Long Beach Post: David Barton Resigns from School Board

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

David Barton Resigns from School Board

by Long Beach Post | Staff Reports | 01.25.12 |

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3:45pm | Long Beach Unified School District Board of Education member David Barton has announced his resignation from the school board.

Barton was first elected in 2006 to represent LBUSD's District 5, which includes Millikan and Lakewood high schools along with surrounding elementary and middle schools. He ran unopposed for a second four-year term in 2010 and most recently was serving as the board's vice president.

Barton notified both LBUSD Superintendent Christopher J. Steinhauser and Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools Arturo Delgado of his resignation "for reasons of health" effective immediately. The notification was dated Jan.

22 and was received today at LBUSD's Board of Education office.

Because Barton's term does not expire until 2014, the Board of Education must begin taking steps to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the term. The school board will discuss the matter at its next regular meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 7.

"David has served with distinction on the school board," said LBUSD Board of Education President Felton Williams. "Together we have navigated extremely difficult times that have included unprecedented cuts in state funding, yet we have maintained our focus on improving student achievement. David's leadership in this regard will be missed."

"David has played an integral role here," Superintendent Steinhauser said. "His calm, thoughtful leadership has contributed much to our success. We thank him for his service, and we wish him all the best."

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16 Comments so far.

Bill of Rights
I regret that Dr. Barton has health problems, but I'm delighted the school board is rid of this stooge for the teachers union.

I hope the resignation was submitted in time for LBUSD to schedule the special election as part of the next regularly-scheduled city election.

Barbara Seville
Perhaps that nice Mr. Ellis could be prevailed upon to come back and represent the teachers' union's interests on the board again, if he has sobered up.

Honest
I am sorry to read the comments that were made about Dr. Barton being a stooge. I feel like I am in high school again when I read things that have been written in poor taste. Dr. Barton tried to keep the district honest by cutting its budget less in the classroom and more in administrative cost. Yes, Dr. Barton wanted 10 million dollars not to be cut from the classroom. Now that he is gone there most likely will be no one to protect students in the classroom from cut that can be made else where.

@Honest
The best way to "protect the children" (which really means protect teacher salaries and benefits) is to quit supporting the same old Democrats who have run Sacramento legislature for decades and have created budget after budget that has enriched their buddies in state government but at the cost of local schools and cities. Keep voting the same way and electing the same people or their ideological twins and watch how much more money is drained from the district every year.

Honest
You are changing the subject. This is about Dr. Barton, and how he handle himself. Again, I say "we are not in high school anymore." A congresswoman got shot because of thing like this said that had nothing to do with her. The money is there! It is how the district decides how to spend it! That is why the district has always tried not to make it's budget public. Dr. Barton tried to make the budget more open. Please get off the you are Democrat thing, because it old. Look at the person instead!

@(dis)Honest
"A congresswoman got shot because of thing like this said that had nothing to do with her." Total fabrication of the truth and if you read news instead of opinions and blogs from the left you would know the shooter in Arizona was not motivated by any political rhetoric or speech but was obsessed with Giffords. Your making this statement shows you read headlines and not articles and probably rely on keith olberman for your "facts."

Realist
@@(dis)Honest

On David Barton, a political difference of opinion should not prevent someone from recognizing the value of public service, Barton was elected to his position, so it would seem the majority of those in his district had a view different from yours.

On Giffords, while the shooter was "obsessed" with her, the real questions are what caused the obsession, and what type of obsession was it. As reported in the Wall Street Journal:

Alex Montanaro, who described himself as once having been one of "Jared's best friends" said his buddy was a good, smart kid who was close to his parents. "Throughout our time together all I saw was a normal, loving relationship," he said. ... Mr. Montanaro recalled his friend developed "a hate for government and just how everything was systematic... He thought government controlled people too much."

"I really can't understand why Jared was so interested in Giffords," Mr. Montanaro said. "I imagine it was simply because she was the most accessible."

... What do YOU think caused him to develop such "hatred" for government?

honest
So I have made you honest! You are NOW speaking of people instead of Political Parties! Thank you for your reply, because if you want to admit it or not; the subject is no longer about a place (Sacramento) or a political party (Democrats), but about real people and real life!

LBUSD teacher
Sadly,
I would bet that those of you posting negative comments are NOT LBUSD EMPLOYEES???? Keep your mouth shut if you have no clue what you are talking about. It's so easy to hide behind your computer anonymously and criticize. YOU people are part of the problem, rather than involved in a solution.

Barbara Seville
"It's so easy to hide behind your computer anonymously and criticize."

Says a pseudonymous critic.

Bill of Rights
High school? Really? Various definitions from online dictionaries:

Stooge: One who knowingly allows himself to be used for another’s profit. A person who helps an organization without disclosing he has a close relationship with that organization. Any person who is secretly in league with another organization while pretending to be neutral or actually part of the organization he is planted in.

Dr. Barton was a thoughtful trustee, provided the teachers union had no interest in a given issue. If TALB was affected by a topic, he reliably voted the union’s position.

Here is TALB’s own post-election statement, bragging about how Barton’s election led directly to a favorable union contract. Note that Barton was simultaneously the teachers union president in another school district. http://archive.cta.org/CaliforniaEducator/v10i9/Stand_8.htm

Bill of Rights
@LBUSD teacher:

Thanks sincerely for straightening me out. You’re right. It would be so much better if we pesky voters would just shut up and turn our tax money over to the teachers and their union.

I’m sure it’s coincidental that the best performing schools have the highest percentage of parent volunteers. In reality, it’s teachers who are responsible. Besides, we volunteers �' who spend hours on campus and in the classrooms every week -- don’t know what we’re talking about anyway, because we’re not LBUSD employees, right?

Now that I think about it, it’s pure happenstance that home-schooled kids are more than two years ahead of their public school peers �' and just as socially well-adjusted.

Yes, WE surely are part of the problem.

We non-employees really should do as our betters dictate and trust you to wisely spend our tax dollars. After all, your teachers union is such a superb steward of others’ funds.

Remember how, in 2006, TALB spent AT LEAST $490,305 in a failed attempt to win two school board races? Remember how at least $110,000 of that money was illegally embezzled from the union’s operating budget instead of its political fund? That money couldn’t have served LBUSD better by spending it elsewhere, right?

Remember how some of your colleagues had to sue your own union in order to get that accounting information? No doubt, the union broke the law and then tried to conceal it, because it was in the best interests of its members and “putting the kids first”.

I really appreciate your union finding the best candidates for us. Really, we taxpaying voters and parents are too ill-informed and stupid to pick our own representatives. I mean, who cares that school boards are supposed to represent the voters? I know your three candidates genuinely meant it when they said they were running “because of the kids”. It was just coincidental that all your candidates happened to be teachers and teachers union leaders.

You LBUSD employees repeatedly demonstrate such admirable judgment! Those were great representatives you chose for us. My favorite was the substance-abusing, multiply-arrested, drunk-driving, sleeping-at-traffic-light, driving-while-unlicensed, leaving-the-scene-of-an-accident, probation violator who submitted false expense reports to his school district.

Golly, but he was an outstanding role model for my kids.

And then there was the lengthy time period that your union was taken over by the state teachers union, due to local incompetence, probable bankruptcy and apparent fraud. Oh, and then you paid off your best known staff member to keep her from suing you.

These minor hiccups can happen in any smoothly run organization, I should think. Someone like me can’t know, of course, because I’m not a LBUSD employee.

Gee, there are so many other similar matters I could write about, but why bother? My thoughts and observations aren’t worth reading. I mean, like, I’m not a LBUSD employee.

Remind me again how your union improves my kids’ education, would you please?

Honest
Dear Bill of Rights, you are right that Dr.Barton did take the Union position to make the budget public, to put the meeting on tv so the public can see what was happening, and cut the district administrative budget of $10,000,000 to put it back into the classroom. Wow! The union is position he supported was a really bad thing for the people of Long Beach...I think not!

Honest
The biggest asset of the district is it teachers, because they are the ones who directly work with the students and parents of Long Beach. With that business fact in your mind...Why would anyone let the district right now take away any portion of teachers health benefits. These are people working with the public! The first ones most like to get sick and spread illness. When the teachers did not take a pay check the district decided to take away their health benefit and make the rest of us more apt. I am sorry that I think of the public safety before I think of anything else!

LB Lover
David Barton was a refreshing change from Jim Choura, who admittedly arrived to Board meetings unprepared and appeared to be only interested in higher office. The District deserved better, and received it. Barton's legacy will be the televised meetings which the old boy network fought very hard. Openness? Transparency? Parental Involvement? Remember if it wasn't for Suja Lowenthal and her self interest we would never have been saddled with Ellis.

Bill of Rights
@Honest. Thank you for your courteous response. I appreciate your apparent concession that Dr. Barton was a TALB mouthpiece.

I regret that I must politely point out that your argument is logically invalid.

TALB's selfish efforts may have sometimes benefited others. That does not prove that TALB -- or Barton -- ALWAYS acted in others' interests. Nor does it prove that TALB even CARES about others.

TALB puts itself and its members' first, always. Read its mission statement. Observe its past practices. Read its statements and website.

Dr. Barton's decision tree was simple: Does a given issue affect TALB? 1) If yes, what is TALB's position? Espouse and vote TALB's position regardless of all other factors. 2) If no, apply thoughtful, informed analysis to the issue.