Wednesday, May 12, 2021
New York gun enthusiast destroys his AR-15 rifle o...
San Diego Education Report Blog: New York gun enthusiast destroys his AR-15 rifle o...: New York gun enthusiast destroys his AR-15 rifle on camera in wake of Florida shooting Scott-Dani Pappalardo purchased his AR-15 rifle o...
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
New York City Teacher Ratings: Teacher Data Reports Publicly Released Amid Controversy
Good heavens. It's really embarrassing for kids to graduate high school without being ready for the world, or to drop out with even less preparation for life. It's embarrassing to be a failure in life. The teaching profession should be willing to absorb a bit of embarrassment in the quest for better teaching.
New York City Teacher Ratings: Teacher Data Reports Publicly Released Amid Controversy
02/24/2012
The New York City Department of Education released today a list of individual ratings of thousands of the city's schoolteachers, a move that concludes a lengthy legal battle waged by the local teachers' union and media.
The Teacher Data Reports rate more than 12,000 teachers who taught fourth through eighth grade English or math between 2007 and 2010 based on value-added analysis. Value-added analysis calculates a teacher's effectiveness in improving student performance on standardized tests -- based on past test scores. The forecasted figure is compared to the student's actual scores, and the difference is considered the "value added," or subtracted, by the teachers.
To some, the release means a step forward in using student data and improving transparency and accountability by giving parents access to information on teacher effectiveness. To others, it's a misguided over-reliance on incomplete or inaccurate data that publicly shames or praises educators, whether deserving or not...
New York City Teacher Ratings: Teacher Data Reports Publicly Released Amid Controversy
02/24/2012
The New York City Department of Education released today a list of individual ratings of thousands of the city's schoolteachers, a move that concludes a lengthy legal battle waged by the local teachers' union and media.
The Teacher Data Reports rate more than 12,000 teachers who taught fourth through eighth grade English or math between 2007 and 2010 based on value-added analysis. Value-added analysis calculates a teacher's effectiveness in improving student performance on standardized tests -- based on past test scores. The forecasted figure is compared to the student's actual scores, and the difference is considered the "value added," or subtracted, by the teachers.
To some, the release means a step forward in using student data and improving transparency and accountability by giving parents access to information on teacher effectiveness. To others, it's a misguided over-reliance on incomplete or inaccurate data that publicly shames or praises educators, whether deserving or not...
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Virtual Education Advocates Respond to Wave of Criticism
I think online learning could be wonderful--but it looks like some people who don't care about kids are cashing in.
Virtual Ed. Advocates Respond to Wave of Criticism
By Ian Quillen
Premium article access courtesy of Edweek.org
November 23, 2011
It’s been a rough year for the public image of K-12 virtual education.
Studies in Colorado and Minnesota have suggested that full-time online students in those states were struggling to match the achievement levels of their peers in brick-and-mortar schools. Articles in The New York Times have questioned not only the academic results for students in virtual schools, but also the propriety of business practices surrounding the use of public dollars for such programs.
Meanwhile, two left-leaning magazines, The Nation and Mother Jones, contended this month that education policy reforms pushed by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in the name of digital opportunities for students have the ulterior motive of funneling money to big technology companies. And the move into education by the right-leaning media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, with his News Corp. conglomerate’s purchase of the educational technology company Wireless Generation, has drawn protests from some teacher advocates at public appearances by Mr. Murdoch...
Virtual Ed. Advocates Respond to Wave of Criticism
By Ian Quillen
Premium article access courtesy of Edweek.org
November 23, 2011
It’s been a rough year for the public image of K-12 virtual education.
Studies in Colorado and Minnesota have suggested that full-time online students in those states were struggling to match the achievement levels of their peers in brick-and-mortar schools. Articles in The New York Times have questioned not only the academic results for students in virtual schools, but also the propriety of business practices surrounding the use of public dollars for such programs.
Meanwhile, two left-leaning magazines, The Nation and Mother Jones, contended this month that education policy reforms pushed by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in the name of digital opportunities for students have the ulterior motive of funneling money to big technology companies. And the move into education by the right-leaning media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, with his News Corp. conglomerate’s purchase of the educational technology company Wireless Generation, has drawn protests from some teacher advocates at public appearances by Mr. Murdoch...
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Teachers Earn Too Much, Study Argues
Teachers Earn Too Much, Study Argues
November 2, 2011
By John O'Connor
Teachers are paid 52 percent more than their market value, according to a new study.
Teachers, did you know you are overpaid by 52%?
That’s the conclusion of a new study by conservative-leaning think tanks The Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute.
Taxpayers, they conclude, are “overcharged” $120 billion each year from the difference in teacher salaries and compensation compared to similarly credentialed private sector workers. Teacher benefits are often far more generous than the private sector, the study notes.
Other conclusions from the study:
The wage gap between teachers and non-teachers disappears when both groups are matched on an objective measure of cognitive ability rather than on years of education.
Public-school teachers earn higher wages than private-school teachers, even when the comparison is limited to secular schools with standard curriculums.
Workers who switch from non-teaching jobs to teaching jobs receive a wage increase of roughly 9 percent. Teachers who change to non-teaching jobs, on the other hand, see their wages decrease by roughly 3 percent. This is the opposite of what one would expect if teachers were underpaid.
The study reveals a divide among those pushing for changes in public schools.
Raising teacher salaries is a foundation of school reformers, which includes Republicans, such as former Gov. Jeb Bush, and Democratic President Barack Obama. Better pay is more likely to attract better teaching candidates, they argue, and better teachers mean students will learn more.
Former D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee disagreed with the study, in a statement printed by Politico:
We can accomplish the goal of attracting and retaining the best teachers and be fiscally responsible at the same time by moving money out of bloated bureaucracies that doesn’t improve student learning and into the classroom where it can.
November 2, 2011
By John O'Connor
Teachers are paid 52 percent more than their market value, according to a new study.
Teachers, did you know you are overpaid by 52%?
That’s the conclusion of a new study by conservative-leaning think tanks The Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute.
Taxpayers, they conclude, are “overcharged” $120 billion each year from the difference in teacher salaries and compensation compared to similarly credentialed private sector workers. Teacher benefits are often far more generous than the private sector, the study notes.
Other conclusions from the study:
The wage gap between teachers and non-teachers disappears when both groups are matched on an objective measure of cognitive ability rather than on years of education.
Public-school teachers earn higher wages than private-school teachers, even when the comparison is limited to secular schools with standard curriculums.
Workers who switch from non-teaching jobs to teaching jobs receive a wage increase of roughly 9 percent. Teachers who change to non-teaching jobs, on the other hand, see their wages decrease by roughly 3 percent. This is the opposite of what one would expect if teachers were underpaid.
The study reveals a divide among those pushing for changes in public schools.
Raising teacher salaries is a foundation of school reformers, which includes Republicans, such as former Gov. Jeb Bush, and Democratic President Barack Obama. Better pay is more likely to attract better teaching candidates, they argue, and better teachers mean students will learn more.
Former D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee disagreed with the study, in a statement printed by Politico:
We can accomplish the goal of attracting and retaining the best teachers and be fiscally responsible at the same time by moving money out of bloated bureaucracies that doesn’t improve student learning and into the classroom where it can.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Only 34% of Americans correctly identify Obama as Christian. How many identify Glenn Beck as the messiah?
Obama not worried about Muslim rumors
The fact that only 34% of people correctly identify him as Christian doesn't bother the president, he tells NBC. 'There is a mechanism, a network of misinformation… in a new-media era.'
Los Angeles Times
Michael Memoli, Tribune Washington Bureau
August 30, 2010
President Obama said in an interview Sunday that he can't worry about dispelling every rumor about him — even though a recent poll showed nearly 20% of Americans erroneously believe he is Muslim.
"The facts are the facts, right?" Obama told NBC's Brian Williams in New Orleans, where he was marking the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. "There is a mechanism, a network of misinformation that in a new-media era can get churned out there constantly.
"We dealt with this when I was first running for the U.S. Senate. We dealt with it when we were first running for the presidency. ... I will always put my money on the American people. And I'm not gonna be worrying too much about whatever rumors are floating on out there."
A poll released by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center earlier this month showed that 18% of people believe Obama is Muslim — up from 11% in March 2009. Only 34% said, accurately, that he is Christian, down from 48% last year...
The fact that only 34% of people correctly identify him as Christian doesn't bother the president, he tells NBC. 'There is a mechanism, a network of misinformation… in a new-media era.'
Los Angeles Times
Michael Memoli, Tribune Washington Bureau
August 30, 2010
President Obama said in an interview Sunday that he can't worry about dispelling every rumor about him — even though a recent poll showed nearly 20% of Americans erroneously believe he is Muslim.
"The facts are the facts, right?" Obama told NBC's Brian Williams in New Orleans, where he was marking the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. "There is a mechanism, a network of misinformation that in a new-media era can get churned out there constantly.
"We dealt with this when I was first running for the U.S. Senate. We dealt with it when we were first running for the presidency. ... I will always put my money on the American people. And I'm not gonna be worrying too much about whatever rumors are floating on out there."
A poll released by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center earlier this month showed that 18% of people believe Obama is Muslim — up from 11% in March 2009. Only 34% said, accurately, that he is Christian, down from 48% last year...
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Will The Accelerated School (TAS) in Los Angeles replace Patrick Judd with Lowell Billings?
My source for this story has an avid interest in the behind-the-scenes machinations of the board of The Accelerated School. Unfortunately, she doesn't have access to the discussions of board members. She just has access to their track record.
"Look at the facts," she tells me. "When Patrick Judd mysteriously disappeared from his job as superintendent of Mountain Empire School district, then shortly afterward got booted from his long-held position on the Chula Vista Elementary school board, he applied to a lot of school districts. No one would take him in. If it weren't for his pal Lowell Billings, he might never have gotten another job as school administrator. Now Lowell Billings seems to have been forced to retire as superintendent of Chula Vista Elementary School District. Where will Lowell go now?"
I am flummoxed. "Belize?"
"No, silly. The Accelerated School! It's perfect. Pat Judd's contract expires this year. Lowell Billings had enough sway over TAS board members to get them to hire a guy that nobody else seemed to want. He can surely get them to hire himself."
"You think so?" I ask.
"I'll put good money on it. How much do you want to bet?"
"I always lose. I don't think I should take the bet."
"You're wise. Very wise."
"Look at the facts," she tells me. "When Patrick Judd mysteriously disappeared from his job as superintendent of Mountain Empire School district, then shortly afterward got booted from his long-held position on the Chula Vista Elementary school board, he applied to a lot of school districts. No one would take him in. If it weren't for his pal Lowell Billings, he might never have gotten another job as school administrator. Now Lowell Billings seems to have been forced to retire as superintendent of Chula Vista Elementary School District. Where will Lowell go now?"
I am flummoxed. "Belize?"
"No, silly. The Accelerated School! It's perfect. Pat Judd's contract expires this year. Lowell Billings had enough sway over TAS board members to get them to hire a guy that nobody else seemed to want. He can surely get them to hire himself."
"You think so?" I ask.
"I'll put good money on it. How much do you want to bet?"
"I always lose. I don't think I should take the bet."
"You're wise. Very wise."
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Tea Party supporter opposes mine safety changes until government explains how it will pay for increased enforcement of laws
Kathleen in San Diego is alarmed at the steps toward socialism that the current health care law represents, and wants to make sure that the government doesn't use the tragedy at a Massey Energy mine to justify expanding government's role in protecting the health of citizens.
Coal Boss Don Blankenship Cast as Cavalier About Worker Safety in Lawsuits
Investors Also Critical of Massey CEO's 'Extravagant' Pay, Perks
By MATTHEW MOSK and ASA ESLOCKER
Apr. 8, 2010
As more details continue to surface about the checkered safety record of the Massey Energy coal mine where 25 workers perished Monday, the lavish lifestyle and allegedly cavalier attitude of the company's controversial chief executive, as described in lawsuits and corporate documents, are now coming under intensifying scrutiny.
Coal Boss Don Blankenship: If you take photos, "you're liable to get shot."
One miner who worked in Massey mines most of his 25-year career said working for CEO Don Blankenship was "like living under a hammer. It's all about the bottom line, we all know that." The miner, who would only agree to speak with an ABC News reporter if his name was not used, said Blankenship believes in "stretching the men to the limit … they want every ounce out of the men that they can get."
The public record describing Blankenship's bottom-line approach is long, much of it laid out in a series of investor lawsuits filed against Blankenship and his company, and in SEC documents submitted by a Wall Street investment house that made a failed bid to take control of Massey Energy four years ago. In these records, Blankenship was repeatedly criticized for both his approach to safety, and for what one investor called his "extravagant" package of pay and perks.
In just one year – 2005 -- Blankenship was paid $33.7 million in compensation, according to a 2008 lawsuit...
West Virginia disaster: Will Congress take on coal mining companies?
Mining companies have been slow to adopt new safety requirements. Critics say the West Virginia disaster shows that Congress needs to step in. The industry says it needs clearer guidance.
By Mark Guarino, Staff writer
Christian Science Monitor
April 7, 2010
Chicago
The deaths of 25 coal miners in West Virginia Monday in what is considered the worst mining accident in a quarter century is raising questions about whether a congressional overhaul of mine safety four years ago went far enough.
The Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response (MINER) Act, passed in 2006 in response to a disaster in Sago, W.V., that killed 13 miners, was intended to improve miner safety by mandating the installation of preventive and emergency technologies.
But Massey Energy Company, the company that owns the Upper Big Branch South Mine in Whitesville, W.V., where Monday’s accident happened, has been leveled numerous fines for environmental and safety violations in recent years.
Moreover, only 14 percent of mines have complied with MINER Act requirements to install improved communications systems.
This suggests that the MINER Act is not thorough enough in leveling consequences for mining companies or for establishing a timeline for coming to compliance, say several experts. The result is that the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) – the federal agency charged with monitoring coal companies and making them comply with safety standards – essentially has its hands tied.
“The record of [the Massey mine] is problematic, and it may be the [MINER Act] needs an additional amendment...
No signs of life heard in West Virginia mine
Jon Hurdle
Reuters
Wed Apr 7, 2010
MONTCOAL, West Virginia (Reuters) - Drills broke through into a stricken West Virginia mine early on Wednesday but rescuers detected no sign of the four miners missing since an explosion killed 25 people in a major U.S. mine disaster.
The rescue teams banged on pipes at Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch Mine in Montcoal, West Virginia, but heard no response from the men, Governor Joe Manchin told reporters.
Hopes were dimming that the men would be found alive after Monday's blast, the largest U.S. mine accident since 1984.
...Questions have been raised by experts and observers about Massey's safety record and the laws governing the mining industry. Mining has always been dangerous, but 2009 was the safest ever for U.S. miners, with 34 deaths, according to federal data, 18 fewer than 2008.
Massey's accident rate fell to an all-time low in 2009, the sixth consecutive year its safety record was stronger than the industry average, the company said on its website.
But Upper Big Branch Mine has had three fatalities since 1998 and has a worse-than-average injury rate over the last 10 years, according to federal records. Ellen Smith, editor of Mine Safety and Health News, said the mine has been repeatedly cited for safety violations.
Coal Boss Don Blankenship Cast as Cavalier About Worker Safety in Lawsuits
Investors Also Critical of Massey CEO's 'Extravagant' Pay, Perks
By MATTHEW MOSK and ASA ESLOCKER
Apr. 8, 2010
As more details continue to surface about the checkered safety record of the Massey Energy coal mine where 25 workers perished Monday, the lavish lifestyle and allegedly cavalier attitude of the company's controversial chief executive, as described in lawsuits and corporate documents, are now coming under intensifying scrutiny.
Coal Boss Don Blankenship: If you take photos, "you're liable to get shot."
One miner who worked in Massey mines most of his 25-year career said working for CEO Don Blankenship was "like living under a hammer. It's all about the bottom line, we all know that." The miner, who would only agree to speak with an ABC News reporter if his name was not used, said Blankenship believes in "stretching the men to the limit … they want every ounce out of the men that they can get."
The public record describing Blankenship's bottom-line approach is long, much of it laid out in a series of investor lawsuits filed against Blankenship and his company, and in SEC documents submitted by a Wall Street investment house that made a failed bid to take control of Massey Energy four years ago. In these records, Blankenship was repeatedly criticized for both his approach to safety, and for what one investor called his "extravagant" package of pay and perks.
In just one year – 2005 -- Blankenship was paid $33.7 million in compensation, according to a 2008 lawsuit...
West Virginia disaster: Will Congress take on coal mining companies?
Mining companies have been slow to adopt new safety requirements. Critics say the West Virginia disaster shows that Congress needs to step in. The industry says it needs clearer guidance.
By Mark Guarino, Staff writer
Christian Science Monitor
April 7, 2010
Chicago
The deaths of 25 coal miners in West Virginia Monday in what is considered the worst mining accident in a quarter century is raising questions about whether a congressional overhaul of mine safety four years ago went far enough.
The Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response (MINER) Act, passed in 2006 in response to a disaster in Sago, W.V., that killed 13 miners, was intended to improve miner safety by mandating the installation of preventive and emergency technologies.
But Massey Energy Company, the company that owns the Upper Big Branch South Mine in Whitesville, W.V., where Monday’s accident happened, has been leveled numerous fines for environmental and safety violations in recent years.
Moreover, only 14 percent of mines have complied with MINER Act requirements to install improved communications systems.
This suggests that the MINER Act is not thorough enough in leveling consequences for mining companies or for establishing a timeline for coming to compliance, say several experts. The result is that the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) – the federal agency charged with monitoring coal companies and making them comply with safety standards – essentially has its hands tied.
“The record of [the Massey mine] is problematic, and it may be the [MINER Act] needs an additional amendment...
No signs of life heard in West Virginia mine
Jon Hurdle
Reuters
Wed Apr 7, 2010
MONTCOAL, West Virginia (Reuters) - Drills broke through into a stricken West Virginia mine early on Wednesday but rescuers detected no sign of the four miners missing since an explosion killed 25 people in a major U.S. mine disaster.
The rescue teams banged on pipes at Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch Mine in Montcoal, West Virginia, but heard no response from the men, Governor Joe Manchin told reporters.
Hopes were dimming that the men would be found alive after Monday's blast, the largest U.S. mine accident since 1984.
...Questions have been raised by experts and observers about Massey's safety record and the laws governing the mining industry. Mining has always been dangerous, but 2009 was the safest ever for U.S. miners, with 34 deaths, according to federal data, 18 fewer than 2008.
Massey's accident rate fell to an all-time low in 2009, the sixth consecutive year its safety record was stronger than the industry average, the company said on its website.
But Upper Big Branch Mine has had three fatalities since 1998 and has a worse-than-average injury rate over the last 10 years, according to federal records. Ellen Smith, editor of Mine Safety and Health News, said the mine has been repeatedly cited for safety violations.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Is there any school district that evaluates teachers effectively?
What percentage of failing teachers can succeed with some help? According to Toledo schools, about 90%.
But how successful are those teachers, really? Did they simply manage to get on the good side of the teachers union, or are they truly effective teachers?
And are the teachers who "failed" and lost their jobs actually incompetent, or did teacher politics get rid of good teachers?
The evaluation board in Toledo contained a majority of teacher union representatives. See the
Status Report of Intern Teachers.
Here's an article about Peer Review from Education Week:
Peer Review: A Panacea?
by Stephen Sawchuk
The national teachers' unions weren't altogether thrilled by all the attention paid to teacher effectiveness in two reports released last week (see here and here for details). National Education Association Dennis Van Roekel, for instance, argued that the reports would have overemphasized standardized test scores.
"What a teacher does with her students, how she relates to them, and how she translates her subject knowledge into effective teaching practice are all the central measures of quality teaching," he argued.
AFT was equally unhappy with the reports, but the union's releases heavily promoted the "peer assistance and review" model of teacher evaluation as a promising option for dealing with ineffective teachers.
"We know that schools need to aggressively deal with ineffective teachers, and we are willing to take on the tough job of developing new systems to measure teacher effectiveness," one of AFT's statements reads.
Under a PAR system, teachers who are struggling in the classroom are referred to work with a "consulting teacher." Those who do not improve are typically referred for greater intervention and can ultimately face dismissal. Among the best known examples are in Cincinnati, Toledo and Columbus, Ohio; Rochester, N.Y.; and Montgomery County, Md.
But here's some food for thought: In any kind of teacher-evaluation system, what percentage of teachers should expect to improve with assistance? And what percentage won't improve and need to be removed from the classroom? And how long should a teacher who's on the borderline remain in a classroom with kids?
Within the existing PAR models, these figures appear to have varied quite a bit. These data from the Toledo AFT Web site, for instance, show failure rates by teachers on the PAR system ranging from 2 percent to nearly 16 percent.)
Also, despite being around for almost 30 years, PAR just isn't that popular. Some local unions, such as the National Education Association-affiliated California Teachers Association remain skeptical of the concept (see this interview with leader A.J. Duffy.)
PAR may be becoming the standard AFT response to the thorny issue of teacher effectiveness, but is it the best answer?
But how successful are those teachers, really? Did they simply manage to get on the good side of the teachers union, or are they truly effective teachers?
And are the teachers who "failed" and lost their jobs actually incompetent, or did teacher politics get rid of good teachers?
The evaluation board in Toledo contained a majority of teacher union representatives. See the
Status Report of Intern Teachers.
Here's an article about Peer Review from Education Week:
Peer Review: A Panacea?
by Stephen Sawchuk
The national teachers' unions weren't altogether thrilled by all the attention paid to teacher effectiveness in two reports released last week (see here and here for details). National Education Association Dennis Van Roekel, for instance, argued that the reports would have overemphasized standardized test scores.
"What a teacher does with her students, how she relates to them, and how she translates her subject knowledge into effective teaching practice are all the central measures of quality teaching," he argued.
AFT was equally unhappy with the reports, but the union's releases heavily promoted the "peer assistance and review" model of teacher evaluation as a promising option for dealing with ineffective teachers.
"We know that schools need to aggressively deal with ineffective teachers, and we are willing to take on the tough job of developing new systems to measure teacher effectiveness," one of AFT's statements reads.
Under a PAR system, teachers who are struggling in the classroom are referred to work with a "consulting teacher." Those who do not improve are typically referred for greater intervention and can ultimately face dismissal. Among the best known examples are in Cincinnati, Toledo and Columbus, Ohio; Rochester, N.Y.; and Montgomery County, Md.
But here's some food for thought: In any kind of teacher-evaluation system, what percentage of teachers should expect to improve with assistance? And what percentage won't improve and need to be removed from the classroom? And how long should a teacher who's on the borderline remain in a classroom with kids?
Within the existing PAR models, these figures appear to have varied quite a bit. These data from the Toledo AFT Web site, for instance, show failure rates by teachers on the PAR system ranging from 2 percent to nearly 16 percent.)
Also, despite being around for almost 30 years, PAR just isn't that popular. Some local unions, such as the National Education Association-affiliated California Teachers Association remain skeptical of the concept (see this interview with leader A.J. Duffy.)
PAR may be becoming the standard AFT response to the thorny issue of teacher effectiveness, but is it the best answer?
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Court says Poway Unified School District has to protect gay students
Here's a post from San Diego Education Report:
Attorney Jeffery Morris of Stutz, Artiano Shinoff & Holtz doesn't like the 70-page decision issued by California's 4th District Court of Appeal upholding the $300,000 jury award won by Joseph "Joey" Ramelli and Megan Donovan three years ago.
The North County Times reports that the students "sued the school district for "deliberate indifference" to harassment, which for Ramelli included getting beaten up and having his car vandalized.
"'I am blown away," Ramelli, 22, said in a phone call from his Santa Cruz home Friday. "For the first time in seven years, I can breathe easy. All the pain, sleepless nights, the time in court ---- it was all worth it...This has nothing to do with money. This has to do with protections for kids...'
"Ramelli said the situation was so bad, he had little choice but to turn to home-schooling. Donovan, who also received threats of violence, also opted for home-schooling.
"...The three-judge panel unanimously found that the jury had enough evidence to conclude that Poway school officials showed "deliberate indifference" when the two students complained about the harassment."
SO IS POWAY FINALLY READY TO APOLOGIZE TO THE TWO STUDENTS?
Apparently not.
Attorney Jeffery Morris said he and the district are "disappointed" with the results.
Perhaps he's not satisfied with the billable hours that he's racked up for arguing that the school isn't responsible for what happens to kids.
It's hard to know how much he and his law firm collected from taxpayers. The San Diego County Office of Education--Joint Powers Authority is not forthcoming with public records showing how much the firm is paid. Director Diane Crosier thinks the California Public Records Act gives her arbitrary authority to hide Stutz law firm bills.
In addition, thanks to PUHSD'S decision to appeal, taxpayers must now pay more than $420,000 for the students' attorney fees. My guess that this amount is considerably less than what the district paid to its own lawyers, BUT THE DISTRICT SHOULD HAVE APOLOGIZED INSTEAD OF APPEALING, saving around a million taxpayer dollars.
Attorney Jeffery Morris defends the district, saying that the school has been "very aggressive" in training employees to address harassment."
Oh, yes? My guess is that Mr. Morris went to Poway and passed out the same "BULLY BOOKLET" that Dan Shinoff passed out in Vista Unified School District.
Attorney Jeffery Morris of Stutz, Artiano Shinoff & Holtz doesn't like the 70-page decision issued by California's 4th District Court of Appeal upholding the $300,000 jury award won by Joseph "Joey" Ramelli and Megan Donovan three years ago.
The North County Times reports that the students "sued the school district for "deliberate indifference" to harassment, which for Ramelli included getting beaten up and having his car vandalized.
"'I am blown away," Ramelli, 22, said in a phone call from his Santa Cruz home Friday. "For the first time in seven years, I can breathe easy. All the pain, sleepless nights, the time in court ---- it was all worth it...This has nothing to do with money. This has to do with protections for kids...'
"Ramelli said the situation was so bad, he had little choice but to turn to home-schooling. Donovan, who also received threats of violence, also opted for home-schooling.
"...The three-judge panel unanimously found that the jury had enough evidence to conclude that Poway school officials showed "deliberate indifference" when the two students complained about the harassment."
SO IS POWAY FINALLY READY TO APOLOGIZE TO THE TWO STUDENTS?
Apparently not.
Attorney Jeffery Morris said he and the district are "disappointed" with the results.
Perhaps he's not satisfied with the billable hours that he's racked up for arguing that the school isn't responsible for what happens to kids.
It's hard to know how much he and his law firm collected from taxpayers. The San Diego County Office of Education--Joint Powers Authority is not forthcoming with public records showing how much the firm is paid. Director Diane Crosier thinks the California Public Records Act gives her arbitrary authority to hide Stutz law firm bills.
In addition, thanks to PUHSD'S decision to appeal, taxpayers must now pay more than $420,000 for the students' attorney fees. My guess that this amount is considerably less than what the district paid to its own lawyers, BUT THE DISTRICT SHOULD HAVE APOLOGIZED INSTEAD OF APPEALING, saving around a million taxpayer dollars.
Attorney Jeffery Morris defends the district, saying that the school has been "very aggressive" in training employees to address harassment."
Oh, yes? My guess is that Mr. Morris went to Poway and passed out the same "BULLY BOOKLET" that Dan Shinoff passed out in Vista Unified School District.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Are most school boards controlled by lawyers? Are government boards the same?
San Diego County is being exposed as a center of government corruption, and that corruption clearly reaches into school boards. In fact, school board corruption reaches into city government. In Chula Vista, school and city officials use the same law firm (Stutz, Artiano, Shinoff & Holtz), and are supported by the same developers (Corky McMillan).
Here is a Voice of San Diego story that could apply to many boards. This one is about the recently exposed secret bonuses at the SEDC:
"...Derryl Williams, a member of the Southeastern Economic Development Corp. board, just sent Mayor Jerry Sanders a letter criticizing the agency's culture and its president, Carolyn Y. Smith.
"The letter states: 'The culture of SEDC over the years has been to manipulate, cajole, ignore and intimidate the board into utter and complete silence. Materials for review are provided late and board members have customarily been thwarted in their opportunities to raise questions.'
"The letter adds fuel to claims made by two other board members earlier this week about the way the SEDC board meetings are conducted. The two board members said they had not been given enough time to review SEDC's budget before approving it, and that a budget committee has not met in the last 18 months.
"Williams writes in his letter that he and two other board members have tried to increase the flow of information to the board and have tried to perform adequate oversight of the agency.
"Those efforts have been blocked by Smith, Williams writes: 'Using corporate counsel and Special Agency Counsel, the President of SEDC controlled questions and the flow of information so that board members could not obtain sufficient answers to assist in making good judgments...'"
The author of the article is Will Carless, who has one of the the most earth-friendly names I've heard.
Here is a Voice of San Diego story that could apply to many boards. This one is about the recently exposed secret bonuses at the SEDC:
"...Derryl Williams, a member of the Southeastern Economic Development Corp. board, just sent Mayor Jerry Sanders a letter criticizing the agency's culture and its president, Carolyn Y. Smith.
"The letter states: 'The culture of SEDC over the years has been to manipulate, cajole, ignore and intimidate the board into utter and complete silence. Materials for review are provided late and board members have customarily been thwarted in their opportunities to raise questions.'
"The letter adds fuel to claims made by two other board members earlier this week about the way the SEDC board meetings are conducted. The two board members said they had not been given enough time to review SEDC's budget before approving it, and that a budget committee has not met in the last 18 months.
"Williams writes in his letter that he and two other board members have tried to increase the flow of information to the board and have tried to perform adequate oversight of the agency.
"Those efforts have been blocked by Smith, Williams writes: 'Using corporate counsel and Special Agency Counsel, the President of SEDC controlled questions and the flow of information so that board members could not obtain sufficient answers to assist in making good judgments...'"
The author of the article is Will Carless, who has one of the the most earth-friendly names I've heard.
Monday, June 23, 2008
MiraCosta College apparently never cared about the palm trees; it spent $3 million on power struggles
It was obvious to anyone who paid attention that the MiraCosta palm tree investigation that netted a lot of money for Stutz law firm and its investigators was never about protecting public assets.
It was about personal power struggles. Shame on the board majority for using public resources to fight for personal power.
By Bruce Lieberman
San Diego UNION-TRIBUNE
June 18, 2008
There is yet another accounting of what is now the ill-fated donation of more than 2,300 palm trees a decade ago to the Oceanside-based community college. Accountants say most of the trees have died, are ailing or are too ragged to sell.
A little more than two years ago, the college had 2,328 palm trees valued at $222,370. An audit in March counted 1,377 valued at $49,000...
And now the forest of free palms, once worth nearly a quarter-million dollars, looks bleak.
Of the 1,377 trees left, a college consultant has recommended throwing out 295, selling 791 wholesale and 196 retail, and keeping 95.
At yesterday's meeting, board President Carolyn Batiste said Carranza's outrage did not reflect the board's sentiments. “The board has not taken any position that there has been a dereliction of duty,” she said.
Batiste said the March 2006 audit, which counted 2,328 trees valued at $222,370, was not conducted by a horticulturist, who would have been most qualified to estimate the trees' value...
It was about personal power struggles. Shame on the board majority for using public resources to fight for personal power.
By Bruce Lieberman
San Diego UNION-TRIBUNE
June 18, 2008
There is yet another accounting of what is now the ill-fated donation of more than 2,300 palm trees a decade ago to the Oceanside-based community college. Accountants say most of the trees have died, are ailing or are too ragged to sell.
A little more than two years ago, the college had 2,328 palm trees valued at $222,370. An audit in March counted 1,377 valued at $49,000...
And now the forest of free palms, once worth nearly a quarter-million dollars, looks bleak.
Of the 1,377 trees left, a college consultant has recommended throwing out 295, selling 791 wholesale and 196 retail, and keeping 95.
At yesterday's meeting, board President Carolyn Batiste said Carranza's outrage did not reflect the board's sentiments. “The board has not taken any position that there has been a dereliction of duty,” she said.
Batiste said the March 2006 audit, which counted 2,328 trees valued at $222,370, was not conducted by a horticulturist, who would have been most qualified to estimate the trees' value...
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Why did San Francisco teachers choose CFT in 1989 instead of CTA?
It turns out that CTA's executive director has had her finger on the pulse of California teachers for quite a while. This lady can see the truth beneath the surface. Here's how she explains CTA's loss: "When you're dissatisfied, you look at someone else."
Norman K. Holsinger of CFT said: "Teachers want a greater voice in what is going on."
Education Week said, "After an eight-year battle, the San Francisco-American Federation of Teachers union succeeded May 26 in wresting the right to represent the city's teachers from the San Francisco Classroom Teachers Association..."
In an earlier article, Education Week reported:
"Kate Dennis, a resource specialist for the district's elementary schools who has belonged to each of the unions at different times, says, "I'm unaffiliated, because I got so disgusted with them both. The organizations, rather than represent the teachers versus the district, have fought each other.""
The article spoke of "site-based decision making""
In a survey of 150 teachers, only 2 percent mentioned educational reform as being an important issue, he notes. In another, longer telephone survey of 300 teachers, the number who responded favorably to questions about site-based management and shared decisionmaking was "so small we didn't finish the analysis," according to Mr. Threatt.
"We found that teachers didn't know what that meant," Ms. Dellamonica says of the reform buzzwords...
The rival sf-aft has attempted to make teacher empowerment a central plank of its platform, calling for democratically elected faculty councils in each school to give teachers a voice in the development of curriculum, programs, and instructional policies...
The sf-aft's pre-election polling found that "the overwhelming majority of teachers in the district are in support of the kind of restructuring and teacher empowerment that gives them a voice at the school-site level," maintains Norman K. Holsinger, an aft national representative and campaign coordinator for the local...
Under the current contract, each school has an Association Liaison Committee with which the principal must meet. In some schools, Ms. Dellamonica says, the committees have been a vehicle for discussion of reform issues, while in others, they have not been active.
Under the contract, only sfcta members can serve on the committees, which serve primarily to enforce the contract. Ms. Shelley says the idea of the committees serving as vehicles for shared decisionmaking is ''preposterous," since the councils have "frozen out" faculty members who do not belong to the union...
Meanwhile, a small group of teachers calling itself citrus, for Committee for Teacher-Run Schools, has begun holding meetings and gathering ideas to push for restructuring schools, according to Jonathan Frank, a member of the group and science teacher at Mission High School.
The citrus members are backing the a.f.t. in the election, Mr. Frank says, since it is perceived as more progressive on school-reform issues.
"I was hopeful that restructuring would become the apple pie and motherhood issue, and that the two unions would try to outdo each other on teacher empowerment," he explains. "What I saw was lip service to the idea. You wonder what they're more interested in--power to the teachers or the unions."
Norman K. Holsinger of CFT said: "Teachers want a greater voice in what is going on."
Education Week said, "After an eight-year battle, the San Francisco-American Federation of Teachers union succeeded May 26 in wresting the right to represent the city's teachers from the San Francisco Classroom Teachers Association..."
In an earlier article, Education Week reported:
"Kate Dennis, a resource specialist for the district's elementary schools who has belonged to each of the unions at different times, says, "I'm unaffiliated, because I got so disgusted with them both. The organizations, rather than represent the teachers versus the district, have fought each other.""
The article spoke of "site-based decision making""
In a survey of 150 teachers, only 2 percent mentioned educational reform as being an important issue, he notes. In another, longer telephone survey of 300 teachers, the number who responded favorably to questions about site-based management and shared decisionmaking was "so small we didn't finish the analysis," according to Mr. Threatt.
"We found that teachers didn't know what that meant," Ms. Dellamonica says of the reform buzzwords...
The rival sf-aft has attempted to make teacher empowerment a central plank of its platform, calling for democratically elected faculty councils in each school to give teachers a voice in the development of curriculum, programs, and instructional policies...
The sf-aft's pre-election polling found that "the overwhelming majority of teachers in the district are in support of the kind of restructuring and teacher empowerment that gives them a voice at the school-site level," maintains Norman K. Holsinger, an aft national representative and campaign coordinator for the local...
Under the current contract, each school has an Association Liaison Committee with which the principal must meet. In some schools, Ms. Dellamonica says, the committees have been a vehicle for discussion of reform issues, while in others, they have not been active.
Under the contract, only sfcta members can serve on the committees, which serve primarily to enforce the contract. Ms. Shelley says the idea of the committees serving as vehicles for shared decisionmaking is ''preposterous," since the councils have "frozen out" faculty members who do not belong to the union...
Meanwhile, a small group of teachers calling itself citrus, for Committee for Teacher-Run Schools, has begun holding meetings and gathering ideas to push for restructuring schools, according to Jonathan Frank, a member of the group and science teacher at Mission High School.
The citrus members are backing the a.f.t. in the election, Mr. Frank says, since it is perceived as more progressive on school-reform issues.
"I was hopeful that restructuring would become the apple pie and motherhood issue, and that the two unions would try to outdo each other on teacher empowerment," he explains. "What I saw was lip service to the idea. You wonder what they're more interested in--power to the teachers or the unions."
Friday, June 6, 2008
Richard Werlin has surfaced again
After causing big problems in Chula Vista and Richmond, the amazing Richard Werlin has gotten himself hired in Compton, by none other than his old pal at WCCCUSD, Kay Burnside.
And Kelly Angell, who helped get a lawsuit against Werlin regarding criminal actions thrown out of court on technical grounds, without any findings of fact, is now an employee of Fagen, Friedman and Fullfrost.
Is it a small world, or do certain people just come together naturally? Or both?
Here's the article I found:
School Board [Compton Unified School District] Considers Fourth Audit of District Operations
May 14, 2008
By Allison Jean Eaton
"...Last month, the school board supported three other similar audits at a total cost of $46,000 in the areas of human resources and personnel services, legal services and fiscal services, the latter of which will include an in-depth look at facilities funding and the affect it has on the district’s overall financial status.
"Consultant Richard Werlin is being paid $6,600 to audit the human resources and personnel services department. The Los Angeles-based law firm of Fagen, Friedman & Fulfrost is studying the district’s legal services at a cost of $9,600...
"Superintended Kaye Burnside Ed.D., who officially took the helm of Compton Unified March 1, is exercising an “administrative best practice,” according to district Communications Director Christine Sanchez..."
And Kelly Angell, who helped get a lawsuit against Werlin regarding criminal actions thrown out of court on technical grounds, without any findings of fact, is now an employee of Fagen, Friedman and Fullfrost.
Is it a small world, or do certain people just come together naturally? Or both?
Here's the article I found:
School Board [Compton Unified School District] Considers Fourth Audit of District Operations
May 14, 2008
By Allison Jean Eaton
"...Last month, the school board supported three other similar audits at a total cost of $46,000 in the areas of human resources and personnel services, legal services and fiscal services, the latter of which will include an in-depth look at facilities funding and the affect it has on the district’s overall financial status.
"Consultant Richard Werlin is being paid $6,600 to audit the human resources and personnel services department. The Los Angeles-based law firm of Fagen, Friedman & Fulfrost is studying the district’s legal services at a cost of $9,600...
"Superintended Kaye Burnside Ed.D., who officially took the helm of Compton Unified March 1, is exercising an “administrative best practice,” according to district Communications Director Christine Sanchez..."
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Administrators went to Nevada to catch teachers on day off
The Californian
By RANI GUPTA
May 2, 2008
Two school district administrators traveled almost 300 miles and crossed state lines to catch teachers they mistakenly believed were using sick days to take a three-day weekend in Nevada, according to teachers who call the incident "creepy" and "Orwellian."
Six teachers at Elsinore High School in Wildomar took April 11 off, to go to Laughlin, Nev., said Juan Caballero, one of the educators who made the trip. The time they took off was in exchange for extra work they had done over the year, he added.
While in their hotel, the Aquarius Casino and Resort, the teachers say they were approached by Assistant Superintendent for Personnel Services Kip Meyer and Elsinore High School Principal Jon Hurst in the restaurant.
"We were having breakfast and I looked up, and they were walking toward us in the restaurant," said Ed Jones, a retired Elsinore High teacher who was with the group. "I said, 'Good Lord, there's Hurst.'"
Jones said that while Hurst looked "a little embarrassed," Meyer said something like, "I understand you guys are going to be playing golf at 10 a.m."
Caballero, who wasn't at the breakfast, said he didn't believe his colleagues' story until he received a call from teachers union President Karl Stuck, saying the administrators had traveled hundreds of miles to take pictures of the teachers golfing.
"We're still just flabbergasted at this kind of Orwellian, draconian approach," Caballero said.
Public money
Hurst referred questions to district spokesman Jose Carvajal, who declined to confirm or deny the incident.
Meyer said that, in general, he investigates concerns about fraud in reporting absences.
"I would say that almost every assistant superintendent who oversees personnel would have to investigate if there was a concern of mismanagement of attendance reporting," he said. "These are public funds."
Meyer declined to comment on whether he had ever crossed state lines to investigate a case and would not confirm the details of the Laughlin incident.
"Those are personnel issues," Meyer said. "The staff member has a right to confidentiality."
However, charges from Meyer's district credit card, which were released in response to a public records request, shows two charges in Laughlin for that day, including a charge for $21.53 at Windows on the River Buffet, a restaurant at the Aquarius.
Carvajal declined to specify the reason for the charges, but said Meyer was on official district business.
Past practice
Steve Clower, one of the six teachers who traveled to Nevada, said administrators indicated they knew of the trip in advance from reading teachers' e-mail. But if they believed the trip was improper, Clower questions why they didn't talk to the teachers before they left.
"Instead of coming and telling us about it and trying to stop it, they spent extra money by sending two district administrators to catch us," Clower said.
Teachers earn compensatory days for substitute-teaching during their planning periods, time designated for them to receive a break from teaching to plan instruction.
Clower said Elsinore High teachers typically report the day in advance as a sick day and a school employee later converts the days to "comp days." Clower said he was told to do that to avoid confusion between comp days and time taken off for workers' compensation, and so school staff members can ensure teachers have accumulated enough comp time to take a day off. Caballero also said the "past practice" for teachers at his school is to call in sick and have the day converted to a "comp day."
Carvajal said teachers can report comp days through the district's automated system, which employees use to report the reasons for their absences by phone or via computer. The system has separate codes for compensatory days and workers' comp days.
Meyer acknowledged that the way absences are logged varies from school to school, something he wants to change.
"What I am finding as I look into the procedures for reporting (absences) is that things are not consistently done throughout our district," he said.
Caballero said the teachers were called in after the Nevada trip and told they would be docked a day's pay. He said that when teachers explained they were using comp days, Meyer told them he would take the matter to Superintendent Frank Passarella.
Rising substitute costs
The episode comes as the district is looking into the use of sick days and personal days amid concerns over the rising costs of substitutes. From September to March, the district spent $3.3 million on substitutes for teaching and nonteaching employees, an increase of about $600,000 from the same period last year.
School board members said they were concerned about the rising costs because of anticipated state budget cuts and declining attendance rates, which has led the district to cut about $9 million from the budget for the current year and next year.
Meyer says one possible reason for the increase could be that the district recently upped pay for substitute teachers by $5 a day. Another reason, district officials say, could be that teachers are taking more time off for required training.
Meyer said he doesn't think "there's an overriding abuse" of the district's system, but believes his division has "to have better procedures in place."
Teachers receive 10 sick days a year, two of which can be used instead as "personal necessity" days. If teachers don't use up all their days, they carry over to the next year.
Records from the district's automated system show the district's 1,100 teachers and other certificated employees called in 4,972 sick days and 1,423 personal days from Aug. 16 to April 23. That is down from the same time last school year, when teachers called in 5,457 sick days and 1,493 personal days.
This school year, teachers reported missing 5,049 days for official business, such as attending conferences and meetings, through April 23. Last school year, teachers called in 4,463 missed days for official business.
Carvajal notes that those numbers are self-reported by employees and don't include changes by teachers who, for instance, initially pressed the wrong code and later changed the reason for their absences.
Abusing the system?
Trustee Tom Thomas said he believes some employees are abusing the system and that the issue has to be watched closely during tough budget times.
"I think in any large organization, whether it's a school district or a large private business, I think people can take advantage," Thomas said. "I don't think it's terribly widespread. I just think it's something we look at as we look at all expenditures."
Caballero said he doesn't understand why the district officials who are concerned about saving money would waste money trying catch teachers doing something wrong when he said it would have been simple to clear the matter up beforehand.
"Why didn't they just simply tell us and have a conversation?" he asked. "I'm still creeped out by the whole situation."
Contact staff writer Rani Gupta at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2625, or rgupta@californian.com.
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/05/03/news/californian/lake_elsinore/zba48dd8cae31e9028825743d005bd62.txt
By RANI GUPTA
May 2, 2008
Two school district administrators traveled almost 300 miles and crossed state lines to catch teachers they mistakenly believed were using sick days to take a three-day weekend in Nevada, according to teachers who call the incident "creepy" and "Orwellian."
Six teachers at Elsinore High School in Wildomar took April 11 off, to go to Laughlin, Nev., said Juan Caballero, one of the educators who made the trip. The time they took off was in exchange for extra work they had done over the year, he added.
While in their hotel, the Aquarius Casino and Resort, the teachers say they were approached by Assistant Superintendent for Personnel Services Kip Meyer and Elsinore High School Principal Jon Hurst in the restaurant.
"We were having breakfast and I looked up, and they were walking toward us in the restaurant," said Ed Jones, a retired Elsinore High teacher who was with the group. "I said, 'Good Lord, there's Hurst.'"
Jones said that while Hurst looked "a little embarrassed," Meyer said something like, "I understand you guys are going to be playing golf at 10 a.m."
Caballero, who wasn't at the breakfast, said he didn't believe his colleagues' story until he received a call from teachers union President Karl Stuck, saying the administrators had traveled hundreds of miles to take pictures of the teachers golfing.
"We're still just flabbergasted at this kind of Orwellian, draconian approach," Caballero said.
Public money
Hurst referred questions to district spokesman Jose Carvajal, who declined to confirm or deny the incident.
Meyer said that, in general, he investigates concerns about fraud in reporting absences.
"I would say that almost every assistant superintendent who oversees personnel would have to investigate if there was a concern of mismanagement of attendance reporting," he said. "These are public funds."
Meyer declined to comment on whether he had ever crossed state lines to investigate a case and would not confirm the details of the Laughlin incident.
"Those are personnel issues," Meyer said. "The staff member has a right to confidentiality."
However, charges from Meyer's district credit card, which were released in response to a public records request, shows two charges in Laughlin for that day, including a charge for $21.53 at Windows on the River Buffet, a restaurant at the Aquarius.
Carvajal declined to specify the reason for the charges, but said Meyer was on official district business.
Past practice
Steve Clower, one of the six teachers who traveled to Nevada, said administrators indicated they knew of the trip in advance from reading teachers' e-mail. But if they believed the trip was improper, Clower questions why they didn't talk to the teachers before they left.
"Instead of coming and telling us about it and trying to stop it, they spent extra money by sending two district administrators to catch us," Clower said.
Teachers earn compensatory days for substitute-teaching during their planning periods, time designated for them to receive a break from teaching to plan instruction.
Clower said Elsinore High teachers typically report the day in advance as a sick day and a school employee later converts the days to "comp days." Clower said he was told to do that to avoid confusion between comp days and time taken off for workers' compensation, and so school staff members can ensure teachers have accumulated enough comp time to take a day off. Caballero also said the "past practice" for teachers at his school is to call in sick and have the day converted to a "comp day."
Carvajal said teachers can report comp days through the district's automated system, which employees use to report the reasons for their absences by phone or via computer. The system has separate codes for compensatory days and workers' comp days.
Meyer acknowledged that the way absences are logged varies from school to school, something he wants to change.
"What I am finding as I look into the procedures for reporting (absences) is that things are not consistently done throughout our district," he said.
Caballero said the teachers were called in after the Nevada trip and told they would be docked a day's pay. He said that when teachers explained they were using comp days, Meyer told them he would take the matter to Superintendent Frank Passarella.
Rising substitute costs
The episode comes as the district is looking into the use of sick days and personal days amid concerns over the rising costs of substitutes. From September to March, the district spent $3.3 million on substitutes for teaching and nonteaching employees, an increase of about $600,000 from the same period last year.
School board members said they were concerned about the rising costs because of anticipated state budget cuts and declining attendance rates, which has led the district to cut about $9 million from the budget for the current year and next year.
Meyer says one possible reason for the increase could be that the district recently upped pay for substitute teachers by $5 a day. Another reason, district officials say, could be that teachers are taking more time off for required training.
Meyer said he doesn't think "there's an overriding abuse" of the district's system, but believes his division has "to have better procedures in place."
Teachers receive 10 sick days a year, two of which can be used instead as "personal necessity" days. If teachers don't use up all their days, they carry over to the next year.
Records from the district's automated system show the district's 1,100 teachers and other certificated employees called in 4,972 sick days and 1,423 personal days from Aug. 16 to April 23. That is down from the same time last school year, when teachers called in 5,457 sick days and 1,493 personal days.
This school year, teachers reported missing 5,049 days for official business, such as attending conferences and meetings, through April 23. Last school year, teachers called in 4,463 missed days for official business.
Carvajal notes that those numbers are self-reported by employees and don't include changes by teachers who, for instance, initially pressed the wrong code and later changed the reason for their absences.
Abusing the system?
Trustee Tom Thomas said he believes some employees are abusing the system and that the issue has to be watched closely during tough budget times.
"I think in any large organization, whether it's a school district or a large private business, I think people can take advantage," Thomas said. "I don't think it's terribly widespread. I just think it's something we look at as we look at all expenditures."
Caballero said he doesn't understand why the district officials who are concerned about saving money would waste money trying catch teachers doing something wrong when he said it would have been simple to clear the matter up beforehand.
"Why didn't they just simply tell us and have a conversation?" he asked. "I'm still creeped out by the whole situation."
Contact staff writer Rani Gupta at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2625, or rgupta@californian.com.
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/05/03/news/californian/lake_elsinore/zba48dd8cae31e9028825743d005bd62.txt
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Pam, Bertha and Cheryl listen to Dan Shinoff instead of their consciences
from CVESD Report
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Daniel Shinoff to appeal Danielle Cozaihr court decision
The Chula Vista Elementary School District board has once again abdicated its responsibility for moral decisionmaking. It has rehired attorney Daniel Shinoff, after an effort for a few years to use less controversial lawyers.
And Daniel Shinoff has decided to appeal the jury verdict won by teacher Danielle Cozaihr against the district.
A jury said the district violated the law.
I believe that Arnold Schwarzenegger's education budget cuts create a smoke screen for bad behavior by districts. CVESD probably won't lay off teachers (we've been through all of this before, when Rick Werlin was in charge of human resources at CVESD in 2003). But when they threaten to do it, everybody feels sorry for the pink slip teachers, and violations of the law against individual teachers don't seem as important any more. The first teacher that CVESD should rehire is Danielle Cozaihr.
But what happened to Danielle Cozaihr is an indicator of what is wrong with education: politcs matters more than kids.
Superintendent Lowell Billings is remarkably lazy. He doesn't pay any attention to what happens at schools until things go wrong. Then he does whatever the principal wants, or he fires the principal and does whatever the ruling clique of teachers wants. He never actually improves anything, just decides who gets fired.
And since the problems arise from a dysfunctional system--not from just one person-- the problems remain.
Posted by Marie Killelea
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Daniel Shinoff to appeal Danielle Cozaihr court decision
The Chula Vista Elementary School District board has once again abdicated its responsibility for moral decisionmaking. It has rehired attorney Daniel Shinoff, after an effort for a few years to use less controversial lawyers.
And Daniel Shinoff has decided to appeal the jury verdict won by teacher Danielle Cozaihr against the district.
A jury said the district violated the law.
I believe that Arnold Schwarzenegger's education budget cuts create a smoke screen for bad behavior by districts. CVESD probably won't lay off teachers (we've been through all of this before, when Rick Werlin was in charge of human resources at CVESD in 2003). But when they threaten to do it, everybody feels sorry for the pink slip teachers, and violations of the law against individual teachers don't seem as important any more. The first teacher that CVESD should rehire is Danielle Cozaihr.
But what happened to Danielle Cozaihr is an indicator of what is wrong with education: politcs matters more than kids.
Superintendent Lowell Billings is remarkably lazy. He doesn't pay any attention to what happens at schools until things go wrong. Then he does whatever the principal wants, or he fires the principal and does whatever the ruling clique of teachers wants. He never actually improves anything, just decides who gets fired.
And since the problems arise from a dysfunctional system--not from just one person-- the problems remain.
Posted by Marie Killelea
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Unidentified Air Force flying objects
The Discovery Channel is a great channel now, but there was a time I referred to it as "the alien channel" for all the unlikely stories about alien autopsies in Roswell, New Mexico.
Now Stephenville, Texas is trying to beat out Roswell for the title of alien capital of the world.
I don't know what the people in this dairy country saw, but I do know that their reports are more reliable than those of the U.S. Air Force.
Locals said they saw Air Force jets chasing a moving object. At first, the military denied that any of its jets were in the area. Now they say they did have jets in the area.
Here's the only thing I know for sure: if the Air Force has chased, is chasing, or ever chases strange moving objects, it wouldn't admit it to the public.
Now Stephenville, Texas is trying to beat out Roswell for the title of alien capital of the world.
I don't know what the people in this dairy country saw, but I do know that their reports are more reliable than those of the U.S. Air Force.
Locals said they saw Air Force jets chasing a moving object. At first, the military denied that any of its jets were in the area. Now they say they did have jets in the area.
Here's the only thing I know for sure: if the Air Force has chased, is chasing, or ever chases strange moving objects, it wouldn't admit it to the public.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
President David Sanchez and Dean Vogel are trying to hide the truth about CTA and our failing schools
The California Teachers Association is hurting our students, teachers and schools. Its failed one-size-fits-all approach to education ignores the huge differences between teachers. Parents and teachers know all teachers do not learn in the same way or at the same pace. Some of them are far, far behind in intelligence, education, and understanding of how kids learn. They should not have full responsibility for any classroom. Pay the good teachers double or triple what they're getting now, and put them in charge of several classrooms. Each master teacher should be deeply involved in several classrooms, guiding several beginning or slow-to-learn teachers.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Chula Vista Elementary teacher wins $1 million
For news about the Danielle Coziahr v. CVESD lawsuit, click HERE.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Stutz Artiano Shinoff & Holtz representing MiraCosta; Randall Winet representing Victoria Richart
See recent updates.
It's all one big happy family of lawyers in the lawsuit against Victoria Richart regarding the way in which her $1.6 million settlement with MiraCosta College was reached.
San Diego County Offic of Education-Joint Powers Authority lawyers are coming out the woodwork. They're everywhere.
How exactly does SDCOE choose its lawyers? Does Diane Crosier simply tell school districts that they can choose any lawyer they want, as long as they are friends of the SDCOE-JPA director and Keenan and Associates insurance brokers?
It's all one big happy family of lawyers in the lawsuit against Victoria Richart regarding the way in which her $1.6 million settlement with MiraCosta College was reached.
San Diego County Offic of Education-Joint Powers Authority lawyers are coming out the woodwork. They're everywhere.
How exactly does SDCOE choose its lawyers? Does Diane Crosier simply tell school districts that they can choose any lawyer they want, as long as they are friends of the SDCOE-JPA director and Keenan and Associates insurance brokers?
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