| 4LAKids: Sunday 8•Feb•2015 | ||
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“You may ask, why is measles—a disease that had
effectively been eradicated through vaccination—suddenly back? Well,
like most things, you can blame it on science-denying affluent
California liberals. […] This is Marin County, They’re not rednecks.
They’re not ignorant. They practice a mindful stupidity.
“Let me see if I can put this in terms a cable TV audience might appreciate. It’s like America is in an isolated farmhouse, and the measles are zombies. And for some inexplicable reason, they’ve risen from the dead and are looking for—oh, I don’t know—brains. So everybody in the farmhouse has been given the task of boarding up windows and doors in their areas to keep out the zombies, because it’s well established science that zombies have a difficult time with wood. […] And you trust everybody’s going to do their job. And then you wake up and it’s two in the morning and THERE’S A F-WORDING ZOMBIE GNAWING ON YOUR BRAIN AND YOU’RE LIKE WHAT THE F-WORD, WHO DIDN’T F-WORDING BOARD UP THEIR WINDOW? And that’s when some lady from Marin County who you let into your farmhouse goes, “Oh, I read an article on a wellness forum that says we shouldn’t sleep in boarded up rooms because they F-word you all up.” And you know what you say back to them? “BRAAAAINS.” | Jon Stewart on the Daily Show :: 3 Feb 2015| http://on.cc.com/1M2Q2pJ @HillaryClinton: The science is clear: The earth is round, the sky is blue, and #vaccineswork. Let's protect all our kids. #GrandmothersKnowBest | 7:45 PM - 2 Feb 2015 ______________ HERE WE GO AGAIN: A Daily News Article that went to print on Groundhog Day [http://bit.ly/1DpYM5o] began: “After more than 100 years with Los Angeles Unified School District, the western San Fernando Valley’s oldest high school could become an independent charter this fall. “More than 70 percent of teachers at Canoga Park Senior High School have voted to cut ties with LAUSD in favor of joining forces with another ex-LAUSD school turned charter campus, El Camino Real Charter High School in Woodland Hills. “The article continues: Under the proposal, Canoga Park High would be ruled by El Camino Real Charter High School’s board of trustees. The seven-member body is elected by parents, teachers and staff. “Other senior leadership positions also would be filled with staff from El Camino Real Charter High, according to the 138-page charter petition filed for LAUSD’s approval.” That structure: “Canoga Park High would be ruled by El Camino Real Charter High School’s board of trustees” tortures the meaning+definition of “independent” charter school. I suspect we have entered the “consolidation-of-power/mergers+acquisitions” phase of corporate charter expansion. Can “hostile takeovers” be far behind? …unless we consider Granada Hill’s purchase and shutdown of Pinecrest School as hostile. The $5.6 million purchase was funded by a tax-free school construction bond issued as part of the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. And how exactly did buying and shuttering a school stimulate the economy, Mr. Biden? Coincidence or co-inkydink?: Canoga and El Camino and Granada Hills are all in Tamar Galatazan’s district. The demographic/socioeconomic whiteness+middle-class-ness of those West Valley communities is probably over-understood; Canoga Park High School is a Title One school with 65% students qualifying for free and reduced lunch. [See this: True or False? FREE+REDUCED-PRICE LUNCH = POOR about that] FYI: ECR is 17% F+RL; Granada Hills 47% F+RL. AND SEEING AS I’M WRITING ABOUT FREE LUNCH ...there is the removal+investigation of the director of the LAUSD Food Services Division. I consider David Binkle – who has been sent to the Café L.A. version of ‘teacher jail” - a colleague and a fine person …a friend even. I’m not about to toss him under the bus. While that doesn’t mean he’s incapable of wrongdoing it does mean I’m incapable of being neutral or unbiased. My reading of the news stories points to highers-up – people with their offices on the 24th floor of Beaudry – and their Hollywood friends being a little too cavalier with the federal School Meals money. I have said before that I passionately support the Breakfast in the Classroom program …and that I abhor the way the Deasy misadministration rolled it out. Now I sense the metaphorical ship has hit the sand and the Officer of the Deck is being blamed for steering the course plotted by a captain who left in his personal lifeboat last October. DEASY LEFT LAUSD HOLDING THE BAG. That bag includes iPads and MiSiS, the Pearson Contract (which wasn’t with Pearson!) a huge budget deficit (and a wider ethical one), Vergara and an impasse in labor negotiations. We can add to that this Food Services Fiasco, the special MiSiS scheduling debacle at Jefferson (which this week grew to include Dorsey and Fremont), and the unapproved-by-the-Board-of-Ed (but binding) contract with the CORE Waiver Districts and the US Dept. of Education. That compact requires annual standardized tests to evaluate teacher performance – and last week the California Superintendent of Public Instruction informed Superintendent Cortines that those tests would not count for the second year in a row. (see: GREAT NEWS ABOUT TESTING!) I doubt if U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, his legal team and the folks who mail out the government checks will feel so generous – and a lot of the good work we do in LAUSD rely on that funding. THINGS COULD BE WORSE: Rather than the dysfunctional current LAUSD Board of Ed the District could be governed by the L.A. Times Editorial Board. This morning they proved it out in their endorsement in the upcoming elections, [http://lat.ms/1zlsJgs]. The Times is desperate for change …and clings desperately to the status quo. The editorial board supported Deasy to the bitter end – and now celebrate the calm, shorter meetings and less rancor. They acknowledge Cortines putting out the fires Deasy left – but never called the alarm when they should’ve seen the smoke. • Their bipolar endorsement of Tamar Galatzan is reminiscent of their brutal endorsement of Tamar’s BBF Monica Garcia two years past. (“We consider Garcia a poor choice for the school board, and we always have.” http://lat.ms/1xQcec7) One suspects they want to endorse Scott Schmerelson – but someone else won’t let them. • Their endorsement of Andrew Thomas over Bennett Kayser is more mysterious. Thomas is a good man with no understanding of the politics and goings-on in LAUSD politics – if you are going to undo a bureaucratic mess you better understand how it works/doesn’t work! They commend Ref Rodriguez for his commitment to middle school education while failing to note that Kayser was a dedicated middle school educator. No mention is made of the fact that Rodriguez has proposed to eliminate high stakes testing while Thomas embraces testing enthusiastically. • They endorse Richard Vladovic – correctly – and criticize his lack of leadership (“Not the leader we had hoped for…”) Luckily we don’t get what the editorial board hopes for; we get the school board the voters-who-vote vote for. • The recent debates have been about John Deasy and not the Board of Education. Or (God-forbid!) Education Policy, Curriculum, Instruction and Pedagogy. Genuine criticism has been focused on the incumbents for being asleep-at-the-switch during Dr. Deasy’s misadministration. I cannot give them a pass – but they were lied-to and deceived by their superintendent. Galatzan was one of Deasy’s most vocal champions, Kayser was one of his most outspoken opponents. In Vladovic’s defense: Deasy threatened to quit if Vlad became Board President …it’s not Dr. V’s fault that he didn’t! Charter schools are not the disease; their growth is a symptom of the malaise. Where once charters could’ve/would’ve/should’ve been clinical experiments in progress - they have become vectors of the infection of runaway ®eform. The debates and the lawsuits and the discussion – and even the sleazy campaign mailers - have been about the past and not the future. They have been about iPads and MiSiS …and not about children. ¡Onward/Adelante! – smf LAUSD FOOD SERVICES DIRECTOR REMOVED FROM POSITION; Accusations of fiscal impropriety seem to implicate The LA Fund, Deasy+Chernin’s ‘Robin Hood’ Fund By Teresa Watanabe LA Times | http://lat.ms/1Dm2TQ1 Feb 5, 2015 7:15 PM :: David Binkle is called the Food Guru at the LAUSD. So why is he being paid to stay home? In the last five years, Los Angeles Unified has won national acclaim — including praise from First Lady Michelle Obama — for its bold initiatives to transform school food from fatty meals to more healthful fare. But the man who led much of the change has been removed from his position pending an internal district investigation into alleged conflicts of interest and mismanagement of the nation's second-largest school meal system, The Times has learned. David Binkle, the district's 52-year-old food services director, is accused by the Office of the Inspector General of failing to report payments from vendors to attend school food conferences and ownership interests in a private food-related consulting firm. We found that the program is currently at a minimum being mismanaged and at worst being consistently abused. - Inspector general's draft audit Binkle also is accused of mismanaging the district's $500,000 annual marketing program, which was launched in 2011 as part of a revamped food contracting system. The program is funded by five major food contractors to promote healthful eating. The funds have gone to such groups as the Los Angeles Fund for Public Education, a nonprofit led by high-profile philanthropist Megan Chernin. "We found that the program is currently at a minimum being mismanaged and at worst being consistently abused" by Binkle and the food services division, said the inspector general's draft audit, which was obtained by The Times. Binkle denied wrongdoing, saying in an email that he was "deeply disheartened, frustrated and baffled" by his removal Dec. 4. He has been ordered to remain at home while continuing to draw his $152,000 annual salary. "I have done nothing wrong and have nothing to hide since my actions were approved and encouraged from senior district officials, general counsel or the ethics office," he wrote. "I am confident the truth and facts will show the allegations are unsubstantiated." A district spokesman issued a statement confirming Binkle's removal Thursday but provided no other details, citing a "confidential personnel matter." The removal of Binkle, who has promoted L.A. Unified's healthful eating program in White House appearances with the first lady, in Tedx Talks and elsewhere, stunned many in the school food industry. L.A. Unified's $354-million food program serves 716,000 meals daily to 615,000 students at 1,200 locations. "David is an excellent leader who led several important nutrition initiatives for Los Angeles students," said Matthew Sharp, a former food policy advocate who worked with Binkle on several recent policies. Binkle, a professional chef who joined the district in January 2008, helped adopt cutting-edge menus lower in sodium and fat, introduced breakfast and supper programs, increased meals served by 76,000 daily and promoted directives from the federal government and L.A. Unified Board of Education for healthier food. George Beck, a former food services deputy branch director responsible for accounting and budgets, said he began questioning Binkle's management of the marketing funds in 2011. In an interview, Beck said he wrote to Enrique Boull't, then chief operating officer, saying the funds needed stronger controls over their use. Beck said L.A. Unified took no corrective action. He said, however, that he had no evidence that Binkle had personally profited from the marketing funds. Beck, who was laid off in August 2013, said he believed that Binkle targeted him for removal because of his persistent questions over the program. Binkle said, however, that he was directed to eliminate Beck's position by Boull't as a cost-cutting measure. Boull't declined to comment. Following Beck's concerns, the food services director at the time, Dennis Barrett, sent a memo to the Board of Education and then-Supt. John Deasy in March 2012 asking that his division be allowed to continue using the marketing funds to promote the school meal program. Barrett, who subsequently retired and now runs the food services division for the New York City Department of Education, declined to comment. Binkle said that he was never told to stop using the marketing funds and that his activities related to them were approved by senior officials including Boull't and Michelle King, chief deputy superintendent. The review took particular aim at the vendor-funded marketing program, which produced deals to showcase L.A. Dodgers players on school milk cartons and support the L.A. Fund's efforts to help roll out the controversial Breakfast in the Classroom program; nearly $1.6 million has been spent on projects so far. I am confident the truth and facts will show the allegations are unsubstantiated. - David Binkle Under a dramatically revised food contracting system introduced five years ago, L.A. Unified awarded $750 million in five-year food contracts to eight major vendors. They included Tyson Foods Inc. for chicken; Jennie-O Turkey Store Sales LLC for turkey; Goldstar Foods for produce, breads and other items; Five Star Gourmet Foods for vegetarian products; Driftwood Dairy for milk; and Don Lee Farms for beef. Five of the vendors agreed to contribute collectively about $500,000 annually to promote the district's school meal program. But the audit said program funds were insufficiently monitored and used for such "unallowable items" as payments to the L.A. Fund, public relations firms, food for political events, and hotel and travel for district employees. The audit recommended that all marketing fund payments be halted and that contractors be barred from disbursing funds on the district's behalf. The audit found, for instance, that Five Star paid about $6,800 in airfare and hotel expenses for Binkle, Barrett and two other district employees at the time. The payments are "in violation of the Employee Code of Ethics and the Contractor Code of Conduct," the audit said. Tal Shoshan, Five Star's chief executive officer, declined to comment. At least one travel request submitted by Binkle to attend a school food event in Miami in 2013, which clearly stated that vendor marketing funds would pay for the trip, was approved by King and Boull't, according to a document obtained by The Times. One vendor, who asked for anonymity to preserve the firm's relationship with L.A. Unified, said that all marketing funds were contributed legally as required under the contract and that they successfully helped improve the image and quality of school meals for hundreds of thousands of children. Tatum Wan, a public relations specialist, said she and her staff were paid about $200,000 during the 2013-2014 school year by Gold Star to coordinate more than a dozen events to explain the healthful food program; she said her annual marketing plan was approved each year by Boull't. The audit also took issue with Binkle's private California Culinary Consulting firm, saying he failed to disclose his ownership interests to the state, as required of local government employees. The consulting work "presents at minimum an appearance of a conflict of interest," the audit said. But Binkle said state conflict-of-interest law does not require disclosure unless the outside income is earned in the same jurisdiction as his employer. All of his consulting jobs were outside L.A. County, he said. He added that his firm's annual revenue last year was $19,000 — not $950,000 as listed in the audit. The draft audit of the district's food contracting system, expected to be completed by early summer, raised several issues. Those included increased food prices, bloated inventories, incompatible computer systems to order food, a "haphazard" menu development process and insufficient controls over spending. The audit also found increased meal participation and greater innovation and flexibility under the new system. Binkle said he was proud of his team's accomplishments and hoped the audit's accuracy would be reviewed by board members and state nutrition services officials. He will remain at home until the district decides whether to bring him back or fire him. ______________________________ ●●smf’s 2¢ :: TO BE CLEAR: Nothing has been proven; nobody has been officially accused of anything - the only thing we know for sure is someone has leaked a confidential preliminary draft investigation. I have not seen that report. • That said, the School Meals program is a federal government program. • LAUSD Politics are in play: Dr. Deasy’s roll out (some might say “imposition”) of Breakfast in the Classroom has been very unpopular with UTLA. • Follow the money: The BiC program rollout was sponsored by The Los Angeles Fund for Public Education – Dr Deasy’s heralded nonprofit fundraiser based on New York City schools Robin Hood program. The Times article implies that LA Fund’s funding was complicated/compromised by “donations” from District vendors and that federal meals reimbursements may have been inadequately expended, allocated and/or accounted for. • Binkle was removed on December 4, 2014, two months ago. • Superintendent Ramón Cortines is listed on the L.A. Fund website as a director, alongside Mayor Garcetti, LA Times publisher Austin Beutner, LA School Report publisher Jamie Alter Lynton and Megan Chernin - who is also the LA Fund CEO. GREAT NEWS ABOUT TESTING! From the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles Weekly Update | Week of February 9, 2015 | http://bit.ly/1KubCS9 5 Feb 2015 :: Rarely do we have good news to report about the interminable testing that is required, but thanks to the initiative of Superintendent Cortines, with support from AALA, we are pleased to advise you that the Smarter Balanced Assessments that will be administered this spring will not be used for accountability measures such as the Academic Performance Index (API). You may recall that in a previous issue of Update, we informed you that Mr. Cortines had sent a letter to Tom Torlakson, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, requesting such an exemption, and the Superintendent announced at the secondary principals’ meeting on February 4, 2015, that he had received a positive response from Mr. Torlakson. The tests must still be administered and results will be shared with schools and parents, but they will not be used for the API. Thank you Mr. Cortines and Mr. Torlakson! And in more news about testing, the Public Schools Accountability Act Advisory Committee has just recommended that the state replace the API with a system that relies on multiple measures to evaluate schools. This would better align with the priority areas included in the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), including implementation of the performance standards, parental involvement, pupil engagement, pupil outcomes, in addition to the API. The California State Board of Education will make the final decision about the accountability system and indications are that it, too, is leaning away from using the API as the sole component, calling for a more comprehensive view of school performance. The recommendation will be discussed at the SBE’s March meeting; however, any change also requires legislation. The committee said the new system should be easy to understand by the public and be useful when making comparisons between schools. The development of such a system is likely to take several months and will require public input. If approved by the SBE and the Legislature, it probably will not be ready for use until the 2016-17 school year. LAUSD SUPERINTENDENT CALLS FOR CHECK ON LARGE CLASS SIZES HUNDREDS OF LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT CLASSES HAVE ENROLLMENTS OF OVER 45 STUDENTS, NEW DATA FROM THE DISTRICT SHOWS. by Adolfo Guzman-Lopez | KPCC/89.3 | http://bit.ly/1z9Eo1V Feb 4, 2015 | 5:30am :: Citing criticism of large class sizes, Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Ramon Cortines sent school administrators new data on Tuesday that show many middle school and high school classes have over 45 students. “As schools prepare for their master schedule of next fall, this report will assist in keeping class sizes in line,” Cortines wrote in a memo to the LAUSD school board, principals and district leaders. The inventory of spring courses shows class sizes for middle and high schools broken down by numbers of students in the courses and subject area, such as English and math. Classes with 45-plus students, on the extreme end of enrollments, numbered nearly 1,500 in middle schools and more than 1,200 in high schools. The data, prepared by LAUSD's Office of Data and Accountability, also detailed the class sizes of individual campuses. On the top end, Cleveland Charter High School has 75 classes of 45-plus students while Chatsworth Charter High School has 69 classes in this category. Cortines told administrators to expect the report of middle and high school class sizes every month. Class sizes for the lower grades, he said, didn’t raise his concern because their sizes are "more uniform."
MiSiS meets Cruz v. CA: LAWYERS SEEK ORDER TO ADDRESS SCHEDULING ISSUES AT MORE CALIFORNIA HIGH SCHOOLS, Allege assigned classes are instructional ‘in DORSEY & FREMONT HIGH SCHOOLS JOIN JEFFERSON HIGH FOR SPECIAL ATTENTION By Adolfo Guzman-Lopez, KPCC 89.3 | http://bit.ly/1zXLFcg February 06, 05:30 AM :: Public interest lawyers filed Thursday for a court order to compel five high schools — two in Oakland and three in Los Angeles County — to fix the class schedules of students who they say are falling behind in their education. Their motion in Alameda County Superior Court is part of the ongoing Cruz et. al. v. State of California suit filed last year in which students argued that their state constitutional right to an adequate education was violated. They said schools assign students to “service” classes in which they don’t do any academic work or “home” periods when they are sent home in the middle of the school day. Judge George Hernandez Jr. ruled in favor of the students in October when he granted an order compelling state education officials to fix class scheduling problems at Los Angeles Unified School District's Jefferson High School, one of the schools listed in the Cruz lawsuit. The principal at Jefferson High said 150 students were enrolled in service and home period classes at the beginning of the current academic year because the school didn’t have any courses that students hadn’t already taken. Hernandez ordered officials to add more classes and lengthen the school day a half hour so students could catch up on lost learning time. Days after the ruling, state officials met with LAUSD to address Jefferson High’s scheduling problems. The LAUSD school board approved $1.1 million to pay for the fixes. The lawyers argue in their latest motion that some of the courses assigned to students in the five schools are "in name only," and that no instruction takes place, no feedback is given and no learning takes place. "While the State stands idly by, far too many low-income children of color are effectively taught that they are not worthy of a curriculum with content,” according to the motion filed by lawyers with Public Counsel Law Center, ACLU, and the Carlton Fields law firm. ACLU lawyer David Sapp said the order being sought would direct the state to work with school districts to "ensure that all of their schools have course schedules for the students when school opens and aren’t using these fake classes to fill out students’ schedules.” The attorneys request remedies for L.A.'s Fremont High and Dorsey High, Compton High in Compton, and Castlemont High and Fremont High in Oakland. At Jefferson High School, LAUSD hired three teachers and added more than a dozen classes, including college-level calculus. Students also are offered tutoring after school, and can use online options to make up the classes they failed. The California Department of Education, State Board of Education, and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson are defendants in the Cruz lawsuit. The Department of Education, which Torlakson heads, said it would file a response next month and didn't immediately comment further. The state board also did not comment. LAUSD said in a written statement that while it is not a defendant in the case, it has "taken reasonable steps to ensure that students are assigned to 'service' or 'home' periods in compliance with District policy." That includes assigning such classes when students are on track to graduate, for example. The district also said it took necessary steps to ensure that schedules were completed before the spring semester. Judge Hernandez may rule on the latest motion in April. HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest (but not necessarily the best) of the Stories from Other Sources MiSiS meets Cruz v. CA: LAWYERS SEEK ORDER TO ADDRESS SCHEDULING ISSUES AT MORE CALIFORNIA HIGH SCHOOLS | http://bit.ly/1DKa7Lp LAUSD DISTRICT 5 CANDIDATES DEBATE: KAYSER, RODRIGUEZ & THOMAS KEEP IT CIVIL + Geronimo's guest 2¢ | http://bit.ly/1KpScOf FROM YOUNG CANCER PATIENT’S PARENTS, A SPECIAL PLEA TO VACCINATE” | http://bit.ly/1C5i5yW FRESHMAN CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS RISE INSTANTLY TO RUN COMMITTEES ON EDUCATION + CHILDREN’S POLICY | http://bit.ly/1C5gDg9 JON STEWART BLAMES MEASLES OUTBREAK ON 'SCIENCE-DENYING AFFLUENT CALIFORNIA LIBERALS' | http://yhoo.it/1Ff4LsM L.A. Times: LAUSD’s PROGRAM TO GIVE IMMIGRANT STUDENTS LEGAL ADVICE IS ILL-ADVISED | http://bit.ly/1KojIvE Torlakson: "NO SCHOOL CAN REQUIRE PARENTS TO VOLUNTEER IN ORDER FOR A STUDENT TO ENROLL OR PARTICIPATE. " http://bit.ly/auDNT3 LAUSD FOOD DIRECTOR REMOVED FROM JOB; Accusations seem to implicate LA Fund, Deasy’s ‘Robin Hood’ fundraiser | http://bit.ly/1LUpSFi Cortines+Torlakson: 2015 HI-STAKES TESTS WILL NOT COUNT FOR API! http://www.aala.us/docs/2015/02/Website-2.9.15.2.pdf … Zimmer: ANTI KAYSER FLYER ‘A NEW LOW IN CAMPAIGN TACTICS’; CCSA² : ‘FACTS OF THE MAILER IN QUESTION ARE INDISPUTABLE’ http://bit.ly/1CvfgtK LAUSD SUPERINTENDENT CALLS FOR CHECK ON LARGE CLASS SIZES | http://bit.ly/1F5CGUR from @howardblume: A BLIZZARD O’ TWEETS ABOUT CLASS SIZE IN LAUSD …what would Leonie Haimson say? http://bit.ly/1zQOlZ9 OBAMA’S 2016 BUDGET: $1 BILLION MORE FOR TITLE 1 + $3 BILLION FOR STEM …but whatever happened to Race to the Top? | http://bit.ly/1xan5x0 COMMON CORE ENTERS THE ARENA OF PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS | http://bit.ly/18Luizm McConnell: ‘I’M A BIG FAN OF VACCINATIONS’ + Measles Infects Politics + College advisory advises against ‘opting-out’ http://bit.ly/1CXktJC ELI BROAD TO ‘PAUSE’ $1 MILLION PRIZE FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS - cites "sluggish academic results from urban districts" | http://bit.ly/1F3cslK Special Report: FY 2016 FEDERAL BUDGET & CALIFORNIA IMPLICATIONS – includes U.S. Dept of Ed | http://bit.ly/1CWyfMF AFT PRESIDENT RANDI WEINGARTEN TO SPEAK AT OXY ON WEDNESDAY EVE: “The Schools All Children Deserve” | http://bit.ly/1D7um7U U*P*D*A*T*E*D - DON’T PUNISH OTHER DISTRICTS FOR L.A. UNIFIED’S PROBLEMS - includes Supt. Cortines' response | http://bit.ly/1Dq21Hy MEASLES NEWS: Doctors make mistakes, schools break law, Obama’s 4 shots, Christie waffles, numbers grow+spots fester| http://bit.ly/1uRZnpt Breaking: BABY CONTRACTS MEASLES, DAY-CARE CENTER AT SANTA MONICA HIGH CLOSED | http://bit.ly/1zyTLGp DON’T PUNISH OTHER DISTRICTS FOR L.A. UNIFIED’S PROBLEMS | http://bit.ly/1Dq21Hy HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY! / HAPPY 100TH DAY OF SCHOOL! #LAUSD #100thdayofschool” EVENTS: Coming up next week... • Tues. February 10, 2015 - 10:00 a.m. - REGULAR BOARD MEETING - INCLUDING CLOSED SESSION ITEMS • Tues. February 10, 2015 - 1:00 p.m. REGULAR BOARD MEETING - • Thurs. February 12, 2015 11:00 am - BUDGET, FACILITIES, AUDIT COMMITTEE • Thurs. February 12, 20152:00 pm - EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND PARENT ENGAGEMENT AD HOC COMMITTEE - *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: 213-241.8700
What can YOU do? • E-mail, call or write your school board member: Tamar.Galatzan@lausd.net • 213-241-6386 Monica.Garcia@lausd.net • 213-241-6180 Bennett.Kayser@lausd.net • 213-241-5555 George.McKenna@lausd.net • 213-241-6382 Monica.Ratliff@lausd.net • 213-241-6388 Richard.Vladovic@lausd.net • 213-241-6385 Steve.Zimmer@lausd.net • 213-241-6387 ...or your city councilperson, mayor, the governor, member of congress, senator - or the president. Tell them what you really think! • Find your state legislator based on your home address. Just go to: http://bit.ly/dqFdq2 • 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 Brown: 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. • If you are eligible to become a citizen, BECOME ONE. • If you a a citizen, REGISTER TO VOTE. • If you are registered, VOTE LIKE THE FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT. THEY DO!
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Scott Folsom is a parent leader in LAUSD and was
Parent/Volunteer of the Year for 2010-11 for Los Angeles County. • He is
Past President of Los Angeles Tenth District PTSA and has represented
PTA on the LAUSD Construction Bond Citizen's Oversight Committee for
over 12 years. He is a Health Commissioner, Legislation Team member and
a member of the Board of Managers of the California State PTA. He
serves on numerous school district advisory and policy committees and
has served as a PTA officer and governance council member at three LAUSD
schools. He is the recipient of the UTLA/AFT "WHO" Gold Award and the
ACSA Regional Ferd Kiesel Memorial Distinguished Service Award - honors
he hopes to someday deserve. • In this forum his opinions are his
own and your opinions and feedback are invited. Quoted and/or cited
content copyright © the original author and/or publisher. All other
material copyright © 4LAKids. • FAIR USE NOTICE: This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 4LAKids makes such material available in an effort to advance understanding of education issues vital to parents, teachers, students and community members in a democracy. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. • To SUBSCRIBE e-mail: 4LAKids-subscribe@topica.email-publisher.com - or -TO ADD YOUR OR ANOTHER'S NAME TO THE 4LAKids SUBSCRIPTION LIST E-mail smfolsom@aol.com with "SUBSCRIBE" AS THE SUBJECT. Thank you. |
