Castaniada tenders resignation to Soquel school board
Henry Castaniada
By Calvin Men, Santa Cruz
Sentinel
POSTED: 06/17/15, 9:21 PM PDT | UPDATED: 2 HRS AGO
CAPITOLA >>
Henry Castaniada, Soquel Union Elementary School District’s superintendent who
has been the target of teacher and parent discontent, announced he will leave
the district after the 2015-16 school year.
“It has been a good
journey. It has been exciting,” Castaniada said. “I appreciate the
opportunity.”
Castaniada’s
resignation at Wednesday’s school board meeting started off a blockbuster night
for the district that included an end to teacher salary negotiations, a public
acknowledgment of an effort to recall school board members and accusations that
the board violated the Brown Act.
Castaniada’s
announcement in front of a crowd of more than 50 parents and teachers drew
applause from the crowd. Castaniada’s resignation comes after four years on the
job, months of tense salary negotiations with teachers and a 96 percent vote of
no confidence by teachers in March.
The resignation came
after the board publicly applauded Castaniada’s performance while it announced
the results of his evaluation.
“Overall, this board
is pleased with the current direction of the district,” said Phil Rodriguez,
president of the board.
The board also
approved a tentative contract agreement with the Soquel Education Association,
giving teachers a 3 percent raise across the board as well as granting them a
$96 per month increase in their health and welfare cap. The salary increase is
retroactive to July 1, giving teachers pay that averages out to $2,107,
according to Harley Robert, assistant superintendent for business services.
Also part of the
negotiation is that the district and teachers will begin salary negotiations in
September instead of January.
Michelle Bell,
co-president of the teachers union, said the district still needs a big changes
and implored the board to learn from the year’s events.
“I hope you will
learn to never not respond again,” she said.
She added that the
teachers and parents do not believe there is a need for a strong public
presence at the board meetings.
“We will work to find
board members and we will work to find people who will change and work with
us,” said Michelle Bell, co-president of the teacher union.
The comment comes
against the backdrop of efforts to recall one or more members of the school
board. A survey asking voters about an interest in a recall election was sent
out May 27.
Also part of the
session was the acceptance of the expulsion cases regarding five students who
face expulsion after they were arrested when they allegedly sent messages to
one another about shooting other students and a teacher. It’s unclear what the
action meant for the students.
Before the board
accepted the cases, Chis Hadland, co-president of Main Street Elementary’s
parent club, accused the board of violating the Brown Act by discussing
Castaniada’s salary in closed session.
“The Brown Act
requires that any discussion about compensation for an employee (such as the
superintendent) only take place in open session. The mere discussion about
compensation in closed session is a violation of the Brown Act,” Hadland said.
Leila Knox, an
attorney with the First Amendment Coalition, said the law is nuanced.
“In general, behind
closed doors, everything that a legislative body can decide based on a public
employees performance, whether they are entitled to a raise or an additional
perk,” said Knox, first amendment attorney for the First Amendment Coalition.
“But once they start to tread into the details of what amount that will be,
that should be discussed in open session.”
In other business,
the board approved the 2015-16 budget for the school district.
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