Well, we are in a New Year and we need to close up our 2008 SAUSD corruption thread before it becomes overwhelmed with comments. Consider this to be our new 2009 SAUSD corruption thread.
Click here to read our 2008 thread. And here are links to all our previous SAUSD corruption threads:
- SAUSD-Mijares corruption thread, 2008 Comments
- SAUSD-Temporary Thread (Migration 5/16/2008) Comments
- SAUSD-Mijares corruption thread, 2007 Comments
- SAUSD-Mijares corruption thread, 2006 Comments
The results of last year’s SAUSD School Board elections were disappointing. The incumbents were re-elected. Shame on the teacher’s union for supporting them! And the one new Trustee, Roman Reyna, is not likely to make a difference.
The SAUSD budget is a mess and our Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, appears primed to make it worse. So this is going to be a very tough year. As always, this forum will be here to allow you to vent about what is going on at the SAUSD!
Al Mijares is long gone, but the corruption at the SAUSD continues unabated…
Here is a summary of January, 2009 comments taken from the old 2008 thread. They are posts 1-12 from the old thread. Rv
1. anon teacher Says:
January 2nd, 2009 at 9:33 pm
All of this talk about part timers not deserving benefits really brings home a few points.
#1 That’s exactly the reason that so many people who were doing full time jobs at the district no longer have full time jobs, it’s pretty sad when health insurance becomes so costly that the district’s response is to take these people away from serving the students.
#2 Something has to be done about the costs of health insurance.
#3 When others don’t have something (like insurance in a part time job), they assume that this is the way it SHOULD be, and no one else deserves what they don’t have. Just because it is that way, doesn’t mean it is right.
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2. Anonplus Says:
January 3rd, 2009 at 9:06 pm
Anon Teacher,
My past few comments have been in the heat of temper and hopefully I have regained my composure if not my spelling.
To my knowledge part time classified employees only get benefits if they exceed a certain amount of hours per day/month. CSEA agreed to the districts reductions for some but not for all only so some employees would continue to have some sort of benefits. My question has been why CSEA not defend all rather than a few? Thus I sort of lost my grip on gentlemanship. But it does anger me.
I agree it is a sad state of affairs when the district uses insurance as a keystone for cutting jobs. When I came to SAUSD they not only paid all of the insurance but also PERS. That was a long time ago and CSEA bargained all of that away.
Insurance is a monster. You can watch TV ads for insurance and see the price Blue Cross and others offer. Health costs have gone over the wall but for that I don’t blame the district so much. Over my time the district went to at least 4 different insurance carriers to keep the price down, but only after CSEA agreed to force employees to pay part of the costs.
I’m not defending the district on this matter only stating previous boards and superintendents tried to keep the price as low as possible. I don’t know about this current batch of scallywags since they seem to be most self serving including insurance packages for themselves. Since all are employed elsewhere, I would ask why for starters.
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3. Fed Up Says:
January 4th, 2009 at 4:17 am
Finding solutions to the budget problems of SAUSD would be easy to do….. but every time a dollar or two is found because of these drastic cuts….it is either wasted because of management’s incompetance or it finds its way into the pockets of people like Juan Lopez, Russo, Olsky, Dixon, and Boden.
Health Insurance is not the problem.
California Governor Arnold S. is not the problem.
The problem is corruption in high places at Santa Ana City Hall and SAUSD.
The residents of Santa Ana seem to be unwilling or unable to stand up for themselves and their children. I’m positive that standing up for oneself wouldn’t work anyway. Only when they stand together will it work.
Why is Franklin Elementary School still standing?
Why hasn’t anyone sued the school district for allowing students to be taught in that toxic waste dump? I’m amazed that no one demands answers. Why do parents send their students to that polluted school? There has been a coverup.
The Hot Potato goes from Mayor Pulido to Hildy Myers (UCI) to Camille Boden to the Santa Ana Courts.
Are the kids getting any better over there at Franklin? There wasn’t any environmental cleanup…..just sweeping it under the rug as usual.
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4. anon Says:
January 4th, 2009 at 7:48 am
SAUSD continues to be mismanaged. We all see the waste and yet the board of education and Jane Russo target cuts closest to the students. Poorly run organizations typically have an excessive number of bullies that are in control. Incompetence breeds incompetence.
Here is an excellent video describing the types of bully behavior, what you can do about it and some upcoming legislation that would help to curb this particular brand of incompetence.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lfv3PB202H0&eurl=http://therightnottobebullied.blogspot.com/2009/01/actively-aware-monday4-missing-roxanne.html
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5. anon teacher Says:
January 4th, 2009 at 10:03 am
I too, have been with this district for a long time (over 20 years), and yes, insurance was fully paid for SAEA members for about just about 10 years of my employment. It is not just CSEA paying for benefits now though. While our costs were low a few years ago, recent negotiations have us paying 9% of the costs. Agreeing to pay a percentage rather than a flat amount has resulted in a guaranteed increase in our out of pocket costs every year. I have seen co pays go from $5 to the current cost of $20 and I have seen prescriptions go from $4 to the current anything they want to charge (I’ve paid anywhere from $10-$30 and a few prescriptions that were just not covered at all by our plan). Anyone can say that corruption is the problem in SAUSD and I really won’t disagree with them, however, insurance costs ARE one of the biggest problems facing the district. Blue Cross is claiming that last year they lost money and will try to recoup it by charging more this year. No one ever questions their accounting though. I find it incredibly difficult to believe that even with some major illnesses that this company could be losing money on SAUSD. Just take a look at what Blue Cross actually pays compared to the bill the average person receives, there is just no way there are losing money.
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6. SAUSD teacher Says:
January 4th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
#968
MISS(Russo)management:
1) Joe (Taj Majal) Dixon (major loser from CUSD) at $164,000 salary +++ support positions +++ new offices.
2) Juan “hack” Lopez, $20,000 salary increase ++ new job title.
Sorry, she’s too busy creating more administrative positions to bother with studying to achieve a doctorate in education.
Failure is unacceptable, it’s up to us all TO KEEP DISTRICT ADMINISTRATORS IN JOBS THEY AREN’T QUALIFIED TO FULFILL.
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7. confused anon Says:
January 4th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
#964-seems that BOE members get benefits after a certain number of years according to the CA Ed code
#970- I don’tunderstand your last statement
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8. Anonplus Says:
January 5th, 2009 at 11:45 am
Confused Anon,
Could you please direct me to the Ed Code section to which you refer? All I find is the amount each board member can be paid monthly for attending board meetings. The amounts are based on the size of that district. I see nothing about any entitlement of health benefits.
Since these people are elected officials I find it difficult to believe that the Ed Code would provide for health benefits to anyone simply because they are re-elected a certain number of times. Please correct me if I am wrong. The Ed Code is about the most screwed up code in California thus anything is possible but I really find it difficult to buy your statement.
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9. Red Vixen Says:
January 5th, 2009 at 7:27 pm
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/school-year-million-2274175-cuts-schools
Monday, January 5, 2009
O.C. schools can survive $490 million in mid-year cuts, educators say
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger offers up a plan to close California’s budget deficit, including a shorter school year next fall.
By SCOTT MARTINDALE
The Orange County Register
Comments 0| Recommend 0
Orange County schools would survive $490 million in mid-year cuts proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, but would be forced to continue slashing employees and programs as they brace for several more years of gloomy budgets, officials said Monday.
The governor’s office last week unveiled its latest plan to close a projected $41.6 billion, 18-month budget deficit, which included cutting $2.1 billion in immediate cuts from public schools and withholding $2.8 billion until July, when the next fiscal year begins.
In Orange County, the plan would require about $210 million in immediate cuts from K-12 schools, plus tapping into about $280 million of rainy-day reserve funds to weather the temporary drop in funding levels.
“We’re fighting for every dollar for kids this year, but we’re also realistic and know we can’t just not take cuts,” said county schools Superintendent Bill Habermehl. “In Orange County, we’re in a much better position than the rest of California because our school districts are well managed. It will hurt, but not as much.”
The governor’s office has released multiple budget proposals in the past few months, all calling for multi-billion cuts to public education. But the state Legislature thus far has failed to act on the widening budget gap, leaving school districts in limbo as they work to stay afloat financially.
“It’s really early to anticipate what or how we’re going to cut,” said Julie Hatchel, spokeswoman for the 52,000-student Capistrano Unified School District, which is preparing for $16 million to $17 million in mid-year cuts. “Our reserves are already extremely low. Depending on what they’re expecting us to cut or use from our reserves, it could be problematic. We’ve already made so many cuts to our programs.”
Last year, K-12 education funding was cut by about $3 billion from what schools had expected to receive under state funding formulas.
In response, school districts across Orange County slashed a combined $150 million, laying off scores of custodians, groundskeepers, office workers and administrators, plus forcing more than 100 teachers to find employment elsewhere.
“For the state to tell you that you have to maintain class sizes, buy new text books, and comply with everything else they demand and not give you the funding for it is just crazy,” said Audrey Yamagata-Noji, a trustee for the 54,500-student Santa Ana Unified School District, which is looking to cut upward of $46 million over the next two years.
Under the governor’s latest plan, the future isn’t bright for the next school year, either. K-12 schools in 2009-10 would receive $3.1 billion less than what they expected to get under state funding formulas. Part of the cost-savings would come from a proposal to cut the school year short by a week, shaving off $1.1 billion.
California schools Superintendent Jack O’Connell has blasted the governor’s plan for funding education, saying it would create “a cash flow crisis” for school districts and shortchange California’s future.
“This budget proposal would be devastating for not only public education, but to the state,” O’Connell said Friday. “This is less learning opportunities for students, longer bus rides, fewer materials. Many of us would like to see a longer school day now and this takes us in the opposite direction.”
Cutting the 2009-10 school year by five days would create a substantial and potentially difficult adjustment period, educators said, but they said that Orange County’s teachers would be able to rise to the challenge.
“Given enough time, our teachers are flexible enough to handle a change in schedule,” said Tom Turner, spokesman for the 34,000-student Saddleback Valley Unified School District, which is bracing for about $10 million in mid-year cuts. “Our teachers are professionals and they have their year set out – 180 days to get through textbooks, standardized testing, reviewing how to be a better teacher. Taking away the five days can change the way a teacher runs a program.”
Staff writer Fermin Leal contributed to this report.
Contact the writer: 949-454-7394 or smartindale@ocregister.com
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10. anon teacher Says:
January 5th, 2009 at 8:52 pm
I sure hope they subtract that week from the END of the school year. It seems that Santa Ana keeps adding days to the end of the year and all of the state testing is completed by the first week of May. This amounts to about 6 weeks less to teach the content the kids are supposed to know. Granted, we still teach after the test, but what a waste when our kids need that time so much (and how much do they really remember by May of the following year?).
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11. Anon Says:
January 5th, 2009 at 9:31 pm
Anon teacher,
In fact what percentage of kids really show up for school the last 2 weeks of school anyway? The last week is what? Half days plus 1 minute for ADA and even then a majority of the high school students don’t show up. Try policing the schools and city the last 2 weeks of school. Their are more kids running around town than in classrooms.
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12. confused anon Says:
January 5th, 2009 at 11:01 pm
BTW, if the school year is shortened by a week, you have taken an approximate 3% pay cut. Tack on to that any money that the District goes for either in give back or in increased benefits- looks pretty bad, no?
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Are the cuts that are required for schools based on the current budget or the anticipated budget. The new budget allows for more money to be spent than last year, so all of a sudden we are short for next year but do we have the amount of money for last years budget. If so there shouldn’t be any cuts just maintain spending and give no raises(they were not coming regardless). Idon’t have a copy of last years state budget and this years, but take off all cola is it the same.
Since the 2008 corruption thread circled the drain on the topic of reduction in school days, it seems appropriate that OC Register reporter Fermin “Feelgood” Leal filed a report on why SAUSD allows 3 weeks for the Winter break while most districts do not. The story is repleat with justifications for the extra time such as other districts in the state do it, or the students need the time to travel to South America to visit family. But unlike some of the districts mentioned the story fails to remark on the miserable ranking SAUSD has in all education catagories compared to those other districts. But hey that’s not important.
No wonder the local citizens re-elected most of the current board. The story is located at:
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/week-year-break-2274346-santa-school
In the past, I believe that the SAUSD budget was about $500,000,000. How much of that goes to employee salaries? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a break-out of the budget.
Anonplus:
That third week taken is made up for elsewhere in the year, both in adding days to the beginning and end of the school year, so students in SAUSD have the same # of days as other districts who take two weeks.
The extra week for the holidays, extra day at Thanksgiving and this year, extra day for Veteran’s Day were simply put somewhere else as SAUSDTeacher says. My problem is that a greater percentage of those days have been added to the end of the school year. So Anon, my point is that now we have MORE days for the kids to goof around and not take things seriously. We push them all year to do well on standardized tests yet we keep reducing the number of days they have to prepare for them and give them 6 weeks of school after the test. They aren’t stupid, they realize the test is over. And by the way, Anon, my school still has over 98% attendance up until the LAST day of school.
To both Teachers;
Thank you for the clarification. Anon teacher, you made my point about the end of the school year much better than I could regarding “goof” time. Regarding attendance. If that is true district wide I stand corrected.
I would imagine that attendance at the high schools drops significantly near the end of the year although I don’t have the facts.
Red Vixen-Salaries and benefits for virtually all school districts in the state hover around 75-80% of the budget.
Nice job with the summary Red, you keep the blog looking very good. Glad that captcha thing is gone.
It’s time for ward specific elections for the BofE. Ward specific make trustees, hopefully, more accountable, to those they represent.
SAUSD continues a spiral downturn and there are two consistent factors: Noji and Richardson have both been on the board during this freefall.
Why not do away with the state testing so we can teach for the whole year. The CASHEE takes up another 10 days so gee we could teach a lot more.
Do this for one year to save money, gee nothing bad happened let’s try it again and savemore money.
Students from 30 years ago sure knew more and they didn’t have all these tests, let’s try some of the old ways to see if it helps. I look at my time teaching over the years students haven’t changed just new theories that are not working.
I couldn’t agree more with getting rid of the testing for one year. The expense just in the test booklets (one for each student, not reusable) is astounding. Of course, our wonderful Federal NCLB would not allow us to forgo testing, so once again we have Federal mandates that are not funded, much like Special Ed. I don’t necessarily agree that students from 30 years ago knew more, we’ve just decided to teach things that students are not developmentally prepared for so they continue to get more and more behind every year while teachers try to teach out of reach standards.
Thanks Anonyms – I do what I can 😉
Some stats on the district. FWIW – this December ’08 page claims that there are 6k employees/staff.
http://www.sausd.k12.ca.us/sausd/cwp/view.asp?A=3&Q=323473
Santa Ana Unified serves approximately 55,000 students in grades K-12 and employs 6,000 educators and staff members representing 63 dynamic school sites in Santa Ana. For more information about our schools, visit http://www.sausd.us.
Eileen Maddox – CENA Chair
(714) 558-5523
Is it true that other D.O. personnel also got salary increases? Like in Risk Management?
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/teacher-district-child-2276176-term-long
How do I get my child a permanent teacher, instead of a string of subs?
ASK THE TEACHER: Carol Veravanich answers readers’ questions.
Q. My elementary age child attends a school in Santa Ana Unified. The ‘real’ teacher of the class went out on Worker’s Comp leave last May and did not come back to start this school year. My child has had a long string of substitute teachers since September. Some subs come in, stay a week or so, then find a permanent job elsewhere. Other subs leave because they don’t want a long-term subbing job.
From what I have been told, the ‘real’ teacher keeps saying she will return, then doesn’t and puts it off another few weeks … then puts it off again. Can the district do anything to replace this teacher with a permanent teacher? I always wonder how a teacher could be out since May (going on seven months now) and still have a job waiting for her?
And I am aware of the Williams Act protecting kids from this kind of situation. Other parents have complained and the assistant superintendent visited the classroom. But what can be done to get my kid a teacher for the rest of the school year?
A. First, you should write a complaint letter and address it to the principal and the superintendent as well. You can deliver the letter by hand to the principal and mail it to the district office. Your child is caught in a situation the district can fix, and it is obviously aware of the need to do so since the assistant superintendent visited.
The Williams Act that you mentioned is Education Code 35186. Among other things, this act holds that there should be a teacher assigned to each class and not a series of substitutes or other temporary teachers. It also stipulates that the district needs to find a teacher with proper credential to teach the class.
When you say that the subs don’t want a long-term subbing job or find work elsewhere, this is only true to a certain extent. There are a lot of teachers in Orange County looking for a long-term position even if it does not mean a full contract. All the district would have to do is post the position, and I bet more than one candidate will apply.
That is what they need to do: Find a long term sub or temporary teacher to fill this vacancy. Do not worry about the term “temporary.” That only means the teacher is given a position for one year without a guaranteed position the following year. As the Williams Act states, whatever teacher is found will need to have the proper credentials.
The district is likely frustrated with the situation because there is a teacher assigned to this class and from your description it sounds like that person is stringing the district along. That is an administrative issue, however, and your only concern is your child.
Focus on your child’s needs and rights and insist the district rectify the situation.
Contact the writer: Do you have a question about your child’s education? Carol Veravanich is an experienced teacher and assistant principal who answers readers’ questions each week. Contact her at http://www.goasktheteacher.org or e-mail directly to goasktheteacher@yahoo.com.
Anon # 16
Boy I bet you feel releaved at that great advice. I’ve read “go ask the teacher’s” column long enough to realize she is in the bag for any district. She obviously has no clue to SAUSD and even if she did I doubt the advice would be much different.
I’m not qualified to give you any opinion but a few teachers write here a lot. Maybe they can. If I had a term for the response you received was it was canned “bull-spam”.
The easiest way to deal with this situation is to demand that your child be moved to another class. Ask for a meeting with the principal and first nicely request a transfer to another classroom. That will probably work, if it doesn’t then call a board member or the Superintendent. Parent requests are usually handled quickly.
Off topic-Can this thread be moved to the main page now so we don’t have to go to the second (and third soon) to get here?
Anon-Teach,
I hope you are right. Most of what I read is that at least at the district level lip service is the food of the day. I hope the local principal will help this parent out.
The big SAUSD emblem on the front page, right border takes you here. The words 2008 thread in that same box is a different link to send you to last years thread…
My experience is that parent requests are handled and teachers are treated like dirt. Thanks for the heads up, I thought that they still had only the 2008 thread on the front page.
Maybe someone can help with my question. I live and work in Santa Ana. My son is going to start Kindergarten in the fall and of course, I am trying to get him into a decent school. There is no way I can with a good conscience send him to our neighborhood school, many in the neighborhood over the years have tried and it has never been a success. There is a school very close to me that I would like to send him to. Is there a problem with this? I am also signing him up for several lotteries to a fundamental school and 2 charter schools, but the chances of having his name drawn are definitely less than 50% (and for some schools by my calculations, about 20%). I have heard that there are rules about schools that are underperforming according to NCLB and I think that I should not have to send him to such a school. I have the option of using a relative’s address to send him to the other school, but I really don’t want to be dishonest or lie (of course, it’s my kid and if this HAS to happen, I guess it will). I am just starting the process this month and would like some advice before I start dealing with the district.
Mom,
After 20 years in this district it fills my heart with joy that you ask these questions. I don’t know the answers because I’m a lowly classified employee, but you came to one of the right places. At least two teachers maybe can steer you to the right place. My best wishes and hopefully someone can help you.
Anon-teach,
Yeah it is confusing on the front page. RV needs to reword that somehow. Can you help the parent #21 or give her some direction? Wish I could but I can’t.
I actually don’t know much about placement in elementary school as I am in secondary, but hopefully there’s someone else out there who does.
Mom,
There are both good and poor teachers at every school. It’s the quality of the teacher that will make the difference for your son, not what school he’s in. However, getting your son moved out of a poor teacher’s class can be a battle if you have to fight an unresponsive principal. But life is a battle; just do it and keep at it until you prevail. The only real advantage of the magnet schools is that they’re allowed to kick disruptive students out to the other schools.
I agree, however, we already know that there is a great teacher at another school close to our home. The kids at the preschool our son attends rave about her and the school generally places all of the kids from his preschool in her class. We’re really not into taking our chances with one of the bottom scoring schools in the state versus having him placed with his current classmates. I just don’t feel like I can make my child the guinea pig at this school, as I have said, some parents in the neighborhood have tried with pretty negative results.
“Yeah it is confusing on the front page. RV needs to reword that somehow”
anon teacher and Anonplus – those things might be a little beyond my paygrade, but I’ll see if i can alert the right folks to clean things up a bit. Thanks for the suggestion. I’d like to see this thread stay as tidy & easy to use as possible.
Mom in SA – Welcome to the Orange Juice! Good luck to you and your family!
Did those changes help?
RV-I think it’s fine the way it is. The only improvement I might suggest is just to list “2009 Thread” under the SAUSD symbol and make it so that people can click the 2009 or the SAUSD symbol to get here. It just isn’t perfectly clear that the symbol doesn’t represent clicking on the 2008 posts, as is it looks like they are one in the same. Anyway, I get it now. Thanks!
anon teacher,
Thanks for the note and suggestions. I’ll pass it on. We’re nearly there! Thank you.
Good teacher Bad teacher, Making a poster for an A(good/bad),requiring student to read the book and passing test(good/bad), 50% of the grade based on extra credit(good/bad), watching more than 20 hours of videos about what?(good/bad), work gets counted when turned in late(good/bad), 20 field trips per year instead of working on class material(good/bad), fund raising for class outings 20 times per year(good/bad).
My kids have been going to school in Santa Ana for years and have seen this stuff a lot, only one thing would I count as a good teacher, but a lot of the other thgings the teacher is given awards. i want my kids to get a job and go to college.
anon #31,
What you are describing is a lack of teaching critical thinking skills which is essential for good problem solving. This insistence on testing, testing, testing was brought about by the No Child Left Behind movement which needs to be fixed.
SAUSD Parents should make sure that their children are exposed to challenging classical literature at the library or from bookstores. Practical work experience offered in ROP programs can be very beneficial as a jump start to getting and retaining jobs for the college-bound students.
There is a reason that Audrey Noji did not send her son to schools in SAUSD. Instead, she chose to send him to Irvine schools where the district has decent leadership and makes sure that the students are challenged and not just warehoused for the better part of their day.
Audrey’s son went to SAUSD schools through 8th grade. Sadly, this is what many sausd parents do. Segerstrom seems to have worked to keep many more than before though. I’m not sure what the point is in #31’s post but here it goes: Poster for an A-possibly good/possibly bad depending on required content, required book/test-good, videos-bad if relied on too heavily, late work-partial credit is good, at least they have to do the assignment, extra credit-bad but this is the #1 request from parents, when you tell them no, they freak out, field trips-I have no idea who is still taking field trips in SAUSD anymore, even the best, most educational field trips were cut many years ago. Fundraising-sad, awful but a fact of life if you want your school to have any activities at all.
Now the way to get to this thread is really clear, thanks!
Thanks so much for the suggestions. Terry Crowley made the changes. He’s awesome to have around.
Audry Noji told us a few years ago that her husband is the football coach at Woodbridge H.S., and that her son had always wanted to play on his dad’s team.
SAHS teacher,
A statement Noji made which is by its own implication an indication a fix was in at Woodbridge and the son would make the football squad there. If that isn’t an insight into Noji’s thinking, I don’t know what is.
Noji also told us a few years ago that their was no corruption, wasted money, and continues to this day to vote to give raises, promotions and sign off on remodeling while firing employees.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/homeless-garza-school-2279341-shelters-one
Monday, January 12, 2009
Taking ownership of homelessness
Readers weigh in with ideas on how to help struggling families
Yvette Cabrera
Columnist
The Orange County Register
ycabrera@ocregister.com
The recession, high unemployment, plunging 401Ks – sometimes it feels there’s very little to be optimistic about these days.
Writing about the homeless here in Orange County can likewise feel overwhelming, especially given that the economic turmoil is likely to push more families and children onto the streets. The latest research shows we’re in for some dire times.
A report released last week by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonprofit research and policy institute in Washington D.C., found that the number of homeless families with children nationally has escalated in recent months, and many more are likely to fall into severe poverty and are at risk of becoming homeless.
The report highlighted counties and cities across the country that have reported dramatic increases, including a 40 percent increase in the number of homeless families entering New York City shelters from July-November 2008 compared to the same period in 2007.
Here in Orange County, nonprofits, shelters, and churches who work with the homeless tell me that they too have seen more families seeking food, aid and shelter, and as I’ve written about this alarming trend, the response from readers has poured in.
Many have offered to volunteer, donate money, food or clothing. Others call to offer their ideas on how to tackle this problem.
Right now, the county is working to create a 10-year plan to end homelessness, and the experts are considering plenty of ideas. However, as I listen to the ideas suggested by readers, I’m heartened by not just their possible solutions, but that they see this issue as somethingtheyshould try to tackle.
Too often, one of the biggest obstacles to solving this problem is the not in my backyardmentality. It drives some residents and cities to believe that homelessness exists in otherplaces, but not theirs. It also drives some cities to create laws, such as anti-camping ordinances, that push the homeless out of parks, but do little to get them out of poverty.
That’s why my readers’ responses gave me hope. One man asked why more churches don’t open their doors to offer the homeless a place to sleep, even if it’s just on a pew.
Another reader, Felix Garza of Orange, called to ask why local school districts don’t open up their gymnasiums to the homeless during school breaks, similar to the way these gyms are converted into emergency shelters during disasters like the recent fires.
It was the concern in his voice that prompted me to call him: “I just worry about the kids,” was one of the last thoughts he left on my voice mail.
So we spoke by phone last week, and I discovered that Garza had actually taken his idea one step further by calling a Santa Ana school to find out if they might consider his idea. He was disappointed by the response (the school had already committed the gym for an event), but he wasn’t ready to give up.
“There are different ways to approach the problem and if everybody sets an example, say, with this cold weather, maybe we cannot get a facility, but what if I buy a tent,” says Garza, a 70-year-old retiree. “I think people have to have a compassionate heart and say ‘You know what, I’m doing a little bit and I’m helping somebody.'”
News reports of families who have suddenly lost their homes due to the economic downturn have moved Garza, who describes himself as a fiscal conservative who’s always believed that a person should earn their keep.
He believes the economic situation will only worsen and, because of this, Garza says we need to be prepared to handle the consequences.
“All you have to do is say ‘Yes’ and ‘Let’s do it.’ I don’t want to hear the stumbling blocks that are there of why we can’t do it,” says Garza. “You know what, let’s do it. There’s a need there and let’s fill it.”
Santa Ana Unified School District spokeswoman Angela Burrell confirmed that the district has a memorandum of understanding with the American Red Cross that permits the Red Cross to use school facilities as shelters during disasters or emergencies, but the facilities haven’t been used as emergency shelters for the homeless.
Maybe, suggests Garza, local school board members can at least discuss the possibility of offering the homeless a temporary shelter. The fact that Garza sees this as ourproblem, not somebody else’s problem, is a first step toward finding a solution.
“You have to stand up. Everybody in life has to stand up at one time or another,” says Garza. “You can’t say ‘It’s none of my business.’ You have to do the right thing.”
Contact the writer: Contact the writer at ycabrera@ocregister.com or 714-796-3649
Amazing the need for housing for the homeless, and the government bulldozed hundreds if not a thousand apartments that was at the marine base off of irvine blvd in irvine. They are going to make a park someday, but we need housing today, go figure. The housing was old but it was in perfect condition based on military standards.
There are still some buildings on the base, bus people in and let them sleep inside take them back the next morning. Allow them 7 days at a time then cycle them somewhere else. Make a group meal, it’s usually cheaper. Bring in portable bathrooms.
Sure, everyone should pitch in a little bit to help the unfortunate, but the schools won’t be an answer. Suppose you did let a half dozen or two families sleep in the gym, let ’em in at 6pm, kick ’em out at 6 am — 12 hours, and they could use the showers and stuff. There is absolutely no way 20-30 people could be allowed to stay without security present. The security officer would be getting paid overtime, time and a half, for 12 hours each day – that’s about $400 right there — plus 2-3 custodial overtime man-hours to set-up, take-down cots and blankets and store them. We’re talking a minimum $500 a day, $15,000 a month. That’s a couple of teachers who’d have to be layed off, or another four classified staff, to cover the cost.
Then again, if every adult in Santa Ana (about 250,000) pitched in 2 bucks each month for the homeless, you’d have $6 million to fund a proper shelter. But, hey! That would be like a tax increase and raise the blood pressure of the conservatives on the OJ blog, and mine too (a liberal) when the wrong guys ended up with the money. The poor homeless.
Hey! I just read the top paragraph of this thread, with the last sentence “Al Mijares is long gone….” Not true. He works for “The College Board”, the company that makes and scores the various standardized exams such as the SAT the AP exams. This is a profit making company and old Al has been around frequently at SAUSD school sites to drum up sales of his company’s newest product, the “Pre-SAT exam for 8th graders”. No kidding. It’s never to early to start testing for college.
The real benefit would be the example it would set for the kids- after all, it’s all about the kids-that our district would be charitable enough to help out the unfortunate. The cost would be marginal-everyone knows teachers are overpaid, unionized sleepwalkers and a few less wouldn’t be missed. The homeless would be excellent role models considering the real future prospects for most of our little transplanted peasants. The ganged up contingent would get real street experience from rolling the weakest among the bums, and they could score real good connections for crack or weed. Maybe the schoolies would find a crack pipe or two and would get with the Santa Ana program. A brilliant idea!
Noji was fortunate to ship her son to Irvine, but most Santa Ana parents do not have that luxury. They are stuck with bad leadership and poor schools.
When there is gross mismanagement in a School District, what is the organization or who is the person we are supposed to report it to?
Margie Strike used to be very much for the employee. She probably still is, but something has really changed about that lady. She is silent about many issues. What happened?
Letting the Union know that a person intends to sue CSEA for the lack of representation against unfair labor practices is one good way to get some results.
No Child Left Behind is the worst thing to happen to public schools. Its intent was good, but all it did was push the students through and blame the teachers for everything. So unfair.
I think we need to think of some solutions to these problems. Then action needs to be taken.
Click the link for threaded story:
SAUSD Trustees want to dumb our kids down even more
What they’ve done is reduce the number of classes required for graduation, such as 2 science courses instead of 3. The more motivated students will still take more than 220 units, and many will take 4 sciences instead of the required 2. This will give students and counselors more flexibility in scheduling students, really important when school funding doesn’t allow much flexibility.
SAHS teacher-
You are completely correct. Fitting every student into the same A-G requirement mold does not ensure success and instead often has the result of discouraging those who do not excel academically from being involved in the electives that keep them interested in school. Lowering the number of required credits does NOT mean lowering the expectations for our students to achieve the required state standards in English, math, social science, or science- it gives more room to focus on those key subjects and find skills in other realms. If a student under the current system needs remediation and has to take a special reading or math class, those classes take up room in their schedule that could otherwise be used to encourage a different type of intelligence the student may possess, like art, music, shop, or athletics. Further, more requirements do not equal better students, otherwise we would have a higher graduation rate and number of college bound students than schools with lower credit requirements like University HS, Troy HS, or Oxford Academy, the top three high schools in the county. We need to look at what the majority of our students need, which is remediation and differentiation, and address those things. Those students who are college bound are going to achieve the extra units and A-G requirements, regardless of the number of credits required to graduate.
High School Teachers-please go to the thread about the high school credits required that Art posted in #45 and copy your comments there. You guys have made the case well here, I think the others need to read what you have written.
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/fitch-us-muni-surveillance-santa,682362.shtml
NEW YORK – (Business Wire) In the course of routine surveillance, Fitch Ratings has affirmed the ‘AA-‘ rating on Santa Ana Unified School District’s (the district) approximately $34.5 million in outstanding unlimited tax general obligations (GO), series 2000, 2002, and 2002B. The Rating Outlook has been revised to Negative from Stable.
The revision of the Rating Outlook to Negative reflects concern over the district’s ability to stabilize reserve levels in light of declining enrollment and, given its reliance on state aid, uncertainty surrounding the state’s financial condition. The district ended fiscal 2008 (year ending June 30) with a $5.9 million general fund operating deficit bringing the unreserved general fund balance to a still solid $28.5 million, or 5.5% of total spending, down from 9.5% two years ago. District projections show a further decline in reserves in the current fiscal year, and if enrollment does not stabilize, an additional decline is likely in fiscal 2010. Inability to close the growing structural gap, continued enrollment declines and/or significant cuts in state funding could all lead to negative rating pressure.
The ‘AA-‘ rating reflects the district’s satisfactory, but weakened, reserve levels, commitment to expense management, moderate debt levels, as well as its below average demographics of low income levels and high unemployment rates. The rating also incorporates the added financial flexibility provided by non-general fund reserves. The district maintains reserves outside the general fund that are intended to partially pre-fund its OPEB liability but can be reallocated for general operations by the district’s board. Including that fund, reserves equaled approximately $38 million or 7.3% of total general fund spending. The district has managed several years of declining enrollment by making aggressive budget cuts, totaling over $108 million, and enrollment appears to be stabilizing. However, Fitch notes that continued enrollment declines would negatively impact the district’s state-guaranteed funding level, which are based largely on average daily attendance.
In June 2008, voters authorized up to $200 million in additional bonds to be used for modernizing classrooms and replacing portable classrooms with permanent facilities. The most recent debt issue was $100 million in August 2008 bringing overall debt ratios to a moderate $1,514 per capita, or 2% of market value. Santa Ana Unified School District is the seventh largest school district in California and the largest school district in Orange County.
Fitch issued an exposure draft on July 31 proposing a recalibration of tax-supported and water/sewer revenue bond ratings which, if adopted, may result in an upward revision of this rating (see Fitch research ‘Exposure Draft: Reassessment of the Municipal Ratings Framework’).
Fitch’s rating definitions and the terms of use of such ratings are available on the agency’s public site, http://www.fitchratings.com. Published ratings, criteria and methodologies are available from this site, at all times. Fitch’s code of conduct, confidentiality, conflicts of interest, affiliate firewall, compliance and other relevant policies and procedures are also available from the ‘Code of Conduct’ section of this site.
Fitch Ratings, New York
Lindsay Trzaska, 212-908-0239
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Email: cindy.stoller@fitchratings.com >/i>
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/school-graduation-requirements-2280809-students-high
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
POLL: Should school district lower graduation requirements
Santa Ana Unified has highest requirements and lowest graduation rate in O.C.
By FERMIN LEAL
The Orange County Register
Comments 55| Recommend 3
SANTA ANA – Santa Ana Unified trustees on Tuesday discussed a plan to lower high school graduation requirements as a way to boost the number of students who earn diplomas each year.
The plan calls for reducing from 240 to 220 the number of credits needed in high school to graduate. This would reverse a 2001 decision by the school board that raised the graduation requirements in Santa Ana Unified to the highest level of all school districts in Orange County.
“We are not having a conversation about lowering expectations for students,” said Superintendent Jane Russo.
graduation requirements
Should Santa Ana Unified lower its stiff graduation requirements?
Yes — even Irvine schools don’t ask so much
No — they should work harder to teach the kids
Powered by PollMonkey
The superintendent said the proposed requirements would allow for more flexibility to accommodate the growing variety of student needs within the district. The district would still meet or exceed all state and federal guidelines, she said.
Russo said lowering graduation requirements by 20 credits, or five classes, would put the Santa Ana Unified on par with other districts in the county. Districts with similar demographics, including Anaheim Union High School District and Garden Grove Unified, require between 220 and 230 credits to graduate. Irvine Unified requires the fewest credits, 215.
Santa Ana Unified had the lowest graduation rate in the county in 2008. District officials said that under the proposed plan, the district’s 2008 graduation rate would have risen from about 83 percent to about 87 percent or higher.
Under the higher requirements, students have little wiggle room if they fail a class, want to take higher coursework, or need extra help passing the state’s High School Exit Exam, district officials said. Also, about 56 percent of all high school students are English learners, and many of these students are required to take additional English classes, making them more likely to fall behind or drop out, officials said.
State budget cuts have also forced the district to limit the number of summer school courses students can take outside the regular school year, officials said.
Santa Ana was the first district in the county to require high school graduates to complete “a-g coursework,” classes mandated by the California State University and University of California systems for incoming freshman. Russo said these college prep classes would still be required for graduates under the proposed plan.
District officials are proposing changing from a requirement to an elective a world geography course, reducing from three to two years a science requirement, and embedding a health HIV/AIDS course in the science curriculum, along with other changes, as ways to lower the graduation requirements.
School board member John Palacio said he was concerned lower requirements could hurt students.
“Students won’t always be rigorously challenged,” he said. “Our graduation and college-going numbers have been increasing for years now. Why should we go back now and change what we’re doing?”
Jerry Wheeler, a counselor at Segerstrom High, said he supports decreasing graduation requirements because it would give counselors more flexibility in mapping out student schedules and coursework. He also said he doesn’t expect college prep rates to decrease if gradation requirements are reduced.
“A lot of kids are already far exceeding what they are required to take,” he said. “We have more kids taking four years of science, and it has nothing to do with the 240 credit requirement.
The school board will likely vote on the plan in coming weeks.
Contact the writer: 714-445-6687 or fleal@ocregister.com