2013 at 5:42 pm
A reader of these pages is starting to see Palo Alto as a hostile community that:
-- Hates its teachers and underpays them, even though the students consistently display great academic achievements, the highest test scores, and the most successful college admissions.
-- Hates its local politicians about a week after they elect them. Also hates all City workers especially fire and police personnel.
-- Hates Stanford University and Medical Center, even though they love taking advantage of its cultural offerings, the campus open space, and its world-class medical facilities. Oh Yes...a local sport is blackmailing the University to get some of their land.
-- Hates "outsiders" who shop in Palo Alto, even though they get a tidy sum from the activity and their business district is healthy.
-- Hates out-of-town drivers for deigning to use their public streets or park on them. So the city is now a maze of dead-ends, one-way streets, absurd parking restrictions, etc.
-- Hates all newcomers, especially their Asian neighbors.
If so many PA residents are so unhappy, why don't they move? Their inflated housing values will buy a lot of house and private school in a lot of communities.
a resident of another community
on Mar 3, 2013 at 5:47 pm
I would have to disagree that students and parents are customers. Though teachers work with students and parents, that doesn't mean they are customers. It's almost sounding like teachers are servants to students and parents. Teachers are employed by the school district and follow district and state guidelines. The Board of Educations is elected from the parent community.
a resident of Barron Park
on Mar 3, 2013 at 6:05 pm
Anyone who lives in Palo Alto shouldn't have ANYTHING to complain about. You have everything people in the world could ask for. Yeah some teachers arent perfect, and firefighters and police make a ton of money....but do YOU serve the public in any sort of way? Probably not. [Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Mar 3, 2013 at 6:18 pm
'If so many PA residents are so unhappy, why don't they move?'
because we hate to move
Reality is
- PAUSD has high test scores not just because of the teachers, but because the community is highly educated
- Local politicians who are incompetent deserve the heat, not sure if you are referring to anyone specifically.
- PA is too busy to take advantage of the cultural offerings over at Stanford, have you seen how much it costs to buy a house here? We have to work.
- we love outsiders who shop here!
- we hate cars true, which is why we bike. We would not be the first to ask for permitted parking in neighborhoods, like SF.
- We are all newcomers!!! From Asia and every part of the world. We don't hate ourselves.
a resident of Charleston Meadows
on Mar 3, 2013 at 6:25 pm
"Customer" may not be a perfect word here, but I could not find another word to describe the relationship of teachers and students. For sure, teachers are not servants...servant is not a right word here neither. I work for a private company, when our buyers/customers complaining our product, we have to work harder to find a way to improve our product, to solve the issue of our customers. Otherwise, the company will go down, losing value, and you know what is the next of that company. But for PAUSD, when students complain, no one listens, no one reacts in PAUSD, then no improvement at all. That is the problem. No matter how bad it is, it will still get money, no consequence of bad doing of any teacher or PAUSD administrator. Tax payer will fund them anyway. Do you think this will work in any private company???
a resident of Palo Alto High School
on Mar 3, 2013 at 10:02 pm
I'd like to point out that Superintendent Skelley, who either does not know or chooses not to follow Ed Code, civil rights laws, and several district procedures (not just regarding the bullying debacle) and who has been caught at least twice lying to the Board about his mistakes in addition to a host of other what should be fire-able offenses, was given a 5% pay raise last year, according to a recent news article. His raise was larger than the one teachers are currently asking for, and certainly not based on merit or integrity. And I'm willing to bet that last year's raise was not his first in 4 years, as this one will be for us, IF we get it.
a resident of Palo Alto High School
on Mar 3, 2013 at 10:23 pm
WHY are parents not demanding Dr. Skelley's resignation? Why instead are they picking on the teachers who have to beg for a 3% raise after 4 years of polite silence -- a raise which will barely restore our salaries to 2008 levels, if you calculate the cuts that have been made to our medical benefits. Why bash us instead of asking the Board why they continue to reward a dishonest and incompetent leader? It all starts at the top, you know...
a resident of Old Palo Alto
on Mar 3, 2013 at 10:31 pm
[Post removed due to same poster using multiple names]
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Mar 3, 2013 at 10:46 pm
Teacher, please stop feeling sorry for yourself. Each article that the Weekly writes about Skelly results in dozens of new parents posting demanding his immediate resignation and also Young's. It is your own union leadership that has failed you. Remember, you are the union, as the CTA and PAEA party line goes. You and your union said nothing last June when the Board extended his contract. Go complain to Triona Gogarty. Deals were made. Go complain to Teri Baldwin. She blew it again at the last board meeting. Your CTA overseer, Wendy Plew, has control of your union, so please don't blame parents, especially those, who like you, cannot let the blatant underperforce of Skelly and Young go unmentioned, but parents differ in that they also cannot turn a blind eye to the small group of lemons in your ranks who make a large negative impact. It does all start at the top, so go to your leaders, or better yet bypass them and band together like a true association of professionals and led the way with a comprehensive plan to protect all children, present an alternative to measuring the effectiveness of teachers, and declare a vote of no confidence in Skelly, Young, Wade, and the Board. Do any of that and I'll be first to sign the online petition to get you your raise? What are you going for right now? Four percent plus an extra two percent in the health care costs that were raised arbitrarily by the providers?
a resident of East Palo Alto
on Mar 3, 2013 at 10:59 pm
@Teacher, a member of the Palo Alto High School community-
Any thoughts about your fellow classified? Moral? respect? fairness?
Do you think that knowing ed-code/civil rights law/district procedures/training is essential for identifying bullying? How would you define by-standing? What do you think about by-standing?
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Mar 4, 2013 at 8:41 am
> Your schools are nationally recognized as top notch
Really? By what agency, or rating source?
> his companies provided him stock options and
> 401K matching funds, and 2 weeks' vacation
> for every 3 years he worked.
That's nice—but finding companies that offer pension programs is increasingly difficult. But more to the point—what exactly are they offering in this pension package? Here in California, school teachers get 72% at 30 years. Police/Fire get 90% at 30 years. Both have COLAs applied, even if the CPI were to drop to 0%.
While it is difficult to generalize about pensions—it's not hard to come up with a example that is eye-opening. That example was provided above, but will be repeated here for your benefit.
Teachers at 30 years (not 40+ years like most people) can retire at 72% of their high years salaries (more if they work longer). That means that a teacher retiring at 30 years with a $100K salary (not that hard to find these days), will see a $72K a year pension—to start. Assuming that the teacher lives to about 85 years (typical female mortality at the moment), this means that that teacher will receive somewhere between $3M and $4M additional dollars from the State Educational Pension Program (CalSTRS).
Some teachers are quick to point out that they are "contributing" to their pensions, as if they are "victims". It's not that hard to estimate that a typical teacher will have contributed somewhere between $150K and $180K into the pension asset pool, from which they will likely draw $3M-$4M, over the next 30-40 years.
So, to our remote reader/teacher with children at Stanford, please ask your husband to try to estimate his pension payout, and while you are at it—please estimate your own. It would be most interesting to learn which of you will be better taken care of in your retirement years by your previous employers.
a resident of Palo Alto High School
on Mar 4, 2013 at 12:20 pm
Skelly recently received a 5%+ raise. Did he deserve it? Is his performance as of late worthy of a raise? NOT!!
a resident of Greenmeadow
on Mar 4, 2013 at 1:40 pm
It seems that one bit of information is always missing when the salary increases are raised -- there are already salary increases (automatic step increases with each year of service that slow down after so many years). The increase requested is on top of current, ongoing raises. I have enormous respect for teachers, but this request fails to recognize the sacrifices some residents make through the school parcel tax, fails to acknowledge that very few people in the bay area work and live in the same community, or that the current salary structure is quite fair.
a resident of Barron Park
on Mar 4, 2013 at 5:02 pm
The high salaries for teachers is bad enought, but add to that the fringe benefits of not working for 3 months in the summer plus the outrageous pensions + paid sick leave+ lifetime medical benefits are its sickening. Why don't they worry about teaching the children instead of continually shaking down the city residents for more money?
a resident of Barron Park
on Mar 4, 2013 at 5:02 pm
The high salaries for teachers is bad enought, but add to that the fringe benefits of not working for 3 months in the summer plus the outrageous pensions + paid sick leave+ lifetime medical benefits are its sickening. Why don't they worry about teaching the children instead of continually shaking down the city residents for more money?
a resident of Gunn High School
on Mar 4, 2013 at 7:46 pm
@ Mary -- Excellent point.
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Mar 5, 2013 at 5:56 am
First, I love teachers. They should get a raise. But whatever pension promised, must be funded by the teacher's contribution and a contribution from the school. Unfortunately, the actuaries are not requiring sufficient funding for the pensions promised. I have maxed my 401K for 20 years (with some matching), and would get an annuity of about 10 percent of my salary. I think we would see that the pensions would go way down or the funding would have to be 50 percent of salary at least (making teachers' compensation not so bad). The pension situation is what makes teachers and others feel underpaid, but in reality, most of us are getting the salary now, taxed at a high rate, and the teachers and public workers eventually get it(at a much lower tax rate).
a resident of Gunn High School
on Mar 5, 2013 at 11:04 am
Has the district provided an accounting of pension liability for teachers? CALSTIRS, the teacher retirement program is way underfunded by participants. What is PAUSD's funding %--that determines liability going forward. Remember, the base salary is just the tip of the iceberg--there is that balooning pension that the district has to fund year to year and it grows as salaries rise, as people live longer, and retire earlier.
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Mar 5, 2013 at 11:12 pm
I'm about to go off, but first I want to say I like teaching in this district and I've been around. Great kids and parents for the most part, take the bad with the good and I want to keep working here. But some of you are getting on my last nerve using this negotiation as your excuse to come at us, so here goes. Regarding the "9 months" of work teachers do, I've been in education over 20 years and I don't know a teacher who doesn't put in daily or weekly hours above contract. You look at us leaving at 3:30 maybe but you don't know that same person arrived at 7:30 and after she takes care of her kids she's going to be working another few hours that night. You don't see who's there over the weekend setting up something cool in the classroom. You don't see the lab notebooks or essays piled high for weekend work while our families go out to have fun without us. It's okay - we make the trade off, but don't belittle our work with that "9 months" cannard. Set aside the fact that many also work portions of the summer. If we went down to even a 40hr week or maybe even 50hr/wk, we'd be putting in the same or more hours per year as non-teachers. I mean, the real work load is so far beyond contract that "work to rule" is a high-stakes negotiating tactic because it means teachers doing so much less than they usually do. You can be forgiven if you didn't know that because teachers in this district have been pretty cooperative and appreciative. We don't want to be in conflict. If this community wants to see how it looks when we stop working nights and weekends, and stop advising clubs, stop writing rec letters, stop supporting school events, then hey, go for it. Come out from behind Town Square Forums and start up a petition (got guts?) to tell teachers we're fine leaving your pay where it's at and having you just do the work in your contract. Bring it on, brave commenters. You think unions are the problem? Picture the problems you'd have if teachers had to worry about holding the line in the face of every vocal parent, or if we had no standing in our dealings with new principal coming along every few years. You should see some of the vicious email we get for having these things called "due dates" or for giving consequences for cutting on test days, or cheating on papers, to children whose parents think anything goes or it was just some misunderstanding. Take a look around - the top public ed. states and countries in the world have the stronger unions. When unions get wages up in an industry, it has a proven ripple effect that raises other wages too. People unhappy with what unionized people have should go get their own, stand together.
a resident of another community
on Mar 5, 2013 at 11:44 pm
Preach it Ed. There's a reason that for teachers, working only the hours stipulated in the contract is actually a bargaining tactic. Today, for example, I taught my classes, came home, spent some time with the family, and then went right back to working once everybody else was in bed. I'll likely be up another hour or so.
I don't want to sound like I'm simply complaining. TEaching in Palo Alto is nice because you generally don't have to worry about gangs and other discipline problems too much. I truly do appreciate the vast majority of the students and parents in this district, and I'm very thankful for my job and where I work. What drives me nuts is the overwhelming sense of entitlement/superiority that some have. Some students seem to think that they are smarter than students elsewhere simply because they live in PA. I've worked here and I've worked elsewhere, and the smartest student that I've had in PA would probably be number 4-5 on my list of smartest students. That's not to say that I won't have someone next year who leaves everybody else in the dust, though; it's just to say that entitlement and superiority based on address is asinine.
a resident of Greater Miranda
on Mar 6, 2013 at 7:37 am
Oh my gosh. I have worked in health care with an equivalent degree to a teaching BA ( I have a BS) for 30 years...I make $82,000/year, get 3 weeks off per year INCLUDING sick time and another 6 days of paid holiday. Granted, I would have more paid time off if I hadn't changed jobs, up to 4-5 weeks per year, but nothing like the 3 months ( yes..3 months, don't forget 2 weeks winter and 1 week spring and all the school breaks between that teachers get) that our equivalent teachers get.
Benefits? I pay 20% of my medical insurance, no match into retirement. So, quit whining.
Working at night? When do you think I get my documentation done? It isn't during my "work time",..never enough time to get paid to get all the ever increasing documentation requirements done in a world of severe liability: if it isn't written down, we didn't do it and if we get sued, there is no proof. All has to be written down, from phone conversations to messages left to what we did and how the patient responded to ... on and on.
I get very tired listening to teachers complain about their work load and their pay etc. Just stop. PA teachers are well paid, well-benefited, great time off. Just stop. I appreciate you, deeply, yes..but please stop complaining to me, the taxpayer, who makes less than you and works more, about how hard it is on you. I am not complaining, just laying out the facts.
a resident of another community
on Mar 7, 2013 at 7:26 pm
I love teaching in Palo Alto - it's the best job I've ever had. I feel honored to teach some very bright and talented students, and I am grateful to be paid well and to enjoy good benefits. But I have to say that I am appalled at the hostility of some of the comments on this thread. We wonder why there is such a huge bullying problem in our schools - we need look no further than the voice of this community itself, a portion of which is perfectly content to come onto this forum and berate the hard-working teachers of this district as if we are a bunch of lazy bums who do nothing but suck the taxpayers of this district dry and hang out on the patio during the summer drinking margaritas.
Every profession has lemons. There are bad doctors, bad lawyers, bad cops, bad software engineers, and bad plumbers. It's qualitatively different with teachers because we spend some time every day with your kids, and you entrust us with their care. Personally, I take this obligation very seriously, and I believe that the overwhelming majority of my colleagues do as well. I try my best in the short time I have with them every day to teach them kindness and thoughtfulness and compassion, as well as the nuts and bolts of our subject, but from the looks of this forum some of the less fortunate ones are getting an entirely different overt/covert message from the attitude and behavior of the adults in this community. It's a bit disheartening, to say the least. :-(
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text:
I don't mean to drag this off topic, but I find your story very interesting, Avery.Avery wrote:I haven't yet resolved it. Sumanasara pointed out that it's not necessarily true that we can observe everything which affects the physical world. He said the Buddha taught that karma and rebirth are unobservable by human eyes. So the question for me is, how is reaching a state where you intuit karma any different from reaching a state where you intuit God or gods? This is probably a question for a different thread, but after seeing a country full of Mahayana practices in general (even though I was interviewing Theravada monks) I felt a sort of futility that I hadn't known when practicing Buddhism in the U.S. So, I am starting to approach Buddhism in a different way than before.Lazy_eye wrote:Avery,
So how did you end up resolving this issue? Or did you?
Please feel free to keep sharing as you continue to work with these subjects


text:
Autoland Purchased by Mission FCU
The NCUA said Wednesday that the $2.4 billion Mission Federal Credit Union in San Diego has purchased Autoland, a national car-buying service provider.
Founded in 1971, Autoland is a CUSO based in Chatsworth, Calif., serving more than 200 credit unions nationwide.
Founded in 1961, Mission FCU is a community-chartered credit union with more than 160,000 members and assets of $2.4 billion, according to its most recent NCUA Call Report.
The NCUA said it now has completed the sale of its interest in Autoland as liquidating agent of the former Telesis Community Credit Union in Chatsworth, Calif.
Telesis purchased Autoland in 2007 and subsequently sold minor interests, retaining a controlling interest, the NCUA said.
The California Department of Financial Institutions placed Telesis into conservatorship in March 2012, and appointed the NCUA as conservator.
The California regulator liquidated Telesis the following May and appointed NCUA liquidating agent. Premier America Credit Union purchased and assumed Telesis' members, deposits, core facilities and consumer loans at that time. The NCUA had operated Autoland since conservatorship until Wednesday's sale.