Trustee stands up against the teachers' union

Mike Dunn is being viciously attacked for being the only Conejo Valley Unified School District board member to challenge the unreasonable demand of the boss of the teachers' union for a Dec. 23, 2006 Christmas vacation start date. The late start date makes pre-Christmas celebration (travel) plans very difficult if not impossible.

This is very inconsiderate and disrespectful to people of faith.

Mr. Dunn, responding to numerous communications from many concerned parents, took the added step of taking a poll. He found his constituency overwhelmingly preferred a Christmas vacation start date of Dec. 16 or 20 and he advocated for them at the March 24 meeting. He at least got the union bosses and other board members to compromise and let the kids out Dec. 22, but the teachers still have to work until Dec. 23.

Many teachers responding to Dunn's poll, of course, would also prefer the earlier start date.

The union bosses are embarrassed by the disclosure of the fact that they are selfishly pushing their own agenda while disregarding their membership.

Why would they do that? Do they hate Christmas? Why would every other board member "rubber stamp" the demands of union bosses?

All the other school board members and the union bosses have a lot of explaining to do.

Mike Dunn was also the only board member to challenge the adoption of a new curriculum that redefined marriage to include homosexual unions.

Perhaps it is time to replace the other board members who accept thousands in union money, disregard the will of the parents and fail to protect the children of Thousand Oaks. Diane Marie Westlake Village