Once again we have had to set up a new SAUSD corruption thread as the last one started to run slow with all the comments on it.
Our schools are in crisis today – not just here in Santa Ana but all over the state. The only thing we know for sure is that we are going to take more budget hits.
I am amazed that the SAUSD hired back all their laid off administrators. How crazy is that? Class sizes are growing, good teachers are laid off, and the union, as usual, is asleep at the wheel.
We will continue to reason through all this here at the Orange Juice blog! We can but hope for the best…
#701 – You must be a new reader, because we’ve already addressed the issue of what is allowed to be posted at OJ.
Buzz off if you’ve lost interest. and that goes double for your whining in the SAUSD/News related posting thread.
Go make your own blog if you have better ideas. BTW: I don’t tolerate GBF type posts well. 😉
#701
“SORRY TO NOTE IN YOUR CHALLENGE THAT THERE IS A WEAKNESS IN YOUR BREEDING. BUT THERE IS A RAY OF HOPE IN THE FACT THAT YOU ARE CONCIOUS OF IT.”~John Wayne
SAUSD may have to cut another $31 million By Art Pedroza
Click the LINK to read more.
A story in todays Register indicates due to ongoing budget crises SAUSD may have to up the budget cuts from 31 million to 33 million. (Art just posted it as I wrote this)
Classified people were warned by supervisors several weeks ago to be prepared for deeper cuts. This has obviously been something district has been planning over the last month or longer. The classified union remains mum while SAEA reportedly shows the district is flush with a 93 million dollar surplus and will remain far beyond state minimums if they use that money to retain and rehire lost employees and programs.
A district that tries to pass off a forged union agreement when negotiations are still underway is a district out of control. Despite those who believe Palicio is the teacher’s, or staff members’, friend should realize his voice by now means little on the BOE. Either that or he is nothing more than an intelligence gatherer for his co-board members. Some of us remember he was an avid Nativo supporter back in the day.
Since it would appear SAEA is the only miniscule chance to put this district straight. Now is the time for a serious move to have this district investigated from top to bottom and my suggestion would be the Attorney Generals Office kicking the department of education out of bed with Noji and the rest of her cabal for starters then looking into a state takeover.
These are the current jobs online from 8/21 to 11/09 listed during this time of crises.
Autism/SUCSESS (Preschool) – Mitchell Child Development
Posted: 11/9/2009 – Deadline: 11/20/2009 4:30 PM PST
Certificated Staff
11/9/2009 Santa Ana Unified, Santa Ana
Orange County $48,083 – $93,166
Electronic Equipment Technician – Building Services
Posted: 11/4/2009 – Deadline: 11/19/2009 4:30 PM PST
Classified Staff
11/4/2009 Santa Ana Unified, Santa Ana
Orange County Grade 38 $4,172 – $5,332
Nurse – Head Start (Child Development)
Posted: 11/2/2009 – Deadline: 11/13/2009 4:30 PM PST
Certificated Staff
11/2/2009 Santa Ana Unified, Santa Ana
Orange County $48,083 – $93,166
School Police Officer – Substitute (If an as needed basis)
Posted: 10/6/2009 – Deadline: Until Filled
Classified Staff
10/6/2009 Santa Ana Unified, Santa Ana
Orange County Grade 40 $26.12 – $33.33
School Police Officer
Posted: 8/21/2009 – Deadline: Until Filled
Classified Staff
8/21/2009 Santa Ana Unified, Santa Ana
Orange County Grade 40 $4,389 – $5,600
It should be noted that School Police and other jobs at the district have been reinstated to full time while others are being cut or eliminated.
Hey,
I just graduated from college and found a bunch of different funding sources so that in the end I didn’t pay very much out of pocket for my education. If you take the time and do a little research there are quite a few little known scholarships or grant sources which means less competition for those. These sources generally are for low dollar amounts but if you can start finding a few of these it starts to add up quickly. One such source that I was told about last spring semester offers up to a $10,000 Scholarship for Women which you can use how ever you want towards your education. I would not stop with just this one source but get online or go to the library and start looking for more. As I mentioned, I was able to get a large portion of my education paid for by doing this.
Hope that is helpful to someobody
Mary
I know that many of the “higher ups” in the union read this blog regualarily so I want to say…
SAEA!! Stop the ridiculous Jib Jabs! They are immature, unprofessional, and serve absolutely no purpose! Your time could, and should be better spent! I am EMBARRASSED to have that junk on a site run by an organization that is SUPPOSED to represent Santa Ana’s teachers.
I rather enjoy the jib jabs. After a day in hell, I need a chuckle.
The jib-jabs would be funny – IF THERE WERE NOT MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO WORK ON!!!
Here Here Graduate!
I second that “graduate grade 18”
It’s “Hear, hear.”
Thank you, Old Person. I’ve jumped in several times since I’ve been on this blog to make that very correction and people always say “Get off this thread you snotty overeducated jerk and go back to your pinko commie propaganda.”
“Here, here,” is what you say to your spaniel.
LOL@ Vern!!!
Everyone needs to know Classified love the jobs they have.. some of us have been moved..some are happy some are not..to others it’s “just a job” It’s sad..but the board and high up’s have no problem playing chess with Classified. I am sick of being front office, nurse, Registrar, Athletic Secretary, Office Assistant and yes even office manager at times..why because they have placed the regulars at other schools or they lost their jobs all together. Some classified staff have lost the pride they once took in their jobs..who can blame them I know. Someone said CSEA is doing nothing. They are so right. They are doing nothing. At least SAEA is being vocal. For us nothing. I hate that I now dread Monday’s..I now count the days till Friday and the minutes till the day is up. I am sure they will cut the Office Managers and HS REgistrars who are still 12 months down. I am sure we all will once again be called to do more jobs as well as our own. All I can do is continue to complain. No one listens. So I just keep quiet now and do my job. I am happy to “still have a job” but I wish things were different. Thanks for letting me vent.
Classified 417years;
Trust me you are not alone; just abandoned by your union. Only you, as a group, can fix that. Maybe if a few more of your co-workers would “vent” something might get done, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. In 2 decades I’ve never seen such a gutless union as CSEA has become. But hang in there and watch the classified ads. Other districts will be hiring. Jump at it even if it is for less pay.
As for our self appointed ombudsmen Vern, formally known as Viktor Death; I don’t recall at any time anyone saying to you; “Get off this thread you snotty overeducated jerk and go back to your pinko commie propaganda.”
But then again I take very little of what you write seriously so I possibly missed it. As I recall you are a talented musician/composer just as a few of my friends are. Oddly enough most of these folks are regular, cynical, and have a dark humor normally reserved for private friends. Hmmmm.
Most musicians are skilled mathematicians since music is really mathematical. Most prodigies, as it appears you were, also do have a sense of arrogance and superior self worth. This is understandable.
While it is charming you would take the time to belittle your stature to correct comments made by those of us low-life regular folks possibly you might continue promoting the extreme left elsewhere and ignore the small typos or misuse of the English language here (not hear). After all these are mostly school teachers and far below your standard of self worthiness. By the way, I love Brandenburg #3 in G.
Here Here….I mean, Hear hear!
The OC Register published a story yesterday (Nov. 17th) by Fermin “Feelgood” Leal reporting a coalition of OC Educators claim that they can not sustain any further education cuts. In a statewide coordinated message by the California Federation of Teachers, educators, board members, and school administrators all put forward this same message.
http://www.ocregister.com/news/state-219856-schools-budget.html
According to the article; “The group said state-level tax reforms could help avert billions in cuts to schools expected over the next year. Reforms include reinstating the full vehicle license fee, returning the top tax bracket to the 10 percent and 11 percent rate, reassessing commercial properties, enacting a severance tax on oil produced in the state, and repealing loopholes that favoring big businesses from last year’s state budget deal.” Additionally the group also supports repealing the 2/3 majority vote by lawmakers to approve a budget.
So in short what this group is advocating to save their own butts is to foist another flurry of taxes on a general public with an economy still in the tank, a 10% unemployment rate, housing market that is dubious, and a federal government that appears bound and determined to raise our taxes one way or another.
This might be worth consideration if CFTA, part of AFTA and the AFL-CIO, wasn’t also associated with SEIU. This might be worth a second look if SAEA had not exposed a 93 million dollar reserve at SAUSD while the district cut classified to shreds, and threatens further cuts while hiring and promoting administrators. Not to mention spending significant money on frivolous remodeling on the district office. One can only suspect other school, college and university districts are similarly managed.
Until the state takes a serious audit of every district throughout this state to see where the money is going, why administrators are paid higher than our state representatives/governor, and why our state has one of the poorest academic records countrywide, I’d suggest they shut up and fix their own houses first. SAEA has proven fraud can be exposed locally. Other teachers unions should take a lesson from that before crying for more taxes.
Santa Ana Board of Education Extends Superintendent Contract Through 2012-2013 School Year
“In the personnel calendar agenda item brought forth by Juan Lopéz, SAUSD Associate Superintendent of Human Resources, Superintendent Russo was lauded as an effective leader.”
HMMM…
Interesting that the person who was newly promoted with an unwarranted salary increase lauds his boss?
WT.
I don’t suppose you know what the board vote was. While your name links to the SAUSD PR release, it doesn’t indicate what the vote was.
718 You need to check out what other local association are doing before you past judgement on them. Look at our associations in San Diego where there Associations bring District gatekeepers to their knees. San Diego association for example forced their last Big Boss to resign and run to the State of Texas a right to work state. He stated the teachers association ran him out of town. There are other examples in every county up and down the state of California. We have known for a couple of years that the district ( Santa Ana Unified School District or Saint Ana Unified School District) was hiding the money and it took two years to discover this is beyond mine understanding. Time has come to run the so called Big Bosses out of the school district.
Look at the protests at UCLA and soon will start happening at all univerities across our state and country. Our students are fed up with the bull and have decided to take action. Hopefully, the next step will be an injunction to stop the 32% increase in tuition. Protest is the only answer and filing lawsuits. Paper fights are not the answer. Unions stand strong and unite with other unions in Orange County to bring the District bosses to their knee!!!
Corporations need to pay their fair share of taxes and quit hiding behind loopholes.
If not they will continue abusing the consumer forever!!!
SAMSUNG #721
I appreciate you pointing out what happened in San Diego and making reference to other unnamed districts across the state. I’m not exactly clear where you are going with your comment but let me try to be more concise with mine and the reference to my previous one.
The comment I made was in reference to a coordinated statewide attempt to plea for more tax hikes in support of the educational system. It was coordinated by a union; supported by district boards, administrators and teachers across the state.
While I could not care less what happened in San Diego or any other unnamed district, what a local union found at SAUSD were cooked books. The logic follows other districts, at any level, are not above suspicion no matter what a few unions here and there may have done symbolically to clean house. The more districts you would care to name only proves my point that the problem statewide is systemic and my point is they do not deserve tax increases until the problem is fixed.
The board at SAUSD has just reaffirmed its own corruption, ignoring the unions’ findings, and granted its superintendent another 3 year contract to the tune of three quarter of a million dollars. With some irony Attorney General (former Gov. Moonbeam) just produced an opinion confirming that all state legislature and executives can be forced to take a salary cut of 18% beginning as soon as December 7th. I think SAUSD administration should follow suit and the whole damn board recalled. After all; “It’s for the kids”.
The School Board agenda for Tuesday lists the following item:
“7.0 Approval of New Job Description: Learning Director.”
I wonder if this is a new position or the renaming of a currently existing position.
For anyone interested, there is also a Board Special Study Session on the Budget scheduled for Monday.
It appears that Willard has another winner for principal. Does the district hate the population in downtown Santa Ana that much? Good, gosh, is it that hard to place a competent administrator at a school site? How many years has it been since Willard has had any capable leadership?
#724 – Really? I thought he was doing a good job especially considering what we’ve had to endure in the past? Any specifics?
I’m confused. What has Willard’s current principal done that was so wrong? Since there are no specifics, I’m considering comment 724 gossip and without merit.
Apparently, Juan Lopez is up to his same old tricks. SAEA members of the grievance committee voted down the proposed resolution to the class size grievance for intermediate schools, so it is time to negotiate. Juan says he’ll negotiate if the intermediate schools all go to an 8 period day. So the intermediate teachers are upset because of class size and they feel that they should not have to settle for the same as the high schools because they have an entire class of students more than the high schools. Juan’s answer is to give them another class to solve the problem (yeah, 230 students isn’t enough, let’s shoot for 275!). Typical.
#727- Tell Juan: No Way!
Oh, and they’ll reduce the cap of 40 students if an intermediate school goes to an 8 period day. Oh yea, I get 7 fewer students in exchange for another class of 39 students. Net gain of students: 32. Great deal!
Oh now that LAUSD is considering laying off 1400 more teachers what are we going to do???? When will the greed administrators and teachers of CA realize that in order to keep the “system” alive we need a pay cut across the board!! The educational system is going to fail and crumble under its own feet. SAUSD is a small example of what’s probably going on throughout the state of CA, high salaries, no pay cuts just students who continue to walk into larger rooms because of everyone else’s greed. I think we are getting to the point where we need more private schools because the system we once had has been badly damaged by everyone involved.
I can’t believe I have to say this again. I originally tagged my name as “Grad 18”, because I don’t understand why it is a problem to pay someone who works more than 45-55 hours a week with a master’s degree (18 years – that’s the grad 18 part, not to mention 2 additional years – total 20 years of ed.) a salary that comes to less than 90,000 per year (sometimes even less, depending on how much of my salary I have to spend to give my students a decent education) after 24 years of experience in education. Administrators, maybe, but why do you think teachers are greedy and overpaid? I really don’t get it!
Not that I wouldn’t donate more of my time (I already donate some of it), but realistically who can afford not to get paid commensurate with your education and experience? As it is, we are already underpaid and #21 in the county for teachers working 20 years plus. Get REAL!
And by the way, comment #731 is to TREX
I know but in the real world “just being there” doesn’t mean you’re deserving of anything. Explain yourself to the thousands who work for corporate America. They probably put in just as many hours and are paid only as much as their worth regardless of education. Just because you have an education doesn’t mean you’re deserving of more money or because you put in 55 hours a week you’re anymore deserving. Also explain your salary to the 12% of workers in california who have lost their jobs and to the other thousands who have taken huge pay cuts. Explain how you don’t want a change in your salary but continue to want more money from those who have lost their jobs or have had their pay cut severely.
TREX~ What world do you live in that makes you think a teacher can survive in the classroom by ” just being there ” I believe this was an assumption on your part and you are the one making an “ass” out of yourself. Why the attacks on teachers? Are you jealous? Chill out and remember who it was that taught you to read. How heavy is that chip on your shoulder anyway?
I’m not attacking JUST teachers anonymous, I’m am criticizing the whole educational system that’s beginning the fall apart. Public education is slipping away and no one really cares about it, they just care about the checks in their pocket. Look at the the CTA, why hasn’t the CTA come out and made any suggestions about helping districts survive this recession. I mean we serve the public and right now it doesn’t look that way.
Trex, you’ve opened up a can of worms that teachers do not want to face. However, the writing is on the wall and because education budgets are largely based on salaries, this is an issue that must be dealt with.
I’m for a scaled down reduction. Cut less from those who make less and more from those on the higher end of the scale (admin and classified included).
Trex, I will agree with you that the whole educational system is falling apart, and for too many reasons to write about here. Part of the problem is a large immigrant population that does not place a high value on education. Another part is unrealistic expectation from the educational system in regards to progress within a group of students who are not (for whatever of hundreds of reasons) supported at home in areas of education, socialization, enrichment, health, etc., etc., etc. The education system is NOT failing at schools with high parental support and children who come to school ready to learn. That is a social problem, but unfortunately, most teachers have to deal with that as well as educating (in my case first catching up to grade level). I agree that the unions have been far too uninvolved in that area. However, they are overwhelmed in many others. I am just glad that my children are grown and well educated, and that my grandchildren have parents that will see to the same. Every child is not so fortunate. As for myself, I just go in every day and try to deal with the circumstances my students have been given( with a lot of hard work). In two previous careers (executive secretary or whatever they call it nowadays and real estate sales and management), I made considerably more money (at LEAST 50% more) for the amount of time and effort I gave. I teach now because I value children and education. In my opinion, that is the motivation behind 95% of the teachers I work with. That is a pretty high standard and not seen in other fields, So think about what you say next time, please!
#737
I totally agree.
I too made far more money when I worked in business, but I too value the children’s education and the joy of teaching more than money.
It’s funny that no one whined about teacher’s salaries when they were making far more than us. The bottom falls out of the economy and those without education who were probably making far more than someone with their education should and they suddenly want to complain about what teachers make. Go to school for 5-8 years after high school, work for free for a year, get a teaching job and then we’ll see if you complain that you make TOO much. Everybody wants to blame someone, it’s just ridiculous to blame those of us who are making less per hour than babysitters when you consider the number of children we are babysitting and TEACHING daily.
Trex, it isn’t the teacher salaries draining the educational system. Start looking at the district office administration salaries and benefits, look at their support staff’s salary and benefits. Look at all of the equipment, school computers, electronics, and supplies that either never make it to the classroom, or end up missing. Look at all of the “free” programs you are paying for with your tax dollars.
California teachers are the highest paid in the nation. No surprise, since California state and local workers are the highest paid in the nation. Californians are paying ever more taxes and receiving ever less services.
This should come as no surprise because it’s basic economics. Government provides lower quality goods and services at higher prices than free markets. That is because competition forces free market competitors to compete on price and quality. (You see this, every day, when you buy basic necessities, like food and clothing.) SAUSD is a government-run monopoly that faces no competitive pressure to make it better.
The answer is SCHOOL CHOICE – end the government school monopoly by providing vouchers so that disadvantaged children can escape failing schools. Supporters of the government school monopoly (including Obama) are sacrificing disadvantaged children to the god of their state-run ideology.
What a compelling argument , rouge. I gather you have real life examples from history to illustrate your point. Or is history another one of those left -wing conspiracies, like evolution, biology, science, psychology, and global warming? Fortunately, with the demise of the Register, your wacko mentality will disappear from OK er the OC in a generation or two.
In the meantime Somalia is a great haven for libertAryans- no central gumament or schools! I’m not sure if they have storefront drive-thru mega-churches or racist minutemen groups, but you could start yer own!
We teachers will continue to indoctrinate the children with the inevitability of the coming Race War and the ReConquista!
More security systems for your pleasure bunker in Newport, Huero?
I don’t support getting rid of public schools, but rouge does have a point in some ways. I mean look at the salary of some in administration at SAUSD, they make waaay more than they should and if there was competition maybe they wouldn’t make so much. But either way, education isn’t like your Walmart, Target, or Food-4-Less because you’re deal with education and not goods. I just think our educational system here in california is not “surviving” this economic recession intelligently. Instead we are showing our ugly greedy heads to the public. There needs to be more flexibility and that flexibility cannot come from down town but from a majority (teachers and administrators). What good our union does though because they’ve had the same crap on their website for the last month, no updates, instead they just take our money and hide.
The rich have had tax breaks for years, cut all you want, can’t make up for it. Schwarzy and der bush have destroyed this country by paying off their cronies and allowing the country to crumble. Welcome to lowered expectations:failing infrastructure, massive military budgets, permanent unemployment, divisive partisan race baiting.. in short, the end of this empire. More wine cuz I’ve got mine!
Trex & Rogue, Competition is, in fact, the mother’s milk of excellence. The main competition arena for public schools is school board elections. It’s the community putting up wise and dynamic leaders onto the school board that will force changes to the status quo of mediocrity that characterizes Santa Ana schools today. These type of leaders haven’t yet been stepping up to compete in elections.
There should be a major experiment with vouchers in a major urban school system to see if this actually works. My prediction would be the creation of a few good schools, creation of a lot of really, really bad schools by clever entrepeneurs making off with bundles of public money, Catholic schools just raising their fees and taking few new students, and no real competition or change in the public schools.
The whole problem lies in the fact that too many people have folded and decided that one ridiculous test (and the evaluation of the test) is the sum total measure of a school. There really has yet to be anyone who can come up with what exactly makes a good school. I, for one, know that it is not a number on a test. Fortunately for private schools, they don’t have to take the test if they don’t want to and they take the students that will do well wherever they are. With public dollars will come public scrutiny. I haven’t really seen a private school or a charter school that is able to deal with uneducated, poor parents who don’t have the time or the background to help their kids succeed in education. Those kids will be kicked out pretty quickly and where will they go? I guess they’ll go to the school around the corner since we’ll have to find a place for them. That school will be a dumping ground for future criminals. Hey, go ahead, let’s have vouchers, nothing will change anyway. I know! Let’s start a voucher school and require that parents pay an extra $500 a month, that will keep the riff-raff out. I’m in, I’ll start that school and I guarantee it will be a blue-ribbon school.
SAHS Teacher,
I appreciate it that your thinking put’s the students ahead of politics, and I applaud your willingness to consider changes to a system that works poorly but costs a lot. Unfortunately, many of your brethren would rather keep flushing public money down the toilet and trapping disadvantaged children in failing schools because they are ideologically opposed to letting parents choose where they send their children to school.
It’s just so odd that the left is pro-choice when it comes to killing an unborn child, but anti-choice when it comes to letting parents choose where to send a living child to school.
This system you propose, rouge, does it resemble the private health care model we enjoy here? Privately run education? Let’s give grants to all the snake-handlers and Mohammedans who wish to start schools?
I’m interested in where this model of yours has been applied. Facts, please?
ocYahoo,
You are a religious bigot.
Love the way this discussion is going. But, think about this. Even the disadvantaged students in my classroom are progressing well (few that they are, even though usually more slowly due to language). IF THEY HAVE PARENTS THAT SEE THAT THEY GET THE APPROPRIATE AMOUNT OF SLEEP, FOOD, and WORK (even just a little, even in Spanish) WITH THEIR CHILDREN. That is the elephant in the room that no one wants to acknowledge, especially district personnel. Teachers already know this.
So where will the disadvantaged go (even the ones progressing)?
I know several private school principals and teachers that would have “let go” nearly every student in my class the first month. So as ocYahoo stated – we would be giving grants to the snake handlers who would not work nearly as hard to educate the disadvantaged. I have several retired teacher friends who have substituted in Santa Ana (after teaching for years in “advantaged” schools/districts) for just a few days, and really didn’t want to deal with the stress. So they never came back! That should let you know about the working conditions for Santa Ana teachers. And it is getting worse every year.
Everybody tired out and ready for the break?