In a 600KOGO NewsRadio interview this morning , a permanently “scrambling” San Diego Unified Supt. Cindy Marten couldn’t answer the most basic questions posed to her by the Radio Hosts and clearly exposed herself as the one of the most inept, inexperienced Superintendents in the United States.

Marten, who supposedly had a key role in the multi-million dollar negotiations and approval of the recent SDEA Teachers Union Contract HAD NO IDEA WHAT THE STARTING SALARY OF A TEACHER IS IN THE SDUSD!  

Obviously ANYONE who was in charge of the BIGGEST expense in the SDUSD Budget (salaries) should at least have a range or an inkling of what the starting point is….but MARTEN DID NOT.

ALL Stakeholders in the SDUSD should be DEEPLY concerned with this lack of knowledge…ESPECIALLY TEACHERS!

The Radio Hosts then asked Marten about her hiring criteria…whether she looks to hire young Teachers or experienced Teachers.  Marten then, after a few of her standard eduspeak phrases, said:

“It’s not about young or experienced, it’s about qualified and committed with a passion for public education.”  

The problem with Marten’s response is that the Marten version of ” qualified and committed with a passion for public education” basically eliminates, as she stated, “experienced” educators who can see through her total LACK of experience and credibility and who refuse to give up their personal integrity, honesty and advanced training to follow her blindly.  The “experienced” educators also recognize in the Marten Administration the specter of the current toxic Marten SDUSD Culture that is based on retribution and “making an example” of idiological transgressors.

Given the “Brain Drain” evidence, the Toxic Marten Culture AND the lack of support for key programs like Special Education and English Language Support, WHY WOULD ANY NEW TEACHER WANT TO APPLY AT SDUSD except out of desperation?

The interview was a perfect profile of Cindy Marten

• Thin-skinned and defensive when the Radio Hosts used the word “scrambling”…a perfect description of the day to day Marten Administration
• Monotonous edu-speak to prevent any clarity of purpose or intent in employment practices
• Total lack of knowledge and experience in KEY areas (i.e.: Teacher Starting Salaries)
• Boring and inexperienced

THIS is the leader of the 7th largest school district in the United States?

More like a “Big Lots” LOSS LEADER.

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