Former Santa Ana City Councilman Jose Solorio recently voted for forced spaying/neutering of your pets. According to Red County/OC Blog, “AB 1634, Assemblyman Levine
How about money? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeWjEYhk7Xo
It's in the article too if you read it.
Well, if we're opening it up to bands that DON'T have songs about "wanting it all/everything," then The Clash is…
Then that's my standard. I don't dislike the Ramones but (to my untrained) it all sounds the same. Cosplay? That's…
I'm going to celebrate this disagreement by nominating as "the song of Winter 2025": "I Wanna Be Sedated." (And Heart…
Great question. You should investigate it. I think I noted previously that Ma is running for higher office this year,…
I have faith in your reading comprehension, Ryan, should you decide to employ it.
All right, if your standard is chameleon-like talent and facile musical cosplaying. But this particular Ramones song is sure better…
(RAMONES > QUEEN. In most cases.) WTF? All the Ramones songs sound the same.
What happened with Ma’s entanglement with the FBI? https://www.newsweek.com/california-state-treasurer-fiona-ma-involved-fbi-investigation-1890673
Contracting out jobs violate the CSEA contract as well as Ed. Code. The only problem is our UNION (CSEA) has been sleeping with HR for the past two years. Just ask the employees wrongly terminated or sitting at home on PAID LEAVE for a year or more.
Funny thing is that Dr. Mijares was or is a Think Together Board Member. As for counting on John P. WATCH OUT and hide your hard earned dollars.
HR is a sick joke. Jane Russo still trusts that HR is being truthful and helpful. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Replace the head of HR with someone sharp and that would be a step in the right direction to turn things around. HR is critical in securing the right people to do the jobs right. Currently HR is all about buddies and laisons. Ask the crew at Valley about their new leader. Ask staff that has been harmed by the same old suspects how HR covers for the worst administrators time and again.
the lastest intel already has councilmember david benavedes out of his daisy street home and into safer digs.can the oj crew keep us posted on this info.did he move to irvine to be closer to councilwoman clownia alvarez?
#1 what about J Palacio & our money?
#3 How can a council rep live in another city and still be on the city council? That would be horrible representation and doesn’t even seem legal.
LOL
#3 fabricates more “facts” and chismes than Art Pedroza, and that’s a lot.
Both of the claims about the councilmembers are simply not true.
Interesting reading about THINK after school programs because there are also several non-profits operating such programs at family resource centers and in apartment complexes in Santa Ana. Apparently the programs at the schools are not meeting the need, given the attendance at these other programs?
Art, you should check out the work being done at the THINK centers — I’m most familiar with the one hosted by The Episcopal Church at the corner of Bush and Civic Center– and see the quality of the tuition provided by the dedicated staff you dismiss as ‘people with no college degrees.’
Quality of education is not dependant on the number of degrees amassed by the teacher, nor the number of tax dollars spent per student head; it is determined by what the student ‘keeps’ after the teaching time is over. Our public schools have established a piss-poor record of actually *teaching* students… and that record was enabled and enhanced by the mass of parents who send their kids away to be entertained for the day when the kids don’t speak English, can’t count, can’t stay on task, won’t be disciplined and disappear after 8th grade.
Don’t make the perfect the enemy of the good. If tax money is going to be spent on some kind of educational service, why not let it go to a program that is serving kids who *want* to learn, and parents who are engaged enough to send them?
THINK Together is a reputable organization.
A few members there single handedly broke up factions of the Logan street Gangs in the 1990’s.
They were a good, grass roots organization. In recent years they got too big too fast and now seem to be something of a bueracracy. unlike the famed “Rosies garage” in La Habra, the Think Together folks forgot what they started out to do in some respects.
I appalled however, that as a “man of the people” Art did’nt know who they were.
They’ve been operating in Santa Ana for more than ten years!
11:35,
Why would I know? My kids have not been involved in their programs.
I have no problem with these programs in the churches or apartment complexes, but if they are going to have after school programs or summer programs in the public schools, I would prefer that they be staffed by credentialed teachers.
What sort of teachers are you going to get for $11 an hour?
Art –
The $30 million dollar warehouse is being built on land that was purchased with Measure C money. Voters approved Measure C to alleviate overcrowded classrooms through new construction, modernization and renovation. Voters did not approve the purchase of land to house a warehouse.
Furthermore, Godinez FHS was built with Measure C funds totaling an excess of $100 million dollars. When Godinez FHS opens its doors this fall a total of just over 500 students will be attending Godinez. This meager enrollment represents about 100 sophmores and 400 freshman.
Meanwhile, Santa Ana HS’s attendance roster continues to post in excess of 3,800 students.
Saddleback, Century and Valley HS are overcrowded, yet Segerstrom enjoys a student population of less than 2,500 students and Godinez is rattling with just a little more than 500 students.
Who is responsible for the haphazard high school boundaries that foster the overcrowding of Santa Ana HS, Saddleback, Valley and Century High Schools? And why are the lower socio-economic schools bearing the brunt of overcrowded classrooms while Segerstrom and Godinez boast less than 3,000 studnets between the two schools?
SAUSD tiered school system casts a hint of segregation and discrimination that plagued our schools in the 50s.
For those with a short memory .. Fleming’s downfall started when he started meddling with the high school boundaries.
Don Trigg and his merry band of bean counters are peddling a tax increase. Don’t be fooled.
The current administration failed with the $100 million Godinez FHS.
And we all should be hard pressed to entrust Russo and her cabinet with $100.
SAUSD should follow the lead of Capo and give the boot to Richardson, Avila and Hernandez in ’08. And they should precede that action by demanding the ouster of Russo, Trigg, Lopez and Bratcher.
Regarding the THINK story-
Prediction: The clueless board will be rushed and duped into permitting THINK to manage their after school program. Someone or a group of someones will do an investigation into the decision. A kickback or a scandal will be revealed. Russo will get blamed for everything. Board memebers will have another disaster on their political resume. It’s routine by now.
Well this is shaping up to be yet another stinking mess that Jane Russo will either have to pretend not to notice or will have to clean up with all sorts of gnashing of teeth by hidden benefactors of this dirty little scheme. It really does look like Russo was brought back to SAUSD by people who think she
#13
Noji orchestrated Russo’s return to SAUSD with the promise of replacing Mijares as Supt.
The “so called supt. search” was a disgraceful shame designed to appease SAUSD critics and the public. How much did that charade cost the taxpayers?
An earlier poster notes Godinez will have 500+ students this fall.
This is disturbing news if it’s accurate. Why did taxpayers spend in excess of $100 million for a new school that no one wants to attend?
This heart of this boondoggle is the district’s bumbling of setting boundaries and the redesignation of Segerstrom HS from a neighborhood school to a mish mash of “selective boundaries.” These selective boundaries were promoted by Noji with the intent of catering to her exclusive Armstrong Ranch neighborhood. Noji sold out the kids of Santa Ana. And she professes to be an educator.
Not hiring qualified educational help? Art, you must be kidding. SAUSD can’t even find substitutes to hear HR telling it. In a million years, Lopez would be unable to fill spots for after school tutoring. He can’t do his job satisfactorily as it is.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/orange/la-me-santaana8jun08,1,3049446.story?track=rss
The state is looking into allegations the students were put in regular classrooms in violation of state education code.
By Seema Mehta, Times Staff Writer
June 8, 2007
The state Department of Education said Thursday it was investigating special-education instruction at a high school in Santa Ana, the latest controversy to dog the city’s beleaguered school district.
The probe was prompted by complaints from two teachers at Valley High who alleged that special-education students were shifted to regular classes because there was not enough room to offer them separate classes.
“Their education, because of this stupid move, has been totally destroyed this year,” said Tyrone Borelli, who along with his wife, Alice, teaches at Valley.
The Borellis’ complaint, filed with the state May 10, alleges that the district violated federal law and the state education code.
The Santa Ana Unified School District was shaken this year when it lost $2 million in state class-size reduction funding because it bungled its implementation of the program in kindergarten through third grade.
The state launched its probe of the Valley special-education program May 23, and a report is expected in late July, according to state education officials.
Principal Fred Gomeztrejo said Thursday afternoon he was unaware of the state investigation and referred questions to a district spokeswoman.
The district received a copy of the complaint May 31, Santa Ana district spokeswoman Angela Burrell said, and state officials visited the school this week.
“We anticipate [the California Department of Education] will issue a finding of full compliance with state and federal laws and regulations,” Burrell said.
The Borellis alleged that the problem was prompted by construction at Valley High School, which forced the 3,100 students to move for the current school year to Godinez Fundamental High School, which was built for 2,500 students and was to be empty until its fall opening.
To squeeze all the students into the school, district officials moved special-education students into regular classes, the complaint alleges.
Teachers were asked to get parents’ approvals of the moves in early September and felt ” ‘railroaded’ into having these parents [agree to the switch] without looking at the individual educational needs of each student,” the complaint states.
A special-education student’s placement should be based on the student’s abilities and needs, “not the availability of space or for administrative convenience,” the complaint says.
Barbara Glaeser, an associate professor of special education at Cal State Fullerton who trained Valley teachers for the mixed classrooms, said Thursday that the district’s former special-education director told her that the shift was prompted by a lack of classroom space.
Glaeser added, however, that she saw great successes in moving some special-education children into mainstream classrooms.
One boy who was taking an anatomy class told her, “I feel like I’m part of the school now.”
The program might have been more successful if the school had planned the shift for a year before implementing it instead of a month; had more thoughtfully scheduled the special-education students in specific classes based on their needs; and had provided more training to instructional aides, Glaeser said.
Documents show that district officials have long been aware of concerns about the program’s implementation.
School board member John Palacio raised the issue in an e-mail to Supt. Jane Russo in October and at board meetings.
“They were overcrowded, and they had to figure a way to put kids in classrooms, so what they did is got all the special-ed kids and placed them improperly in [traditional] classrooms. Everything was driven by economics,” he said Thursday.
——————————————————————————–
seema.mehta@latimes.com
It appears the Keystone Kops are running SAUSD. As each incident passes, it’s becoming apparent that incompetency is a qualifier when being hired and/or promoted by SAUSD administrators.
We constantly hear how overcrowded the schools are, then we learn that Godinez only has a handful of students for the upcoming school year.
The State needs to investigate the entire workings of the district!
Bravo to the Valley teachers who “stuck their necks out” and reported the shennigans at Valley.
This district has always treated our special ed students with great disdain.
Santa Ana: SAUSD is riddled with *investigations.* It’s time to toss Russo, Lopez, Trigg and Bratcher.
What is with the Superintendent getting information about a problem months ago and not acting on it? Why do teachers and community members have to rely on contacting outside agencies, media and even state departments to get serious problems taken seriously? Falsified rosters, special education students being dumped because of lack of space and who knows what is next?
Maybe Russo is going to claim to be left out of the loop again. Maybe she
#18
Let’s hope Bratcher is following Helen Stainer’s lead and retiring this year. It’s long overdue.
Greg Rankin, Godinez principal, notes on the Godinez website the following message … “The Godinez “Grizzlies” will compete athletically in the Orange Coast League, fielding lower level teams in 2007-2008 before adding varsity teams.”
How does any school field a team to compete in the Orange Coast League with about 150 sophomores and 500 freshmen?
http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_1723859.php
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Santa Ana Unified special-ed program under review
Two Valley High teachers contend special-ed students were improperly moved out of classes.
By FERMIN LEAL
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
SANTA ANA – Two Santa Ana Unified teachers have filed a complaint with the state Office of Education alleging that special-education students at their school were improperly moved into regular classes because of limited classroom space.
Tyrone and Alice Borelli, a husband and wife teaching at Valley High, said in the complaint that the district violated state and federal law when school officials transferred students to regular education classes without following outlined procedures, including the proper notification of parents.
State officials have asked Santa Ana Unified to provide a written response by Thursday detailing the special-education program at Valley High, as well as class schedules and other records of students in the program. The state is expected to issue a report in July.
Tyrone Borelli, who filed the complaint May 10 and has a pending lawsuit against the district on another issue, said Friday that he and his wife were advised by the teachers union not to comment on the case.
District spokeswoman Angela Burrell said she expects the state to find Santa Ana Unified in “complete compliance.”
Burrell said that some state officials had recently visited Valley High while on a routine inspection of other district special-education programs. The state inspectors found no federal or state laws broken, Burrell said.
This is the second time in the past few months that the state has probed programs in Santa Ana Unified, California’s fifth-largest district.
An audit of the district’s class-size reduction program showed that the district will lose $2 million in state funding because dozens of class sizes at several elementary schools weren’t limited to 20 students.
According to the complaint, the problem with the special-education students arose after Valley High students were temporarily moved this school year from their campus in western Santa Ana to the new Godinez Fundamental High site about a mile away.
The Valley High site is undergoing an extensive renovation. Godinez High, a campus completed one year ago, is slated to open to new students this fall after Valley High students return to their campus.
The Godinez High site, built for a capacity of 2,500 students, could not accommodate all the 3,100 students from Valley High, so district and school administrators combined special-education students with the other students, the complaint said.
David Barton, the teachers union president, said problems with the implementation of the special-education program at Valley High have existed in the past.
“There have previously been complaints with the state on how services at the school were being delivered,” Barton said.
In 2004, Tyrone Borelli and five other former and current counselors and teachers at Valley High sued the district alleging they were harassed, wrongfully removed from leadership positions or fired after they complained about high student-counselor ratios.
Tyrone Borelli said in the suit that he was stripped of his department chairman status after he spoke out in support of two fired counselors. That case is still pending.
Contact the writer: 714-445-6687 or fleal@ocregister.com
Teachers should be staffing after school programs, especially at the most at-risk schools. Handing over all control to THINK would not be a wise direction to go if the district is focusing on improving student achievement. The after school programs are there for academic support -especially at program improvement schools. Why not allow teachers to teach and manage programs at their sites, and also allow THINK to provide young volunteers to support those teachers for non-academic activities (such as sports and art). Couldn’t they both work together at Santa Ana school sites? Parents would at least be assured that state-certificated adults are with their children and that their kids are recieving reading interventions and academic support. That would make too much sense.
SAUSD Official mission statement:
The Santa Ana Unified School District is dedicated to high academic achievement, in a scholarly environment, ensuring that all students are prepared to accomplish their goals in life.
-dedicated to high academic achievement?
-scholarly environment?
-students are prepared?
How hypocritical.
#22
You pose a thorny topic that doesn’t have an easy answer.
Since certified SAUSD teachers have been providing staff for after school programs, and it’s yielded mild success, perhaps its time to turn over the after school program to an independent group.
We hear teachers are overworked and overburdened, so why would they want to take on extra duties and dilute efforts that should be directed at their assigned students during the normal school day?