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Barrera, Cindy Marten, Evans, Foster, McQuary, San Diego Unified School District, San Diego Unified School District Superintendent Cindy Marten, Superintendent Marten
BAIT and SWITCH: The ploy of offering a person something desirable to gain favor (as political support) then thwarting expectations with something less desirable – Merriam-Webster Dictionary
“IF YOU TRICK STAKEHOLDERS AS AN AREA SUPERINTENDENT…THEN YOU MIGHT BE A USED CAR SALESWOMAN (Sorry Mr. Foxworthy)”
Meeting Bites:
- Professional Development Cindy Marten Style – Teaching the Superintendent Bait and Switch
- The Dog and Pony Show Sales Strategy
- Money, Lies and Videotape
Agenda ItemS: E1 – F3
Board Meeting Video Time: 1:18:31 – 2:12:40
Board Meeting Link: Board Meeting Video – 06/09/2015
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The “San Diego High School Administrative Leadership Structure” Agenda Item is an example of the classic “Grand Jury Accomplice” Superintendent Cindy Marten “Bait & Switch.
Marten has regularly used this tactic in Principal Selection by baiting Site Stakeholders with a fake selection committee to feign “collaboration” even though the pre-selected principal candidate has already been chosen by Marten and her inner circle cronies. (The Principal Selection Side Show Series)
In this case Marten just pulled a 3 for 1 Principal Bait and Switch!
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Professional Development Cindy Marten Style – Teaching the Superintendent Bait and Switch to Area Superintendent Mitzi Merino
After the closure of SDHS MVPA in the last month or so, Marten Area Superintendent Henchman Mitzi Merino sent out a letter to members of the remaining three remaining SDHS components that requested attendance at 6 separate meetings with the following “BAIT”:
“As we support the smooth transition of the MVPA students into our three campus schools, input from students, faculty, and parents toward that end is essential.”
Here is the original MERINO SDHS BAIT Letter
Instead these meetings were just a scam to make a predetermined organizational change at SDHS that would eliminate 3 principals and put a hand-picked Marten proxy Principal in charge at the school… regardless of WHATEVER Site Stakeholder input was received during the fake meetings.
A large portion of the SDHS community WERE SHOCKED when the “SWITCH” was delivered in the form of a letter outlining the drastic restructure borne of the supposedly innocent “input” meetings. However the SDUSD had already recruited Stakeholder collaborators that could be paraded in front of the Board IN FAVOR of the abrupt, hurried and Fauxllaboration change.
Here is the original Merino SDHS SWITCH Letter
The next step to close the unsavory, underhanded deal was the Dog and Pony Show Sales Strategy.
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The Dog and Pony Show Sales Strategy
Dog and Pony Show: an elaborately staged activity, performance, presentation, or event designed to sway or convince people (from a derisive term for a small circus). example: Power point was originally used by businesses to create a dog and pony show. (Urban Dictionary)
Mitzi Merino pulled out an 8 page PowerPoint presentation and the “Show” began.
Merino started out informally, stating that “part of what we wanted to do was to make sure there was a smooth transition of the MVPA students” in the discussions with Stakeholders on the SDHS campus.
“PART OF WHAT WE WANTED TO DO”!?!
In the “meeting invitation” letter, IT WAS THE ONLY THING SHE TOLD STAKEHOLDERS SHE WANTED TO DO…AT LEAST ALL THAT MERINO AND MARTEN WANTED TO SHARE!
Remember…here is what Merino and Marten said in the BAIT letter:
“As we support the smooth transition of the MVPA students into our three campus schools, input from students, faculty, and parents toward that end is essential.”
NO mention of the possibility of demoting Principals!
NO mention of a restructure of leadership in the 3 remaining schools!
NO mention of an “Interim Principal” WITHOUT a full SDHS School Site review of preferred characteristics!
NO HINT that what the trusting Stakeholders told Merino would eliminate the chance of a TRUE SITE-WIDE DISCUSSION WITH ALL INTERESTED STAKEHOLDERS TOGETHER…NOT “DIVIDED AND CONQUERED THROUGH A BAIT AND SWITCH!
TOTAL STAKEHOLDER BETRAYAL!
In her “informal” introduction, Merino stumbled through the Dog and Pony Show by saying how the uniform WILL of ALL the groups she consulted were in some way to ask “How” rather than the “Vision” discussion she was determined to moderate…and that led her to completely change the direction from the MVPA Student transition to A COMPLETE RESTRUCTURE OF SDHS!!!
Trustee Evans later gave another reason that the decision was made (listed below) that MADE THIS supposed “REVELATION” BY MERINO FROM SDHS STAKEHOLDER totally UNBELIEVABLE AND an OUTRIGHT LIE!
Unfortunately for Marten and Merino their FRAUDULENT Bait and Switch was exposed when many of the dedicated SDHS Stakeholders – Teachers – Parents – Students – Community Members – ACTUALLY APPEARED at the Board meeting to OBJECT to the speed and lack of collaboration in the decision.
One eloquent SDHS Stakeholder told the BOE the following:
“School, Teachers, Parents, Students matter…and I can tell you what we were introduced to last night does NOT have the Majority support of those three Stakeholders…it just doesn’t!
I urge you to reach out to those Stakeholders and get their support because that’s what it’s going to take to make it succeed.
It doesn’t matter what the merits of the strategy is. What matters is that the Stakeholders support it and get behind it…You need to have support of the community to make this thing work….and that is what’s missing right now.”
These trusting SDHS Stakeholders were not aware that they had ALREADY been betrayed by Marten, Merino and the Board of Education…the decision had been made WAY BEFORE the 6 meetings were even held!
History was repeating itself…just like the ELST Removal and the removal of the Principal at SCPA during Graduation Week LAST YEAR!
All that was left was Money, Lies and Videotape.
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Money, Lies and Videotape
Having “special access” collaborator SDHS Stakeholders who were willing partners in the Merino/Marten Bait and Switch (because they already agreed months before with the predetermined decision to the restructure) gave the Board of Education the cover to vote yes on the Marten/Merino scam.
First Trustee Barrera waded in…he said that we must…
“Make sure we move forward in a process that includes people, is transparent, is very important. I see this as the beginning of this process.”
UNBELEIVABLE!!!
Barrera just sanctioned the secretive process that hid the facts and pre-determined decision from the majority of SDHS Stakeholders, is jamming that decision down their throats and then says he sees “this is the beginning of a process that includes people, is transparent that is designed to bring the campus together.”!!!
WOW…does he even know this is all on videotape?
How can he start by excluding people and call it a start of including them?
How can he start by hiding the real purpose of the meetings and call it a start of transparency?
How can he “bring the campus together” by excluding the MAJORITY of stakeholders and catering to the influential inner circle minority?
Why would ANY stakeholder trust him, the Board or especially Merino and Marten in ANYTHING that they say or do?
Grand Jury Accused Trustee Foster mumbled a confusing string of unintelligible free thoughts (as usual) ending with “that is also going to build trust”…somewhat comical given her total lack of ability to be trusted to follow the most basic of Board Bylaws or Board Meeting Protocols.
Trustee Evans then took his turn and exposed the REAL REASON for making the hasty decision. He said:
“I just want to remind everybody that this whole school plan was created with OUTSIDE FUNDS and there was not a mechanism when the Gates Funds went away to continue the school.”
So it was LACK OF MONEY that forced this decision after all…but Marten, who is in charge of the budget and the BOE who signs off on it, couldn’t take responsibility for POOR FINANCIAL PLANNING…like the illegal spending of Proposition funds mentioned in Public Comment…and like the panicky, DISASTEROUS REMOVAL OF ELST’S during the same week…Graduation Week…LAST YEAR!
So…
They pulled the inequity card! Using “All means all” and “for the children” they justified the decision without majority Stakeholder agreement.
Unfortunately they forgot two things.
Marten and Merino ARE THE ONES RESPONSIBLE for the lack of oversight and lack of equity at the SDHS!
With four Principals Marten/Merino had 4 times as many opportunities to be on campus and 4 TIMES as much senior administrative support to see and evaluate the supposed inequity dysfunction over the last two years since Cindy Marten was plucked from being an Elementary School Principal AND MARTEN DID NOTHING TO CORRECT IT!
Plus
How ironic that the inept attempt at site and Stakeholder governance by Merino and Marten to create equity on the SDHS Campus resulted in creating the ultimate inequity by making the restructure decision without the backing of the majority of SDHS Stakeholders!!!
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District Deeds Observation:
After 2 years Marten IS STILL AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL and does not have the credentials needed for the Superintendent job and to be a mentor to struggling HIGH SCHOOL Principals in a complec High School design…that is…four schools in one.
And instead of just being honest with the SDHS Stakeholders last fall when they MUST have known the Gates Funds shortfall was going to create an untenable financial situation and require a deep restructure, Accomplice Superintendent Marten and the Board of Education decided to LIE and make SDHS Stakeholders believe that the school had a future in its present state.
On the broadcast just before the Vote on Agenda Item E1 that passed 4-0 (Beiser absent), each of the attending Trustees and Marten congratulated Mitzi Merino for orchestrating this BIG LIE so efficiently…convincing the influential SDHS Stakeholders that this was partly their idea through a week of fake meetings while it was all because the SDUSD had GIVEN UP on SDHS four in one because of budget mismanagement and lack of planning for the money needed for “adequate supports”.
Those complements held an even greater meaning for the Henchman Area Superintendent.
Mitzi Merino had gotten her “A” in the School of Cindy Marten Bait and Switch!
What a GREAT way to PULL THE SDHS STAKEHOLDERS TOGETHER AND “BEGIN” THE PROCESS of Honesty and Transparency.
Money, Lies and Videotape
Coming up next:
DISTRICT DEEDS MEETING DISMEMBERMENT: San Diego BOE Meeting 6/9/15 – PART 3:
“Shell Games”
Here is a list of the full series of posts for the SDUSD Board of Education Meeting on 6/9/15:
DISTRICT DEEDS MEETING DISMEMBERMENT: San Diego BOE Meeting 6/9/15 – PART 3: “SHELL GAMES”
DISTRICT DEEDS MEETING DISMEMBERMENT: San Diego BOE Meeting 6/9/15 – EPILOGUE
District Deeds 
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