Parents power works. An incompetent educrat. Who dumbed down education, caused kids to skip school—after twelve years the parents had enough. The good news is that she was finally forced to resign. “Over the past few months, Yeater has been under scrutiny because of low student academic performance and lack of maintenance of school facilities. A group of parents and guardians called NMC Parents4Change rallied, demanding Yeater’s resignation.
Leaders from NMC Parents4Change welcomed the news and said they want to work with the district in the superintendent search and get more parents involved.”
All of this done without the help of a political Party. The people are finally speaking up and demanding real education. Monterey is a liberal bastion—so it is even more impressive that parents were able to force this change. What till next year when these parents run for school board.
Terminate the Superintendent of North Monterey County Unified-Kari Yeater
Change.org. 8/28/23 https://www.change.org/p/stop-contract-renewal-for-superintendent-of-north-monterey-county-unified
Why this petition matters
Started by NMC VOICES4CHANGE
Dear Community,
We, the parents, teachers, staff, coaches, alumni, and community members of North Monterey County (NMC), urge you to join us in stopping the contract renewal for incumbent superintendent Kari Yeater. We believe her leadership has been detrimental to our schools, and we cannot afford another term under her ineffective leadership. We believe our district is worth fighting for. We are dedicated in the fight for equal access, community collaboration, and resources for all NMC students, teachers, and staff.
Over the past decade, our schools have seen a steady decline in academic performance, student engagement, deteriorating buildings, unkept facilities, and staff morale. Yeater has failed in every category.
1. Academic-among the lowest rankings in the core subjects of Math and English.
2. Student Engagement– NMCUSD is among the highest in chronic student absenteeism.
3. Deteriorating buildings and unkept facilities-ten years and counting to repair a structural wall in the weight room. Several buildings without heat, and restrooms that are not functional.
4. Staff morale– is at its lowest, a revolving door of teachers, staff, and administrators who are not empowered to perform their jobs. Appointments rather than conducting a recruitment process for the most qualified candidate.
Out of 379 Districts with 300 students or more in California, North Monterey County Unified District is:
· 375th in State Math testing results, Only 9% meet or exceed basic expectations.
· 358th in State Language Arts testing results, Only 27% meet or exceed basic expectations.
· 342nd in the percentage of Grads immediately eligible for CSU or University of California acceptance
· 354th in percentage of per-student revenue used on Teachers
Yet the spending at the top continues:
· 2nd in the percentage of per-student revenue used on Admin/Directors/Non-Certified support.
· The administrator-to-teacher ratio for NMCUSD continues to grow. For example, the district has four superintendent positions with an annual cost of over $1,058,000 as of 2021. The number is now five.
Our graduation rate runs in the top 3rd of the state, which doesn’t correlate with the fact that our graduates do not meet basic math and language levels and are not eligible for continued education without first seeking community college remediation classes. We are failing our students and our community and pushing students through the system without concern for real knowledge and abilities.
Superintendent Yeater is not fit to lead our schools toward success. Ten years of mediocrity and micromanaging is enough. We need someone who will prioritize academic excellence, open communication, collaboration with teachers, parents and students, and empower teachers and administrators to get the work done.
Instead, this micromanagement approach leads to administrator and teacher turnover, creating a constant revolving door where no headway is made for academic and enrichment programs. The high school has felt the brunt of Yeater’s ineffectiveness as the school was once recognized as a California Distinguished School and a fierce athletic competitor, but now core subject proficiency is at an all-time low, a lack of access to facilities has significantly hampered sports performance, and she will not fund a sorely needed full-time Athletic Director. Yet creates fluff positions, as evidenced by the district’s ratio of Administration percentage to student ratio.
Again, we are frustrated and cannot allow one more minute of her ineffective leadership. Our community deserves shared decision making, family and community engagement, safe learning and teaching environments. Please join us. North Monterey County is worth fighting for.
We ask that you sign this petition to stop the contract renewal for Superintendent Kari Yeater. We implore the Board of Trustees to hear our concerns and take action or bear the repercussions of ignoring their constituents. Together, we can make a difference in ensuring an equitable future for our community by spending resources on students and teachers rather than overinflated administrator pay.
Information sources:
Californians have no problem going on strike and staying home from a job for higher wages. For a better education for their children, they can go on strike and keep their kids out of school. There are many excuses why they don’t do this but not 1 good reason!
Not far away, the Carmel, CA school district just paid their outgoing superintendent $770,000 to leave. This district has had something like six superintendents in the last seven years. Principal of Carmel High School was let go, nobody is quite sure, he got a job in another state. Spreckels school district just paid a parent $100,000 to settle her claim about teachers convincing her daughter she was actually a boy. LOTS of problems in Monterey County school districts. Everyone who can sends their kids to private/religious schools or homeschools.