tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-294779212024-03-13T03:03:17.054-07:00CVESD ReporterBy Maura Larkins: I attended Castle Park Elementary in Chula Vista Elementary School District as a child, and taught third grade there until 2001. I care about this district and the kids who go there.Maura Larkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16800561169406889185noreply@blogger.comBlogger378125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29477921.post-13359910978108280212015-07-11T12:46:00.001-07:002015-07-14T11:57:49.731-07:00Father files suit, claims CVESD principal, sheriff's deputy ignored his daughter's abuse report<span style="font-size: large;">A bungled investigation into sexual abuse of a student in <a href="http://www.10news.com/news/team-10/team-10-father-files-suit-claims-principal-sheriffs-deputy-ignored-his-daughters-abuse-report">Chula Vista Elementary School</a> sounds familiar to me:<b> an alarming allegation made to a CVESD administrator followed by NO meaningful investigation.</b> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">According to a recent Jane Doe lawsuit against CVESD and the San Diego Sheriff's Department, a principal stopped a girl's complaint in its tracks. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">I believe that the principal sincerely believed that no
genuine abuse was occurring, and also believed that the child's mother
would protect her. That's why the principal orchestrated a meeting at
which it was decided NOT to start an official investigation. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />The principal was sadly, tragically mistaken. </span> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">As a result, both the girl and her sister were sexually abused by their older half-brother during the subsequent eighteen months, and the mother was eventually found to be responsible for the wrongdoing. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So whose fault was the bungled investigation--the principal's or the deputy's? Or someone else's?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I submit that the school district was far more responsible for the outcome than some might imagine.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /> In my experience, school officials call the shots when law enforcement is called in--and this needs to change. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /> The crux of the problem lies in the imbala<span class="text_exposed_show">nce
of power between the school district and the lone law officer. This is a
problem that needs to be solved at the top levels of the school
district and sheriff's department. Politics needs to be taken out of the
situation, and should be replaced with professionalism.<br /> <br /> Normal
law enforcement procedures should be followed on school property.
Victims should never be questioned in front of people who might be
victimizing them. Police should not take direction from school
personnel.<br /> <br /> The political relationship between schools and CPS
is different from the political relationship between schools and the
sheriff's department. CPS does not take direction from school officials
and that might be why CPS was not called in.<br /> <br /> CPS might have
done better than the sheriff. Perhaps the girl would have talked more
freely in a private conversation with a civilian from CPS than in a
rather intimidating and formal conference with a uniformed deputy, a
principal, and the mother who had obviously failed her. If the mother
had been available to take care of the problem, why would the girl have
spoken about it to the principal?</span> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I suspect that principals at CVESD have been trained as to how to fulfill the letter of the law. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Certainly the principal was acting correctly from the point of view of the number one rule for school districts: maintain an appearance that there are no problems. One of the major tactics to achieve this goal is to silence voices of discontent, to keep problems hushed up, and to allow only favored individuals to have a voice. In CVESD and in many other districts, maintaining the political status quo is paramount. <br /><br />In my experience, <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/werlinwcccusd.html">school officials call the shots when law enforcement is called in</a>--and this needs to change. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">CVESD seems to be a remarkably well-connected district. Both the former mayor of Chula Vista and chief of police of Chula Vista had positions on the CVESD school board. This may explain why, when a wave of school embezzlements across San Diego County were being prosecuted and were receiving wide media attention, <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/OllieMatosCastleParkprincipal.html">two embezzlements at Castle Park Elementary in Chula Vista </a>received remarkably little attention from the media--and no charges were filed.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">CVESD has a habit of maintaining the status
quo by refusing to find out the truth about favored individuals. Sometimes the truth comes out, but I imagine there
are a significant number of cases in which it doesn't.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.10news.com/news/team-10/team-10-father-files-suit-claims-principal-sheriffs-deputy-ignored-his-daughters-abuse-report"><br /></a></span>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<header class="header"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.10news.com/news/team-10/team-10-father-files-suit-claims-principal-sheriffs-deputy-ignored-his-daughters-abuse-report">Team 10: Father files suit, claims principal, sheriff's deputy ignored his daughter's abuse report</a></span></header><header class="header"><span style="font-size: large;">Suit: Abuse report should've been sent to CPS
</span><div class="story__meta">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="mailto:allison.ash@10news.com">Allison Ash</a></span>
</address>
<div class="posted" datetime="2015-07-09T18:04:24-0700">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Jul 9, 2015</span></div>
<div class="updated" datetime="2015-07-10T10:42:12-0700">
<span style="font-size: large;">Channel 10 News KGTV</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">SAN DIEGO - A father is suing the Chula Vista Elementary School
District and the San Diego County Sheriff's Department after he claims
they failed to protect his daughters from ongoing sexual abuse.<br />
<br />
"Somebody dropped the ball," said the father, who asked that <a href="http://www.10news.com/team10">Team 10</a> hide his identity to protect his girls.<br />
<br />
The civil lawsuit claims both agencies were negligent when they failed
to report a child abuse allegation to Child Protective Services,
allowing the fondling and inappropriate touching to continue for 18
months longer.<br />
<br />
The father spoke only to Team 10 about the allegations, and he said in
March 2012 his 9-year-old daughter told the principal of Sunnyside
Elementary School that she was being sexually assaulted by an older
half-brother. The father became emotional as he spoke about the
principal's decision to call in a sheriff's deputy and the girl's
mother. When the meeting was over, the girl was allowed to return to the
home where the abuse was allegedly taking place.<br />
<br />
"Nothing happened," said the father, who claimed that his daughter was
pressured to change her story. "You just can't let it go in one ear and
out the other and assume that a child misunderstood rape and wrestling."<br />
<br />
The father, who is not married to the girl's mother, said it was during a
visit with his daughters 18 months later when he first learned of the
abuse allegations. His 15-year-old daughter was visiting him, and he
said, "She stopped me dead in my tracks and started crying hysterically
and told me she was being … that, uh, she was being molested by her
brother."<br />
<br />
He added, "I reacted like any father would react. I first got emotional,
because I couldn't believe that this had actually happened to my
daughter."<br />
<br />
The father was angry and confused, and within minutes, the emotional pain was unbearable.<br />
<br />
"It broke me. It was hard for me to process all of this because as
quickly as I found out that it had happened to my oldest daughter, I
found out just as fast that it had also happened to my youngest
daughter," he told Team 10.<br />
<br />
The father did what he said the school principal and the sheriff's
deputy should have done more than a year earlier -- he contacted Child
Protective Services.<br />
<br />
"I was told there was never a report made in response to the school
being notified and the school doing their investigation," he said.<br />
<br />
Court documents show that within days of notifying CPS, both girls were
removed from their mother's care and sole custody was given to their
father.<br />
<br />
The father claims neither the school nor the deputy followed
California's Mandatory Reporting Law, and because they didn't, both his
daughters continued to suffer.<br />
<br />
"The abuse continued and it was worse," he added.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of his daughters, refers to them as Jane
Doe and Jane Roe. It asks for damages "stemming from Defendants'
negligence, assault, battery, and negligent and intentional infliction
of emotional distress."<br />
<br />
"Because of this failure, these girls suffered immense emotional and
sexual abuse," explained attorney Lorraine Nisbit, who is representing
the two girls and their father.</span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">...Gilleon also questioned the principal's decision to have the girl's mother present when she was questioned by the deputy.</span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
"When that principal called the mom, she actually called the person who
the CPS eventually blames for all of this. She actually tipped off the
wrong-doer herself."</span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
Gilleon said the investigation was "bungled from the start."</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">...An attorney for the County of San Diego told Team 10 the deputy involved
in this case is an experienced child abuse investigator who works
closely with CPS. He said the deputy had no basis for any action, so
there was nothing to report... </span>Maura Larkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16800561169406889185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29477921.post-10843103050766823612014-11-05T07:39:00.001-08:002014-11-05T07:43:10.495-08:00Results for Nov. 4, 2014 election CVESD and Sweetwater Union High School District<br />
SWEETWATER UNION High School Trustee Area No. 1<br />
Vote for: 1<br />
ARTURO SOLIS
3060
45.42% [winner]<br />
BURT GROSSMAN
2628
39.01%<br />
JEROME O. TORRES
1049
15.57%<br />
<br />
SWEETWATER UNION High School Trustee Area No. 2<br />
Vote for: 1<br />
KEVIN J. PIKE
3587
27.32% [winner]<br />
ADRIAN ARANCIBIA
3121
23.77%<br />
KEVIN O'NEILL
2257
17.19%<br />
DANA TOOGOOD
2095
15.95%<br />
BERTHA J. LOPEZ
2071
15.77%<br />
<br />
SWEETWATER UNION High School Trustee Area No. 3<br />
Vote for: 1<br />
FRANK A. TARANTINO
3124
35.05% [winner]<br />
RICHARD F. ARROYO
2017
22.63%<br />
JIM CARTMILL
21.34%<br />
CHRIS SHILLING
20.98%<br />
<br />
SWEETWATER UNION High School Trustee Area No. 4<br />
Vote for: 1<br />
NICHOLAS SEGURA
36.50% [winner]<br />
DERRICK W. ROACH
26.69%<br />
FELIPE NUNO
19.81%<br />
TINO MARTINEZ
10.96%<br />
VALLEY P. COLEMAN
6.04%<br />
<br />
SWEETWATER UNION High School Trustee
Area No. 5<br />
Vote for: 1<br />
PAULA HALL 40.88% [winner]
<br />
WILLIAM MCLEROY
25.41%<br />
MARCELINO MARTINEZ
19.71%<br />
THOMAS 'TOM' SCHAAF
14.00%<br />
<br />
<table align="center" border="10" style="width: 70%px;"><tbody>
<tr><td align="center" colspan="2"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">CHULA VISTA ELEMENTARY SEAT NO. 1</span></td><td align="left" rowspan="1"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Precincts: 171<br />Counted: 171<br />Percentage: 100.0%</span></td></tr>
<tr><td align="center" colspan="3"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />Vote for: 1</span></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#E0E0E0"><td align="left" valign="middle" width="60%"><b></b><br />
<pre><b>FRANCISCO TAMAYO</b></pre>
<b>
</b></td><td align="center" valign="middle" width="30%"><b></b><br />
<pre><b>10922</b></pre>
<b>
</b></td><td align="right" valign="middle" width="1%"><b></b><br />
<pre><b>36.74%</b></pre>
<b>
</b></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#E0E0E0"><td align="left" valign="middle" width="60%"><b></b><br />
<pre><b>BARBARA MAJCHRZAK</b></pre>
<b>
</b></td><td align="center" valign="middle" width="30%"><b></b><br />
<pre><b>8304</b></pre>
<b>
</b></td><td align="right" valign="middle" width="1%"><b></b><br />
<pre><b>27.94%</b></pre>
<b>
</b></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#E0E0E0"><td align="left" valign="middle" width="60%"><b></b><br />
<pre><b>GEORGE CAMERON</b></pre>
<b>
</b></td><td align="center" valign="middle" width="30%"><b></b><br />
<pre><b>6170</b></pre>
<b>
</b></td><td align="right" valign="middle" width="1%"><b></b><br />
<pre><b>20.76%</b></pre>
<b>
</b></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#E0E0E0"><td align="left" valign="middle" width="60%"><b></b><br />
<pre><b>HECTOR R. GASTELUM</b></pre>
<b>
</b></td><td align="center" valign="middle" width="30%"><b></b><br />
<pre><b>4330</b></pre>
<b>
</b></td><td align="right" valign="middle" width="1%"><b></b><br />
<pre><b>14.57%</b></pre>
<b>
</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" border="10" style="width: 70%px;"><tbody>
<tr><td align="center" colspan="2"><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">CHULA VISTA ELEMENTARY SEAT NO. 3</span></td><td align="left" rowspan="1"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Precincts: 171<br />Counted: 171<br />Percentage: 100.0%</span></td></tr>
<tr><td align="center" colspan="3"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />Vote for: 1</span></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#E0E0E0"><td align="left" valign="middle" width="60%"><b></b><br />
<pre><b>LESLIE RAY BUNKER</b></pre>
<b>
</b></td><td align="center" valign="middle" width="30%"><b></b><br />
<pre><b>17992</b></pre>
<b>
</b></td><td align="right" valign="middle" width="1%"><b></b><br />
<pre><b>61.20%</b></pre>
<b>
</b></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#E0E0E0"><td align="left" valign="middle" width="60%"><b></b><br />
<pre><b>RUDY RAMIREZ</b></pre>
<b>
</b></td><td align="center" valign="middle" width="30%"><b></b><br />
<pre><b>11407</b></pre>
<b>
</b></td><td align="right" valign="middle" width="1%"><b></b><br />
<pre><b>38.80%</b></pre>
<b>
</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" border="10" style="width: 70%px;"><tbody>
<tr><td align="center" colspan="2"><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">CHULA VISTA ELEMENTARY SEAT NO. 5</span></td><td align="left" rowspan="1"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Precincts: 171<br />Counted: 171<br />Percentage: 100.0%</span></td></tr>
<tr><td align="center" colspan="3"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />Vote for: 1</span></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#E0E0E0"><td align="left" valign="middle" width="60%"><b></b><br />
<pre><b>EDUARDO REYES</b></pre>
<b>
</b></td><td align="center" valign="middle" width="30%"><b></b><br />
<pre><b>17687</b></pre>
<b>
</b></td><td align="right" valign="middle" width="1%"><b></b><br />
<pre><b>60.29%</b></pre>
<b>
</b></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#E0E0E0"><td align="left" valign="middle" width="60%"><b></b><br />
<pre><b>JOSHUA R. SMITH</b></pre>
<b>
</b></td><td align="center" valign="middle" width="30%"><b></b><br />
<pre><b>7511</b></pre>
<b>
</b></td><td align="right" valign="middle" width="1%"><b></b><br />
<pre><b>25.60%</b></pre>
<b>
</b></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#E0E0E0"><td align="left" valign="middle" width="60%"><b></b><br />
<pre><b>WILLARD HOWARD</b></pre>
<b>
</b></td><td align="center" valign="middle" width="30%"><b></b><br />
<pre><b>4137</b></pre>
<b>
</b></td><td align="right" valign="middle" width="1%"><b></b><br />
<pre><b>14.10%</b></pre>
<b>
</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
from<a href="http://www.sdvote.com/voters/results/election.xml"> San Diego Registrar of Voters</a>Maura Larkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16800561169406889185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29477921.post-76420507146526030422014-07-12T13:20:00.000-07:002014-07-12T14:17:25.179-07:00Organization led by CVESD trustee Doug Luffborough fabricated its list of board membersDoug Luffborough parted ways with the Turning the Hearts Center this past May. He was the executive director who signed tax forms.<br/><br/>
The organization now holds board meetings.<br/><br/>
<a href="http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Local-Nonprofit-Made-Up-Board-265579721.html">Local Nonprofit Made Up Board</a><br/>
An organization that
evaluates charities across the United States said falsely listing the
board members was unethical and not consistent with good governance of
nonprofits<br/>
<a href="http://www.nbcsandiego.com/results/?keywords=%22Wendy+Fry%22&byline=y&sort=date">Wendy Fry</a><br/>
NBC 7<br/>
Jul 7, 2014<br/><br/>
A South Bay nonprofit serving at-risk
youth falsely listed board members on documents with the Internal
Revenue Service, which two nonprofit experts say may raise questions
about the organization’s integrity.
<br/><br/>
Three of the people <a href="http://media.nbcbayarea.com/documents/AMENDED+TURNING+THE+HEARTS+CENTER+2010+990+ACCT.pdf">falsely listed as board members for the “Turning the Hearts Center” since 2010</a>
said they had no knowledge they were documented on tax forms as being
involved with the organization. Some weren’t aware they were listed
until they were informed by NBC7.<br/><br/>
“I think a decision was made to ask
people to be on the board and it never came to fruition,” said Sergio De
La Mora, the organization’s co-founder and board chairman.<br/><br/>
The Chula Vista-based nonprofit provides parenting classes, food banks, graffiti removal and gang counseling.<br/><br/>
De La Mora says he didn’t know, until
about mid-May, that several people were incorrectly listed as board
members on the organization’s IRS Form 990’s - documents meant to
provide transparency over how tax-exempt funds are managed.<br/><br/>
“I sent (those people) a letter of
apology, explained to them that their names would be removed from any
literature or forms, of course the 990’s, that they would be changed and
rectified,” De La Mora said. “And since we’ve done so.”<br/><br/>
The names, including NBC7’s Diana Guevara and the ACLU’s Norma Chavez, are listed in IRS forms dating back to 2010.<br/><br/>
Guevara and Chavez both said they declined invitations to serve on the “Turning the Hearts Center” board.<br/><br/>
“I was shocked, surprised and disappointed,” Chavez said.</div>
<div id="paragraph10">
Attorney Richard Arroyo, listed as a
board member, said he agreed to serve on the board, about five years
ago, but he never realized that decision became official because he was
never asked to attend a board meeting or take a single vote.</div>
<div id="paragraph11">
“Well, I don’t know if it makes me
angry, it makes me question the administration and the integrity of the
organization, because if they’re going to do something like this, who
knows what they might be doing with the money, which is what I think is
more of a concern,” Arroyo said.</div>
<div id="paragraph12">
An organization that evaluates
charities across the United States said falsely listing the board
members was unethical and not consistent with good governance of
nonprofits.</div>
<div id="paragraph13">
“It’s deceptive and not at all transparent,” said Sandra Miniutti, the Vice-President and CFO of Charity Navigator.</div>
<div id="paragraph14">
Board members traditionally provide
oversight over how tax-exempt funds are spent; and how state and federal
grants are administered. In 2013, ‘Turning the Hearts’ received about
$561,000 in grants and contributions, according to their amended Form
990.</div>
<div id="paragraph15">
A spokeswoman for the San Diego
Workforce Partnership, which distributes federal grants to local
nonprofits, said Turning the Hearts Center received $346,456 in federal
Workforce Investment Act funds in 2013. </div>
<div id="paragraph16">
A nonprofit expert at University of
San Diego said the public should be concerned about issues like this
because all taxpayers support nonprofit organizations in that the funds
collected are tax-exempt.</div>
<div id="paragraph17">
“If the public loses confidence in
nonprofits, people will not volunteer their time or donate funds to a
wide variety of causes,” said Pat Libby, Director of the Institute for
Nonprofit Education and Research at University of San Diego.</div>
<div id="paragraph18">
De La Mora told NBC7 Investigates
that he was unaware of the improper paperwork because it was not his
role to sign the forms, but rather the job of the Executive Director
Doug Luffborough, who parted ways with the organization in about mid-May
2014.</div>
<div id="paragraph19">
“You entrust people to run an
organization and they do a wonderful job. It’s a growing organization – a
lot of details. I’m not part of every detail,” De La Mora said.</div>
<div id="paragraph20">
Luffborough, also a Chula Vista
Elementary School District trustee, briefly returned a phone call
request for an interview but said he could not answer any questions
about the organization because he was no longer involved in it. He
declined an on-camera interview about the discrepancy in the board
member’s names and stated he needed to consult with an attorney before
speaking further with NBC7.</div>
<div id="paragraph21">
According to the previous and the
corrected forms, Luffborough was paid $100,000 a year for his work as
Executive Director for “Turning the Hearts.” Chula Vista Elementary
School District spokesman Anthony Millican said Luffborough, as a CVESD
trustee, was not required to disclose his “Turning the Hearts” salary
because the nonprofit does not do business with the school district or
meet any other triggers that would require disclosure.<br/><br/>
After NBC7 Investigates began asking questions about the board, De La Mora sent people previously listed on the 990’s <a href="http://media.nbcbayarea.com/documents/AMENDED+TURNING+THE+HEARTS+CENTER+2010+990+ACCT.pdf">amended copies of the IRS tax forms.</a> <br/><br/>
He also provided NBC7 a copy of those amended forms.<br/><br/>
The only two people who were listed
on both the original and the corrected IRS documents from 2010- 2012
are the cofounders De La Mora and Doug Luffborough. The amended forms
also add two additional names to the charity’s list of board members for
2010-2013: Luffborough’s wife and De La Mora’s wife, for a total of
four board members between 2010 – 2013, according to the amended forms.<br/><br/>
Charity Navigator's Sandra Miniutti
said it is not a good governance practice to run a nonprofit
organization with less than five independent board members, and
especially not when those board members are related.<br/><br/>
“They would lose 15 points in our
rating system right there for that and that is the most an organization
can lose,” Miniutti said. In California, state law allows for nonprofits
to run with only one board member.<br/><br/>
IRS Form 990’s ask an organization
to identify whether or not board members, officers, directors and
trustees have a family or business relationship with each other. On each
of the corrected forms, the organization indicates “no,” that none of
the directors or trustees are related, despite the fact that the board
was apparently comprised of two married couples.<br/><br/>
NBC7 Investigates reached 3 of the 5
people listed on the original tax forms. A fourth person declined to
comment, and messages left at a fifth person’s work place were not
returned.<br/><br/>
De La Mora said he realizes the
falsely listed board members was a serious oversight and that’s why he
acted so quickly to correct the forms as soon as he learned of the
discrepancy.<br/><br/>
He said his organization, which serves more than 17,000 people annually, is ready to move past this growing pain.<br/><br/>
“I feel really confident that the
community can drive by Turning the Hearts Center and say, ‘There is an
organization that is not perfect, but they are willing to be
perfected,’” De La Mora said.<br/><br/>
Since NBC7 Investigates began
examining the Turning the Hearts nonprofit, De La Mora says the
organization has made many other changes, including instituting a
conflict-of-interest policy, holding board meetings and keeping minutes
of those board meetings, and having a board vote on the new executive
director’s pay.Maura Larkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16800561169406889185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29477921.post-35510785321354958002014-06-16T18:51:00.000-07:002014-06-16T19:04:48.140-07:00Chula Vista Educators would rather strike than to accept impasse and mediationWhen teachers and schools are unable to make progress in contract negotiations, an impasse is declared and a mediator is brought in. Makes sense, right? So why would teachers want to have a strike rather than engage in mediation?<br /><br />
I couldn't tell you. You'll have to ask the folks who are in power at Chula Vista Educators. I've been trying for years to figure out why these people act the way they do. <br /><br />
I also couldn't tell you why the teachers at CVESD keep choosing union leaders who represent their interests so poorly.<br /><br />
Bargaining update #15, <a href="http://www.cveducators.org/bargaining/?SSScrollPosition=0">May 20, 2014</a>
CVE: "District requesting impasse even though we feel there is room
to negotiate and several issues still unresolved."<br /><br />
Chula Vista Educators, the teachers union in Chula Vista has posted the following on its <a href="http://www.cveducators.org/">website:</a><br /><br />
<blockquote>
Results from the Strike Authorization are in. There were 920 legal
votes cast. CVE, that is HUGE. Of those votes, 95% voted yes to
authorize the CVE Executive Board to call a strike at a time it
determines a strike is necessary. 93% voted yes to honor the picket line
if the CVE Executive Board calls for a strike. Those 920 represent 81%
of the total membership. CVE, the Executive Board is extremely proud of
the stance you have taken. We will not be ignored. This district has
been using us as a door mat for far too long. And we're not going to
take it anymore!<br /><br /></blockquote>
I personally think it's pathetic that CVE has allowed salary increases for teachers to lag behind other districts. But it makes sense when you realize that the officers of CVE, led by Jim Groth and Peg Myers for most of the past decade, seem to have traded off the well-being of teachers and students for advancement in their personal careers. <a href="http://cvesdreporter.blogspot.com/search/label/.%20Myers%20%28Peg%20Myers%29">Recent CVE President Peg Myers</a> is now an administrator with the district--in the human resources department! <br /><br />
Also, CVE has wasted a lot of bargaining capital in its fight to prevent the district from requiring that teachers teach the <a href="http://cvesdreporter.blogspot.com/search/label/Common%20Core">basic concepts outlined in Common Core standards</a>.<br /><br />
If the teachers don't want to do their jobs, then it makes sense that they would be paid less.<br /><br />
See all posts re <a href="http://cvesdreporter.blogspot.com/search/label/Chula%20Vista%20Educators%20%28CVE%29">Chula Vista Educators.</a> <br /><br />
Recent bargaining sessions were scheduled for these dates:<br /><br />
Feb. 4, 2014<br />
February 27 (CVE)<br />
March 12(CVESD)<br />
April 16, 2014 (CVE)<br />
May 1, 2014(CVESD) <br />
May 15, 2014 (CVE)<br /><br />
CVE representatives<br /><br />
Mary Ellen Berumen<br />
Michelle Harms<br />
Vanessa Braito<br />
Liz Hutson<br />
Barbara Dunwoodie<br />
Carla Kriss<br />
Chris Fite<br /><br />
District representatives<br /><br />
Gloria Ciriza<br />
Oscar Esquivel<br />
Sandra Villegas-Zúñiga<br />
Peter Fagen<br />
John Nelson<br />
Ernesto Villanueva<br /><br />
See <a href="http://www.cvesd.org/DISTRICT/CVE%20Documents/CVE%20Bargaining%20Update%20No.%2013%20-%20April%2016,%202014.pdf">April 16, 2014 Bargaining Update #13</a><br /><br />Maura Larkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16800561169406889185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29477921.post-71048550667260104242014-06-16T18:18:00.000-07:002014-06-16T18:23:37.048-07:00Notebook Tablet Replaces Bubble Sheets in Common Core Practice Testing at CVESDSee <a href="http://cvesdreporter.blogspot.com/search/label/Common%20Core">all posts re Common Core.</a>
<br/><br/>
<a href="http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Common-Core-California-Testing-Computer-Practice-Chula-Vista-School-256559461.html">Notebook Tablet Replaces Bubble Sheets in Common Core Practice Testing</a><br/>
No longer filling bubbles with a No. 2 pencil, students are dragging answers from one side of a computer screen to another <br/>
Rory Devine and R. Stickney <br/>
NBC Channel 7<br/>
Apr 24, 2014 <br/><br/>
Over the past few weeks, California students have been taking a practice
test that uses the Common Core curriculum. The new test will replace the
STAR test next year. <br/><br/>
<a href="http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Common-Core-California-Survey-Support-Favor-Curriculum-Standards-256417981.html">7 in 10 Californians Favor Common Core: Survey</a></div>
There have been a few technical
glitches in the new computerized Common Core testing but school
officials believe practice testing happening now will pave the way for a
smoother roll-out when the testing matters next year.</div>
<div id="paragraph2">
Elementary school students in Chula Vista, Calif. have been practicing with the Common Core standardized tests for three weeks.</div>
<div id="paragraph3">
The company, Smarter Balance, has
designed a computer program for Math and English standards that also
gives teachers the ability to walk students through test questions.</div>
<div id="paragraph4">
No longer filling bubbles with a No. 2 pencil, students are dragging answers from one side of a computer screen to another.</div>
<div id="paragraph5">
Enrique Camarena Elementary fifth
graders were quietly taking the test Wednesday, clicking and dragging
correct answers on the Asus Transformer Book, a device that is part
touchscreen tablet, part laptop with a keyboard.</div>
<div id="paragraph6">
Answers will not count in the
exercise that’s designed to give students the opportunity to try the new
format of standardized testing and gives the test provider the
opportunity to work out technical glitches for the real deal to be given
next year.</div>
<div id="paragraph7">
Robert Cochran, the Chula Vista
Elementary School District’s test coordinator, said there have been some
technical glitches but for only a handful of students...</div>
<div id="paragraph9">
“We’ve been dealing with them through testing,” he said. “Typically, they only affect maybe a student or two students in class.”</div>
<div id="paragraph10">
As for bringing the technology into
the testing process, Cochran said students who use smartphones are
having no issues working with the program....</div>
<div id="paragraph13">
<span style="font-size: large;">His classmate, Patrick Clavillas,
said, “I like life as a challenge,</span> because there is no easy button in
life. That’s what my teacher says.”</div>
<div id="paragraph14">
A portion of the test could be
adaptive, Cochran said. That is, if a student keeps getting problems
wrong, he or she will be given less difficult questions. If a student
keeps getting problems correct, the student will be given more
challenging questions...</div>
<div id="paragraph17">
<span style="font-size: large;">“A few technical tings to work out
but I think overall with more work, more professional development, more
exposure to Common Core, I feel the students will be ready,” Elsmore
said.</span></div>
<div id="paragraph18">
The tests will be given next year for the purposes of accountability just as the STAR test was used.</div>
<span style="font-size: large;">School officials say they have had
approximately 30 students of the district’s 22,000 students opt out of
the practice testing. Officials in Chula Vista Elementary School
District say the number of students who have opted out is less than
those under the STAR test. </span>Maura Larkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16800561169406889185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29477921.post-13947651677100916092014-05-24T18:58:00.000-07:002014-05-28T09:27:25.017-07:00Is Sweetwater Union High School District going from the frying pan into the fire?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ_0z4SsI27QgsXtPhvZjHDhoDCT39FTuolKfoY0yIgfprT2o9h9c2RWLb_4y0QtXeOSkl2Cd8GCJmdJBtkGeRh-UeYf3i1LP26Re7xB5_5fgJwPRhVCZJ1pxq1n6QIyS_Upy_Zw/s1600/SDCOE+at+Sweetwater.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ_0z4SsI27QgsXtPhvZjHDhoDCT39FTuolKfoY0yIgfprT2o9h9c2RWLb_4y0QtXeOSkl2Cd8GCJmdJBtkGeRh-UeYf3i1LP26Re7xB5_5fgJwPRhVCZJ1pxq1n6QIyS_Upy_Zw/s400/SDCOE+at+Sweetwater.png" /></a>
<br/><i>
<b>FROM THE FRYING PAN INTO THE FIRE?</b></i> <br/><br/>
<i><b>Convicted trustees out; SDCOE trustees in</b><br/><br/>
SDCOE administrators and board members have assumed positions at Sweetwater: left to right in photo: SDCOE administrator Lora Duzyk, SDCOE Superintendent Randy Ward, SDCOE board members Susan Hartley, Mark Anderson, Sharon Jones, Lyn Neylon, Gregg Robinson. For some reason Sweetwater board member John McCann has been replaced, although he was NOT charged or convicted of crimes as his four colleagues were.</i><br/><br/>
<b>Bizarrely, the four convicted trustees of Sweetwater Union High School District--as well as trustee John McCann and Sweetwater administrators--had their seats taken over at the most recent board meeting by <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/SweetwaterEA.html">the five members of the current SDCOE board</a> and top administrators at SDCOE. SDCOE got permission from the Superior Court to implement the takeover.</b> <br/><br/>
<b>
WHO'S GOING TO CLEAN UP THE FOLKS WHO'VE APPOINTED THEMSELVES TO CLEAN UP SWEETWATER?</b><br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglgZVrZQ2pax3fCcFxrngL_dBN97KRZr5kjn4UqzMs48XlQzUd4kBmuvdTNl_RX2VH9F73GfjsFaBCsecTtvqP4ZODEDs4DzbvQtccwPVOA6SqgrOZ711Kp66ySjAjSklqvOO-Kw/s1600/Alicia+munoz.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglgZVrZQ2pax3fCcFxrngL_dBN97KRZr5kjn4UqzMs48XlQzUd4kBmuvdTNl_RX2VH9F73GfjsFaBCsecTtvqP4ZODEDs4DzbvQtccwPVOA6SqgrOZ711Kp66ySjAjSklqvOO-Kw/s320/Alicia+munoz.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5UVm6GdZHXzzl5sE_VqoulhvZY7vo886UE-9inYC5Csolgw4iBSW5KM0cHdNGNa4OkbH4IUfCPyu436VPxZkYbLPGUUHiaKP4wUQ7OgpGFY-pK0QU8YAMpuGhM9ESgyOZrJJHhw/s1600/Katie+Dexter.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5UVm6GdZHXzzl5sE_VqoulhvZY7vo886UE-9inYC5Csolgw4iBSW5KM0cHdNGNa4OkbH4IUfCPyu436VPxZkYbLPGUUHiaKP4wUQ7OgpGFY-pK0QU8YAMpuGhM9ESgyOZrJJHhw/s200/Katie+Dexter.jpg" /></a>
<br/>
Here's a question for candidates Alicia Munoz and Katie Dexter for San Diego County Office of Education board. (Candidates Rick Shea and Doug Perkins should answer the same question.) <br/><br/>
<blockquote>Will you work to make sure that top administrators <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/CrosierSELF.html">Diane Crosier</a> and <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/DanPuplavaGifts.html">Dan Puplava</a> of SDCOE report ALL the gifts they receive from companies doing business with SDCOE--and require them to explain who paid for their cross-county trips to be wined-and-dined by those companies?<br/><br/></blockquote>
Voice of San Diego education reporter E<a href="http://voiceofsandiego.org/2010/12/26/hotel-stays-flights-and-a-400-bottle-of-wine/">mily Alpert reported in 2010</a>:<br/><br/>
<blockquote>In response to questions from voiceofsandiego.org, the County Office wrote in an email that it believed Crosier had followed the gift rules.<b> But despite repeated questions, it would not specifically explain why the trips could be legally left off the forms. In an email, Crosier said only that the trips were not included “due to discussion with legal counsel.”</b>
<br/><br/>
</blockquote>
I have personal experience with one of the companies visited by Crosier and Puplava, as recounted in the above article by Emily Alpert. The company was Life Insurance of the Southwest. I was signed up for an insurance policy with this company against my will. The name of the company was written in below, after I crossed it out. I was told the agent did not have an extra form so I would have to use the <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/lowellbillings.html">form you can see HERE.</a> Note the scribbles. The agent also took $12,000 of my money and put it into an account where it would be locked in for years. I was fortunate enough to figure out the ruse before the lock-in date. <br/><br/>
I expect that county officials--and union officials--get sweet deals from financial institutions in return for access to employees. The <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/CroservScottDauenhauer.html">San Diego Union-Tribune reported,</a> "Incredibly, Superintendent Randolph Ward himself bought an annuity from Puplava shortly after Ward began work in 2006."<br/><br/>
And how about the teachers unions? Are they any better? Dan Puplava used to work for teachers unions, as he told <a href="http://sandiegoeducationreport.org/DanielPuplavaSDCOEandunions.html">Forbes magazine.</a> <br/><br/>
Who is more shameless in taking advantage of teachers, the school officials or the teachers unions? That's a hard question. I haven't figured out the answer yet.<br/><br/>
The most common problem in public entities is not blatant corruption such as the outrageous salaries ($560,000 for the assistant City Manager) of officials in Bell, California, but the money that gets channeled behind the scenes. Millions of dollars get moved around, and the public doesn't know about the connections and motivations that are guiding the transfers. Voice of San Diego reporter Emily Alpert was investigating SDCOE when she suddenly went silent, and then got fired. SDCOE exempts Diane Crosier (the director of Risk Management; also, Dan Puplava's boss) from having to disclose the gifts she receives. Why don't we have transparency in government at SDCOE?<br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGJdm78MkvPE9jB5t1lbSX9B4pBewgOqa95rcIVrYct57n0AyckrJsxdPG38_NSxR1D9vYhAeMwEyINJqISQDlyVyBBPyh-AE_eYlYGyomChpfnKlaxe9BZD7oZqsU-bU6QC7lA/s1600/DianeCrosier.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGJdm78MkvPE9jB5t1lbSX9B4pBewgOqa95rcIVrYct57n0AyckrJsxdPG38_NSxR1D9vYhAeMwEyINJqISQDlyVyBBPyh-AE_eYlYGyomChpfnKlaxe9BZD7oZqsU-bU6QC7lA/s200/DianeCrosier.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVsycE5vLKH9IJnrVu14LR6zqvrFOF5hq2MYaENPJaswvgDw2dXGm0_k6ifzAsTyo6RVb0rMIsHns43AJVxvLyAFMzgu4ROgwWPQ5EezwjDkRbWvaK6nk42RryRGxNlQKij1eHVA/s1600/Dan-pupslava.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVsycE5vLKH9IJnrVu14LR6zqvrFOF5hq2MYaENPJaswvgDw2dXGm0_k6ifzAsTyo6RVb0rMIsHns43AJVxvLyAFMzgu4ROgwWPQ5EezwjDkRbWvaK6nk42RryRGxNlQKij1eHVA/s320/Dan-pupslava.png" /></a>
<br/>
SDCOE Risk Management Director Diane Crosier and her close associate Dan Puplava work with AIG
<br/><br/>
SDCOE has silenced its critics.<br/><br/>
<b> When Scott Dauenhauer revealed that SDCOE fringe benefits manager Dan Puplava [who is still employed by SDCOE] was getting at least $355,000 in commissions from AIG while working for the taxpayers, <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/CroservScottDauenhauer.html">Dauenhauer was sued </a>by <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/CrosierSELF.html">Diane Crosier</a> and Dan Puplava. <br/><br/>
I went down to the courthouse and read the pleadings in the case. <br/><br/>
The SDCOE managers claimed that Dauenhauer didn't know that what he said was true. I'm not kidding. They didn't claim he said something false. They claimed that he didn't actually know that what he said was true. Since he couldn't afford to keep paying an attorney to fight the case, he settled. SDCOE has also tried very hard to silence me. SDCOE lawyers had more success with Grossmont student representative Rick Walker, who obligingly shut down his website.</b><br/><br/>
In the MiraCosta College scandal, in which SDCOE's favorite law firm got paid $1.3 million to investigate $305 of water stolen and used to water palm trees. (After investing all that taxpayer money, MiraCosta let the palm trees die. It was never about water or palm trees. It was all about power and politics.) Sounds a little bit like Bell, California, doesn't it? How can the taxpayers protect themselves?<br/><br/>
Maura Larkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16800561169406889185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29477921.post-49614709766181875992014-05-05T13:44:00.001-07:002014-05-05T18:35:21.000-07:00Vergara v. California; what motivates people like former Chula Vista Educators boss, executive director Tim O'Neill of South County Teachers United, to support the current useless system of teacher evaluations?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw7V3fq3e6mk1yujy4PubGfAn-UL6FWBmCwnPz-FIVC77mB6DY4MZceKRLYGFyNPX4lWuvNSC7VWXOmEnftrQzHSULubh1PlRiQTXa0lfL1ItJBM2z_aatYecwDjxG8lrAgyUC/s1600/Tim+O'Neill.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw7V3fq3e6mk1yujy4PubGfAn-UL6FWBmCwnPz-FIVC77mB6DY4MZceKRLYGFyNPX4lWuvNSC7VWXOmEnftrQzHSULubh1PlRiQTXa0lfL1ItJBM2z_aatYecwDjxG8lrAgyUC/s320/Tim+O'Neill.jpg" /></a>
<br/>
Tim O'Neill <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/CVEViolatedBylaws.html">violated union by-laws </a>when he refused to allow a teacher to present an ethics complaint to Chula Vista Educators directors.
<br/><br/>
San Diego's liberals seem to be far more obedient to the California Teachers Association than Los Angeles liberals, and students suffer for it. <a href="http://learningboosters.blogspot.com/2014/05/uc-berkeley-other-elite-schools-on.html"> Here's a bit of the history </a>of that subject. Shame on Richard Barrera for abandoning his principles, apparently in exchange for campaign contributions and a cushy job.<br/><br/>
I don't object to tenure. I object to the intransigence of the teachers union in the face of calls for education reform. <br/><br/>
Getting rid of tenure <a href="http://learningboosters.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-case-that-could-blow-up-teacher.html">will do no good at all</a>, and would likely do harm, if teacher evaluations continue to be as worthless as they are now. <br/><br/>
If we get rid of tenure we'll just have to worry more about the already-existing problem of principals protecting their own careers by making alliances with mediocre but popular and politically-strong teachers. I get the feeling that David Welch, mogul of Student Matters, honestly doesn't know that many principals are former teachers who switched to the front office when they realized that they don't have what it takes to make it in the classroom. <br/><br/>
I also get the feeling that Voice of San Diego's education reporter Mario Koran doesn't know this, either. <br/><br/>
<b>
HAS VOICE OF SAN DIEGO SABOTAGED THE DEBATE ON TENURE AND TEACHER EVALUATIONS?</b><br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGH1mm-wlfCJdi36lb4hNfEcC5MUIFir0sjQPSIalwqkUuyMhyphenhyphenUNN6sQRup7gvm58QMZPO780q82soq4pfFoZd4nrA5W9qNtsFEajUMWr6OEenPxUKVFWZybVU5Xv0N5XIHqJFJw/s1600/Emily+Alpert+Reyes.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGH1mm-wlfCJdi36lb4hNfEcC5MUIFir0sjQPSIalwqkUuyMhyphenhyphenUNN6sQRup7gvm58QMZPO780q82soq4pfFoZd4nrA5W9qNtsFEajUMWr6OEenPxUKVFWZybVU5Xv0N5XIHqJFJw/s320/Emily+Alpert+Reyes.jpg" /></a>
<br/>
Emily Alpert Reyes
<br/><br/>
Voice of San Diego muzzled and then fired its education reporter, Emily Alpert (now Reyes), who knew what was going on in schools. The reason for this seems to be related to the politics and big bucks of VOSD's big donor trio Buzz Woolley, Irwin Jacobs and Rod Dammeyer who are <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/SDCOEandVOSD.html">deeply involved in charter schools and anti-union politics</a>.</a> <br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2OaEFi53sGrQ7dlcwW-RpiMK1QpWCt27Vsvbj1FDQaTuKHmnu-2JDshM-u4PaW3kizvgD9XRyPJQMb5ZBv8ygd0ny_euJvar8Ke2vxOngMAGs8NH6esWVf6kK1ZWVv1sut2n8_w/s1600/buzz_woolley_t658.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2OaEFi53sGrQ7dlcwW-RpiMK1QpWCt27Vsvbj1FDQaTuKHmnu-2JDshM-u4PaW3kizvgD9XRyPJQMb5ZBv8ygd0ny_euJvar8Ke2vxOngMAGs8NH6esWVf6kK1ZWVv1sut2n8_w/s320/buzz_woolley_t658.jpg" /></a>
<br/>
Voice of San Diego founder <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/SDCOEandVOSD.html">Buzz Woolley</a>
<br/><br/>
Just before she was fired, Emily Alpert was one of the few people in San Diego doing serious research on teacher layoffs based on seniority. She dared to bring up the topic of teacher evaluations. If <b>VOSD donor trio Buzz Woolley, Irwin Jacobs and Rod Dammeyer </b>were really interested in improving education for all children they would have fallen all over themselves to keep Emily in San Diego. (Emily now works for the Los Angeles Times, but she's not writing about education.)
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBrdw87FbxkyEgU865lHi1wqGbrQCpgk9IO7E_kchyphenhyphenRVEcTSXzqyvGb7EVxqoFZ2UxHf-6X8GFxFQEsXyrgrGMrE2g1_wPXzzVCzob0ORUNx9IIOsyMijzE1nER0y4FA5QZyBIjA/s1600/Irwin-Jacobs.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBrdw87FbxkyEgU865lHi1wqGbrQCpgk9IO7E_kchyphenhyphenRVEcTSXzqyvGb7EVxqoFZ2UxHf-6X8GFxFQEsXyrgrGMrE2g1_wPXzzVCzob0ORUNx9IIOsyMijzE1nER0y4FA5QZyBIjA/s320/Irwin-Jacobs.jpg" /></a><br/>
Irwin Jacobs, Voice of San Diego's major donor<br/><br/>
My belief is that Buzz Woolley, Irwin Jacobs and Rod Dammeyer want to improve education for just enough students so that they can run their businesses with American employees--and they want those students in charter schools. They think they can have a flourishing society while the middle and working classes sink lower and lower. <br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRd3iKLhOHSEBBJ-JVm8yGH-vnqt7XwZyT-i1QJCHcFsTf7xy_5wZB9i9iFBPpPKSSzvJGe2pCbNqvDYjzeVZw9HPbvGBQccEG9Cd3yftTLkDdgySw3k0G8unrJgZhIo_tHS1Tag/s1600/Rod-Dammeyer-150x150.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRd3iKLhOHSEBBJ-JVm8yGH-vnqt7XwZyT-i1QJCHcFsTf7xy_5wZB9i9iFBPpPKSSzvJGe2pCbNqvDYjzeVZw9HPbvGBQccEG9Cd3yftTLkDdgySw3k0G8unrJgZhIo_tHS1Tag/s320/Rod-Dammeyer-150x150.jpg" /></a>
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Rod Dammeyer, <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/SD4GS.html">charter schools advocate and political donor</a><br/><br/>
Note: Buzz, Irwin and Rod also tried to remake the San Diego Unified School Board with <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/SD4GS.html">appointed members who would undermine the elected members</a>. They seems to think we'd do better without democracy.<br/><br/>
<b>IS THE CALIFORNIA TEACHERS ASSOCIATION TRYING TO SELF-DESTRUCT?</b><br/><br/>
You might think that the teachers union could manage to do a better job of acting in the interest of all citizens than Buzz, Irwin and Rod have done.<br/><br/>
Sadly, this does not seem to be the case.<br/><br/>
I believe that schools can be fixed without getting rid of tenure (I have described one such plan <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/EvaluatingTeachers.html">HERE</a>), but schools can't be fixed as long as the California Teachers Association stands in the way.<br/><br/>
Something clearly needs to be done, but Richard Barrera doesn't seem to want to address the problem of rampant mediocrity among teachers. It's actually a bigger problem than the incompetence of about 10% teachers. I wouldn't use evaluations to fire teachers; evaluations are needed to help teachers become highly competent.<br/><br/>
Sadly, Barrera will likely continue to toe the line for the people who control the California Teachers Association, so reform is looking unlikely. CTA doesn't want teachers to be held accountable; it wants to continue the politically-convenient system of principal evaluations. <br/><br/>
The current system is such a joke that principals rarely even bother to observe teachers. <br/><br/>
See <a href="http://learningboosters.blogspot.com/search/label/evaluating%20teachers">all posts re teacher evaluations.</a><br/><br/>
Teachers need to have a union. But why can't it be better than this one? Couldn't it be one without people like Tim O'Neill? (See comment at the end of this post.)<br/><br/><br/></i>
<b>
VOICE OF SAN DIEGO STORY ON RICHARD BARRERA'S TESTIMONY AT VERGARA TRIAL</b><br/><br/>
<a href="http://voiceofsandiego.org/2014/05/02/teachers-call-upon-san-diego-school-trustee-to-help-save-seniority-rules/">Teachers Call Upon San Diego School Trustee to Help Save Seniority Rules</a><br/>
By: Mario Koran<br/>
Voice of San Diego<br/>
May 2, 2014<br/><br/>
In 2010, when San Diego Unified was in the throes of a budget crisis and staring down a round of layoffs, school board trustee Richard Barrera told U-T San Diego, “Pink-slipping disproportionately affects poorer schools – absolutely.”<br/><br/>
Now, that argument is the basis of <a href="http://learningboosters.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-case-that-could-blow-up-teacher.html">Vergara v. California,</a> a case that could blow up deeply rooted protections for California teachers. Barrera, who is now the leader of the San Diego Imperial Counties Labor Council, which includes the teachers union, changed his tune when he testified in the case.<br/><br/>
Teachers see the policies that force the youngest teachers to bear the brunt of layoffs as the fairest possible, he argued. Replacing it with a system that requires administrators to make value judgments would erode trust as teachers vied for their spots, he said.<br/><br/>
Along with attorneys from the state and the California Teachers Association, Barrera pointed to San Diego Unified as proof that a district can succeed because of the current policies – not in spite of it.<br/><br/>
The case is the product of Students Matter, a group founded by Silicon Valley business mogul David F. Welch, a group of California students and a heavyweight cast of attorneys. They initiated the suit and claim the teacher protections violate students’ constitutional rights to equal access to quality education.<br/><br/>
California law makes it nearly impossible to dismiss a bad teacher once he or she has received tenure, they argue, and last-hired-first-fired layoff policies disproportionately impact schools in high-poverty areas because they’re more likely to have less experienced teachers. Layoffs at these schools, then, create more turnover and worsen the experience for students.<br/><br/>
But Barrera said that because San Diego Unified has had a good relationship with its teachers union, it’s been able to avoid mass layoffs in the first place.
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In the grip of the budget crises, about 1,100 teachers were issued pink-slips in 2011, and all but 200 of those were rescinded, he said. And when 1,500 teachers were laid off in 2012, everyone was invited back.<br/><br/>
Josh Lipshutz, an attorney for the plaintiffs, told VOSD he found this part of Barrera’s testimony bizarre. “Look, nobody wants layoffs. But layoffs are reality,” Lipshutz said.v
“We’re not arguing that teachers should be laid off. But in speaking with administrators we heard over and over that everybody knows who the worst teachers are. All we’re saying is that in a layoff environment, why would you not want to include those teachers?” he said.<br/><br/>
And avoiding layoffs in dark budget times also comes at a very real cost.<br/><br/>
At this week’s school board meeting, trustee and fiscal wonk Scott Barnett castigated the rest of the school board for promising teachers pay raises that it couldn’t afford and selling off real estate to make up the difference.<br/><br/>
Even though the district got money from Prop. 30, a voter-approved statewide measure meant to stave off drastic cuts to schools, San Diego Unified is facing a $100 million budget shortfall.<br/><br/>
“Guess what? The proposed hole is bigger next year than this year because of this board’s inability to have any semblance of control,” Barnett said.<br/><br/>
Holding Up San Diego as a Model<br/><br/>
Barrera said that the idea that layoffs disproportionately impact poor schools doesn’t capture reality.<br/><br/>
He said Central Elementary in City Heights, the school that Superintendent Cindy Marten once ran, is a good example of how a school can create a culture where teachers want to stick around.<br/><br/>
Barrera said a school like Central is possible because teachers share strategies for what works in the classroom. In other words, if a district were to try to measure which teachers were better, teachers might be afraid to share what works with a competitive colleague.<br/><br/>
“If we replace the seniority system – one which most people tend to see as fair – with one that teachers see as unfair or arbitrary, we’re going to dramatically hurt trust between teachers and their principals,” he said.<br/><br/>
Still, schools like Jackson Elementary in City Heights, now Fay Elementary, might say the problem is a little bit more serious. During the budget crises, high-poverty schools like Fay – which had less experienced teachers – were hit hardest by last-in-first-out layoff policies.<br/><br/>
In 2008, 24 out of its 26 teachers received layoff notices. Most of those ended up being rescinded, but in 2011, when 25 out of 27 teachers got pink slips – it was deja vu all over again.<br/><br/>
“The reality is,” Lipshutz said, “that once the pink slips go out, the damage is already done.”<br/><br/>
Teachers will often look for positions in more stable districts, and “it’s very discouraging to be treated as a number, to be told that you don’t have value beside your hire-date,” he said.<br/><br/>
Barrera doesn’t disagree. “That’s all the more reason that we need to do what we can to avoid pink slips and layoffs,” he said. “Pink slips are disruptive, yes, but what’s more disruptive is laying off teachers and having huge class sizes.”<br/><br/>
So What’s a Good Teacher?<br/><br/>
Barrera said the major hole with the Vergara plaintiffs’ case is that they never clarified what, exactly, makes a teacher ineffective. In fact, the defense led with that point in its closing brief.<br/><br/>
Of course, rebooting the criteria to measure teacher performance depends on whether the plaintiffs can persuade the judge that measures like test scores can be considered.<br/><br/>
Plaintiffs leaned on Harvard researcher Thomas J. Kane, who said black and Latino students in Los Angeles Unified were more likely than their white and Asian peers to be taught by the worst teachers.
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Kane reached his conclusion by looking at teacher effectiveness through a value-added formula, which measures improvements in student test scores over time.<br/><br/>
To be sure, value-added formulas aren’t universally accepted. Critics like education historian Diane Ravitch have railed against them for years. Another said they resulted in “mathematical intimidation” from school administrators.<br/><br/>
One problem, Barrera said, is that the scores appear objective, but fail to account for poverty, or other factors that influence learning. He said he isn’t opposed to all changes to the evaluation system, but they should begin a conversation about the real goal: quality teaching.<br/><br/>
“From a policy level, you think we’d start with questions about what’s working and how we could do more of that, instead of trying to force these blunt instruments in through the court system,” Barrera said.<br/><br/>
Lipshutz said poverty was a theme woven throughout the trial.<br/><br/>
“To us, that’s a red-herring. We don’t dispute that poverty is a factor in student learning,” he said. “The question to us is whether the laws that are in place are harming students and preventing them from getting the best education they possibly could. And we showed very clearly that the answer is yes.”<br/><br/>
<blockquote>
<b>COMMENTS</b><br/><br/>
Here's a comment I found intriguing (for personal reasons):<br/><br/><blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrXPxYBZTIyB-VdKy7AlMr0G0rcL_kJAUQAiA12qBSQIKfw706SGComks_HYUEXqUyLLORvMdg8x5j18UZELqP2wH-8qiD5iDpNYvbJxwBdmtFRA6vlwSLH63NOCOjYhOB_WnHtg/s1600/Tim+O'Neill+2013+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrXPxYBZTIyB-VdKy7AlMr0G0rcL_kJAUQAiA12qBSQIKfw706SGComks_HYUEXqUyLLORvMdg8x5j18UZELqP2wH-8qiD5iDpNYvbJxwBdmtFRA6vlwSLH63NOCOjYhOB_WnHtg/s200/Tim+O'Neill+2013+(2).jpg" /></a>
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Tim O'Neill, former executive director for CTA affiliates in Chula Vista
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Tim ONeill (cvtimo)<br/><br/>
The Vergara lawsuit claims that seniority based layoffs negatively discriminate against children of color. A valid critical commentary or report would show how this claim holds water in ANY school district in San Diego County over the past several years when schools have been hit by budget cuts of 25% or more.<br/><br/>
The fact of the matter is that there have been none. All the union-haters should consider this in their world view and perhaps question the motives of the plaintiffs in this case.<br/><br/></blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtvirnnEwA9N8XZWvTHqiXFf1eUskkPVhLJl19e6_tbxO03U6TsDPCwoeQgYRpRPqsVAwV6IHHXlZ6TWbZm9-B3Sv6WmR56BnOqt1TbeTv_3ZSf2DaxeoUIyPNDrxA4vDhF__0uA/s1600/Maura+Larkins.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtvirnnEwA9N8XZWvTHqiXFf1eUskkPVhLJl19e6_tbxO03U6TsDPCwoeQgYRpRPqsVAwV6IHHXlZ6TWbZm9-B3Sv6WmR56BnOqt1TbeTv_3ZSf2DaxeoUIyPNDrxA4vDhF__0uA/s200/Maura+Larkins.jpg" /></a>
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Maura Larkins comment:<br/><br/>
Tim,<br/>
Are you calling Richard Barrera a "union-hater" for saying, "“Pink-slipping disproportionately affects poorer schools – absolutely”?<br/><br/>
I don't think the charge would fit, since he is the CEO of the San Diego Imperial Counties Labor Council. <br/><br/>
Also, the ACLU sued the Los Angeles Unified School District based on the devastating impact of teacher layoffs on poorer schools. Are you calling the Los Angeles ACLU "union-haters"?<br/><br/>
Maybe you should stop with the name-calling and try to come up with a solution to the problem. <br/><br/>
<i>[Maura Larkins note: I suspect this "Tim O'Neill" may be the same Tim O'Neill who worked for the California Teachers Association until 2010, and who <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/CVEViolatedBylaws.html">violated the Chula Vista Educators bylaws</a> by refusing to allow me to make an ethics complaint to the CVE Representative Council. <br/><br/>
<a href="http://mauralarkins.com/CVEViolatedBylaws.html">See a copy HERE</a> of his letter to me in which he states that Gina Boyd herself denied my request to appear before the Rep Council to make an ethics complaint about Gina Boyd!
<br/><br/>
The Tim O'Neill who was the executive director of Chula Vista Educators worked hard to make sure that politics ruled in the district. That Tim O'Neill aided and abetted multiple violations of labor law and the teachers contract to ensure the re-election of CVE President Gina Boyd. But he himself lost his job and was apparently sent to work anonymously (until now, it appears) in the CTA offices in Mission Valley.]</i><br/><br/>
<b>
COMMENT FROM JIM JONES:</b> <br/><br/>
Tim,<br/>
Either seniority protects the best teachers, and also keeps them out of the worst cesspool schools, which are minority schools, or seniority doesn't matter, it can't go both ways.<br/>
It's time for teachers to step up and put kids first, stop using them as pawns to feed public union greed.<br/><br/><br/>
<b>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrXPxYBZTIyB-VdKy7AlMr0G0rcL_kJAUQAiA12qBSQIKfw706SGComks_HYUEXqUyLLORvMdg8x5j18UZELqP2wH-8qiD5iDpNYvbJxwBdmtFRA6vlwSLH63NOCOjYhOB_WnHtg/s1600/Tim+O'Neill+2013+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrXPxYBZTIyB-VdKy7AlMr0G0rcL_kJAUQAiA12qBSQIKfw706SGComks_HYUEXqUyLLORvMdg8x5j18UZELqP2wH-8qiD5iDpNYvbJxwBdmtFRA6vlwSLH63NOCOjYhOB_WnHtg/s200/Tim+O'Neill+2013+(2).jpg" /></a>
<br/>
Tim O'Neill, former executive director for CTA affiliates in Chula Vista
<br/><br/>
COMMENT FROM TIM O'NEILL:</b><br/><br/>
"Using them to feed public union greed", huh? Please be a bit more specific in your retoric (sic).<br/><br/>
Teaching assignments (school, grade level, subject assignments) are regulated in each school district collective bargaining agreement negotiated with the local teacher union in that district, not regulated by state law, which this lawsuit addresses.<br/><br/>
The vast majority of these negotiated agreements places seniority as a subordinate criterion to many other factors such as subject matter credential, and most notably the opinion of the school principal. In other words, seniority, in most cases is NOT the determining factor with regard to a teacher's assignment.<br/><br/>
It is true that some teaching assignments are more difficult than others. It may also be that vacancies occur more regularly at schools with such assignments, but for a variety of reasons. Some of the "best" teachers work at these schools; sometimes they don't. Are you suggesting that the "best" teachers be limited in their options as to where they would choose to work?<br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtvirnnEwA9N8XZWvTHqiXFf1eUskkPVhLJl19e6_tbxO03U6TsDPCwoeQgYRpRPqsVAwV6IHHXlZ6TWbZm9-B3Sv6WmR56BnOqt1TbeTv_3ZSf2DaxeoUIyPNDrxA4vDhF__0uA/s1600/Maura+Larkins.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtvirnnEwA9N8XZWvTHqiXFf1eUskkPVhLJl19e6_tbxO03U6TsDPCwoeQgYRpRPqsVAwV6IHHXlZ6TWbZm9-B3Sv6WmR56BnOqt1TbeTv_3ZSf2DaxeoUIyPNDrxA4vDhF__0uA/s200/Maura+Larkins.jpg" /></a>
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Maura Larkins response:<br/><br/>
No, Tim, Mr. Jones is not suggesting that tenured teachers be limited as to where they work. He is simply suggesting that tenured teachers tend to use their seniority to get out of--and stay out of--schools in low income areas. In fact, I must say that I did notice during my years in Chula Vista Elementary School District that teachers with high seniority tended to snap up the job openings at schools in high-income areas.<br/><br/>
I think that the success of children should not be subordinated to any goal at all that the teachers union might have. <br/><br/>
It doesn't matter what the reason is that CTA has refused to allow any real progress in evaluating teachers--whatever it is, it's not a good enough reason. The fact is that the current system of principal evaluations is a joke, and it's part of the reason so many kids are failing to get decent educations.<br/><br/>
I had a principal who came in fresh to the school, not knowing that I had been given all the lowest-achieving students in my grade level because I was also given the English-learners and it seemed to make sense. I was perfectly happy with the situation. <br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2JlBrRMjT39nIQpGFZgR0X0wwNo8UV-23MrsH2T6XGoOasPHew5qsqjFA7Z7I5pCJjO-0IMHcwCvxcIdJP9k6VdoQYVioPL5TPUgzUokvT8mnkuI453mYWpXu-g9hu33X18iF1w/s1600/Charlie+Padilla.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2JlBrRMjT39nIQpGFZgR0X0wwNo8UV-23MrsH2T6XGoOasPHew5qsqjFA7Z7I5pCJjO-0IMHcwCvxcIdJP9k6VdoQYVioPL5TPUgzUokvT8mnkuI453mYWpXu-g9hu33X18iF1w/s320/Charlie+Padilla.jpg" /></a>
<br/>
Principal Charlie Padilla retired in the middle of the school year
<br/><br/>
The new principal must have looked at the students' tests before sending them in to be scored, because he wrote on my evaluation that I had low student test scores--before the results came back! My students were progressing at top speed, particularly in their critical thinking, but they were starting the year from far behind the kids in the other classes at my grade level.
<br/><br/>
<b>In fact, when the scores came back, they showed that my students had made one, two, three or even four years progress when they were with me. <br/><br/>
That principal was highly regarded because he was highly political. But, strangely, he eventually retired from the district in the middle of the school year. He got another job, so obviously he wasn't interesting in actually retiring. It sometimes takes a while to figure out how bad some principals are. This would be less of a problem if principals weren't in charge of evaluations.<br/><br/></b>
I once heard former CTA Executive Director Carolyn Doggett pointing out to CTA affiliate presidents that if they didn't improve education, they would become irrelevant. CTA would be wise to come up with an evaluation plan pronto. What's your plan for teacher evaluations, Tim?<br/><br/></blockquote>
<b>COMMENT FROM francesca</b><br/><br/>
@Maura Larkins If you taught in the Chula Vista School District, then you are probably more realistic about the idea of using test scores to evaluate teachers. When children have not mastered English, their test scores don't really reflect what they have learned or know. <br/><br/>
Maura, Do you have an objective way to measure whether teachers are doing an effective job?<br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtvirnnEwA9N8XZWvTHqiXFf1eUskkPVhLJl19e6_tbxO03U6TsDPCwoeQgYRpRPqsVAwV6IHHXlZ6TWbZm9-B3Sv6WmR56BnOqt1TbeTv_3ZSf2DaxeoUIyPNDrxA4vDhF__0uA/s1600/Maura+Larkins.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtvirnnEwA9N8XZWvTHqiXFf1eUskkPVhLJl19e6_tbxO03U6TsDPCwoeQgYRpRPqsVAwV6IHHXlZ6TWbZm9-B3Sv6WmR56BnOqt1TbeTv_3ZSf2DaxeoUIyPNDrxA4vDhF__0uA/s200/Maura+Larkins.jpg" /></a>
<br/>
Maura Larkins COMMENT:<br/><br/>
Thanks for asking, Francesca! I think observations are the single most important source of effective evaluations, and they should be done frequently by people from outside the school district (to avoid school politics). <br/><br/>
Dennis Schamp and Scripps Dad and I had a somewhat detailed discussion recently on what should be observed; you can see our discussion at the bottom of this April 28 VOSD story:<br/><br/>
<a href="http://learningboosters.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-case-that-could-blow-up-teacher.html">
The Case That Could Blow Up Teacher Tenure</a><br/><br/>
The two main things we discussed as needing to be observed are:<br/>
1) What is the teacher doing?<br/>
2) What are the students doing?<br/><br/>
Non-professionals could be used to make superficial observations. It would be up to professionals to evaluate the data and follow up with their own observations.<br/><br/>
Scripps Dad says he's been involved in a good teacher evaluation program.<br/><br/>
Also, student test scores would only be helpful after a number of years of gathering data about a teacher's performance, and even then, research shows that these scores are reliable indicators only for the top 10% and bottom 10% of teachers. The other 80% of teachers tend to get extremely variable results.<br/><br/>
I do not think evaluations should be used to determine employment.<br/><br/>
Instead, I think they should be used to identify the most highly effective teachers and to help average and below-average teachers.<br/><br/>
I believe that the most highly effective teachers should then be given responsibility as master teachers to direct the less effective teachers and to give supplemental lessons to students, and to give training to their fellow teachers. This would be cheaper and more effective than bringing in ridiculously expensive outside vendors to do training.<br/><br/>
I would expect master teachers to be paid like doctors and lawyers. <br/><br/>
<blockquote>
<b>
UPDATE MAY 5, 2014: <br/><br/>
DO UNION LEADERS WANT TO KEEP THE EVALUATION PROCESS POLITICAL SO THEY CAN CONTROL TEACHERS BETTER?</b><br/><br/>
You might be wondering why Tim O'Neill would lead Chula Vista Educators into aiding and abetting a string of illegal actions. Was it merely to <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/CVEViolatedBylaws.html">protect CVE president Gina Boyd </a>from the ire of the <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/CastleParkFive.html">"Castle Park Family" </a>as she was facing a union election? Perhaps not. <br/><br/>
I just discovered a startling connection while perusing Facebook. The principal I mentioned above was Charlie Padilla. Here's a post about his <a href="http://cvesdreporter.blogspot.com/2014/01/cvesd-principal-and-former-lawyer.html">middle-of-the-year retirement from CVESD.</a> He turns out to be a personal friend of Tim O'Neill!<br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTdeVTmOX-ABvzCX1VL74rLdxtdj3TMDouJjL7oVYIveQ9EyFPwSZSkPTTjdwRk3vXtmEGan2voSxXB2TzwZXzPRUGS_Ni_RzvTHQZchh0fLRYuMGvBYfNz21BRs-uHE84wVuZKg/s1600/Tim+O'Neill+and+Charlie+Padilla+Apr+27+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTdeVTmOX-ABvzCX1VL74rLdxtdj3TMDouJjL7oVYIveQ9EyFPwSZSkPTTjdwRk3vXtmEGan2voSxXB2TzwZXzPRUGS_Ni_RzvTHQZchh0fLRYuMGvBYfNz21BRs-uHE84wVuZKg/s400/Tim+O'Neill+and+Charlie+Padilla+Apr+27+2014.jpg" /></a>
<br/>
<i>COINCIDENCE? <br/>
Charlie Padilla on the left, Tim O'Neill on the right. <br/>
Does this photo from Charlie Padilla's public Facebook <br/>
page of three couples out together for dinner on April 27, <br/>
2014 help explain why Tim O'Neill might be motivated to aid <br/>
and abet a <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/MauraLarkinsOAHhearing.html">string of illegal actions</a> and violations of contract?</i><br/><br/>
Tim O'Neill <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/CVEViolatedBylaws.html">wouldn't allow the CVE board of directors </a>to hear my complaint about him and Gina Boyd. CTA is a very top-down organization, run by administrators like Tim O'Neill--and CTA lawyers--rather than elected union officials. <br/><br/>
I have spoken out for years on the behind-the-scenes collusion between the teachers union and school administrators. They often spar in public, but Wayne Johnson (President of CTA from 1999-2003) instituted a policy in which CTA affiliates would play nicer with school districts in order to reach more deals behind closed doors.
<br/><br/><br/>
</blockquote>Maura Larkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16800561169406889185noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29477921.post-27144929531604233992014-04-23T09:12:00.002-07:002014-04-23T09:15:24.364-07:00Is this the problem with Manuel Yvellez and the other Chula Vista Educators union leaders who are struggling with Common Core?From <a href="http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/04/23/29cc-preparation.h33.html?intc=EW-CC0414-EML">Education Week:</a><br/><br/>
<blockquote><i>
...<b>There are cases in which educators themselves need more time simply practicing the mathematics and learning different ways of conceiving of it,</b> she added. Fractions, which under the common core are introduced in 3rd grade, tops that list.<br/><br/>
It's a point reiterated by Katherine K. Merseth, a senior lecturer and the director of teacher education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, who believes the shifts will require more programs to improve their content preparation.<br/><br/>
Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn., is sharing a library of video-based tools in order to familiarize the state’s teacher colleges with the common core and its implications for preparing new talent.<br/><br/>
"Kids can learn to invert and multiply in order to divide fractions,<b> but then they look at the teacher and ask, 'Why'?" Ms. Merseth said. "We have to make sure that our students and our graduates can answer exactly that question."</b></i></blockquote><br/><br/>
The lack of preparation of teachers (especially if they are <a href="http://cvesdreporter.blogspot.com/2013/12/are-some-school-districts-misusing.html">union leaders like Manuel Yvellez</a>) has been causing a lot of problems for the implementation of Common Core. <br/><br/>
See <a href="http://cvesdreporter.blogspot.com/search/label/Common%20Core">blog posts about Common Core from CVESD Reporter.</a>
<br/><br/>Maura Larkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16800561169406889185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29477921.post-6133651100934070982014-04-14T13:56:00.003-07:002014-05-28T09:31:09.464-07:00Shame on those teachers who are intentionally making kids anxious about standardized tests; parent complaints at CVESD
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<br/>
Chula Vista teachers and parents might want to give some thought to this quote by Albert Einstein
<br/><br/>
<i>I was intrigued by the difference between the San Diego Reader and the Chula Vista Star-News in reporting the implementation of Common Core standards in Chula Vista schools. Star-News Reporter Robert Moreno provided a much more balanced view of the issue than did the Reader's Susan Luzzaro.</i><br/><br/>
See <a href="http://cvesdreporter.blogspot.com/search/label/Common%20Core">all posts re Common Core</a> from CVESD Reporter blog.
<br/><br/>
<b>UPDATE April 15, 2014:</b> <br/><br/>
I just spoke to Anthony Millican at CVESD, and he tells me that it is not at all true that if a student "failed the test he wouldn’t get promoted to the next grade." I hope that Susan Luzzaro at the Reader will publish this fact, since her article offers no contradiction to this quote in its first paragraph.<br/><br/>
Mr. Millican notes that many teachers are delighted with Common Core. I'll bet the students of those teachers are also delighted. Why didn't Ms. Luzzaro quote any of them? <br/><br/>
<b>
ORIGINAL POST:</b><br/><br/>
I'm sure that there are many classrooms in Chula Vista Elementary School District where confident, competent teachers--and their students!--are completely relaxed about upcoming standardized tests. In fact, those kids probably think that taking tests is fun.<br/><br/>
But what about the teachers who simply don't know how to teach well? They are having hissy fits, and pointing the finger at Common Core Standards. There is nothing at all wrong with Common Core Standards. It's just that many teachers don't grasp the concept of a basic concept. That's what Common Core is all about: basic concepts.<br/><br/>
Historically, a large percentage of teachers have taught mostly by rote, without teaching kids how to think. Also, there are some pretty good teachers who simply don't like to go into depth when teaching a subject. They like to teach a concept and then move on. This method is NOT used in countries with highly successful education systems.<br/><br/>
These two types of teachers are intentionally upsetting children so that parents will come in and complain about Common Core instead of complaining about the teacher. <br/><br/>
Why isn't this parent asking why 70% of kids don't understand basic facts? Has she not been paying attention for the past decades as student performance has gone down? Does she know during those decades fewer and fewer teachers have come from top colleges? The average teacher these days is simply not up to the job. As teachers have become weaker, the job itself has become harder.<br/><br/>
So why doesn't the district simply teach the teachers how to teach? Perhaps you think that the district is run by brilliant minds? Administrators tend to be people who were very immersed in teacher culture and school politics when they were teachers. They played the game. They followed the right people. Don't expect them to have a particularly good understanding of the educational process, and don't expect them to know how to teach teachers.<br/><br/>
<b>
Has Ms. Phatek wondered whether there might be a better solution to her children's problem than getting rid of Common Core? <br/><br/>
</b>Perhaps she might consider this solution to the problem: <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/EvaluatingTeachers.html">Here's how every child can have an excellent teacher--without firing or laying-off any teachers!</a> <br/><br/>
San Diego County parents should have access, as do parents in Los Angeles, to information showing how much the students in each classroom are learning each year, as measured by year-by-year changes on standardized test scores. The Los Angeles Times published these "value-added" scores for each teacher. Why doesn't any San Diego news source publish our information? <br/><br/>
Amazingly, it was revealed that students of the most admired and highly-regarded teachers frequently showed remarkably little improvement. <b> You can always find teachers and parents who think they know who the best teachers are, but it turns out they're often completely wrong.</b><br/><br/>
Of course, test scores are only a clue, not a final determination, as to whether a teacher is doing a good job. Proper evaluation would consist of regular observations, interviews and test scores of both students and teachers. In the current system, most principals have very little knowledge about what most of their teachers are doing in the classroom. Often, years go by without a principal spending more than a few moments in a teacher's classroom. And in my 27 years teaching in CVESD, not once did any principal ever sit down and talk to me about my thinking about how to educate children.<br/><br/>
If teacher performance were evaluated effectively, there would be an added bonus: administrators could be chosen from among the best teachers. <br/><br/>
But the district administration isn't the only problem. There's also the teachers union. The one thing you can count on the California Teachers Association to do is to protect incompetent teachers. The parent in the article below who claims that Common Core is "advancing an agenda that I believe is geared toward privatizing all education" is doing what the teachers union calls "staying on message". She certainly sounds like she was coached. <br/><br/>
<b>
The test isn't creating a problem, it's exposing a problem that has existed for years. </b></i>
<br/>
<blockquote>
<a href="http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2014/apr/10/stringers-standardized-tests-shunned/?utm_content=bufferfdf85&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer"><br/>
Standardized tests shunned by South Bay parents</a><br/>
“My son had been experiencing headaches”<br/>
By Susan Luzzaro<br/>
San Diego Reader<br/>
April 10, 2014<br/><br/>
One night last year, Gretel Rodriguez was playing the word game Hangman with her son who attends HedenKamp Elementary in the Chula Vista Elementary School District. He chose an unusual word. When Rodriguez asked him why, her son said he was learning it for the California State Test. Then he said he was nervous — worried that if he failed the test he wouldn’t get promoted to the next grade.<br/><br/>
Rodriguez said in an April 7 interview, “My son had been experiencing headaches, then <b>when he told me his worries, I made up my mind to opt him out of any standardized exams.</b>”<br/><br/>
<i><i>[Maura Larkins' comment: Why didn't Rodriquez ask the school district if test results might be used to hold a child back? Did she ever consider helping her child to get the problem into perspective? Does she normally try to teach coping skills to her child? Does she teach her child to search out the facts before dissolving in fear? I suspect that the teacher might have been manipulating his or her students emotionally instead of dealing with his or her own fears about test results. Was the teacher really afraid of what might happen to himself (or herself)?<br/><br/>
Also, I'm wondering why the reporter who wrote this piece, Susan Luzzaro, fails to tell us if this child's fear is based on reality. Why doesn't Ms. Luzzaro report on this important question? Luzzaro's entire article seems to be based on the belief that the district actually flunks kids who do poorly on the test.]
</i></i><br/><br/>
Rodriguez is one of many parents, locally and nationally, who are choosing to opt their children out of testing.<br/><br/>
“By opting my son out of standardized tests I’ve also ensured he doesn’t have to take the SBAC [Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium] test this year as well,” Rodriguez continued.
<br/><br/>
In 2012, Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium was one of two companies that split a $330 million Department of Education grant to develop a computer-based test aligned with Common Core Standards.<br/><br/>
In 2014, students will be taking a Smarter Balanced field test, or a test to test the test — based on Common Core Standards. The test will be administered to California students between March and June.
<br/><br/>
Rodriguez has another son who is a special-education student in the Sweetwater Union High School District. At first he told his mother that he wanted to continue taking the standardized tests and Rodriguez agreed.<br/><br/>
Recently he changed his mind and asked his mom to opt him out. Rodriguez said she was happy about his decision because the new Common Core test has no modifications for special-education students or English-language learners.<br/><br/>
The Phataks have three children in public schools. Two of them go to Salt Creek Elementary in the Chula Vista Elementary School District; their older son attends Eastlake Middle School in the Sweetwater district.<br/><br/>
When asked which tests she was going to opt her children out of, Kristin Phatak answered, “All of them.”<br/><br/>
Phatak believes that “tests designed by publishing companies are not a good measure of my children’s progress. They also encourage teaching to the test.”<br/><br/>
Regarding the Smarter Balance test aligned with Common Core, Phatak stated, “I firmly believe that test is being designed to fail the children, and in turn fail the teachers and the schools. It’s an attack on public education.”<br/><br/>
When asked why she believes the test is designed to fail, Phatak resonded, “When you start looking at the money behind new Common Core Standards and the Smarter Balance testing, you begin to question both of them. Venture philanthropists, like the Gates Foundation, have poured millions into advancing an agenda that I believe is geared toward privatizing all education.<br/><br/>
[Maura Larkins' comment: The Gates Foundation? Phatek sounds pretty paranoid to me. Why wouldn't Bill Gates simply be trying to do for education the same thing he does for health--giving away huge amounts of money in an effort to make life better for people around the globe? Or perhaps Phatek has simply been influenced by teachers who don't want to improve their performance.]
"In states like Kentucky, where the Smarter Balanced Consortium test has already been used, the student failure rate was 70 percent. New York also had disastrous results with their Common Core exam. The push is to tie test scores to teacher evaluations. You can’t fail the teachers unless you fail the kids.”
<br/><br/>
Phatak encourages “parents who wish to be in tune with their childrens’ education to go to the Smarter Balance website and take the pilot test that corresponds to their child’s grade level.”<br/><br/>
Phatak said she began talking to other moms about opting out last year. She is “shocked” because so many are coming up to her this year and telling her they are opting out.<br/><br/>
Phatak is in contact with parents across the United States through her Facebook page, though she is not a member of a national opt-out organization.<br/><br/>
“There are no consequences for refusing to take the tests,” Phatak said. “They [districts] cannot hold a child back.”<br/><br/>
Opting out is not new to San Diego. In 2002, the Wall Street Journal carried a report on 212 Rancho Bernardo students who refused to take standardized tests. Rancho Bernardo parents expressed reasons similar to Chula Vista parents. They felt there was “no personal incentive for their children to labor over tests that aren’t included on school transcripts or are required for high school graduation.”
</blockquote>
<br/><br/><br/>
<i>I was intrigued by the difference between the San Diego Reader (above story) and the Chula Vista Star-News (story below) in reporting this issue. Reporter Robert Moreno provided a much more balanced view of the issue than did Susan Luzzaro.</i><br/><br/>
<blockquote>
<a href="http://www.thestarnews.com/chula-vista/common-core-receives-mixed-reviews/">Common Core receives mixed reviews </a><br/>
Robert Moreno <br/>
Chula Vista Star-News<br/>
Sep 28 2013 <br/><br/>
California's newest testing method is getting high praise by education officials in the South Bay, but some parents in the area’s school districts are giving the new testing measure an F.<br/><br/>
The Golden State signed on for the model on Aug. 2, 2010, with full implementation this school year. Forty-five states — including California — use the Common Core method of testing.<br/><br/>
<b>
John Nelson III, E.d.D, assistant superintendent of the Chula Vista Elementary School District</b>, said the new testing model places higher standards on students than the STAR testing did.<br/><br/>
“We (the district) believe that these new Common Core standards reflect the academic need of all students to be successful,” he said. <b>“We know that the old standards, we’ve learned a lot of good lessons from them; however, when it came to being college- and career-ready, the standards fell short.”</b><br/><br/>
<b>Nelson said under the STAR testing standards, students entering college were not prepared and as a result, dropout rates at the university continues to be high.</b><br/><br/>
Common Core tests students from K-12 in math, English, science and social science. The tests and curriculum are based more on the use of critical thinking skills than memorization.<br/><br/>
While the elementary school district approves the new testing measures, some parents are not getting with the Common Core program.<br/><br/>
Kristin Phatak has a son in the Chula Vista Elementary School District and another in the Sweetwater Union High School District. She is opposed to the Common Core because she said it is “dumbing down” the education standards.<br/><br/>
<i>[Maura Larkins' comment: <b>How does Kristin Phatek come up with this stuff? </b> I'm guessing that she like the old rote-memory method of teaching that left students unprepared for college. Kids were left with very little understanding of basic concepts, and a whole lot of memorization that tended to be forgotten. I agree with John Nelson that the new concept-based instruction is better for kids.]</i><br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0UsRjDxhJ1YzReTH9TqKoxOJronprEKvg4v0PfneBVl5zYV0VMBM638pLmv3aMpmM6yUknJzEpffC7JCbx0w3kPI8Uzbo4xD-fIqiEIv-CtfQXB3Z7i025N7Owvs_pY6FRWsj/s1600/Kristin+Phatak.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0UsRjDxhJ1YzReTH9TqKoxOJronprEKvg4v0PfneBVl5zYV0VMBM638pLmv3aMpmM6yUknJzEpffC7JCbx0w3kPI8Uzbo4xD-fIqiEIv-CtfQXB3Z7i025N7Owvs_pY6FRWsj/s400/Kristin+Phatak.png" /></a>
<br/>
<i>Kristin Phatek<br/>
Has Ms. Phatek wondered whether there might be a better <br/>
solution to her children's problem than getting rid of Common Core?
<br/><br/>
“California and Massachusetts were known in the nation as having some of the highest standards in the United States,” she said. “They did not use California or Massachusetts standards to rate these standards, they actually lowered the standards, and so by California signing on to these standards, we have in effect lowered our standards.”<br/><br/>
Nelson said the Common Core is not dumbing down education standards, but rather deepening the understanding of learning. He said it is more critical thinking-based than the STAR testing.<br/><br/>
Phatak claims that the Common Core puts local school districts in violation of the Williams Settlement Act.<br/><br/>
The class action lawsuit was filed in 2000 and argued agencies failed to provide public school students with equal access to instructional materials, safe and decent school facilities and qualified teachers. As a result of this, for every student in a classroom, the school must make available one textbook for each student.<br/><br/>
Phatak said because there are no textbooks available for the Common Core, teachers are struggling to come up with their own curriculum with Common Core methods.<br/><br/>
[Maura Larkins' comment: What is this woman talking about? You can use ANY textbook to teach Common Core. But teachers who rely on textbooks to guide every step of instruction are simply failing to understand how to teach basic concepts. For one thing, the teacher should be guided by what her students know, and how well they are learning. The teacher's instruction should largely be coming from the teacher's brain rather than a textbook, and should be using his or her own words. The teacher should be making heavy use of the white board and a marker--and should be putting manipulatives in students' hands.<br/><br/>
“What’s happening now is that the publishers have not come out with the textbooks for Common Core, yet the Chula Vista Elementary School District and the Sweetwater School District have decided to go ahead and implement it,” she said.<br/><br/>
<b>Nelson said the Common Core is not solely dependent on textbooks</b>.<br/><br/>
[Maura Larkins' comment: Hear, hear!]<br/><br/>
<b>“There’s been a lot of misunderstanding in the community, Common Core is not about the curriculum, it’s about how we teach,” he said. “Literature is literature. Now we did achieve use of more complex literature but Common Core is about changing the instructional practice of teachers.”</b><br/><br/>
Monica Cervantes is another parent who is against the Common Core. She has a child attending Tiffany Elementary School in Chula Vista. She said the elementary school district adopted the model without conducting research to see if it will actually work.<br/><br/>
“I think before you implement any type of curriculum, you have to make sure it works,” she said. “If you go back and look where it was implemented first there is a lot of downfall with this.”<br/><br/>
<b>California’s Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson recently announced that the Sweetwater Union High School District is receiving more than $8 million in state funding with the transition to the new testing model.</b><br/><br/>
<b>Manny Rubio, director of grants and communications with the Sweetwater Union High School District</b>, said a portion of that money could be spent on new textbooks used in preparation for the Common Core.
<br/><br/>
The Sweetwater District is adhering to the Common Core too, because Rubio said the testing is mandated by the state, and therefore they have no choice but to implement it.<br/><br/>
“This is something that is coming from Sacramento. It’s our mandate as far as following the law that they’ve issued.<br/><br/>
My understanding is that ... we do not have a choice (to not implement the Common Core),” Rubio said.<br/><br/>
Rubio said the district is implementing a Common Core curriculum for teachers this year with pilot testing for students. He said come next school year, the district will have mandated testing.<br/><br/>
<b>Tina Jung, information officer for the California Department of Education</b>, said the adoption of the Common Core is not mandatory. She said it is up to the local school districts, not the state, to decide if they want to implement the testing.<br/><br/>
“It is completely voluntary on the states and schools,” she said. “We can’t tell districts what to do. California is a local control state, that means local districts have more control than the state.”<br/><br/>
Jung also said if a district accepts money from the state for Common Core, then that money must be used for Common Core purposes.<br/><br/>
Because she did not want her child to take the Common Core test, Phatak withdrew one of her children from Tiffany Elementary school. The child is now being home schooled.<br/><br/>
<i>[Maura Larkins' comment: Why didn't Phatek help her child cope with anxiety instead of taking such a drastic measure. I have a suspicion that there's a lot more going on in Phatek's family than is revealed here.]</i><br/><br/>
Cervantes said she plans to opt her child out of Common Core testing.<br/><br/>
“We (parents) can try to stop this because this was adopted and not mandated by the state,” she said. “We have a choice, it is not mandated. They chose to adopt this.”<br/><br/>
According to the California Department of Education’s website, the Common Core describes what each student should know and be able to do in each subject in each grade.<br/><br/>
The name Common Core derives from the testing method that uses a set of national standards that apply to every school, district and state that has adopted the Common Core model.<br/><br/>
Rubio said parents “will not” have a choice of opting a child out of the testing.
<br/><br/>
But while Rubio mentions that students can’t opt out, California’s education code says differently.<br/><br/>
According to Education Code 60615, a student can opt out of testing.<br/><br/>
“Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a parent’s or guardian’s written request to school officials to excuse his or her child from any or all parts of the assessments administered pursuant to this chapter shall be granted,” the code reads.<br/><br/><br/>
</blockquote>
<br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXBKCPxP0yc3WPXeUYsGYqzHmQ9ZiBnDZYak7xgHF1i-tqKTaLycuXfqwOSSe9_WTe2nBrqb38Zqftynu2mgJ7JSWhX60CyND3pgzeTp2laDptXevO9VWf4cGw6Ikui2Hc4chSw/s1600/James+Milgram.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXBKCPxP0yc3WPXeUYsGYqzHmQ9ZiBnDZYak7xgHF1i-tqKTaLycuXfqwOSSe9_WTe2nBrqb38Zqftynu2mgJ7JSWhX60CyND3pgzeTp2laDptXevO9VWf4cGw6Ikui2Hc4chSw/s400/James+Milgram.jpg" /></a>
<br/>
<i>
Stanford University mathematics professor James Milgram
<br/><br/><br/>
I just noticed that the <a href="http://m.utsandiego.com/news/2014/mar/22/common-core-no-input-accountability-transparency/">San Diego Union-Tribune</a> has published a hysterical commentary on this subject by Lance T. Izumi. Mr. Izumi's rant contained an interesting fact:<br/><br/>
<blockquote>
...Stanford University mathematics professor James Milgram, an architect of California’s previous top-ranked state math standards and a member of Common Core’s Validation Committee, harshly criticizes the rigor of Common Core’s math standards: “With the exception of a few standards in trigonometry, the [Common Core] math standards end after Algebra II. They include no pre-calculus or calculus.”...</blockquote>
<br/>
Professor Milgram wants every kid in California to learn calculus!?! <br/><br/>
That's ridiculous. I took calculus in high school, and it didn't do me one bit of good because I didn't understand the basic concepts well enough. I got an A in the class, not because I understood the material, but because I learned and applied formulas. I had to take calculus over again at UCLA. I also took vector calculus, and when I graduated I thought I knew math. <br/><br/>
Even though I wasn't interested in going to graduate school at the time, I decided to take the GRE (Graduate Record Exam) at that time. I figured I'd never again do as well on the math section of the GRE than when I was fresh out of college math classes.<br/><br/>
I was wrong.<br/><br/>
I spent the next fifteen years teaching basic math concepts to fourth and fifth graders. I taught those basic concepts like they were going out of style. As a result, I myself came to understand those concepts really, really well.<br/><br/>
Then I took the GRE again. My GRE math score went up 100 points, from 640 to 740. <br/><br/>
My big improvement was due to focusing on elementary math concepts. I have had proof in my own life that if you want your kid to be really good in math, you must make your kid really learns basic concepts. And you shouldn't worry one bit whether your kid takes calculus in high school.</i><br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtZnctRZ8SzPZ551PIhWxpyLr-iTtrtFiyZSfU8DmznzzwQWWxCdZlKciJX7joqkdJNDfz7hyphenhyphenNVy7O0DYpOlxu2_vy3U9esb59LfNv8HfoHTG0_p52VRu1nujjlubkUCZn0BqJUA/s1600/Susan+Luzzaro.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtZnctRZ8SzPZ551PIhWxpyLr-iTtrtFiyZSfU8DmznzzwQWWxCdZlKciJX7joqkdJNDfz7hyphenhyphenNVy7O0DYpOlxu2_vy3U9esb59LfNv8HfoHTG0_p52VRu1nujjlubkUCZn0BqJUA/s400/Susan+Luzzaro.jpg" /></a>
<br/>
Will Susan Luzzaro continue to turn her back to <br/>
requests for more even-handed reporting?<br/><br/>
I sent the following email to the Reader on April 17, 2014:<br/><br/>
<blockquote>
Regarding this story:<br/>
Standardized tests shunned by South Bay parents<br/>
By Susan Luzzaro<br/>
San Diego Reader<br/>
April 10, 2014<br/><br/>
In the very first paragraph, Susan Luzzaro quotes a parent saying that her child was worried that "if he failed the test he wouldn’t get promoted to the next grade."<br/><br/>
Ms. Luzzaro makes absolutely no effort in the article to assure Readers that the test is not actually used to flunk children. This is not good journalism.<br/><br/>
I urge the Reader and Susan Luzzaro NOT to leave this false impression dangling in the minds of readers. Luzzaro should issue a clarification about the matter.<br/><br/>
</blockquote>
<b><a href="http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2014/apr/10/stringers-standardized-tests-shunned/">COMMENTS</a> ON SUSAN LUZZARO ARTICLE:</b><br/><br/>
<blockquote>
eastlaker April 10, 2014 @ 12:41 p.m.<br/><br/>
So, the testing is being done initially on materials the students have not been given. Gee, how fair is that?<br/><br/>
Especially when not only the students will be evaluated, but the teachers will be evaluated.<br/><br/>
<i>
<b>[Maura Larkins' response to eastlaker:<br/><br/>
The teachers are supposed to teach kids how to think, not just teach them specific facts and rules. <br/><br/>
A good test measures thinking ability. That's why teachers who can't teach reasoning and logic hate them so much. If you call it "teaching to the test" when kids are thought to respond to any question with logic, then teaching to the test is a good thing.]</b><br/><br/><br/>
</i>
oneoftheteachers April 10, 2014 @ 6:36 p.m.<br/><br/>
First of all, let's dispel the myth that corporations fostered:our educational system was broken. The US has some of the best universities in the world attended by graduates of our American public schools.<br/><br/>
<i><b>[Maura Larkins' response: No one is saying that American universities are broken. They're so good that people from all over the world come to attend them. Unfortunately, the only people breaking the door down trying to get into our average K-12 public school are people from Latin American countries with even worse educational systems. It's a disgrace that so many of our K-12 graduates are not prepared for our own universities.] <br/><br/>
It's interesting that there is only ONE comment one this page (at 9:50 a.m. on April 17, 2014) that even suggests looking at this issue differently. <br/><br/>
Bvavsvavev had the courage to say: "I am not an expert in education, so I don't know the answers. What I do know is that change is needed, money is needed, and testing is needed. The hows and whys can be left to experts to figure out."<br/><br/>
Of course, he is immediately shot down by the regular commenters.<br/><br/>
Interestingly, the Reader is the only news outlet in San Diego or elsewhere that prevents me from making comments. The reason was not that I made an improper comment, or even a comment that the Reader didn't like. In fact, the very first time I tried to sign up to make comments I was unable to do so. Who could have set this up? I suspect that Susan Luzzaro might have originated the idea. Susan Luzzaro's husband Frank, a former teacher and union official at Chula Vista Elementary School District, has made it clear to me that he doesn't want me revealing events at CVESD, at least not those that involve him. I once contacted the Reader to complain about not being able to make comments, and the result was that I was allowed to comment on <a href="http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2012/may/19/stringers-chula-vista-elementary-schools-seek-/">this one story</a>! Obviously, there is little effort at the Reader to provide a public forum. It's very much a controlled environment, run by political paymaster Jim Holman.]]</b></i><br/><br/>
</blockquote>Maura Larkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16800561169406889185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29477921.post-54139770679660631162014-04-09T08:07:00.002-07:002014-04-09T08:07:47.349-07:00Mother of Chula Vista student calls former teacher's behavior "the ultimate betrayal"
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Aus_pRv-j8J1UDR8T1CeRbz1_2Aot38d3pAQMFVYkozFbQkHJaBDg7ObiID4diP_BNfnVECC6HgUVPbRspvPAuvwAik3oM3jcDDMXK1qCgJ35cVxf2TLzZ_IxfTRPWyEqxMY/s1600/Kinloch+John+teacher-molest.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Aus_pRv-j8J1UDR8T1CeRbz1_2Aot38d3pAQMFVYkozFbQkHJaBDg7ObiID4diP_BNfnVECC6HgUVPbRspvPAuvwAik3oM3jcDDMXK1qCgJ35cVxf2TLzZ_IxfTRPWyEqxMY/s320/Kinloch+John+teacher-molest.jpg" /></a>
<br/>John Kinloch
<br/><br/>
<i>Chula Vista Elementary School District has a history of covering up or ignoring safety issues. They need to create at least a rudimentary system of observations of teachers to protect children--and to improve education. Principals tend to spend most of their time with their favorite teacher friends. In my experience, many principals have a few teachers who spend large amounts of time in the principal's office, giving advice (or, in some cases, instructions) to the principal. These principals spend almost zero time observing the teachers who aren't part of their office furniture.<br/><br/></i>
<a href="http://www.sandiego6.com/news/local/EXCLUSIVE-Mother-of-Chula-Vista-student-calls-former-teachers-behavior-the-ultimate-betrayal-254458821.html">EXCLUSIVE: Mother of Chula Vista student calls former teacher's behavior "the ultimate betrayal"</a><br/>
By Derek Staahl<br/>
Channel 6 <br/>
Apr 8, 2014 <br/><br/>
CHULA VISTA – The mother of a Chula Vista teen who testified that he was molested by his former second grade teacher is speaking out for the first time.<br/><br/>
“It's the ultimate betrayal. He betrayed my son. He shamed him. He brought his whole life down,” the boy’s mother said. She agreed to speak with San Diego 6 on condition of anonymity.<br/><br/>
The boy’s former teacher, 42-year-old John Raymond Kinloch, is behind bars awaiting trial on 44 felony counts, Deputy District Attorney Enrique Camarena said.<br/><br/>
The San Ysidro man is accused of sexual misconduct with five boys. Of those, Kinloch is accused of physically molesting two of them, Camarena said. Most of the charges against Kinloch are connected to the former student, who is now 17.
<br/><br/>
“He took so much away from my son. Even though my son is strong and everything, I know that it's eating him up inside. It's eating me up inside,” the mother said.<br/><br/>
The woman told San Diego 6 that she and her son viewed Kinloch “like a family member.” After Kinloch taught the boy in second grade at Feaster Charter School in 2003, they kept in touch and developed a close friendship. Over the next several years, Kinloch became a father figure for the boy, the mother said.<br/><br/>
“He went to birthday parties, he went to family reunions, he took my son to games – basketball games,” she said. “When I had heart surgery, when I had cancer, I confided in him. I always looked at him, like ‘Wow, this guy -- he's like a dad to my son.’”<br/><br/>
The woman said the student’s biological father left when the boy was about 3 years old.<br/><br/>
Kinloch and the boy maintained a close relationship from 2003 until 2012, when he was first arrested on suspicion of child pornography after an investigation by the San Diego Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Once news of the arrest broke, the woman says her son opened up to her about what had happened over the last nine years.<br/><br/>
“I said, ‘Did he ever touch you? Did he ever say anything inappropriate? Did he ever, you know, do anything?’ And he dropped his head. That's when I knew,” she said. She encouraged her son to go to the police, and he became the centerpiece of the criminal prosecution against Kinloch.<br/><br/>
Kinloch is accused of improperly touching and kissing the boy, along with asking him to remove his clothes and taking pictures of him naked, according to court documents. Kinloch has pleaded not guilty to the charges. His trial has been delayed until August 25.<br/><br/>
The woman has filed a lawsuit against the former teacher, the Chula Vista Elementary School District, and the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.<br/><br/>
“Mr. Kinloch was in his classroom at school, disrobing this child with the door locked. That's negligent supervision in my mind,” Elaine Heine, the mother’s attorney, told San Diego 6.<br/><br/>
The lawsuit, filed in August, also argues that the Chula Vista Elementary School District negligently hired Kinloch because he was a known distributor of child pornography.
<br/><br/>
In 1998, Kinloch agreed to testify in Great Britain about his involvement in a child pornography ring. In exchange for his testimony, the U.S. Attorney’s Office agreed to offer Kinloch immunity, and he was never charged, Camarena said. Kinloch was hired by the school district two years later.<br/><br/>
“He should never have been a teacher. And I keep saying if he had never been a teacher, my son wouldn't have been going through this for the rest of his life,” the mother said.<br/><br/>
The Chula Vista Elementary School District has filed a lawsuit against the federal Department of Justice, trying to determine why Kinloch’s background check raised no red flags.<br/><br/>
See <a href="http://www.sandiego6.com/news/local/EXCLUSIVE-Mother-of-Chula-Vista-student-calls-former-teachers-behavior-the-ultimate-betrayal-254458821.html">video.</a><br/><br/>Maura Larkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16800561169406889185noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29477921.post-50164844002045771602014-04-01T12:50:00.000-07:002014-04-01T12:51:10.701-07:00Dear [insert name of school here]: You might have won, but I still have a voice. And I plan on using it as much as I can to make things change.
<a href="http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2014/04/harvard-sexual-assault-victim-letter-crimson">Read the Devastating Letter by a Harvard Sexual-Assault Survivor</a><br/>
By Asawin Suebsaeng<br/>
Mother Jones <br/>
Apr. 1, 2014 <br/><br/>
On Monday, the Harvard Crimson, the university's student newspaper, posted an anonymous letter written by a student and sexual-assault survivor. The student details the aftermath of the alleged assault that occurred last year, and discusses how Harvard University administrators profoundly failed her. (This sort of thing is hardly unique to Harvard; rape and sexual assault on college and university campuses across the country is a huge problem, as is too often the administrative response to such cases.) The letter, titled "Dear Harvard: You Win," was published one day before the start of Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April.<br/><br/>
Here is an excerpt (read the whole thing—which is obviously tough to get through—here):<br/><br/>
<blockquote>
More than anything, I'm exhausted from living in the same House as the student who sexually assaulted me nine months ago.<br/><br/>
I've spent most of 2013 fighting the Harvard administration so that they would move my assailant to a different House, and I have failed miserably. Several weeks ago, in a grey room on the fourth floor of the Holyoke Center, my psychiatrist officially diagnosed me with depression. I did not budge, and I was not surprised. I developed an anxiety disorder shortly after moving back to my House this fall, and running into my assailant up to five times a day certainly did not help my recovery.<br/><br/>
[…]<br/><br/>
Dear Harvard: I am writing to let you know that I give up. I will be moving out of my House next semester, if only—quite literally—to save my life. You will no longer receive emails from me, asking for something to be done, pleading for someone to hear me, explaining how my grades are melting and how I have developed a mental illness as a result of your inaction. My assailant will remain unpunished, and life on this campus will continue its course as if nothing had happened. Today, Harvard, I am writing to let you know that you have won.<br/><br/>
[…]<br/><br/>
The last time I met with my resident dean, I told my dean about my depression, and how I thought it had been caused by the lack of validation and empathy I had received from the Harvard faculty. I said that it would be immensely helpful for me to know that my dean, not as a school official but as a human being, understood my pain and empathized with it. I asked my dean to take a step back from the situation and to admit that I had not been served well by the Harvard system. My pleas were met with a refusal to comment and an argument that it was not an administrator's role to criticize Harvard's sexual assault policy.<br/><br/>
If my resident dean refuses to question the current policy we have in place, then I will. Dear Harvard: You might have won, but I still have a voice. And I plan on using it as much as I can to make things change.</blockquote>
<br/><br/>
In response to this letter, the Undergraduate Council, Harvard College's student government, announced the formation of a task force to involve students in discussion of Harvard's sexual assault policies.<br/><br/>
Harvard University public affairs did not respond to Mother Jones' request for comment.<br/><br/>Maura Larkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16800561169406889185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29477921.post-85787458475588877232014-03-23T13:05:00.002-07:002014-03-23T13:30:08.365-07:00Southwestern College trustee Humberto Peraza calls for Sweetwater Superintendent Ed Brand to resign<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSPn2d8YXdPFl8PPl6c1hfaWHTfzCGfQ44KrE0H9f22dUsAA6p5Cxhj4XxLlIIoxFC7e65WRAjxxkuDdiY4IHWeiI7hCWS07Jf6PHNJnQy4JMTQI9v3JgM22HNmpTfSmu0Dowe/s1600/Humberto+Peraza+southwestern+trustee.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSPn2d8YXdPFl8PPl6c1hfaWHTfzCGfQ44KrE0H9f22dUsAA6p5Cxhj4XxLlIIoxFC7e65WRAjxxkuDdiY4IHWeiI7hCWS07Jf6PHNJnQy4JMTQI9v3JgM22HNmpTfSmu0Dowe/s320/Humberto+Peraza+southwestern+trustee.jpg" /></a>
<br/>
Humberto Peraza
<br/><br/>
<i>Several years ago I tried, with no luck, to interest Humberto Peraza in the problem of school corruption and dysfunction. I presented evidence of wrongdoing by Bertha Lopez and her fellow trustees at Chula Vista Elementary School District. It sure took a lot to get Peraza to speak up. He waited until Bonnie Dumanis indicted fifteen school officials and their associates. In fairness, I must admit that Peraza was very polite and respectful to me. Perhaps he would have done more if his boss at the time, Bob Filner, had given him the go ahead. But Peraza shouldn't pretend that Brand's sins are of recent vintage. Ed Brand was behaving badly long before Jesus Gandara came to town. I assume Peraza doesn't want to talk about that because too many powerful people might get unwanted attention if officials started taking an interest in what was going on at Sweetwater and other districts BEFORE all those famous dinners with contractors took place. For the record, the corruption I was talking about was directly harming students. It was not just about squeezing a few meals out of contractors.</i> <br/><br/>
<blockquote><a href="http://www.theswcsun.com/trustee-peraza-calls-for-resignation-of-suhsd-ed-brand/?fb_action_ids=10202419114692366&fb_action_types=og.likes">Trustee Peraza calls for resignation of SUHSD chief Ed Brand</a><br/>
Written by: Jaime Pronoble / News Editor<br/>
Southwestern Sun<br/>
03/14/2014<br/><br/>
As the Sweetwater Union High School District careens toward a possible March 18 teachers strike, <b>Southwestern College Trustee Humberto Peraza </b>called for the immediate resignation or termination of the district’s superintendent, Dr. Ed Brand.<br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWnY7UsiiiqszNqAgHjECNhdCPAD7yHQO8TIdUZeGKrhK1qLv49KQwcuBIERAZ-DrsXtW-g5Q-5WgNxbq7Gk5B3MFjYNYdkwGHf24uKZ0MUdRK9qNoSutwgn-rkF1Lb6Y3JPS1/s1600/edward-brand-sweetwater-superintendent-.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWnY7UsiiiqszNqAgHjECNhdCPAD7yHQO8TIdUZeGKrhK1qLv49KQwcuBIERAZ-DrsXtW-g5Q-5WgNxbq7Gk5B3MFjYNYdkwGHf24uKZ0MUdRK9qNoSutwgn-rkF1Lb6Y3JPS1/s320/edward-brand-sweetwater-superintendent-.jpg" /></a>
<br/>
Ed Brand
<br/><br/>
“This superintendent should be fired right away,” said Peraza. “We should not wait and just sit there for his contract to run out (in November)when he’s completely destroyed this district and continues to do damage to it on a daily basis.”<br/><br/>
Peraza said he is “disgusted” by Brand’s handling of the negotiations with the district teachers and his use of threats and bullying tactics.<br/><br/>
“Ed Brand was supposed to come in to help fix the situation from what was a corrupt regime,” said Peraza. “I don’t know who in this community thought that it could be any worse than what (former superintendent Jesus) Gandara did, but somehow, someway, Ed Brand has found a way to make this situation far worse than it was.”
<br/><br/>
Community leader Stewart Payne also called for Brand’s immediate resignation saying he has made conditions at the district “unhealthy.”<br/><br/>
“(The district) had issues before he came back,” Payne said, “but (Brand) has certainly made conditions and the environment in the district worse.”<br/><br/>
After more than a year of unsuccessful negotiations between the district and the Sweetwater Education Association (SEA), the teacher’s union, classroom teachers are gearing up to strike as early as Tuesday. SEA President Roberto Rodriguez said the district is not negotiating in good faith and has not cooperated with state mediators.<br/><br/>
<br/><br/>
“(The district) has been showing up for mediations, they have been here every meeting,” said Rodriguez, “but after four sessions of mediation, we got our first proposal from them at the last session, and it wasn’t a credible proposal from our point of view.”<br/><br/>
Peraza, said the situation at SUHSD has gotten out of hand.<br/><br/>
“The fact that the leadership of this district has allowed this to come to a point where they are about to strike and leave a lot of kids without an education for who knows how long is unbelievable,” said Peraza.<br/><br/>
Rodriguez said striking is not what the teachers want to do, but most have indicated they feel they have no choice.<br/><br/>
“Our goal isn’t to strike, it is to settle the contract with the district as soon as possible,” he said. “However, we want to make sure the district understands if they keep dragging their feet the way they have been, our members are ready to take the ultimate action.”
<br/><br/>
A letter from Brand said it is unlawful for the SEA to threaten a strike while engaged in impasse mediation, but Rodriguez said his claim is not true.<br/><br/>
Rodriguez said the SEA filed an unfair labor practice with the Public Employee Relations Board (PERB) on a contract violation by the district. He said district negotiators changed the amount of money the district contributes toward teacher health benefits.<br/><br/>
“We negotiated an agreement last year,” said Rodriguez. “In October, the district unilaterally announced they were going to contribute less money than had been negotiated. By changing the condition of the contract unilaterally, that is a violation of contract.”<br/><br/>
District negotiators denied any violations.<br/><br/>
Peraza acknowledged that it might seem unusual for a trustee of the community college to call for the resignation of the superintendent of the high school district, but he said he could no longer stand by quietly.<br/><br/>
“Sweetwater has a lot of great teachers and dedicated employees, but the place is a train wreck and Brand is driving the train,” he said. “We owe it to the kids in our community to fix this mess and we can’t start to do that until Brand is gone. He needs to leave right now.”<br/><br/><br/>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<a href="http://albertfulcher.wordpress.com/tag/humberto-peraza/">Southwestern College Elections 2012</a><br/>
October 20, 2012 <br/>
Southwestern Sun<br/>
Compiled by: Albert Fulcher, Thomas Baker, Angelica Rodriguez, Amparo Mendoza, Serina Duarte, Enrique Raymundo<br/><br/>
Governing Board Vice President Humberto Peraza was appointed last August during a time of turmoil and controversy. He said he decided to run for election to the board to continue his work to reform SWC and clean up the college’s reputation following the “pay for play” scandal that led to numerous felony charges against former college administrators and board members. He is a small business owner, and formerly policy director for San Diego City Council President Ben Hueso, regional director for Senator Barbara Boxer and district chief of staff to Congressman Bob Filner.<br/><br/>
Married with two young boys, Peraza said he has coached soccer, football and Little League baseball. His wife is also a professional.<br/><br/>
“We are a family that is constantly on the move,” he said. “That is a full-time job in itself. My parents, my aunts and my wife’s parents all live here so our family is a South Bay family. This is our home and I want to make sure that the education is good for our kids.”<br/><br/>
Peraza said he brings experience and knowledge of the community to the college and this has fueled his efforts to reform old policies and demand transparency.<br/><br/>
“Ultimately, I want to do something that leaves something for our children,” he said. “I am running so that the board stays on the right track. It has pushed in the right direction and hired a new superintendent. We have done more things in one year than most boards and governmental entities have done in three or four. You have instructional, ethics and campaign reform. We started the community benefits agreement. Countless things in between are happening and have been accomplished.”<br/><br/>
Peraza said community members still have concerns about accreditation, Proposition R and past corruption. He said the current board majority is reforming the college and that “house cleaning” continues. “(The previous) board has been completely wiped out,” he said. “There is a new superintendent in town and she wiped out the (corrupt) staff. We continue to push and create reforms.”<br/><br/>
Peraza said it takes people of courage to stand in the face of adversity.<br/><br/>
“I have enjoyed working with this board and the superintendent to continue changes,” he said. “It has been my honor and I would consider myself lucky if I can continue to do it for four more years. We are still in the tunnel but we can see the light at the end. Perception is important. Doing the right thing, being a transparent, open government creates trust on campus in the community. I am running to continue to make those reforms, see that finished and see Southwestern College become the shining example for the rest of the region.”<br/><br/>
Peraza said budget is the biggest challenge today and if Proposition 30 fails SWC faces “devastating” cuts to classes and programs.<br/><br/>
“My hope is if that Prop 30 passes, that gives us a little more flexibility to stay within the budget, to be able to handle the services for the people and the students that we service right now,” he said. “That is important to make sure that we can actually educate people and that we have the faculty, staff, teachers and counselors. I don’t think anyone can come up with a sweeping solution and if they say they can, they are lying to you. If someone has a solution for a $10 million budget cut, I would love to hear it. I think that our solutions have to be looked at long term.”<br/><br/>
Peraza said he has advocated for revenue generation as an alternative to constant cutting. He said the stadium is an example of an underutilized college resource and could generate revenue hosting local and international professional soccer, rugby and concerts.<br/><br/>
“I have heard from experienced educators that up to 25 community colleges will close and cease to exist if the tax initiative does not pass and that is a very scary thought,” he said. “Things (in California are) getting worse and worse.”<br/><br/>
Peraza said Senate Bill 1456, based on the Student Success Task Force Recommendations, has good ideas but is also troubling. Passed last month, the legislation narrows the mission of community colleges to transfer and certificate attainment. It will require all incoming freshmen to declare majors and have an educational plan aimed to get them through community college in two years instead of the current average of four.<br/><br/>
“The whole thing about having people coming in and deciding what their major is going to be and turning it into almost like a factory, you are in and out in two years, not everybody works that way,” he said. “There are many students that do not know what they want and they come to community college for exactly that reason.”<br/><br/>
Working students have it much tougher these days, Peraza said, and cannot take as many classes as the new legislation will require.<br/><br/>
“Some will be left out in the cold and that is my biggest concern,” he said. “Not everybody is the same. It cannot be this cookie cutter ideal that everybody fits into this one box. It doesn’t work that way.”<br/><br/>
Speech and press freedom are essential, Peraza said. He pledged to always fight for First Amendment rights for all while he is on the board.<br/><br/>
“Student reporters (in colleges have) freedom of the press,” he said. “To me, the free press is untouchable. It should not be impacted in any way or influenced by anyone on this campus, including myself, and the administration. There should never be a time, like the (past) administration that tried to block printing of the newspaper just because they do not like what you write.”<br/><br/>
Peraza said he is working to introduce a local hiring process that helps veteran and disabled-owned companies.
<br/><br/>
“One of the reasons is to ensure that local people get (college construction) jobs,” he said. “People that are paying for those bonds should be the ones (who benefit). If we can do that we can revitalize our local economy rather than money going somewhere else.”
<br/><br/>
Peraza said he is able to make tough decisions.<br/><br/>
“We need the people with the most courage,” he said. “I am not worried about where else I am going to go, or where I am going to be. I am here to make sure that students get educated when there are cuts. What is the most important thing on this campus? Educating students, period.”</blockquote>Maura Larkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16800561169406889185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29477921.post-72622535350675607062014-03-22T15:09:00.002-07:002014-03-22T15:09:41.363-07:00Quinones, Ricasa, Cartmill, Cabello weigh pleas vs. fighting<i>The district attorney does not want trials in school official corruption cases because too much information would come out. I consider it a joke to be prosecuting officials for having dinner with contractors when far more serious corruption exists in <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/SanDiegoCountyOfficeofEducation.html">San Diego County schools.</a></i><br/><br/>
<a href="http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2014/mar/21/ticker-quinones-ricasa-cartmill-cabello-pleas/">Quinones, Ricasa, Cartmill, Cabello weigh pleas vs. fighting</a><br/>
Annie Malcolm loans a crucial $500<br/>
By Susan Luzzaro<br/>
March 21, 2014<br/><br/>
No one can estimate the cost to taxpayers for the South Bay scandal that involved pay-to-play charges and millions in Southwestern College and Sweetwater Union High School District bond money. But the costs continue to add up for defendants.<br/><br/>
Sweetwater trustee Pearl Quinones plead guilty to one felony and one misdemeanor March 18. In a phone conversation March 19 Quinones said, “I made the decision to plea because of my family. The pressure and the expense are too much. Even at the last minute though, when I was standing in front of Judge [Ana] Espana, I still wanted to keep fighting.”
<br/><br/>
Quinones noted her felony charge was just over $500. Her plea stated: “In 2007, I was an elected School Board member of the Sweetwater Union High School District. I accepted gifts from Henry Amigable in 2007 with a total value in excess of $500 and I did not report them. The maximum amount of gifts one may receive from one source per year as of 2007 was three hundred and ninety dollars. Henry Amigable provided these gifts with the intent to influence my vote on business awarded to Gilbane, his employer.”<br/><br/>
There is some confusion about whether Quinones will step down from the board immediately. It was not part of her plea agreement. According to deputy district attorney Leon Schorr, <b>trustee Arlie Ricasa had indicated prior to accepting a plea deal that she would step down. Quinones made no such agreement</b>.<br/><br/>
Clouding the issue of Quinones’s trustee seat, Judge Espana has recently boiled some corruption felony charges down to misdemeanors — it’s anyone’s guess what will happen April 28 when Quinones is sentenced. <b>(Southwestern College’s vice-president, Nicholas Alioto, for example, plead guilty to a felony, which Espana later reduced to a misdemeanor.)</b>
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Sweetwater’s attorney Dan Shinoff was contacted by email regarding Quinones’s trustee seat, however he did not respond by the time this story was filed.<br/><br/>
Prohibitive legal costs compelled former Sweetwater trustee Arlie Ricasa and trustee Jim Cartmill to start defense funds.
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Ricasa pleaded guilty in December to a misdemeanor. Her largest defense donors were family members. New Image Computers also donated $5000 to her defense.
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Cartmill has been charged with wrongful influence, filing a false instrument and accepting a bribe among other things. Through his business Let’s Talk Health, he loaned his defense fund $20,000. Annie Malcolm, wife to David Malcolm, a former port commissioner who was obliged to step down due to conflict of interest charges, donated $5,000 to Cartmill’s defense.
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Justice has been meted out for South Bay corruption defendant Gary Cabello in a different way. Cabello worked for several bond underwriting firms and was involved in transactions for both Southwestern College and Sweetwater Union High School District.<br/><br/>
On October 28, 2013 he plead guilty to two felony counts.<br/><br/>
In addition, on March 18 the Securities and Exchange Commission barred Cabello from association with any broker, dealer, investment adviser and barred him from participating in an penny stock offerings.<br/><br/>
No doubt as the April 28 trial date approaches — the remaining defendants will be weighing the price of a plea bargain against the price of a trial.<br/><br/>
Maura Larkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16800561169406889185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29477921.post-70086192909522216512014-02-27T12:40:00.003-08:002014-03-01T11:20:26.300-08:00Mayor Cheryl Cox confronts Sweetwater Union High School District; CVESD Supt. Escobedo needs to do a LOT MORE than work on "relationships"<a href="http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/feb/25/chula-vista-mayor-cheryl-cox-state-address/">Mayor takes aim at Sweetwater during speech</a><br/>
Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox delivers final state of the city, addresses issues at Sweetwater<br/>
By Allison Sampite-Montecalvo<br/>
SDUT<br/>
Feb. 25, 2014<br/><br/>
CHULA VISTA — Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox delivered her final state of the city address Tuesday night to a packed city hall, using the forum to zero in on the Sweetwater school district, which she said needs to improve its relationship with the community...<br/><br/>
Cox said the Sweetwater Union High school District's problems continue to affect the city’s reputation and students’ future. A major issue in the district has been the prosecution of four of five school board members on corruption charges. One has since pleaded guilty and resigned...<br/><br/>
Cox said she’s done watching poor governance get worse.<br/><br/>
<b><i>
[Maura Larkins comment: I see no indication at all that <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/SweetwaterEA.html">Sweetwater </a>has gotten worse. Mayor Cox seems to be forgetting decades of bad behavior. Or perhaps Cox is only worried about contractor kickbacks, not the deeper corruption that affects students directly.
<br/><br/>
Does Mayor Cox think that the <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/WeegarMaryAnneWeegar.html">Mary Ann Weegar case </a>was a result of better governance than what SUHSD has at present? And does she think <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/BonifacioBonnyGarcia.html">Bonny Garcia</a> gave better legal advice than Dan Shinoff does? Just over two years ago attorney Dan Shinoff took over Bonny Garcia's duties as SUHSD's lawyer for day-to-day advice. Shinoff continues, as he has done for over a decade, to defend the district when it gets sued. The board seems to think that Shinoff is good at silencing public comment about the district, but Mr. Shinoff seems to have lost his touch in that regard. He doesn't appear to have been much <a href="http://learningboosters.blogspot.com/2014/02/12-million-verdict-against-san-ysidro.html">help to San Ysidro School District recently.</a> Does Mayor Cox think that <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/EdBrandSweetwaterSuperintendent.html">perenniel SUHSD Supt. Ed Brand </a>suddenly became corrupt?]<br/><br/>
See <a href="http://learningboosters.blogspot.com/search/label/.%20Shinoff%20%28Daniel%20Shinoff%29">all SDER posts re Dan Shinoff</a>.</i></b><br/><br/>
“I am compelled to confront Sweetwater’s current problems through my ability to convene community members in constructive conversation,” she said. “It’s clear that the district is an asset that reflects on perceptions the city.”<br/><br/>
In essence, she said it’s time for the district to overcome its bad reputation.<br/><br/>
...In a statement released the following day, Sweetwater district superintendent Ed Brand said that putting learning first has been and will continue to be, the commitment of the district.<br/><br/>
“Is the Sweetwater Union High School District going through a difficult time? Yes," Brand said. "Are there actions that we can take to improve the district? Of course there are. We appreciate the concern of Mayor Cox and welcome a dialogue on how to move forward."<br/><br/>
<b>Francisco Escobedo, superintendent of the Chula Vista Elementary School District, said her comments were poignant.<br/><br/>
“I understand where she’s coming from and I look forward to improving our relationship and collaboration with Sweetwater,” he said.</b><br/><br/>
<i>[Maura Larkins' comment: Escobedo is right not to attack Sweetwater. He needs to clean up corruption at <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/CVESD.html">CVESD</a>, but he has shown absolutely no interest in any such effort.]
</i><br/><br/>
Councilman Rudy Ramirez said he was glad to hear her weigh in on the issue.<br/><br/>
“I like that she stepped out on Sweetwater,” he said. “It was a little uncharacteristic and edgy for her.”<br/><br/>
<i>[Maura Larkins' comment: Edgy? Are you kidding, Mr. Ramirez? It's about time someone made an issue of school corruption.]</i><br/><br/>
Cox also discussed the concept of <a href="http://cvesdreporter.blogspot.com/2014/01/mary-salas-proposes-unifying-chula.html">unifying the Sweetwater district with local elementary school districts,</a> a proposal brought up last month by fellow Councilwoman Mary Salas.<br/><br/>
“The idea of unifying K-12 was … in response to what I perceive to be frustration with the Sweetwater district,” she said. <b>“First, it doesn’t address the issue of better governance, </b>and second, minus the support of districts themselves, unification is dead on arrival.”<br/><br/>
<i>[Maura Larkins' comment: Good point! The unification project does NOT address the issue of better governance. Cheryl Cox knows that there are problems at CVESD. I suspect that she was pretty disgusted with CVESD by the time she left.]</i>
Cox, who will be termed out of the mayor's office in the fall, said the culture at Sweetwater should change at the top before a conversation about unification can be had.<br/><br/>
“We’ve turned things around at city hall in the face of dire circumstances,” she said. “The same can be done at Sweetwater.”...<br/><br/>Maura Larkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16800561169406889185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29477921.post-8527938136678815592014-02-17T19:07:00.001-08:002014-02-17T19:14:11.911-08:00Alioto, Dominguez, Salcido, Wilson plead guilty<br/>
<i>Why did this case result in puny plea bargains? My guess is that no one in downtown San Diego wants the public to learn about the true scope of corruption in our schools. This whole circus seems to have been about who gets to stay in the education establishment rather than actually cleaning up the establishment. There's absolutely no reason why business as usual will not proceed in our educational institutions.<br/><br/>
It's not that I wanted harsher punishment for these defendants. Absolutely not. I think these people are just fall guys. I would like to see a public trial in which these people could talk about the culture they encountered when they first got involved with Southwestern College and Sweetwater Union High School District.</i>
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<a href="http://www.theswcsun.com/alioto-dominguez-salcido-wilson-plead-guilty/">
Alioto, Dominguez, Salcido, Wilson plead guilty</a><br/>
Written by: Lina Chankar / Senior Staff Writer<br/>
Southwestern College Sun<br/>
01/28/2014<br/><br/>
Four more former Southwestern College officials pleaded guilty to felonies and misdemeanors in the South Bay Corruption Case. Former administrators Nicholas Alioto and John Wilson along with former trustees Yolanda Salcido and Jorge Dominguez all likely avoided prison sentences by admitting guilt to one count. They joined former superintendent Raj. K. Chopra as former college officials guilty of crimes related to Proposition R funding.<br/><br/>
College employees expressed disappointment over the lenient sentences approved by Judge Ana España and the San Diego County District Attorney, but also relief that the scandal and criminal proceedings may be finally winding down. Of the 15 defendants in the case, 12 had direct links to SWC either as officials, employees or contractors. Defendants originally faced 262 charges in what District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis called the “largest corruption case in the history of San Diego County.” As of press time, 11 of the cases have been settled through plea bargains.<br/><br/>
Salcido was originally indicted on 14 counts, including extortion, perjury and accepting bribes. She pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for filing a false document. Her sentencing is April 22.<br/><br/>
Also pleading guilty to criminal charges were former SWC contractors Paul Bunton, Henry Amigable, Jeff Flores and Gary Cabello. SWC EOPS Director Arlie Ricasa pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for crimes committed as a Sweetwater Union High School District trustee (see adjacent story). Charges against former SWC Interim President Greg Sandoval, a former SUHSD trustee, are pending. Sweetwater trustees Jim Cartmill, Pearl Quiñonez and Bertha Lopez still face charges, as does former Sweetwater superintendent Jesus Gandara.<br/><br/>
All defendants had extensive affidavits detailing the charges against them. Most were more than 100 pages.
Chopra originally faced 13 charges — nine felonies — including perjury, receiving a bribe and conflict of interest. He pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of filing a false document. Chopra will not make any more court appearances, said his attorney Michael Attanasio. Chopra was fined and will perform community service, said Attanasio, but amounts are pending.<br/><br/>
Former SWC facilities director Wilson pleaded guilty to one felony, as did former trustee Dominguez. Former vice president of business Alioto originally faced 12 counts, including bribery and perjury, but was allowed by the DA to plead guilty to just one felony. Alioto, Chopra and Wilson will be sentenced Jan. 7.<br/><br/>
Former Seville Construction executive Amigable cooperated with prosecutors in exchange for a misdemeanor plea deal. An email he sent to SWC construction contractor Flores explaining how Dominguez could influence Chopra was described in an affidavit.<br/><br/>
“Had a good dinner this evening with George (Jorge) Dominguez Board member at Southwestern College, his wife, Greg Sandoval and his wife and Angela and I,” wrote Amigable. “Greg encouraged George to support us to get the Program management assignment at Southwestern College. Right now the President of the college Raj Chopra has gotten real close to George. George believes he can influence Chopra right now because he needs his board support. He is going to set up a lunch with the President and let us pitch to him directly why they need to hire a PM (program manager) right away they want to go over John Wilson. In addition, George is going to try and influence who will be put on the selection committee.”<br/><br/>
SWC officials were treated to expensive dinners, extravagant wine and cocktails, theatre tickets, sporting events and other gifts in exchange for support and favors for Proposition R contractors and hopefuls. Some dinners approached $3,000 with wine and bar tabs of nearly $600.<br/><br/>
Proposition R-related events have rattled the college since 2008 when the $389 million construction bond passed. Chopra punished college employees who spoke against passage of the measure and layed off at least one classified employee for not supporting the bond.<br/><br/>
Chopra, Alioto and Salcido engaged in an assault on the student newspaper and its faculty when it began investigating irregularities in contracting, campaign contributions, extravagant gifts to college administrators, and secretive transactions at the college’s educational foundation in 2009. Alioto twice froze newspaper funding, refused to authorize payment of printing bills and publically accused the adviser of financial mismanagement. Chopra physically assaulted a journalism student and the newspaper adviser, then offered the adviser “whatever it is you want” to influence his students to stop the investigations.
In 2010 Alioto ordered campus police to arrest three staff members of The Sun. When four armed officers approached the newspaper building the adviser locked them in his office and refused to turn them over. A two-and-a-half hour standoff ensued and a crowed gathered. Police left when Professor Robert Unger, a lawyer, convinced them that their action was illegal and they needed to leave.<br/><br/>
Alioto also took control of the newspaper’s advertising revenue and failed to collect more than $11,000 over a period of 12 months. Journalism students billed the college for the funds in 2011, but the request was ignored.
In September 2010 Chopra directed former Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Mark Meadows to order The Sun to cease publication until after the November 2010 governing board elections. Journalism students raised private funds and printed the September 2010 issue of The Sun in Los Angeles County. The issue broke the story of Alioto accepting luxurious vacations and other gifts from contractors and potential contractors. The Sun also published investigations about unreported campaign contributions to Salcido, Dominguez and current board president Terry Valladolid. Valladolid cooperated with the DA and has not been indicted.<br/><br/>
Salcido and Dominguez were defeated at the polls by Norma Hernandez and Tim Nader. Days before the new board majority assumed office, Salcido, Dominguez, Valladolid and former trustee Jean Roesch voted to give Chopra a $100,000 severance package and he resigned before he could be fired. Alioto resigned in March 2012, followed by more than a dozen other Chopra allies in the administration, including the VP of human resources and the campus police chief.<br/><br/>
Maura Larkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16800561169406889185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29477921.post-26889980154859625452014-02-14T12:10:00.001-08:002014-03-23T15:23:13.197-07:00CVESD teacher removed for requesting massages: another member of the Castle Park Family causes a scandal
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7fJDagyOl2ZbIyndYTDPS93ENeF1pKqzGiwmvI5XgxhgB4oZcIByUorLO_YcmzHciLdtHhYV-3ejA6DvOwr9md1r2PBNaPM9E7TSnt0CaWnY8mqfATdwJw_aEPOhAC1alGG0H/s1600/stephanie_petitt.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7fJDagyOl2ZbIyndYTDPS93ENeF1pKqzGiwmvI5XgxhgB4oZcIByUorLO_YcmzHciLdtHhYV-3ejA6DvOwr9md1r2PBNaPM9E7TSnt0CaWnY8mqfATdwJw_aEPOhAC1alGG0H/s400/stephanie_petitt.jpg" /></a>
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Stephenie Parker-Pettit
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<i>Comments regarding this post can be found <a href="https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=13283704&postID=6748805771685445463">HERE</a>.</i><br/><br/>
Stephenie Pettit has been placed on administrative leave for requesting massages from students. (See Channel 10 News story below.) <br/><br/>
No one, including the police, has found that there was any hint of wrongdoing in Ms. Pettit's classroom--only bad judgment. <br/><br/>
(Updated Mar. 14, 2014) But a parent has made me realize that Ms. Pettit's actions could result in serious harm to students in the future because they conditioned children to touch an adult on request. Even worse, kids were given class currency to do the touching. If CVESD used my<a href="http://mauralarkins.com/EvaluatingTeachers.html"> plan for master teachers,</a> this would not have happened. Our system puts untested teachers in full and solitary control of classrooms right after getting their teaching credentials. There is no close oversight or support to guide them.<br/><br/>
Superintendent Francisco Escobedo will need to be careful in this case. A couple of members of his administration have more to hide than a few massages. <br/><br/> Asst. Supt. Sandra Villegas-Zuniga and Human Resources director Peg Myers will want to go easy on Ms. Pettit. They will want to continue the district's policy of avoiding investigations. It's a good policy when the people with the most to hide are not the ones the district is targeting. Ms. Pettit might say more than they want to hear if she were pressed for information. <br/><br/>
WHAT KIND OF INVESTIGATIONS DOES CVESD CONDUCT?<br/><br/>
Let's compare two situations: kids giving massages in the current case versus a report that a teacher might come to school and shoot everybody in an earlier case involving Peg Myers and Stephenie Pettit. Why was there NO investigation in the earlier case, while the police were called in in the second case? Because no reporters were interested in the earlier case.<br/><br/>
The fact is, CVESD doesn't do thorough investigations to keep kids safe. Instead, it tries to protect its reputation. Too often this means covering up truly illegal actions by staff. As soon as as a report of child molestation surfaces in any school, a district administrator runs over to the school and threatens all the teachers that they'd better keep quiet. And they do keep quiet. The public has the right to vote for board members, but clearly does NOT enjoy the right to know what's going on at school districts. <br/><br/>
Stephenie Pettit would NOT be the target of any investigation in the earlier case, but she'd be a star witness. She knows the truth about the reports of "fear for their lives" by teachers Jo Ellen Hamilton and Linda Watson when they taught at Castle Park Elementary in 2001. Pettit knows the role that Peg Myers played in the cover-up of crimes by Robin Donlan and other teachers. <br/><br/>
And Sandra Villegas-Zuniga and Francisco Escobedo also know, or they should know. <br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ3m1OQNGMIwzOn0C6zDRo5cxOL0ZygxTIuAmc9I-Y_Rtmb_EfPX-deqN9p0N9ZmwG9I5AGw0ocYrb62gRVr2TNPZlY25SQ6_aOSD2Px0N6TFz5S_uMyMPMJ7HYyB7aZO15v88eA/s1600/Sandra+Villegas+Zuniga+CVESD.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ3m1OQNGMIwzOn0C6zDRo5cxOL0ZygxTIuAmc9I-Y_Rtmb_EfPX-deqN9p0N9ZmwG9I5AGw0ocYrb62gRVr2TNPZlY25SQ6_aOSD2Px0N6TFz5S_uMyMPMJ7HYyB7aZO15v88eA/s400/Sandra+Villegas+Zuniga+CVESD.jpg" /></a>
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Asst. Supt. Sandra Villegas-Zuniga might want to review her bizarre dealings with Peg Myers.<br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaBPWKeQhKdaOsnKEUcy4JP8TSUX9zq27Cu9B7dpzYZpmpSouBo4DIGnU9P0VjoGZU0eA1uyT54-aZQZ8QxhCpCkCo3IAmV5jsnELJmy9XZcW-LcKhgHXAs5rLoYzAYtL-4FhwyA/s1600/Peg+Myers+SwearIn-270x195.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaBPWKeQhKdaOsnKEUcy4JP8TSUX9zq27Cu9B7dpzYZpmpSouBo4DIGnU9P0VjoGZU0eA1uyT54-aZQZ8QxhCpCkCo3IAmV5jsnELJmy9XZcW-LcKhgHXAs5rLoYzAYtL-4FhwyA/s320/Peg+Myers+SwearIn-270x195.jpg" /></a>
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Peg Myers at her <a href="http://www.mauralarkins.com/PegMyersDepositionPg1.html">deposition</a>
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When Myers was the site representative at <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/CastleParkElementarySchool.html">Castle Park Elementary School about ten years ago,</a> she kept a tight rein on Stephenie Pettit in order to make sure that illegal actions were kept hidden. Stephenie Pettit was not involved in the original illegal actions, but she did keep her mouth shut after she found out about them. Later, when Myers was President of Chula Vista Educators (CVE), she continued to use her position to cover-up <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/MauraLarkinsOAHhearing.html">events at Castle Park in 2000-2001.</a> <br/><br/>
When she was President of CVE, Myers apparently impressed Villegas-Zuniga as someone who would help the district manipulate teachers. After sitting across from Myers at the bargaining table for a number of years, Villegas-Zuniga convinced Myers to clamber across the table to the other side and accept the job of Director of Human Resources. Obviously, Peg's intimate knowledge of individual teachers, and the workings of the teacher union, have been very helpful to the district in intimidating teachers. [Yes, I know that the district website claims that Myers is in charge of "classified" staff. Don't be fooled. She spends at least some of her time intimidating teachers.]<br/><br/>
So here's the problem in the current situation. Stephenie Pettit knows the details of who was involved, and what actions they took, during the years when a large number of violations of civil and criminal laws were committed at Castle Park Elementary School, the district office, and the teachers union. The near-destruction of a school by power-hungry teachers and administrators was just the boost Peg Myers' career needed, and she has catapulted dramatically to higher positions since she was just an ordinary teacher at Castle Park Elementary in 2001.<br/><br/>
CASTLE PARK ELEMENTARY<br/><br/>
<i>The effects of the decade-long teacher meltdown at<a href="http://mauralarkins.com/CastleParkElementarySchool.html"> Castle Park Elementary</a>--that resulted in the school having 11 principals in 11 years--continue to ripple through the district. <br/><br/>
It staggers the imagination to realize how many teachers involved with Castle Park Elementary's descent into a miasma of dysfunction have continued to make news long since the Chula Vista Star-News and San Diego Union-Tribune lost interest in supporting a troublesome group of teachers, parents and administrators that brought the school to its knees during their years of arbitrary power.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKnpuXzng7fyDBGk57w8qk4JHVVoyVt9uV4plnsHInLXh9UAa-NO6b676bq7nI8YetMQRc1CSRlI3H_BUGvC7FhXNeJZCrTxxNJEVDRw5vai9f9qO1utxM-GK-xEr8mKwhaiAnxQ/s1600/Pam+Smith+Larry+Cunningham.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKnpuXzng7fyDBGk57w8qk4JHVVoyVt9uV4plnsHInLXh9UAa-NO6b676bq7nI8YetMQRc1CSRlI3H_BUGvC7FhXNeJZCrTxxNJEVDRw5vai9f9qO1utxM-GK-xEr8mKwhaiAnxQ/s320/Pam+Smith+Larry+Cunningham.jpg" /></a>
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Pam Smith and Larry Cunningham<br/><br/>
Current Chula Vista Elementary board members <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/pamsmith.html">Pam Smith </a>and <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/larrycunninghamCVESD.html">Larry Cunningham</a> oversaw the cover-up of illegal actions by CVESD employees at the school in 2000-2001. (I was a teacher at Castle Park Elementary, with Stephenie Pettit and Peg Myers, at that time.) <br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ2N3R9I02ad0JbDYItCJ7MJzKjouEv0zs5r58uc5VqaPOxCcD4gi8mcj4jpHk6HzQiyje78o1wnbb9feqXunSqxaNBW9pI6-FlElYYC7q_WtITBAy5EmACfSYsNf2TTxy2LOyIA/s1600/Jim_Groth-121x161.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ2N3R9I02ad0JbDYItCJ7MJzKjouEv0zs5r58uc5VqaPOxCcD4gi8mcj4jpHk6HzQiyje78o1wnbb9feqXunSqxaNBW9pI6-FlElYYC7q_WtITBAy5EmACfSYsNf2TTxy2LOyIA/s320/Jim_Groth-121x161.jpg" /></a>
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Former CVE president Jim Groth wanted a replacement who would continue the teacher versus teacher culture that he had helped create. Peg Myers fit the bill perfectly. See <a href="http://learningboosters.blogspot.com/search/label/.%20Groth%20%28Jim%20Groth%29">all Jim Groth blog posts.</a><br/><br/>
It should be mentioned that current member of the statewide CTA board of directors <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/CVEducators.html">Jim Groth</a> played a big role in the concealment of illegal actions. He was then, and still is, a member of the Chula Vista Educators board. I imagine he's already hopped in his car and driven over to the district office to remind the administration that the district and the teachers union need to continue the cover-up.<br/><br/>
After the district paid $100,000s of taxpayer dollars in <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/LawEnforcement.html">legal fees to lawyers Dan Shinoff and Mark Bresee for their successful efforts to protect teachers and administrators who had committed crimes</a>, the prevailing teachers apparently felt invulnerable. They delighted in their arbitrary power to do whatever they wanted and get away with it. What else could the district expect when it had fired a teacher (me!) simply for demanding an investigation, and for refusing to come back to work until something was done about the relentless harassment of me by teacher thugs. <br/><br/>
Kids are being harmed every day in CVESD classrooms by cruel and/or incompetent teachers and administrators as well as those with faulty judgment. The district needs to take steps to prevent and mitigate harm to children. <br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXJE6n5YeMOE3wf3E3vGAdmtsPuwKciI6oNkKWB1Hid5byQk8IDbDHQvGR68-l6sgx85aAjim3almVqLR8UZ54QzB48cAz8FVwXRkyw9lxFWGKK7_sA1uklvixFkuVCGmGyt5rsg/s1600/Gina+boyd+Grumpy-251x251.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXJE6n5YeMOE3wf3E3vGAdmtsPuwKciI6oNkKWB1Hid5byQk8IDbDHQvGR68-l6sgx85aAjim3almVqLR8UZ54QzB48cAz8FVwXRkyw9lxFWGKK7_sA1uklvixFkuVCGmGyt5rsg/s320/Gina+boyd+Grumpy-251x251.jpg" /></a>
<br/>
Former CVE President Gina Boyd. See <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/GinaBoydDeposition.html">Gina Boyd's deposition HERE.</a><br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfKov63osbVIbHP82OluaY0rwPunE_hiRYCVwc4aIb4TQ26oSrXF14WXVUxXcoeWbUbZ6UxxPig1HNTt4KZKXjwhSMICGwASIh-7771s8-MghiLql2vaiMgiWShgTIR-1JlINeaw/s1600/Robin+donlan++NoseintheAir-222x238.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfKov63osbVIbHP82OluaY0rwPunE_hiRYCVwc4aIb4TQ26oSrXF14WXVUxXcoeWbUbZ6UxxPig1HNTt4KZKXjwhSMICGwASIh-7771s8-MghiLql2vaiMgiWShgTIR-1JlINeaw/s320/Robin+donlan++NoseintheAir-222x238.jpg" /></a>
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Robin Donlan, notorious along with her husband for <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/RobinDonlan7millionfraud.html">$7 million Wireless Facilities stock options fraud </a>case. See <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/RobinDonlanDeposition.html">Robin Donlan's deposition HERE.</a>
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The rogue teachers were led by Robin Donlan, a personal friend of both Peg Myers and former CVE president Gina Boyd. Gina Boyd was a member in extremely good standing of the self-styled "Castle Park Family".
The self-styled "Castle Park Family" resisted all efforts by a string of principals (averaging one principal per year for 11 years) to get them to settle down and do their jobs. I myself was a target of the ruling teachers. Administrators Libia Gil and <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/werlinwcccusd.html">Rick Werlin</a> did the bidding of those teachers.<br/><br/>
Before my lawsuit was even finished, five teachers were transferred out of the school during the summer of 2004. Stephanie Pettit was one of the "Castle Park Five" group that included the notorious <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/RobinDonlan7millionfraud.html">Robin Donlan,</a> <a href="http://learningboosters.blogspot.com/2012/08/peg-myers-morphs-from-chula-vista.html">Peg Myers</a>, and <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/teacherNikkiPerez.html">Nikki Perez.</a> <br/><br/>
This district keeps finding that its favored employees have big problems. Perhaps an <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/EvaluatingTeachers.html">effective evaluation system </a>for teachers would help? But no, that would interfere with the politics that currently guides employment decisions at the district. And the district wouldn't have hired Peg Myers if it didn't want to keep politics in the forefront of district decisions. <br/><br/>
<b>
I doubt that the district will try to fire Mrs. Pettit. She knows too much about criminal actions by teachers and administrators. I predict a settlement.</b><br/><br/>
And as far as the parent who says Stephanie should not teach again, I don't see how voluntarily giving a massage to a teacher could seriously harm a child. The situation is no more serious than if Stephanie were rewarding kids to fan her. The problem with the behavior is that the students are being asked to treat the teacher like a queen rather than a professional. The touching was clearly NOT sexual. It's only wrong because kids shouldn't be performing personal services for teachers--like combing hair, cutting hair, shining shoes, etc. Of course, Stephenie used poor judgment, but she's been taught by the district and the teachers union that she and other teachers with political connections are free to indulge any whim without repercussions.<br/><br/>
A more important issue is that kids are being damaged by teachers every day in CVESD classrooms. There is psychological damage being done by cruel, rigid teachers who take pleasure in causing pain. Stephanie did not cause pain to the kids who volunteered to give her massages. <br/><br/>
It would be interesting to know what else was happening when the kids were giving the teacher a massage. Was she teaching them at the same time? This could very well be the case. But there are so many classrooms where teachers spend huge amounts of time NOT interacting with their students that it would be very dangerous for anyone to criticize Stephanie even if she had not been teaching while receiving a massage. She could easily get plenty of witnesses to talk about the time wasted in classrooms while teachers are doing something other than teaching. I could write a book about it.<br/><br/>
Stephanie deserves the due process than she herself helped to deny to me. Lawyer Dan Shinoff of Stutz Artiano Shinoff & Holtz took tax dollars for his successful efforts to keep Stephanie from being deposed in my case. I would be happy to deposed in any case she might file--which is exactly why I think that the district won't try to fire her. <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/DepoMLpages1to.html"> Here's my deposition </a>in the current defamation lawsuit against me by Stutz Artiano Shinoff & Holtz. Stutz is quite miffed, it seems, that the <a href="http://www.leagle.com/decision/In%20CACO%2020110805043">Court of Appeal says I have a constitutional right</a> to discuss the lawyers who act on behalf of public schools.<br/><br/>
Though I was not able to depose Stephanie, I was able to take the depositions of Castle Park Family members <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/GinaBoydDeposition.html">Gina Boyd</a>, <a href="http://www.mauralarkins.com/PegMyersDepositionPg1.html">Peg Myers</a> and <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/RobinDonlanDeposition.html">Robin Donlan</a>. <b>(I recommend clicking on these links for these depositions if only to see the hilarious expressions on the faces of teachers who don't like being asked to tell the truth.)</b><br/><br/>
NEWS COVERAGE<br/><br/>
Channel 10 News and San Diego Union-Tribune have covered this story. Let's see if Channel 10 will investigate further the failure of school districts to do meaningful evaluations of teachers. The SDUT has been covering up for CVESD for years. I hope they will start to cover the real stories instead of only the sensationalistic ones.<br/><br/>
EVALUATING TEACHERS<br/><br/>
Researches say that 10% of teachers are doing a bad job, failing to add value to their students' academic abilities. Many teachers have serious personality problems. But the fact is that CVESD really doesn't know its teachers. I never met a principal who really observed and really talked to staff members to find out what they were up to.<br/><br/>
It's time that <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/EvaluatingTeachers.html">ALL teachers in CVESD were properly evaluated.</a> <br/><br/>
</i>
<br/><br/>
<blockquote>
<a href="http://www.10news.com/news/chula-vista-teacher-removed-from-job-accused-of-soliciting-massages-from-students">Chula Vista teacher removed from job, accused of soliciting massages from students</a><br/>
Kandiss Crone<br/>
10 News<br/>
02/13/2014<br/><br/>
CHULA VISTA, Calif. - Some parents at a South Bay elementary school told 10News they couldn't believe what their kids said went on inside their third-grade classroom.<br/><br/>
"This behavior, to my son, has become so normalized that he did not report it to me," said parent Andy Stumph.<br/><br/>
<b>Some parents say Salt Creek Elementary School teacher Stephanie Petitt solicited massages from the students during reading time in exchange for $10 in class money. The parents also say Petitt also encouraged the third graders to give each other massages.<br/><br/>
"The most children I've heard at any one time that was massaging the teacher was seven -- one on each leg, one on each arm, one on each shoulder, one playing with the hair," Stumph said.</b><br/><br/>
The parents voiced their concerns at a school board meeting Wednesday night but weren't happy with the outcome, so they contacted 10News.<br/><br/>
Chula Vista Elementary School District Superintendent Francisco Escobedo said Chula Vista police were called in to investigate but did not find any criminal wrongdoing.<br/><br/>
"This behavior is absolutely not acceptable. We have professional standards at Chula Vista," Escobedo said.<br/><br/>
Escobedo said Petitt is no longer teaching at the school, but is still employed with the district.<br/><br/>
<b>
"She's on administrative leave; these allegations we take very seriously and we have to do due process to investigate," Escobedo said.<br/><br/>
Parents say that's not enough, and they worry the teacher's actions could have a lasting impact on their kids.</b><br/><br/>
"If there's a goal to be had ... Mrs. Petit would never be able to teach again," parent Samantha Trickey said.<br/><br/>
Three parents pulled their children out of the school, 10News learned.<br/><br/>
The district says a long-term substitute will replace the teacher.<br/><br/></blockquote>
Teacher on leave over massage claims<br/>
U‑T San Diego<br/>
Feb. 14, 2014 - She reported back to work Monday and taught her class after investigations by the Chula Vista Elementary School District and the Chula Vista ...<br/><br/>Maura Larkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16800561169406889185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29477921.post-74896660601196335422014-02-02T10:20:00.001-08:002014-02-17T19:08:42.276-08:00Arlie Ricasa pleads guilty, resigns Southwestern College board position<br/>UPDATE: See <a href="http://cvesdreporter.blogspot.com/2014/02/alioto-dominguez-salcido-wilson-plead.html">new guilty pleas in Feb. 2014</a> by officials and contractors connected to Southwestern College.
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Arlie Ricasa is Southwestern College's EOPS Director. She pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for crimes committed as a Sweetwater Union High School District trustee.
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See <a href="http://cvesdreporter.blogspot.com/search/label/.%20Ricasa%20%28Arlie%29">all posts on Arlie Ricasa.</a>
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<a href="http://www.theswcsun.com/ricasa-pleads-guilty-resigns-board-position/">Ricasa pleads guilty, resigns board position</a><br/>
Lina Chankar <br/>
The Sun, Southwestern College<br/>
01/28/2014<br/><br/>
SWC EOPS Director Arlie Ricasa pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor in the South Bay corruption case and resigned from her position on the Sweetwater Union High School District Board of Trustees.<br/><br/>
Ricasa, who faced 33 criminal counts, including 16 felonies, will avoid prison by admitting to a single count of filing a false instrument.<br/><br/>
Deputy District Attorney Leon Schorr said Ricasa made the following admission of guilt:<br/><br/>
<b>“I received, reviewed, understood and biannually voted on Sweetwater’s conflict of interest code delineating the Form 700 reporting requirements sent to the Sweetwater Board by the Superintendent. In 2009, I was an elected School Board Member for the Sweetwater Union High School District. I accepted gifts from Rene Flores (SGI) in 2009 with a value of $2,099 and I did not report them. The maximum amount one may lawfully receive from one source per year is $420. Rene Flores provided these gifts with the intent to influence my vote on business awarded to Seville Group Inc.”</b><br/><br/>
District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis originally charged Ricasa with the most counts of any of the 15 people indicted in the sweeping corruption case. According to a D.A. Affidavit For Search Warrant, Ricasa had accepted the following items:<br/><br/>
1) $1,741.70 – Dinner and wine with her husband Ed Bagaporo, and SGI President Rene Flores.<br/>
2) $313.18 – Amigable for dinner with her husband.<br/>
3) $3,600 – SGI contribution to Ricasa’s campaign for State Assembly District 78.<br/>
4) $13,600 – From SGI for various political campaigns in 2007 through 2010.<br/>
5) $1,380.22 – From Henry Amigable to “wine and dine.”<br/>
6) $208.78 – Dinner with Amigable on May 12, 2007.<br/>
7) $132.98 – Dinner with her husband and Amigable.<br/>
8) $3,600 – Contributions from SGI for 2008 State Assembly campaign in June 2007.<br/>
9) $1,800 – SGI paid for the sponsorship of Ricasa’s daughter, Natalie Bagaporo, for Leadership Council in July 2009.<br/>
10) $5,000 – from SGI for campaign contributions in Sept. 2010.<br/>
11) $5,000 – from SGI for campaign contributions in Oct. 2010.<br/><br/>
These and other gifts and contributions need to be reported on California Form 700, Schorr said. Ricasa failed to report any gifts or other reportable interest in 2008 and 2010, which is signed under penalty of perjury. The D.A. affidavit stated that Ricasa, trustee Pearl Quinones, trustee Greg Sandoval and superintendent Jesus Gandara all violated the California Political Reform Act Government Code section (8711-91014).<br/><br/>
After a lengthy investigation that included raids on their homes, defendants were accused of bribery, perjury, conflict of interest, filing false instrument, offering a thing of value to a member of government and conspiracy to defraud another of property.<br/><br/>
After Ricasa’s guilty plea, Schorr said that in every case there is the potential to negotiate an agreement to settle the case without going to trial.<br/><br/>
<b>Ricasa’s supervisor, SWC dean Beatrice Zamora-Aguilar, said Ricasa is a dedicated educational professional who cares about students.<br/><br/>
“I trust her judgment,” Zamora said. “All of the work she does, anything that has to do with any kind of reporting and budgeting, I provide oversight to. I’m a very careful and meticulous manager and I feel comfortable with any of the information she puts forward.”</b><br/><br/>
Schorr said he is moving forward with the case against other Sweetwater officials and the D.A. is prepared to go to trial.<br/><br/>
SWC President Dr. Melinda Nish said she referred the matter to the acting vice president of human resources Lynn Solomita and the college’s legal counsel to see if the guilty plea has an impact on Ricasa’s $125,000 position.<br/><br/>
“It was in her capacity as a Sweetwater elected official that the violation occurred,” said Nish. “Unless there is some nexus with her employment here, it has no bearing on her employment. So I’m asking for both HR and legal advice, and that’s where we’re at with it.”<br/><br/>
Nish said if any disciplinary action is taken it would be a personnel and confidential matter and would not be discussed publicly. She said she would like to see Sweetwater issues put to rest.<br/><br/>
“I’m really pleased that Southwestern has done a lot of work to clean up what it does and how it does it,” she said. “Sweetwater is our educational partner and I would hope the sooner they get their business cleaned up the better for all of us in the South Bay. So I’m looking forward to this coming to closure.”<br/><br/>
<b>
SCHOOL ATTORNEY BONNY GARCIA CLEARED ARLIE RICASA IN 2009</b><br/><br/>
<i>But that's why <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/BonifacioBonnyGarcia.html">Bonny Garcia</a> was hired by the district, right?</i><br/><br/>
<a href="http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2009/jun/06/1sz6ricasa195912-trustee-cleared-flap-over-contrac/?metro&zIndex=111819"><br/>
Trustee cleared in flap over contract</a><br/>
Company listed wrong address<br/>
By Chris Moran<br/>
June 6, 2009<br/><br/>
CHULA VISTA — No, everyone seems to agree now. The construction firm that got a $7 million contract from the Sweetwater Union High School District board last week is not located in the home of a board member's relative.<br/><br/>
A construction industry Web site that compiles such minutiae mistakenly gave Rialto-based RC Construction a Chula Vista address. No big deal, except that the erroneous address happens to belong to the nephew of board member Arlie Ricasa.<br/><br/>
“Peculiar,” Ricasa called it. “Bizarre,” said the school board's attorney.<br/><br/>
To the attorney for a construction company that competed against RC Construction for the job but lost, it's suspicious.<br/><br/>
“How is it possible that the address that they put to RC Construction, out of all the millions out there, belongs to Arlie Ricasa's (relative)?” asked Andrew Berman, attorney for HAR Construction in Chula Vista.<br/><br/>
In an e-mail to Sweetwater attorney Kris Vaca that was part of the public record of the meeting, Brian Tyson of Reed Construction Data wrote, “We mistakenly added RC Const. Chula Vista, a company that had been in our database since 1995.”<br/><br/>
Tyson did not return a phone call and an e-mail seeking further clarification.<br/><br/>
Tyson's e-mail states that Reed has corrected its mistake and now lists RC Construction's proper Rialto address. RC Construction says it has never had a Chula Vista address.<br/><br/>
“This is information that was totally inaccurate,” Ricasa said.<br/><br/>
She said that neither she nor anyone she knows of in her family has a connection to RC Construction. Her nephew Domingo Ricasa, who owns and lives in the home at the Chula Vista address, works for a telephone company, she said.<br/><br/>
Sweetwater attorney Bonifacio Garcia vetted the matter, concluded that it was all a big mistake and cleared Ricasa to vote on the contract. Ricasa said she regularly recuses herself on votes that affect Southwestern College, where she works, or community organizations for which she serves as a board member.<br/><br/>
But she has no connection whatsoever to RC Construction, she said, and she participated in the vote on May 27.<br/><br/>
In 2003, a grand jury report faulted Sweetwater – but not Ricasa specifically – for appointing Ricasa's husband to the volunteer citizens committee in charge of overseeing the work done through a $187 million bond measure passed in 2000. The grand jury did not allege any wrongdoing.
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Maura Larkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16800561169406889185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29477921.post-47924239890153723302014-02-01T13:09:00.003-08:002014-02-02T10:13:25.184-08:00Why does "fiscal conservative" John McCann want to spend $1.4 million on special election instead of simply appointing a successor to Arlie Ricasa?
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLhp77MYRvWEfPmsru3h7jMXoCB8Usv-lr-eiMfzdU4FqRNZy82HXm0eZAO4-Z4wXakJG8unU_0ggPYoeDZkLw3YUhbe21Bx4n77zJNhMjBnIA6gaAxPr8y0vG_jo4FL0G5joh/s1600/John+McCann+Mary+Adato.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLhp77MYRvWEfPmsru3h7jMXoCB8Usv-lr-eiMfzdU4FqRNZy82HXm0eZAO4-Z4wXakJG8unU_0ggPYoeDZkLw3YUhbe21Bx4n77zJNhMjBnIA6gaAxPr8y0vG_jo4FL0G5joh/s200/John+McCann+Mary+Adato.jpg" /></a>
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John McCann discussion with Mary Adato<br/>
Photo from <a href="http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2012/apr/18/stringers-sweetwater-boardmember-john-/">San Diego Reader</a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibVOY_9deMSjCDfdluTsiGVGa5y7yqVcUZEEuPKAYeeFoU39TLy8NRnxJ40FUfAf-NKXr6ESq4swVAuJcbrd3GTmWYcLykr4Z-qW37WOXv1Rmgi3FKscg1qGbzuIS3X4br6kbP/s1600/kevin+oneill.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibVOY_9deMSjCDfdluTsiGVGa5y7yqVcUZEEuPKAYeeFoU39TLy8NRnxJ40FUfAf-NKXr6ESq4swVAuJcbrd3GTmWYcLykr4Z-qW37WOXv1Rmgi3FKscg1qGbzuIS3X4br6kbP/s400/kevin+oneill.jpg" /></a>
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Kevin O'Neill
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1olf5ue_1-_hdKvrqOIilCk4JTMFF2iu7X6AO5lNZR3A7x8q8QJBXflSPOhVRV8K_5bbv22aJdus4N446vU8s0ercIASQ-tkNLcpBP0Qk-EXWdti7QKx41y3ELkfwrYB8lHcr/s1600/arlie+ricasa+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1olf5ue_1-_hdKvrqOIilCk4JTMFF2iu7X6AO5lNZR3A7x8q8QJBXflSPOhVRV8K_5bbv22aJdus4N446vU8s0ercIASQ-tkNLcpBP0Qk-EXWdti7QKx41y3ELkfwrYB8lHcr/s320/arlie+ricasa+2014.jpg" /></a>
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Arlie Ricasa. See <a href="http://cvesdreporter.blogspot.com/search/label/.%20Ricasa%20%28Arlie%29">all posts on Arlie Ricasa.</a>
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<a href="http://www.thestarnews.com/latest-news/board-must-act/">Board must act </a><br/>
Carlos R. Davalos <br/>
Chula Vista Star-News<br/>
Jan 23 2014 <br/><br/>
Outspoken critic of the Sweetwater Union High School District, Kevin O’Neill, urged district officials to take immediate action to fill a vacated seat at a Thursday press conference in front of the district headquarters.<br/><br/>
“I, as a resident, of this district have great concern about the district’s seemingly inability to move the appointment process forward on the vacancy with Ms. Ricasa’s force(d) removal,” said O’Neill, who is a member of the district’s bond oversight committee.<br/><br/>
<b>
O’Neill accuses district officials of purposely letting the “clock run out” on a provisional appointment, so that the district can go to a special election. </b><br/><br/>
O'Neill has expressed interest in either being appointed or elected to the position.<br/><br/>
“I believe that they can better control the outcome of an election then they can of an appointment process,” he said.
<br/><br/>
<b>At a special board meeting in January, Trustee John McCann said he wanted to move forward with a special election by mail.<br/><br/>
O’Neill said he questions McCann’s intentions as to why he wants a mail ballot.</b><br/><br/>
“A mail ballot particularly in a special election is going to favor white male Republicans and you’re not likely to get a good response from the general district,” O’Neill said. “On the other hand, voters in this district have never done a mail ballot.<br/><br/>
<b>O’Neill notes in the press conference that McCann used the stance of being a fiscal conservative when running for the district, and O’Neill said he can’t understand why McCann wants a special election if the district can’t afford the $1.4 million for the election.<br/><br/>
He also said Superintendent Ed Brand is on a two-weeks vacation during a time when a decision on the process of filling the seat needs to be made.<br/><br/>
“The timing of it all leads me to believe that the power block doesn’t want an appointment and that they don’t mind spending the money to get what they think will be a better outcome for their interest.</b><br/><br/>
In the end, O’Neill said he just wants the district to publicly make a decision of what their plans on filling Ricasa’s seat entail.<br/><br/>
O’Neill said he has sent e-mails and called board members to ask for an update of the process. None of his correspondence has received a reply.<br/><br/>
McCann did not return calls from The Star-News seeking comment. A district spokesman was also available for comment.
Maura Larkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16800561169406889185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29477921.post-40617493644181045252014-01-30T15:27:00.001-08:002014-02-02T09:38:30.722-08:00Mary Salas proposes unifying Chula Vista Elementary and Sweetwater Union High school districts
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7eW_yYXn-AjVCEZB1A_BQyHlstQCJH_i2SpKEjxqF4fxGp7LRO5xkvvPQnBwTifGMXmVln8I-3m-1koIiB5R_o2Kggryh3megtaCrVD7aZ5ym1aN9GWwvC8Uq2_KcvkmNVN2v/s1600/Mary+salas.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7eW_yYXn-AjVCEZB1A_BQyHlstQCJH_i2SpKEjxqF4fxGp7LRO5xkvvPQnBwTifGMXmVln8I-3m-1koIiB5R_o2Kggryh3megtaCrVD7aZ5ym1aN9GWwvC8Uq2_KcvkmNVN2v/s400/Mary+salas.jpg" /></a><br/>
<i>Mary Salas with Hillary Clinton<br/><br/>
I'm pleased that Mary Salas and others want to clean up Sweetwater Union High School district, but simply turning the place over to Chula Vista Elementary School District isn't going to accomplish that. CVESD has ethics and performance problems, too. <br/><br/>
Voters need to take responsibility for the way their schools are run. CVESD isn't as bad as Sweetwater, but it's performance is nowhere near what it should be. Voters don't like to think that the policemen who guard them or the educators who teach their kids are less than completely trustworthy, but citizens should screw up their courage and demand transparency from public agencies. Once problems are exposed, they can be solved, or at least prevented from becoming more serious. <br/><br/>
Schools have too much secrecy. Wrongdoing thrives in darkness; sunshine alone will go a long way to preventing future abuses of the public trust. If CVESD and SUHSD do combine, transparency must be required of the new district. <br/><br/>
But what if exposing CVESD and SUHSD secrets would result in too many people being exposed as corrupt? How will you run the new district if too many people must resign or be fired? Where would you find trustworthy people to take their places? Will you go to districts that are carefully guarding their secrets? That doesn't make much sense, does it? You won't have any real basis to think that those people would be any better.<br/><br/>
It's sort of like the war in Iraq: Bush's big mistake was disbanding the Iraqi army. Instead of getting rid of everyone with a history, you keep them on board to keep doing the job, and watch them carefully. The US should have followed the advice of its own experts and kept the Iraqi army intact. Give amnesty, then keep discussions and documents out in the open, not behind closed doors.<br/><br/>
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Corruption is widespread, and most of it is in schools whose officials have NOT been indicted. There's no reason that the people of San Diego County should have to foot the bill for a slew of prosecutions. The new district should tell the voters the truth, release information and documents--perhaps redacting names--and then make sure that bad acts are not repeated. <br/><br/>
Voters need to know exactly what went wrong when they weren't looking, so they'll know what to watch out for in the future. <br/><br/>
</i>
<a href="http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Proposal-Combine-Chula-Vista-School-Districts-242511791.html">Proposal: Combine Chula Vista School Districts</a><br/>
The proposal would place elementary schools and Sweetwater high schools in Chula Vista under one district<br/>
By Rory Devine<br/>
NBC San Diego<br/>
Jan 29, 2014 <br/><br/>
Students in Chula Vista go to schools in the Chula Vista Elementary School District for grades K through 8, then high schools in the Sweetwater Union High School District. A city councilwoman is proposing the two districts combine amid the Sweetwater scandal. NBC 7’s education reporter Rory Devine has more.
<br/><br/>
A Chula Vista City Councilmember has presented an idea that would change the way school districts in the city look. <br/><br/>
Students in Chula Vista go to schools in the Chula Vista Elementary School District for grades K through 8, then high schools in the Sweetwater Union High School District. <br/><br/>
Councilmember Mary Salas wants to unify elementary schools and those Sweetwater high schools located in the city of Chula Vista under one district.
<br/><br/>
“A lot of parents have expressed extreme satisfaction with the elementary school district. Yet by the time they get to middle school, then they start shopping around for different options,” Salas said. <br/><br/>
“The continuing of education is the number one priority,” she said.
<br/><br/>
The idea of merging the school districts has come up before, but has taken on renewed importance in light of a corruption scandal brewing in the Sweetwater Union High School District. <br/><br/>
National City Mayor Ron Morrison says the shuffling would impact schools in surrounding areas. <br/><br/>
“That’s going to be my biggest concern, how the finances are going to work out on this,” Morrison said. <br/><br/>
On Tuesday, Salas told the council that details of a potential merger would be worked out by the San Diego County Office of Education. But she says the process must begin, especially given the ongoing scandal in the Sweetwater Union High School District. <br/><br/>
“I don’t think it should be looked at as a complete answer, but certainly if the high school district has been mired in conflict and dysfunction for years and years, it does affect a lot of things,” she said. <br/><br/>
Sweetwater board member John McCann supports this idea. <br/><br/>
The Chula Vista Elementary School District says this is a complicated process and more research is needed. <br/><br/>
If the proposal does move forward, Salas says she thinks it could be done in a year. <br/><br/>
Maura Larkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16800561169406889185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29477921.post-74752890836971233912014-01-17T22:19:00.000-08:002014-02-16T10:21:22.011-08:00Advice to Doug Luffborough: don't go down the same path as CVESD trustees Pam Smith, Larry Cunningham and Bertha Lopez
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw8P38nSeiNa-xghdoj1tJkxBAr9mPuwiIVHGzRGujTrGg2NU0C5uzRa6oas_DYxfRBLawcZbth3dj3jD4ZBLNDbs1zce9bZYy24Mu0rh1qZoqvBoS7w54uVHvFJ9H4BjYoa6e/s1600/Luffborough.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw8P38nSeiNa-xghdoj1tJkxBAr9mPuwiIVHGzRGujTrGg2NU0C5uzRa6oas_DYxfRBLawcZbth3dj3jD4ZBLNDbs1zce9bZYy24Mu0rh1qZoqvBoS7w54uVHvFJ9H4BjYoa6e/s320/Luffborough.jpg" /></a>
<br/>
Chula Vista Elementary School District <br/>
board member Dough Luffborough
<br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Y-vp8uikaX6YhejjxuKeVUfAt9c4PDSxBYtN7dOyySlhbyrMY5uQKpO6zIjn7wTLSVz9JMEj7pyTdkEYB1uI5lVC9cYbjmtLFydhm-y56GFAGN7bGqZLM2xIslJ5YOD74tED/s1600/doug+Luffborough+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Y-vp8uikaX6YhejjxuKeVUfAt9c4PDSxBYtN7dOyySlhbyrMY5uQKpO6zIjn7wTLSVz9JMEj7pyTdkEYB1uI5lVC9cYbjmtLFydhm-y56GFAGN7bGqZLM2xIslJ5YOD74tED/s320/doug+Luffborough+(2).jpg" /></a><br/>
<i>Doug Luffborough's photo from attorney <br/>
Peter Fagen's Google+ page on Jan. 17, 2014.<br/>
The page seems to have been taken down since then.
<br/><br/>
I got interested in Mr. Luffborough when he was attacked for his work promoting Common Core. I believe that criticism was caused by teachers who simply didn't know how to teach basic concepts, and who transferred their anxieties to their students. <a href="http://cvesdreporter.blogspot.com/search/label/Common%20Core"> Common Core</a> is a carefully-designed approach to education to help the United States compete with countries that already use these successful methods.
<br/> <br/>
But there is something about Mr. Luffborough that troubles me: his "friendship" with lawyer Peter Fagen of Fagen Friedman Fulfrost. <br/> <br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHEUnyyfjXN7TXlvDWdFWTGVMGwx4Hfl6AtKPGk8ghz6uaqT3-OLFbHIHn2_fCQWuYs1KYLAGDntfLQV4QjTR-9f7V11FUMNSDX6zBcUwApsBc1XX7-o1eyrhKdIDXDSr6AuVZ/s1600/FagenPeter-23W-169x264.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHEUnyyfjXN7TXlvDWdFWTGVMGwx4Hfl6AtKPGk8ghz6uaqT3-OLFbHIHn2_fCQWuYs1KYLAGDntfLQV4QjTR-9f7V11FUMNSDX6zBcUwApsBc1XX7-o1eyrhKdIDXDSr6AuVZ/s320/FagenPeter-23W-169x264.jpg" /></a>
<br/>
Attorney Peter Fagan of <br/>
<a href="http://learningboosters.blogspot.com/search/label/Fagen%20Friedman%20Fulfrost">Fagen Friedman Fullfrost</a>; <br/>
also, see posts on <a href="http://learningboosters.blogspot.com/search/label/education%20attorneys">education attorneys</a>.
<br/> <br/>
I worry that Mr. Luffborough may be headed in the unethical direction of <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/pamsmith.html">Pam Smith</a>, Larry Cunningham and Bertha Lopez (yes, <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/BerthaLopez.html"><i>that</i> Bertha Lopez</a>). Smith, Cunningham and Lopez maintained an unethical relationship with Stutz Artiano Shinoff & Holtz for many years. <br/> <br/>
In 2005 <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/cvesddefendsstutz.html">Smith, <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/larrycunninghamCVESD.html">Cunningham,</a> and Bertha Lopez apparently authorized public CVESD funds to be spent on protecting the law firm </a>from obstruction of justice charges in a lawsuit to which CVESD was not a party! What law firm was used to protect Stutz Artiano Shinoff & Holtz? Stutz Artiano Shinoff & Holtz! <br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbKItkV7B8QA07Xk8QFNwz3VEVHA0ust0nlpp5bjlqns795vwP8RNvvQggwE90PbjKBvVVFfjJTRgt2Mxq2mnkQWZHQIjw_ZUwuS5ftK7fp0ry2gbzjFnR4uFxIxOLXZt5Bcre/s1600/PamSmith_08.jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbKItkV7B8QA07Xk8QFNwz3VEVHA0ust0nlpp5bjlqns795vwP8RNvvQggwE90PbjKBvVVFfjJTRgt2Mxq2mnkQWZHQIjw_ZUwuS5ftK7fp0ry2gbzjFnR4uFxIxOLXZt5Bcre/s320/PamSmith_08.jpg.jpg" /></a>
<br/>
Pam Smith, CVESD board member and<br/>
Director of San Diego County<br/>
Department of Aging
<br/><br/>
Then in 2009 Pam and Larry spent public funds again to protect themselves from having to testify in a <a href="http://www.dmlp.org/threats/stutz-artiano-shinoff-holtz-v-maura-larkins">private defamation lawsuit brought by their pals at Stutz law firm </a>against this blogger (Maura Larkins). They hired lawyers to quash deposition subpoenas they had received. What law firm was used? Once again, to Stutz Artiano Shinoff & Holtz. <br/> <br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHv6F7GImezoDgFKLPKBfYa7SLp92kci_UNMeVSqyEEWqz1nm1v8bneuNRZNTfYTXJYenfECxcuKEcfb4_NkUCn2SU7YSKVMhN-WSBUWr0XF5KfDyx3diEhc_xllA8vCtBXjz5/s1600/Cunningham-195x281.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHv6F7GImezoDgFKLPKBfYa7SLp92kci_UNMeVSqyEEWqz1nm1v8bneuNRZNTfYTXJYenfECxcuKEcfb4_NkUCn2SU7YSKVMhN-WSBUWr0XF5KfDyx3diEhc_xllA8vCtBXjz5/s320/Cunningham-195x281.jpg" /></a>
<br/>
Larry Cunningham
<br/><br/>
It should be noted that public entities are not allowed to sue for defamation; obviously, they also should not use public money and their status as public entities to support private defamation suits. <br/> <br/>
But wait, you say. How do I know that CVESD actually paid Stutz? Is it possible that Stutz filed secretly on behalf of CVESD in the first case above, pretending that CVESD was supporting the firm, without ever asking for money from CVESD for filing the paperwork? Well, that would be quite outrageous--are you suggesting that Stutz not only fraudulently filed the papers, but also fraudulently used CVESD's status as a public entity to avoid paying the court filing fee for those papers?<br/> <br/>
I was curious, so I did a <a href="http://sandiegoeducationreport.org/PublicRecordsRequestSDCOEMarch08.html">public records request for San Diego County Office of Education--JPA's
billing invoices for the case</a>.
<br/> <br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdxd_vzpoZCLRMCbkbDTVhECCWwXJmaG0zszOn-Ko75-5O0KLqnE4SWg_otXyeVpLuhA3G87tmUWpQJcBCYhkvOkyH2BmS8FwzGMHQmZ6iKvJ_RliyUU-tMQT09nbMdJWjf70O/s1600/DianeCrosier.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdxd_vzpoZCLRMCbkbDTVhECCWwXJmaG0zszOn-Ko75-5O0KLqnE4SWg_otXyeVpLuhA3G87tmUWpQJcBCYhkvOkyH2BmS8FwzGMHQmZ6iKvJ_RliyUU-tMQT09nbMdJWjf70O/s320/DianeCrosier.jpg" /></a>
<br/>
SDCOE Risk Management Director (and former <br/>
lawyer with Stutz law firm) Diane Crosier <br/>
did not provide ANY billing invoices for 2005.<br/> <br/>
Here's <a href="http://sandiegoeducationreport.org/PublicRecordsRequestSDCOEMarch08.html">how Diane Crosier responded</a>:<br/> <br/>
<blockquote>Invoices for the Stutz firm relative to work done for Chula Vista Elementary School District from January 1, 2005 through January 1, 2006 - <b>we have no documents responsive to this request.</b></blockquote>
<br/> <br/>
It appears that Stutz did not make a request for payment through San Diego County Office of Education JPA. And how could it? The school district was no longer a party in the case.<br/> <br/>
So I did another public records request, this time to CVESD, to find out if CVESD had paid Stutz directly, rather than through its liability insurer SDCOE-JPA. CVESD did not provide any record showing that it had paid Stutz for the work.<br/> <br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2mqujtp7W6Z0DKdSJinsNSc7WgQ3PWiRbzYyVkgghKZaFPeWezygoKgnM355AfrgiGV4-ldn9V6ShE5U-Ec4QYCw4R1NWpWmI3ByYu2ylRmG9OP38e3IcwaQ9XnqZazlqtyRN/s1600/bertha+lopez+100108.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2mqujtp7W6Z0DKdSJinsNSc7WgQ3PWiRbzYyVkgghKZaFPeWezygoKgnM355AfrgiGV4-ldn9V6ShE5U-Ec4QYCw4R1NWpWmI3ByYu2ylRmG9OP38e3IcwaQ9XnqZazlqtyRN/s400/bertha+lopez+100108.JPG" /></a>
<br/> <br/>
<a href="http://mauralarkins.com/BerthaLopez.html">Bertha Lopez</a> (indicted as Sweetwater <br/>
trustee in 2013) should have stayed <br/>
at CVESD, remaining safely under Bonnie <br/>
Dumanis' radar along with<br/>
Pam Smith and Larry Cunningham.
<br/> <br/>
<b>But if Stutz had secretly used CVESD's name to perpetrate a fraud on the court, why would CVESD continue to do business with Stutz? I provided all this information to CVESD years ago, but CVESD has continued to offer contracts to Stutz.</b> <br/> <br/>
It's hard to figure out, isn't it? I have a couple of thoughts. First, any obstruction of justice by Stutz would have been done on behalf of CVESD. So CVESD would have an interest in keeping any such question from being examined in court. Also, perhaps Smith, Cunningham and Lopez were anxious to shut down my website. Stutz may have pleased them enormously when it filed its private defamation lawsuit against me. And friends don't expose friends' wrongdoing, right?<br/> <br/>
<b>WHY DIDN'T PAM SMITH, LARRY CUNNINGHAM AND BERTHA LOPEZ SIMPLY COME FORWARD AND DISCUSS THE ISSUES VOLUNTARILY?</b><br/> <br/>
One might ask why Smith and Cunningham did not simply come forward and willingly testify on behalf of Stutz law firm in the defamation case. (See <a href="http://learningboosters.blogspot.com/search/label/.%20A%20school%20district%20lawyer%20lawsuit%20%28Stutz%20v.%20Larkins%29">all SDER blog posts about the case HERE</a>.) Clearly, they were afraid that wrongful actions by themselves and Stutz would come to light. <br/> <br/>
Pamela Smith was so afraid of being deposed that she refused to come out and take her seat at the CVESD board meeting when she learned that board members were being served the deposition subpoenas at the meeting. The public waited and waited for Ms. Smith to appear, and finally David Bejarano left his chair and went into the back room. Perhaps he explained to Mrs. Smith that it is illegal to evade service of a subpoena, and it is especially unbecoming in a public official, and that the subpoena could simply be served on CVESD after three failed attempts to serve Ms. Smith in person. A short while after Mr. Bejarano returned, Mrs. Smith came in and was served.<br/> <br/>
<b>WHEN BOARD MEMBERS AND PUBLIC ENTITY LAWYERS ARE PALS</b><br/> <br/>
School board members who are pals of law firms can be a huge asset to those firms, but not necessarily to the public. <a href="http://learningboosters.blogspot.com/2013/08/i-am-like-sage-naumann-in-one-respect-i.html">Board member Kelli Moors in Carlsbad recently caused a scandal</a> when she received a huge reward--a cushy job-- shortly after voting to renew the law firm's contract. The district ended up rescinding it's decision to rehire Fagen, Friedman Fulfrost. Yes, that's the same firm that has made "friends" with Doug Luffborough. What exactly is it that caused Mr. Luffborough to make friends with CVESD's lawyer? A genuine, personal connection? Or something else? <br/> <br/>
Another possible service that can be provided by friends on school boards is back-channel communications of messages that a lawyer would never dare utter on the record during a meeting, even a closed-door session. (Unless, of course, the lawyer had first advised the board NOT to record the session even though the district attorney had requested that the session be recorded, as <a href="http://learningboosters.blogspot.com/2012/03/dan-shinoff-advises-capistrano-school.html">Dan Shinoff did HERE.</a>)
<br/> <br/>
<b>I HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN ABOUT DOUG LUFFBOROUGH</b>
<br/> <br/>
I'm still trying to figure out how Dough Luffborough fits into all this. According to his website, "His core values and belief in faith, discipline, action, and hard work" account for the recognition he has received.<br/><br/>
But what are his core values?<br/><br/>
Clearly, Dough Luffborough is successful. And he is a role model for how to rise in this world. But besides his own success, and his efforts to help other individuals follow in his path, what exactly are his goals? There are lots of different types of success. For example, George W. Bush and Barack Obama have both been successful, but their goals were very different. In fact, their goals were almost diametrically opposed.<br/><br/>
Seriously, what are Doug Luffborough's goals?<br/><br/>
From Doug Luffborough's website:</i><br/><br/>
<blockquote>
Doug Luffborough is an over-comer! Raised by his mother, a housekeeper, Doug grew up in an impoverished environment. As the oldest son in a single parent family, he was thrown into the role of father figure to his three younger siblings while lacking a strong male role model for himself. Doug’s greatest ambition was to become the first member in his family to attend college – a dream challenged when his family became homeless during his senior year in high school. Despite homelessness and discouragement from his guidance counselor to attend college, Doug continued to work hard and was eventually accepted into Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts to pursue a Business and Human Resources Management degree.<br/><br/>
Five years later he was chosen as the Student Commencement Speaker for his class and preceded then President of the United States, Bill Clinton. President Clinton was so impressed with Doug’s tenacity and drive that he invited him and his mother to the White House.<br/><br/>
After working with a national community service organization, Doug went back to school to receive his <b>master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education with a concentration in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy.</b> After Harvard he was chosen to receive a <b>Fellowship degree from the prestigious Center for Social Innovations at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, Executive Program for Non-Profit Leaders. Currently, Doug is getting his PhD at the University of San Diego School of Leadership Studies with a concentration in Nonprofit Management and Leadership Consulting.</b><br/><br/>
Doug has spent over <b>20 years working with organizations as a leadership consultant, social entrepreneur, and advocate for social change. Extremely devoted to youth development and family empowerment,</b> he has created and directed social service programs throughout the United States and Asia.<br/><br/>
Doug was recently recognized as a recipient of the esteemed San Diego Channel 10 Leadership Award as a caring resident “who goes above and beyond to make San Diego a better place to live by improving the quality of life for those who need it most.”<br/><br/>
<b>
His core values and belief in faith, discipline, action, and hard work</b> led to special appearances at the Fleet Center (formerly the Boston Garden), the White House, the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum, and the Crystal Cathedral’s “Hour of Power” television broadcast. Doug’s life is a tale of inspiration and hope for the American dream which has impacted hundreds of institutions and thousands of young people across the world.<br/><br/>
Today he lives in Chula Vista, CA with his wife Claire, daughters Faith Lily, Makenna Joy, Micaela Elsa and Meilani Lea, and son Douglas Dante. <b>Currently, Doug serves as Chief Managing Consultant and School Board President with the Turning the Hearts Center and the Chula Vista Elementary School District.</b></blockquote><br/><br/>
<a href="http://www.dougluff.com/clients/">Partial Client List </a> <br/><br/>
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Iota Alpha Omega Chapter, Poughkeepsie, NY.<br/>
Antelope Valley Youth Mentoring and Education Task Force, Lancaster, CA.<br/>
Aroma Housewares, Co., San Diego, CA.<br/>
Boston Public Schools, Boston, MA.<br/>
City Year, Inc. (Nationwide), Boston, MA.<br/>
Communities In Schools, McAllen, TX.<br/>
Cornerstone Church of San Diego, National City, CA.<br/>
Crystal Cathedral “Hour of Power," Garden Grove, CA.<br/>
Education, Training & Research Associates, Santa Cruz, CA.<br/>
Fleet Center, Boston, MA.<br/>
Francis Parker Upper School, San Diego, CA.<br/>
From the Barrio Foundation, Chicago, IL.<br/>
GEAR UP (Nationwide), San Diego, CA.<br/>
Gear Up for Excellence, Phoenix, AZ.<br/>
Harvard University Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA.<br/>
Holy Name High School, Worcester, MA.<br/>
IDEA Public Schools, Donna, TX.<br/>
John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library, Boston, MA.<br/>
LA Conservation Corps, Los Angeles, CA.<br/>
Los Angeles Unifield School District, Beyond the Bell Afterschool Programs, Los Angeles, CA.<br/>
Maine State GEAR UP, Rockport, ME.<br/>
Mesa College, San Diego, CA.<br/>
National Univeristy Academy, San Diego, CA.<br/>
Northeastern University Residential Life, Boston, MA.<br/>
Office of Family Planning of Health Services, Sacramento, CA.<br/>
Oval Office of the White House, Washington, DC.<br/>
Pine Street Inn, Boston, MA<br/>
Quinsigamond Community College, Worcester, MA.<br/>
Renaissance Learning, Inc. National Conferences, Orlando, FL.<br/>
San Diego City Schools, San Diego, CA.<br/>
San Diego Mesa College, San Diego, CA.<br/>
San Diego State Upward Bound, San Diego, CA.<br/>
San Diego Urban League, San Diego, CA.<br/>
San Diego County YMCA, San Diego, CA.<br/>
Simon Scholars Program, Santa Ana, CA., and Atlanta, GA.<br/>
S.T.E.M. Summer Bridge, Mt. San Jacinto College, Menifee, CA.<br/>
Seeds Training, La Jolla, CA.<br/>
Stanford Graduate School of Business Executive Program for Non-Profit Leaders, Palo Alto, CA.<br/>
<b> Sweetwater Union High School District, Chula Vista, CA.<br/>
Teach For America, McAllen, TX.</b><br/>
U.S. Department of Labor, Washington, DC.<br/>
United Way of Dutchess County, Poughkeepsie, NY.<br/>
UMass Amherst, Amherst, MA.<br/>
University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA.<br/>
Walnut Hill School for Performing Arts, Natick, MA.<br/>
Warm Springs Middle School, Murrieta, CA.<br/>
Western Wyoming Community College, Rock Springs, WY.<br/>
Woodcraft Rangers, Los Angeles, CA.<br/>
Worcester Public Schools, Worcester, MA.<br/>
Young Presidents Organization, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia<br/> <br/>
William J. Clinton <br/>
<a href="http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=46784&st=doug+luffborough&st1=">Remarks at a Meeting With Doug Luffborough and an Exchange With Reporters</a><br/>
July 1, 1993<br/> <br/>
The President. Hello, everybody. Those of you who travel with me regularly will, I think, recognize the young man on my right, Mr. Doug Luffborough. He was the student speaker at Northeastern University in Boston the other day. This is his mother, whom I introduced from the audience; got a big hand. He's here with President John Curry of Northeastern and Senator John Kerry, his Senator. I invited him and his mother to come visit me in the Oval Office, so they didn't wait long to take me up on the invitation. [Laughter] I'm glad to see them here today.
<br/> <br/>
You may remember also that he brought the house down. He not only gave a great speech, but he sang at the beginning of his speech. I thought to myself, if I could sing like that I wouldn't be giving speeches today. [Laughter]<br/> <br/>
Mr. Luffborough. Well, it was a wonderful opportunity for me and a wonderful opportunity for my family and especially for my mother. I've been waiting for an opportunity like this, and I'm just really thrilled. And I'm really glad that Northeastern was the place you decided to come. It's been a pleasure and an honor to be here today. Thank you.<br/> <br/>
Q. Mr. President, what was it about Doug that impressed you so much?<br/> <br/>
The President. First of all, that he had come from such humble circumstances to go to college and to stay in college and that he had made the most of it. He obviously never felt sorry for himself. He obviously had a mother who helped him to believe in himself, as many others do. And the fact that his fellow students picked him to be the spokesperson for their class showed that they identified with the values and the inner strength and drive that took him to the success that he enjoys. I was very impressed. And I just thought it would be neat if they could come down here and see me.
<br/> <br/><br/>
<b>
HERE'S AN ARTICLE THAT DOESN'T DEAL JUST WITH MR. LUFFBOROUGH, BUT WITH THE ENTIRE BOARD AND TOP ADMINISTRATORS OF CVESD</b><br/> <br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRUF95ekM6eX_aN95WgikCEZ_WCFW-cMHFEx6tGBOjgWO5TnPs2UC9kQNy8wfnS2zmwXVKOVn3LQdMoKge9zyOywZ-yX2iQRSY_1sHAJXS749R0iPM0VNTwoMXly_sVKyMbPb7/s1600/CVESD_board_2009-402x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRUF95ekM6eX_aN95WgikCEZ_WCFW-cMHFEx6tGBOjgWO5TnPs2UC9kQNy8wfnS2zmwXVKOVn3LQdMoKge9zyOywZ-yX2iQRSY_1sHAJXS749R0iPM0VNTwoMXly_sVKyMbPb7/s640/CVESD_board_2009-402x300.jpg" /></a>
<br/>
Left to right: Left to right: Russell Coronado (moved out of town and was replaced by Glendora Tremper), Former superintendent Lowell Billings, Larry Cunningham, Pamela Smith, David Bejarano (came to board in 2007, replaced by his daughter in 2012), Doug Luffborough (came to board in 2009); four out of five current members <a href="http://learningboosters.blogspot.com/2013/11/four-out-of-five-cvesd-board-members.html">came to office without running for election</a>.
<br/> <br/>
<a href="http://firstamendmentcoalition.org/2010/09/chula-vista-school-board-pre-meeting-sessions-raise-questions-about-open-meeting-violations/">Chula Vista school board: Pre-meeting sessions raise questions about open meeting violations</a><br/>
Donal Brown<br/>
First Amendment Coalition<br/>
September 2010<br/><br/>
The Chula Vista Elementary school board says that their gatherings before board meetings in the superintendent’s office to eat take-out food and to ask one-on-one questions of the staff are open to the public and not in violation of California’s Brown Act, the state’s open meeting law. -db<br/><br/>
<blockquote>
San Diego Union-Tribune<br/>
September 2, 2010<br/>
By Ashly McGlone<br/><br/>
Chula Vista Elementary school board members have been gathering in the superintendent’s office before their public meetings, asking questions about agenda items and eating restaurant take-out food paid for by taxpayers.<br/><br/>
State law generally requires elected officials to post public notices so citizens can attend when public business is discussed with three or more board members. But district officials say the pre-meeting sessions are not subject to those requirements.<br/><br/>
The practice raises the possibility that a consensus could be reached in private, depriving the public of the right to know what went into board decisions.<br/><br/>
The Watchdog reviewed minutes of all board meetings from December 2008 to the present. Of 130 motions, 129 passed unanimously. The one split vote, in February, concerned the order of agenda items.<br/><br/>
Records obtained by The Watchdog under the California Public Records Act reveal $2,035 in meals have been billed to the district’s general fund since December 2008.<br/><br/>
<b>According to board vice president Larry Cunningham, food is “always there. If we have a board meeting, it’s there.” He said the meals have been standard practice since he joined the school board more than 16 years ago and no one has ever raised a concern.
<br/><br/>
The informal gatherings give board members a chance to grab a bite to eat and get their questions answered by staff members, Cunningham said.<br/><br/></b>
“If you have a question to ask staff, you have a chance to go ask staff about that. It is nothing. We don’t meet with closed doors. The doors are always open,” Cunningham said. “We find it is easier to do that than ask a lot of questions at board meetings. We feel the board meetings are there for input for the public.”<br/><br/>
Max Batangan, assistant to the school board and the superintendent, distributes meeting agendas and notifies members of any changes, according to the superintendent and board members.<br/><br/>
Superintendent Lowell Billings, who is set to retire in December after nine years as superintendent, said, “It is a staging for the main board meeting which is held in open session. Meaning, you gotta have a place to show up, and I hold it in my office, so I am the gatekeeper.”<br/><br/><b>
Generally, board members said the meeting allows them to ask one-on-one questions of staff members for clarification.
<br/><br/>
“I read the packet myself. The protocol is to take any questions to the superintendent or other district staff for more verification or information,” board member Douglas Luffborough said.<br/><br/>
The idea of one-on-one questions may be a key distinction, experts said, as any group discussion of issues in the pre-meeting would be forbidden under the state’s open-meetings law, known as the Ralph M. Brown Act.<br/><br/>
</b>
<b><i>[Maura Larkins comment: How can it be one-on-one, Doug, if all your fellow board members are present?]</i></b><br/><br/>
Dan Hentschke, a former Oceanside, San Marcos and Solana Beach city attorney and current general counsel for the San Diego County Water Authority, conducts trainings for elected officials on open-meetings law. Briefings on changes to the night’s agenda could be an issue, he said.<br/><br/>
“Updating collectively, that’s a problem,” Hentschke said. “If they are hearing collectively information, that should be held in an open meeting.”<br/><br/>
“These kinds of meetings are ones that we use as an example of ones that can be very problematic,” Hentschke said. “The law is very clear that gatherings of a majority of a legislative body have to be open-noticed and public if there is any discussion among the board members of public business. Gatherings of this nature can be held in compliance, but it is very difficult because they cannot talk about matters of agency business.”<br/><br/>
Attorney Michael Jenkins, chair of Brown Act Committee for the League of California Cities, also said that a notification of agenda changes would be considered school business.<br/><br/>
“Under the Brown Act they are not allowed to hear, discuss or deliberate on any matter of district business. That’s a problem because that’s business that pertains to the school district. It’s just not a good idea to have them all together,” he said. “I can’t say if their particular practice is a violation. I will say it could be under certain circumstances that they need to avoid.”<br/><br/>
Theresa Acerro, president of the Southwest Chula Vista Civic Association and a retired teacher, said, “I would be really concerned about that. I think those questions should be asked in a public meeting because it is likely that members of the public would have those same questions.”<br/><br/>
Former district board member and retired economics professor Peter Watry, 79, also expressed concern over the board dinners. Watry — who said the meals were not present when he served on the board from 1976 to 1980 — currently serves as vice president and acting president of the nonprofit Crossroads II, aimed primarily at monitoring land use decisions by the Chula Vista City Council.<br/><br/>
“If they are following the Brown Act, they shouldn’t be doing it,” said Watry. “Even that one-on-one gets tricky. If you talk to a third person, you violate the Brown Act. My guess is they are just not paying attention to the strictness of the rules, but they should not be doing it.”<br/><br/>
A favorite meal for the board sessions was the $110 large kabob pack from Daphne’s Greek Cafe. Other meals came from China China restaurant and Pat & Oscar’s. Some food was also prepared by the district’s Child Nutrition Services.<br/><br/>
The spending on meals comes despite the financial issues facing most school districts in the state.<br/><br/>
At Chula Vista, managers are taking seven furlough days this academic year and next, while classified staff will take two to six furlough days and teachers will take 5.5 furlough days, two of which are class days shortening the school year. No furloughs were in place last year.<br/><br/>
Also, this year is the first year the district’s 20:1 class size cap has been removed. Average class sizes this year are 19.9 children for kindergarten through third grade, and 28.9 children for fourth through sixth grade. Last year’s average was about 18 students.<br/><br/>
Billings said the food is for board members and other district staff but members of the public could come to the pre-meetings.<br/><br/>
“Anybody can walk in and see them and I am there to be the sergeant of arms of board members,” Billings said.<br/><br/><b>
<i>
[Maura Larkins' comment: This means, and I speak from personal experience, that anyone can walk in, but Billings will tell them to leave if he doesn't want them to hear what's going on--or he doesn't want the visitor to be heard.]
</i></b>
But Acerro countered, “That’s no public meeting, and besides they have to have publicly notice meetings, and if it’s not a meeting, they shouldn’t be all together discussing school business,” she said.<br/><br/>
Billings contends there is no Brown Act violation.<br/><br/>
“Everybody in the work knows that these meetings take place. They are really not meetings, but a gathering place,” Billings said. “If a board really wanted to violate the Brown Act, they would be more secretive or subversive or meet in a covert matter.”
</blockquote>Maura Larkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16800561169406889185noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29477921.post-74547269089301310992014-01-15T22:09:00.001-08:002014-02-02T10:17:08.158-08:00No process yet to replace Sweetwater trustee Ricasa<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXixDOpSBa8Jh69oHc_b_EKt17YQYK1lJT7Bmtls6OFUN_L_FNIHL66EEl7Eb5UVCC2WVwH8SHw0M4nQCO7VTxY0fgI1LljNPkk93hyC0qM_qJrIKDPPAIHB2mfZ4JO_uFoEMf/s1600/arlie+ricasa+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXixDOpSBa8Jh69oHc_b_EKt17YQYK1lJT7Bmtls6OFUN_L_FNIHL66EEl7Eb5UVCC2WVwH8SHw0M4nQCO7VTxY0fgI1LljNPkk93hyC0qM_qJrIKDPPAIHB2mfZ4JO_uFoEMf/s320/arlie+ricasa+2014.jpg" /></a>
<br/>
Arlie Ricasa. See <a href="http://cvesdreporter.blogspot.com/search/label/.%20Ricasa%20%28Arlie%29">all posts on Arlie Ricasa.</a>
<br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-4LYUqD0mm-PY-f9uGm0M0uH6Gye-Vp7hat1EOUIV3zb4Vqrg2l7yWDCJcYKYYVxcWsxwWGfvZz1HmBamdLydfUgZPFFntbtgnYpnzvMveTjjhksLEqXwpIVmNLV_OTmgpbRk/s1600/dan+shinoff+big.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-4LYUqD0mm-PY-f9uGm0M0uH6Gye-Vp7hat1EOUIV3zb4Vqrg2l7yWDCJcYKYYVxcWsxwWGfvZz1HmBamdLydfUgZPFFntbtgnYpnzvMveTjjhksLEqXwpIVmNLV_OTmgpbRk/s400/dan+shinoff+big.png" /></a>
<br/>
Daniel Shinoff<br/><br/>
<a href="http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2014/jan/15/stringers-replace-sweetwater-trustee-ricasa/">No process yet to replace Sweetwater trustee Ricasa</a><br/>
Only three board members show up at special meeting<br/>
By Susan Luzzaro<br/>
San Diego Reader<br/>
Jan. 15, 2014<br/><br/>
No one was surprised to see that the Sweetwater Union High School District board failed to agree on a process to replace former trustee Arlie Ricasa at a January 14 special meeting. (Ricasa pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor December 18 and was obliged to resign). However, many who attended the meeting wondered if the lack of agreement was the usual dysfunction — or orchestrated dysfunction.<br/><br/>
Only three board members were present at the meeting — trustees Jim Cartmill, John McCann, and Bertha Lopez. According to Cartmill, trustee Pearl Quiñones could not attend due to a trip to see her ailing mother in Texas.
<br/><br/>
The meeting began with the district’s attorney, Daniel Shinoff, outlining a process in which an ad hoc committee might be composed of the board president, vice president, and the mayors of Imperial Beach, Chula Vista, and National City. Following a review of applications, the ad hoc committee would interview candidates and forward prospects to the board. Public comment would be integrated into the process.<br/><br/>
Trust in the district is so low that many speakers argued against anyone in the district office handling the applications; some suggested that all applications pass through the attorney’s office.<br/><br/>
Lopez, a consistent critic of schools superintendent Ed Brand, argued that she was neither president nor vice president, so the proposed process excluded her. She suggested an alternative selection process that had been used by Southwestern College, one that she felt was more inclusive of all stakeholders.<br/><br/>
The twist in the evening came when McCann called for a special election —which he said he favored in the interest of democracy. When McCann campaigned in 2010, his website declared that he “stands for Fiscal Responsibility” and that he “will require a balanced budget for the District and ensure that District Bond money is spent wisely.”
<br/><br/>
McCann’s insistence on a costly vote seemed inconsistent — and foreshadowed the direction and possibly the way the replacement process will go.
<br/><br/>
The district must fill the seat within 60 days from the time of Ricasa’s resignation — they are already 27 days into the countdown. There are only two choices: get a selection process going or hold a special election.
<br/><br/>
A special election would cost more than a million dollars for a position that would last less than a year. Former chief financial officer Albert Alt and former interim CFO Rick Knott have expressed concern about the district’s continued deficit-spending.
<br/><br/>
On the heels of McCann’s statement, Cartmill stated that it was obvious that three votes could not be attained for a selection process. He appeared to be shepherding the dais to option two: a special election.<br/><br/>
But before Cartmill could close the discussion, Lopez stated she felt “cheated.” She said that the district knew beforehand that Quiñones would not be attending the meeting; why had they not made every effort to arrange for Quiñones to weigh in via Skype or telephone, she asked.<br/><br/>
Then the meeting teetered out of control, with the attendees calling for a vote, for clarification, and for a process.<br/><br/>
Cartmill made a motion in favor of the process Shinoff had outlined but warned the other trustees that only a dissenting voter could ever return this proposal to the board. The motion died for lack of a second.<br/><br/>
Finally, Lopez urged that the board make every effort to reach Quiñones by Friday and find out if there is a way she can participate. Lopez said a special election would rob the district of resources needed for the students.<br/><br/>
The district has until February 17 to fill the seat. Ricasa pleaded out exactly 60 days before the corruption trial is due to start. Curious timing, according to some.<br/><br/>
Stakes are high for the vacant seat and possibly highest for Brand.<br/><br/>
School superintendents often move their agendas forward by relying on the vote of three trustees. Sweetwater superintendent Ed Brand has enjoyed the fairly consistent support of trustees Jim Cartmill, John McCann, and Arlie Ricasa.<br/><br/>
In September 2011, Brand told the Reader that his staying on as superintendent is conditional. He said: “If it ever gets to the point that they stop accepting my recommendations, then the good news from my perspective is, I have the wherewithal to say, ‘Thanks, it’s been fun.’”<br/><br/>
Maura Larkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16800561169406889185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29477921.post-85757194479447562552014-01-13T16:34:00.000-08:002014-01-14T18:34:26.026-08:00CVESD principal (and former lawyer) Monica Sorenson leaves in the middle of the school year<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLMhkGS6uAq46a04tejxL9Dc0n-ZoM2K6Zz0EDWLOfA9PiSS7xZ_QJDhunKql9mgRUcx2U9IpvLYTjClEr90s5d-i2es9YRf_ZKDsNFEQDbbp9d3KVa5OlZlQdt2PVahZ0c_Wt/s1600/Sorenson_Monica_t180.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLMhkGS6uAq46a04tejxL9Dc0n-ZoM2K6Zz0EDWLOfA9PiSS7xZ_QJDhunKql9mgRUcx2U9IpvLYTjClEr90s5d-i2es9YRf_ZKDsNFEQDbbp9d3KVa5OlZlQdt2PVahZ0c_Wt/s400/Sorenson_Monica_t180.jpg" /></a>
<br/>
<i>Why did Monica Sorenson depart CVESD suddenly in the middle of the school year?<br/><br/>
I noticed a few days ago that a law firm in Los Angeles was reading up on Monica Sorenson (on my blog). Is Monica thinking of returning to the practice of law--and leaving education altogether? Well, she might return to the practice of law, but that does not necessarily mean she'd be leaving the field of education entirely. The law firm that was looking at my blog, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, employs <a href="http://learningboosters.blogspot.com/search/label/education%20attorneys">education attorneys.</a><br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWuYTgBvxIyRcpATWiw9jRRnahSjaDtdr_Q66LLDBEQaDjx7ubZFZT9t7NXIoKG_VFqkHVAkTM9S1zzX3QXojPr_9nRGpTgPu3ANBEBZCmu6SFlSp46A5bOpMR1q1lB3cM5tB/s1600/Charlie+Padilla+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWuYTgBvxIyRcpATWiw9jRRnahSjaDtdr_Q66LLDBEQaDjx7ubZFZT9t7NXIoKG_VFqkHVAkTM9S1zzX3QXojPr_9nRGpTgPu3ANBEBZCmu6SFlSp46A5bOpMR1q1lB3cM5tB/s320/Charlie+Padilla+(2).jpg" /></a>
<br/>
Tiffany principal Charlie Padilla also left <br/>
in the middle of the school year<br/><br/>
I also thought it was odd that Tiffany principal Charlie Padilla left in the middle of the year in December of 2010. It seems somewhat a dereliction of duty. What exactly would propel a principal to make such a move?<br/><br/>
In case anyone is wondering, Monica Sorenson was on the <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/CVEducators.html">Chula Vista Educators</a> board of directors when<a href="http://cvesdreporter.blogspot.com/2014/01/my-hacker-may-take-orders-from-lawyers.html"> this grievance </a>was filed. Even though she was a lawyer, CTA was able to keep her in line, assuming that she ever objected to illegal actions. I think she was wrong not to blow the whistle on serious wrongdoing by teachers and the district. But I'm sure her ascent at CVESD would have been curtailed if she'd reported the illegal actions to the authorities. The <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/grievancenoresponse.html">original, unhacked grievance that Monica ignored can be seen here.</a>
</i><br/><br/>
<blockquote><a href="http://web.utsandiego.com/news/2014/Jan/10/monica-sorenson-new-torrey-hills-school-principal/">Del Mar district names new principal for Torrey Hills</a><br/>
By Michelle Breier<br/>
SDUT<br/>
Jan 10, 2014<br/><br/>
DEL MAR — The Del Mar Union School District has named Monica Sorenson as principal of
Torrey Hills School.<br/><br/>
Sorenson comes to the Del Mar district with five years of experience as a principal, most recently
at Chula Vista Hills Elementary, officials said. Before that, she was a teacher for 10 years.<br/><br/>
Chula Vista Hills Elementary, under Sorenson’s leadership, received numerous awards and
accolades for its academic and wellness achievements.
<br/><br/>
The Del Mar district said Sorensen is known as a principal who works well with parents, teachers
and the greater community to create positive and dynamic learning environments in which
students excel.
<br/><br/>
Sorenson takes the place of Barbara Boone, who left Torrey Hills to take a position as director
of curriculum and instruction at the San Diego County Office of Education</blockquote>
<br/><br/><br/>
<i>
Here is the hit on my blog from Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton<br/><br/>
IP Address 12.146.203.# (Sheppard, Mullin, Richter& Hampton)<br/>
ISP AT&T WorldNet Services<br/>
State : California<br/>
City : Los Angeles<br/>
Operating System Microsoft WinNT<br/>
Browser Internet Explorer 9.0<br/>
Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; MSIE 9.0; Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; Trident/5.0)<br/>
Javascript version 1.3<br/>
Time of Visit Jan 8 2014 8:45:03 am<br/>
Last Page View Jan 8 2014 8:54:06 am<br/>
Visit Length <b> 9 minutes 3 seconds</b><br/>
Page Views 2<br/>
Referring URL http://www.google.co...<br/>
Visit Entry Page http://cvesdreporter...-<b>sorenson-hired</b>.html<br/>
Visit Exit Page http://cvesdreporter...-sorenson-hired.html<br/>
Visit Number 34,339</i>Maura Larkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16800561169406889185noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29477921.post-75236397875268672472014-01-11T22:12:00.001-08:002014-02-16T10:21:37.711-08:00My Happy Hacker: he (or she) takes orders from lawyers, but also seems to have a sense of humor<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitpctp62nZDgLVAZipIgb2j4JO-Du4qIF5MB5svSow6_DrSodrKa2HQz8JklJceqX6FVE9p6cob2ZZUIwDHxLnK-pbzGRv2XVoGdVDul1lPAvfxuTuUFGCXdmK6goboBy-YiR8/s1600/sun_glasses_cool_smiley_clip_art_22897.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitpctp62nZDgLVAZipIgb2j4JO-Du4qIF5MB5svSow6_DrSodrKa2HQz8JklJceqX6FVE9p6cob2ZZUIwDHxLnK-pbzGRv2XVoGdVDul1lPAvfxuTuUFGCXdmK6goboBy-YiR8/s200/sun_glasses_cool_smiley_clip_art_22897.jpg" /></a>
<br/>
I'm awarding good humor points to my hacker, who has become quite playful during the past week. He (or she) is having fun, but doing no harm.<br/><br/>
Less than a week ago I discovered that <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/grievancenoresponse.html">this page </a>in my related website had been hacked. <br/><br/>
HERE IS THE HACKED IMAGE OF A GRIEVANCE I SUBMITTED TO CVESD:<br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieuMbx_lgf-xR0At8ejZbFAyL2egZOMHoDyw8bNR3YHfM_WgrIeVT16WYr1PpLm735EB5dpiv4mbgYyJiocPDvMxYdt_la4n9ock9P8I1PYjlYiVW5-QvcQuXssY_XPbhNdDOn/s1600/grievanceFailuretoRespond+Jan+2014+(2).png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieuMbx_lgf-xR0At8ejZbFAyL2egZOMHoDyw8bNR3YHfM_WgrIeVT16WYr1PpLm735EB5dpiv4mbgYyJiocPDvMxYdt_la4n9ock9P8I1PYjlYiVW5-QvcQuXssY_XPbhNdDOn/s640/grievanceFailuretoRespond+Jan+2014+(2).png" /></a>
<br/><br/>
I published <a href="http://learningboosters.blogspot.com/2014/01/ive-been-hacked-again-by-friends-of-jim.html">this blog post</a>, which the hacker must have read. In the post I wrote that California Teachers Association (CTA) director Jim Groth, who had been Chula Vista Educators (CVE) grievance chair at the time, had turned up unexpectedly at the grievance meeting and said that the union did NOT support the grievance. The grievance merely asked that the district RESPOND to an earlier grievance. It appears that CTA was quite desperate to cover up illegal actions of pals of <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/GinaBoydDeposition.html">CVE President Gina Boyd</a>.<br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3wT4QyEEg-21a1WdJZBN7y0uLBvNWuNrH95KMfBsdyXAHDtG_5g_BMX9sGYX2w1KzbwA0SW6IPe6SP9soHA39owKeVFoF1GYp_EAWpLNGbPRSzluEx1Ljhn_xw_LVcPMbVdlZ/s1600/GinaGrumpy-251x251.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3wT4QyEEg-21a1WdJZBN7y0uLBvNWuNrH95KMfBsdyXAHDtG_5g_BMX9sGYX2w1KzbwA0SW6IPe6SP9soHA39owKeVFoF1GYp_EAWpLNGbPRSzluEx1Ljhn_xw_LVcPMbVdlZ/s400/GinaGrumpy-251x251.jpg" /></a>
<br/>
<i>Former CVE President Gina Boyd at her deposition. <br/>
This blogger has awarded to Gina the Alberto Gonzalez <br/>
CRS award for her amazing lack of knowledge and <br/>
substantial memory loss: "I don't know"--25 times and <br/>
"I don't remember (or recall, etc.)--35 times; <br/>
total cognition lapses: 60.</i><br/><br/>
Sometime during the past few days, someone went to work on my grievance image again. But this time, my hacker did NOT hide any information. He (or she) just moved black boxes around! It's actually quite entertaining to examine his (or her) handiwork.<br/><br/>
He (or she) enlarged the black box to cover EMPTY SPACE on <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/">this page:</a><br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoAMNXMzgzhaCl2T_OgRKbTUTEPzKZkGY1Y8L7ohHXZKMjdKThsK9KW0KllamWb0R3BgtLZthiAJgsBMgeluUd__i6xAIOrke0kU2luOb8nwkB3ikh2crJkXhceMPnv8yrP7Fh/s1600/grievanceNoRespond+hacked+again+bet+Jan+5+and+11+2014.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoAMNXMzgzhaCl2T_OgRKbTUTEPzKZkGY1Y8L7ohHXZKMjdKThsK9KW0KllamWb0R3BgtLZthiAJgsBMgeluUd__i6xAIOrke0kU2luOb8nwkB3ikh2crJkXhceMPnv8yrP7Fh/s640/grievanceNoRespond+hacked+again+bet+Jan+5+and+11+2014.png" /></a>
<br/><br/><br/>
and moved the black box sideways on <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/CVEducators.html">this page</a>!
<br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_BpthYiEHNC4Wcip2prqDqEq2iVpfWCXVUWJVuZ8BUGGss2TRF5gyCAp-Jf7oC6eTmKMgxlTHB8-O92IlNbYoTbn9VAOyML3g7lfB7r_OpL1t5pyo1zejrJ84kOS6MQngYMTW/s1600/grievanceNo+Response+hacked+bet+Jan+5+and+11+2014+for+fun.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_BpthYiEHNC4Wcip2prqDqEq2iVpfWCXVUWJVuZ8BUGGss2TRF5gyCAp-Jf7oC6eTmKMgxlTHB8-O92IlNbYoTbn9VAOyML3g7lfB7r_OpL1t5pyo1zejrJ84kOS6MQngYMTW/s400/grievanceNo+Response+hacked+bet+Jan+5+and+11+2014+for+fun.png" /></a><br/><br/>
I actually like my hacker now, but I'm still not terribly fond of the lawyers who ordered the hacking.<br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCiZZW8YSmb_KUKZB-a5hjcIdpZTQwPBxX9kdpAPr0-r0WBKyYiwlvXPtXpVWKFKv-5ReYFvzNcFeT_1FVx5hwJCWpzhEJFgOqh1sOxr6nfqXWuAWYFIGXXt09A17yST3jCf-I/s1600/Pam+Smith+Larry+Cunningham.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCiZZW8YSmb_KUKZB-a5hjcIdpZTQwPBxX9kdpAPr0-r0WBKyYiwlvXPtXpVWKFKv-5ReYFvzNcFeT_1FVx5hwJCWpzhEJFgOqh1sOxr6nfqXWuAWYFIGXXt09A17yST3jCf-I/s400/Pam+Smith+Larry+Cunningham.jpg" /></a>
<br/>
It should be noted that CTA isn't the only party trying to hide these events. Current CVESD board members <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/pamsmith.html">Pam Smith </a>and her faithful ally <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/larrycunninghamCVESD.html">Larry Cunningham</a> were involved in the criminal actions, and they also have paid tax dollars to lawyers to support efforts to shut down my website.<br/><br/>
<b>
Update Jan. 14, 2014</b><br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB9rnTYzdOQxXWTbBsCoRsB9OJsX4E8rn0uMMj44xkhvNfuC8YjD3HCaXy0VdtmYH6y1wAUq1Qv-toun2bciHfQoepR7iR2169BbpxscmNeOQRawHx_n2pfLpKkMpp9I0dnWfs/s1600/RobinNoseintheAir-222x238.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB9rnTYzdOQxXWTbBsCoRsB9OJsX4E8rn0uMMj44xkhvNfuC8YjD3HCaXy0VdtmYH6y1wAUq1Qv-toun2bciHfQoepR7iR2169BbpxscmNeOQRawHx_n2pfLpKkMpp9I0dnWfs/s400/RobinNoseintheAir-222x238.jpg" /></a>
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<i>Robin Donlan relied on the help of attorney Kelly Angell Minnehan to avoid answering deposition questions.</i>
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I just discovered that a section of<a href="http://www.mauralarkins.com/RobinDonlanDeposition.html">my webpage containing Robin Donlan's deposition had been deleted.</a> Part of the transcript in which Stutz Artiano Shinoff & Holtz attorney Kelly Angell (now known as Kelly Minnehan) stopped Donlan from answering a question about how Donlan felt when the principal discontinued programs without the approval of the staff was removed. Ms. Angell then proceeded to question the witness herself! I suspect there are other deletions in the deposition that I am not yet aware of.
Maura Larkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16800561169406889185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29477921.post-73192829541631816432014-01-08T23:17:00.004-08:002014-01-08T23:28:28.703-08:00Channel 6 San Diego: Teen files lawsuit against CVESD teacher accused of sexual molestation<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkHZZj8g8oLMswmHWp33fEwbqM9z6J_u8cU1zo4gVLvPpb0IAdOFTqT3tbc4hg3nCYEaeACfaKhGtUebAVfiYE-qCuzjO8zb-Ata-H_A-DXiNy7Qrby_76nYi_V395DIAeV4TZOg/s1600/john+Kinloch+with+kids.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkHZZj8g8oLMswmHWp33fEwbqM9z6J_u8cU1zo4gVLvPpb0IAdOFTqT3tbc4hg3nCYEaeACfaKhGtUebAVfiYE-qCuzjO8zb-Ata-H_A-DXiNy7Qrby_76nYi_V395DIAeV4TZOg/s320/john+Kinloch+with+kids.jpg" /></a>
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<i>John Raymond Kinloch (Photo from <a href="http://crimevoice.com/chula-vista-teacher-arrested-for-child-molestation-20390/">Crime Voice.com</a>)<br/><br/>
CVESD wants to blame someone else for not warning them ahead of time about Kinloch. But what about all the years that Kinloch spent at CVESD? After a few years, it simply makes no sense for district officials to claim they had no idea what was going on--unless the district also admits that it actually has very little clue about what is going on in most classrooms. Teacher evaluations are a joke, but not a very funny joke. <br/><br/>
The district has a policy of letting school politics guide personnel decisions. And the policy is hurting a lot of kids. It's time for administrators to start showing up in classrooms, and to start talking to ALL staff members. When it comes to what kind of people are running classrooms, the blissful ignorance of administrators needs to end.
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See <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/EvaluatingTeachers.html">SDER teacher evaluation plan.</a> <br/><br/>
See also "<a href="http://learningboosters.blogspot.com/2013/01/california-teachers-association.html">California Teachers Association protects child molesting teacher."</a><br/><br/>
See <a href="http://learningboosters.blogspot.com/search/label/.%20Kinloch%20%28John%20Raymond%29">all posts about arrested CVESD teacher John Kinloch.</a>
</i> <br/><br/>
<a href="http://www.sandiego6.com/story/exclusive-teen-files-lawsuit-against-teacher-accused-of-sexual-molestation-20140108">Exclusive: Teen files lawsuit against teacher accused of sexual molestation</a><br/>
By Derek Staahl<br/>
Channel 6 San Diego<br/>
08 Jan 2014 <br/><br/>
CHULA VISTA – A Chula Vista teenager who testified that he was sexually exploited by his former second grade teacher has filed a lawsuit against the man and the school district.<br/><br/>
The boy, who is now 17, accuses John Raymond Kinloch of childhood sexual assault, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.<br/><br/>
Kinloch is being held on 36 felony counts involving five alleged victims, according to Deputy District Attorney Enrique Camarena. The charges include lewd acts upon a child and possession of child pornography.
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According to court documents, Kinloch taught the boy at Feaster Charter School and the two developed a close bond. The boy considered the 42-year-old San Ysidro man to be a father figure. The child was in third grade, but still regularly spending time with Kinloch, when the lewd acts began, Camarena said.<br/><br/>
Kinloch is accused of improperly touching and kissing the boy, along with asking him to remove his clothes and taking pictures of him naked, according to court documents. Kinloch has pleaded not guilty to the charges and a trial is scheduled for April 1.<br/><br/>
“Mr. Kinloch was in his classroom at school, disrobing this child with the door locked. That's negligent supervision in my mind,” Elaine Heine, the boy’s attorney, told San Diego 6.<br/><br/>
The boy’s lawsuit, filed in August, also argues that the Chula Vista Elementary School District negligently hired Kinloch because he was a known distributor of child pornography.<br/><br/>
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In 1998, Kinloch agreed to testify in Great Britain about his involvement in a child pornography ring. In exchange for his testimony, the U.S. Attorney’s Office agreed to offer Kinloch immunity, and he was never charged, Camarena said. Kinloch was hired by the school district two years later.
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Heine has filed claims against the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing on the boy’s behalf, and plans to add those agencies as defendants in her lawsuit. The lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount of damages.<br/><br/>
The Chula Vista Elementary School District has filed a lawsuit against the federal Department of Justice, trying to determine why Kinloch’s background check raised no red flags.
Maura Larkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16800561169406889185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29477921.post-91269878631568873732014-01-08T13:41:00.000-08:002014-01-13T19:09:37.783-08:00HACKED CVESD GRIEVANCE: Who doesn't want you to read what's beneath the black box?UPDATE JAN. 11, 2014: <br/><br/>
My hacker has turned playful! He (or she) is moving black boxes around, but not hiding any information. See the story <a href="http://cvesdreporter.blogspot.com/2014/01/my-hacker-may-take-orders-from-lawyers.html">HERE.</a><br/><br/>
<b>ORIGINAL POST:</b><br/><br/>
More than 10 years later, hackers are still helping to conceal the 2001 actions of CTA director Jim Groth<br/><br/>
<b>HACKED CVESD GRIEVANCE: Someone doesn't want you to read what's beneath the black box. (See original image below)</b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBshSwXzHcVoJIu31vGMstMa-S42L2APrAW4QR2DhXHO4hISIZ1rKbUmuua6ICrpQHtF8W7tidw7xnHGDbL3druqe-G_avRIUOAdwnuQwHyYu3gqP7iAssybAFkhjMlxhDrED53g/s1600/grievanceFailuretoRespond+Jan+2014.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBshSwXzHcVoJIu31vGMstMa-S42L2APrAW4QR2DhXHO4hISIZ1rKbUmuua6ICrpQHtF8W7tidw7xnHGDbL3druqe-G_avRIUOAdwnuQwHyYu3gqP7iAssybAFkhjMlxhDrED53g/s400/grievanceFailuretoRespond+Jan+2014.png" /></a>
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Yes, I've been hacked again, but things are getting better. This time the mysterious black box does not quite cover <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/CTAhackerhits.html">the targeted image on my related website.</a><br/><br/>
More than 10 years later, hackers are still trying to conceal the 2001-2002 actions of former CVE president and current California Teachers Association (CTA) director Jim Groth, who worked on behalf of <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/werlinwcccusd.html">disgraced asst. superintendent Richard Werlin</a> and board members at Chula Vista Elementary School District. Or was it the reverse? Were Werlin and CVESD working on behalf of Jim Groth? It's hard to unscramble the egg.<br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEfWdQpHh4x5Z_xmEcRowxzkAKXVZZIVLojcOgfMWSAP5oJ_CNaXEhYNi8STg2OlGF1Ta5qV0b-K24jlC8TEi_AvwAdtOlutWCTR39RfZpch6oKcUCi5sHAj8rW9h9YMxwx_Eqyg/s1600/JimGroth2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEfWdQpHh4x5Z_xmEcRowxzkAKXVZZIVLojcOgfMWSAP5oJ_CNaXEhYNi8STg2OlGF1Ta5qV0b-K24jlC8TEi_AvwAdtOlutWCTR39RfZpch6oKcUCi5sHAj8rW9h9YMxwx_Eqyg/s400/JimGroth2011.jpg" /></a>
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Jim "No response needed" Groth<br/><br/>
In 2002 Chula Vista Educators' grievance chair Jim Groth unexpectedly came to a meeting at Chula Vista Elementary School District and announced that Chula Vista Educators did NOT support a grievance that merely asked that the district RESPOND to a teacher's grievance. <br/><br/>
Why didn't Jim Groth (now a member of the state board of directors of California Teachers Association) insist that the district respond? <br/><br/>
Well, that question seems to answer itself. Obviously, CTA and CVESD were covering up something. It appears that Groth's CTA directorship may be linked to his otherwise inexplicable decision to get in his car and drive to the district office to say that it was fine with him if the district ignored my <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/grievancedistrictrights.html">June 9, 2001 grievance.</a><br/><br/>
The <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/grievancenoresponse.html">original, unhacked grievance can be seen on my website.</a> This is what it looks like:<br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxM0mZlmuHfitCKVbWP3F2iGv9gXP8fMXVl47HuL3eU9Q4UCjLL7rRJrK2-tV2raOwqspCMk1WSKLTivSWc2C6xbVDqgNHyoSHxAUUIavji5cqDgyxI86r9LXwEIbyT6PaLYSXUQ/s1600/grievanceNoResponse8.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxM0mZlmuHfitCKVbWP3F2iGv9gXP8fMXVl47HuL3eU9Q4UCjLL7rRJrK2-tV2raOwqspCMk1WSKLTivSWc2C6xbVDqgNHyoSHxAUUIavji5cqDgyxI86r9LXwEIbyT6PaLYSXUQ/s640/grievanceNoResponse8.jpg" /></a>
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The CTA website says that Jim Groth "is the past chair of the CTA State Council of Education Communications Committee." Perhaps that committee is in charge of hacking teacher websites?<br/><br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTqU9s98wpl1P95yQB9-wuo_D2GqZHIBUWBhoHVOf5Qtlx1C5igQVFchztyQTG4_4VWIe6bOPLc7g-rZKp7nsZ8bGDjYPgORtIS23jd5cUwauoXxmZ5HUAnUiUtC3KpToeE8-_Aw/s1600/Pam+Smith+Larry+Cunningham.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTqU9s98wpl1P95yQB9-wuo_D2GqZHIBUWBhoHVOf5Qtlx1C5igQVFchztyQTG4_4VWIe6bOPLc7g-rZKp7nsZ8bGDjYPgORtIS23jd5cUwauoXxmZ5HUAnUiUtC3KpToeE8-_Aw/s400/Pam+Smith+Larry+Cunningham.jpg" /></a>
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Teflon trustees?<br/><br/>
CVESD board members <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/pamsmith.html">Pam Smith</a> and <a href="http://mauralarkins.com/larrycunninghamCVESD.html">Larry Cunningham</a>, who spent tax dollars to cover up crimes, are still on the CVESD board, although the careers of several administrators have ended.<br/><br/>
It seems that crime pays, as the saying goes, but only for teachers,
union officials and board members--apparently not so much for administrators.<br/><br/>
But now that I think about it, I realize that school board members are no longer quite so invulnerable. Bertha Lopez, who went along with the criminal actions of Pam Smith and Larry Cunningham at CVESD, is currently charged with criminal actions by the Public Integrity Unit. Maybe I should say that WASP school board members tend to be teflon.<br/><br/>
It should be noted that this same case was investigated by school attorney Daniel Shinoff. A large number of documents he collected at Castle Park Elementary School have gone missing, as Mr. Shinoff and his partner Ray Artiano <a href="http://www.mauralarkins.com/artianodeposition.html">explained in this deposition</a>.
Maura Larkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16800561169406889185noreply@blogger.com0