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.
Since the OJ bloggers are so into themselves lately, I guess the deeds, or questionable deeds, at SAUSD are no longer high on the list.
As I read the Register, the approved cuts so far are interesting with minimal cuts to district administrators. (2 positions)and that district office budgets are cut by 20%. I would like to find one district office department that doesn’t pad their budgets by 20% or more! I also see that a “reduction” of out of town conferences for district office employees is listed. (It doesn’t say administration or managers so I guess Las Vegas is still on)
I see they combined the principal between Carver and Cruz schools which are a quarter block apart while ignoring that Pio Pico/Lowell, and Roosevelt/Walker literally touch each other and principalships could be combined there too.
I see security overtime has been cut. What does that mean? Does it mean few if any guards will be working dances, proms, special events or football games?
Cuts in custodians, groundskeepers and other essential healthy environment employees is also noticed while the district continues to ignore they are top heavy.
With just the list so far the final list should be a basis for some serious questions.
Budget cuts lead to additional board meeting tonight:
http://www.theorangejuice.com/2007/12/sausd-cuts-student-budget-but-saves-its.html#comments
http://www.ocregister.com/news/attorney-office-santa-1941817-district-burrell
Friday, December 14, 2007
Police, D.A. investigating missing school funds
Misappropriation of $5,100 from Adams Elementary School’s parent and teacher group is suspected.
By FERMIN LEAL
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
SANTA ANA
Speaking of budget cuts, two recent Register stories make me wonder about the school police department and the cost to keep them in business.
Story #1 was about a recent vandalism at Monte Vista school where over $1000 dollars worth of vandalism took place. The vandalism included entry into a classroom where a teachers guitar was destroyed. It is no secret Monte Vista is located in one of the poorest parts of the city. Yet the parents and students found a way to pony up enough money to replace the teachers guitar for him. All schools have a burglar alarm system so how did this happen?
The second story, in todays Register, reports that an embezzlement occured last March at John Adams school. Over $5000.00 was found missing in a parent student fund. School police were investigating and called the OCDA’s office for help. No one has been arrested in over 9 months and no suspects were disclosed. I would think after 9 months the odds are pretty slim that anyone will be arrested.
No doubt these are not the only two incidents the school police have been handling over the last 9 months with what appear to be dismal results.
The obvious question is what is the district getting for its money with its own police department? I have no doubt Santa Ana City Police would have been able to investigate both of these two crimes, and maybe a number of others, with better results than this. City police probably would not have to ask for help from the OCDA either to investigate the embezzlement.
So is the school police department being scrutinized for budget cuts? Only the school security guards have been mentioned thus far.
What keeps the school police officers so valuable in the district that they are untouchable? Is it because they run the fingerprint program generally known to be a large income for the district? Is it because they write hundreds of tickets all over town monthly bringing in untold amounts of fine monies? Is it because they impound cars all over town that also brings in a significant amount of revenue?
Whatever it is, it isn’t for protecting the schools, staff and students.
In even a more recent article on the Register web page the additional district cuts were reported.
Among the cuts included were 125 special education student aids and an unspecified number of vice principals. Does anyone realize that special education aids are specially trained to handle these children? Some of their duties include cleaning cholostomy bags and taking care of other life giving tubes these children have to use to live. Are ‘other’ replacement aids with no benefits, less time with the students going to give these children the same level of care? I think not!
This article says that elimination of school police was rejected. I agree with that decision in part. The previous posts and stories about the school police failure to focus on their primary job tells me they should be scaled back.
Do they need a dog officer? The dog was virtually fired from SAPD for not being able to do his job there. The detective can’t solve an embezzlement case and has to ask for help from the OCDA. Schools are apparently vandalized and broken into without positive results.
Perhaps the time has come to quit protecting the school police because they bring in money for tickets, impounding of cars, and finger print fees.
Move the fingerprint people into another department. Put these motorcycle cops on a campus or better yet get rid of the motorcycles. These fancy machines are almost as expensive as a car and can not even with stand a crash. At least two have had to be replaced from minor crashes putting two officers in hospitals. Not to mention these cops get to take all these cars and motorcycles home at district expense.
While we are at it, does the school police department need two sergeants? They managed with one for years. If the police department and district quit focusing on how much money the police department makes for the district possibly the losses they could be preventing would be an equal amount.
Finally if the superintendent is paid 501 thousand more than the county sheriff per year then it is time to restructure the entire upper management staff pay scale. No one in such a failing district as this one should be making more than the sheriff of an entire county!
You seem to only have half the story. Why don’t you come out with school police and see what we do? You are always welcome. That way you will have a better understanding.
Paul Walters has alreay said he could not cover what we do with the man power he has. We’ve taken over 2180 reports so far this year and it’s not over yet. This does not include “incidents” or calls for counseling which don’t require a report.
Please give us a break and find out the facts before you blog all over yourself.
SCHOOL POLICE are doing their JOB and for this they have been untouched. They work hard to protect the schools by effectively handling radio calls AND being a deterrent. SAPD reject dog? The dog was rated 4th of 100 dogs in competition. Their detective is thorough enough to contact OCDA to confirm cases are handled and filed properly. SAUSD should be proud to have such a caring and professional department and SAUSD would be shocked in the difference of attention if SAPD took over.
#1785
Thank you for telling me that these two incidents reported by the Register are not the only ones. In fact there are apparently 2180 incidents over the last year so far.
Since I only have half of the story and you do not dispute the information I blogged all over myself, I have to assume it is correct. In other words, the sole school police detective has not only failed to solve the crime at Adams school asking for help from the OCDA the school police department failed to prevent the vandalism at Monte Vista school plus they have also failed to prevent 2178 other crimes.
The question that instantly jumps out from your post is how many of the 2180 reported crimes taken by the school police ALSO are unsolved crimes and losses for the district?
The second question that jumps out is how much are school police being paid to investigate, report and follow up on these reports.
It is public record school police officers make about $30-$40 an hour. If you add benefit packages for each officer the amount would be substantially more. But for the sake of arguement, let us just use $50 an hour for a round figure, which I suspect is low.
It would seem apparent that it would have to take at least 2 hours to go to a school and look at the crime and then go back to the school police office and write the report. Let us just use two hours as a round figure.
Based on YOUR knowledge, not mine, 2180 crimes and reports were written. That would come up to $109,000.00 in pay alone so far this year. Of course that would exclude damage to the school, repair costs, or losses.
Which half of the story have I missed so far officer?
Do the motorcycle cops and other cops write enough tickets or impound cars to offset those costs? Do the fingerprint people charge enough so that all in all the cost justify the means?
I don’t need to ride along with you to know you are blowing smoke. By the way Chief Walters offered to take over your department about 8 years ago showing he could do it cheaper and with much better resources such as dogs that actually work, helicopter support and detectives that can solve crimes.
#1786
Give me a break. The dog was fired for not being able to perform as an all around police dog. He may have come in 4th for dope detection but he would rather chase a ball than a bad guy. How many cases have gone to court from the dog since he has been part of the school police department in over 2 years?
The detective is what? “thorough enough to contact OCDA to confirm cases are handled and filed properly.”
I take from that the detective does not know when his cases are handled and filed properly. Sounds like we need a new detective who does know.
Look. I am not saying we do not need school police. What I’m saying is we do not need to pay for a detective and dog that obviously can not do the job. Add those costs to eliminating at least one field sergeant that does not work at night except for board meetings, and perhaps school police would be a viable part of SAUSD. With the bloat they have now anyone with common sense would realize the department needs to be downsized.
I don’t know what world you’re living in, but no police department prevents all crimes.
Since it appears you know so much about law enforcement, why aren’t you working as an officer somewhere? I’m sure you would do a good job. You write well and that’s a good start.
Blowing smoke? What smoke? It’s a funny thing here. You are accusing me of “blowing smoke”, but you aren’t willing to come see if the facts I’m giving are real?
You cannot do the sort of math you are attempting to do with the number of reports given. There are too many variables. I also said 2180 “reports” taken. I said this number did NOT include calls not requiring a report. Officers don’t get to just take a report and then go write it. They often times have to locate or identify a person, obtain and book evidence, transport subjects, get witness statments, and hopefully, a call requiring emergency assistance doesn’t pop up in the middle of it. Here again, you are making speculations with partial information.
Just so you understand, the K-9 is used for drug demos for the kids and random searches of schools, not chasing bad guys. He is not used as a “bite” dog.
All police personnel including detectives, use the assistance of the DA’s office. All cases are reviewed by the DA to assess charges,or sometimes the suspects are involved in other pending cases. The DA decides whether to “file” charges or not.
I’m not here to spar with you on a blog over issues that would take pages to explain, when you can easily see hard data, if you were willing to take the time to come see it.
School Police is not perfect by any means and there are areas in need of improvment, change, and better management.But before you make broad assessments and unfounded allegations, check your facts.
Thank you for straightening me out. Obviously I don’t have all the facts. From what you write and the details involved in a report taken by an officer, my figures were low. Instead of 2 hours it must take three or four to investigate a common crime at the initial time it happens. That would double the payroll cost to about $218,000.00 for the 2180 reports taken you mentioned.
Man hours are a big thing in fire fighting especially when the fire bug is caught. Often he is charged with paying for those hours. Does it work the same way for cops or does the city/district just eat that money for services rendered?
Either way the two cases we are discussing out of 2180 both went unsolved according to the paper. How about the rest of the 2180. How about the damage and repair. Should kids and parents just pay to replace guitars or fix damages even if the perpretrators are never caught? Isn’t that what the money spent for the police is for in the first place?
I would also assume the cost of your detective to further investigate any case would be additional cost above the original police officer who wrote and investigated the case to begin with. How many hours were spent investigating the embezzlement case at John Adams School? How many hours were spent at Monte Vista. In fact, how many hours are actually spent on each of the 2180 cases you mentioned? Whatever it is the results as I previously said are dismal overall.
Hypothetically if no school police existed this all would fall on the cities shoulders including the costs to investigate, conduct interviews and all that other stuff you mentioned. The district would save between 109,000.00 to 218,000.00 a year just in report taking and investigations solved or not. I do not advocate eliminating the school police but it seems that a lot of expense is put out for redundancy and a lack of results.
If the janitors don’t clean the rooms they get fired. In fact if the crime rate in a city goes out of control the city police are held to the fire. So what makes your department so special that it should not answer for failing to prevent and solve crimes?
If I understand you right the police dog is nothing more than a public relations tool, but is a drug detecting dog. So I will rephrase my last question. How much drugs has he found in the schools and how many people have been arrested from his work? While on the subject, how much did he cost to buy from Santa Ana Police; how much did it cost to provide him with a special dog car, kennel for work and home; and how much did it cost to train the officer that was assigned to work with him. I understand a significant amount of training has to be done for a dog to work with his handler. I’m also told the current handler is the second one so the training had to be done twice. How much was all that for “demos”?
It does not take hard data to use a little common sense, but I’m sure if someone was to look at all the hard data for the expense of the dog, detective, and other management of your department someone might ask a few hard questions.
In the height of her abuse of authority, Saddleback High School’s Principal Jones would threaten to send school police to the homes of employees that she had selected for harassment and elimination. She would even use underlings to threaten this. The school police would also not receive reports on some important issues or even be notified of problems.
What is to prevent a site manager from using the school police inappropriately?
The school police dog bit a secretary in building services a couple years ago and the district had to pay $20,000 and they had to get a new officer to handle the dog. That is why the new officer with the dog is not allowed to let the dog bite criminals.
The sole school detective is so bad at his job they don’t even give him a car.
They put cops at each high school, even at Godinez fundamental school which has no crime at all and only has half the kids as a regular high school. The officer there is old and doesn’t do much.
I would like to know why SAUSD does not outsource their Risk Managment Dept? Other Districts you outside brokers to get the best deals on workers comp and benefits? If this is the area eating up our budget, then why don’t they look at the insurance brokers instead of having Camile put us is debt?
There are classes still at Valley high school with 50, 60 and 70 students. Students are sitting on the floor.
gigi – Sep 08, 2007 07:21:02 AM
The teachers certainly are right to protest a 42 student average class size. I have visited MacArthur as a subject specialist and gave a presentation to a class that had over 40 students. The students were squeezed into a bungalow and it was overwhelming for the teacher, the students, and for me. Very good teachers become drained in these conditions. If we want to encourage a society that supports education and good teaching we need to provide an environment that encourages great learning and great teaching. Let’s work to keep our good teachers fresh, capable, and enthusiastic about going to work each day so that they can do thier job to the best of their abilities. Let’s not provide an environment that will lead to premature burnout and a second rate education for this generation.
concerned – Sep 07, 2007 02:38:46 PM
I thought MacArthur was a FUNDAMENTAL School? So, therefore, there should be a cap on enrollment? I’m not surprised that a Substitute was hired to alleviate the “problem”. The District is so cheap, it tries at every cost to save money.
Frustrated SAUSD Employee – Sep 06, 2007 07:11:46 PM
WTH, Read the article, don’t just look at the pictures. Those dedicated teachers AREN’T ON STRIKE, they’re just picketing to let the parents and school district know that they are unhappy with the overcrowded classrooms. 42 to a single classroom is insane. After picketing BEFORE class in the morning, they then walk into the school and teach the kids. These are dedicated teachers who genuinely care about the kids. The kids DO NOT benefit from being squeezed into a small classroom with 40 other students and one teacher. Let’s all hope the school districts all over Orange County take this picketing as a wake up call and hire more teachers. These kids are our future!
OC Resident – Sep 06, 2007 12:48:16 PM
My daughter attended MacArthur last year and NO we are not illegal. Most of that school is not. It’s way overcrowded though, that’s why I send her to a private school now and the max in her class is 20! And that’s both 7th and 8th graders combined.
oc – Sep 06, 2007 12:34:41 PM
I went to MacArthur from 96-99. It was such a great school! It’s unfortunate what’s happening now.
Laila – Sep 06, 2007 11:38:21 AM
MacArthur is a great school with a very diversified family make up as are all of the Fundamental schools in Santa Ana. This is not a racial issue This is a school funding issue. Start spending our tax dollars on our children. The teachers are already underpaid. Please do not add over worked and stressed out to that. We risk losing so many great teachers The teachers of the Santa Ana fundamental schools are terrific. They have given my children a great love of learning and helped to create great citizens in our city that will eventually be going off to be great leaders in our world. Santa Ana School Board please help. Give the teachers the help they need. We need them!
santa ana mom – Sep 06, 2007 11:15:59 AM
This is still happening people.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Santa Ana district to cut jobs to help make $14.8 million in trims
Budget expected to be approved if after reductions to avoid deficit.
By FERMIN LEAL
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
SANTA ANA
School Police Officers raised the money to purchase the dog through donations.
Training is refunded to the department from the State Peace Officers Standards and Training funds.
The new officer was not re- assigned due to Rudy biting anyone. Special details are rotated. He is used to work around kids. He is very social and a good detection dog. Arrests and cases have been filed due to his abilities.
Many of the reports taken are not about stolen property. Many are about kids fighting, drug possession, weapons brought on campus,truancy and tagging. Restitution is pursued by the courts and paid to the district general fund.
Stolen property is often recovered if the school or district can provide serial numbers. Officers frequently retreive stolen property from students. Nine times out of ten it’s students who break into schools to steal and damage property.
You are spinning numbers without knowledge of the variables and you still did not account for calls not requiring a report. Your $218,000.00 is “smoke”. You also don’t take into account that the department receives grant money for officers as well. SA schools deserve the benefit of these grant funds. Godinez recently received a grant written by an officer for security cameras.
There is much more to this picture than you are willing to look at. The door is open.
In sworn testimony, Jones blames her past cronies for her own actions. How does it feel to get thrown under the bus by your boss that you blindly served? You’re going to love going in front of the Judge. Are you going to tell the truth under oath or are you going to try and keep the cover-up for Jones going? Either way, you’re screwed. And the more you lie, the more you’ll pay.
The best part: The district and the attorneys have got it all down on paper, in nice little bound packets of testimony. Every word recorded to be used to get to the bottom of what you all conspired to do. And when it finally all comes out there will be nowhere safe to hide your lies.
Sleep well! You’ll get your day in court soon!
What a tangled web of finances the district’s budget is and who actually determines what expenditure are necessary and WHERE IS THE OVERSIGHT of expenditures?
Camille Boden and Risk Management must be a power to be reckoned with.
On Friday, after a meeting on the subject Thursday afternoon, Camille verbally and in person authorized $3500 to rid the district office of her unwanted cats (you can’t make this stuff up folks).
I say “her unwanted cats” because this whole issue with the cats is due to Camille’s apparent fear of cats.
Camille, please don’t allow your Ailurophobia to cost the district money when so many other things are at risk.
Drop the entire cat issue and deal with your personal mental health issues on your own dime!
#1795
Officer Anon. I appreciate you clearing up some of the misconceptions and lack of knowledge about the school police department. It was not me that wrote about the dog biting someone. It was the first I had heard of it.
I think we can agree to disagree all day long and get no where. I may be spinning numbers but let us face it, you are spinning the job. What you keep telling me is that 2180 reports were written so far this year. You have told me they may take 2-4 hours to investigate and write the report, possibly with interruptions for other calls or some other situation that comes up.
That does NOT change the per hour expense of putting yourself and the rest of the officers out in the district. It still adds up to the previous numbers I quoted whether you are investigating, handling calls, actually patrolling your schools, or you are at Starbucks, 7-11, Denny’s, Norms, the little coffee bistro at 17th and Tustin or the one at MacArthur and Fairview.
You are the only department that does not have duty free lunches or breaks. But you are also the only department that does not have to work an extra half an hour for lunch and often have more free time than you will ever admit to.
The proof is seeing your marked police cars and motorcycles at the previously mentioned locations.
I do not doubt that when you are working you do the best you can. But do not hand me a batch of procedures that may happen or may not. Do not actually try and convince me that out of the two reports in the paper, both unsolved, that the majority of the rest of the 2180 reports that were actually crimes were solved.
In your own words reports may be for anything. Time is money according to the district. You all have more time to play, shop on duty, take extended lunches and breaks than anyone else in the district. If you deny it then you are lieing.
The only smoke here is that every hour the district pays for about $50 worth of protection from every school police officer. He or she may be actually on patrol, investigating a crime or drinking coffee. Drink all the coffee you want but when the statistics you wish to use say that the district had this many reports then use vague terms such as “stolen property is often recovered” tells no one anything. Define “often” by pertentage. You would not use such words if you could say we recover 50% of our losses. The truth is you don’t even recover 25% of your losses and your department does not devote itself to it’s job because you are the one department that no one supervises and go unwatched.
Officer Anon. So you defend the dog, but you don’t defend your own co-worker at Godinez High School or your detective with no car? How does the poor detective get to Starbucks? Does he get a ride or use public transportation?
I see a school police car parked at Santa Ana college security all the time. Do they have good coffee there?
Can somebody please explain to me how someone in Risk Management is authorized to spend $3,500 for cat removal? What does this have to do with Risk Management? How does she have this authority and access to the funds?
Does anyone know if Jane Russo has been apprised of these shenanigans?
Rumor Mill: Lewis Bratcher and Al Mijares are both seeking jobs in Fullerton at the college level.
So much for “retirement”!
I told you, you can get specifics if you want to come see. Attack all you want, but you’re doing it without facts, and being a myoptic armchair politician. It’s easy to sit at your computer and throw mud, but get out of your chair if you really want to make changes. One point we agree on is that changes and improvements need to be made.
Where did you get the “less than 25% recovered” figure? I’d like to see that documentation since I don’t have access to statistical data in tidy little numbers.
By the way, what do you do for a living? You must have a lot of time on your hands to be able to keep tabs on the officers. Maybe you should consider law enforcement, they could use the help.
So it was Camille Boden that undertook the “great cat crises” at the district office. When did stray cats become a matter for ‘risk management’. Are the cats a risk to employees? The cats have been there longer than Boden and probably do a better job at what they do than she does. Maybe she is jealous! To use a metaphor that seems appropriate. Boden is obviously a sick puppy.
These cats are tended by a district employee at her own expense and are no risk to the health of district employees. The only risk they cause is being run over by district trucks who drive too fast anyway.
Boden has a track record of losing workman comp cases one after the other requiring legal expense to the district far and beyond the savings she lies to the board with. Possibly a large part of the 1 million dollar cut for legal services is due to her incompetance. If not it should be.
What worries me more is the assistant superintendent that blindly allowed Boden to spend $3500.00 to have the cat’s removed when the district is millions in debt. Probably the same assistant superintendent that didn’t cut the $8000.00 for the bottled water.
Insanity run amuck!
#1799
I don’t think officer anon needs to respond to your comments. The detective has always had an issued car to use. He can get to Starbucks just fine.
The age of the officer at Godinez is not a factor if he is doing his job. Apparently he is since you say there is no crime there. No other campus can make that claim small or large.
#1802
Officer Anon if you do not have access to specific statistics as an officer at the department, how would I be given them as an outsider visiting?
You tossed out some generally vague statistics about recovering some losses which now I suppose you were guessing as much as I was. I admit I grabbed 25% out of the air. With that number I used I believe I was giving you the benefit of the doubt it was even that much in recovery of losses. Now you admit you can not even dispute it because you do not have access either.
I was not guessing at the payroll numbers since those are public records anyone can check from a job flyer. Pay plus benefits almost double the expense for every employee. I did not even use the highest average I could have on those numbers.
I do not need to justify my accusations when the proof is in black and white so to speak. If your people want to avoid someone attacking them maybe they should spend less time at coffee shops and more time on school grounds.
I understand crime will happen and without your department those 2180 reports could be 2500. But since their is room for doubt maybe they could also have been 1500. Before you ask these are just numbers picked out of the air. But you do not seem able to dispute them with facts no matter what numbers I use.
I admit I am not qualified to do your job, and I trust you are not qualified to do mine unless you have a degree in teaching or are a certified journeyman plumber. I might be either one or neither. But I am not blind to what I see including a lot of failure in your management and supervision system. You are right things could be better. If your department is not being cut at all maybe it should live up to it.
Just a few years ago, Ms. Boden was in food services. Is she even qualified for the Risk Management position?
What makes her qualified? She’s hired very inexperienced, rude and disorganized staff to support her. People who hire weak workers do so because they feel more comfortable around weak co workers. The expensive cat removal seems inappropriate. Where will that expense be registered?
Jane Russo is definitely aware of “The Great Cat Crisis”.
Leave it to SAUSD management to take a situation where district personnel volunteer their own time and money and turn it into a district expense that won’t work anyway.
Maybe Jane and Camille refer to it as “No Cat Left Behind” or “Feline Is Not An Option”.
I’m going to write this one last time.
The data is available at the department in the event you choose to take a look. It is not available in tidy little statistical numbers. Law enforcement is not a tidy business. I don’t care who you are, just trying to give you as much of the facts as I can.
#1909
Officer Anon
I truly appreciate and admire your dedication to your department and I would never try to take that away from any officer willing to go out to do the job that you do.
Sadly with all district departments at SAUSD all the statistics are not put up in a tidy little ball to read. They are jumbled, moved around, and manipulated so the outsider without some kind of expertise can decipher them. I am not surprised you can not provide clear and concise data and I do not blame you for it because that is the way of the district.
Law enforcement at SAUSD may not be a tidy little business and that is the problem. Most police departments at a glance can tell you how many crimes, solved or unsolved exist. Maybe in your position you do not have access to that information. You brought up the number of reports so you must have some access to it but either you can not or will not provide that information. Fair enough.
I would suggest before you try and stand up for your department you have that information when asked. After all it is public record and any newspaper in the world can get it if they want to do an expose on your department. With the educational cuts in your district, exempting the school police closer scrutiny may not be a bad idea. What is the district’s big phrase?
Transparency? This might be a good start.
I could not agree with you more about the district’s tactics and poor management. It has affected everyone and I understand clearly the stress of not knowing whether you will have a job tomorrow or not.
School police has undergone many changes within the last year, and there are new officers who are dedicted and truly care. They are well aware of those within that take advantage, manipulate, and are basically lazy. Unfortunately every department has them.
It’s frustrating for those that do care to be “broad brushed”, when they’re doing not only their own job, but the job of others.
The reporting system used within school police does accurately track cases, and it can generate totals by crime, but it requires an employee to extract and compile that data. It does not show how many cases were solved, but each report can be accessed for that info.
A tracking system for restitution has recently been implemeted which shows convictions and restitution requested. You can contact one of the sergeants for that info.
The department’s cases for crimes and criminal info are all filed with SAPD. Their crime statistics include school police cases, but they are not broken down by department. I’m sure if you were to contact their “crime analysis” department, they would give you some data, although I’ve been told they won’t give you specifics.
Officer Anon. I appreciate your time in trying to explain what is obviously a convoluted process. While your dedication comes through there are still a lot of questions that need to be answered.
When simple questions can not be explained with simple answers then the tangle of red tape is too thick. Despite your dedication results are what count. Nothing you have said explains to me why your department was excluded from budget cuts but I am sure you are doing the best job you can in trying to explain it.
I doubt their is any further need for us to spar over the matter. I come away believing your department needs a thorough efficiency examinationm, but so does the whole district office. The only way that will happen will be a state takeover and I’m all for it.
I think the district could save a lot of money by having the police dog hunt down all the stray cats around district headquarters. Then they could skin the cats, sell the fur and buy the detective a nice used car. There, budget crisis solved!
I was delighted to read about the police investigating the stolen funds from the Adams school site. It is refreshing to see the police step in on this kind of gross misconduct. I wonder who informed them?
When Saddleback’s Esther Jones and Katrina Callaway stole funds from disabled students from ASB accounts specifically dedicated to those students, NO one called the police. Parents, staff and students demanded the return of the money and and explanation from Dr. Mijares and other administrators. No action was taken and those two got away with that crime. Callaway is still working for the district.
“A tracking system for restitution has recently been implemeted which shows convictions and restitution requested. You can contact one of the sergeants for that info.”
Is there a statute of limitations? The theft of funds occured at Saddleback High School a couple of years back, but the students still need that money in order to attend functions and purchase special equipment and supplies.
Do you have a name of an officer who can help with this? Someone needs to be held accountable and someone needs to pay back restitution. Thank you for any information.
No. 1814
Member/s of parent groups have taken money as well. What does it matter? The supt and members of the board were advised and they played dumb.
It’s unfortunate, but there is an ugly underbelly that thrives in the district.
Angry over funds.
I would not get too delighted over the funds you refer to at Saddleback. In case you missed it, the investigation of the Adams school stolen funds is over 9 months old already with no suspects or arrests so far. They may catch some one eventually and I hope they do, but I would not bet on it.
Unlike the school officer that could not give a straight or correct answer on much of anything the statute of limitations on fraud both for criminal prosecution and civil restitution is generally 3 years from the time of discovery. I would be sure that district administrators did not have a report filed by school police when you reported it before proceeding further. You should also ask your union to have its criminal attorneys verify your claims and legal action available to you, if any remain.
I read with amusement while the school officer tossed out a lot of non-information and excuses about access to crimes,report files and how they are not all available in tidy little statistical numbers. Apparently he has never heard of the California Public Records Act of 1988. It
1814:
It’s very easy to find an officer to help with your issue.
Just follow these simple steps:
1. Go to any intermediate school or high school, drive through the parking lot until you see a golf cart.
2. Walk up to the golf cart, QUIETLY so you don’t startle the officer (if you hear snoring, that is good because it means this officer is still alive).
3. Make sure the cart is in “park” and gently remove the coffee mug from the officer’s hand and then tap him one time on the ear. This should rouse the officer.
4. Tell him that it’s a shame that anyone would ever consider cutting the security at schools and that they actually need to hire more guards.
5. Describe your problem, but do it quickly so you do not bore the officer.
6. Repeat as needed with other carts at other schools.
I don’t know what school you’re referring to, but it’s definitely not Willard. You can’t have much more than a 60 second conversation with out DSOs as they are constantly being called on the radio to report here, there or everywhere.
Never mind, you can’t read, and what you do read you distort to uphold your own agenda. Been taking lessons from district management?
I knew there was a reason I never bothered to read this blog.
1796: Keep us posted about the Jones lawsuit. I’m curious (as are others I’m sure) to see how this will all be resolved. I know she definitely screwed over a lot of good teachers. I was never on the receiving end of her wrath, but I always steered clear of her path.
#1518
You said: “Member/s of parent groups have taken money as well. What does it matter?”
I certainly hope you are not an employee of the school district.
Dismissing wrongdoing commited by highly paid district employees because a parent or parents allegedly stole from funds is really odd thinking. And its just plain wrong.
An ASB Activities Director and a Principal should not be allowed to steal funds without some kind of consequence. Maybe it was “okay” under Mijares’ leadership, but we got a new set of dogs in the house this year.
Maybe that nice police officer will pony up some names that the concerned parties could contact. One of those in question is still an employee. No one seemes to know the status of Ms. Jones except that she’s got a cramped schedule running from deposition to deposition and court to court. She seems to have left quite a mess in her wake.
Suggesting that the union or union lawyers take on a real black-and-white issue of stolen funds is out of line, too. The union has a lot on their plate just trying to negotiate fair wage and employment packages with the district’s “bargaining team” that likes to throw around all sorts of misleading “facts” instead of operating out of competence and knowledge. Bless David Barton for never giving up his optimism that things may change for the better if he just keeps working at demanding accountability and professionalism from district “leadership”.
Why isn’t there a specific place or a specific person to go to when there is an important issue that involves positions that abuse authority by commiting crime, fraud, cheating and stealing? Why is there no functioning system in place to handle ridiculous antics like stealing funds from student accounts and then expecting to get away with it? Funds were not only missing from the disabled students’ account, but they were missing from Dance accounts, Cheerleading, Home Ec, Art, etc…. Just ask fellow staff members about their experiences with accounting “irregularities” when Jones was there.
Why are the expectations for this city and school district still so darned low? Has nothing at all changed this past year?
#1821
I don’t have time to give you a 4 year course in criminal law so I’ll try to be as brief as I can. To begin with I agree with you that # 1815 is wrong.
With regards to the possible embezzlement of “about” 2 years ago posted here by someone who provides no firsthand knowledge and alleges certain people were involved, you have several problems.
First of all did the crime occur? If it did why was it not reported to law enforcement of any kind? Next how long ago did the crime occur? About 2 years could be 3 and if it is then it’s beyond the statute of limitations.
Finally the anonymous blogger provides no facts that a crime even did occur, just innuendo. The blogger does say they complained to the superintendent. If all of the facts are even close to true then YES you would need to go to the union first.
They have criminal lawyers to review facts and see if a case exists. This crime could involve not just embezzlement or theft but obstruction of justice and a few other crimes regarding malfeasance of office. There is not enough information at this point to know.
Lastly I assume you must be a teacher. No one else I’ve ever met is so naive when it comes to tossing out allegations of crimes without proof or knowing that you call the police when you encounter one. Who would you call when your house was broken into?
Did you say new dogs were in the house this year? You are really drinking the kool-aid.
Poster 1822,
Which police would a teacher or parents call? The REAL SAPD or talk to one of the SAUSD police? What about a DSO?
Four year course in criminal law? You’re kidding, right? You’re no attorney.
It seems to me that just one responsible district office administrator could review what the complaint is about and ask some questions. Going to the union is not an option for parents. And no one wants their kid retaliated against, either, so being “responsible” is key here.
#1823
Of course I am not an attorney. I didn’t say I was. You can take any suggestions I make for what they are worth as an anonymous blogger just as I take what all these anonymous allegations of old crimes are worth. Very little.
You are correct that a parent can not go to the union for legal help, whereas an employee can.
The simple little secret in all of these matters are a logical progression of facts. One. Did a crime occur. Two. Do you have proof that a crime did occur and who did it? Three. Are you willing once you initiate a complaint to follow it through to a trial?
The allegations provided thus far leave a lot of unanswered questions not designed for a blog simple answer. What is needed is a consultation with a professional who can evaluate the information and determine if further investigation is needed.
You ask about contacting a DSO. Why? A DSO may be great at what he or she does but they are security officers and are trained to protect the school they are assigned to. They are not trained investigators nor are they law enforcement officers. If you trust one of the DSO’s then contact him. If he/she is honest you will be sent to a law enforcement officer.
Which police do you contact? Based upon phrasing of the question you do not consider the school police ‘real’ police thus indicating you do not have much faith in them. You seem to have answered your own question.
Contrary to belief, school police are as real police as the city police. They do not have the resources the city police have and they do have a built in bias when it comes to school crime involving administration just as the city police would have a built in bias if a city councilman or the mayor was suspected of a crime. So how do you deal with that? The answer is you go to the next higher unbias source. In this case the elevation would be from school police to city police to district attorney.
I am aware that the detective for school police happens to be very competent, but you may not want to speak to him simply because all of these allegations appear to go up to the administration he answers to. The next level would be the city police.
The age of this case may or may not be a problem. Without more information that determination would be up to those who review all of the details.
The fear of retaliation is a term I have grown tired of hearing. Either you decide to stand up and follow through with these accusations or you discontinue making the allegations. This is a republic of laws and one of those laws provides the right of the accused to face his or her accuser. If you can not live with that then their is nothing anyone can do for you.
In simple terms only based upon what has been written, some crime of theft took place some time ago. Nothing seems to have happened after it was reported. But that may not even be true. It may have been investigated and determined unfounded. I have no way to know any more than I know if a crime ever happened in the first place.
You seem to believe one did so you decide. Contact an expert investigator of any agency you feel appropriate, or pay for a consultation of a criminal attorney. That is all anyone can tell you based on what has been written here.
http://www.sausd.us/sausd/cwp/view.asp?A=3&BMDRN=2000&BCOB=0&Q=295221&C=53680
Santa Ana Unified School District Hosts 18th Annual Christmas Eve Feast for Needy Families
SANTA ANA, CA
SAUSD’s “Great Cat Crisis” continues…
Then… a pest control business manager got into the mix…
A MANAGER from Lloyd’s Pest Control told the cat lady at the district office that Camille Boden had hired his company to catch all of the cats on district property and get rid of them.
The cat lady asked the manager from Lloyd’s Pest Control what exactly he was going to do with the cats.
The manager from Lloyd’s Pest control said he would catch them all and simply dump them in another location.
I am a cat lover, but don’t you all have anything else to do with your time? Gossipy trolls.
Someone was yanking your chain. Lloyd Pest Control came out for ants! Trillions of them!
Many times I visited and now I feel compelled to write. I see so much in-fighting between employees on whose needed and whose not but has anyone pondered those that only come to work on a part-time basis (i.e. consultants, aides etc.). If we have to cut those areas will have to go first before you start touching the benefits of those who work at SAUSD 40 hrs a week. We need security no matter how you cut it and SAPD is strapped and not interested in the job. Our DSO’s ,,Police , teachers and janitors etc are committed to to doing a good job but surely always getting the short end of the stick causes this feeding frenzy of acusations and inuendos. One consultant in particular earned 800K last qtr and 600K this qtr? A part-timer making the 20hr requirement is provided another 12-14K in benefits from the district (thats by choice of SAUSD). The private industry doesn’t pay for those types of benefits. Will I hope if anyone is on this who has the ability to really make a difference in 2008 does so before the house of cards collapses.
Merry Christmas
Camille Boden is the object of disgust at the district office.
Talk about the Grinch!!
Doesn’t she have any feelings at all?
Doesn’t she, at least, read the newspapers and know people don’t like it when animals are abused or even threatened to be abused?
Camille Boden doesn’t seem to have any problem facilitating cruelty towards people either.
Oh, yeah, she has the perfect job. Risk Management?
If this is how she treats small animals and people at Christmas time just think how much empathy she has for the rest of SAUSD’s employees during the rest of the year.
I question her judgment, her ethics, her humanity, and her ability to do her job!
It’s time for Camille Boden to be replaced!