Update 3/5/08: This post now has 2,003 comments! However, it has exceeded the capacities of our server and has been truncated recently at about 1,529 posts. But one of our readers has stepped up to the plate and painstakingly copied all of the comments into three NEW posts:
- SAUSD-Mijares corruption thread, 2008 Comments
- SAUSD-Mijares corruption thread, 2007 Comments
- SAUSD-Mijares corruption thread, 2006 Comments
We have also started a NEW open SAUSD thread, which I hope our readers will post to regarding new SAUSD news and views.
You can also go to our home page and go to the right column. Click on “SAUSD Posts” and you can get links to ALL of our past SAUSD articles.
I must say, I am amazed at the stories that have been posted on this blog in the wake of Al Mijares’ exit from the Santa Ana Unified School District. I am posting this item merely to give SAUSD bloggers a place to post their comments. Post away my friends – we have an opportunity now to finally do away with the corruption left over from the Mijares regime. Change is at hand, but we must remain resolute.
I noted that someone affiliated with the SAUSD administration recently posted a threat on this site – alleging possible legal action against SAUSD employees who post anonymously on this site. That is despicable and a form of terrorism. Do not let fear restrain any of you from revealing the truth.
The final challenge we face in Santa Ana is to replace Mijares with someone competent. We won’t have another opportunity like this anytime soon. This process must be open and focused and whatever else happens we must keep Audrey Noji out of the Superintendent’s position. As a member of the Cerritos College faculty and a member of the teacher’s union at that campus I opposed her when she tried to get a job at our campus. If she goes after the SAUSD superintendent post I will do so again. I know we can do better!
All of my children are in the SAUSD system. For their sake and that of all schoolchildren in the district, I urge those who are rebelling against the last vestiges of Mijares’ broken empire to keep the information flowing and to do whatever it takes to ensure that our next superintendent will be up to the task. Mijares certainly was over his head throughout his doomed tenure.
The news that Assmblyman Solorio is hosting a town meeting during working hours is a disappointment.
Most parents and teachers cannot take time off from work to attend this event, and the SAUSD intermediate schools have already set aside this date as a conference day.
Since this is billed as a town hall meeting, about the state of education in California, featuring a panel discussion with educators, administrators and community leaders, don’t you think “parental participation and/or involvement” should be a primary consideration?
Unless this educational gathering is a self-serving, feel good maneuver meant to ease the guilt of educators and administrators for falling short in adequately preparing the youth for NCLB and CASHEE.
This blog attests that SAUSD has been negligent in providing its students with an adequate 12-year education benefitting both student and community.
We all know SAUSD schools are lagging. Unfortunately, there is a leadership vaccum at SAUSD that persists. The SAUSD supt. and BoE should fashion a series of Call Out meetings similar to the ones Bill Cosby initiated. As long as SAUSD admins continue to be disingenious about their relationship with its 100,000 parent customers, nothing will change.
Mr. Solorio, parents need to be included in the town hall meeting you are sponsoring. Yes, learning English is important, a cornerstone of your last campaign, however, parents must be part of the solution and included in the dialogue.
I think I’m going to need the advice of an attorney regarding a Workers Comp claim. Risk management dragging their feet. Can anyone recomend someone with experience in this area?
#1731
There have been several references to specific attorneys in this thread. You’ll have to do some digging or ask friends/union. Risk managment is run very poorly. It is a mess. Smart employees realize they are not experienced enough to try and keep track of paperwork that a W/C claim involves when dealing with SAUSD. There are deadlines and details that should not be left to SAUSD Risk Managment. The average age of experience in that department looks like it is 4 years or less. If anything is missing or wrong, you’ll get the blame. Unless you are some kind of veteran in the Work/comp system, you’ll need an attorney to get things resolved. Sad, but true. Inexperience combined with arrogance and avoidance tactics makes for a difficult Workman’s comp case to get settled quickly by Camille Boden. She appears to simply be in over her head.
Now that Triggs is retiring in February, will the real clean up work take place in the HR, Risk Managment and Payroll departments where there seems to be the roots of some of the greatest problems in the system? One can only hope!
#1731
Suggesting an attorney is like suggesting a place to eat. Everyone has different tastes. If you are classified, contact the CSEA Orange office. They know several attorneys who have had extensive experience with comp cases against the district. Possibly SAEA may also be able to provide you with similar information if you are a certified employee.
I suggest you have a few interviews with several lawyers to learn which ones have prior experience with the district.
Speaking from experience, once you retain an attorney be prepared for a 2 to 4 year battle. Camille Boden and her crew will refuse to speak to you after you hire a lawyer except in an official capacity regarding your schedule or assignment.
The district will send you to doctors they hire. Your lawyer will also send you to doctors. Each doctor will find in favor of whoever sent you. The district lawyer will also require you to make a deposition.
Eventually you will make it to compensation court. Unless your injury is totally cut and dry you may find yourself having to go to the compensation court several times.
Even if the court decides in your favor the first time, the district will ignore the order. Your lawyer may have to take the district back to court several times before they eventually act upon the judgement.
Keep in mind that the districts game is delay. They are willing to spend hundreds of thousands in lawyer fees even if your case is only worth a small percentage of that.
Why? So that they can spread the losses over years. Risk Management can then go before the board and falsely claim they have reduced yearly compensation losses, when in truth they have just spread them over several years.
Ms. Cindy Landsiedel Principal at Mendez does it again!
About 30 Mendez students were involved in a fight yesterday after school infront of Carl Jr. restaurant. I did not see any administrator or any other school employee walking the kids across the crosswalk. I tried to find anyone outside of the school supervising the kids to no avail. I called the office no response. Principal Landsiedel needs to concentrate a lot less reinventing the report cards and more time supervising her students.
What will it take for Landsiedel to admit her mistake and stop jeopardizing the safety of out kids.
Cindy.Landsiedel@SAUSD.US
VP Williams was on loan from the district to Saddleback to help the site out. He is barely out the door and Evelyn Carrigg has resorted to her screaming tantrums this past week.
The Hugger Principal is holed up in her office and wears sunglasses to meetings with staff.
Meg Robinson’s BFF, Evelyn, is a huge part of the Saddleback illness. Meg’s promoting the brand new principal, while ignoring the chronic problems of staff abuse by her VP buddy should be noted by all.
Well, that didn’t take long for things to continue on a dysfunctional tact at Saddleback.
Has Bratcher been replaced by a new administrator? Saddleback sure needs some oversight!
Reads like Meg Robinson is playing interference for Carigg, Russo and the BoE. Why is Robinson protecting the tree hugger, Carigg, Russo and the BofE?
Meanwhile, a well placed parajito notes there’s a growing number of Willard teachers waiting for the lottery to hit, so they can be transferred out of the county’s
worst performing intermediate school. How much longer will this school be stuck with an underachieving and inept principal?
1735,1736
Me thinks you are either the ex-principal or one of her minions trying to drum up trouble. Otherwise, has SAEA been made aware of this so called staff abuse?
#1737
What are you talking about- would Ms. Robinson be proactive to protect staff? Do you think Meg Robinson filed any kind of complaint against BestFriendForever Evelyn Carrigg in the past- when, for example, Carrigg blocked students from attending a school play because she didn
I’m amazed at SHS staff. With the number of claims of brow beating, verbal abuse, and outright yelling at staff by members of the administration during public meetings that not one of the staff has ever thought about using a tape recorder quietly put in a briefcase or purse. I do not think it is illegal during department meetings since there is no expectation of privacy.
Just one good recording of these alleged abuses presented to top union people should tell you all if your union is worth a damn or not. On the plus side if the school screamers believe they may be taped it might put a crimp in some of the leadership style mentioned frequently on this blog.
#1739, If you realize that a large number of the staff at SHS has very limited job security because of decreasing enrollment, and many of the staff is relatively new, what has happened is not difficult to understand. Many of the people that might have had the courage to speak up have left for other district schools or left the district altogether. Some that might speak up don’t because it was clear early on that Jones/administration could do as they pleased as long as they only abused the staff and did not cause trouble for the central office. The decimatiuon of SHS by the opening of new High Schools in the district has left the staff a bit shell schocked.
#1740
I can’t exactly argue with what you say other than to mention these complaints have been put on the blog for over a year. The former principal at Valley and SHS got the boot. Still the complaints continue about the new principal and the AP at SHS along with the union rep. The same seems to be the case with Willard. A lot of complaints and no action by those under fire.
It appears in both schools many moved on. What is left behind are those insecure in their jobs only to complain here. I can understand that.
What I suppose I do not understand is why no one has the fortitude to do what the Washington elementary school teachers did and stand up.
I understand fear and intimidation is a major part of what keeps the district running and teachers cowering. At what point does it end? When does this blog become a place where unsubstantiated wrongdoing is voiced without action by those being wronged?
Over 1700 posts have been made here with about 75% outlining misdeeds or misconduct by district or school administration. Some positive results have happened. Obviously not everything has been corrected to satisfy everyone.
How do we do that on this blog? We don’t! A blog is a place to state what is wrong and in some manner correct it. It is not a place to state what is wrong and hope someone else will do it for them!
As you wrote, many have moved on and this is what the district wants. They want for you to move on and shut up. If all we have left are those too afraid then nothing is left to gain.
Mendez, Willard, SHS, and now Mitchel have come under scrutiny. Who is willing to face up to the reality that no one else will fix it for you until you are willing to help fix it yourself beyond an anonymous blog post?
That is up to all of you.
I never post on this blog, but I feel compelled to share with this community what is taking place at Saddleback. The new Principal has been making incredibly insensitive comments about the students and the community. In a meeting she referred to the students as “animals” who live on an “island” and that island is SANTA ANA. She went on to say that their parents have never taught them manners and that the girls are oversexual. She spoke of the students with such disdain and lacks any empathy for the students she has been charged to lead. She has repeatedly made joking comments about the poverty that many of our students live in and says she does not like to drive through Santa Ana. I hope the district does monitor this site and someone from downtown will hopefully address this issue. Our students and community deserve better.
This blog simply chronicles some of the events and alleged events of SAUSD. Anyone who just wants it to go away because it contains some painful reminders of things that have gone terribly wrong under various administrators, should spare themselves and just not read it. For the rest of us who have a stake in the school system doing its best job, it will continue on. I have learned a whole lot about typical practices of this district by reading the many accounts of others. Those comments have helped make sense of some of the more troubling goings-on.
I am astounded that the best the board of ed could do was place a principal with all that baggage at a school like Saddleback – which deserves a break and some authentic leadership. Valley deserves better, too. And Willard is so sad that even substitutes will tell you they never want to sub there again.
Mitchell Pre-school thread:
http://www.theorangejuice.com/2007/11/cronyism-going-on-at-mitchel-pre-school.html
#1743
I don’t believe anyone wants this blog to go away except maybe the district office. If you refer to post # 1741, I think the point was corrections are made faster when those involved act beyond complaining.
By all means document every incident here or somewhere. Eventually results will come to pass. But for those who expect instant gratification, don’t hold your breath. It took several years at SHS to remove the last principal.
The district seems to act when embarrassed. When Jones hit the newspapers slowly the district turned on her. Now Mitchell has come into light. My guess is that the district will focus on this problem over and above an insensitive principal at SHS. If the district moved quickly on those type of claims, Willard would have been dealt with a couple of years ago.
You are completely right when you say to continue to chronicle district problems. It can’t hurt and it might help, eventually.
#1745
Willard’s academic spiral persists because Russo & Noji are sympathetic to the principal and headmistress of the Corporate Academy. As the days pass, it’s evident SAUSD favors the etiquette-fashion themed curriculum over the traditional English and mathmatics classes.
The Corporate Academy is redefining the notion of dress for success on the backs of students who cannot read and are lacking minimal mathematicals skills.
Nothing much has changed under the rule of Russo.
http://www.ocregister.com/life/year-santa-school-1920621-enrollment-unified
County’s largest district loses 7,300 students in five years.
Santa Ana drops 1,724 students in a single year.
By FERMIN LEAL
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Comments 0| Recommend 3
SANTA ANA
Orange Juice thread about the SAUSD budget cuts and tonight’s SAUSD school board meeting.
SO YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PRETTY GOOD COVERAGE ABOUT WHAT THE HEALTH CLERK STELLA GONZALES DOES AT SANTA ANA HIGH SCHOOL, SHE HAS THE LUXURY OF WORKING ONLY 3 DAYS A WEEK AND GETS PAYS FOR 5, HUM HUM HUM,,, LET SEE HO, I GOT IT , SHE DOESN’T CALL THE SYSTEM AND HER SUPERVISOR MRS, CYNTHIA CADY GOES ALONG WITH IT, EXCUSE ME ? HO, YES IS IT COMMON KNOWLEDGE THAT MS. STELLA MISSES PLENTY OF DAYS AND NOBODY SAIDS A THING. ISN’T THAT CORRUPTION OR FLEECING THE SYSTEM? AND BY THE WAY WHEN SHE DOES SHOWS TO WORK SHE DOES BOOKING FOR ABOUT 100 PEOPLE FROM 20.00 DLS TO 100.00 DLS THE SQUARE.SHE IS A MAGNIFECT HOSTESS TO ALL THE DISTRICT MAINTENANCE CREW BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT THE HEALTH OFFICE HAS BECOME A MEETING PLACE MEANING SOCIAL JOINT.
PERSONAL FROM THE BOYS REPUBLIC ARE ALWAYS PRESENT RIGHT NEXT TO HER , SO WHEN MY DAUGHTER NEEDED TO PURCHASE A PAD, YOU GUESTED SHE HAD TO BY PASS THE STRING OF BOYS (BR STUDENTS TOO)TAKING SEAT PLUS THE TALL GUY FROM BOYS REPUBLIC,I FIND THAT DISTURBING TO SAY THE LEAST .HA AND RIGHT NEXT DOOR THERE ARE 2 AP,S AND BUSINESS ALWAYS AS USUAL.
MS. RUSSO WHERE YOU AWARE THAT THIS THINGS HAPPEN AT A SCHOOL UNDER YOUR LEADERSHIP? PLEASE WE PARENTS ALONG WITH ALL THE STUDENTS AT SANTA ANA HIGH SCHOOL DESERVE AN ANSWER.TILL NEXT TIME,,,PROBABLY MS STELLA WILL BE IN TOMORROW TO START COLLECTING THE BETING MONEY.SHOULD I WRITE TO THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY OFFICE FOR “GAMBLING” IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT IS ZERO TOLERANCE FOR STUDENTS DISPLAYING ANY KIND GAMBLING, SO FOR DISTRICT EMPLOYEES IT IS ACCEPTABLE,, GEEE THANKS .
#1749
So glad more parents are paying attention to all the waste and fraud being allowed to continue at school sites.
You have indeed described school corruption. Here is a link and some insights into the range of fraudulant activities that a district could practice. I see a number of them in SAUSD, regularly. 10 ways to stop school corruption. The new board member’s phone number is making the rounds. So far the reports are that he is interested in being helpful. If you want the number, I think someone would likely post it here for you.
http://www.yankeeinstitute.com/files/pdf/Fusco%20Study.pdf
Synopsis
Corruption in the administration of public education is an important but
widely ignored subject. This paper outlines 10 questions that school boards
ought to ask — or ought to be prodded by taxpayers to ask — to determine
whether corrupt acts have been committed in local schools, are now being
committed, or could be committed with relative ease.
Introduction
The primary reason for asking probing questions of school boards is to
determine whether a district has policies and practices in place to ensure that
education resources are used effectively, efficiently, honestly and protected
from corrupt acts.
The rampant and pervasive corruption documented in my book School
Corruption: Betrayal of Children and the Public Trust provides shocking evidence
that too many boards have not accepted their sacred covenant — an implied
legal, ethical, and moral contract — to guard the public purse while providing
quality educational services.
Another very important reason for asking critical questions is to
determine whether corrupt acts have taken place, are taking place, or could
take place in a district. In this regard, it is vital to understand what is meant
by the term
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-santaana14nov14,1,7258492.story?coll=la-headlines-california
Santa Ana schools may cut $17 million
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Enrollment declines in California coastal counties have many other districts looking for ways to save. Student populations are booming in inland areas.
By Jennifer Delson, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
November 14, 2007
Santa Ana’s school district has proposed $17 million in budget cuts this week because of declining enrollment, another measure of the dwindling student population in Southern California coastal counties.
In the last four years, Los Angeles County has reported a 3.6% decline in pupils, Orange County has seen a 1.6% drop, and San Diego County has experienced a 1.2% falloff. Combined, the counties have lost more than 77,000 students during this time — along with hundreds of millions of dollars tied to enrollment figures.
School officials blame the decrease on lower birthrates and rising housing costs that have forced families to move inland for more affordable homes. Riverside and San Bernardino counties have added nearly 84,000 students in the last four years.
“If you were to look at a map of Southern California, you would see that just about all the counties that touch that ocean are experiencing declining enrollment in 50% of the districts,” said Wendy Benkert, an assistant superintendent for the Orange County Department of Education. “We don’t know how long this [trend] will last.”
Since 2002, every coastal county in California except Marin has experienced a drop in students.
For five years running, the Los Angeles Unified School District also has suffered a declining enrollment. Compared with last school year, 20,285 fewer students enrolled in the district this fall, dropping the overall student body to 653,215 — a number that does not include the roughly 41,000 students in the independent charter school movement.
The drop in enrollment, in part, has led this year to Supt. David L. Brewer’s slashing about $100 million from the district’s $7.2-billion general fund. Brewer ordered every department in the mammoth bureaucracy to draw up plans to reduce costs by 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%. In the end, some cutbacks reached as high as 18%.
About 500 positions from L.A. Unified’s central office were eliminated. Several cuts also raised the ire of parents and teachers. A plan to save millions of dollars in salaries by taking away teaching positions in the middle of the year from schools that continue to hemorrhage students was met with anger. Dramatic cuts to the translation unit in the heavily immigrant district also were unwelcome, as was the elimination of small but beloved programs, such as a series of concerts for advanced student musicians.
In Orange County, 21 of the 27 districts had an enrollment decline last year. The Santa Ana Unified School District, facing its fifth straight year of enrollment drops, will have carved nearly $100 million from its budget since 2004 after the latest cuts are completed. This fall, Orange County’s largest school district enrolled 1,146 fewer students than last year, lowering its total to 53,700 children — down 9% from five years ago.
The decline in Santa Ana this school year is less than last, when the district was forced to cut $29 million, officials said.
“What’s happening in Santa Ana is happening across the county,” said district spokeswoman Angela Burrell. “In fact, it’s happening statewide. What we are looking at is people moving to more affordable areas to live. We are not unique at all.”
The district is considering cutting $17 million from its $500-million annual budget by eliminating administrative positions, slashing funding of high school sports by 5%, leaving vacant positions unfilled and reducing the use of consultants, security guards, custodians and gardeners. The district also may eliminate some portable classrooms, institute a four-day workweek in the summer, reduce assistant principal staffing at intermediate and high schools, and increase fourth- and fifth-grade class sizes by one.
Although no decision has been made, “ultimately, the kids will lose. You have larger classes and less materials,” said John Palacio, a school board member.
District spokeswoman Burrell said the cuts proposed by administrators would be made “as far away from the classrooms as possible.” In past years, Santa Ana trustees cut teaching positions and closed two schools.
In this school year, the Santa Ana district dropped year-round schooling because student enrollment numbers declined.
Therese Mims, who is among 10 parents on a 63-member committee that proposed the budget cuts, said most parents were unaware of the imminent reductions. She said budget cuts would affect the students, citing one proposal that calls for a custodian to clean a school every three days.
“You are cutting these schools down to nothing, and it makes it hard for them to operate,” she said.
jennifer.delson@latimes.com
I see as usual when things get hot around SAUSD someone posts a link about generic school corruption anywhere, which is great. But it never stops there. For some reason they repost pages upon pages from the link. Hey if you can get to this blog you can go to the link and read it for yourself. I often wonder if this is intentionally done to cause the average reader here only interested in SAUSD corruption to just glaze over. Luckily the next poster went back on track, sort of, by posting the latest LA Times report including SAUSD proposed cuts. So I’d rather focus on that article.
Several quotes caught my attention.
The district is considering cutting $17 million from its $500-million annual budget by eliminating administrative positions, slashing funding of high school sports by 5%, leaving vacant positions unfilled and reducing the use of consultants, security guards, custodians and gardeners. The district also may eliminate some portable classrooms, institute a four-day workweek in the summer, reduce assistant principal staffing at intermediate and high schools, and increase fourth- and fifth-grade class sizes by one.
In a second quote:
Therese Mims, who is among 10 parents on a 63-member committee that proposed the budget cuts, said most parents were unaware of the imminent reductions. She said budget cuts would affect the students, citing one proposal that calls for a custodian to clean a school every three days…
These quotes seem telling to me. Cutting consultants is a laugh. What consultants would that be? Why would the district with all these experts need consultants except for legal advice?
Keeping the reductions as far away from the classroom as possible?? I suppose this is a poor attempt to say they will not cut teachers any more than they have to.
In another quote the custodians may be reduced to cleaning the class rooms every 3 days. So the students will have a teacher (probably a long term sub) in an incredibly filthy classroom. Those who can remember might recall some years ago the custodians were reduced to “trashing” classes every other day. In other words only emptying the wastecans. Classrooms from then on became filthy. Crayons were ground into the carpet. Pieces of paper and dirt was left all over the floors. One can only imagine what the rooms will look like after 3 days of no cleaning. Keeping it away from the classrooms. I don’t think so.
In regards to post #1749, I think this point has particular relevance:
Question 8: Teachers
http://www.ocregister.com/news/district-cuts-enrollment-1922828-million-cut
Teaching jobs a staple in Santa Ana’s series of budget cuts
The cash-strapped district has cut $98 million in four years.
SANTA ANA Santa Ana Unified School District trustees are considering eliminating dozens of teaching positions, reducing summer school days and cutting funding to athletic programs in an effort to erase a $19 million budget deficit.
Trustees discussed those potential cuts, along with dozens of others, during Tuesday night’s school board meeting.
After this latest round of cuts, Santa Ana Unified, the county’s largest district, will have cut about $98 million from the budget since 2003.
The deficit is blamed primarily on loss of state funding due to several consecutive years of declining enrollment, officials said.
Enrollment has dropped by about 7,300 students since 2002. This fall, enrollment dropped by 1,142 students.
Santa Ana Unified, like most districts across the state, is funded based on enrollment. The district receives roughly $5,500 a year per student enrolled.
Countywide, 19 of 27 school districts had enrollment declines last school year.
Santa Ana Unified officials said this year’s drop in enrollment and a projected drop next year will require the district to cut dozens of teaching positions, saving $2 million.
That means trustees still have to find a way to trim $17 million from other places in the district’s $500 million budget.
“As we move forward, our goal is to stay as far away from the classroom and not cut jobs,” Superintendent Jane Russo said.
Other proposed cuts discussed Tuesday include cutting the hours of custodians, groundskeepers, administrators and other clerical employees. Officials also discussed imposing a hiring freeze at district offices, and reducing the amount of portable classrooms leased from the state.
About seven parents attended the meeting to protest the proposed cuts.
Kennedy Elementary parent Victoria Zaragoza said she opposed cutting anything related to student safety.
“What ever you do, please cut everything else except safety and security,” she said. “Schools are a place where children need to feel safe.”
McFadden Intermediate parent Marilu Pena said she worries schools can’t afford to lose more custodians.
“If you cut custodial services even more, what’s going to happen next? Are you going to have the students scrub the toilets?” she said.
The items proposed as cuts were identified by a deficit planning committee made up of parents, community members, school officials and others.
Donald Trigg, the district’s associate superintendent of business services, said it will be difficult to make substantial cuts that won’t affect salaries and jobs.
“Ninety-two percent of our budget is people,” he said. “If you cut everything else that doesn’t include people, you’re never going to reach $17 million.”
Century High parent Elena Acosta said she is frustrated because it appears as if there is no end in sight for cuts to schools.
“It’s become a cycle now,” she said. “Every fall our schools lose music, arts, and other programs. When will all this end?”
Trustees have until Dec. 15 to finalize the cuts and send the district’s revised budget to the county Department of Education for approval.
Contact the writer: 714-445-6687 or fleal@ocregister.com
I find it very interesting to read about all the deficits and cutbacks required within SAUSD over the last few years. A quick look at the ED-Data website provides numbers regarding school enrollment for various years along with teacher and administration numbers. These numbers also provide student ratios and a lot of other information if you are a number cruncher. Since I am not a number cruncher I just looked at the obvious data and was left scratching my head.
The district, and all other OC districts, love to quote the first years that declining enrollment began but do not like to mention the several previous years when they had an influx of students and money that they apparently squandered somewhere.
For example in the school year 2000-2001, SAUSD reported enrollment of 60,643. The next school year of 2001-2002 the district reported enrollment of 61,909. In the school year of 2002-2003 the district reported enrollment of 63,610. From the school years of 2000 to 2003 the district had an increased enrollment of 2967 students. Using the $5500 formula over those 3 years the district had an influx of $16.3 million.
How did the district deal with that extra money over those years? From 2000 to 2002 they actually reduced teachers by 15. They increased administrator staff by 2 and increased pupil support service staff by 10. In the 2002-2003 year, they decided to partially correct the problem. The district increased teachers by 89. But they also added another 20 administrators and added another 13 to pupil support services.
In the school year 2003-2004 enrollment began to decline. The district lost 736 students which amounted to a loss of 4 million 48 thousand dollars. The district responded by cutting the 89 teachers they had hired as well as the 20 administrators they had added. But the district retained the same number of pupil service support staff.
In the school year 2004-2005 enrollment fell further by another 1181 students equaling a dollar amount of almost 6.5 million in losses. According to the data 267 teachers were dropped, 19 administrators were removed, and pupil support services was reduced by 13.
In the school year 2005-2006 enrollment continued to fall by another 2383 students creating another financial loss of about 13.1 million. Reportedly the district cut another 79 teachers, 26 administrators, and 128 pupil support service staff.
Finally, in the year 2006-2007 student enrollments dropped another 1964 students causing a loss of about 10.8 million. According to the ED Data from the DOE, the district ADDED 32 teachers, 30 more administrators, and 159 pupil support services staff.
These are the numbers presented by Ed Data who quotes the department of Education. If this makes any sense to you perhaps you can explain it to me. By my math the district is about 18.1 million in the red.
#1755
It is not surprising that the numbers published in the Register today do not line up with the numbers you cite from the Ed Data site.
While you quoted the total numbers you failed to do what the district does and break down the various catagories of teachers and the full time equivalents, special ed. and so forth. This is where the district manipulates the numbers.
The same for the administrators but this is actually very interesting. Because the student numbers are pretty solid in total reduction in numbers, why would the administrator numbers increase by 30 or 27.3 full time equivalent?
It’s the old shell game and someone with strong math skills should look at these differences as reported to the DOE at ED Data year by year and determine who is accurate. The link is:
http://www.ed-data.k12.ca.us/Navigation/fsTwoPanel.asp?bottom=%2Fprofile.asp%3Flevel%3D05%26reportNumber%3D16
Frome an email today:
November 19, 2007
At today
Anyone else notice how calm and tranquil the front office is since VP Evelyn Carrigg (Meg Robinson’s BFF) has been gone yesterday and last Friday?
Hopefully the Hugger principal notices it. What a nice break for kids and staff!
I think it is pretty obvious what is going on. Treating teachers unfairly with this zero COLA, despite monies already received from the state will cause frustration. Juan Lopez in HR will continue doing the exact wrong things in personnel. The
Shame on ALL of you!!! Don’t you pay attention to what’s going on in the world right now. You worry about little things such as your school district politics. Love your family and neighbors. This Country is in great trouble right now and only looks to get worse. Gas hit $100.00 dolars a barrel today. Inflation, reccession, war,terrorism, immorality and corruption in church, government and education. Think about it. What really matters now. Me, I think I will live in peace and now hurt others. Life is just to short to worry about stuff that really won’t matter in hundred years from now.
# 1760
Me, I think I will live in peace and now(not)hurt others was a classic Freudian slip because you do hurt others when you don’t stand up for what is right. A hundred years from now it will matter what we did. All of these things matter and are important unless you plan to be gone from the Earth in the next few months.
http://www.sausd.k12.ca.us/sausd/cwp/view.asp?A=3&Q=293114
SAUSD press release:
New Assistant Superintendent Named at Santa Ana Unified
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 20, 2007
Contact: Angela Burrell
Public Information Office
(714) 558-5555
New Assistant Superintendent Named at Santa Ana Unified
SANTA ANA, CA
#1760
Oh for crying out loud! There are no “strip searches” of students going on at the truancy/detention center. If your going to write something, please be factual and not go on gossip or hearsay. Unfortunately, when you don’t write accurate info, the rest of your blog becomes suspect too.
#1764
Out of all of #1763’s comments the only one you take issue with is the ‘strip searches’ at the truancy center? What about the rest of the comments that have been documented by the teacher’s union regarding COLAS and CLADS and the state for CSR violations?
I do agree no strip searches went on at the truancy center but that does not change the fact that the school cop working there was removed for other reasons shortly after those claims were made.
#1764
“the rest of your blog becomes suspect too.”
You wish! This blog has helped things out quite a bit.
Early Retirement might be in the cards for that screaming VP at Saddleback High School. She was told to refrain from that. She looks like she’s ready to explode! lol
She used to get so pumped up on those brain waves of anger and aggression. Now she’s got to cope in unfamiliar ways – like being courteous!
http://www.sausd.us/sausd/cwp/view.asp?A=3&BMDRN=2000&BCOB=0&Q=293520&C=53680
Two In Santa Ana Nominated For Educator Of The Year
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 26, 2007
Contact: Angela Burrell
Public Information Office
(714) 558-5555
TWO IN SANTA ANA NOMINATED
FOR EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR
SANTA ANA, CA
Nice press release. The counties largest district had two educators nominated for educator of the year.
I’d be more impressed if this district just had ONE school nominated for outstanding academics. If either educator wins will they announce that they come from the worst school district in the county? Probably not.
Strip-searchers might not be taking place, but verbal harassment and intimidation is!
What would you say if you son or daughter was told that he or she is a “fag” Mother F^^^^^R”, A piece of Sh**T, or to sit down and Shut the “F Up! after a day in the Truancy Center.
If this is happening what makes you think that something else is not.
Survey the students from the past 6 months and ask. Survey the Administrators who have received these complaints from parents!
The Truancy Center is supposed to be a school setting, right.
#1769
Although your claims are believable, I have yet to meet a truant that didn’t lie about why he cut from school and how he was abused when caught to offset his original wrongdoing.
But assuming you have enough children with similar stories, parents willing to follow up with complaints, and the fortitude to do more than post a claim on a blog, then you have a pretty good complaint you can file. What you claim has or is happening in the truancy center is a violation of parts of the Penal, Education, Civil and government codes. It is also a violation of the right to safe schools act. That act includes the actions of school employees.
Try the ACLU because you probably won’t get far with local city police or the district attorney. They see hundreds of lying teens every week plus it is no secret that daily street crime is most often caused by students ditching school.
The fact is your kid and others cut school and violated the law in the first place and are subject to arrest. But if enough of you have similar complaints someone might listen, or even care. But probably not at SAUSD.
Today I received a message from someone who works at the district office for Santa Ana Unified.
This person is so upset.
Apparently, SAUSD has decided to “get rid” of the cats who have called the grounds of the district office home for many, many years by December 15.
It has even been said that one of the district’s so called solutions is to bring some outside company in to, again, “get rid” of the cats.
I have emailed the superintendent, Jane Russo, and expressed my concern.
I have also suggested a solution which is to trap, neuter, and return the current cats to their well established home territory.
When people try to erase a colony of cats all they accomplish is making available unoccupied territory where new cats move in.
I sent Ms. Russo the URL for Alley Cat Allies, http://www.alleycat.org. This is a wonderful source of information.
It tells about TNR (trap, neuter, return) and the overall management of the situation SAUSD has encountered.
Please help by emailing, calling, or faxing Superintendent Jane Russo and ask her to find an alternative to their current plan of ridding the district office property of cats.
Jane A. Russo
Superintendent Santa Ana Unified School District
Phone: (714) 558-5512
Fax: (714) 558-5610
Email: Jane.Russo@SAUSD.US
Thank you for your support.
Since when did the juice turn into the SPCA! For one, this is SAUSD corruption, Not save the vermin foundation. You are asking student, parents, teachers to worry about an infestation of flea infected vermin during budgetary cuts. People lives are going to be drastically effected and you
I, too, heard about the issue with the stray cats at the district office. The lady who was told she had until December 15 to catch all of the cats and remove them from the grounds was basically lied to. At one point she was told by a superior that the cats were to be rounded up by the city and taken to the shelter. Santa Ana animal control will not do that. Then she was told that the district was going to pay some company to remove and “dispose” of the cats. That is illegal to do. The lady who was told she had until December 15 felt deceived and coerced by her superiors.
Even if cats are not your thing I think you are missing the point here.
An employee of SAUSD was once again deceived by a person in charge.
An employee of SAUSD was once again intimidated and feels little recourse in the matter.
Lying and coercion on the part of some upper level management people employed by SAUSD seems to be par for the course.
One last thing, if someone you work with refers to a cat or a dog as vermin or says, “When I see cats in the streets, I see road kill” you need to be concerned about that person.
I have forwarded your concerns about the district destroying cats onto PETA.
BTW ..how much is the district paying an outside agency to carry out this deed?
Cats keep down the vermin problem; they are not the vermin problem. IF there’s a vermin problem, its more than likely due to an abundance of filth. And that’s a maintenance issue.
Even though cats are not my thing, everyone knows the district employee, commonly called the cat lady, has been taking care of these cats since before the district moved from French street. Building services even let her put a small pet house on the building service patio. So what is the big deal now after all these years? The wild possums that run around are more of a problem than the cats. At least the cats keep the 4 legged rodents down. Maybe the 2 legged rodents want to protect their 4 legged cousins.
Merry Christmas from the district office administration.
I don’t know what company the district was referring to or how much it would cost the district to remove their current population of cats.
Are they planning for this to be an ongoing expense? Certainly, this would be an endless expense.
I wonder what they titled this agenda item?? Surely, this expenditure of funds would have to be approved by the school board.
Assign one cat and a cat lover to each classroom. Make sure the students and staff are treated with as much concern as the cats, all of the problems will be solved.
It might not solve all problems but it would be a giant step.
Being part of a positive solution beats deceiving, ridiculing and blaming.
http://www.flippyscatpage.com/verysickcat.html
Santa Ana school board meeting Tuesday night recessed and will continue Thursday at 6:00pm in the Boardroom. Meeting recessed dicussing 4.0 APPROVAL OF BUDGET REDUCTIONS FOR 2008-09 SCHOOL YEAR. No decision made for Instructional Asst.