A San Diego Unified School District teacher, on administrative leave for more than a year, is receiving her full salary. It's an issue that plagues many communities as school districts struggle to find a fair way to evaluate teachers.
Emma Zink, a math teacher at La Jolla High School, has been on paid administrative leave since Oct. 2014. According to public records, she is being paid more than $119,000, including pay and benefits, while on leave.
It is unclear why Zink is on leave. Some community members who spoke with NBC 7 say it is the result of long-standing problems that came to a head when there was a confrontation with a student. Those community members say do not want her back at any cost.
But supporters say she is a great teacher who simply wants discipline and order and say she should be allowed to return.
School officials have not made a decision either way.
Zink declined to comment to NBC 7 because her legal adviser says there are open legal cases against the district.
“Sometimes the process takes a while and in some issues it's taking a long while,” said Board Member Doctor Michael McQuary. “You ask why it is taking so long in a particular issue; I can’t answer.”
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McQuary cannot comment on this specific case, but says generally there are decisions made along the way in cases like this, to try to reach a speedy solution.
“We intervene, we mitigate, we correct and we modify and arrive at it as quick a solution as possible at the lowest cost possible,” said McQuary.
Some people who spoke to NBC 7 San Diego say they do not like the idea of paying anyone to stay home.
“I think that's ridiculous,” said Essie Rahbari, a La Jolla High School parent. “I wish my job did that. I don’t think they would do that for me.”
One student who spoke to NBC 7 with parental permission said there should be an easier way to make a decision on such matters.
“You can tell by the grade or test scores there’s always a way to tell is a teacher is good or bad,” said Manuela Rahbari, a La Jolla High School student.
The district is prevented from talking about personnel issues. Though McQuary said he could not comment on the merits of this case, he did speak generally to such situations, saying a teacher could not just be fired; many decisions are made along the way before a teacher can be fired.
