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| 4LAKids: Sunday, July 27, 2008 |  | | | In This Issue: | | • | A MESSAGE FROM THE STATE PTA PRESIDENT RE: THE STATE BUDGET | | | • | DOCUMENTARY TRACKS SUCCESS OF SOUTH L.A.'S FOSHAY CHOIR | | | • | MATH SCORES FOR GIRLS AND BOYS NO DIFFERENT, STUDY FINDS | | | • | HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest of the Stories from Other Sources | | | • | EVENTS: Coming up next week... | | | • | What can YOU do? | |
Featured Links: | | | | The Board of Education is poised to vote next Thursday to place a new $7 Billion Facilities Bond on the November Ballot.
• Many will say AGAIN?
• Some will ask "Aren't you already overbuilding?"
• …Overspending? …Overtaxing?
• Didn't Roy Romer promise that the last bond was 'The Last Bond'?
• "Good grief …you haven't even spent all the money you got last time!"
• And enrollment is declining!
• LAUSD IS NOT OVERBUILDING. When all the money is spent on the current program and all that building done two hundred thousand students will still be attending class in temporary portable bungalows parked on playgrounds, fields and parking lots. Those bungalows are the equivalent of FEMA trailers; they are called 'temporary" for a reason. - yet some have WPA plaques and date from before WW2.
• LAUSD IS NOT OVERSPENDING. Building Schools (and hospitals) in California is the most expensive kind of construction. Some projects have proved more expensive due to challenges of cost escalation of construction materials. The Belmont/Vista Hermosa/Roybal project is thankfully complete - but not one dollar of bond money was spent on that project! You don't read in the paper or see on Eyewitness News when a school is delivered on time and on budget. Yet seventy-two new schools have been delivered, six new ones open in September. And the truth is almost all of this new bond will be for fixing and modernizing existing schools — LAUSD has a documented $40 Billion need to bring facilities up to par.
• LAUSD IS NOT OVERTAXING. There are limits as to how much property tax can be levied; the previous bonds and this new bond will not exceed those limits; annual property taxes will not increase with the passage of this bond - though the will continue longer.
• ROY ROMER MISSPOKE. Or maybe he meant "the last bond while I'm superintendent". The reality is LAUSD will need money to fix and repair schools until we run out of students to educate. If LAUSD goes away whoever runs the schools - whether smaller districts or charter schools or the Education Bunny - will need money to fix and repair schools.
• ALL THE MONEY HASN'T BEEN SPENT — and won't be until 2012 …four years from now. But there the current plan ends and there is no plan in place for students now in the 9th grade and below. To plan for the future the District needs to guarantee a cash flow; LAUSD will not begin to sell these bonds (and tax property owners) for a few years. But with this bond long range planning to modernize our schools [for the buzzword deprived in an election year: "creating schools for the 21st century"] can be undertaken.
• ENROLLMENT WILL NOT DECLINE FOREVER. An interesting article in today's LATimes posits that LA's growth has nearly stopped growing (see 'FOR L.A., DOES SIZE MATTER?' below) - but LAUSD's student population will expand. The dropout rate IS dropping /the graduation rate IS increasing. Those kids who do not drop out and/or go to private schools will need classrooms.
Here is the argument from District Staff - including an explanation as to why the previous figure of a Three-point-two Billion Dollar Bond has become a Seven Billion Dollar Bond:
"The biggest change to the proposal is the amount of the bond, which is now $7 billion. Even at this amount our financial team assures us that the expected combined maximum tax rate will not increase. This proposed bond measure is targeted at transforming the District over a 10-year period. The allocation of funds for specific priorities (School Repair, Early Ed, ITD, etc…) is consistent with the prior allocation recommended under the $3.2 billion scenario. The additional $3+ billion has been allocated to broad priorities:
• Repair aging schools and improve student safety
• Upgrade schools to modernize technology and educational needs
• Create capacity to attract, retain and graduate more students through a comprehensive portfolio of high quality pre-k through adult small schools
• Promote a healthier environment through green technology
• Ensure transparency and accountability.
All the arguments made above a good ones and I agree with them.
...BUT THE QUESTION IS: WHY NOW? Is this the right time to ask the voters and taxpayers for more money? …and the bond markets for more credit?
There is no state school construction bond on the ballot that requires a local match.
The current crisis in international finance, brought on by the sub-prime mortgage fiasco but rolling like a tsunami though the international finance markets affects the economies of the state, city, county and school district - and the homeowner/voter/taxpayer. The pebble was the sub prime bubble, but that crisis of liquidity has rippled into a crisis of solvency; credit is scarce, banks are failing, foreclosures abound, home values and the dollar plummets as food and fuel prices climb.
A New Yorker article on the economy this week states that "in political systems as Balkanized as ours it is only in moments of genuine danger that meaningful reforms get enacted". This is the moment of crisis in Education, in the state Budget and in the Global Markets. Maybe Election Day 2008 is like Election Day 1932. Maybe this Is THE MOMENT.
But to be brave one needs to also recognize the danger; otherwise one is just foolhardy.
The November ballot will be loaded with tax measures. An anti-gang parcel tax from the City of LA.. A transit sales tax from LA County.. When the state ever gets a budget we will know how many tax and bond measures they will place on the ballot. (State bonds are not property levies, they borrow from general revenue.) The more tax measures on a ballot the more resonant a "Vote NO On Everything Campaign" becomes …especially in uncertain times.
The Feldman Group poll from The Mayor's Committee for Governmental Excellence and Accountability – along with the charter school community the driving force behind the escalation from $3.2 Billion to $7 Billion – claims popular support for small schools and charter schools. But a closer reading of the data shows that other issues: Fire+Earthquake Safety, Security, Greening, Repair and Internet Access all outpoll Small Schools and Charters. And while the Mayor's poll tested a $3.2 Billion, a $6 Billion and a $10 Billion Bond - they did not test a $7 Billion Bond. And the original LAUSD $3.2 Billion proposal and language tested highest. Safest. Most popular.
As currently written the $7 Billion Dollar Bond generally allocates the $3.2 Billion as previously talked about — but then allocates an additional $3.2 Billion to unspecified "Future Priorities" in Repair and Safety ($1.325B), Modernization, Repair and Technology ($1.2B), Educational Transformation in Partners+Charters ($540M) and Green Technology ($220M) — with an additional $300 million set aside as a "Reserve for Charter School Construction" against a guarantee of 32,000 seats made available by 2018. (I continue to abhor "seats" as a measure; we educate students …not furniture!)
I understand a reluctance to lock-in funds for the next decade - needs change with time - but absent a specific strategic plan of goals with benchmarks and priorities that’s $3.2 Billion that will seem awfully attractive to the specially interested. With $40 Billion needed wouldn't setting priorities make sense? $300 million for charter schools - which claim exemption from the state's Field Act regulating earthquake safety and the District's Project Stabilization Agreement (requiring payment of prevailing wage to construction workers) — and the charter community's desired exemption from the Bond Oversight Committee oversight - are worrisome. Magnet schools outperform Charter Schools significantly - yet no money is specifically earmarked to increase that program.
Sat tuned or weigh in. The Oversight Committee debate on the bond is at 9AM on Thursday Jul 31; the Board of Ed has their debate at 2:30PM — both at LAUSD Beaudry.
¡Onward/Hasta adelante! —smf
A MESSAGE FROM THE STATE PTA PRESIDENT RE: THE STATE BUDGET
from Pam Brady, President of the California State PTA
Thursday, 24 July, 2008
Word is out in Sacramento that there may be a vote on the state budget next Tuesday, July 29th.
As you know, legislative leaders and the governor have been meeting to try to work out a budget solution. A legislative conference committee (made up of Assembly and Senate representatives) released a budget proposal recently. This proposal takes a more balanced approach and includes significant new revenues to help prevent against any deeper cuts to education and children’s services. At the state Education Coalition meeting Tuesday, it was determined that, given the current economic and political climate, this conference committee budget represents the best proposal on the table for new revenues to prevent even deeper cuts to education and some other social services.
The conference committee bill is a better budget solution than was proposed by the governor in January or at the May Revise. We will, of course, be watching carefully to make sure that the revenue components are included in the "trailer bills" as part of any budget deal.
We must urge all of our members, fellow parents and colleagues in the education community to contact their state legislators right away with this message:
Support the Legislative Conference Committee Budget to Avoid Deeper Cuts to Education and Other Children’s Services. The final adopted package must include revenue enhancements.
Attached is a set of updated key messages from the Coalition related to the latest budget proposal. We are also providing a link to the California Budget Project’s side-by-side comparison of the governor’s and legislative budget plans, as well as a summary of the conference committee proposal as prepared by our Legislation Team for the Sacramento Update.
California Budget Project: http://www.cbp.org/
►CONFERENCE COMMITTEE FINISHES WORK ON 2008-09 STATE BUDGET
(from the California State PTA Sacramento Update)
July 12 — Tuesday night the Budget Conference Committee finished reconciling differences between versions of the 2008-09 state fiscal plan drafted by the Assembly and Senate. The plan, adopted along party lines on a 4-2 vote, rejects deep cuts in education and health care and includes $9.7 billion in new revenue, which is $1.8 billion lower than what the Senate recommended and $2.7 billion more in new revenue than what the Governor proposed. A counter proposal to close the budget gap will be offered by the Republican members of the Legislature.
The Conference Committee budget is a balanced approach. It closes tax loopholes and rolls back tax breaks for corporations and the wealthiest Californians and restores money to education, health care and public safety.
On the expenditure side, the committee’s plan:
* Provides $2.3 billion more for K-12 education than proposed by the Governor.
* Restores $1.5 billion in cuts to health and human services. This includes restoring nearly $200 million in health care services to some of the state’s most vulnerable residents, the reimbursement rate for Medi-Cal providers and federal pass-through funds for the aged, blind and disabled.
* Reduces corrections spending by $300 million with a reform package that helps lower the prison population.
* Restores drastic cuts to home care services.
* Restores funds for at-risk kids.
* Restores $57 million in financial assistance for college students.
On the revenue side, the committee’s plan:
* Reinstates the tax brackets on the wealthiest Californians by reinstating the 10% and 11% tax brackets. Revenue generated: $5.6 billion.
* Closes a corporate tax loophole for large corporations. Revenue generated: $1.1 billion.
* Suspends a tax adjustment for upper-income Californians. Revenue generated: $815 million.
* Rolls back a tax loophole for upper-income Californians. Revenue generated: $215 million.
* Restores the franchise tax. Revenue generated: $470 million.
* Steps up tax enforcement. Revenue generated: $1.5 billion. This is one-time revenue.
►STATE BUDGET KEY MESSAGES FROM THE EDUCATION COALITION - July 24, 2008
THE EDUCATION COALITION represents more than 1.7 million parents, teachers, school board members, school employees and administrators, represented by:, The Association of California School Administrators (ACSA).The California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO), The California County Superintendents Educational Services Association (CCSESSA), The California. Federation of Teachers (CFT-AFL-CIO), The California School Boards Association (CSBA). The California School Employees Association (CSEA). The California State PTA. The California Teachers Association (CTA) and The Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
• Support the Legislative Conference Committee Budget to Avoid Deeper Cuts to Education and Other Children’s Services. The final adopted package must include revenue enhancements.
• Time is running out for our students and schools. With the new school year approaching, our students and their education can’t afford to wait any longer. In order to open the door to learning, schools need the funding and resources to start the school year. It’s time for lawmakers to put partisan politics aside and support a budget plan that closes tax loopholes and increases revenues to protect public education and other vital services.
• In the midst of California’s $15.2 billion budget deficit, the Education Coalition supports a balanced approach to solving our state’s budget problems in order to protect our schools and safeguard our students’ futures.
• With the revenues generated in the Legislature’s Conference Committee budget plan, $2.4 billion of the Governor’s proposed $4.3 billion in cuts would be restored. This plan reinstates funding for important student programs such as Class Size Reduction and provides a partial cost-of-living-increase to help attract and retain quality teachers and offset rising gasoline and transportation costs.
• The Conference Committee budget plan closes tax loopholes for large corporations and provides new and steady sources of revenue to help protect our public schools and community colleges from deeper cuts and further deterioration.
• Our public schools have already experienced more than $500 million in unexpected budget cuts this year—forcing many schools to lay off teachers and education support professionals as well eliminating art, music, and vocational education programs that help students learn and succeed. These cuts come at a time when California already ranks 46th in per-pupil spending, and dead last in the number of counselors, librarians and school nurses per student. The simple fact is California’s schools need additional revenues to provide our students with the education they deserve.
• The recent “Getting Down to Facts” studies from Stanford University show that California seriously underfunds its public schools and would need to spend 40 percent more to ensure that all students meet the state’s rigorous academic standards. The studies also show that other states like New York spend 75 percent more on students than California.
• Our students and schools need real state budget solutions, not gridlock. Our students didn’t create this budget crisis and their futures shouldn’t be sacrificed to solve it. It’s time to take a balanced approach of cuts and revenue increases in order to solve the state’s budget crisis!
DOCUMENTARY TRACKS SUCCESS OF SOUTH L.A.'S FOSHAY CHOIR
• WITH THE HELP OF MUSIC EXECUTIVE TOM STURGES, 30 STUDENTS FROM AN INNER-CITY SCHOOL PERFORMED FOR LARGE -- SOMETIMES FAMOUS -- AUDIENCES. ALMOST ALL WENT ON TO GRADUATE FROM FOUR-YEAR COLLEGES.
by Mary Engel, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
July 27, 2008 - It all started 10 years ago when middle school student Helen Camarillo walked up to music executive Tom Sturges at a Christmas party for youths and adults interested in mentoring. She told him that she planned to be president of the United States one day.
As an ice breaker, it worked.
Sturges, a son of legendary screenwriter and director Preston Sturges, asked Helen where she went to school. Foshay Learning Center, she told him, naming a school in a crime-ridden neighborhood in South Los Angeles. Would he like to come to her class for career day?
"That," said Sturges, "was the beginning of something really amazing."
For the next six years Sturges worked with the Foshay Learning Center Choir as members wrote and performed songs before ever-growing audiences. The choir's journey was featured in a documentary that premiered Saturday in West Hollywood as part of the Dances With Films independent film festival. The audience included 150 Foshay students and Sturges, who is now working with a new group of choir members.
Directed by Reginald D. Brown, "Witness to a Dream" chronicles the success of not only the choir but also of the students. In a school district known for high dropout rates, Helen and 30 other sixth-grade choir students graduated from high school in 2003, and 97% were accepted to four-year colleges. Of those, 92% are now college graduates.
Sturges, now vice president of creative affairs at Universal Music Publishing Group, was then the general manager of TWISM Records, Shaquille O'Neal's label. (The audience erupted in cheers during one scene when a young choir member held up a prized souvenir -- a shoe of O'Neal's that was almost as big as the student was.)
When Sturges began to work with the choir, some of the students were skeptical that he would stick around. In the documentary, they recalled how he'd arrived in a car that cost more than many of their parents made in a year.
When he suggested writing a song together, they laughed. He persisted, engaging them in a brainstorming session to come up with a theme.
Sturges recounted the scene in the documentary.
"Love," he said one student shouted.
"What about love?" he responded.
"Love is everywhere," shouted another.
The song by that title later won a contest to become the theme song of a mentoring program sponsored by Disneyland.
Neither the documentary nor Sturges portrays the choir's story as outsider-saves-inner-city-school.
When Sturges first visited Foshay in February 1998, the kindergarten through 12th-grade school was already undergoing a transformation. Ten years earlier, it had been an unruly, low-performing campus under threat of state takeover. After 12 years under venerated former principal Howard Lappin, it was designated a California Distinguished School. A longtime partnership with USC provides an enrichment academy and college scholarships.
Also key to the choir's success were Assistant Principal Regina Boutte -- who is still at Foshay and received as many cheers as O'Neal's shoe -- and music teacher Vince Womack.
But the stars were the students -- African American, Latino and Vietnamese -- who where shown during their six years in the choir and in the present, looking back.
Choir members describe their jittery nerves and sweating palms when the curtain opened on the Disneyland competition, with then-Secretary of State Colin Powell and then-Gov. Pete Wilson in the audience.
"I never thought that I would sing for the governor," one student said. "You don't think like that living in the community we live in."
MATH SCORES FOR GIRLS AND BOYS NO DIFFERENT, STUDY FINDS
• THE ANALYSIS OF STANDARDIZED TEST RESULTS FOR MORE THAN 7.2 MILLION STUDENTS IN GRADES 2 THROUGH 11 CONTRADICTS A PERVASIVE GENDER STEREOTYPE.
by Wendy Hansen | Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
July 25, 2008 —The notion that boys are better than girls at math simply doesn't add up, according to a study published today in the journal Science.
An analysis of standardized test scores from more than 7.2 million students in grades 2 through 11 found no difference in math scores for girls and boys, contradicting the pervasive belief that most women aren't hard-wired for careers in science and technology.
The study also undermined the assumption -- infamously espoused by former Harvard University President Lawrence H. Summers in 2005 -- that boys are more likely than girls to be math geniuses. Girls scored in the top 5% almost as often as boys, the data showed.
"Both parents and teachers continue to hold the stereotype that boys are better than girls" at math, said psychologist Janet Hyde of the University of Wisconsin at Madison, who led the study. "That's just not accurate."
Hyde and her colleagues examined detailed data from math tests administered between 2005 and 2007 as part of the No Child Left Behind initiative.
Comparing the average scores of girls and boys in California and nine other states, the researchers found that neither gender consistently outpaced the other in any state or at any grade level.
Even on test questions from the National Assessment of Education Progress that were designed to measure complex reasoning skills, the gender differences were minuscule, according to the study.
"There's nothing in any of these data that would suggest that girls can't do math or aren't doing well in math," said Diane Halpern, a professor of psychology at Claremont McKenna College who was not involved in the study.
However, she noted that girls generally scored better on tests closely aligned with the classroom curriculum, including the standardized tests used for No Child Left Behind.
Boys typically score higher than girls on the math portion of the SAT, a fact often cited as evidence of greater math ability.
But since more girls than boys take the college entrance exam, the results aren't comparable, Hyde said.
Studies in the 1990s found that boys and girls in elementary school scored equally well on math tests but that by the time students reached high school, boys outscored girls on tests involving complex problem-solving.
Hyde said that pressure to get into selective colleges has prompted girls to take more advanced math classes, including calculus, and she said that may explain the improvement in test scores.
Hyde said it might take time for the new data to dispel lingering stereotypes, and she remained worried that girls would continue to be steered "away from careers that require a lot of math, like engineering."
Cathy Kessel, president of the Assn. for Women in Mathematics, said that even nonacademic issues like child care could dissuade young women from entering math-oriented fields.
"There may not be any one factor," said Kessel, a consultant in math education in Berkeley. "It's probably more complicated."
HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest of the Stories from Other Sources
► NEW DOWNTOWN PARK IS A TRIUMPH
Finally, wonderfully, they got it right.
The new Vista Hermosa Natural Park in City West is a triumph, a resource for a community that for too long has been shortchanged in facilities that other neighborhoods take for granted. With its winding trails, ample flora, emerald soccer field and more, it is proof that, with creative thinking, leadership and funds, even the biggest debacles can be righted.
► Mayor's Poll: BOND BACKED, NOT LAUSD
Los Angeles voters support another school bond, but don't trust Los Angeles Unified School District leadership, according to a limited poll conducted for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
The survey of likely voters found that 60 percent to more than 70 percent of respondents were willing to support bonds in amounts of $3.2 billion, $6 billion or $10 billion.
► STUDY - KID'S SHARE 2008: How Children Fare in the Federal Budget
Kids' Share 2008, a second annual report, looks comprehensively at trends in federal spending and tax expenditures on children. Key findings suggest that historically children have not been a budget priority. In 2007, this trend continued, as children's spending did not keep pace with GDP growth. Absent a policy change, children's spending will continue to be squeezed in the next decade.
► The editorial drumbeat: GIVE CHARTERS THEIR DUE + LAUSD MUST DO RIGHT FOR AREA CHILDREN
▲ GIVE CHARTERS THEIR DUE: If the LAUSD wants a $3.2-billion bond measure, it must fairly fund these independent schools.
LA TIMES EDITORIAL: For years, the Los Angeles Unified School District has been shorting charter schools on space to house their students, and a new $3.2-billion bond measure doesn't go nearly far enough to make up for it. Without a full $300 million earmarked for charters, a seat for them on the bond oversight committee and more authority over how to spend the money, the new bond will be difficult for this page and the voters to accept.
▲ LAUSD MUST DO RIGHT FOR AREA CHILDREN
LA Daily News Op-Ed by Caprice Young - Last week the Los Angeles public school system was rocked with sobering news: According to the state, one in three Los Angeles Unified students is dropping out. But buried deep within the data was a sign of encouragement - charter high schools are showing strong signs of reducing this trend. In fact, every charter high school in Los Angeles Unified last year reported a dropout rate significantly lower than not only the school district's average, but the state's as well.
► Pay2Play: LAUSD PAY-TO-PLAY CARRIES DEEP SOCIAL COSTS
When Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa introduced his $1 million Summer Night Lights program a few weeks back, he was injecting a good dose of common sense into the city's anti-gang efforts.
After all, the program is designed to provide L.A. youngsters with evening events, so as to keep them out of trouble. And everyone knows that giving kids organized and constructive activities is a great way to keep them out of trouble.
Everyone, that is, except for officials in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
► WATT'S LOCKE HIGH IS GETTING WHIPPED INTO SHAPE: Control, discipline and high expectations emerge
Steve Lopez: It's almost 8 a.m. on 111th Street in Watts, and here's a scene that could make a cynic faint:
A teenage boy is hustling across the street toward Locke High School while tucking a white shirt into his khaki uniform pants. He wants to pass inspection at the gate.
I'm visiting what might as well be called Dropout High to see if things have changed in the early going since Green Dot Public Schools took it over from Los Angeles Unified. Too soon to tell, for sure. We're only into the third week of summer school, which tends to be mellower than the regular school year and serves only 700 kids instead of the usual 3,000.
► A LESSON FROM D.C. SCHOOLS
By Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman -Michelle Rhee should be commended for her determination to implement courageous and innovative educational reforms in the District of Columbia, and Congress should take note as it considers reshaping the No Child Left Behind Act.
When Mayor Adrian Fenty appointed Rhee chancellor of D.C. public schools in June 2007, she inherited a system that was near the top nationally in per-pupil spending but ranked among the nation's worst in the percentage of its students who were proficient in reading and math as measured on the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
Clearly, taxpayer money was not being put to good use. Nor were students being well served.
► PAY2PLAY AFFECTING PARTICIPATION IN YOUTH SPORTS GROUPS
Just four months after Los Angeles Unified began charging for after-hours use of its fields and facilities, one of the San Fernando Valley's biggest youth sports groups is seeing a dramatic drop in some of its club memberships.
► Inside LAUSD: MAYOR PUSHES BIGGER BOND
As reported in The Times, L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has joined the push for a new local school bond -- and wants $300 million of it for charter schools. That level of charter funding has resulted in resistance from some school board members and senior district staff, including L.A. Unified Supt. David L. Brewer.
To smooth the path for the bond, Villaraigosa began suggesting a bond larger than the proposed $3.2 billion measure. That way, charters could receive $300 million without cutting into funds for other purposes.
► WHY DO ASIAN STUDENTS GENERALLY GET HIGHER MARKS THAN LATINOS? Trying to bridge the grade divide in L.A. schools: Lincoln High students have candid ideas.
The eight students walked into a room at Lincoln High School prepared to discuss an issue many people, including some of their teachers, considered taboo.
They were blunt. Carlos Garcia, 17, an A student with a knack for math, said, "My friends, most of them say, 'You're more Asian than Hispanic.' "
"I think Carlos is Asian at heart," said Julie Loc, 17, causing Carlos to laugh good-naturedly. Asian students who get middling grades often get another response, she said.
"They say, 'Are you really Asian?' " Julie said.
"It's sad but true," said Eliseo Garcia, a 17-year-old with long rocker hair, an easy manner and good grades. "I had an Asian friend, but he didn't necessarily get that great a grades. We used to say, 'He's Mexican at heart.' "
What accounts for such self-deprecating humor? Or the uneven academic performance that prompts it?
The state's top education official, Supt. Jack O'Connell, called for that kind of discussion last fall when he decried the "racial achievement gap" separating Asian and non-Latino white students from Latinos and blacks.
EVENTS: Coming up next week...
$1.50 CHEESECAKE FOR NATIONAL CHEESECAKE DAY
4LAKids spies report that on Wednesday, July 30, 2008, the Cheesecake Factory Chain of restaurants will be offering every delicious slice of their more than 30 varieties of cheesecake for the amazing price of $1.50 per slice - almost a third of the regular price. This announcement is presented as a public service to 4LAKids readers and no endorsement is made or implied. Cheesecake is allegedly not good for you, containing trace amounts of the controlled substances cheese and cake. Cheesecake is inappropriate for kindergarten and pre-school birthday parties.
• Monday Jul 28, 2008
SOUTH REGION ELEMENTARY SCHOOL #5: Presentation of Design Development Drawings
6:00 p.m.
Miles Avenue Elementary School
Auditorium
6720 Miles Ave.
Huntington Park, CA 90255
• Tuesday Jul 29, 2008
SOUTH REGION ELEMENTARY SCHOOL #10: CEQA Scoping Meeting
6:00 p.m.
West Vernon Elementary School
Auditorium
4312 S. Grand Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90037
• Tuesday Jul 29, 2008
SOUTH REGION ELEMENTARY SCHOOL #6: DTSC Remedial Action Plan Open House
The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) is holding an Open House to provide the community with an update on the site investigation that is currently underway for this project.
6:00 p.m.
66th Street Elementary School
6600 S. San Pedro St.
Los Angeles, CA 90003
• Wednesday Jul 30, 2008
SOUTH REGION ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ADDITION #1: Site Selection Kick-Off Meeting
6:00 p.m.
92nd Street Elementary School - Auditorium
9211 Grape St
Los Angeles, CA 90002
• Thursday Jul 31, 2008
SOUTH REGION HIGH SCHOOL #7: Project Update Community Meeting
6:00 p.m.
Gage Middle School - Multipurpose Room
2880 E. Gage Ave.
Huntington Park, CA 90255
*Dates and times subject to change. ________________________________________
• SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION BOND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE:
http://www.laschools.org/bond/
Phone: 213-241-5183
____________________________________________________
• LAUSD FACILITIES COMMUNITY OUTREACH CALENDAR:
http://www.laschools.org/happenings/
Phone: 213-893-6800
What can YOU do?
• E-mail, call or write your school board member:
Yolie.Flores.Aguilar@lausd.net • 213-241-6383
Marlene.Canter@lausd.net • 213-241-6387
Tamar.Galatzan@lausd.net • 213-241-6386
Monica.Garcia@lausd.net • 213-241-6180
Julie.Korenstein@lausd.net • 213-241-6388
Marguerite.LaMotte@lausd.net • 213-241-6382
Richard.Vladovic@lausd.net • 213-241-6385
...or your city councilperson, mayor, the governor, member of congress, senator - or the president. Tell them what you really think! • There are 26 mayors and five county supervisors representing jurisdictions within LAUSD, the mayor of LA can be reached at mayor@lacity.org • 213.978.0600
• Call or e-mail Governor Schwarzenegger: 213-897-0322 e-mail: http://www.govmail.ca.gov/
• Open the dialogue. Write a letter to the editor. Circulate these thoughts. Talk to the principal and teachers at your local school.
• Speak with your friends, neighbors and coworkers. Stay on top of education issues. Don't take my word for it!
• Get involved at your neighborhood school. Join your PTA. Serve on a School Site Council. Be there for a child.
• Register.
• Vote.
| |  |
| Scott Folsom is a parent and parent leader in LAUSD. He is immediate past President of Los Angeles Tenth District PTSA and represents PTA as Vice-chair on the LAUSD Construction Bond Citizen's Oversight Committee. He is a Community Concerns Commissioner, Legislation Team member and a member of the Board of Managers of the California State PTA. He serves on various school district advisory and policy committees and is a PTA officer and/or governance council member at three LAUSD schools.
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