District Deeds Sunday Reads – Sunday, February 21, 2021: #NoMarten Movement Gaining Momentum Nationally-Join Us!!! #NoMarten Tools: Website, Video, News Articles and 50 State Senator/Representative Contact Info Enclosed!!!

Tags

#NoMarten, San Diego Unified School District, San Diego Unified School District Superintendent Cindy Marten, SDUSD Trustee Richard Barrera

The nomination of San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) Superintendent Cindy Marten for Deputy Secretary of Education nominee continues to unravel nationwide. Zoom meetings, interviews, phone calls, emails, websites and media articles are exposing the ugly Marten performance record and being driven home to both local and national elected officials.

This week in Sunday Reads we will be featuring the many communications methods that have pointed out the reasons why the Marten nomination should be withdrawn by the Biden administration, and also why Marten should not be allowed to continue as SDUSD Superintendent once that nomination has been denied.

We encourage our readers worldwide to find your Federal Congressperson and Senator with the search tools below and email/call them with the #NoMarten communication links you feel disqualify Marten the most.

To find your Federal Congressperson: House of Representative Search

To find your Federal Senator: Senate Search

We have selected the most relevant portions of these unique communications for our readers but District Deeds strongly urges our readers to click on the title (in red) and investigate the full communication for themselves.

#NoMarten

BE WELL…

TAKE COVID 19 PRECAUTIONs

SCHEDULE YOUR VACCINATION

Website:

Say NO to Cindy Marten Website: NOMARTEN.COM

DISTRICT DEEDS SYNOPSIS AND COMMENTARY:

Nice website with Video and links to studies and articles exposing the horrible performance of Marten over the last 8 years. A must see!

Articles:

“Biden Should Withdraw This Nomination”

QUOTEs FROM ARTICLE:

As a “Biden-backer,” I’m strongly urging the president to change one of his recommendations. San Diego parents, teachers and an attorney offer powerful reasons for the president to withdraw his nomination of former San Diego Unified School District Superintendent Cindy Marten to be deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. There’s growing, reasonable opposition to her appointment in this critical job.

More than 100 cases from families with special needs students are pending against the district where she served as superintendent. Jennifer Rayle has been a public school teacher for more than 20 years, working with students who have special needs. She explained: “As a special education advocate, I have clients in other districts and San Diego is by far the most challenging to work with.”

And…

There’s more. Last month, San Diego’s NAACP announced: “The NAACP San Diego would like to express its firm and resolute opposition to the nomination of current San Diego Unified School District Superintendent Cindy Marten to the post of deputy secretary in the federal Department of Education.”

It continued: “During her administration, African-American students and families have not only been systematically de-prioritized, but key programs and resources to support African-American student success have been stripped and ‘abolished.’ It is our view that she’s been an ineffective leader of California’s second largest school district and is ill-equipped for the tremendous responsibility of serving the needs of our entire nation’s young learners.” (See t.ly/MwHw.)

DISTRICT DEEDS SYNOPSIS AND COMMENTARY:

Great article by a “Biden Backer” that chronicles the damage Marten has done to the most at risk SDUSD Students while veiling her improper neglect and actions in a total lack of transparency and zero accountability.

Biden’s Education Secretary Pick Has A History Of Covering Up Sexual Assault

QUOTEs FROM ARTICLE:

President Joe Biden recently nominated San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) Superintendent Cindy Marten to lead the U.S. Department of Education, but despite her title, the education administrator has a long history of mishandling education policy and misconduct.

Not only does Marten want to keep schools closed in the name of COVID, even though science and health officials have warned against extending students’ remote learning, but she also has spent years of her career and time writing off concerns about sexual assault, violence, and other problems in San Diego schools.

And…

Despite parents’ and teachers’ concerns and media coverage highlighting the inadequacies of the school district to contain violent students, violent offenses such as stabbings, sexual assaults, and fights continued and even rose in frequency, largely ignored and unaddressed by Marten and those under her.

DISTRICT DEEDS SYNOPSIS AND COMMENTARY:

Excellent article that provides at least 8 different occurrences and news articles where Marten failed to protect Students and Teachers and make the case against her Deputy Secretary of Education nomination and also against her remaining as SDUSD Superintendent.

Biden’s Dep. Sec. of Education Pick Draws Both Praise and Protests

QUOTEs FROM ARTICLE:

Biden’s choice of Cardona to lead the Education Department has been greeted positively across a spectrum of groups with different ideological perspectives about education. Conversely, Marten’s nomination has also garnered severe criticism.

And…

There are members of the San Diego Unified community that have long had complaints about Marten’s inattention to racial equity issues confronting Black students and parents.

In a statement issued shortly after Marten’s nomination was announced, Katrina Hasan Hamilton, Education Chair of the NAACP San Diego branch said, “President-Elect Biden, with all of the qualified educators we have in our nation, this is not a good choice for healing Black students, families and educators, nor is it a step in the right direction for repairing harm in our schools.”

Following up on that statement, Francis Maxwell, President NAACP San Diego branch wrote, “During her [Marten’s] administration, African-American students and families have not only been systematically de-prioritized, but key programs and resources to support African-American student success have been stripped and “abolished.”

Under Marten, the district suspends and expels Black students at a disproportionately high rate according to a report titled “When They Teach Us: The Education of Black Children in San Diego” issued by researchers at San Diego State University (SDSU) Black Minds Project. Mohamed Abdi, a report co-author said, “Black males in kindergarten through third grade (K-3) are suspended at a rate that is 280% higher than that of their peers and Black males are 3.1 times more likely to receive an out-of-school suspension and 2.8 times more likely to receive an in-school suspension.”

According to Abdi, these numbers are historic and Marten has done little to improve them. When he and his colleagues made an offer to her to provide free on-going district-wide training on implicit bias, she did not respond.

And…

Marten’s stance on charter schools denies options to African American parents dissatisfied with their district public school. Access to public charter schools has proven to be a viable choice for higher academic achievement and greater chances of high school graduation for Black students.

Given her poor track record supporting Black parents and students, Marten’s nomination to be Deputy Secretary of Education needs more evaluation by Biden’s team before her Senate hearing.

DISTRICT DEEDS SYNOPSIS AND COMMENTARY:

Another excellent article that focuses on the abject failure of Marten to serve the educational needs of Black Students and Families. The article provides good detail on the horrific legacy of Marten in covering up “alleged civil rights violations, alleged harassment and assault incidents, and alleged graduation rate manipulation”.

Definitely worth reading and passing on to your Federal representatives.

Black Civil Rights Activists Respond to Cindy Marten’s Nomination to the Department of Education

President Joe Biden, who swore to promote healing and unity in his inaugural address nearly two weeks ago, has made a choice that does neither for Black students and families. Biden tapped Cindy Marten, superintendent of San Diego Unified School District, for deputy secretary, the number two position in the Department of Education.

Prior to his election, President Biden promised to put teachers in the Department of Education, a welcome change from Betsy DeVos, the former Department of Education secretary whose single qualification was being a wealthy mega-donor to former President Trump. Ms. DeVos served for nearly four years, only resigning her position after former President Trump encouraged the rioters who stormed the Capitol on January 6.

While Ms. Marten has been in education for over thirty years, most of her time was spent in administration. During her tenure, she rarely supported or sided with Black families or students.

Education advocates and activists across the US are calling the Biden-Harris Administration out for selecting Ms. Marten. On Talk Dat Real Sh*t, a podcast under the Brightbeam education advocacy group, which aired on The Black Wall Street Times, Naomi Shelton, the secretary for the D.C. Public Charter School Board, said,

“We asked for these specific things and the leadership of the department of education Y’all have demonstrated that you did not hear us and so we oppose the nominee for the deputy assistant secretary of the department of education.” Adding “ you’re going to give us one thing and show that to the world in picking this person that flies under the radar is that there are still going to be problems.”

And…

Among Ms. Marten’s most egregious civil rights violations are accusations that she covered up sexual assault. Indeed, Ms. Marten has not publicly commented on her role in ignoring and trying to hide multiple sexual abuse cases in San Diego, including firing investigators who found SDUSD culpable in covering up sexual assault. Several incidents of elementary school sexual child abuse occurred when students were unsupervised in a school bathroom; later a physics teacher was accused of fondling a student. A student who received special education services was raped by a student with a history of behavioral outbursts. The survivor’s mother was not told of the assault, and the student accused of rape only served a 5-day suspension.

Across the country, Black students and their families have become experts in addressing racism in education, unlike the professional educational administrators who no longer teach, and whose interests are driven by self-interest rather than the needs of children. And yet President Biden did not have a single parent or student advisor on his department of education selection committee, a move that further disengages Biden and his administration from the needs of Black students and their families. Ms. Laster ended her interview with The Black Wall St Times with a question: “who is advocating for the needs of our children?”

DISTRICT DEEDS SYNOPSIS AND COMMENTARY:

Excellent article that holds the Biden administration accountable for selecting Marten instead of someone “who is advocating for the needs of our children”.

ALL honest SDUSD Stakeholders have been asking that question since Marten was illegally appointed SDUSD Superintendent by Tricky Dick Barrera in violation of the Brown Act.

The Barrera appointment of Marten with zero community input or collaborations was very similar to what the article described as Bidens’ neglect in not having “a single parent or student advisor on his department of education selection committee”.

Well worth reading!

Biden Favors Teachers Unions Over Students’ Education

QUOTEs FROM ARTICLE:

Joe Biden’s inaugural speech on Jan. 20 stressed “unity” or a variant of the term 11 times. This unity evidently doesn’t include the broad swath of Americans, including some traditional Democratic constituencies, who support school choice. The latest poll on the topic, conducted by the Democratic polling firm Beck Research, found that 65 percent of K-12 parents back school choice. Moreover, 74 percent of African Americans and 71 percent of Latinos, groups that stand to gain the most from choice, are staunch supporters as well.

Less than 36 hours after President Biden took the oath of office, however, First Lady Jill Biden feted union leaders at the White House, reminding them of her promise that teachers unions “will always have a seat at the table” in the administration. Around the same time, Biden announced his choice for deputy secretary of Education: San Diego Unified School District superintendent Cindy Marten, who has aligned herself with the California Teachers Association in trying to halt the growth of charter schools. Even the San Diego branch of the NAACP failed to see the “unity” in this pick, releasing a statement referring to Marten as an “ineffective leader when it comes to the academic advancement of African American children in San Diego public schools.”

And…

Additionally, according to recent survey data, 62 percent of public school kids started classes this fall on Zoom, while just 5 percent of private schools were virtual this fall. Thanks to union-mandated public school shutdowns, an entire generation can expect a drop in lifetime earnings of 5 to 10 percent. No wonder that the percentage of Americans who think that the union-dominated education system is going in the “right direction” has dropped to a meager 23 percent.

DISTRICT DEEDS SYNOPSIS AND COMMENTARY:

Good article from the perspective of a big city newspaper. The article emphasizes Martens’ opposition to school choice and the fault of Teachers Unions to prevent school choice.

The survey data of “Americans who think that the union-dominated education system is going in the “right direction” has dropped to a meager 23 percent.” is especially enlightening.

This article provides a fairly accurate assessment of Marten as a Teachers Union sell out.

District Deeds Final Observations

We hope our readers use all the tools available in this post to deny Marten the Dep. Sec. nomination and to fire her from the SDUSD Superintendent position.

There were many negative comments made in the articles provided about Teachers Unions, most with very accurate observations.

From the District Deeds perspective, in the SDUSD Teachers have every right to protect themselves with a strong union against Marten and Trustee Richard “Tricky Dick” Barrera corruption. The weaker SDUSD unions do not enjoy that protection and political leverage and are one of the main victims of Marten/Barrera mismanagement and greed.

The big problem is that Stakeholders, OTHER THAN Teachers and senior Democratic Party politicians, have virtually ZERO influence and ZERO voice on critical educational, cultural and equity decisions being made by the corrupt Board of Education that have been bought off by special interest groups, especially the Democratic Party and SDEA Teachers Union. Remember, Board of Education Trustees DO NOT run for office under a political party designation which implies that they should not be servants to any individual political party.

They are servants of the Students and their families and Taxpayers.

In the SDUSD the Teachers Union and the Democratic Party OWN ALL the Trustees and that gives the Trustees the absolute weakness to be absolutely corrupted.

If they continue to exploit the democratic process through corrupt Trustees and Superintendents they will soon lose more and more jobs as Parents move to better educational options.

Even given this influence, we also believe that school closures in the SDUSD are not the fault or responsibility of the SDEA Teachers Union.

Based on the recent history of Marten and Barrera of…

With that proof, would ANY SDUSD Stakeholder bet their life on the ability of incompetent Marten and corrupt Barrera to make school sites safe from Covid 19 without a vaccination?

This is not to negate all the Parents who are demanding that schools re-open. They are COMPLETELY RIGHT! Schools need to reopen asap.

The problem for the Parents, Teachers and all SDUSD Stakeholders IS NOT about opposition or agreement of school reopening or vaccinations.

The problem for Parents, Teachers and all SDUSD Stakeholders IS about the distrust and corruption of Marten, Barrera and the SDUSD leadership to open schools SAFELY and the fault of the ethically and morally bankrupt SDUSD Leadership under Marten and Barrera.

There is really only one solution for ALL SDUSD Stakeholders for educational equity, the Pandemic and opening schools.

Until Marten is denied the nomination and fired and Tricky Dick and the rest of the SDUSD Trustees are removed from office, ALL Stakeholders will continue to suffer, especially the most at risk Students/Families, Parents, Families, Teachers and Staff who are denied due process, insulted, embarrassed and muzzled for by a toxic culture of retribution and fear in the SDUSD CREATED by Cindy Marten and Board of Education.