Stanford University turns out to be as clique-ish as any teachers lounge

The most amazing part of this story is that Stanford college graduate students actually told their professor that they didn't want to sit next to a certain person!

This story sounds like it might have taken place in a high school cafeteria or teachers lounge: places where conformity to group-think is frequently required. I'm sorry to disappoint anyone who thought universities were places where everyone was genuinely interested in divergent points of view. It turns out that even though academics might process information a bit faster than the average Joe, when it comes to personal politics, they're sometimes as bad as--or worse than-- the mean girls in high school.

I think it's quite likely that Michele Kerr might be wrong in many of her beliefs, but why do other students want to stop the discussion? They should articulate why she's wrong. Also, they could learn something if they seriously considered what she's saying. There are probably gems of truth in her diatribes. Don't throw the baby--free expression and open mindedness--out with the rant water. Kathy Marshall is someone who is expressing opposition to Michele's beliefs. Stanford students should step up to the plate and defend their beliefs, not relying on the power of their clique to do it for them.

BLOGS AND EMAILS CAUSE ALARM AT STANFORD


They Messed With the Wrong Blogger
By Jay Matthews
Washington Post
July 24, 2009

...[Stanford student Michele Kerr sent an email] to her classmates after the program’s director, Rachel Lotan, said some of her fellow teacher trainees found her “domineering and intimidating” and didn’t want to sit next to her in class.

“For those of you who wish to continue requesting that you not sit with me in practicum, make sure you mention the reason so that Rachel can build her case for the next time we do our little dance. ‘Rachel, I do not want to sit next to Michele in practicum. It has nothing to do with her views; she’s just a domineering, overbearing bitch.’ DOB. We could print up cards or something. Don’t Sit Me Next to the DOB!” she wrote. “I’ll continue being me, and those of you who feel uncomfortable can maybe learn how to speak up. Or not. Your call.”

Lotan and Eamonn K. Callan, the education school’s dean for student affairs... said the email “could have the effect of silencing those who are wary of confronting” Kerr and that she “had not considered that her actions could have a chilling effect on other students, according to an email they sent to Kerr...

She was almost 46, much older than most other STEP program admittees. Single, with a son in college, she had a long career as a business process management consultant, but began to tutor high school students struggling with difficult courses and standardized tests. She found she was good at it. Why not teach full time?

She was pleased that a program as prestigious as Stanford’s had room for her...At the open house, a STEP instructor asked if she planned to accept the offer of admission. Anyone else would have said yes. But Kerr, who calls herself “fatally truthful,” said the tuition would be difficult to afford and admitted she was philosophically out of sync with the program...According to Kerr, Lotan looked for legal grounds to keep Kerr out, something Kerr said she discovered when another official mistakenly sent her an email that was meant just for Lotan...

The senior university counsel answered, saying Kerr would start the program in June...


BLOG BECOMES AN ISSUE

But in September, Kerr’s blog, “Surviving Stanford,” which she had routinely referred to in her STEP classes, became an issue...

STEP’s displeasure was so great that Kerr finally took down the blog temporarily, renamed it, eliminated all references to Stanford, and gave it password protection so that only she and a few friends could read it.

That wasn’t enough for the STEP folk. Two months later, Lotan wrote that she was concerned that Kerr was “unsuited for the practice of teaching,” beginning a process that could have ended in Kerr being denied a teaching credential. Lotan complained that Kerr was late to some Stanford classes, and in turning in assignments.

Kerr learned to her dismay that a student could be denied a credential for any reason--even those that have nothing to do with teaching. Kerr’s supervisor told her in late November, without warning, that he was unhappy with her work and gave her low ratings in professionalism, she said. According to Kerr, he said she had lied to him, and made it clear her chances of getting through the program successfully were in jeopardy.

Kerr fought back, demanding proof of the charges. Kerr said the supervisor withdrew the accusation of lying. Lotan admitted that she had no idea if other STEP students were similarly tardy or why some didn’t want to sit next to Kerr...

Cheryl Cox's culture of childishness damaged CVESD and the City of Chula Vista

A surprised Mayor Cox was aghast to hear herself addressed by a member of the public as “Your Fatness” at one particularly heated meeting. “What does that tell you about how some people deal with what we’re facing here?” she says. “Somebody has to be the adult here.” from San Diego News Network July 14, 2009

It sounds like friends of yours, Cheryl.

Like your pals at San Diego County Office of Education. ("280 pounds"?!)

It sounds like the jaw-dropping childishness that you encouraged, or rather required, at Castle Park Elementary School.

It sounds like you, Cheryl. Firing your city manager for looking at racy pictures during his breaks? When the city is falling apart at the seams? Get your priorities straight, Cheryl.

And firing Mike Najera: In early May, Cox moved to force Chula Vista Port Commissioner Mike Najera’s resignation from the board that controls the bayfront acreage. Najera, she said, hadn’t done enough to get the project off the ground. Najera saw the move as payback for a fund-raiser he had hosted for Steve Castaneda, a political challenger of Cox. She denied the accusation.

Instead of blaming others for problems, Cheryl, why don't you act like a adult and take responsibility for making things better?


Note to writer Cathy Clark: Cheryl Cox was a teacher for two years. That doesn't seem to me to qualify her as a "longtime teacher".

Chula Vista Educators website appears to be abandoned

About a year and a half ago Chula Vista Educators started a website. I was impressed, and waited for a new era of openness from CVE, thinking such an attitude change was better late than never. However, very little information was ever posted. The recent election was never announced, nor were the candidates and issues discussed. It was not clear at all what the purpose of the website was.

CVE president Peg Myers just doesn't seem to know how to function in an open environment. She has been loath to post the results of the election that was finished on May 20, 2009. In fact, nothing at all has been posted since March.

But who knows? One of these days maybe Peg will update the outdated list of officers on the home page.

Juan Vargas in South Bay--I don't want to see him, hear him or smell him.

I've been completely disgusted with Juan Vargas since he left his seat on a California legislative insurance committee to take a cushy job at--what else?--an insurance company. The guy smells like corruption incarnate.

The only good thing about his running would be the pleasure of seeing Mary Salas clean his clock.

Juan Vargas Coming Back?
Posted by BlueSanDiego
South Bay
March 16th, 2009

The Legislator of the Year honoree for this year’s Roosevelt Dinner is Mary Salas, the only announced candidate for this seat. Mary Salas replaced Juan Vargas when he termed out and went on to become much more popular with local Democrats within the party than Vargas was.

Vargas has a tough road ahead of him if he has his eyes on this seat. He has been out of office for a while and has to contend with running against a candidate that is loved by the local establishment.

South Bay continues to get more and more interesting by the week. Four big races in South Bay are keeping local party leaders busy: (1) David Alvarez versus B.D. Howard in SD City Council D8, (2) Ben Hueso versus Pearl Quinones in State Assembly District 79, (3) Humberto Peraza versus Jill Galvez for Chula Vista City Council and now possibly Juan Vargas lining up to compete against Mary Salas for the State Senate District 40 seat.

State Senator Denise Ducheny in 2012 for San Diego County supervisor?


Ducheny Vs. Cox in 2012
Posted by BlueSanDiego
July 10, 2009

The 2010 elections for the Board of Supervisors are already taking shape but I believe that we won’t be able to win the D4 seat (Ron Roberts) since we can’t even come up with a consensus candidate to take on Roberts in 2010. The district is nearly the size of a congressional district.

Sheila (sic)* Jackson has low name ID and limited legislative experience. Lori Saldana seems more interested in running for State Senate in 2012. You know how it is with politicians, send them to Sacramento and you have to send them home kicking and screaming when term limits send them packing. Saldana clearly doesn’t have the desire to serve as a supervisor. Donna Frye doesn’t seem to know what she wants at all. Some days she will say she is seriously considering it then other days she will seem lost in a daze and unsure of her future.

June 2010 is less than 11 months away. Neither of the three have mounted a serious fundraising effort and it might just be too late if all three are going to stay in the race.

That shifts our attention to 2012 which might be realistically the first time we can get a Democrat elected to the Board of Supervisor in years. Word on the street is that labor is actively courting termed out State Senator Denise Ducheny to run against Greg Cox in 2012. Ducheny has good name ID and a thick rolodex from her years in Sacramento. It also helps that her 40th State Senate district is nearly identical to the Board of Supervisor District 5 boundaries.

It will become more clear if Ducheny intends to run for the Board of Supervisor if she begins going all out for staffer David Alvarez who is running for SD City Council D8. D8 makes up nearly 1/3rd of the Board of Supervisors 5th District. It would be a big boost for Ducheny to have one of her own supporting her in 2012 just in case she faces opposition from Juan Vargas or Mary Salas if either one of them loses the 2010 State Senate race to replace her and decides to take a shot for the Board of Supervisors seat in 2012.

However it might just be a Ducheny 2012 race. If Cheryl Cox loses her bid for re-election for Mayor of Chula Vista, I could imagine Greg Cox wanting to forgo a potentially touch re-election fight in 2012 and simply retire in peace with his wife and enjoy plenty of rounds of golf at the San Diego Country Club in Chula Vista. Only time will tell.

*Maura Larkins' comment: It took me years to realize that it's Shelia Jackson, not Sheila. I made the same spelling mistake more times than I wish to remember.

Dianna Carberry in the news again; this time she claims to be the victim of Sweetwater Superintendent Jesus Gandara

Photo: Dianna and Ed Carberry. Dianna fired a coach for reporting that her husband Ed told a student to use a substance. The student developed kidney failure.

It seems that the same people keep popping up in story after story about problems in schools. Dianna Carberry is one of the familiar names. She is the principal who fired coach James "Ted" Carter in Escondido because he had reported to his superiors that coach Ed Carberry, Dianna's husband, advised a student to take a substance. The student was later hospitalized with kidney failure. Carberry should have been fired by Escondido, instead, she left without being fired.

It is not surprising to me that she was hired in Sweetwater; the district has never shown much fondness for ethics, but it is amazing to me that employees would be protesting her demotion. What is surprising is that Carberry is now claiming to be a victim, and that employees of Sweetwater are rallying around her. It does seem, however, that employees are not terribly enthusiastic about Carberry; it's really Karen Janney that they like. Apparently they decided that it made their argument stronger to have two demotions to protest, but I think it's unwise to use Carberry as their poster child.

Another of the familiar names is Jaime Mercado. Perhaps this story should be called Jaime Mercado gets the last laugh.


Sweetwater's Miracle Worker Turned Lightning Rod
By EMILY ALPERT
Voice of San Diego
June 21, 2009

Jesus Gandara was described as a miracle worker when Sweetwater Union High School District, the largest high school district in the state, hired him as its leader nearly three years ago...

But now, as he nears the end of his third year overseeing a district that encompasses the middle and high schools from National City to San Ysidro, Gandara is in the crosshairs of a campaign to unseat him. Four labor unions from teachers to custodians have joined forces, gathering signatures for a petition that argues that he "neither welcomes nor respects input" and "relies on intimidation to gain consent."

...And unions are not the only ones angry: Many principals and middle managers were stunned by his decision to demote two of his highest ranking employees in March.

The school board has largely stayed out of the fray after a member highly critical of Gandara, Jaime Mercado, lost his re-election bid last fall.

[Maura Larkins' comment: It appears that things have not improved at Sweetwater since Bertha Lopez replaced Jaime Mercado.]

...School district leaders are hopeful that the recent election of a new teachers' union president, Alex Anguiano, will cool the furor: Spokeswoman Lillian Leopold said that Anguiano has a better relationship with Gandara, who said that when the old President Sam Lucero was voted out, "he got his vote of no confidence -- and his was louder than mine."

But several sources within the union said that the vote indicated a push for "a wartime president" who will continue their fight, not call it off. Employees charge that the uproar is not about proposed salary cuts or layoffs, which have been canceled as Sweetwater found other ways to cut $11.6 million from its $348 million budget, but about Gandara himself.

One union leader remembered Gandara visiting her after she complained to the school board about a computer system.

"He yelled at me. Just chewed me out. '...You have an issue, you bring it to me.' He was yelling and waving his finger in front of my nose," said Julie Hitchcock, president of the Sweetwater Counseling and Guidance Association...

[Maura Larkins' comment: I'll bet he didn't yell as loud or as long as CVESD Assistant Superintendent Richard Werlin used to yell. But a very close colleague of SEA President Alex Anguiano from Chula Vista Educators (Jim Groth) and current SUHSD trustee Bertha Lopez supported Rick Werlin's questionable tactics. Rick Werlin yelled so viciously at one principal that the man had a heart attack right then and there in his own office. Sometimes I wonder if the teachers union really cares about all employees, or only acts when union leaders get offended. My recommendation to SUHSD trustees: next time, promote someone from within the district.]

...But a chorus of complaints focuses on Gandara's attitude toward employees. They are not confined to unions: Numerous employees in management positions declined to be quoted for this story, saying they feared for their jobs. A retiree has become their spokeswoman.

The demotions "were the tipping point," said Mary Anne Stro, who retired as a principal eight years ago. "If they can do this to Karen and Dianna, they can do anything to anybody."

[Maura Larkins comment: Why are all these people acting as if this is something new? What about Superintendent Ed Brand firing Mary Anne Weegar? Making an issue out of the demotion of Dianna Carberry is an odd thing for pro-employee groups to do.]

Stro was referring to the demotions of Karen Janney and Dianna Carberry, two assistant superintendents who lost their jobs after declining lesser positions in the school district. Demoting Janney, in particular, has inspired outrage from longtime employees who praised her as a competent and caring leader, citing the lofty awards she received and local projects she helped to complete...

Reasons for the demotions are unclear. While Sweetwater schools learned they had much room to improve in a critical report from the County Office of Education, the report was not shared with Gandara and other staff until weeks after Janney and Carberry were demoted. Janney's department was ranked highly in an internal survey last year of how managers felt about Sweetwater departments and their timeliness, communication and quality; Carberry was in the middle of the pack.

Board President Jim Cartmill said that decisions about the top personnel must be left to Gandara.

"We can't keep a superintendent accountable for results unless he or she is allowed to hire who they want," he said...

Business became [Gandara's] focus in Sweetwater, where he names the dysfunctional computer system that Hitchcock complained about as one challenge, along with dropping enrollment, budget woes and its $644 million facilities bond. Though most of the bond projects are in their infancy, Gandara prides himself on roughly $10 million in savings from three large projects where bids came in below estimates...

Critics and supporters of Gandara alike say he has largely left the educational side of schools, curriculum and instruction, to his subordinates. He now says that was a mistake and he will get involved. A County Office of Education study of Sweetwater schools that recently found that strategies to help lagging students were inconsistent, though annual test scores show improvement in Sweetwater over time...

Amalia Cudeiro gets chance to follow her pal Libia Gil's prescriptions for keeping employees in line: Cudeiro is superintendent for Bellevue Schools

Now that Amalia Cudeiro (photo) is superintendent of schools in Bellevue, Washington, I suspect that she will follow the top-down decision making policies of her pal Libia Gil, who was superintendent of Chula Vista Elementary School District from 1993 to 2002. I suppose decisions will be based on what's best for the people in charge and their political friends.

Former Superintendent Libia Gil remade CVESD in her own image, and it has remained the same even though she herself was pushed out in March 2002. [I suspect she was pushed out not because she broke the law, but because she made such a mess while doing so.]

Gil beat the union (Chula Vista Educators) by co-opting and corrupting its leaders, specifically Jim Groth, Virginia (Gina) Boyd, Tim O'Neill and the board of directors.

See Site-based management for a peek at some of Libby Gil's cheerleaders.

It was obvious all along that neither Libby Gil nor her assistant superintendent Lowell Billings believed in the democratic principles they were spouting to sell site-based management. Chula Vista Elementary School District's Superintendent Lowell Billings apparently watched closely and learned from his predecessor Libia Gil, who managed to increase her power without ever saying much of anything.

Billings continues to promote the system as implemented at CVESD, which always involved top-down decision-making, never democracy at the school site.

It also involved laziness and neglect. So things would often get out of hand at various schools, and then the district office would swoop in and fire people, or, if they were political allies, bring them back to the district office for their own protection.

In 2008 CVESD superintendent Lowell Billings had a new problem. The school that was trying to make its own decisions was a charter school. The staff didn't think that principal Erik Latoni should make all the decisions.

Once again, Lowell wanted to swoop in and take control. He threatened to to terminate the charter of Feaster Elementary School because the people who run the school actually work at the school. Instead of "site-based decision-making," this is now being called "a conflict of interest" by Mr. Billings. The meaning of the words changes whenever the people in charge feel it's necessary.

It's probably worthwhile to note that CVESD rehired Daniel Shinoff of Stutz, Artiano Shinoff & Holtz in 2008. Apparently the board was impressed with Shinoff's work at MiraCosta College. I notice a striking similarity in the arguments used to attack Feaster Elementary and the arguments used to justify the actions of the majority-bloc of trustees at MiraCosta.

Why didn't Supervisor Greg Cox raise the same alerts Dianne Jacob did?

San Diego County Supervisor Dianne Jacob seems to be the only ethical supervisor we have. Whose side is Greg Cox on?

Shut-off plan's vocal backers linked to SDG&E
Supervisor questions ties to area nonprofits
By Jeff McDonald
San Diego Union-Tribune Staff Writer
June 21, 2009

Organizations with representatives at an April committee meeting of the California Public Utilities Commission that did not disclose their connections to San Diego Gas & Electric Co.

Girl Scouts San Diego-Imperial Council Inc.: Board member Karen Hutchens formerly worked for SDG&E and has represented the utility as a client.

Hutchens Public Relations: Associates Scott Alevy and Manny Aguilar testified favorably about the shut-off plan. SDG&E has been a client.

TaxpayersAdvocate.org: Founder Scott Barnett has done consulting for SDG&E.

Vista Chamber of Commerce: SDG&E is a “Chairman's Circle” sponsor, which requires minimum donation of $3,000.

Chula Vista Chamber of Commerce: Board member Ahmad Solomon works for SDG&E.

San Ysidro Chamber of Commerce: Board member Ahmad Solomon works for SDG&E.

Santee Chamber of Commerce: Board member Donald Parent works for SDG&E.

DETAILS

What: Board of Supervisors meeting
Where: County Administration Center, 1600 Pacific Highway, San Diego

When East County residents gathered before state regulators in April to debate San Diego Gas and Electric Co.'s plan to shut off power during the worst conditions to keep from sparking wildfires, something gnawed at Supervisor Dianne Jacob.

Speakers from the South Bay to North County showed up at the three-hour meeting in Alpine to tout the plan as a safe, reasonable way to reduce the fire threat across the rugged, dry backcountry.

Jacob, who has long feuded with the utility, couldn't figure out why a chamber executive from Vista or a Girl Scouts board member would drive out on a Tuesday night to weigh in on the issue.

Then she realized that almost every speaker in support of the shut-off plan had a connection to SDG&E, which donates money to local charities and has employees involved with many nonprofits.

“They sit on the boards, they contribute to organizations and then when they're involved in a controversial issue, they call in the favors,” Jacob said.

SDG&E spokeswoman Stephanie Donovan said the company and its employees do not donate time or money to community groups for political gain.

“We're pretty proud of the deep roots we have in the community,” Donovan said.

In a follow-up e-mail, she wrote: “Our giving to non-profits and our volunteer board service come with no strings attached.”

Jacob is asking the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday to oppose SDG&E's shut-off plan, which would impose blackouts on 60,000 customers during high-risk conditions to reduce the threat of power-line-related fires.

The proposal, now under consideration by the state's Public Utilities Commission, has drawn criticism from residents, telecommunications companies and school and water districts, among others.

“Opponents have demonstrated that the risks of cutting power to homes and businesses during extreme fire conditions outweigh the potential benefits,” Jacob wrote to her board colleagues.

Jacob has questioned SDG&E's business practices before. When deregulation sent power rates soaring for thousands of San Diego-area customers in 2000 and 2001, she campaigned against SDG&E billing policies and lobbied state officials for rollbacks.

But it is not certain Jacob's latest effort will be supported by the full board, which rarely fails to reach a consensus. Supervisor Pam Slater-Price co-signed the opposition letter, but Supervisors Greg Cox and Ron Roberts have a history of supporting SDG&E.

Roberts did not respond to questions about the issue last week. In a statement, Cox said he had not read the request, but he worries about a power shut-off impeding mass warnings to residents. An aide to Supervisor Bill Horn said Horn would not comment before the meeting.

Whether her recommendation wins approval, Jacob is troubled that people with ties to SDG&E routinely appear before regulators on behalf of the utility and don't disclose the connection.

The Alpine hearing attracted representatives from the Chula Vista, San Ysidro and Vista chambers of commerce, as well the local Girl Scouts council and taxpayer advocate Scott Barnett, all of whom have professional relationships with the utility.

“This is an effort to fool the PUC into thinking there are all these organizations and folks that support SDG&E's efforts on the merits of the case, on the facts,” Jacob said, “when in fact it's nothing more than buying influence.”

Consumer advocate Michael Shames said SDG&E has a history of contributing to community groups then asking for help in return.

“It's all about creating the appearance of community support, thus providing political cover to the decision-makers,” said Shames, director of the Utility Consumers' Action Network. “Some people don't take money from SDG&E because they don't want the strings.”

Nonprofit executives who accept donations from SDG&E or recruit utility executives to their boards disagree.

Paul O'Neal, who runs the Vista Chamber of Commerce, drove 65 miles each way to speak at the April hearing in Alpine. The SDG&E shut-off plan represents “a potential solution” to persistent fire threats, he testified.

In an interview last week, O'Neal said that the utility does spread its “wealth around the entire community” but that this isn't necessarily bad.

“They feel they have a civic duty,” he said. “Are they buying a vote? Certainly not in this case.”

Karen Hutchens is a public relations professional from Point Loma who used to be an SDG&E spokeswoman. Now the company is one of her clients.

When she addressed the PUC committee, she identified herself as a Girl Scouts board member and proxy for Executive Director Jo Dee Jacob, who is Supervisor Jacob's sister-in-law. The Girl Scouts “applaud SDG&E for their leadership in evaluating the situation,” Hutchens read from a letter Jo Dee Jacob signed.

Jo Dee Jacob last week defended the Girl Scouts' joining the debate. “Girls'safety and fire prevention is very, very important to us,” she said.

Two of Hutchens' associates – Scott Alevy and Manny Aguilar – also spoke in favor of the shut-off plan without disclosing their dealings with the utility.

SDG&E's Donovan said the company will strive to persuade the county supervisors not to oppose the shut-off plan.

“You can be sure we will be there to reiterate to the board that our plan is about public safety and emergency preparedness and protecting the region from catastrophic wildfires by eliminating a potential ignition source,” she wrote.

DeveloperAlert.org tells what's going on in San Diego

I found a superb blog about local developers called DEVELOPERALERT.ORG. Here are some quotes from the blog:

Development that works

Paul Solomon quit his job as a real estate attorney to pursue a dream of redeveloping obsolete factory buildings in downtown Los Angeles (an area that is now being called the Arts District)... As I spent the day with him in February touring his new development of the "National Biscuit Company" Building, every turn seemed to tender a brand new treasure. Copper doors and windows, maple floors, exposed wood formwork, concrete columns, staircases ascending effortlessly to mezzanines open to below characterized these engaging spaces. It was obvious that the architect Aleks Istanbullu had carefully considered every facet of the design... It was obvious that this building was more than just a source of revenue for him, it was a source of pride... and that is rare.


Here's more from DeveloperAlert.org:

Development that doesn't work

"Developers' money is like heroin to politicians." - Roy P. Disney, March 2, 2008, Los Angeles Times

“We need open, honest government that is working for people, not developers.” - Stephen Whitburn, March 15, 2008, San Diego Union Tribune

Top-down decision making masquerades as "site-based management"

I recently noted that Richard Hanks and Monica Sorenson have become principals at Chula Vista Elementary School Disrict. I suspect this is an omen that top-down decision making will continue, and will continue based on the same principles of doing what's best for the people in charge.

Former Superintendent Libia Gil remade the district in her own image, and it has remained the same even though she herself was pushed out in March 2002. [I suspect she was pushed out not because she broke the law, but because she made such a mess while doing so.]

Gil beat the union (Chula Vista Educators) by co-opting and corrupting its leaders, specifically Jim Groth, Virginia (Gina) Boyd, Tim O'Neill and the board of directors.

See Site-based management for a peek at some of Libby Gil's cheerleaders.

It was obvious all along that neither Libby Gil nor her assistant superintendent Lowell Billings believed in the democratic principles they were spouting to sell site-based management. Chula Vista Elementary School District's Superintendent Lowell Billings apparently watched closely and learned from his predecessor Libia Gil, who managed to increase her power without ever saying much of anything.

Billings continues to promote the system as implemented at CVESD, which always involved top-down decision-making, never democracy at the school site.

It also involved laziness and neglect. So things would often get out of hand at various schools, and then the district office would swoop in and fire people, or, if they were political allies, bring them back to the district office for their own protection.

In 2008 CVESD superintendent Lowell Billings had a new problem. The school that was trying to make its own decisions was a charter school. The staff didn't think that principal Erik Latoni should make all the decisions.

Once again, Lowell wanted to swoop in and take control. He threatened to to terminate the charter of Feaster Elementary School because the people who run the school actually work at the school. Instead of "site-based decision-making," this is now being called "a conflict of interest" by Mr. Billings. The meaning of the words changes whenever the people in charge feel it's necessary.

It's probably worthwhile to note that CVESD rehired Daniel Shinoff of Stutz, Artiano Shinoff & Holtz in 2008. Apparently the board was impressed with Shinoff's work at MiraCosta College. I notice a striking similarity in the arguments used to attack Feaster Elementary and the arguments used to justify the actions of the majority-bloc of trustees at MiraCosta.

Richard Hanks and Monica Sorenson hired as principals at CVESD

Monica Sorenson

UPDATE JAN. 2014:

Monica Sorenson has suddenly left her job as principal of Chula Vista Hills Elementary to go to Del Mar. Charlie Padilla also left his job as principal of Tiffany Elementary in the middle of the 2010-2011 school year.

Charlie Padilla

ORIGINAL POST:

Two of the three new principals at Chula Vista Elementary School District are political players. They have both shown loyalty to the longtime board majority.

You might be surprised that one of them, Monica Sorenson, is described as a "union leader," but that doesn't really mean much unless you think that CVESD school officials and CVE union leaders don't play footsie behind closed doors.

Richard Hanks is the former husband of former CVESD superintendent Libia Gil.


Chula Vista district has new principals
By Chris Moran,
San Diego Union-Tribune Staff Writer
June 18, 2009

Three new principals have recently been
appointed to run campuses in the Chula
Vista Elementary School District.

Richard Hanks, who had been
principal at Palmer Way Elementary
School in National City, will lead
Hedenkamp Elementary in eastern
Chula Vista.

Monica Sorenson, who had been a
teachers union leader in the district,
will serve as principal of Chula Vista Hills
Elementary.

Del Merlan, an educator from Central
California, has been appointed principal
of Casillas Elementary. Five associate
principals also were promoted to
principal.

The school year begins July 27.

Latest correspondence in Stutz v. Larkins defamation suit

Here's the message I just send to Stutz law firm regarding its demands for changes in my website, pursuant to its defamation suit against me.

June 9, 2009

Dear Stutz, Artiano, Shinoff & Holtz:

A person can disagree with Stutz without saying or implying that Stutz' actions are illegal or unprofessional. Obviously, there was a parting of the ways between Stutz and Bob Gallagher. Bob clearly did not see eye to eye with Dan Shinoff, Ray Artiano, James Holtz, etc. There's nothing in the court order that prevents me from saying so. People are allowed to dislike Stutz law firm, and they're not legally required to keep their feelings secret.

And, conversely, Stutz is allowed to nurture whatever hostile feelings it wishes against me and others.

Some Stutz lawyers get so angry that one would hardly be surprised to see smoke rising from the top of their heads. Ray Artiano was so mad during his deposition that his face kept twitching. Kelly Angell pointed both her index fingers at me in court, with thumbs cocked as if she were shooting me with two guns at once. (And I'll bet Stutz doesn't even charge the taxpayers for the theatrics. Rage and fury are thrown in for no charge!)

Citizens are allowed to criticize the actions of public entities and other organizations, such as tax-free educational institutions like Californians Against Lawsuit Abuse. America is what it is because of freedom of speech. You have no authority to stop me from presenting my ideas about education and the justice system.

Stutz obtained a summary judgment that it didn't deserve in its defamation case against me. The judge didn't consider my evidence, and relied on the declaration of a man (Dan Shinoff) who refused to be deposed and refused to produce documents. I would think that Stutz wouldn't want to push this too far.

If I were Stutz, I'd quit while I was ahead. But I guess that sort of advice is lost on Stutz. Stutz has had so many chances to quit while it was ahead in my case, but didn't take advantage of any of them. You know when the perfect time would have been to settle with me? Feb. 11, 2003, the day my OAH decision came out. Or Dec. 18, 2004, when my Superior Court case got thrown out.

At that time I probably would have exchanged confidentiality for a song.

Why did Stutz wait until I was back up and running, with a successful website, and THEN ask me to keep my information under wraps? Honestly, sometimes I wonder if the guys in charge of your firm have common sense.

I've heard that Daniel Shinoff considers "The Art of War" to be his personal bible, but I don't think he's read it carefully. Charging ahead with as many weapons as you can muster is not always the best plan. Sometimes you can defang an opponent with a smile and a handshake.

Can you believe that our trial date is just a month away? Maybe that's what we should be focusing on, rather than whether it is defamatory to say that Bob Gallagher left the firm because he didn't like Stutz' tactics.

Respectfully,
Maura Larkins

[Maura Larkins' comment: A report I found on NPR today helped me understand what's going on here. "Through their research, Kahneman and Tversky identified dozens of these biases and errors in judgment, which together painted a certain picture of the human animal. Human beings, it turns out, don't always make good decisions, and frequently the choices they do make aren't in their best interest...In other words, if the human brain is hard-wired to make serious errors, that implies all kinds of things about the need for regulation and protection."

A message sent today to Peg Myers, President of Chula Vista Educators

Hi Peg:
Instead of trying so hard to eliminate my blog, how about you debate with me in public? If I'm truly crazy, as you like to say, then I'm sure the audience will quickly catch on. How about I present my information to the Representative Council of Chula Vista Educators? Or are you determined to perpetuate Gina Boyd/Jim Groth tactics?

Respectfully,
Maura Larkins

Elisa Betancourt should keep talking about teacher quality in CVESD

Get ready to make some noise again Chula Vista! Salt Creek & South Bay 'Y' are holding focus groups tomorrow, June 4, 2009 and June 17, 2009 re: DASH/STRETCH.

June 4
5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Here, you will get to speak.
Salt Creek Elementary School Auditorium
1055 Hunte Parkway
Chula Vista, CA 91914

June 17
11 - 12 and 12 - 1
South Bay YMCA
50 North 4th Ave., 91910


Earlier DASH & STRETCH posts are here.

The Dash & Stretch Story as told by a veteran DASH leader
San Diego Reader
By CVPFEP
Posted June 3, 2009
...Why wasn't Dr. Lowell Billings transparent with the parents and employees of the City of Chula Vista's DASH and STRETCH? That is a question that will remain unanswered as Dr. Lowell Billings will not comment on that...Double-Boarding a conflict of interest? Follow me: www.twitter.com/cvpfep


Care2 make a difference
While legally Dr. Lowell Billings & Pamela B. Smith may serve on two boards, namely CVESD & the YMCA's Board of Management, they were supposed to have abstained their votes on the March 10th, 2009 district board meeting as it was a clear conflict of interests.


Maura Larkins' response:

Here's what Robert Fellmeth, University of San Diego law professor and director of the Center for Public Interest Law, says, "[P]ublic officials should know better than to steer so much money to groups with which they have close relationships."

Shame on Pamela Smith for voting to give control of a school district program to a private charity she's involved in. (On the other hand, it helps explain why the YMCA would give her a "woman of distinction" award. But the web of longtime cronies involved in the DASH & STRETCH power grab extends beyond Lowell Billings and Pam Smith to Cheryl Cox, mayor of Chula Vista. Cox served on the CVESD board until 2006.

The DASH & STRETCH backroom deal is a small part of a much bigger problem.

Lowell Billings (like many other school superintendents) is paid big bucks to do whatever it takes to keep things calm and quiet in the school district.

He's also supposed to educate as many kids as possible while keeping things quiet, but when a choice has to be made between educating kids and keeping the power structure in place, the kids come in second place.

Mr. Billings seems to be good at covering up problems. This is why CVESD pays Lowell Billings one of the highest salaries of any public employee in San Diego County, while at the same time laying off the people who actually educate kids. (How much is Billings paid to do this? In the 2007-2008 fiscal year he was the fourth-highest earning public employee in San Diego County, earning $238,205. I would guess his salary was about $20,000 higher this past year.)

Like other school officials, CVESD board members are so paranoid that they feel threatened by every little complaint. They don't want issues addressed in a public forum; they believe democracy is the road to ruin. Voters must be kept in the dark because voters can't be trusted with the truth. They are the only ones worthy of being on the board, and they must do whatever they have to do to stay there, including ignoring conflict of interest and other laws.

You might not guess that arrogance and fear would be so closely intertwined, but both the arrogance and the paranoia are real.

Chula Vista Elementary School District has a particularly bad case of paranoia. Board members and administrators fear that their system would fall apart if parents, teachers or kids were allowed to express dissatisfaction. It's CVESD's reflex response is to silence complaints and to deny its mistakes. CVESD flounders for years covering up its blunders rather than solving its problems.

The deterioration of DASH & STRETCH at CVESD is an unfortunate event, but it's just a tiny part of the big problem in education: teacher quality. Politics, not competence, determines who teaches children. People love to moan about the problem of not being able to get rid of incompetent teachers, but the truth is that education wouldn't really improve much if each school got rid of its worst teacher and replaced that teacher with a barely-competent teacher. The standards need to be much higher.

Unfortunately, our society doesn't want to pay much for schools. One of Lowell Billings' jobs is to find a cheap way to put a teacher in every classroom (after first taking out plenty for himself and his lawyers, of course).

Adding to the problem, or perhaps, the very core of the problem, is that there is no effective system to evaluate teaching performance. Principals do observations, but they don't really know what's going on in classrooms, as reported in recent research.

Links on ineffective teacher evaluations:
Gotham Schools
Education Week
Voice of San Diego

As long as everything is peaceful and quiet, most administrators believe that everything is fine. And if kids end up as failures years later, very few people in the schools feel guilty. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world, but most school officials are apparently fine with that.

Schools teach that if we keep a low profile and don't make the people in power angry, we'll be among the "contributing" members of society. I disagree. I think that looking the other way when wrong is being done damages society. I hope that Elisa Betancourt will keep speaking out. There's plenty more to talk about, Elisa. Don't go away!

Peg Myers is keeping election results for Chula Vista Educators under wraps

There's something wrong with the Chula Vista Educators website.

I can't find any mention, anywhere on the site, of the May 2009 CVE officer elections. If you didn't know from some other source, you would have no idea that CVE is currently experiencing its own particular brand of democracy. That's the version in which election results don't get entered on the website until President Peg Myers and her supporters are good and ready.

Today I called CVE, and a nice woman whom I'll call "V" answered the phone. When I asked when the results of the elections would be announced, she said, "They have to run again for Treasurer."

I said, "They already did that."

(The voting in that runoff election between Kathleen Fernandez and Nancy Potts ended on May 20.)

"Then I don't know what's going on with that."

And that's all the information I got from V.

I left a message on Peg Myers' voice mail asking when the runoff outcome would be announced. I'll report any response I get.

UPDATE: Myers never called me back. I finally got the results, but not from Myers or the CVE office.

Intimidation by Jesus Gandara in Sweetwater School District? Perish the thought!

Looking for Park View Little League Story? Click HERE.



See all posts about Jesus Gandara.

Update: Gandara fires Dianna Carberry. (Carberry is the infamous principal who fired Coach James "Ted" Carter.)

SUHSD superintendent Jesus Gandara is being accused of using intimidation to control employees. It wouldn't surprise me if it were true, since I am familiar with the intimidation used by Chula Vista Elementary School's superintendents Lowell Billings (see the Ana Stover case) and Libia Gil (see the Maura Larkins case). But the SUHSD employees are asking for help from the wrong people. The school board is probably in full support of Mr. Gandara. In fact, it's newest member, Bertha Lopez, gave approval to CVESD's worst tactics. With all those signatures, surely these employees could have some sway at election time. What they need is new board members, and then they can solve a host of problems.

Displeased employees want superintendent fired
1,300 sign petition to oust Gandara
By Chris Moran Union-Tribune Staff Writer

May 23, 2009

CHULA VISTA — More than 1,300 employees in the Sweetwater Union High School District have signed a petition calling for the superintendent to be fired.

The signatures are the most concrete expression of discontent with Superintendent Jesus Gandara that has persisted throughout the spring as the district struggles with budget cuts and personnel reassignments.

There are about 6,000 employees in the district.

In March, the district put 109 educators on notice that they faced the loss of their jobs due to budget cuts. The district later rescinded all the notices. In negotiations with the teachers union, the district proposed a 2 percent pay cut for teachers. That, too, was retracted once the district was informed that it would soon receive $12.4 million in federal stimulus money.

Gandara also demoted several longtime and popular administrators as part of a larger plan to reorganize the leadership of the 42,000-student district. Karen Janney, the second-highest ranking academic administrator in the district and a former state principal of the year, refused to accept her new assignment and has left the district.

The petition calls for Sweetwater's five-member board of trustees “to immediately begin the process of seeking a new superintendent.”

The petition accuses Gandara of using intimidation to gain consent. Employees from all over the district signed even amid what some employees privately call a climate of fear. They say employees believe they'll suffer retaliation if they disagree with Gandara.

When the petition started circulating, board President Jim Cartmill issued a statement that called the petition “nothing more than a political tactic being used during difficult contract negotiations.”

Union leaders who organized the petition drive turned in the signatures at a board meeting this month.

Harsh disciplinarian=secret rule breaker?

Have you ever noticed that the teachers who are the most harsh disciplinarians of children, severely punishing minor infractions, are often also the most likely to break rules themselves?

In the teachers lounge at Castle Park Elementary a few years ago I saw the aftermath of a food fight by teachers on the last day of school. It took the custodians a week to clean the sticky soda, whipped cream and other food from the walls, carpets and upholstery. One of the participants in the fight explained to me that "we needed to let off steam." How could this teacher pass the age of forty without discovering some form of stress relief that didn't involve vandalism? And how could she show so much contempt for kids who failed on one occasion to finish their homework (she called them "losers"?

This teacher was a charter member of "The Castle Park Family," five of whose members were administratively transferred out of the school in August 2005. These teachers were not into good behavior, they were into power. They didn't lose their jobs; they were simply transferred to another school. But they themselves had caused a good many excellent teachers and principals to lose their jobs or be transferred out of the school.

The behavior of the Castle Park Family (a group that now has taken over Chula Vista Educators) is bullying, dishonest and disruptive, the sort of that would earn children a trip to the principals office for a lecture on playing well with others.

Not surprisingly, this same type of relationship, in which rule-breakers harshly enforce the rules over those below them, occurs in the relationship between CVESD district administrators and teachers.

The situation is somewhat analogous to the village in the new movie The White Ribbon which just won the grand prize at the Cannes Film Festival. (Is this analogy allowable, Mr. Shinoff? I'll grant you that the children in the movie are the generation that grew up to perpetrate the actions you don't want me to discuss, but surely I'm allowed to discuss the Palme d'Or prize winner without getting sued by your law firm!) Reuters describes the setting for the story: An inhuman, never questioned moral code holds sway, especially over the children who are constantly punished, both physically and psychologically, for the slightest infraction. The women are similarly brutalized and under the thumb of the village's unabashed patriarchy. The male adults, on the other hand, engage in clandestine acts of evil and cruelty that are kept hushed up...One day the order of things begins to unravel.

That last part about hushing up wrongdoing makes the analogy with Castle Park Elementary and CVESD complete.

Dennis Doyle suddenly clears out as school superintendent at National School District

Dennis M. Doyle, former Assistant Superintendent at CVESD, has apparently not flourished as superintendent of National School District. Or perhaps he's had a better offer?

[Update: It turned out that Mr. Doyle did NOT have a better offer.  He eventually found a job at a much lower salary administering a small charity that promotes art in classrooms.  I found out years later that Mr. Doyle had been deeply--but secretly--involved in my own case at CVESD before he went to National School District.  He and I never met; he was apparently helping a pal with a personal agenda.  It appears from the article below that Mr. Doyle was involved deeply and secretly in some mysterious goings-on at National School District.  He is now a poster boy for Voice of San Diego online newspaper.  He's the guy with the friendly smile and head of white hair who pops up in the photo banners on the VOSD webpages.]  

Doyle suddenly clears out as school superintendent
No explanation from him, trustees
By Chris Moran
San Diego Union-Tribune Staff Writer
May 21, 2009

The superintendent of the National School District in National City abruptly resigned his post, moving out of his office five days before the school board formally accepted his resignation Wednesday.

Neither Dennis Doyle nor trustees explained Doyle's sudden departure. He had 13 months left on his contract.

In a prepared statement, the board and Doyle jointly declared: “Dr. Doyle's decision, although sudden, was his personal decision and not the result of any dispute between the board and the superintendent or any suspected wrongdoing on his part.”

Chris Oram, assistant superintendent of educational services, will be the district's chief executive until the board appoints an interim superintendent. That could happen as early as next week, board President James Grier said.

Doyle, 59, of University City, was hired as National's superintendent in July 2007 after spending 10 years as assistant superintendent in the neighboring Chula Vista Elementary School District. He has been an educator for more than 30 years, and was paid $154,000 annually.

“National is a fabulous district with a dynamic staff, motivated students and supportive parents,” Doyle wrote in an e-mail.

The district educates 5,800 students from kindergarten through sixth grade at 11 schools. It has a higher percentage of non-English-speaking students – 65.5 percent – than any other district in the county.

Doyle cited several achievements for the district during his 22-month tenure, including improvements in the district's state academic rating based on test scores and and improved language proficiency scores for its non-English-speaking students. He also mentioned teachers' widespread use of technology in the classroom.

“Nonetheless, it has become apparent to me that it is time to move on,” he wrote.

Grier said he was surprised by Doyle's announcement and did not find out until the day of the board meeting Wednesday.

“It's sudden to everyone,” Grier said. When asked why Doyle resigned, Grier said, “I wish I knew.”

When asked if she was pleased with his job performance, trustee Rosie Alvarado said, “He was all right, no big deal, he was doing OK.”

Trustees Anne Campbell and Barbara Avalos did not return phone calls Thursday. Trustee Alma Graham deferred to the prepared statement.

Kathleen Fernandez offers the only choice to Chula Vista Elementary teachers in CVE election

Looking for posts on CVE President Peggie Myers? Click HERE.

The results of the 2009 Chula Vista Educators (CVE) elections have not been announced, but here they are anyway. There is very little mystery in the process. The results for three out of four positions were predetermined because there was no opposition.

There is one bit of suspense remaining, however.

Kathleen Fernandez turned out to be a strong write-in candidate for Treasurer, forcing a run-off. Here are the results.

President:
Peg Myers (incumbent)--no opposition
This is the first time Myers ran for this office, even though she's held the office for two years since Jim Groth resigned to become a CTA director. Myers had no opposition when she ran for vice-president at that time. This year, as before, Myers had no opposition. Obviously, CTA isn't the CFT. California Teachers Association leaders tend to be anointed rather than chosen democratically, while California Federation of Teachers leaders usually endure a feisty election process.

Vice-President:
Tim Kriss--no opposition

Treasurer:
Nancy Potts--strong opposition from write-in candidate Kathleen Fernandez.
Fernandez was a member of the CVE bargaining team. Run-off ended May 20, 2009.

Secretary:
Barbara Dunwoodie--no opposition

Who will take Michael Najera's place on San Diego Port Commission?

See all posts about Mike Najera.

Candidates for Najera's former Port District seat crop up
By Tanya Sierra
San Diego Union-Tribune
May 20, 2009

CHULA VISTA — Less than a week after Mike Najera resigned as Chula Vista's port commissioner, possible successors have emerged.

They include former Port Commissioner Bill Hall, who Councilmen John McCann and Rudy Ramirez want appointed as the interim commissioner while they look for a permanent replacement.

McCann asked Mayor Cheryl Cox to convene an emergency meeting at 6 p.m. tomorrow to make an appointment. She said she is consulting with the city attorney about the request...

Other candidates who have been mentioned or said they would apply are former Mayor Steve Padilla; former City Attorney Ann Moore; Sal Salas, a banker married to state Assemblywoman Mary Salas, D-Chula Vista; developer Kevin O'Neill, a close ally of Cox's, and former council candidates Scott Vinson and Dan Hom. Otay Water District board member Jaime Bonilla was named as a possible candidate, but he said he would not apply.

The San Diego Unified Port District administers state tidelands around San Diego Bay. Seven commissioners represent the five port cities of San Diego, Chula Vista, Coronado, National City and Imperial Beach. ...

Builders at May 12, 2009 Chula Vista City Council Meeting demand they not be required to collect signatures in order to put their initiative on ballot

Arthur Salm: Council kicks sand in bullies’ faces
The initiative process opens the door to all kinds of mischief, most of it backed by interests with very deep pockets.

By Arthur Salm, SDNN
San Diego News Network

When you actually get to see a bully in action, it’s breathtaking, in a can-you-believe-that-guy? kind of way.

Few people saw it - after all, it was the last agenda item, it came up after five and a half hours of talk, and it was late, late in the evening. But at the May 12 Chula Vista City Council meeting, George Hawkins, president of the Associated Builders and Contractors, put on quite a show.
San Diego: Arthur Salm is an SDNN columnist.

After a supportive lead-in from Mayor Cheryl Cox, Hawkins stood at the lectern and informed the council members that unless they placed an initiative on the ballot for the June 2010 election - an initiative that his organization has failed so far to place via the by-the-book signature-gathering process - they’d sue the city (over an earlier petition rejected for what the city clerk determined to be improper paperwork). That, Hawkins said, would cost the taxpayers a bundle. The initiative’s going get on the ballot one way or another, he declared, and if his group goes out and gets the required signatures, that will trigger a special election, costing the city even more.San Diego: sdnn-opinion1

Do it, Hawkins told the council members, or Chula Vista will also end up paying “not only your attorney fees, but ours.” He indicated that if the city council plays ball, the lawsuit will likely go away.

Translation: Even with our hired-gun signature-gatherers, we haven’t been able to meet the requirements to get our initiative on the ballot. But we’ve got the money and we’ve got the juice, so if you guys don’t put it on there for us, we’re going to turn the citizens of Chula Vista upside down and shake some serious coin out of their pockets. Figures ranging from $600,000 to $1.4 million got tossed around.
Click here

Hawkins didn’t shout. He didn’t shake his fist. Had he sported a Snidley Whiplash-style mustache, he probably wouldn’t have twirled it. He didn’t even glower. He spoke calmly and matter-of-factly, and it was downright chilling. The link is here if you want to watch; just click on the May 12 video. Mayor Cox’s warm and fuzzy introduction starts at hour 5:31.

And here’s what the Associated Builders and Contractors want: Their ballot initiative would prohibit project labor agreements, which are collectively bargained labor agreements for city-funded construction projects. They deal with wages, hours, benefits, and other terms and conditions of employment. Typically a PLA will set a living wage, include medical benefits, and ensure that a certain percentage of the workers hired for a project live in the community. (Backers of the Associated Builders and Contractors’ initiative refer to it as a “fair and open competition ordinance,” a textbook example of nomenclature obfuscation; the art reached its dizziest heights with George W. Bush and his Clear Skies and Healthy Forest Initiatives.)

The response to Hawkins’ threat was immediate and compelling; this, too, made for good TV. (See that link, above? If you skipped it, click it now.) The outrage of the speakers following Hawkins seemed evenly directed toward the Associated Builders and Contractors’ would-be initiative itself and the audacity of their tactics.

“I’ve never witnessed such a scene of extortion in my life,” painter Paul Vauchelet told the council. A project labor agreement, he said, “is about working people and benefits and paying good wages. … You politicians are our last line of defense.”

The Labor Council’s Lorena Gonzalez let the council know that as long as they were considering placing initiatives on the ballot just because it’s cheaper, she had lots of ideas. How about a living-wage ordinance? “That would really benefit the workers,” she said.

Even after five years on the city council, Steve Castaneda said that every once in a while he still gets completely amazed - and he seemed floored by Hawkins’ proposal. Stating flatly that the council should refuse to cave in to threats, he added - and this shouldn’t have been necessary - “Unfortunately, democracy is an expensive endeavor.”

‘Round midnight it went to a vote. Pamela Bensoussan and Rudy Ramirez joined Castaneda in voting No; Mayor Cox and John McCann stood with the builders and contractors. Defeated, 3-2. A nice “almost” for the bullies...

Kaiser gift allows swim lessons for fourth graders in Chula Vista

5/18/2009
Kaiser Donates $50K to Swim Program for Fourth-Graders
San Diego Business Journal
Joyce Glazer

Kaiser Permanente is donating $50,000 to a Chula Vista city swim program for elementary school kids. Kaiser’s grant will allow the Recreation Department’s swim program to reach 1,000 fourth-grade students and cover transportation costs. “This donation allows us to expand the reach of a valuable program that teaches children critical lifesaving skills,” said Mayor Cheryl Cox …

[Maura Larkins' note: I agree that this is a wonderful gift and a terrific program. It was very sweet of the San Diego Business Journal to give Cheryl Cox some publicity instead of contacting someone at Kaiser, the Recreation Department or CVESD for a quote. Perhaps the writer didn't know that the school district is involved; the fourth-graders will be transported to and from their schools during class time. My students enjoyed this program from 1974 until 1978, when the passage of Proposition 13 ended the program. It's a shame that it took thirty-one years to get back on track.]

Cheryl Cox wins against Port Commissioner Michael Najera

Cheryl Cox, without the tiniest bit of behind-the-scenes pressure having been applied by her husband Supervisor Greg Cox or anxious developers, has managed to kick Michael Najera off the Port Commission. Well, maybe she had a little help from her friends.


San Diego Port Commissioner Resigns Under Pressure
Michael Najera Wants To Avoid Legal Battle
Channel 10 News
May 15, 2009

CHULA VISTA, Calif. -- A San Diego Port commissioner who was blamed for the failure of a project to develop the Chula Vista waterfront resigned Friday, a week after the city's mayor called for his voluntary departure.

Michael Najera is Chula Vista's representative on the Board of Port Commissioners, and had previously indicated he would fight to keep his position.

In a resignation letter, however, Najera said a legal battle wasn't in the best interest of Chula Vista.

"I feel strongly that my legal position was strong," Najera wrote. "However, I have determined that a protracted legal battle against my beloved hometown is not in my best interests, and more importantly it's not in the best interests of Chula Vista's taxpayers, since they are the ones that would have to foot the legal bill."

"Given all due consideration, for now I have decided that it is in my best interest to resign from the Port Commission and concentrate my efforts on several exciting new business ventures," he said...

The Board of Port Commissioners sets land-use policies and manages tenants along San Diego Bay's tidelands.



5/15/2009
San Diego Business Journal
Port Commissioner Bows Out


Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox apparently got her wish when Port Commissioner Mike Najera resigned from his position May 15.

Cox had asked Najera, who owns a construction company, to resign about a week ago, but he refused, and even contracted his attorney to send a letter to Cox, saying there was no reason for him to leave.

Cox never provided a reason for wanting Najera out...


See original post.

Cheryl Cox finds it's harder than it used to be to get rid of people she doesn't like

Mayor told to halt attempt to expel port commissioner
Najera's attorney calls actions illegal
By Tanya Sierra
San DiegoUnion-Tribune Staff Writer
May 7, 2009

An attorney for Chula Vista Port Commissioner Mike Najera warned Mayor Cheryl Cox to stop trying to oust the commissioner, saying her actions are illegal and politically motivated.

In a letter sent late Tuesday to Cox, the City Council and the city attorney, lawyer Joseph Casas states the council must have justification to remove a port commissioner.

“The involuntary removal of a port commissioner without good cause is not only unethical, but case law indicates that such an action is unlawful,” Casas wrote.

Najera said Cox on Monday asked him to resign, which he refused to do. He said Cox gave him until noon Tuesday to step down or she would “go to the media.”

Cox did not return repeated phone calls yesterday seeking comment. On Tuesday, she confirmed she met with Najera the day before to discuss concerns but wouldn't say what they were.

Some council members say they have not spoken with Cox and can't figure out why she would ask Najera to resign...

The city councils of the five port cities appoint Port District commissioners. Najera was first chosen in 2006 to fill the remainder of William Hall's term and was reappointed to a full four-year term in 2007.

The Port District's governing rules state only that “a commissioner may be removed from the board by a majority vote of the city council which appointed the commissioner.” In his letter, Casas cites a 1990 opinion written by then-San Diego City Attorney John Witt, who stated a council needs “good cause” to unseat a port commissioner.

“I haven't heard anything back from the city of Chula Vista,” Casas said. “I really think that the ball is in the mayor's court right now. She is the one who has the burden of proof.”

Chula Vista City Attorney Bart Miesfeld did not return calls yesterday.




UPDATE: Will Cox be able to unseat a port commissioner for supporting Cox's opponent?

Chula Vista council will address Najera's position
By Tanya Sierra Union-Tribune Staff Writer

6:47 p.m. May 8, 2009
Chula Vista City Council Meeting
When: Tuesday, 6 p.m.
Where: 276 Fourth Ave., in the City Council chambers.

CHULA VISTA — The City Council on Tuesday will discuss Chula Vista Port Commissioner Mike Najera, who said this week Mayor Cheryl Cox asked him to resign.

According to the City Council agenda, which was issued just after 3 p.m. Friday, officials will “consider and potentially act upon” Najera's position.

...Najera found out he was on Tuesday's council agenda when contacted by a newspaper reporter. He said city officials should have told him...

Councilman Steve Castaneda said he also was not informed the issue was on the agenda.

Najera said before his meeting with Cox, she asked him to give an update on the Chula Vista bayfront at Tuesday's meeting, but that isn't listed on the agenda.

Calls to Cox, City Manager Jim Sandoval and City Attorney Bart Miesfeld were not returned Friday.

Did Mayor Cox tell Najera to quit as Port Commissioner because he held a fundraiser for someone else?

Update to this story is HERE.

Najera Held Fundraiser for Cox Rival
Voice of San Diego
WILL CARLESS
May 6, 2009


Mike Najera, a port commissioner who was abruptly asked to step down from his position by Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox on Monday, just told me he recently held a fundraiser for Chula Vista City Councilman Steve Castaneda, who is widely expected to challenge Cox when her term expires in 2010...

Steve Cushman, chairman of the port commission, said he's waiting to hear an explanation from Cox as to why she asked Najera to resign. Najera has been a "terrific commissioner" who works hard, never misses meetings and has done a great job, he said. Cushman said he called Cox to ask for an explanation but has not yet spoken to her.

Castaneda said Cox's leadership of the city has been disappointing and said he supports a change in leadership in the county's second-largest city. But he stopped short of saying he would be running against Cox for mayor...




HERE'S MY ORIGINAL POST ON THIS SUBJECT:

Did Mayor Cox tell Najera to quit Port post?
By Tanya Sierra
San Diego Union-Tribune Staff Writer
May 5, 2009

CHULA VISTA — Chula Vista Port Commissioner Mike Najera said Mayor Cheryl Cox asked him to resign Monday, and he refused.

Cox gave Najera until noon Tuesday to resign or she would go to the media, the port commissioner said.

“I'm not sure of her motivation,” Najera said.

Cox said Tuesday she met with Najera to discuss her concerns but she would not elaborate.

Najera said Cox made her request during an 11 a.m. meeting Monday, which he thought was a catch-up session.

He recalled her saying, “'I just want to cut to the chase and I want you to resign. I want you to step down. I lost confidence in your ability to get the bayfront done,'” Najera said. “She said 'It's been two and a half years and it's not done yet.' I said 'You've been mayor for all this time as well, should you take part in the blame?'”

Chula Vista City Attorney Bart Miesfeld said the City Council can remove a Port District commissioner with a majority vote. It was not an item on Tuesday's City Council agenda.

Najera was first appointed in 2006 to fill the remainder of William Hall's term. He was reappointed for a full four-year term in 2007 and at the time vowed to transform the city's bayfront through development saying, “I want that land to be deep in the first phase of construction by the end of my term in 2011.”

Plans for the bayfront halted in November when for the second and final time Gaylord Entertainment dropped its plan to build a hotel and convention center. The failed deal was the latest in 35 years of attempts to develop the city's waterfront.

Bayfront projects are not in the hands of a sole port commissioner. Seven commissioners represent the five port cities of San Diego, Coronado, National City, Chula Vista and Imperial Beach.

“I think that over the 40-plus years that the port has been in existence, there have been numerous port commissioners who have represented Chula Vista and none of them have been able to accomplish any sort of development either,” Councilman Steve Castaneda said. “So, I'm not sure that we can lay any significant blame on Mr. Najera.”

Councilman Rudy Ramirez said he did not want to criticize Najera, but said he is unhappy with the slow progress on the Chula Vista bayfront.

“I'm dissatisfied overall with the progress that Chula Vista has been able to make with our port,” Ramirez said. “Nothing seems to get done over there and I'm concerned with that.”

One reason Cox could be upset, Najera said, is the proposed land swap between the Port District and Pacifica Companies, a development company interested in building a hotel and condominium development on the bayfront adjacent to where the Gaylord project was slated.

The port's board discussed the deal in closed session Tuesday, Port Commissioner Steve Cushman said.

“We are trying like crazy,” he said...

Clear View School ends its charter status...not with a bang but a whimper

Charter ends, but another may begin
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/apr/16/1sz16charter174949-charter-ends-another-may-begin/?education&zIndex=82986
By Chris Moran
Sand Diego Union-Tribune
April 16, 2009

Background: In 1994, Clear View Elementary School converted itself into an autonomous charter school in the Chula Vista Elementary School District.

What's changing: A majority of teachers voted to let the charter – its permission to operate – expire in June.


...In June, Clear View will become the first charter school in Chula Vista to give up its exemption from much local bureaucracy and state regulation and revert to a traditional public school...

Seven of the 29 teachers who wanted to continue working for a charter have drawn up plans for another autonomous campus – Leonardo da Vinci Health Sciences Charter School – at a vacant church nearby.

Last month, they petitioned the Chula Vista school board for permission to open this summer. They are scheduled to get their answer Tuesday when the Chula Vista school board next meets.

...Few teachers were still using project-based learning. The school exercised its freedom primarily through how it spent money.

Nor was the school achieving its potential. From 1999 to 2008, Clear View was the least improved of the Chula Vista district's schools. It also posted the lowest reading and math scores for non-English-speaking students of all 44 district schools last year.

This year may not be much better. The vote on whether to stay a charter school caused internal strife that ended friendships and caused some employees to avoid the teachers lounge, Principal Sherroll Stogsdill-Posey said.

[Maura Larkins´note...This is typical of teacher CULTURE in CVESD and elsewhere. Politics supersedes professionalism with distressing frequency. And children suffer the consequences.]

“I do believe it will have had an effect on instruction this year,” she said. “This has become such a huge issue that it can't not seep in.”

...Then the economy tanked, Chula Vista became a foreclosure capital and the number of teaching jobs stagnated. Now the district has to release temporary teachers because of its tight budget.

...Reading specialist Meg Rabine voted to end the charter...For her, resigning from the district could have meant losing $10,000 to $15,000 a year in salary for the rest of her career. Although she supports charters, Rabine came to Clear View because she respected and liked its teachers. If the school stayed charter, most of those teachers would have left Clear View for the secure employment of the district's traditional schools...

Amber Goslee isn't ready to abandon charter schools...In Goslee's class, students record songs on laptop computers. They write scripts and make videos. They design learning stations from which their peers glean information on plate tectonics.

After eight years of teaching, Goslee also has much to lose if her new venture fails. But the way she figures it, she has more to lose if she abandons the charter's ideals.

“I don't want to stay in schooling, in education, if it continues to be so scripted,” Goslee said. “I'd rather have my freedom than my security.”

Goslee is among those who drew up the da Vinci plans for 160 kindergarten through sixth-grade students...

Chula Vista's ballot information on Prop A is misleading

The sample Ballot and Voter Information Pamphlet we received with the Official Ballot regarding Proposition A, is very misleading. The pamphlet states on p. 4, that Proposition A would among other points:

"MAINTAIN after-school programs like STRETCH and DASH that keep kids away from drugs, gangs and crime." In fact, There is a pamphlet in the mailbox today in favor of prop. A, in which, among others, Patricia Aguilar, President of Crossroads II, states: "Prop. A will ........ maintain after school programs that give kids alternatives to gangs and drugs."

I have contacted Patricia Aguilar to ask her to specify exactly what after school programs will be maintained with prop. A. I'm waiting to hear from her.

Several weeks ago, the city of Chula Vista officially handed over the running of the after school programs in the 33 elementary schools where DASH and STRETCH is operating today to the YMCA as of the new school year starting in July. Nancy Kerwin, the Executive Director of Student, Family, and Community Services and Support, called me before the March 10th district meeting and told me that even if Prop. A passed, it wouldn't be nearly enough to save DASH and STRETCH. In fact, the money first goes into the general fund and is then dispersed down the totem pole. DASH and STRETCH are towards the bottom of that pole, besides, the City no longer has a say. When they withdrew their funds, they lost their voice.

The district has already officially voted to 'seamlessly transfer' the said programs to the YMCA. They have already contacted parents in multiple ways just to inform us that all is saved even without the tax initiative.

To date, the transition thus far has been anything but seamless. Some principals are pulling in DASH and STRETCH staff to tell them that they won't be here next year. Teachers are congratulating the two time award winning staff, only it's not for a job well done for these past ten years, it's for being saved. Only thing is, they haven't been saved. Children are confused and crying to their coaches, giving of their own money in an attempt to save these programs, while trusting parents are being carefully misled. We are tired of being misled.

I feel it is very important that the thousands of families whose children attend DASH and STRETCH, and others who support them, know all the facts before deciding whether to vote Yes or No on Proposition A. After all, we are the one’s paying the price with more than just our wallets.

Elisa Betancourt
Website
2009

Castle Park High School loses girls sports case; when will Randy Ward hire lawyers who advise schools to follow the law?

A judge has ruled against Castle Park High School regarding the equality of girls' sports facilities (see story from SDUT below).

Shame on San Diego County Office of Education-Joint Powers Authority and its member school districts for helping schools to ignore the law and, even worse, to engage in retaliation against those who complain about violations of law.

Instead of wasting tax dollars in endless litigation, SDCOE lawyer Daniel Shinoff should have settled this case and many other cases. Even worse is Shinoff's systematic removal of good school employees by helping the school district retaliate against those who complained. The Castle Park High case in Sweetwater Union High School District (see story below) is all too familiar.

The firing of the Castle Park High coach is reminiscent of
1) the Coach James "Ted" Carter case;
2) the Mary Anne Weegar case (also in Sweetwater Union High School District);
3) the Rodger Harnett case.

In another example of unlawful retaliation, SDCOE recently sued this blogger for serving a deposition subpoena on Risk Management Executive Director Diane Crosier.

It's time for SDCOE Superintendent Randy Ward to hire lawyers who will guide schools toward compliance with the law, instead of lawyers who try to help schools get away with wrongdoing. But most importantly, the retaliation has to stop. A judge recently told Mr. Ward that he should conduct investigations of wrongdoing instead of firing whistle-blowers.



Judge rules school shows bias in sports
By Brent Schrotenboer
San Diego Union-Tribune
April 2, 2009

SOUTH BAY — A federal judge has ruled that Castle Park High School has allowed “significant gender-based disparity” in sports at the expense of female athletes.

In a summary judgment this week, U.S. District Court Judge M. James Lorenz ruled that Castle Park is not in compliance with Title IX, the 37-year-old federal law that forbids sex discrimination in any education program or activity receiving federal funds...

The remaining claims will go forward in court, including one that the district retaliated against the plaintiffs by firing their coach after they complained of discrimination.

The plaintiffs showed that while female enrollment at Castle Park was 45 percent to 50 percent since 1998, female participation in athletics was 33 percent to 41 percent during those years...

Over the past 11 years in the county, the Ramona school district, Mesa College and the Grossmont Union High School District have faced similar legal complaints involving Title IX and subpar softball facilities.

Gail Mendes, who asked boss Richard Werlin to punish a fellow teacher, elected Secretary-Treasurer of CTA

A few days ago I wrote about Gail Mendes, the former president of United Teachers of Richmond, who has been elected as secretary-treasurer of California Teachers Association in an unusual challenge to a sitting executive officer.

The reaction among many CTA members has been negative.

Apparently, many votes for Mendes were cast to "send a message" to the CTA bigwigs; these voters didn't think that Mendes would actually be elected. They expected incumbent Daniel Vaughn to keep his seat.



Christy Marquez commented on Intercepts, a fine blog about education politics:

"...[I]t was a complete shock when the results were announced that she won by a very small margin. In fact, when her name was announced, not a single person in the room applauded. Instead, many were fighting back tears of sadness and anger that such a thing could happen to such a good man who has devoted many years to the union. Everyone agrees that nothing personal was intended and that the outcome was a complete fluke. Unfortunately, not a lot can be done about it now. Gail is completely unqualified for the position and does not have the experience nor support to succeed. She will most likely be challenged in two years for the position of vice president, and hopefully will lose to a more qualified and well-liked candidate..."





Diane Brown, a UTR teacher who contributes to the excellent blog "Progressive Teachers," wrote:

Gail Mendes' tenure as President of UTR was counter to principles of union democracy. Rank and file and UTR board members' rights were trampled on (a UTR board member described her leadership at rep council as "fascistic").

During a UTR election a first time candidate was running for a position on the executive board. This candidate's name was left off the ballot. Mendes went to the candidate's school site unannounced and strongly suggested that the candidate withdraw from the race. Unsuspecting any foul play the candidate agreed.

Some UTR members wrote letters to then-Vice President David Sanchez about Mendes' undemocratic hostile leadership. A UTR member at Mendes school described her as "dangerous."

I filed a complaint with the Public Employees Relations Board (PERB) charging Mendes with these abuses of office. November 30, 2006, Mendes reported me to Rick Werlin, WCCUSD Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, demanding that he discipline me for an alleged contract violation. Mendes' action, asking a boss to punish a fellow teacher and an Association member would be universally reviled and condemned by any class conscious union member. I met with the UTR Executive Board and asked that she resign her position as President.

On another occasion Mendes interfered with members right to elect a site representative of their choice. She had the election overturned.

When CTA members learned Mendes had been elected Secretary-Treasurer, one member said, "It's time to get out." CTA members who decided to "send a message" and vote for Mendes, made a mistake that they will live to regret. The only way to correct this mistake is through a RECALL campaign. I would not wait two years.

Diane Brown, CTA Member






Another teacher backs up Diane Brown's statements:

"...[Gail Mendes] initiated a grievance against a UTR member with the District Superintendent, Rick Werlin. This is ratting out a fellow union member. A former WCCUSD school board member has described Mendes as “vindictive” and said that she cost the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars for second parcel tax vote..."

Margaret Browne


[Maura Larkins' note: Of course, not all teachers voted for Mendes by accident. CTA director Jim Groth from Chula Vista worked well with the very same Richard Werlin who palled around with Gail Mendes. I'll bet that Jim Groth was an enthusiastic supporter of Mendes. Am I right, Jim? Clearly, some teachers truly believe that it's appropriate to get ahead in teacher union politics by trampling on teachers and students.]


[Maura Larkins' post script: A coincidence that makes this story more fascinating for me is that I attended kindergarten in Richmond schools (now known as WCCUSD) before returning to Chula Vista, where I went to 1st and 2nd grades in Chula Vista Elementary School District.]