Diaz Track Record
New York City Community School District 1:
Resigned as Superintendent when Board did not renew her contract after discovering a budget deficit of $1.5 million as reported by the NY Times 4/26/2000.
Bridgeport, Conn. Schools:
Was bought out after Board of Education refused to extend her contract as Superintendent as reported by the Connecticut Post on 10/29/2004.
In 2003, the Connecticut State Board of Education called for Diaz to explain what her plans were for remedying the “city students' continued failure to meet performance standards” as reported in the Connecticut Post 12/26/2003.
After 3 years on the job in Bridgeport, fewer than one in 20 public high school students in Bridgeport mastered the subject material in four key areas, according to new standardized test results. And results of the latest Connecticut Academic Performance Test also show that barely one in 10 students is mastering one of those subjects. The dismal test results are the latest bad news for a school district that has already recorded disappointing results on standardized tests for students in lower grades. Connecticut Post 10/13/2003
After 3 years in Bridgeport, 21 out of 25 elementary schools failing federal standards. A lower percentage of students passing mastery tests. Higher percentages of high school students dropping out. In raw numbers, at least, the record compiled by Supt. of Schools Sonia Diaz Salcedo during her first three years as the city's education chief would not appear to be anything to brag about. Connecticut Post 10/28/2003
The cumulative dropout rate rose from the Class of 2000, with 23.6 percent, to 32.1 percent for the Class of 2002. Diaz was hired in 2000. Connecticut Post 9/28/2003
A city schools security consultant is being paid $40 an hour in overtime to drive Supt. of Schools Sonia Diaz Salcedo to and from airports. Connecticut Post 5/18/2003
Miami-Dade County Schools:
Was hired in Miami by friend, Rudy Crew, who was a former NYC Schools chancellor and served with Diaz on an Urban School Project. Miami-Dade bought the Houghton-Mifflin “Reading in Progress” program in 2005.
Left Miami-Dade after less than 6 months on the job as Deputy Superintendent for Curriculum. Her leaving was “a mutual decision” according to the Miami-Dade school spokesman.
Las Cruces Public Schools:
Diaz brought in friends as consultants with contracts ranging from $4,000 to $25,000
Diaz used harassment, intimidation, threats, degradation and humiliation to force out Jo Ann Patton, Jack Jenkins and Jerry Laws.
Diaz has behaved boorishly and unacceptably for the Superintendent of Schools in dealings with local workers at various local businesses.
Diaz has threatened, intimidated and humiliated current employees and caused others to resign because of her denigrating and demeaning treatment.
Diaz hired her friend, John Marsilio, for “Business Manager” without posting or calling for applications.
Lied on televised interview regarding the hiring of the “Business Manager”
Marsilio, newly hired “Business Manager”, was fired at City of Bridgeport after Mayor Joseph Ganim, for whom he worked, was indicted in a major fraud scandal “Incoming acting Mayor John Fabrizi has fired longtime city Public Facilities Director John Marsilio and told him to vacate his office today.” Connecticut Post 4/4/2003
“Fabrizi could not be reached Thursday for comment, but sources close to him said the decision to replace Marsilio is based on a desire to bring in new people and concerns that Marsilio, along with other department heads, did not stand in Ganim's way, or raise red flags, over irregularities in awarding city contracts. During Ganim's trial in U.S. District Court in New Haven, Marsilio's name came up numerous times. Although no one accused Marsilio of criminal wrongdoing, Paul Pinto, Ganim's admitted bagman, said in wiretapped conversations that Marsilio and former Finance Director Jerome Baron were "players," meaning they could be counted on not to make waves.“ Connecticut Post 4/4/2003
Marsilio is not qualified for licensure as a “School Business Official” in the state of New Mexico. He would have to attend training over a period of years. Some of that training would be provided by employees he now supervises.
Diaz has violated District policy and the state anti-donation law by giving Marsilio unearned vacation leave as a part of his contract.
Diaz has been fiscally irresponsible by taking textbook monies allocated to schools in order to purchase $1 million textbooks for a literacy program. She also tried to inappropriately use federal funds for these textbooks.
Diaz has been fiscally irresponsible in handling her operational office budget. That budget was in the red by August and required an infusion of $50,000 to keep it out of the red.
Diaz has been fiscally irresponsible by not providing itemized receipts for her expense account as generally accepted accounting principles require.
Diaz has been fiscally irresponsible and vindictive by freezing the Bilingual Department budget.
posted by LCPS1 @ 3:27 PM
5 Comments:
Meanwhile...back on the farm...
the little PLT's throughout the local schools are: performing administrative duties, again, using school hours and resources to work on their college degree programs, and, generally, running amuck. Since Sonia did not like their presence within the schools, perhaps she could open the flood gates at central office and give these eager beavers new jobs, like slopping up some of the mess that's been created! At least they would be productively earning their salaries!
I so love a challenge! Therefore, I am looking forward to meeting Sonia, before she rides out of town on her hijacked broom stick. Perhaps we could meet for a soda at the Wal-Mart McDonald's or chat for awhile at Style America, where I get my hair cut. Oops! My bad! Sonia wouldn't be caught dead or alive in these places. Maybe that's one of the problems, then. Welcome to my world, Sonia! Please understand, that to become part of this community, I would expect to see you in such places, just like I see many of my students and their parents. But, beware...I will interrupt my conversation with you to acknowledge these very people who have helped me become successful in my teaching. Not to worry though; if you behave, I just might introduce you to some of these wonderful and caring people. Had you given us a chance, you might have learned this for yourself!
As I read all that Dr. Diaz has done I stop to think about the week that schools (especially elementary schools) were on a lock down because of the threats made to the city and specifically to our school children. Where was Dr. Diaz? She was in Florida at the Spanish Embassy doing who knows what, then she was off to Austin, Texas to make a presentation at a Bi-lingual conference, where I understand she once again belittled our community and our principals. It amazes me that during the most vulnerable times for our schools, Dr. Diaz is out and about at our expense, while several principals and assistant principals cancelled trips to national conferences. Not to mention that she missed the biggest football rivalry in the state of New Mexico and the 9th in the nation. What are her priorities? It seems to me that her priority is her pocketbook and her vanity, at our community's expense. It is time to take our schools back and get back the integrity we once were proud to be a part of.
What goes around, comes around, Ms. Diaz! How you sleep at night, we'll never know. You must be heavily medicated!
Consider our school board's decision to fire you a blessing. You've done enough damage here, now move along. And please consider a job somewhere besides another school district. How about a sales clerk at the mall? They're hiring for the holidays!
Thank you LCPS school board for finally making the right decision!
Sandra Diaz had the right idea when she de-funded bilingual education. She did it for the wrong reason, but she had the right idea.
Whether you like it or not, the universal language of discourse in America is and should be English.
Bilingual education is bad policy for the United States and for its immigrants and should be discarded, once and for all, as a failed and misguided idea.
It should be accepted that when one decides to come to the United States, the priority is to learn English.
That is not to say that Americans should not speak or learn other languages and that the rich cultural diversity of America should not be preserved.
However, we should not confuse an English-speaking country whose citizens also happen to speak other languages and maintain different cultural traditions with a bilingual society.
History is full of examples of societies being torn apart by linguistic differences and it would be a needless shame were the same to occur here. My generation, and countless generations of immigrants, was exposed to a system that encouraged assimilation and did not consider it to be a negative.
English can be learned without destroying diversity. It is a system that has worked, will continue to work, and should never have been abandoned in the first place.
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