Leaked E-mail suggests serious division amongst Colorado Spring District 11 Union members
Face the State Staff Report
An e-mail to District 11 teachers, obtained by Face the State, shows that the Colorado Springs Education Association president has committed far more financial mismanagement than originally reported.
Among some of the shocking revelations, it shows that Irma Valerio-Garcia, who has abruptly resigned as CSEA president, overcharged her expense account by more than $3,300 and improperly spent $17,000 “on shirts and water bottles for members." In addition, the e-mail states that Valerio-Garcia took a 27 percent pay increase, while most teachers only received a 1 percent increase. Although Valerio-Garcia claimed that she resigned because of a divided board, in fact the email says that the board unanimously requested that Valerio-Garcia resign.
As originally reported on Face the State, this story broke when union administration of a district program, PROGRAD, was questioned as the result of payments being made to teachers for attendance at partisan political functions. State law and district policy prohibit the use of public funds to further personal political activities.
In addition, it appears the CSEA is sharply divided over the president's resignation, and some have launched a petitition drive to remove the board.
But the problem could be even deeper, according to a leading national teachers' unions expert.
Mike Antonucci, operator of the Education Intelligence Agency Web site, suspects more is at work "because the original story doesn’t match the facts that we’ve received.” He believes that the board of director's initial decision to conceal the truth could indicate that Valerio-Garcia's actions are not isolated.
Antonucci has uncovered teachers union scandals in other part of the country. He helped to expose the blatant corruption in the United Teachers of Dade in Miami, Fla, in which union president Pat Tornillo misappropriated nearly $3.5 million in member dues money and pleaded guilty to fraud and tax evasion.
In Colorado, Antonucci sees an additional problems. He says the CSEA, like other unions, has not responsibly managed taxpayer dollars used for professional development. “The union is so convinced they can manage this sort of stuff, they often wrong foot it and find themselves in bigger and bigger trouble,” he said. “They may be willing to take the beating on the resignation to avoid dealing with the problem of districts using unions to run training.”
The bottom line ....
On June 10th, 2007 tallport says:
The bottom line is that it is you cannot lump all unions together no more than you can lump all businesses together. Unions are not anti-business and never have been. We are about empowering people at all levels of society. It is not wise to separate business from labor. Socrates is clearly anti-union and is simply not going to hear anything to change that. It is easier to stand with authority than to challenge it.
Checks and balances....
On June 1st, 2007 Socrates says:
....applies to governmental entities, which unions are not, despite their illusions of grandeur.
And as for them being less corrupt? Jimmy Hoffa. More recently , Irma Valerio. "nuff said, oh union shill.
The debate will not end here .....
On June 1st, 2007 tallport says:
Democracy does not end at the halls of Congress. Our Government is "of the people" and that includes unions despite your "illusions" - as your right wing thinking on the matter is far more "corrupt" than the labor movement. Listing names of preceived good and bad people could go on forever. I maintain that people who TRULY believe in the principles of democracy would never bust a union in thought or action. While I would never expect us to agree rest assured that we are not going away anytime soon.
Ah, yes,.....
On June 6th, 2007 Socrates says:
.....the inevitable personal attack on my so-called "illusions," and "corrupt" thinking.
So much for any leftwinger's ability to discuss an issue in a polite and rational manner. Thanks for demonstrating that.
Wait a second.
On June 6th, 2007 Diogenes says:
Socrates throws around terms like "illusion" and "corrupt", and when those same words are quoted back at him, they suddenly become personal attacks? How about following Harry Truman's advice?
How about..
On June 6th, 2007 Socrates says:
....learning to tell the difference in how words are used, depending on the context?
If you can't tell the difference between a discussion of a UNION that is corrupt, and calling a person with whom you're having an exchange "corrupt," then you don't know much about the English language.
Or was this just another feeble, but deliberate, attempt at a personal slam?
Yep.
Go back to high school debate class.
Silliness
On June 6th, 2007 Diogenes says:
So, tell me, Teacher. It's perfectly acceptable for you to refer to a whole union as corrupt because of the actions of one person (or even, arguably, a handful of the 1600 teachers in the union). but let somebody call you on your snotiness, and it's a personal attack? Maybe you should go back to Sunday School?
Ooooooo
On June 7th, 2007 Socrates says:
Did I touch a nerve there in pointing out how baseless your "argument" was?
Figures.
The fact that the left goes to the personal attack, immediately, and every time that someone dares to disagree with them is a real indicator of an inability to make rational, fact-supported arguments. That this occurs constantly tells us how widespread this trend is. Thanks for yet another very clear demonstration.
You must be looking in a mirror
On June 7th, 2007 Diogenes says:
and not responding to my post. Again, you've gotten "personal" in labeling a union of 1600 members as "corrupt" because of am isolated circumstance. Are you that blinded by your own brilliance that you cannot grasp the irony of the position you've taken?
Yet again,
On June 8th, 2007 Socrates says:
...nothing much more than a personal attack. At least you're true to form. Thanks, yet again, for yet another demonstration. But now you've had your chance to discuss the issues rationally, and you're obviously unable to do so. Have a nice day.
Let's try it again
On June 9th, 2007 Diogenes says:
Why is it that when you condemn a group of 1600 teachers as "corrupt" and as having "delusions" of grandeur, it's a valid comment and not a personal attack? But when someone uses those exact same terms-- which you chose -- and turns them back, it's now suddenly a personal attack?
Why, in your world view, is it OK for you to demean 1600 teachers, almost all of whom have nothing to do with this isolated incidence of misconduct by the union president, but it's not OK for someone to demean one person for his own choice of words? You seem very quick to throw around demeaning language when it applies to anyone else, and then stand upon your pedestal when some of the fecal matter you launched splashes back in your direction.
Ironic,isn't it, that your good friend Josef Stalin probably summed up your philsophy quite well: "One death is a tragedy, but a million deaths are a statistic."
The country certainly........
On May 31st, 2007 Socrates says:
....doesn't need more corrupt unions and corrupt union leadership. So since there is no real oversight of unions, how do you prevent that?
Give it a rest ......
On June 1st, 2007 tallport says:
If there was "no real oversight" this story would never have broken. Unions help bring oversight to the workplace. Unions have far more oversight on them than busineses do and with simliar organizations. Regular elections for starters with democratic rules and labor laws to keep it that way. Regular reports to the Department of Labor are required. The percentage of bad unions is certainly no higher than the number of bad businesses. Being pro-busness demands the same for labor. The influence of corporations is pervasive. Unions bring a needed balance. Remember checks and balances?
Well there
On June 1st, 2007 cologeek says:
certainly are a lot of checks written, but no balances at the CSEA.
Balance is still Needed .......
On June 1st, 2007 tallport says:
My comments are not specific to any local as I think you know. But yes, a lot of checks have been written and mainly by business, but that's ok. What is not ok is to deny unionized employees the same right for blatant political reasons.
I am wondering .......
On May 31st, 2007 tallport says:
Ok, so all this may be true, but it does not diminsh the need and and benefit of unions and collective bargaining. There are many companies that go wrong as described above too. They most often just close as opposed to being tried in the press. That is not to say that wrongdoing should go unreported. Unions bring the democratic principle of checks and balances and collective bargaining to a place where is it needed now more that ever - the workplace. This country needs more unions not less.
And.....
On May 29th, 2007 Socrates says:
.....is anyone really surprised at this? You shouldn't be. The teachers' union in D-11 has almost always been full of petty corruption. The only thing that is a bit different about this is the size of the bite. And the reformers who got thrown off the school board were subjected to lengthy and false character assassination by the members of the union, particularly Tom and Lori Watson (the former also quickly resigned from the union board at the same time as Valerio.....do we have to wonder why?). Could it be that the reformers were a threat to the cozy little setup the union has in D-11? That Eric Christen, as treasurer might well find out about their scams?
Get past it.
On June 6th, 2007 Diogenes says:
Eric Christen hasn't been the treasurer in COS for almost three years now. He was recalled six months ago. But he remains interested in making COS a better place, evidently, as he's moving out of town. (If he's not gone already.)