Dear Editor,
In our community, during frustrating and stressful times, we look to our leaders. In Vail, Calvin Baker, as the superintendent of our school district, is the leader we look to for support and assurance. Official letters coming from his office throughout the teacher walk-out have been filled with subtle teacher shaming. Baker has repeatedly pandered to inconvenienced community members while ignoring the opinion and sacrifices of the teachers and staff participating in the walk-out.
Mr. Baker opened schools without consulting teachers, forcing teachers to make an even more difficult choice. Many teachers felt coerced into returning to their classrooms, fearing repercussions. These teachers adore their students; they wanted to be back in the classroom, but being told what to do instead of consulted about what to do have left many feeling betrayed and angry.
Mr. Baker sits on the Arizona State Board of Education so this movement may be very uncomfortable for him, especially if he has future political aspirations. But, ultimately, this is not about him. It is about our children and about our teachers. This is what Calvin Baker seems to have forgotten in his concern to keep his political standing.
Many teachers in the district are now thinking about leaving a district that deserted them during the fight: the fight for our children’s education. Many people in Vail credit Baker for the high-performing district that we are. It should be understood that the reason our district is of such high caliber is directly because of the incredible community of volunteers and our amazing, sacrificing teachers.
In Vail, teachers are the lowest paid in the area. Unlike other districts, they do not get paid for before-school and after-school duty. Special Education teachers do not get extra pay if their caseload goes about a manageable level. The highly successful and district revenue source “Beyond Textbooks” is populated with lesson plans by our teachers. In order to get their promised 301 money, Vail teachers must create and upload complex lesson plans to be shared with all the districts who have bought into “BT.” Vail teachers are literally the hardest working and lowest paid teachers in our area. They are invaluable. If they start leaving the district in droves due to lack of support, we will lose the soul of the district.
This is not the baker Unified School District, it is the Vail Unified School District, and we are anything but unified right now. It’s time for Calvin Baker to retire… again. We need real leadership who supports our teachers and prioritizes what is best for our children. We hope that if the school board is faced with the choice between allegiance to Calvin Baker and saving the soul of the district, they will stand with the teachers.
K.L. VanGogh, Vail
