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==Superintendent's Use of East County District Funds Questioned in Lawsuit
Cajon Valley school board member claims superintendent retaliated against her after questions use of district funds==
By Dorian Hargrove, Mari Payton, Tom Jones and Paul Krueger • Published November 27, 2019 • Updated on November 27, 2019 at 8:21 pm
A trustee for the Cajon Valley Unified School District claims the district’s superintendent and other board members retaliated against her for voicing concerns about frequent travel and alleged misspending of district funds.
Board member Jilane Barto’s claims are detailed in a federal lawsuit filed against Cajon Valley Unified superintendent David Miyashiro and four school board members: James Miller, Jo Alegria, Tamara Otero, and Karen Clark-Mejia.
Barto claims she was targeted when she first questioned Miyashiro’s use of district funds and the superintendent’s travel at district expense.
According to her lawsuit, “[Barto] raised issues about how much money District Superintendent Miyashiro has spent on his travel and conference costs, and raised questions about the size and nature of expenditures from his discretionary funds.”
Public records obtained by NBC 7 Investigates confirm district staff took frequent trips at district expense, and Miyashiro had attended conferences and “Ted Talks” in Vancouver, Chicago,Beijing, O’ahu, London, as well as Tallahassee, Florida.
The data reveals district staff has spent $1.1 million dollars on trips and conferences since March 2017. According to the California Department of Education, Cajon Valley Unified is the tenth-largest in San Diego County with 17,468 students. Miyashiro’s $295,596 salary makes him the second-highest-paid superintendent in San Diego County.
Few professions in America have more daily interaction and long-term impact on immigrants than teaching. As teachers listen and get to know their students deeply, they impart not only knowledge, but orientation, hope, and guidance in a new reality. Teachers get the opportunity to introduce America to a whole new group of Americans, and create atmospheres for learning that bring all types of students together.
In 2017, our school district put out a call for stories from teachers about their experiences with immigrant students. We wanted to better understand and respond to the impact of immigrant and refugee arrivals in our classrooms. What emerged is a collection of stories authored by educators who are truly changing the world. The stories are as varied as the students themselves. Some are uplifting and lighthearted; others are tough. Teachers are front-line observers to everyday happenings in their community, and here we get a glimpse of their unique perspective, insight, and compassion.
El Cajon, where we teach, is a national refugee resettlement destination. Our district has received over 850 newly arrived students in the 2016-2107 school year alone, from Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan,and a handful of African and Latin American countries. In total, refugee children comprise over 19% of our student body, nearly 1 in 5 students in our district.
We have been careful to protect the confidentiality and cultural traditions of students described in this book. We have not used their real names, and pictures are not necessarily of students described in the stories. Teacher names are presented with the level of confidentiality preferred by the teacher.
We’d love to hear from readers of this book. Are you an ally hoping to do right by immigrant and refugee kids? Please reach out to us with your thoughts and ideas.
Eyal Bergman
Cajon Valley Union School District
Family & Community Engagement Officer
bergmane@cajonvalley.net
https://www.cajonvalley.net/Page/15751