Superintendent Edna Davis-Herring of Rialto Unified School District resigns
Edna Davis-Herring, superintendent of the Rialto Unified School District, resigned Wednesday night at the district's board meeting.
"I just believe with the changes on the board (of education), I couldn't compromise my values," Davis-Herring said.
Davis-Herring, who served as superintendent for the past seven years, said with the election of three challengers over incumbents Dan Mays and Walter Hawkins, the teachers' union has taken priority over students.
"It was quite disappointing," Davis-Herring said. "The current board was doing an outstanding job."
Davis-Herring said she was not intimidated by the prospect of a board majority that would oppose her.
"I don't lose anything," she said.
She said she resigned because she didn't want to lose her passion for students.
"I absolutely love what I've been doing," Davis-Herring said. "I'll go on to my next journey elsewhere, read my Bible, exercise and look at me."
josh.dulaney@inlandnewspapers.com
"I just believe with the changes on the board (of education), I couldn't compromise my values," Davis-Herring said.
Davis-Herring, who served as superintendent for the past seven years, said with the election of three challengers over incumbents Dan Mays and Walter Hawkins, the teachers' union has taken priority over students.
"It was quite disappointing," Davis-Herring said. "The current board was doing an outstanding job."
Davis-Herring said she was not intimidated by the prospect of a board majority that would oppose her.
"I don't lose anything," she said.
She said she resigned because she didn't want to lose her passion for students.
"I absolutely love what I've been doing," Davis-Herring said. "I'll go on to my next journey elsewhere, read my Bible, exercise and look at me."
josh.dulaney@inlandnewspapers.com
CHANGE for our kids in RIALTO IS COMING!!! Greatest News I've read all morning.
I understand the newly elected board members are married to district teachers. I wonder how long it will be before they approve a massive pay increase to district teachers (spouses). Who do you think is going to pay for this pay raise? How long will it be before they come before the taxpayers again asking for more taxs to fund education (employee pay raises)? Regrettably, once again the students will take a back seat in the battle of priorities.
Ding-dong! The witch is gone! There must be a God. "....exercise and look at me!" That says it all right there, Edna. Good riddance.
Rialto Observer,
You talk of a massive pay raise, but I have spent over $800 this year alone to run my classroom in Rialto. I have had to buy crayons, kleenex, construction paper, soap and other essentials just to run my class. I have not had a pay raise in 2 years, but the super just received over $300,000 in a severance package, and she also received $300 more a month in car allowance so it was $900 a month. This board also approved the 3 top officals a 4 year contract. Anything the teachers receive is a pittance to what the top has already received. Rialto has over 40 million in their bank. A decent pay raise will not hit the tax payers. Students have already lost in Rialto with Kindergarten and 3rd grade at 32 students to 1 teacher.
Rather than worrying about teachers earning a living I think some may want to worry about this: Since when is it OK for those on their way out to steal the taxpayers money?
Tonight, Mrs. Davis-Herring announced her resignation, effective Dec. 31, 2008.
Although we do not have the terms of the separation, it appears as if the Board, on a 3 (Hawkins, Mays, Gilbert) to 2 ( Mobley, Kazalunas) vote, decided to provide Mrs. Davis-Herring, at her request, with a separation package in excess of $300,000. Two of the three trustees who approved this pricey agreement and felt it was a good use of general fund dollars will also be departing.
As a parting gift, these trustees also voted to attempt to tie the hands of any incoming superintendent to make high-level administrative changes by voting to extend for two additional years the contracts of Deputy Supt. Joe Davis, as well as Assistant Superintendents Mrs. Rodriguez and Mrs. Mathews. These three assistants now have the legal maximum in contracts--four years. It is a shame that teachers facing layoffs were denied such costly multi-year protection.
As we sought to settle contracts, how many times did we basically hear, "Won't you please think of the children?" I guess that only applies to teachers, nurses, coaches, speech therapists, etc......not the highest echelons of the district! And, I guess the district that didn't have a cent uncommitted had no trouble scaring up $300,000 from the general fund for Mrs. Davis-Herring. Please keep that in mind next time you can't find pencils, crayons, or kleenex for your class.
Regardless of one's feelings about individuals, contract extensions and "golden parachutes" should have been left to the new Board, not a costly pay out from a lame duck panel.
>Rather than worrying about teachers earning a living I think some may want to worry about this: Since when is it OK for those on their way out to steal the taxpayers money?
Tonight, Mrs. Davis-Herring announced her resignation, effective Dec. 31, 2008.
Although we do not have the terms of the separation, it appears as if the Board, on a 3 (Hawkins, Mays, Gilbert) to 2 ( Mobley, Kazalunas) vote, decided to provide Mrs. Davis-Herring, at her request, with a separation package in excess of $300,000. Two of the three trustees who approved this pricey agreement and felt it was a good use of general fund dollars will also be departing.
As a parting gift, these trustees also voted to attempt to tie the hands of any incoming superintendent to make high-level administrative changes by voting to extend for two additional years the contracts of Deputy Supt. Joe Davis, as well as Assistant Superintendents Mrs. Rodriguez and Mrs. Mathews. These three assistants now have the legal maximum in contracts--four years. It is a shame that teachers facing layoffs were denied such costly multi-year protection.
As we sought to settle contracts, how many times did we basically hear, "Won't you please think of the children?" I guess that only applies to teachers, nurses, coaches, speech therapists, etc......not the highest echelons of the district! And, I guess the district that didn't have a cent uncommitted had no trouble scaring up $300,000 from the general fund for Mrs. Davis-Herring. Please keep that in mind next time you can't find pencils, crayons, or kleenex for your class.
Regardless of one's feelings about individuals, contract extensions and "golden parachutes" should have been left to the new Board, not a costly pay out from a lame duck panel.
Terms that are associated with Edna Davis-Herring: Illegal district credit card spending, backstabbing, phony, liar, teacher hater!!!!
Maybe now Rialto Unified School District will no longer be the worst school district in the history of the world.
After reading about the more (way, way, more) than generous separation package for Edna Harrington, I assume that the district is in great financial shape. So then it comes as no surprise, that their PIO has an assistant who follows her around like a dog, keeping her personal calendar. The waste I see in the administration of this district is unbelievable.
The parents of this district, no, all citizens of Rialto need to descend on the new board, and tell them unequivocally, that the educational needs of the students comes first, and Edna, and the rest of the fat cat administrators and their minions need to drive themselves in district purchased, economical vehicles, keep their own calendars, and put an end to the wasteful policies of the past. And, if they fail to do so, the voters will replace them until the board reflects the will, and needs of the community.
Let's hope the outgoing Rialto Unified School Board doesn't continue to do more damage before they exit on December 31st. I'm appaled--but, frankly not surprised--at the "pay out" given to Ms. Herring, and to increase the contracts of Anna Rodriguez and Joe Davis to 4 years is a real slap-in-the-face to the community. But we're wise to them, and what they're doing. They need to go, too. Hopefully, we will get a full financial audit of The District by an independent auditing firm unrelated to either the District or the teacher's union very soon and, when and if it is discovered that The District has spent grant monies, etc. illegally, more heads will roll and arrests will be made. There's way too much "fluff" at the District Office in Rialto Unified and, it wouldn't surprise me at all if the "books were cooked" tremendously. All of this while The District cries, "We have no money!"
six more teachers could be hired instead of the Sup. receiving a severance package....
In response to Rialto Observer: I respect the fact that you are entitled to an opinion, but I unequivocally disagree with that opinion. The vast majority of teachers in the district are there because they really do care about kids. In any profession you have money-grubbers, but let's be real: teaching is NOT how you get rich, although it seems that employment as Superintendent in Rialto has become one avenue. I am a former Rialto parent that has been following this nonsense for several years now, and I moved my daughter out of the district because I felt Ms. Davis-Herring was not acting in the best interests of the children.
First and foremost, since Ms. Davis-Herring proclaims to be Christian, it is our Christian duty to pray for her and hope she receives much-needed revelation. It is also our duty to pray for healing for those she has hurt so deeply.
I pray that her self-examination will lead to a very public apology for her very public 'I know how to run a plantation' comments. It continues to amaze me that the media never chose to question such grievously offensive remarks. Parents and teachers questioned, but their voices were disregarded.
I pray that this will lead to her disclosure of the kickback she is rumored to have received from Xerox Corporation. Several years ago she committed the district to a fiscally-detrimental contract that allowed Xerox to come in and replace the schools' copiers and printers with Xerox-branded machines en masse. The arrangement also forces schools to pay additional charges to the district office for the privilege of making necessary copies. Some of the machines that were replaced had been brand new at the time of replacement, and all of the replaced machines had been bought or rented with categorical funds. So, on top of the additional costs to the schools over the past several years, what happened to the accounting for the previous copiers and printers whose useful lives were governed by federal guidelines?
I pray that she will forego her shocking severance package - in the interests of the district children she professes to love so dearly.
I pray that the changes in the school board will lead to a probe into the rampant greed and graft so blatantly exhibited by the Superintendent and her puppets on the school board over the past few years.
I pray for God's unending grace and mercy because she needs it. Ms. Davis-Herring hasn't exactly sown love and happiness over the past few years. She's destroyed morale for all but her inner circle and created undue stress in the workplace for teachers, classified staff, and any administrator that doesn't agree with her. She obviously upset a lot of parents, as well (bye-bye Mays and Hawkins!). Must we also remind everyone that Rialto was the only district to lay teachers off... with $40 million in the bank?
By the way, can teachers, staff, and parents band together to file a class action civil suit against Ms. Davis-Herring, Dan Mays, and Walter Hawkins? Discrimination, retaliation, bullying, harrassment, various Title VII covenants? Misuse of public funds/gross fiscal malfeasance?
Wouldn't it be nice if she would bow out gracefully and leave now... ostensibly to get a head start on her healing and restoration?
Why isn't the costly parting package mentioned in the article. Over $300,000 is ridiculous. Give it back to our schools & we could bring back around 6 teachers! What happened to "Won't you please think of the children?"
1. Please call the Newspapers and complain that the article was incomplete.
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Wasn't she being investigated recently for mishandling of funds? If her passion for students is so great, perhaps leaving her 300K to be put to good use and to aid in the education of the students she claims to have a passion for. Passion? It sounds like she is redefining the word! She resigned because she did not want to lose her passion for students? What a joke! I'll leave my kids because I don't want to lose my passion for parenthood. I'll leave my wife because I don't want to lose my passion for love. I'll leave all those that care for me because I don't want to lose my passion for friendship. And she goes on to say "I don't lose anything". Or course not. You never cared for the kids! Plus you are taking home 300K. How can you lose?
Read the bible? Isn't that what people that repent for their bad deeds turn to? Exercise and look at me? What does that mean? And you were a school superintendent? No wonder the Rialto School District is among the worst in California!
The Superintendent may need to be investigated, but the Personnel Department should be investigated too. It is the most corrupt Division in the District.
The Sun should investigate how it happens that everyone who works in Personnel has had all of their relatives hired whether they are qualified or not. Their kids get first crack at all the Summer jobs for students as well. They are so corrupt it is ridiculous.
I have wanted to say that for years and now I have!
I'm glad I left Rialto! I guess the District felt left out wondering why should their police department be the only lacking agency in the city. I say put a real techer in charge and let the sherrif's department take over the city. That should cut out about 1/2 the crime in the city. Edna is nothing but a theif. Now that she doesn't have her goons on board to vote in her every decision, i guess now its time to leave. Oh and read the bible, please. Never trust anyone who goes way out of their way to tell you they believe in God. If she did, she wouldn't have to say it. And you angry parents upset about a possible pay raise to the teachers, you should be thankful someone is putting up with your kids. If half of you did your job, being a teacher would be a fullfilling job again. I'll take a gang member wearing his colors anyday over these crooks who wear a suit and try to blend in. At least the gang member is easy to identify. Good luck to THAT city.
God answers prayers!!! Edna forgot to mention my pending lawsuit against this district may have had something to do with her deciding to leave. Sure is funny that my lawsuit was filed 3 weeks prior to her decision....hmmmm. For more info, read about my daughter's horrific incident in the The Sun's 10-20-08 edition, "Girl's mom wants justice." People like her shouldn't be responsible for dogs, let alone children. I've made sure the Office of Education in Sacramento knows what's going on in this district from here on out.