Sometimes you can have too much of a good thing! In this case our 2009 SAUSD thread has so many comments on it that it is now running too slowly. So we are starting this new thread for the second half of 2009.
So far this year we have had plenty to write about. The State budget cuts have had a devastating affect in Santa Ana. Layoffs have ensued.
To top this all off, the SAEA cut a weird deal with the SAUSD that essentially cut benefits for all the younger teachers. And then the SAEA held elections.
Now more budget cuts loom…and all the other issues remain. I expect this thread will fill up too before long…
I sent a letter to Susan Mercer this morning. I am posting it here.
Hi Susan…
We need your support.
1. Can you PLEASE make sure that Murrey provides the board members the cost of csr at each grade and for 20:1, 23:1, etc. ASAP or at the next board meeting? We need your word (SAEA) on this one. Murrey has been getting away with not providing this info. I have spoken with Mr. Palacio and he has requested this several times, but our Union has not pressed the issue therefore it is not being shown to the Board. Thanks! We need you to help on this one!
2. We would like the answer publicly to this question from SAEA…..
Why was the district allowed to pay for the AP’s (Assistant Principals) who were supposed to be 1/2 AP and 1/2 BRT (Bilingual Resource Teacher) to be paid their “FULL” AP salary even though they were halftime teachers 2008-2009?
3. Can the SAEA find out why Olsky doesn’t know the answer to the 20:1 QEIA question and what our district plans to do (and have you get back to us on this one)? Can we please have your support (SAEA) to fight for 20:1? We would really like for you (as President) to call the district tomorrow and report back back to the laid off teachers on this one. This has nothing to do with the budget….this is a simple answer from Olsky and the OC Dept of Ed…can the SAUSD go up with QEIA instead of down? Our Union should be finding this out …don’t you think? Thanks!
4. Bunky and Robert + the rest of the folks would like to know why the pay is going backwards and the benefits? What is being done to stop this and where is this money going?
5. Can you find out why the district wasted $1 million in school construction costs to move walls etc for the new school year? Don’t you think they were presumptuous with making this decision before the state even had a budget? As Union President, we are hoping you can find out why they did this so soon.
6. If the district is planning “new staffing” aren’t you asking them why now? The board is still going to meet in August. Don’t you find that the district is making another hasty decision or do you know something that we don’t know?
7. Lastly, we are asking you to respond to this message with the answers since the last time that I asked you some questions….you just ignored them.
Let’s hope that you don’t ignore these as I am putting them out to the rest of the rif(ed) teachers who are waiting for your answers. You wouldn’t be just ignoring me…you’d be ignoring 251 others who are reading this and waiting.
I am not trying to put you on the spot…these are tasks that SHOULD BE done as the president who is trying to fight for the 252 people who need YOU! We look forward to your response. I hope that we can work together on this one, Susan!
_____________________________________
Now….I will just wait for her response.
The district can’t wait to spend their money on administrators and TOSA’s. I just went onto the website and found they are hiring 2 elementary assistant principals! The state budget isn’t finalized yet. We don’t know what state funding will be cut and they are hiring administrators! I can’t believe it!
The district should have stuck with a minimal staffing model of a principal, office manager, and a custodian. Instead of waiting for the state budget, they hired all the administrators back. Where is the concern for the teachers? There is none!
#646
If you seek information from SAUSD it’s important to invoke the CA Public Records Act. I strongly suggest you take this approach since the district is legally held accountable by the CA Public Records Act.
District admins will stall and may engage the district’s attorney to scare you, but it’s worth the dance.
Check out: http://www.thefirstamendment.org/publicrecordsact.pdf
Budget Breaking News:
The “Big 5″ has reached a deal…floor vote likely on Thursday. For complete details read on….
*6 B to K-12
*Cuts: 6 B in ed, 3 B in higher ed,
*local districts have authority to cut school year up to one week to deal with cuts
Let me translate what this means for SAUSD
Ex. for every billion dollars that they cut = 9 million
So, for every 6 billion that they cut = 54 million for SAUSD
It seems that our district cannot and will not follow protocol for anything and SAEA isn’t much help either. I have a teacher friend that was removed from his school site until the district could do an investigation into something. They did their investigation, talked to and deposed many people and found nothing to proceed and had to drop the case. The teacher has not been placed back at the school site even though the teacher has asked to go back. The grievance went to the point that Ms. Russo, Mr. Hammitt and Mr. Lopez were involved. They are suppose to reply within 15 days. They are 4 weeks overdue on this and SAEA isn’t pushing to resolve this situation. There are those who district personnel and SAEA board members that would want a quick and fair resolution if they were the person involved. This has been going on for over a year with much expense to the district in attorney fees. One would think that a district that is laying off certificated and classified staff members and cutting their hours, would be a little more careful with their money.
The situation discussed by 655 is unfortunate but I really don’t think it could be handled in any other way. When trying to resolve a case involving potential sexual misconduct it is difficult to make any moves. I am not sure how this situation should be handled but placing a person back into the same school is always a touchy subject. There is a lot of fear involved on the part of both the district and the union at this point. I know that those at the school site have their own opinions and could make this a difficult move. I can only say that I hope it works out for everyone and I wish the person accused in this situation only the best.
This thread is loading very slowly again. I hope Art considers opening up a new thread soon.
Re: Susan Mercer
I heard back from her.
Thank you Susan for responding. Although my questions weren’t really answered, I appreciate the “generic” response nonetheless.
Folks, looks like we are in this fight ourselves I’m afraid.
Moving on…
Please visit the front page and write to Diane Lenning. She has responded. She definitely is reading this blog now. She has written to me many times….this is just one response that I liked.
Diane Lenning
There is so much to write about regarding mismanaged districts. As the state superintendent, I would work to streamline districts out of compliance.
This is what I wrote in the comment section to Diane Lenning….
Changes Jill would like to see in Education:
* More parental accountability (training) rather than teacher training…I know that I need to keep up with the current techniques, but I feel that I have been “trained to death” and I am frustrated that parents are NOT held accountable
* Absences/tardies The current system is not working and parents (once again) are not held accountable by the current system. I have done the necessary paperwork for kids who are constantly absent or late, but nothing appears to be happening to help this situation
* I would like to see a system that they have in place in many states….FINING parents for their child’s UNEXCUSED absences + tardies. NOTHING that we are doing NOW is working. I know that to be fact.
* Districts who claim to be “broke” certainly do NOT need a superintendent + 7 assistant superintendents + their assistants + their assistants. Please change this.
* Consolidate district offices in OC and make one main office (get rid of all the waste) why do we need so many leaders when we could unify and have just one main office? Get rid of the waste.
* I would fine parents if their child is a continuous discipline problem or put them into MANDATORY parenting classes that they MUST attend TOGETHER and PAY for themselves.
*Splitting Elementary and Secondary Budgets would alleviate a lot of morale and funding battles.
Santa Ana Unified School District uses DataDirector to monitor student growth.
Santa Ana Unified School District faced a significant challenge in that the majority of its students struggled to complete grade-level work while simultaneously learning English. The school board called for additional monitoring of basic skills, but with only one analyst, the district’s more than 3,000 teachers were not receiving valuable data in time to prepare students for California standardized tests.
The district utilized Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s DataDirector to provide teachers with timely feedback and a methodology for analysis and reflection on the underlying causes of student performance. Data Director enabled teachers to access individual students beyond their English language development and to group students appropriately for tailored instruction.
“DataDirector is definitely impacting instruction and performance,” said Director of Research and Evaluation Michelle Le Patner. “When we ask teachers how the system is changing what they do, they say that it’s the fast turnaround that makes all the difference.”
More at the link:
http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20090721005134&newsLang=en
#555 & #556
This case sounds complicated and unfortunate. Was the investigation handled by the police or school police or district HR?
Does the teacher have a union attorney involved ( I believe that they would be entitled to do that if it was some kind of criminal investigation)?
What does SAEA say about not getting a resolution for such a long time after the investigations are actually finished?
I won’t ask how helpful SAEA has been b/c it can devolve into even worse service from them if it is pointed out that the person is dealing with incompetent grievance procedures by the local lackeys.
tmare, a fearful union and a fearful district? Yikes! Not good!
Housekeeping alert: I have had a few complaints about the speed and accessibility of this thread.
Please send me an email or comment directly here if you are having problems. We will try and address all concerns. thanks.
rvixen@gmail.com
Here’s yet another idea for how to fund Class Size Reduction at 20:1.
Professional/Consulting Services and Operating Expenditures are increasing from $18 million (projected) for 08/09 to $30 million for 09/10. That $12 million dollar difference is more than enough to cover the $6.7 million in CSR money the District expected to receive without even implementing the program plus more than the cost to the District (after CSR funding from the state) to cover the cost of the teachers needed.
The District wouldn’t even have to use any of the QEIA money received for students in grades K-3 ($2.3 million) or CSR money for Kinder students ($2.5 million).
One way to positively impact the speed of the thread is to avoid posting images. They all add up to slow it down.
I can take them off …let’s see if it helps…b r b and I will delete the videos…as well thanks for that. I think they planned to open a new thread soon anyways.
I am pretty much done posting here unless something earth shattering happens. I’ve said what I needed to say. Keep CSR. I am hoping that other people speak up here. The ball is in your court…I am just going to sit back and enjoy the show now 🙂
558. As the director of research and evaluation, Michelle Le Patner, generalized statements about DataDirector (DD) is not enough. How many teachers use Data Director, an expensive software program in its own rite. How many do not? Is there a control group of which to compare? How do the teachers use it and why does it make “all the difference.” Is their teaching style data directed or test determined. What were achievement levels for their classes before DD and after? Was DD the only variable? How much does this program costs and why is it always summarily approved without discussion?
The post 558 was mostly written by Houghton Mifflin. See link. She (Michelle) said fast turnaround makes all the difference. Well, the turnaround isn’t fast, and by the time the teacher gets the results, the test is already forgotten. It strikes this one lone writer that her statements are self serving as it gives Michele and her 8 other staff members something to research and evaluate without which she would be out of a job.
The abundance of tests is a waste of valuable teaching time and used to feed DD. It is counterproductive and should be eliminated.
Correction, post was 658 by Red Vixen
About post #647
Has anyone else received the same letter and is in the same situation, or similar, to that post’s author?
Diane Lenning is running for CA State Supt of Public Instruction 2010. She has been visiting this page and the page that I made her. She is answering questions. Please visit the link below if you have any questions for this candidate. She wants to fix mismanaged districts. I intend to continue to write to her about my opinions on education whether it helps or not. Maybe she will win and she will change everything…who knows? All we can do is….TRY 🙂
Diane Lenning answers your questions
Ok, enough is enough, this site is blowing up again. No wonder there haven’t been any posts lately, it takes 4 minutes to load the current posts. Again, different forums would be best. People have absolutely no patience for anything new, but that doesn’t mean that those in charge shouldn’t have a little patience and understanding of what makes a site good and informative. A few complaints while getting used to a new format shouldn’t be the decision maker. This is completely unusable.
tmare,
Sorry for the slowness. I’ve requested a new thread for going forward.
Thanks for the suggestions. Perhaps your lame union could make all those forums that you suggest?
Oh, that’s right. They don’t even communicate with members consistently.
And just maybe people aren’t posting here b/c they are busy assembling back channel OR are actually on vacation, which is typical in Summer.
This thread is now closed for new postings and participant comments. If you would like to post comments on this topic, please go to the new live posting thread for SAUSD, here:
http://orangejuiceblog.com/2009/07/2009-sausd-corruption-thread/
Thank you.