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.
1880 – The reference to the shoe will drop is for this coming Friday. Stay tuned. Now as for Juan Lopez – where is he?
#1881
Thanks. I’ll be looking for that other shoe. Who knows where Juan Lopez is. Like congress things run smoother in their absence.
This blog represents the longest running chronicle of things that have happened in this district since Art first blogged about the corruption. Lately, the corruption figures seem to be taking a break from their usual attempts to get away with stuff.
Posting stories and articles that relate to this district are all relevant and may prove to be a handy reference if anything new or controversial develops in the future. Providing links and the actual stories is a good idea, imo.
http://www.sateach.org/January%2014,%202008%20President's%20letter.html
The Bad and the Ugly. As most of you know, the Governor has declared a fiscal state of emergency, and his proposed budget includes mid-year cuts. Education funding will be impacted this year (07-08), with an even larger reduction for next year (08-09). However the legislature reacts, the impact on education funding is likely to be disruptive and long-lasting.
The Governor proposes the following for 2007-8:
Reduce current-year Prop 98 funding by $360 million
Most of these mid-year cuts will come from unspent categorical funds
Which programs and which funds are to be determined by the legislature
The Governor proposes the following for 2008-9:
NO Funding for Statutory COLA
In addition to eliminating the 4.94% statutory COLA, he proposes an additional roll-back of more than 2%, resulting in a combined deficit factor of 6.99%
$1.1 Billion in cuts to: class-size reduction programs, charter schools grants, instructional materials, supplemental instruction, transportation, supplemental school counselors and career-tech programs
$357.9 million in special education cuts
$59.6 million in cuts to Before and After-School Programs
In addition to eliminating COLA for next year, the Governor proposes changing the way COLA is calculated in all future years in a manner that is likely to result in lower totals.
Some important points to remember
The Governor
http://www.sateach.org/January%2018th%20Bargaining%20Update.html
January 18, 2008
Bargaining Update
The District and the Association met in negotiations today. The District made no changes from their previous position of offering 0% COLA (cost of living adjustment), minus CLAD stipends for 2007-08.
Discussions focused on the Governor
http://www.ocregister.com/news/budget-santa-school-1963221-proposed-district
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Santa Ana school board to discuss state budget impact
Santa Ana Unified officials will weigh potential loss of state funding on cash-strapped district.
By FERMIN LEAL
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Comments 0| Recommend 0
SANTA ANA The Santa Ana Unified School Board will meet tonight to discuss how Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed budget cuts will impact the county’s largest school district.
The school board will receive a presentation from district staff on how a proposed 10 percent cut to education will affect Santa Ana Unified, which has already made $96 million in budget cuts in the past four years.
The governor announced two weeks ago that he wants to suspend Proposition 98 this year to trim a budget deficit. Prop. 98 provides K-12 schools with a guaranteed funding source that grows each year with the economy and the number of students.
Santa Ana Unified officials were already projecting a $10-million budget deficit in 2008-09 even before the governor announced his proposed budget.
Tonight’s meeting begins at 6 p.m. at district headquarters, 1601 E. Chestnut Ave.
Contact the writer: 714-445-6687 or fleal@ocregister.com
#1883
I agree that posting of some of these informative stories are helpful to keep track of the district. Sadly some are put up as press releases usually right in the middle of a flow of conversation about SBH or Willard or whatever. Putting the links or the actual story seems to be a matter of discretion depending on the story. Art has had to remove one lengthly article out of here due to the obvious intent to distract. It is hard to define that line.
# 1886 thanks for putting up the district meeting notice 20 minutes before the meeting. It’s not your fault. As I’m learning with “feelgood” Fermin, his notices about meetings are put online after morning rush hour the day of the meeting and stashed in the education section instead of the SA local. Of course the puff pieces pop right up on the SA section. I’m sure it is just one of those oversites the OC Register tends to make.
#1187
I disagree with the wisdom of Art’s pulling down that lengthy legal brief on Saddleback’s new principal. Things tend to “disappear” on the net, so sometimes a link will lead to nowhere in particular. By posting the link AND the entire piece, people who want that information can still access it here. Even if the information is sought in say, two years from now, when some kind of disaster hits that particular campus or the staff or the students there. The new principal came with plenty of controversy. The same amount, really, as the new principal at Valley who was fired from several districts for misconduct.
I think he should have left it off. There were a few whiners who thought it was too lengthy. They could have skimmed or skipped it. Art made a mistake and he should see if he can find and repost it here.
This is the only blog that has such a comprehensive view of SAUSD. To cut corners because something is too puffy or too lengthy or not corrupt enough, misses the point. Art is recording history in Santa Ana and the school district. Sanitizing it for whatever reason is a mistake. It should all be here. Including stupid opinions, weird predictions etc… it is all valid and the reader must sort through what seems most important.
#1888
Possibly you have a vald point, although even this blog will not last forever while newspaper and court archives have a much longer shelf life. Otherwise we can agree to disagree.
I see “feelgood” Fermin Leal, OC reporter for SAUSD, has written his latest regarding the board meeting Tuesday. Poor “feelgood”; he must have been a bit teary eyed as he reported a possible further 26.6 million dollar cut in the district but he only made one spelling error and called Asst. Superintendent Trigg the “finance director”. While many of these small mistakes are often corrected after mentioned on this blog, I will refrain from posting the article and just put up the link in the interest of space.
http://www.ocregister.com/news/school-district-cuts-1964499-board-budget
1889: Thank you. I think it is perfectly vald to point out Fermin’s one spelling error.
#1890
I figured you would pick up that mistake and the other one too. Like “Feelgood”, I also gave Trigg the wrong title by calling him an Assistant rather than Associate superintendent. Don’t you just hate it when you are getting paid to write articles, have a spell checker, a fact checker, and editor who all miss these little goofs. Oh wait a minute that’s “Feelgood”, not me.
Why does SAUSD have to continue cutting while a few other districts actually can give raises? It’s called fiscal responsibility.
Almost every department at SAUSD is top heavy. A case in point would be the Regional Occupational Program. In that department they list; One director, two assistant directors, one senior administrative clerk, two administrative clerks, one attendance facilitator, one operations specialist, one community resource specialist, one account tech, and one career tech.
No wonder Jack Oakes, executive director has time to go out and recruit private money for his little project at Valley High called High School Inc technical academy. Every one else is doing his job. Want to bet 80% of the rest of SAUSD departments are just as bloated?
Budget cuts thread:
http://www.theorangejuice.com/2008/01/sausd-faces-massive-budget-cuts.html#comments
It is suprising that Barbara Cummings has not been asked to retire. She is a great example of fat that should not be left in place. Anyone else remember her selling her craft items on district time, using district resources and employees to essentially double dip? It went on for years. It was her primary job and she would be hard pressed to list any legitimate “accomplishments” that she has under her tenure.
If district leaders aren’t even able to find this one real obvious piece of job worthlessness, then my guess is that they haven’t really looked at all.
Hey # 1881
Whatever happened to that other shoe that was going to drop on Friday?
This is not right. These budget cuts dont include pay cuts to the Superintendent or any of the Big Wigs at the district office. SAUSD spends $4 million a year on outside consultants, and countless millions on programs the kids dont even see. All the big money is stuck at the top and is never funneled down to the schools. Our schools are filled with teachers who dont do anything and contribute to the problems the students face but yet the district refuses to do anything about them. These teacher should be replaced with new teachers who actually want to work with the kids. I could go on and on. Arnold doesnt care about the kids, and SAUSD corruption is crippling the district. Mabye a good strike would open some eyes.
#1896
No it is not right for a lot of different reasons. Even Mijares took a pay cut back in 2005 when the budget crunch reared its ugly head. Of course Mijares’s corruption was based more in building services while Russo’s corruption has spread to fraud of attendance, promotion and hiring of district or school administrators that already had dubious backgrounds to start with.
Sadly for many classified employees they have been put into places where they will get the axe first. After all when you have departments loaded with both administrative clerks, executive clerks, other clerks rated at levels I or II, somebody has to eat it. Every department in the district has these extra positions. These employees were greatful for the promotions and transfers but the SAD truth is most of these positions were filling subject to cut when the budget went wrong. Let us be honest. Why does a department need an executive secretary coupled with an administrative secretary or clerk to oversee two other clerks? These are jobs of directors and assistant directors.
Duplication of services and misdirection of duties cleverly written in job descriptions has provided jobs that were never needed and absolutely not required in a declining enrollment. Not too long ago the district fought a personnel commission and this is why. Most districts that have one scrutinize every job and duplication of services. It does not take a PHD to realize that numerous jobs cut first will be these jobs. The snake wiggles faster as you get closer to the head.
#1896
I agree with you that the Super. is overpaid, the consultants should all be cut, and worthless programs axed.
However, I strongly disagree with your comments about the teachers.
I’ve been teaching in SAUSD nearly a decade and I approach every day with determination to make a difference for my students and the parents I serve. In the years that I have been at my site, I have witnessed that the teachers are giving their best.
Time and again it is the site administration/district administration who thwart what the teachers try to do to help the students (and usually because what is needed will cost money).
I and most of the teachers I know voted against giving up our salaries a couple of years ago to bail out SAUSD because we WANTED the state (anybody) to take over and “clean house”. We believed the apparent corruption and dereliction of duty was seemingly so ingrained in the district that perhaps only a complete takeover/reconstruction of the administration would result in an effective educational program.
Unfortunately too many teachers were scared into voting for the bail out, and now you see the results…the District has continued its poor policies and ignored the calls for change.
Please don’t blame the teachers.
We get enough of that from the administration already.
#1894
CORRECTION. THAT WOULD BE BARBARA COOPER. The other Barbara and company were just accomplices as Cooper misused the system for her own benefit.
to anonymous 11/26/08 11:39 am
I’m not a teacher, but I can tell you it’s not the teachers that are the problem. Put the focus where it belongs, squarely on the shoulders of SAUSD superintendents. Past, present, and sup assistants. Stop the nepotism, the personal agendas, the fraud, the misuse of funds etc.
Sorry Ms Russo, but when staff is looking at lay offs, and many jobs are in jeopardy, it’s time for you to take a pay cut too.
Is Dr. Pat Machado MIA? Anybody seen her lately?
Machado has been “missing in action” for many years. She has been getting paid by the district for “missing in action” along with the other failed administrators that are in the protected class. The only time one of these MIA’s leaves the district is when a deal is made with another district to absorb the deadwwod. I suspect that is how we get some of the imports from other districts. Districts have a mutual aid pact of some sort.
Well # 1881 another Friday has arrived and no shoe prints anywhere? Could it be you were blowing a lot of hot air?
In fact the complaints on this blog have notedly declined. Could it be the problems at SBH, Willard, Mendez, Valley, and other problems have been addressed? Or is it that in the wake of job cuts with an obviously doom and gloom future shut the complainers up for fear they may be next on the short list? Interesting paradox. All must be going well.
Or could it be that 90% of what was being complained about was false…hmmmmmm
#1904 When it takes years for anything to be done about the most obvious issues people just give up. They either move on or live with it. SAUSD is a classic case of such a situation. The problems have gotten worse and the people that are left to fight the battles are just tired of the foolishness. This is the quiet time of the year. Wait until the RIF notices go out and the negotiations are stalled, then you will see things pick up again.
Maybe the Clintonistas could deign to stop one block over at Wilson Elementary, 1317 N. Baker, and revel in a school site that:
a) was built in 1972 for 600 students but serves over 800 students (and has served as many as 1100!)
b) has no parking lot (lucky for them, they won’t be there on Tuesday when the city tickets folks for parking on the street because it is “street-sweep” day)
c) is a PI4 school because of ongoing low test scores (of course, most other schools don’t serve 99% low-income Hispanic students)
d) has woeful playgrounds with playground equipment over thirty years old, no safety playing surfaces under the equipment, and lots of dead grass
e) and a hard-working staff that is constantly remonstrated (by administrators who are “Peter Principle” poster children) that if only they would improve in their teaching the students’ scores would improve.
I don’t think the Clintonista bandwagon wants to churn down that trail…too many questions to answer and lawyers like them don’t want to answer honestly.
#1906 Wow, you wake up in the morning and remember that Bill Clinton is going to be in Santa Ana to campaign for Hillary Clinton. You have some issues concerning Wilson school. You don
#1905 sounds demoralized and #1906 sounds like a bully.
SICK OF THOSE HIGH PAID TEACHERS?
Their hefty salaries are driving up taxes, and they only work nine or ten months a year! It’s time we put things in perspective and pay them for what they do…baby-sit! We can get that for less than minimum wage. That’s right.
I would give them $3.00 dollars an hour and only the hours they worked, not any of that silly planning time. That would be $19.50 a day (7:45 AM to 4:00 PM with 45 min. off for lunch).
Each parent should pay $19.50 a day for these teachers to baby-sit
their children.
Now, how many do they teach in a day…maybe 30? So that’s 19.5 X 30 = $585.00 a day. But remember they only work 180 days a year! I’m not going to pay them for any vacations.
Let’s see…that’s $585 x 180 = $105,300 per year.
Hold on! My calculator must need batteries!
What about those special teachers or the ones with master’s degrees?
Well, we could pay them minimum wage just to be fair, round it off to $7.00 an hour. That would be $7 times 6-1/2 hours times 30 children
times 180 days = $245,700.00 per year .
Wait a minute, there is something wrong here! There sure is, duh!
Make a teacher smile; send this to someone you know, or to someone who appreciates teachers!
Well #1881 this will be the 3rd Friday since your promise of 1/22 that the other shoe was going to drop on the district that following Friday. Shall we deem your promise is about as empty as the districts usual promises or do you have anything to say? In your words, “Stay tuned”
Has anyone else heard about a district plan to consolidate some High Schools? Century with SAHS and SHS with Segerstom. Larger class sizes,for those at those schools.Teachers will be let go at the closed schools along with all support staff(custodians,grounds keepers,security,police,etc.) at the closed High Schools. Can the state please come in and for once chop from the top of the tree.
Several references have been made to “the other shoe dropping.” I believe it was a reference to the fact that all district admin meetings with principals and/or vice-principals will occur downtown after the conclusion of the instructional day. Apparently, they will be required to spend more time at their school sites during the instructional day.
Something to share with all of you:
It must be nice to be the attendance technician at Santa Ana High School :
The only classified employee to have an administrator desk , a set of chairs when she doesn’t meet with parents, almost half of the attendance office she has it .
Not only that but if you need help be ready to be yell at from her desk because she is not about to get up from her cozy corner.Will she come to the counter F.A.T chance , on the other hand the other two ladies work so hard one attending students all day long and the asian lady with parents with babies and toddlers plus manning the phones and students there is something wrong with this picture indeed. Is called lock of leadership and care it said mountains about the administration.
Why Dan Salcedo allows such a thing ? Or what kind of protection does Rosa Castro has that she is above the rule of other classified employees.she is only a technician she should be at the front of the attendance Dpt , on the contrary she is rewarded with perks WHY?.Ms Russo please make a trip to Santa Ana High School you would see for yourself and please don’t announce yourself liked I did . Just show up and make your own observation.For parents of students of Santa Ana High school you will get all the attention from the Community Worker it just that you would have stand up because there is no privacy or chair because the only person with that luxury is not you Community Worker is somebody that doesn’t have the decency to get to the counter and doesn’t deal with parents.The true HURTS How can it gets fix Ms. Russo? I will keep an eye.
I just finished my sub trip a SAHS.
EXTRA!!EXTRA!! EXTRA!! EXTRA!!!
STELLA GONSALES HEALTH CLERK AT SANTA ANA HIGH SCHOOL . WAS ABSENT ON
1/31/08 REASON:COMP TIME
AGAIN COMP TIME. DOING WHAT? AH AH AH TIRED OF HOSTING VISITORS ADULT ONES BY THE WAY TO THE HEALTH OFFICE, AND IF THAT IS NOT ENOUGH ABSENT 2/12/08 REASON:WHO KNOWS REMEMBER SHE DOESN’T CALL THE SYSTEM SHE JUST GETS PAID.HOW GREAT IT MUST BE TO WORK FOR A SYSTEM WERE YOU DO JUST WHAT YOU WANT.
CONGRATS TO STELLA SHE DOES HAS IT MADE.
AND THE ADMINISTRATORS VERY WELL THANK YOU.CHEERS CHEERS
This bit with Stella has been going on for years. It’s very uncomfortable for students with female problems to visit the Health Office as Stella the Health Clerk is surrounded by a plethora of men. Very sad and the admin does nothing about it.
I wonder why these little in house preferred treatment situations can’t be handled within the administration instead of having to make them public on this site? Dan Salcedo used to be pretty open about making sure things were running properly. Things do change as has the district but this sounds something in house that once no correction is made belongs posted here.
#1917
The SAUSD system is completely broken down. It is dysfunctional to the extreme. It takes outside attorneys to get the attention of any of the people who COULD make a difference and clean up problem. They just won’t do it. And not only that, but if one does try and bring up inproprieties at a site, there is hell to pay in forms of retaliation, stalking, physical menacing, threats, pay shortages, and you just name it…. it has been done and will continue in the current structure.
Russo, Olsky, Ayalya, Lopez are all either malicious or just incompetent when it comes down to the horrid decisions made at the high school and middle school levels, in particular. They’ve been brought the problems and just do their damnest to cover them all up.
They’ve hired, retained and promoted some real nutbags. They even had to go outside the SAUSD gene pool to find a couple that are about as terrible as you can find without trolling criminal or mental wards.
Call Ayala’s office and tell him some nutbag is still screaming and threating staff and his secretary will tell you that he doesn’t take calls from staff. So with that note, what will you do? Continue to try and contact him and risk retaliation worse than ever? Maybe call Juan Lopez who hired/promoted/retained the idiot despite mounds of legal and grievance documents? How about get an appointment with Olsky or Russo just to be assured that they had no idea of what was all happening and they’ll “investingate” and “get back to” you – but just blow you off. What do you do? Call their bluff and call them back? Cross your fingers they are not secretely mounting some kind of viscious campaign on you and your colleagues? Assume they are waiting you out so that they don’t have to actually do anything? Does EVERYONE have to go out and notify the union, the press or some legal assistance to get some basic problems addressed?
Russo should be taking a 50% paycut until she either steps up and cleans up the cesspools that pass as schools or just jump ship because she is incapable of doing her job.
Nepotism, cronyism and criminal minds that justify injustice are what RUN SAUSD.
If they actually had a system to hear and address problems -both small and big – we’d all read about it on the SAUSD site. Until that happens, the BoE and their high-paid flunkys will get away with this nonsense they try and pass off as “leadership”.
I would really like to know where Juanito Cagoncito Lopez has been? Is he on his way out? If so they should send Sylvia Molina with him. This self proclaimed “Hatchet Woman” is only around to harras teachers, make up lies and get them fired for fraudulent reasons. She is an A-1 toadie who cannot think for herself; but then again she does have the iq of a dart.
Why is Rosa Galindo busy filling out VALENTINES DURING AN IEP MEETING?
What is her position anyways? Why is she always around with nothing to do, yet when she is around, she is doing something totally inappropriate?
Jane Russo has not cut the real fat from the district. I am sure we could all come up with a nice fat list of 300 pound do-nothings like Rosa for the district to finally be rid of.
Doreen Lohnes of Special Education was informed of Rosa’s behavior. Let’s just see if anything gets done about looking over Rosa’s vague job descriptors.
Oh, that’s right. Isn’t Rosa related to Socorro Barron? SAUSD is a rats nest of failed administrators that all seem to be related to each other by blood or by inept alliance.
No one wants to touch the subject of old gay women who have networked up and get to abuse employees because it is too controversial to call it what it is. Angry, Abusive gay women abusing other employees who may or may not be gay.
If you don’t want to deal with the real issue, then split up the toxic alliances that keep enablers and accomplices comfortable doing real harm to other employees.
Jane Russo better start working a little harder to see why these toxic alliances are killing the district. DO something Jane, you overpaid deer-in-the-headlights.
OK THE FAT OF THE DISTRICT IS PROTECTED.
WHY AN OUTREACH CONSULTANT HANDING OUT RE-ADMITS , WHY IS SHE DOING CLERICAL WORK AND EARNING CERTIFICATED SALARY OR WORKING AT THE WINDOW ? WHERE THE NEED IS THERE FOR HER OUTREACH WORK AND PLENTY AT A SCHOOL OF OVER 3500 STUDENTS , HO NO SHE CHOOSES TO DO CLERICAL WORK WHICH IS SO EASY AND IF THAT IS NOT ENOUGH SHE SHARES HER OFFICE WITH HER DAUGHTER , BECAUSE IF A PARENT NEEDS HELP AND HER BABY NEEDS THE COMPUTER,THAT PARENT WILL HAVE TO WAIT OR SPILLS HER GUTS AT THE COUNTER IN FRONT OF STUDENTS AND OTHER PARENTS.WHAT I FIND SO SICK IS THE FACT THAT AT THE DISTRICT MEETING THEY PREACH THAT PARENTS ARE IMPORTANT STUDENTS ARE FIRST WHAT A LIE.AND FOR EVERYONE TO KNOW THIS HAPPENS WITH THE APPROVAL OF ADMINISTRATOS FLAT OUT IN PLAIN VIEW.IS GOING TO TAKE A STRONG EARTHQUAKE FOR THE COMMUNITY OF SANTA ANA TO REALIZE THAT WHAT THEY THINK OR SAY IT DOESN’T MATTER. DISTRICT AND ALL THOSE FAT CATS ARE GOING TO KEEP DOING JUST THAT.AND WAITING FOR A HEFTY RETIREMENT.THAT IS THE BOTTOM LINE
1919 – Heard that Juan had hip replacement surgery in December. Would be nice if he didn’t return, wouldn’t it?
Typical disgruntled “wannna” be cop. You can’t do the job, so you’re going to bash them all. Broad brushing, ignorant statements.
#1920
The high level of nepotism at SAUSD has created a culture of dysfunction.
#1920:
Are you homophobic, mysogynist, or both? People can be schmucks regardless of gender or sexual orientation. So wht bring these up at all? And how do you know anyway?
These issue with Rosa Castro the Attendance Tech @ Santa Ana High School is OLD.
I received a call from a previous worker in that Dpt and she has alwas manage to sit 80% of the time.Is Dan Salcedo PAPI as they called him decision I was told that all the other ladies had the same complaint.
1. She has help in the morning and afternoon to maintain the files every day aside from the office aides.
2. Now that Gladys was moved to counseling (she ask to be move because of the lazyness ) .Ms. Rosa Castro was always busy managing her family affairs her constant personal calls have been her trade mark or missing 4 0r 5 days at a time that is district record. Always late every blessed morning 10 or 15 minutes late.
3. When parents call she is very quick to transfer the call to somebody else.She is very faithful to take her lunch first.
4. And now poor Ms. Castro she needed another perk so Frances has to come and post the readmits because the Attendance Tech is to flooded with work
5. Did they send help to Mrs Mejia when she used to do the posting?
This is how the Santa Ana Unified School District has failed to the community allowing employees to do just as they please.Sometimes I wonder if this is just a dream but is not.
Lazy people are rewarded just like Ms. Castro, they extended her contract to 11 months.!!!!WAY TO GO ROSA YOU HAVE IT MADE!!!!!!
It is true is the largest high school in Santa Ana but, only about 200 students combine absent or late
not the entirely student body is absent.So the attendance dpt is not being run by Ms Castro she only does the memos with her name.
AND ADMINISTRATORS APPROVAL.
A recent article in the OC Register caught my eye. The topic was School Police. It seems only two districts in the county employ school police officers. Those two districts are Santa Ana and Huntington Beach High School District.
http://www.ocregister.com/news/district-police-school-1981118-huntington-city
What was striking were the comparisons. Huntington Beach only employs 8 cops to work during school hours as resource officers, while Santa Ana employs over 20 cops to work on campus, patrol and various other duties.
In Huntington, the cost is 1% of the school budget and the results are a lower crime factor per capita compared with Santa Ana. These Huntington school cops are also unarmed.
With all the recent campus shootings I
EXTA EXTRA EXTRA
STELLA GONZALES WAS ABSENT ON FRIDAY 15, 2008 .
REASON IS:I AM ABOVE THE RULES.
OBVIOUSLY THIS POSTING IS FOR DISTRICT PERSONAL……SANTA ANA ADMINISTRATORS ARE RUNNING ON AUTO PILOT.CHEERS CHEERS CHEERS
Re #1920
To people familiar with internal politics at SAUSD – “The Sisterhood”.
Just a toxic alliance that supports favorites – no matter how badly they do their jobs – over “outsiders” from the club.
It operates much the same way as the “Prayer Group” that Mijares had going. The Insiders of the group were hired/promoted/protected based on their loyalty to the club members. Professional competence was not expected.
SAUSD protects the fat and the “connected” at the expense of the other employees at large. It’s run like a club. The students and community are hurt most by this favoritism that favors the unqualified, the screamers, the confused and the professionally compromised that are still left in the system.
I remember a member of the sisterhood who was a real screamer. She would really take it out on a DSO on a regular basis. The DSO slipped a small tape recording device in his pocket and he recorded her screaming at him one morning as he tried to manage the morning traffic that was coming into the school to drop off students.
He brought the tape recording to the Assistant Super in charge of business services and played the tape for him. The very next day that VP screamer was removed from the campus and reassigned.
That kind of thing needs to happen more often. Screamers and freaks are outted and there is IMMEDIATE action taken. That is just one of the ways to get on top of the out-of-control employees that have been allowed to remain in place long after it it is commonly known that they are major site issues.
Move them around. Make things difficult for the knuckleheads that bully and threaten other employees. No one should be allowed to continue to badger other employees, make up selfish rules out of thin air or expect to be left alone to hurt employees.
A select few are costing SAUSD a ton of money. They should be shoved out.
Since Donald Bren of the Irvine Co. just handed the district 8.5 million for afterschool programs can any parent or teacher here tell me how large this program really is, how well it helps your kids, or how much of a problem you teachers have with money? To me this seems like giving Russo and the gang a get out of jail free card and as soon as no one is looking that money is going to go somewhere else.