Sunday, February 26, 2012

A: Blowin' in th' Wind.


Onward! 4LAKids
4LAKids: Sunday 26•Feb•2012 84th Academy Awards
In This Issue:
 •  ARTS EDUCATION—WHERE STUDENTS THRIVE
 •  SPATE OF ARRESTS SHOWS RISE IN REPORTING, NOT IN ABUSE, POLICE SAY
 •  DISTRICT ATTORNEY HAD CHANCE TO NAB FUGITIVE TEACHER ACCUSED OF SEX CRIMES
 •  MUNGER-PTA INITIATIVE HITS THE STREETS: $10B for K-12, early childhood by raising income tax
 •  HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest (but not neccessariily the best) of the Stories from Other Sources
 •  EVENTS: Coming up next week...
 •  What can YOU do?


Featured Links:
 •  Follow 4 LAKids on Twitter - or get instant updates via text message by texting "Follow 4LAKids" to 40404
 •  PUBLIC SCHOOLS: an investment we can't afford to cut! - The Education Coalition Website
 •  4LAKids Anthology: All the Past Issues, solved, resolved and unsolved!
 •  4LAKidsNews: a compendium of recent items of interest - news stories, scurrilous rumors, links, academic papers, rants and amusing anecdotes, etc.
THIS PAST WEEK THE REDISTRICTING COMMISSIONS for the school district and the city council played their parts and took the votes and followed their scripts as last minute maps mysteriously materialized and were approved in the middle of the night. (There was childcare – there is no public accommodation quite so tortured as childcare at 11:30PM on a schoolnight!) Political will and ambition and the powers-that-be were served; children and communities not so much. http://bit.ly/y9840K | http://t.co/WbNQAaLv The best that can be said is that none of the incumbent school board members will have to move if they wish to run again – oddly enough not an official consideration of redistricting. The strange gerrymander of District 5 from last time (to create a “Latino District “– and successful in only 1 of 3 elections) that connects Northeast LA to the Southeast Cities by a narrow strip was preserved – but the strip was moved to the west. Board District 2 is now completely isolated - making the Eastside an island unto herself. These “final maps” still must be approved by the city council and signed by the mayor – but the curtain on Act I rings down at midnight on Feb 29th when the redistricting commissions cease to exist. One hopes that the Fairy Godmother and Prince Charming will be occupied elsewhere.

Conspiracy theorists and Steve Lopez followers (L.A. SECOND ONLY TO CHICAGO IN SLEAZE http://t.co/r05oCBgi) can find comfort in the fact that the LAUSD redistricting technical director could generate amended maps live at the Thursday meeting – and I’m sure in non-public (“secret” is so pejorative) meetings with selected commissioners and lobbyists – but was unable to produce copies for the public at the close of business Friday. And the commission’s executive director anticipates the City of LA charging LAUSD for at least some of the “services” of the commission.

I SEE THAT LAUSD HAS A NEW HOMEWORK POLICY – more on that next week. But I’d like to hear from anyone who attended the Homework Policy meeting for parents at LACES Thursday night. There will be a second meeting at Reed Middle School @ 7pm next Friday. Over a million parents? Two meetings? That should do it for parent engagement!

In a Feb 25th LA Times article GOV. JERRY BROWN TAKES CASE FOR MEDI-CAL CUTS TO WASHINGTON [http://lat.ms/yAW03S] Anthony York writes:

“Brown says the state's schools also need a reprieve — from some of the sanctions in the federal No Child Left Behind law. The state Department of Education recently estimated that failure to receive a waiver could cost California schools more than $200 million in 2014.
“(US Education Secretary) Duncan has given states an opportunity to apply for exemptions from requirements that all students test at grade level in math and reading. But state education leaders and Brown have bristled at some new requirements that Duncan wants to impose on states that opt out.

“Among the most troubling, Brown has said, is Duncan's demand that districts use student test scores to evaluate teachers and principals — something the governor has long opposed.

“In 2009, then-Atty. Gen. Brown penned a tersely worded letter to Duncan about the secretary's desire to link test scores to teacher evaluations. "The basic assumption … appears to be that top-down, Washington-driven standardization is best," Brown wrote. "... I sense a pervasive technocratic bias and an uncritical faith in the power of social science."

“Brown admitted that his communication with the education secretary was still evolving.

"’The Duncan [relationship] is a work in progress,’ Brown said. But he said he hoped the secretary would make room for ‘diversity and flexibility in what California does, so we don't have a monolithic approach.’”

Hope is a harsh mistress and a poor hat rack. Or a city in Arkansas. But Arne Duncan fans can take solace that his basketball skills have not deteriorated: OBAMA’s EDUCATION SECRETARY DOMINATES NBA ALL-STAR CELEBRITY GAME | http://t.co/08WTaxgy)

THE PARENT TRIGGER was pulled again, this time Adelanto – it misfired again

AND THE PERVERTS+PEDOPHILES are coming out of the LAUSD woodwork. see: SPATE OF ARRESTS SHOWS RISE IN REPORTING, NOT IN ABUSE. In a radio interview the superintendent talks about all the wonderful good teachers in LAUSD – but in the next breath conflates the difficulty of removing bad teachers (who don’t teach well) with bad teachers (who molest children). http://bit.ly/xJlZ4s

One 4LAKids reader emailed me about the “after-school-on-Tuesday-professional-development” on child abuse awareness/mandatory child abuse reporting at her school – and described a principal-led superficial laying-down-of-the law – where the principal really didn’t understand the law, read from a script and didn’t understand what some of the terms in the presentation meant. ••smf: Child Abuse Awareness Training cannot be Open Court Instruction: this is very critical and sensitive – and uncomfortable - information. Teachers and school staff are professionals, they deserve professional development by experts.

Another reader comments on the 4LAKidsNews blog re the allegations of abuse by a teacher at Roosevelt HS: (2/25) “Yesterday, Friday, a meeting was held at RHS by LAUSD to inform the parents. However, it was more like "IT’S NOT OUR FAULT" and statements like “one of over 200 employees was arrested for sexual abuse, the rest are hard working employees”. One of their employees stood up and blamed the parents for not knowing about the abuse. The Superintendent was on a short leash, he announced to a handful of parents vs 3K RHS parents, that his time was limited and had to leave, after four or five parents asked questions. Not allowing people to comment after their speech.” ••smf: LAUSD used to have an excellent program about Child Abuse Awareness for Parents called Darkness-to-Light – an outgrowth of the Stephen Rooney affair; gone+forgotten in budget cuts. Now we have less than adequate, poorly delivered Child Abuse Awareness Training On-The-Cheap. Today we have: “It’s not our fault”.

And the LA Times caught the District Attorney in a bit o’ th’ old Terminological Inexactitude about following-through/not-following-through on prosecuting child abuse: DISTRICT ATTORNEY HAD CHANCE TO NAB FUGITIVE TEACHER ACCUSED OF SEX CRIMES

As long as prosecutors are preoccupied with the ease, likelihood or cost of obtaining convictions over keeping children safe - children will not be safe. There is no justice or safety or morality in allowing a perpetrator the liberty to do what he does in Mexico rather than bringing him to trial here – only cost savings. Child abuse is not a product to be exported like motion pictures and fashion trends.

From another Times article about Miramonte: “…child abuse accusations, Thomas Lyon, a law professor at USC added, can be difficult to prove in court. ‘There will be the same proof problems.... Whether these cases will result in convictions is really unclear,’ he said.

“Lyon said the case against Miramonte's Springer, for example, appears to hinge on the testimony of a single accuser ‘It's going to be her word against his,’ Lyon said. ‘That's not a case L.A. prosecutors would usually take.’

There are worst things than failing to obtain a conviction in court.

Q: “n' how many times must a man turn his head,” the song asks, “Pretending he just doesn't see?”

¡Onward/Adelante! —smf


ARTS EDUCATION—WHERE STUDENTS THRIVE

By Robin Lithgow, Administrative Coordinator, LAUSD Arts Education Branch, from the Feb 27 AALA Update | http://bit.ly/wRBlv7

Students thrive in arts-rich schools.

Since time immemorial, the arts have been lauded for their role in preparing the mind for learning, for listening, for observing, for reasoning, for reflecting, for valuing. Today, an ever-growing body of research confirms the cognitive, social and emotional benefits of a substantive and sustained arts education. In view of this it seems shortsighted for LAUSD to cut all funding for its Elementary Arts Program—its 120-year-old elementary music program and its 12-year-old dance/theatre/visual arts rotation.

During the decade from 1999 to 2009, the LAUSD Arts Education Branch built an Elementary Arts Program that was a national model.

Starting with 54 schools and adding as many as 50 each year, equitably across the District, we supplemented the existing music program with the arts rotation. The program included capacity building funds that provided for professional development for classroom teachers and administrators, textbooks, materials, equipment and residencies from a vetted Arts Community Partnership Network (ACPN) of over 80 offerings. By 2009 the program was in every elementary school in LAUSD: one day per week guaranteed for music, and 2-3 days per week of the arts rotation, depending on enrollment. The program was on a trajectory that would have eventually increased the number of elementary arts teachers to 600, to be more in line with many other urban districts throughout the country and the world.

Since 2008, the number of centrally funded elementary arts teachers has dropped from 355 to 233, reducing by 33% student access throughout the District; and all funds distributed to K-12 school sites for their arts programs have been cut. The Budget for the Arts Education Branch has been cut from $47.5 million (including $11 million in state Arts and Music Bloc Grants now in flexible Tier III and no longer available for the arts) to $18 million. Any further cut would make it impossible to field a quality program Districtwide.

We urge the District to consider retaining at minimum the amount of the state’s annual Tier III ―Arts and Music Bloc Grant‖ (approximately $9 million) to fund a limited number of ―Arts Education Research Sites‖ where we could begin to gather locally based data on the impact of a quality arts education program on student achievement and school culture.

Sometimes the solution to a complex problem is in plain sight. The arts are a solution – for achievement, for attendance, for graduation rates, for school culture, for student health, for teacher retention and growth and for virtually every urgent need we face in education. Let us not completely abandon all the hard work we have done to bring the arts back into the core of our students’ education.

Below are testimonials from two elementary school principals.

● MARCIA REED, Principal, 186th Street Elementary School: 186th Street Elementary School is soaring academically, artistically, and peacefully as a result of the Arts. When our school had the full implementation of the Stage 5 Arts Program with arts teachers everyday, we moved into the 800 club with our academic performance index (API). With a poverty index of 86%, our school has an 852 API. The arts have motivated our children to dream, to thrive, to flourish! As I study schools across the nation to mirror their best practices, there is one thing they all have in common...the Arts!!! When our children talk about their fond memories of being at our school, they always refer to something related to the arts. Eliminating all the arts in our schools, is not a wise decision. An artless District would be like a world without the birds, the bees, the flowers and the trees. Yes, the Arts put the heart in smart, and they also put a zing in our wings to soar. We can save our schools with one art lesson at a time. The arts are essential in education. They bring life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness!!!



● BRAD RUMBLE, Principal, Leo Politi Elementary School: At Leo Politi Elementary, an inner city school in the Pico-Union neighborhood, there is no doubt that a robust arts program has helped students make sustained academic gains. Through the Elementary Arts Program, experts in the fields of music, drama, dance and visual arts deliver high-caliber, standards-based arts instruction to participating classes. Through the years, the arts teachers' presence here has informed the instructional delivery of classroom teachers across the campus who now employ arts-based strategies to improve student engagement and horizontally expand lessons. Higher student engagement equals higher student achievement.

The arts are the cornerstone of Los Angeles' success, and the professional artists who make their homes here will tell you their journey began at the elementary level. The students filling our seats at instrumental and vocal music classes in our schools someday will fill the seats of the L.A. Philharmonic and the Ahmanson. And those, like me, who participate in arts instruction while in elementary school but pursue a different career, still have much to gain from a rich arts background. These students learn at an early age they can take on an additional responsibility as long as they manage their time well. This gives them a head start on the organization of time, which becomes so important at the secondary level. Their arts instruction informs their ability to think critically as they learn the language of music. Of course, a rich arts background adds to the whole individual, one who can relate to others about the arts, its history and its relevance. Again, this is a journey that must begin in elementary school.

An after-school science illustration visual arts program has bridged students' love of illustration to new learning in science. Since 2009, a cadre of upper-elementary students has learned science illustration from an expert in the field. Native plants, birds, insects and arachnids all have been studied—not just the physical form but the world they inhabit. Students' passion for art now has ignited a passion for science. The school's teachers seize on this interest as they teach science during the instructional day, and the percentage of Grade 5 students scoring within the Proficient/Advanced range on the CST has made a two-year leap from 9% to 53%.

________
THIS AFTERNOON SUNDAY FEB 26 Los Angeles Tenth District PTA Celebrates the greatest Artists in LAUSD - OUR STUDENTS K-12 - in our annual PTA REFLECTIONS EXHIBIT. ART ● MUSIC COMPOSITION ● LITERATURE ● PHOTOGRAPHY ● FILM+VIDEO ● DANCE
FROM NOON UNTIL ??? 1000 Venice Boulevard @ Toberman.

Come celebrate the arts and congratulate young artists!


SPATE OF ARRESTS SHOWS RISE IN REPORTING, NOT IN ABUSE, POLICE SAY

IN THREE WEEKS, SIX L.A. UNIFIED EMPLOYEES HAVE BEEN BOOKED ON SUSPICION OF SEX-RELATED CRIMES. THE MIRAMONTE EPISODE HAS SPARKED SOME PEOPLE TO COME FORWARD AND OTHERS TO BE MORE WATCHFUL, POLICE SAY.

By Richard Winton, Howard Blume and Sam Allen, Los Angeles Times | http://lat.ms/wpmWNo

24 Feb 2012 :: Since authorities charged a Miramonte Elementary School teacher nearly a month ago with committing lewd acts in his classroom, the Los Angeles Unified School District has seen a flurry of arrests of school employees accused of inappropriate behavior with children.

Over the last three weeks, six employees have been booked on suspicion of sex-related crimes, while several others have been pulled from the classroom amid investigations.

The overwhelming media coverage after the arrest of Miramonte teacher Mark Berndt for allegedly spoon-feeding his semen to blindfolded children has intensified discussion among school officials, parents and children about abuse.

But whether more children are being abused or more abusers are being caught is difficult to say. Law enforcement officials stressed that they don't believe that more abuse is occurring. Rather, the Miramonte episode has sparked some people to come forward and others to be more watchful, they say.

"As a community, people are coming together and are hyper-vigilant about any other perpetrators. Everything is now being reported," said Pia Escudero, who directs L.A. Unified's mental health and crisis counseling services.

The district has seen an uptick in allegations of adult sexual misconduct in recent weeks. Counselors have been dispatched to several campuses — including 45 alone at Miramonte, one for every classroom.

Los Angeles Police Capt. Fabian E. Lizarraga, who oversees child sex crime investigations, said the department has seen an increase in allegations of "child annoyance" more than of more serious sexual misconduct.

"These reports say things like a teacher likes to rub my shoulders and sometimes their hands drift or he hugs me too long," he said.

But there have been more serious allegations as well. On Thursday, authorities announced the arrest of a Roosevelt High School Spanish teacher on suspicion of having sex with two teenage boys. Gabriela Cortez, 42, was booked on suspicion of unlawful sexual intercourse.

Montebello police alleged that she had lengthy sexual relationships with the boys between 2008 and 2010. One of the teenagers, now 18, reported the teacher last week to police in Montebello, where she lives, said Chief Kevin McClure. After learning of the allegation, school officials immediately removed her from the classroom.

Berndt has been charged with photographing blindfolded and gagged students who thought they were taking part in a "tasting game."

Within a week of his arrest, another Miramonte instructor, second-grade teacher Martin Springer, was charged with lewd acts involving a girl in his classroom.

Concerned about the effect of a widening investigation, Supt. John Deasy opted to replace the school's entire staff.

That same week, Paul Adame, a Germain Elementary School janitor, was arrested for alleged lewd acts involving a student at the Chatsworth campus. A little over a week later, an FBI sex crimes task force arrested Alain Salas, a coach and teacher's aide at Fremont High School in South Los Angeles. He has also been charged with lewd acts on a child.

Counselors had to be dispatched two weeks ago to Telfair Elementary School in Pacoima after it was revealed that teacher Paul Chapel had disappeared from the campus because of a molestation investigation. He was jailed in October.

In the past, district officials would never reveal what happened to a teacher who was dismissed or removed until they had to — they often cited the employee's privacy rights and a fear of litigation.

But now, some district officials, including school board member Nury Martinez, are insisting that parents and campus colleagues have a right to know what allegedly happened.

School officials confirmed Wednesday that an unidentified teacher had resigned at Crenshaw High School amid an LAPD investigation into inappropriate conduct with a minor.

An athletic assistant at Francis Polytechnic High School in Sunland, Jose Rosario Alvarez, 27, was arrested Wednesday by the LAPD on suspicion of having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old girl at another school.

Thomas Lyon, a law professor at USC, said the string of arrests could be driven by a combination of greater concern among parents and increased willingness on the part of law enforcement officials to act on allegations of abuse.

"When people hear about cases, they ask their child if anything has ever happened at their school…. And a fair number of children are going to reveal things because they've never been asked before," he said. "Another thing is that police might be making arrests because they are more diligent."

But Lyon said it's also important to keep in mind that the volume of arrests is irrelevant in individual criminal proceedings — what matters in each case is the evidence itself. Such child abuse accusations, he added, can be difficult to prove in court.

"There will be the same proof problems.... Whether these cases will result in convictions is really unclear," he said. ""What's really the evidence in all these cases? That's what I'd want to know."

Lyon said the case against Miramonte's Springer, for example, appears to hinge on the testimony of a single accuser (a second student accused Springer but later recanted).

"It's going to be her word against his," Lyon said. "That's not a case L.A. prosecutors would usually take."



DISTRICT ATTORNEY HAD CHANCE TO NAB FUGITIVE TEACHER ACCUSED OF SEX CRIMES

by Alan Zarembo and Richard Winton | LA Times/LA NOW | http://lat.ms/xERoWI

February 25, 2012 | 7:56 am :: New questions have emerged over the Los Angeles County district attorney's office's handling of a substitute teacher wanted for alleged sex crimes.

The teacher, George Hernandez, was arrested by Huntington Park police in September 2010 for allegedly exposing himself to a girl outside a middle school. Detectives who searched his Inglewood apartment discovered a videotape they say shows Hernandez molesting a second-grader in a classroom. He was released on bail and fled the country.

Court records reviewed by The Times show prosecutors chose not to seek the extradition of Hernandez even when they learned of his whereabouts in Mexico.

The records contradict statements made this week by a deputy district attorney, who said the teacher would be extradited as soon as authorities could locate him.

An investigator working for a bail bonds company found Hernandez early last year, and Jalisco, Mexico, state police briefly detained him on Jan. 19, 2011. In a letter faxed nine days later, the company informed the district attorney that it was continuing to track Hernandez and could help apprehend him.

But on March 15, Deputy Dist. Atty. Ann Huntsman responded saying prosecutors did not want to bring him back to Los Angeles.

"We have evaluated the case and have determined that we will not seek the defendant's international extradition from Mexico on this case at this time," Huntsman wrote. "The case will remain open and the defendant is still subject to prosecution in this case."

The revelation comes in a case that has focused attention on how schools can fail to weed out dangerous teachers. Before his arrest, Hernandez had been investigated three times at three L.A. Unified School District elementary schools for alleged sexual misconduct. He was never charged and apparently never reported to the state commission on teacher credentialing.

Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the district attorney, said the decision came after consultation with U.S. Justice Department officials, who said success was far from guaranteed.

Prosecutors also considered the fact that Hernandez, now 45, had no criminal record and that the charges they had filed against him — possession of child pornography and indecent exposure — fell short of child molestation, Gibbons said.


MUNGER-PTA INITIATIVE HITS THE STREETS: $10B for K-12, early childhood by raising income tax
By John Fensterwald - Educated Guess | http://bit.ly/yeVcEa

Posted on 2/24/12 • Unfazed by disparagement from Gov. Brown’s politicos, civil rights attorney Molly Munger and her chief ally, the state PTA, launched a drive Thursday to collect signatures for the November ballot for a $10 billion tax initiative to benefit K-12 and early childhood education.

“We would not do signatures if we did not feel confident,” Addisu Demissie, manager for the Our Children, Our Future Education Initiative campaign, said in a teleconference. “We know we are on the right track and are moving forward.” Unless someone blinks, the Munger-PTA initiative could vie on the ballot with the governor’s temporary tax initiative and perhaps a third plan, a tax on the income of millionaires, pushed by the California Federation of Teachers with help from the California Nurses Association.

Common wisdom in Sacramento is that multiple tax initiatives would doom all to fail, but Munger, the initiative’s creator and primary financier, and Demissie weren’t buying that talk. They can also count on the energy, time, and “pent-up frustration” of PTA parents, hundreds of whom have been trained in the past several weeks to collect signatures and make a pitch, said California PTA president Carol Kocivar. It’s unusual for the state PTA to put its weight behind an initiative so squarely and so early.

Repeated polling, Munger said, has shown that voters want to invest in schools. The initiative is “popular for good reason.” The campaign cites a USC Dornsife College poll which found that two-thirds of registered voters would pay more taxes to improve school funding, if they are confident the money would be spent in their own communities.

That’s not what Brown’s chief political aid has been saying. Last weekend, Steve Glazer let out a memo from Brown pollster Jim Moore, who concluded from a survey of 500 voters that “the Munger tax measure has virtually no chance of passage” and that “if multiple tax measures are on the ballot at the same time, voters will naturally choose one measure over another, which will make it extremely difficult for any one measure to receive over 50% of the vote.” Moore said that the Our Children, Our Future initiative came in last among the three tax proposals, with only 31 percent support. Munger dismissed the release of the poll, which she said was “an effort to fog the lens of the press.”

Brown is proposing to rescue the general fund with between $5.5 billion and $7 billion by raising the sales tax a half-cent and the income tax on families earning more than $250,00 through 2016. Between 40 percent and 50 percent would go to K-12 schools and community colleges.

The CFT’s permanent tax – 3 percentage points on those earning $1 million, 5 percent on those earning $2 million or more – would raise up to $6 billion, with 60 percent going to K-12 and higher education, and 40 percent to counties to shore up roads and social services.

Our Children, Our Future would raise the most money: $10 billion per year (and growing over its 12-year life), with nearly all dedicated to K-12 schools (85 percent), and the rest to early childhood education. The exception would be during the first four years, when, in a nod to the current state budget deficit, 30 percent (more than $3 billion) would go to pay off school construction bonds. That would free up money for non-education purposes in the General Fund.

The education money would go into a trust fund, outside of Proposition 98 and the Legislature’s control, distributed to schools on a per-pupil basis, with extra dollars to low-income children. (You can calculate how much would go to every school in the state using a calculator here.) None of the money can be used to increase salaries and benefits, and no more than 1 percent for administration. (You can’t accuse Munger of currying favor of teachers unions or the Association of California School Administrators.)

Munger said California now lags $2,580 behind the national average in per-student spending, the biggest gap in 40 years; the initiative would give schools a jolt of resources they need.

It would do so by raising the income tax 1 percent. Since the income tax is progressive, that would translate to, AFTER deductions:

0.40 percent or $11 for a couple earning $17,500;
1.10 percent or $428 for a couple earning 75,000;
1.80 percent or $3,266 for a couple earning $250,000;
2.00 percent or $27,266 for a couple earning $2 million;
2.20 percent or $210,266 for a couple earning $10 million.

Kocivar said that in an annual PTA survey, nine out of 10 parents say that “adequate funding is the most important issue. No one leaves the room when I mention taxes.”

Comments : mcdez

February 24, 2012 • 2:27 pm

The Molly Munger/PTA initiative is the only one that funnels money directly to school sites and mandates parent and community input re how the money should be spent. Local control is the only way to go. Any initiative that gets money to the schools directly and avoids the black hole that is Sacramento gets my vote. PTA lobbying for our kids - for free — for 115 years.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/02/24/4287226/poll-finds-majority-support-for.html#mi_rss=Top%20Stories#storylink=cpy

Today, our state ranks 47th nationally in what we invest to educate each student. We have the largest class sizes in America. Over the last three years, more than $20 billion has been cut from California schools and over 40,000 educators have been laid off. We are shortchanging our early childhood development programs, which are some of the best educational investments we can make. Our underfunded public preschool programs serve only 40 percent of eligible 3 and 4 year olds, and only five percent of very low-income infants and toddlers have access to early childhood programs.
We can and must do better. Our Children, Our Future asks Californians to join together to invest in our children and our schools because we all share in the benefits of better schools and a better-educated workforce. Our Children, Our Future will also reduce the cost of education bonds to help end the state deficit and protect our children and schools from further budget cuts.
$10 Billion in New, Dedicated Funding for Our Children
The measure will raise $10 to $11 billion annually in new revenue through a sliding scale income tax increase that varies with taxpayers’ ability to pay. For couples, the increases range from 4/10ths of 1% on incomes after all deductions under $35,000 to 2.2% for couples with income after all deductions over $5 million. Couples would pay nothing on the first $15,000 of their income after all deductions, and existing tax credits will offset increases for most couples with income after all deductions of $40,000 or less. A couple earning $75,000 in income after all deductions would pay an additional $428 each year, while a couple earning $1.5 million after all deductions would pay $27,266 more.
The money will be placed in a separate trust fund that can only be spent as authorized by the provisions of the Act. The Governor and Legislature are prohibited from using the money.


MORE INFORMATION ON THE OUR CHILDREN/OUR FUTURE INITIATIVE



HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest (but not neccessariily the best) of the Stories from Other Sources
OBAMA’s EDUCATION SECRETARY DOMINATES NBA ALL-STAR CELEBRITY GAME: by Anthony York , LA Times | lat.ms... bit.ly/yUb0vf

Steve Lopez: L.A. CATCHING UP TO CHICAGO IN SLEAZE: A University of Illinois study finds that we're the second m... bit.ly/zgJhii2h

LAUSD’s MRS. SHORT RETIRES AFTER 57 YEARS: By Barbara Jones Staff Writer, LA Daily News | bit.ly/z3PKk9 ... bit.ly/zLAqjz

DRAFT LAUSD MAP CREATES 3RD MAJORITY LATINO DISTRICT: By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer LA dAILY NEWS |http://bit.l... bit.ly/yfPIU717h

MUNGER-PTA INITIATIVE HITS THE STREETS: $10B for K-12, early childhood by raising income tax: By John Fensterwal... bit.ly/ytchtO

NEW YORK CITY SCHOOLS RELEASE (less than 25% of two-year-old) 'VALUE ADDED' TEACHER RANKINGS + THE NEW YORK EVAL... bit.ly/yUk9xn

DISTRICT ATTORNEY HAD CHANCE TO NAB FUGITIVE TEACHER ACCUSED OF SEX CRIMES: by Alan Zarembo and Richard Winton |... bit.ly/AovoBc

ADULT ED GETS REPRIEVE: LAUSD Takes Up Vote Again March 13: By Zamná Ávila, Assistant Editor, Random Lengths ... bit.ly/wybTfY

---> 4LAKids Tweets > LAUSD REDISTRICTING DONE! + COMMISSIONER ASKS: 'Who in the hell has drawn these maps?': By Tami Abdollah | KP... bit.ly/z3XFdu

---> 4LAKids Tweets > LAUSD REDISTRICTING: Map Cv1 PASSES - The Tweaked MALDEF map /aka/ "The Mirrored Gerrymander" ...all boardmembers keep their houses!

---> 4LAKids Tweets > LAUSD REDISTRICTING: The pro+anti Mayor Tony sides are being formed as the lines are drawn+the dice cast+he who is first will later be last

---> 4LAKids Tweets > LAUSD REDISTRICTING: "Socially engineering voter performance..." Is this really a suitable for school board districts?

---> 4LAKids Tweets > lausd redistricting: "...looking for those elusive black voters with the white last names."

---> 4LAKids Tweets > At LAUSD Redistricting as race rears its head and staff makes a very unconvincing argument for their insensitivity to African American data

---> 4LAKids Tweets > The discussion of the maps has begun @ the final+deciding meeting of the LAUSD redistricting Commission!

LAUSD, 126 OTHER CALIFORNIA SCHOOL DISTRICTS FACING FINANCIAL TROUBLE + SPI Press Release + list of Negative and... bit.ly/zEuWls

LAUSD RECOMMENDS NEW HOMEWORK POLICY FOR STUDENTS: By Barbara Jones Staff Writer, Daily Breeze | http://bit.... bit.ly/yKg2Ac

AGENDA FOR TONIGHT’S "FINAL MEETING OF THE LAUSD REDISTRICTING COMMISSION + “FINAL” MAPS + smf’s prediction: e-m... bit.ly/wvF2Lk

I am America: HOLLYWOOD HIGH NOW A DIVERSE HIGH SCHOOL: By Chuck Conder, CNN | bit.ly/AfCdYl February... bit.ly/wf7gXr

COMMISSION ON TEACHER CREDENTIALING LETTER TO SUPT. DEASY RE MANDATORY REPORTING REQUIREMENT: bit.ly/yPn... bit.ly/wvhqSW

L.A. UNIFIED TO REPORT ALL TEACHER MISCONDUCT CASES TO STATE: The action, aimed at protecting students, covers h... bit.ly/AiOE0b

---> 4LAKids Tweets > NEWT (Cont) "....is more concerned about protecting bad teachers than they are about the students, you have a huge crisis."

---> 4LAKids Tweets > NEWT'S CHEAP SHOT AT AZ GOP DEBATE: "As long as you have places like LA Unified where the teachers' union.....

Report: COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS ESTIMATED COST IS $16 BILLION …FOR THE STATES: Cost far exceeds sums doled o... bit.ly/zpdcNT

KPCC: Teacher under investigation from Crenshaw HS has resigned.

---> 4LAKids Tweets > DEASY: Doing more with less and less still is the future of Public Education in CA and LAUSD

---> 4LAKids Tweets > DEASY: Conflates low performing teachers with criminal teachers in requesting relief from Administrative Law Judge+Teacher Panel Hearings.

---> 4LAKids Tweets > DEASY re ADULT ED: Adult Ed programs take from core K-12 revenue

---> 4LAKids Tweets > DEASY:Questions KPCC Investigation-LAUSD has still not received the letter from Office of Teacher Credentialing questioning Berndt removal.

---> 4LAKids Tweets > DEASY: George Hernandez case was then, this is now. All cases have been re-reported to Credentialing Commission.

---> 4LAKids Tweets > LAUSD supe Deasy is about to be on KPCC call in 89.3 FM

L.A. CITY COUNCIL UNANIMOUSLY APPROVES CHANGES TO DAYTIME CURFEW LAW: By Tami Abdollah | KPCC Pass/Fail | http:/... bit.ly/zvILmD

Charter Schools: HARDBOILING THE BOILERPLATE: by smf for 4LAKidsNews 22 Jan 2012 :: My recent perusal of stor... bit.ly/vZejtD

Parent Trigger: CAMPAIGN FOR ADELANTO CHARTER SCHOOL FALLS SHORT: School officials in the High Desert community ... bit.ly/zRZlS8

LAUSD SUBSTITUTE THRICE ACCUSED OF ABUSE MOVED TO ANOTHER DISTRICT: The substitute teacher quit after the third ... bit.ly/AmNPBn

TAX PLANS WOULD BOOST SCHOOLS BUT LEAVE SOCIAL SAFETY NET VULNERABLE: By Kevin Yamamura, sACRAMENTO bEE | htt... bit.ly/yW7XFG

---> 4LAKids Tweets > 4LAKids is unfollowing @ParentRevolution. Followed to keep an eye on 'em - but with their itchy Parent Trigger finger might get eye put out!

EDUCATE OUR STATE: 'Learn about their new campaign - This Budget Blows'! pingg.com/0BOPj0

From “Bad Teacher” to “Won’t Back Down” to “Vouchers 3-D: The Movie” - IN REALITY AND FILM, A BATTLE FOR SCHOOLS... bit.ly/wzbBBB



EVENTS: Coming up next week...
THIS AFTERNOON SUNDAY FEB 26 Los Angeles Tenth District PTA Celebrates the greatest Artists in LAUSD - OUR STUDENTS K-12 - in our annual PTA REFLECTIONS EXHIBIT. ART ● MUSIC COMPOSITION ● LITERATURE ● PHOTOGRAPHY ● FILM+VIDEO ● DANCE
FROM NOON UNTIL ??? 1000 Venice Boulevard @ Toberman.

THE FINAL MEETING OF THE LAUSD REDISTRICTING COMMISSION: Leap Day Wed Feb 29 @ 6PM at the LAUSD Board Room 333 S. Beaudry from 6PM ‘til midnight – when they will evaporate into thin air!
Snacks, drinks and child care provided

THE PROPOSED NEW LAUSD HOMEWORK POLICY WILL BE UNVEILED AND DISCUSSED from 6-7 p.m. Thursday March 1 at Reed Middle School, 4525 Irvine Ave., North Hollywood.

*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


• LAUSD BOARD OF EDUCATION & COMMITTEES MEETING CALENDAR



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
Marguerite.LaMotte@lausd.net • 213-241-6382
Nury.Martinez@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!.


Who are your elected federal & state representatives? How do you contact them?




Scott Folsom is a parent leader in LAUSD and is Parent/Volunteer of the Year for 2010-11 for Los Angeles County. • He is Past President of Los Angeles Tenth District PTSA and represented PTA on the LAUSD Construction Bond Citizen's Oversight Committee for ten 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 2009 "WHO" Gold Award for his support of education and public schools - an honor 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 as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. 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.


Sunday, February 19, 2012

Blink.


Onward! 4LAKids
4LAKids: Sunday 19•Feb•2012 President's Weekend
In This Issue:
 •  The Valentines Day Massacre v.2.0 narrowly avoided: SCHOOL FUNDING AND THE PRICE OF FLEXIBILITY
 •  “Unprofessional Conduct”: LAUSD’S FAILURE TO NOTIFY SACAMENTO OF MIRAMONTE TEACHER’S DISMISSAL COULD RESULT IN SUPT. DEASY’S LOSS OF CREDENTIAL
 •  LAWMAKERS ADVISED TO GIVE SCHOOLS OPTIONS TO MAKE CUTS IN THE FALL
 •  SENATORS: DON’T JAM US ON WEIGHTED FORMULA: Committee likes concept, wants more time
 •  HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest (but not neccessariily the best) of the Stories from Other Sources
 •  EVENTS: Coming up next week...
 •  What can YOU do?


Featured Links:
 •  Follow 4 LAKids on Twitter - or get instant updates via text message by texting "Follow 4LAKids" to 40404
 •  PUBLIC SCHOOLS: an investment we can't afford to cut! - The Education Coalition Website
 •  4LAKids Anthology: All the Past Issues, solved, resolved and unsolved!
 •  4LAKidsNews: a compendium of recent items of interest - news stories, scurrilous rumors, links, academic papers, rants and amusing anecdotes, etc.
Mark Naison, in his essay “The Real Culprits in America’s Decline Are Shifting Responsibility to Schools and Teachers” [http://bit.ly/zS9M3N] asks: “Are 28 percent of the homes in the United States under water because of union teachers? Can they also be blamed for the 44 percent Black unemployment rate in the city of Milwaukee?

“America’s public schools were never perfect. But they helped hold the country together through wrenching economic crises that left many communities deeply wounded and many Americans wondering if there was a real future left for them. And it was never easy. Some of what went on in our most economically depressed schools involved real courage and heroism. All of it required patience and hard work.

“And one of the things these schools did is show that you could effectively run institutions without huge salaries and bonuses for executives and without a huge gap between the employees and their managers. In most public schools, the principal’s salary was never more than a third higher than the highest paid teacher, rather than the 400 to 1 CEO to worker ratio that now exists in American industry.”
__________________________

4LAKids RECOMMENDS AN ARTICLE ON INGLEWOOD UNIFIED’S PENDING INSOLVENCY from the LA Times: “In Inglewood, A Sparkling New Campus and Looming Bankruptcy” [http://lat.ms/ytnFmG] but discount IUSD’s hanging their hopes on a shiny new school saving their day. Parents look beyond the new school shine+sizzle to the instructional program. Rightly or wrongly parents are buying what charter schools are selling – and unfortunately they are buying it with the public’s money – money IUSD had already counted on and spent it their budget.

Likewise I caution against dependence on the passage of AB 1172 – which would allow school districts to disapprove a charter application if it puts undue burden on school district budgets. The state’s primary interest is in educating children – not in preserving school districts. IF charter schools actually did a better job of educating students (and generally they don’t) they should be allowed to bloom at the expense of underperforming districts. Boards of education cannot be the decider any more than the California Charter Schools Association.

Perhaps the most telling clue to how bad things are is that the Inglewood teachers union is welcoming state receivership – even though that would temporarily invalidate huge parts of the union contract.

But buried in the article is the glimmer of hope for Inglewood and every one of California’s 1050 cash-strapped school districts: “California has cut funding to schools by 20% over the last three years and, in the case of Inglewood, deferred payment of more than $17 million this year alone. That shortfall caused most of Inglewood's looming deficit, (School board President Young) said.”

IN ADDITION TO the 20% in cuts, California owes Inglewood $17 million in Deferred Payments. That’s an IOU – a promissory note - a debt the state is obligated to pay at an unspecified point in the future. J. Wellington Wimpy: "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today" That’s not a loan school districts wanted to make – it was forced upon them. In law this is called a contract of adhesion, where one party has no ability to negotiate because of their unequal bargaining position.

Under receivership the state loans a school district the money it needs to operate “in order to pay schools’ utility bills and meet payrolls” – and runs the school district until it gets paid back with interest. OF COURSE IF THE STATE PAID INGLEWOOD AND LAUSD AND EVERY SCHOOL DISTRICT THE MONEY IT OWES THE DISTRICTS WOULDN’T BE IN THIS MESS!

And I seriously doubt if there’s a judge with a robe and gavel and a bench to sit on who would uphold the State of California charging interest on a loan to a district the state forced by not paying back previous money it “borrowed”. You know those urban legends about the burglars who sue victims after falling through the skylights during burglaries? This is like that – only more so.

The above scheme should make Mr. Ponzi blush. And while I feel sorry for the unfortunate school districts and the teachers and staffs who have-been-and-will-be RIFed – it’s the children who are being defrauded.
__________________________

SATURDAY’S LA TIMES Business Section had a prophetic article with the headline “L.A. On Brink of Gas At $4 a Gallon”; by Saturday afternoon the cheapest Arco station in my neighborhood – with gas at $3.99 – had a line at the pumps. I’m inviting the Business Section to headline an article: “LAUSD Solves Budget Crisis as Test Scores Soar.”
__________________________

THERE IS A GREAT TENDENCY TO OVERSIMPLIFY SITUATIONS and cut to the chase – including in these pages where one tries to state the unvarnished truth in 800 words or less. Last week the LAUSD Board – while mired in a sulfurous swamp of scandal - seemed poised to pass a budget/eliminate programs/RIF staff and ask for a parcel tax in a straight up-or-down-vote – based on not enough information poorly shared or even thought out.

In the opposite of Malcolm Gladwell’s definition, they blinked – took a three week step back – and agreed to think more deeply.

In the end all of us need the real numbers, the real assumptions and the real cuts proposed; the consequences – intended or no – identified and debated - line item by line item, dollar-for-dollar, program-by-program, and school-by-school – down to the classroom. The way this board usually does things: “Without opposition… so ordered” cannot be allowed.

Eleven words identify true wisdom more than any other: “I do not have enough information to make an informed decision”. These words do not admit failure, they predetermine success.

We – We the People – cannot afford to eliminate elementary arts education or adult Ed or early childhood Ed or afterschool programs. Our children need librarians and counselors and buses to transport some kids to and from school.

The Board of Education can no more approve a budget based on a spreadsheet, a pie chart or PowerPoint than voters can select representatives based on campaign mailers and Pepsodent smiles. Oh sure we try …and look at where it gets us.

The current Republican front runner o’ th’ week repudiated public education last week. As free universal public education is America’s greatest contribution of democracy he doesn’t get any points here – accept possibly in recognition of the one on his little head.

Here is a parting thought: Public Education and Social Justice are not programs to cut and adjust or amend and reform to conform to the times – whether golden-and-flush or challenging-and-hard.. They are universal constants. Whether he was prophet or savior or messiah or a rabbi from Galilee, the words still stand: “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

¡Onward/Adelante! - smf


The Valentines Day Massacre v.2.0 narrowly avoided: SCHOOL FUNDING AND THE PRICE OF FLEXIBILITY

Themes in the News for the week of Feb. 13-17, 2012 by UCLA IDEA | http://bit.ly/zB4UBu

2-17-2012 :: Responding to widespread protests, the Los Angeles Unified School District will not cut, or at least will postpone cuts, of over $550 million from the 2012-13 school year budget, as had been planned. Hundreds packed the LAUSD boardroom and more protested outside, prompting street closures. They came to plead for adult education, early education, after-school programs, arts in elementary school and other categorical programs—all of which were earmarked for elimination (Huffington Post, LA Weekly, Los Angeles Daily News, Los Angeles Times). The board postponed the vote until March, giving time for Superintendent John Deasy to negotiate concessions with labor unions, and for the public to pressure legislators for more funding.

According to EdSource, a reliable source of information on complex education issues, “categorical funds represent a sizable part of the budget for most school districts and can have a major effect on local expenditure decisions. However, in response to the recent state budget crisis, California lawmakers are allowing districts more flexibility in how they spend those funds.”

Indeed, districts are taking advantage of loosened guarantees—sometimes drastically reducing or eliminating programs—often, in order to pay schools’ utility bills and meet payrolls. It’s a wrenching task. “We can’t live with eliminations,” said Los Angeles board Member Steve Zimmer, but “there will be cuts” (San Jose Mercury News).

By stepping back from its decision on cuts, the board’s action is reminiscent of Gov. Jerry Brown’s attempt to eliminate school bus funds earlier this year. After much political pressure and campaigning from rural and poor districts, Brown reversed course and will keep the busses rolling through next year (Sacramento Bee, Thoughts on Public Education).

Some additional flexibility might allow local districts to decide how best to use their limited resources. However, categorical funds, historically, have been instituted for sound reasons: “to remedy inequities among students; to ensure that all students are served, especially the hardest to educate; and to support current priorities, particularly when there are extra funds” (EdSource).

Meanwhile, the Senate is considering Brown’s new school funding plan which would create a weighted formula, giving school districts a base amount per student and up to $3,000 more for those with the greatest need, such as English language learners and low-income students. This plan would also phase out the majority of categorical programs (EdSource Extra, Thoughts on Public Education). Such a new, more rational system of school funding, based on weighted formulas, stands a chance of allowing greater local flexibility while preserving important protections and guarantees now protected by categorical funding.

But we can’t forget that the reasons behind categorical funding remain. Without “strings-attached” money, many local districts could decide, as they have done in the past, not to provide crucial services. Can California lawmakers fashion a school finance system that provides both flexibility and essential guarantees? In principle, Brown’s “weighted formula” is a good start. However, flexibility without wisdom, fairness, guarantees, and money leads only to more dreadful choices of how to reorganize hardships among the most vulnerable, at-risk students.


“Unprofessional Conduct”: LAUSD’S FAILURE TO NOTIFY SACAMENTO OF MIRAMONTE TEACHER’S DISMISSAL COULD RESULT IN SUPT. DEASY’S LOSS OF CREDENTIAL
SUPT. DEASY TOLD BY STATE AGENCY LAUSD FAILURE TO INFORM ON MIRAMONTE TEACHER POSED POTENTIAL RISK TO STUDENT SAFETY
By Tami Abdollah | KPCC pass/fail http://bit.ly/wcNmjY

Feb. 16, 2012 :: The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing wrote Superintendent John Deasy a letter dated Wednesday informing him that the district was posing a "potential risk to student safety" by not filing timely reports required by state regulation when a teacher's employment status changes.

In the case of former Miramonte Elementary School teacher Mark Berndt, accused of spoon-feeding his semen to children, the district did not file paperwork with the commission until nearly a year after it moved to dismiss Berndt.

Nanette Rufo, the commission's director and general counsel, cites the California code of regulations in the letter, which warns Deasy that "failure to make a report required under this section constitutes unprofessional conduct. The Committee may investigate any superintendent who holds a credential who fails to file reports required by this section. (Emphasis added)."

Deasy, who holds a "clear administrative services credential," could not be reached for comment Thursday. District spokesman Thomas Waldman said he is in Sacramento all day testifying on the budget. Waldman could not confirm receipt of the letter.

According to the regulation, the superintendent must report the change in employment status no later than 30 days after the status changes when it is a result of alleged misconduct or an allegation of misconduct is pending.

From the letter, which is subject-lined "Re: Superintendent's Mandatory Reporting Requirement":

"In one recent case we have no record of a report related to the teacher after the final settlement was reached and were only notified that the teacher was charged with multiple counts of lewd acts upon children more than six months after final settlement was reached by your District with the credential holder. Although the Commission is aware that errors can occur, please be aware of the potential for harm to students by not meeting your mandatory requirement to report information to the Commission when credential holders separate while charges of misconduct are pending."


MIRAMONTE ABUSE SCANDAL: LAUSD FAILED TO NOTIFY CALIFORNIA CREDENTIALING COMMISSION OF ACCUSED TEACHER'S SUSPENSION
By Tami Abdollah | KPCC Pass/Fail |http://bit.ly/wcNmjY

Feb. 16, 2012 :: The Los Angeles Unified School District violated state law by waiting nearly a year to inform the agency that oversees teacher credentials that it had moved to dismiss former Miramonte Elementary School teacher Mark Berndt accused of spoon-feeding his semen to children.

The state's Commission on Teacher Credentialing suspended Berndt's credential on Jan. 31, the same day he was arrested and charged with 23 counts of lewd conduct on children. But according to the state code of regulations and the education code, the LAUSD should have informed the credentialing commission of Berndt's February 2011 suspension without pay by mid-March of 2011.

The district paid Berndt a $40,000 settlement in June to ensure, it says, that he would no longer work for LAUSD and resign. But with his credential intact, Berndt could have legally obtained employment as a teacher at another district up until January 31.

"We did not, during the course of the investigation inform the CTC about Berndt," said district spokesman Thomas Waldman. "We contacted the Sheriff's Department over the course of the year on 15 occasions to check on the status of the investigation and our ability to move forward. We were told they were conducting an investigation, that we were to refrain from taking any actions that could jeopardize the completion of the investigation, so that was interpreted on our end as not informing the commission regarding Mr. Berndt's status."

Steve Whitmore, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, said that once L.A. Unified removed Berndt from the classroom "our interest in his status as a teacher stopped."

According to the state code of regulations and the education code, when certain actions have been taken against a teacher, such as a dismissal or suspension without pay for more than 10 days, the superintendent is required to inform the state's Commission on Teacher Credentialing of the change in employment status no more than 30 days after the action.

When the commission is notified it then has the ability to investigate and recommend a particular case go forward to its Committee of Credentials for review. During this process the committee can decide to take action against the teacher in various ways, including a private admonition, as well as suspending or revoking his credential, said Marilyn Errett, an administrator for the Office of Governmental Relations for the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. If a teacher is convicted of a crime, the credential is automatically revoked, Errett said.

"Even if a case is not necessarily a criminal case, or even if a court has not convicted someone of [something] criminal, we're still looking at unprofessional conduct," Errett said. "...It might not rise to the criminal conviction arena but it might be unprofessional."

The state code of regulations states that the "failure to make a report required under this section constitutes unprofessional conduct. The Committee may investigate any superintendent who holds a credential who fails to file reports required by this section."

Superintendent John Deasy, who holds a "clear administrative services credential," could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

In Berndt's case, the LAUSD moved to dismiss him on Feb. 15, 2011, and stopped paying him the next day. The commission should have been informed of this action by mid-March; however, the district sent no paperwork until Jan. 31, 2012, when it e-mailed the charging documents to the commission, said Errett.
Once the commission became aware of the charges against Berndt, it automatically suspended his credential as required by law, Errett said.

During the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's year-long investigation, Berndt, who appealed the dismissal Feb. 17, 2011, received a $40,000 settlement from the district, which included back pay for lost wages, reimbursement for health insurance payments, and $16,000 in legal fees, according to the documents. As part of the agreement, Berndt was reinstated, then allowed to resign on June 30 and thereby keep his lifetime health benefits.

District officials have said their goal was to avoid a lengthy appeals process that could take years and ensure Berndt was out of the classroom.

LAUSD board president Monica Garcia said the district has launched its own investigation into how the Berndt case was handled, and that it will be thoroughly reviewed by an independent commission led by retired California Supreme Court Chief Justice Carlos Moreno.

"I will be very interested in learning what the commission tells us...about our handling of all the information and [how it can] help us understand what needs to be changed," Garcia said.

Board member Steve Zimmer said that the district's failure to follow procedure was wrong, but that he didn't believe children were in imminent danger.

"Obviously if we didn't follow procedures, we should follow procedures and that's wrong, and that makes me upset," Zimmer said.

Clarification: An earlier version of this post stated that Berndt had been dismissed. While the school board approved his dismissal Feb. 15, 2011, Berndt's appeal and later settlement agreement with the district allowed him to be retroactively reinstated to his post. He resigned June 30.

SUPT. DEASY ACKNOWLEDGES LAUSD VIOLATED LAW BY FAILING TO NOTIFY STATE ABOUT ACCUSED MIRAMONTE TEACHER
By Tami Abdollah | KPCC | http://bit.ly/zSuKrH

Feb. 17, 2012 | Superintendent John Deasy acknowledged today that LAUSD violated state law when it failed to notify a state agency responsible for teacher credentialing of the suspension of Miramonte Elementary School teacher Mark Berndt, who is accused of spoon-feeding his semen to children. Deasy said the district has launched an internal investigation to determine why this happened.

The story was first reported Thursday by KPCC, which provided the district with a letter addressed to Deasy from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing dated Wednesday that stated that the district's failure to provide a timely report on teachers posed a "potential risk to student safety."

The state's Commission on Teacher Credentialing suspended Berndt's credential on Jan. 31, the same day he was arrested and charged with 23 counts of lewd conduct on children. But according to the state code of regulations and the education code, the superintendent is required to inform the credentialing commission of Berndt's February 2011 suspension without pay by mid-March of 2011.

"LAUSD acknowledges that in the case of Mark Berndt, the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing was not notified within the required timeline of Berndt’s change in employment status," Deasy said in a statement issued today. He said the failure to notify in this case "is contrary to standard district practice."
(●●smf: “Contrary to District practice” is one way of putting it.. The CTC says “failure to make a report required under this section constitutes unprofessional conduct” …and assigns responsibility for mandatory reporting directly to the superintendent. )

Deasy said the district has launched an internal investigation to determine the reasons for the untimely notification.

District spokesman Thomas Waldman said part of the investigation may entail combing through LAUSD records to determine "if there are any other cases for which either the district failed to inform in a timely manner or didn't file a report at all" to the commission. Waldman said he is not sure how far the district would go back.

According to the state code of regulations and the education code, when certain actions have been taken against a teacher, such as a dismissal or suspension without pay for more than 10 days, the superintendent is required to inform the commission of the change in employment status no more than 30 days after the action.

Here's Deasy's statement from today:
Yesterday, I was made aware through the media of the existence of a letter dated February 15, 2012 and addressed to me by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing stating that it had concerns about possible late reporting “of dismissal of credentialed employees while allegations of misconduct are pending.” LAUSD acknowledges that in the case of Mark Berndt, the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing was not notified within the required timeline of Berndt’s change in employment status. State law requires that school districts report changes in a teacher’s employment status as a result of allegations of misconduct within 30 days of the change in employment status. The failure to timely notify the CTC in this case, is contrary to standard district practice. I have immediately launched an internal investigation to determine the reasons for the untimely notice in this case. After LAUSD was informed by the Sheriff’s Department of Berndt’s arrest on January 30, 2012, LAUSD notified CTC on January 31, 2012.


FEB 15th LETTER FROM THE COMMISSION ON TEACHER CREDENTIALING/Division of Professional Practices



LAWMAKERS ADVISED TO GIVE SCHOOLS OPTIONS TO MAKE CUTS IN THE FALL
By Timm Herdt, Ventura County Star | http://bit.ly/zy3BU8

February 16, 2012 at 5:42 p.m —SACRAMENTO :: California lawmakers on Thursday began to tackle the perplexing problem of how to handle school funding in a year in which no one will know how much money will be available until after the next school year has begun.

At the same time, they opened consideration of a proposal by Gov. Jerry Brown to dramatically and permanently change how state funds are allocated to local districts.

In his budget proposal, Brown has proposed that $4.8 billion of the $52.5 billion he seeks in Proposition 98 funding be conditional on voters' approval of a tax measure in November.

Lawmakers likely will alter the mix of cuts to be triggered if the measure fails, but agree such triggers must be included in whatever budget they adopt this summer — and that many of the cuts inevitably will be in education, the state's biggest single expense.

Rachel Ehlers of the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office told members of the Senate Budget Committee that lawmakers should consider giving schools more flexibility as they fashion their budgets for the 2012-13 school year.

Under existing law, school districts must notify employees this spring if there is a possibility they could be laid off next year, and the layoffs must be issued by summer.

"Think about a post-election layoff window," Ehlers said, suggesting a one-time change in law to let districts reduce their workforce next fall if the tax measure fails. "To the degree that you can offer certainty that districts will have certain levers they can pull, you can help avoid layoffs this spring."

Thursday's budget hearing was the first of dozens that lawmakers will conduct between now and mid-June, their constitutional deadline to approve a budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Ehlers also suggested, as has the Brown administration, that schools be given the option of shortening the school year if the tax initiative fails. Generally, such action can only be taken if it is agreed upon by school employees through collective bargaining.

Ehlers praised Brown's proposal to eliminate nearly all state categorical funding to schools — earmarked money that must be spent on certain programs such as transportation or class-size reduction — and rolling all those funds into a formula that would allocate money based on districts' enrollment.

The formula would award more funding per pupil to districts with large numbers of low-income students and students with limited English proficiency.

Under a proposal revised by the administration this week, the formula would be phased in over six years. All districts would be held harmless for the first year.

Beyond that, acknowledged Nick Schweizer of the Department of Finance, there would be winners and losers under the formula.

"Some districts do better than others, based on the population of students they're serving," he said.

Districts that will experience a significant drop, he said, are those that now have "extremely high revenue limits, and they've got six years to adapt their cost structure."

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, said Brown's proposal has merit.

"I am favorably inclined to the idea of a weighted student formula," he said. "The phase-in would allow this to be done without a lot of winners and losers."

Steinberg said, however, he will insist that a shift to the formula occur in conjunction with a change in the school accountability system that would place less weight on standardized test scores and more weight on other factors.

"We ought to measure high schools not just on test scores, but on how well they are preparing students for college and careers," he said. "The two issues need to be matched."


SENATORS: DON’T JAM US ON WEIGHTED FORMULA: Committee likes concept, wants more time
By John Fensterwald - Educated Guess | http://bit.ly/zIh3s8

Feb 17, 2012 :: Senators on the Budget and Fiscal Review Committee generally praised the rationale and framework of Gov. Brown’s proposal to overhaul school funding in a four-hour hearing Thursday but questioned the details, timing, and the disparate financial impacts on school districts. One message came across clearly: They won’t be rushed into adopting Brown’s weighted student formula.

“These are worthwhile approaches, but I am troubled we are moving quickly without knowing the full impact,” said Sen. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach. He and others called for turning the governor’s budget item into a full-blown policy bill – code for a two-year process. Brown wants the changes adopted now, so they can begin to be incorporated in next year’s budget.

Brown proposes a six-year transition, in which districts would receive a base amount per student, with substantial extra dollars for every English learning and low-income student. He would abolish nearly all categorical programs – funded programs for designated purposes, like class-size reduction and career technical education – and let districts spend all of the dollars however they see fit. (Go here to see how the formula would work.)

Districts with few disadvantaged students would receive little supplemental money, but the Brown administration is projecting that the base would rise over six years from $4,920 to about $7,000 as additional revenue from a revived economy flows into Proposition 98. Districts with large numbers of targeted kids could get $3,000 to $5,000 per student in addition to the base.

Extra funding for disadvantaged students is “the right, just, and morally responsible approach for the youth of California,” testified Los Angeles Unified Superintendent John Deasy, for it recognizes that program costs for English learners and low-income students are higher. And adding even more money to districts with concentrations of poverty is necessary, Deasy said, “to break the cycle of poverty.”’

PLAN NEEDS MORE WORK

But Deasy also had plenty of suggestions for changing the weighted student funding formula. His and others’ criticisms included the following areas:

WHAT DOES “HOLD HARMLESS” MEAN? Brown wants to start slowly, redistributing 5 percent of the weighted formula to poor districts next year. He’d guarantee that no district would get less money than they get now – but only for next year. Beyond that, when the formula really kicks in (15 percent in 2013-14, 40 percent in 2014-15), he’d count on new Prop 98 money to make the “loser” districts whole.

But, said Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, “we are struggling to get revenue projections over the next six months, not to mention the next six years. Six years ago (budget estimates) were projecting growth of $1,000 per pupil. We are rather wide of that mark …” he said with understatement.

Brown is starting with a low base of $4,920, with no assurance that all districts would restore money lost since 2008 by the time the formula is fully phased in. But Nick Schweizer, budget manager for education with the Department of Finance, said that Prop 98 revenues should be enough to cover nearly all districts’ yearly COLAs. If revenues fell short, the administration would adjust the formula.

FORMULA ADJUSTMENTS: Elementary, unified, and high school districts currently receive different funding allocations per grade out of recognition that older students, who need to take labs, are more expensive to educate. Brown’s weighted formula doesn’t differentiate by grade, although Schweizer said the administration would consider a change.

Schweizer was less open to the idea of a regional cost adjustment, which Simitian and Committee Chairman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, pushed. A 2008 version of a weighted student formula, co-authored by current President of the State Board of Education Michael Kirst, did include a regional cost of living factor. Since 85 percent of a district’s budget goes to personnel, regional costs of living are a huge factor for districts in high-cost areas, Simitian said. Heather Rose, an associate professor at the University of California-Davis, and co-author of a 2008 study on California funding formulas, reinforced that, telling the Budget Committee that overall wages in Santa Clara County were 54 percent higher than in the North Coast and 32 percent higher for teachers, reflecting a need to compete in the local marketplace.

Schweizer said that low-cost rural regions have complicating factors, too, like high busing expenses; determining which factors affect regions is complicated. That prompted Leno to remark, “Just because you don’t know, you should not ignore, throw up your hands and say you cannot deal with the complexity.”

Busing students to school is currently a $500 million categorical program. Brown would preserve it one more year, then throw it into the mix, along with other categoricals. Districts without large numbers of poor students would lose most of the funding. Both Deasy, an urban superintendent, and Sen. Noreen Evans, who represents rural Northern California, oppose that idea. Busing is “fundamental to students’ civil rights and access to school,” Deasy said.

ACCOUNTABILITY QUESTION: Brown would impose no requirements on how districts spent the extra dollars for disadvantaged students. He is proposing to hold districts accountable for results, and has charged the State Board of Education to come up with new measures, beyond state standardized test scores, within the next year. Schweizer said that districts that raise achievement and meet targets would get 2.5 percent funding rewards, starting in 2013-14.

But some senators and the Legislative Analyst’s Office were uncomfortable with adopting a formula without new accountability measures in place. “I’m not comfortable with the existing accountability system to know how we are doing. This makes me very nervous,” said Sen. Lois Wolk, a Democrat from Davis.

Rachel Ehlers, who analyzes education for the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst, testified that district progress is particularly difficult to measure with English learners, because higher performing English learners are reclassified, only to be replaced with new non-English-speaking immigrants. Tracking individuals with the use of CALPADS, the new statewide database, will help eventually. Meanwhile, “we have a ways to go on oversight before turning (total flexibility) over to districts.”

HYBRID MODEL: Concerned that simply giving districts more dollars for disadvantaged children won’t ensure that they’ll be spent on them, the LAO recommends that the Legislature consider block grants, which allow discretion over money for broad purposes with audits and public hearings to ensure the intent is followed. Assemblymember Julia Brownley, who chairs the Assembly Education Committee, takes this approach, using different weights, in AB 18, a weighted formula bill she’s been working on for a year. Besides a basic all-purpose amount, the bill would have a block grant for teacher training and development and an equity fund, directing dollars to English learners and low-income children. Brownley would consider setting aside money for adult and career technical education.

At the hearing, a dozen Oakland high school students called for accountability for money that should be spent on them. Their escort, Katie Valenzuela, with Public Advocates, said enforcement should be in place before a weighted formula is enacted. “Needs-based funding does not make sense unless it meets students’ needs,” she said.

GAMING THE SYSTEM: Giving premiums for English language learners creates incentives to overclassify children, who already comprise a quarter of the state’s students, and then not strive to move them along quickly to fluency. “Will you be an English language learner forever?” asked Sen. Jean Fuller, a Republican from Bakersfield and former school superintendent. “The weakness of the model is that there is no real defined exit and incentive for exit.”

In a comment in yesterday’s post, Rob Manwaring, who was a consultant for Gov. Schwarzenegger’s Committee on Education Excellence, noted that the Committee “proposed phasing out the funding for English learners after four years of funding with a full phase-out after six years as an EL student. This type of approach would counter any incentive to not redesignate EL students.” Since three-quarters of English language learners (the latest figure, according to Schweizer) are also low-income, they’d be covered by the formula anyway.


HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest (but not neccessariily the best) of the Stories from Other Sources
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An Op-Ed Appeal from a Redistricting Commissioner: LAUSD REDISTRICTING COMMISSION NEEDS TO HEAR FROM YOU!: By Li... http://bit.ly/wYl0w7

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GENEROUS BEQUEST OF NEARLY $392,000 LIFTS SPIRITS AT PACOIMA MIDDLE SCHOOL: By Melissa Pamer, Daily News, Los An... http://bit.ly/yDreiT

LAUSD SUPT. JOHN DEASY ADDRESSES MIRAMONTE SEX ABUSE ALLEGATIONS + LA TIMES CORRECTS INCORRECT REPORTING: Rick R... http://bit.ly/yvmkNE

Deasy: MIRAMONTE PROBE COMPLETE; ALL STAFF EXCEPT THE TWO ACCUSED CAN RETURN.: smf: So many investigations, so l... http://bit.ly/yAUMbD

WHAT’S NEW AT THE PTA, DAD? -Men Shift the Dynamics of a Changing Organization: By KYLE SPENCER/The New York Tim... http://bit.ly/wpMaoa

SANTORUM + PUBLIC EDUCATION: The backstory: smf: (in)apropos of the previous RICK SANTORUM SUGGESTS OPPOSITION T... http://bit.ly/x9bcXO

“Unprofessional Conduct”: LAUSD’S FAILURE TO NOTIFY SACAMENTO OF MIRAMONTE TEACHER’S DISMISSAL COULD RESULT IN S... http://bit.ly/zq3Jr6
16 Feb Scott Folsom Scott Folsom @4LAKids

LAUSD (was) SET TO CUT BEYOND THE BELL AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS: By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer LA Daily News | htt... http://bit.ly/AmYkF0

What Oversight?: D.A., L.A. COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT PROBE ALLEGED IMPROPRIETIES AT TRADE-TECH COLLEGE FOUNDAT... http://bit.ly/yTi5ka

LOS ANGELES SCHOOL DISTRICT CONTINUES TO LANGUISH UNDER UNENDING BUDGET CRISIS: Gabriel Lerner : Senior News Edi... http://bit.ly/wgyAHa

@4LAKidsTWEET: student at CA Senate Budget&Fiscal Review Commiittee: "I go to an arts high school that doesn't have any arts." | calchannel.com/channel/live/

RICK SANTORUM SUGGESTS OPPOSITION TO PUBLIC EDUCATION: Some scary thinking + a scary picture!: By Brian Montopol... http://bit.ly/zMrxTd

@4LAKidsTWEET: re: Budget&Fiscal Review Commiittee: Corona supe: "Not one student will be helped by weighted formula unless there's more money."

LAUSD OFFERS MAPS OF NEW BOARD MEMBER’S DISTRICTS: By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer, Daily News | http://bit.ly... http://bit.ly/x0Gqsg

Full coverage: LAUSD’s VALENTINES DAY MASSACRE AVERTED …or postponed?: from google news LAUSD Budget Cuts: Matt... http://bit.ly/wzogLS

LAUSD reform -- MIRAMONTE SCANDAL IS OPPORTUNITY TO CHANGE THE SYSTEM FOR THE BETTER: Long Beach Press Telegram ... http://bit.ly/zDP2Xu

STUDENT’S BUSES SECURED ONLY FOR REST OF SEMESTER: By Tim Smirnov and Rosie Somoundjian, The Pearl Post / Daniel... http://bit.ly/zxh5q8

MERIT PAY: ‘It doesn’t work’ + NYC wastes $5.7 Million in Principal Bonuses – including to some at most selectiv... http://bit.ly/zTRX3s

New Mexico is the 11th state to receive flexibility from NCLB #edflex go.usa.gov/QsH
Retweeted by Scott Folsom@4LAKids

NCLB IN THE REAR VIEW MIRROR: WAIVING GOODBYE!: A Cheat Sheet –or- What the judges liked+What they didn’t: NCLB ... http://bit.ly/zVo990

Video: COUNCILMAN GARCETTI SPEAKS TO THE BOARD OF ED ON THE CRITICAL IMPORTANCE OF ADULT EDUCATION: Feb 14, 2012 http://bit.ly/y0OH32

LAUSD BOARD POSTPONES VOTE ON $557 MILLION CUT TO ADULT ED, PRESCHOOL, ART AS HUNDREDS PROTEST + addl. coverage:... http://bit.ly/yifQux

@4LAKidsTweet from Feb 14th LAUSD Bd Mtg: Zimmer ammendment passes. Clock is tickintg until….

@4LAKidsTweet from Feb 14th LAUSD Bd Mtg: Marguerite Lamotte: "The arts save lives."

@4LAKidsTweet from Feb 14th LAUSD Bd Mtg: Debby Allen: cutting arts drops atomic bomb on public ed.

@4LAKidsTweet from Feb 14th LAUSD Bd Mtg: Zimmer offers ammendment to stay the cuts & RIFs until March 15

FWD: @UTLAnow: The street in front of lausd hq has just been closed. Marchers have jammed the streets. twitpic.com/8jzwjk
View photo

FWD: @UTLAnow: Inside the board, multiple speakers making crystal clear arguments to save the vital programs at their schools.

@4LAKidsTweet from Feb 14th LAUSD Bd Mtg: Rita Walters offers a stirring defense of adult ed

@4LAKidsTweet from Feb 14th LAUSD Bd Mtg: Dr V and Zimmer will offer budget solution @ LAUSD board mtg

@4LAKidsTweet from Feb 14th LAUSD Bd Mtg: Rumor has it today's LAUSD budget crisis gets resolved deus ex machina through intervention by Gov Brown. Stay tuned.

Reports: FREMONT HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER AIDE ARRESTED FOR LEWD ACTS WITH A CHILD: Feb 14 | 6:49 a.m. | By KPCC & wi... tinyurl.com/6n7ga9l

Tom Torlakson to Superintendents and School Board Asso: PLEASE DON’T ELIMINATE ADULT ED: http://bit.ly/wc7qMv

SHERIFF BACA, A YEAR AFTER THE FACT: “Dear Miramonte School Student Parents and.or Guardians:” + How fear of dep... http://bit.ly/xoKOKB

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In California: PRIVATE EFFORTS TO KEEP EXERCISE IN PUBLIC SCHOOL CURRICULUM: By KATHARINE MIESZKOWSKI | NY Times... http://bit.ly/wmvY7x
ABUSE CASES: By Barbara Jones, Staff Writ... http://bit.ly/yGZUIy


EVENTS: Coming up next week...
LAUSD REDISTRICTING COMMISSION COMMUNITY MEETINGS
BOARD DISTRICTS 2, 5 & 7
MONDAY FEB 20TH, 1PM
PRESIDENT’S DAY HOLIDAY
HOLLENBECK MIDDLE SCHOOL AUDITORIUM
2510 EAST 6TH ST.
map: http://g.co/maps/r62ar

BOARD DISTRICTS 1 & 4
TUESDAY FEB 21TH, 6PM
HAMILTON HIGH SCHOOL AUDITORIUM
2955 SOUTH ROBERTSON BLVD
90034

BOARD DISTRICTS 3 & 6
TUESDAY FEB 21TH, 6PM
SEPULVEDA MIDDLE SCHOOL AUDITORIUM
15330 PLUMMER ST.
91343


• • SPECIAL MEETING:
PRESENTATION AND ADOPTION OF FINAL MAP
THURSDAY FEB 23, 6PM
BEAUDRY BOARD ROOM
333 S. BEAUDRY
90017

Childcare and Refreshments will be provided



*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


• LAUSD BOARD OF EDUCATION & COMMITTEES MEETING CALENDAR



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
Marguerite.LaMotte@lausd.net • 213-241-6382
Nury.Martinez@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!.


Who are your elected federal & state representatives? How do you contact them?




Scott Folsom is a parent leader in LAUSD and is Parent/Volunteer of the Year for 2010-11 for Los Angeles County. • He is Past President of Los Angeles Tenth District PTSA and represented PTA on the LAUSD Construction Bond Citizen's Oversight Committee for ten 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 2009 "WHO" Gold Award for his support of education and public schools - an honor 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.
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