There has been some technical glitches that delayed this post from going up. The conversation will start tomorrow and then continue over the next few days.

1. What are your thoughts on the recent Pink Friday rallies? Did either of you attend an event?

Pink Friday was a PR event. Nobody has been laid off, but people have been notified that they might be - maybe. A lot of overreaction, but good for the press.

2. President Barack Obama has said he supports merit pay, extending the school day, and other educational reforms. Have you ever supported these type of proposals?

Merit pay is the way most of us ever got a raise. Our boss decided, based on criteria for the job, how much we should be rewarded by an increase in pay. It does encourage extra dedication to the job, and is reasonably fair. It does have a ‘seniority’ element to it, as pay goes up as you work longer.

While a good idea (even the Federal government uses it for professional jobs), it is probably too big a jump for the educational establishment. Most people don't know that K-12 teachers are on a schedule that lasts their entire career. There are no senior teachers, few special assignment stipends, and supervisors are 'management'. So the first step would be to build a system that reduced the number of steps, and created promotion or extra work assignment pay. The typical career ladder that works in the private sector.

3. What do you think of the growth of magnet schools and/or charter schools? Would you like to see the expansion of charter or magnet schools in your community?

The magnet schools are popular because they emphasize the way school is suppose to be. The kids are motivated, the parents are involved, and if they don’t behave they’re gone. We should make that the standard for all schools.

Charters are popular in LA because the schools are rough and most kids are just there because they have to. We haven’t reached that level of problem in Simi Valley yet, but we do have a big number home schooled or in private school to get that type of environment.

What are the major reasons charter or magnet schools haven't been increasing in your area? Simi Valley has two elementary magnet schools but it takes luck to get a student in. Do you support growing charter or magnet programs?

Charter schools are necessary when the district doesn’t do its job. Our schools should all have the advantages of the magnet schools.

4. The state budget is likely going to cut back substantially on education spending. What do you think the impact on the quality of education will be? What programs or staff would you cut?

Generally, class size is an over rated measurement of quality. It is more a measurement of teacher workload. We would be more efficient to get away from the cookie cutter approach and be more flexible in class size. The tougher classes are the ones with the unmotivated kids. Honors classes could easily have 40 students, and remedial classes only 25, and we would do much better educationally with savings. This is the time to move toward that type of structure, so when the funds return we can add specialty teachers. Simi Valley had specialty science teachers, and it was a success. Four K-3 teachers @ 25/class and a half time reading teacher would be better than 5 teachers @ 20.

5. The seniority system makes sure that new teachers are laid off first, regardless of passion, talent, and skills. But most districts use some sort of tie breakers after seniority.

Do you support the seniority system as it currently is used? What tie breakers do you think should be used?

As one who had had to lay off many over my aerospace career, seniority in itself is a basis of almost every retention system. Performance does get factored in, but usually to a lesser degree. In our schools performance data has very limited use. Almost all are satisfactory. I was told that ranking terachers would be wrong, as the teachers would be in competition. Gee, I thought that was the American way.

What is important is skill set. What type of teachers are needed? Lay-offs in the private sector were based on the mix of talents we need, and then perhaps on performance and seniority. I’m not sure how much of that is embedded in the current system. Probably not enough.

1. What are your thoughts on the recent Pink Friday rallies? Did either of you attend an event?

The Pink Friday events provided a method for people to speak out. They were a wonderful use of the cherished American 1st amendment free speech rights. Many people are not pleased with the prospects for next year regarding public education. Schools will have fewer teachers and counselors, larger classes, and other cuts to important programs are inevitable. These and other negatives brought about by the state budget cuts will have a detrimental effect on the education of our children.

I had the pleasure of attending the Pink Friday event in Ventura. It was an uplifting experience. It was great to see so many people turn out. The show of support from the community was awesome. People in Ventura County generally understand the importance of public schools and support them.

2. President Barack Obama has said he supports merit pay, extending the school day, and other educational reforms. Have you ever supported these type of proposals?

Education is like baseball, everyone thinks they are an expert. Truth be told, they are not. President Obama's idea of merit pay is a classic example. It is, yet another, of a simple solution to a complex problem that will NOT solve much, if anything. Merit pay for teacher may sound good, but in reality it is a bad idea. Creating an equitable system that would work would be nearly impossible and very expensive. Merit pay would be a huge waste of scarce taxpayer dollars.

Teaching is subjective and difficult to measure. Merit pay does not work for some occupations. There is good reasons why fire departments, police departments, and school districts do not have salary structures based on merit.

Merit pay would most likely go administration’s favorites, relatives, friends, and those who never speak up. It would cause resentment and unhealthy competition between colleagues and be a detriment to better education. There is no empirical evidence to show merit pay improves education. It merely sounds good.

A longer school day, sending the "good" teachers to the "lower" performing schools, and raising standards are additional example of President Obama's naive notions regarding education. More simple solutions created by attorneys who know little about schools.

3. What do you think of the growth of magnet schools and/or charter schools? Would you like to see the expansion of charter or magnet schools in your community?

What are the major reasons charter or magnet schools haven't been increasing in your area? Simi Valley has two elementary magnet schools but it takes luck to get a student in. Do you support growing charter or magnet programs?

Successful charter schools are successful because they are able to operate in a more independent manner. They are not encumbered by all the state and federal education regulations that make educating children more difficult. It is ironic when politicians tout these schools as better. The major reason they are is because they do not have to follow the systems politicians created.

Many magnet schools have been successful because they gather motivated students and supportive parents in the same schools. They are largely free of most of the negative discipline problems too many other schools must deal with. The drawback is not everyone can get into them. The luck factor is too great.

4. The state budget is likely going to cut back substantially on education spending. What do you think the impact on the quality of education will be? What programs or staff would you cut?

In spite of what many taxpayers want to believe, citizens do get what they pay for. Less spending will result in a lesser product. Quality schools, police, fire, parks, roads, freeways, water, etc., have a price tag. The California dream that we can have quality government services and low taxes has not and will not come true.

It is completely understandable citizens are not excited about paying higher taxes. Especially, when they know much of it will go to creating and sustaining the bureaucracy, instead of making a difference.

5. The seniority system makes sure that new teachers are laid off first, regardless of passion, talent, and skills. But most districts use some sort of tie breakers after seniority.

Do you support the seniority system as it currently is used? What tie breakers do you think should be used?

The seniority system, like most systems, is not perfect. The last hired, first laid off, is the most equitable way of making the painful decisions of who to lay off. A system that keeps the "best" teachers would result in administration's relatives, friends and favorites being retained. Many higher paid, less connected, senior teachers would be laid off to save money.

Additionally, seniority is not only part of the method used to determine who is retained. Credentials held, subjects one is able to able to teach, and the needs of the district are a big part of the equation. School districts have substantial discretion in deciding who is retained. This part of the story is unknown to most.

In my 30 years plus as an educator I have seen many high quality teachers. Some are young, some are old, and some are middle aged. Experience is a key factor in a quality teacher. The seniority system ensures that the experienced, quality teachers will be retained and not let go in order to save money.

Stephen,

There is a diminishing rate of return on experience. We can agree that a few years teaching improves student results but after ten years a few more years isn't likely to change much.

Thinking over this would you favor paying newer teachers more and leveling out the pay scale? It seems odd to me that teachers are getting paid much more for doing the same job as others.

1. Pink Friday
We agree, PR event.

2. Merit Pay
I disagree. Yes, teaching is subjective. But so is engineering, planning, accounting, journalism and many other professional occupations. Management assessments are still the best source of performance data. You seem to believe that all administration people are biased and very narrow minded. But if they were being evaluated on performance also, they would not be so easily swayed. Good teachers make for good performance which makes for good schools. You think a principal would reward a bad teacher if it resulted in a low performance for the school and a smaller raise?

As far a police and fire, they have a promotion system that rewards performance by more responsibility and higher pay. A system like that (which higher education uses) would be a good first step for K-12.

3. Magnet Schools
We agree. So how do we make all the schools have the advantages of a magnet? Or do we just create more magnets so all the motivated kids are in some schools and every one else is in the others? That doesn't sound like the way to a good education for most kids.

4. Budget
I don't agree. Yes, if you do things the same way, less money will lead to less performance. The trick is to do things a better way so that it can be done for less. That is what made this country the success it is. We dig pools with tractors, not by hand. Even designers and engineers use tools to make their job easier and faster. Education isn't much different than it was in the past.

Yes, people do support the schools. But you are starting to see many parents doing home schooling and private schools, even if that costs more. They are not going to vote for higher taxes for schools, as well as many others who can't afford it or think that education is too inefficient. If you reach the tipping point of a two tier system, the public schools will be ruined. Neither of us want to see that.

5. Seniority
We kind of agree. Seniority is part of almost all systems. And without any performance measurement, it is all we have. Now with No Child Left Behind, we can identify specific capabilities and do some selection. But not enough. Some people have twenty years experience, some have 20 years of the same experience. It depends.

If seniority was so important, why did the union always suggest that the best solution to all fiscal problems was to get rid of the older teachers?

Response to the Honorable Greg Stratton:

1. I do not agree that the Pink Friday events were PR events. They were an exercise of American free speech. This not the same as a PR event in my book. It is a fundamental right that people have fought and died for. It is part of what makes America great. Referring to the exercise of fundamental rights as a PR events belittles our constitution and our great nation.

2. Merit pay may work in engineering, planning, accounting, journalism and many other professional occupations. It will not work in education. There is a difference. Just like night and day.
I do not believe that all administration people are biased and very narrow minded. In the 30 years I have been in the education field, I have met hundreds of school administrators. The vast majority are good, decent people, trying to do the right thing.
Never the less they are people, effected by human nature. It would be very difficult to hand out merit pay. Friends and favorites would have a huge advantage. People who speak out, for what they believe is best for children, would in many places, not be included in merit pay. Anyone who does not understand this, does not understand basic human nature.

3. Magnet schools. We agree that magnet schools have huge advantages. We need to create the same atmosphere in all our schools. Restoring discipline would be a great start.

4. Budget. I agree, better and more efficient is what we should strive for in education. American ingenuity is part of the reason this country has excelled. America is not a great nation in spite of our public school system. America is a great and wealthy nation because of our school system.
To improve education in America we need to invest in schools, not school bureaucracy. We need smaller classes. smaller schools, and the necessary tools. We need to make the teaching profession more attractive. We need to encourage creativity and get politicians to out of the classroom.

5. We agree seniority is part of the system. For better and for worse.
We do not agree on the effects of the No Child Left Behind Act effects. This law has done great deal of harm to public education. I have always referred to it as the "Voucher Set Up Act".
I have never heard any teacher leaders suggest that the best solution to all fiscal problems was to get rid of the older teachers. Fiscal problems are resolved by sound, prudent decisions, made by people who know what they are doing.
Schools in California have gone downhill since Prop 13 and the Serrano decision reduced funding and shifted the real authority to the folks in the state legislature. The state has made a mess of things. Unfortunately, this is what they do best. The current group and the Governor have set new standards for ineptness. Education, like all other things the state does, has paid the price.

What are your thoughts on the need to return local control to our local school districts?
On the layers of bureaucracy embedded in our school system?
On how to make teaching a more attractive profession?
Lastly, what to you believe are the biggest obstacles to better schools?

I believe the biggest obstacle is the lack of parent participation.

Stephen Blum inadvertently makes the case for private schools (and to a lesser extent charter schools) when he argues that merit pay will not work in public education because it would go to "administration’s favorites, relatives, friends, and those who never speak up". That argument illustrates the lack of performance measurements, accountability, and feedback loops in the public school system.

Blum admits that "Merit pay may work in engineering, planning, accounting, journalism and many other professional occupations." And what distinguishes those occupations from education? The fact that they involve private companies and other organizations which are in competition with each other for customers, and will succeed or fail depending upon how successful they are in satisfying their customers.

If a company or organization has lousy managers who grant promotions and pay raises on the basis of favoritism or nepotism rather than objective standards, that company or organization will lose customers and eventually go out of business (or else have the lousy managers replaced by the owners or shareholders or board of directors). The near-monopolistic public school system lacks that feedback loop, because it has a captive customer base. And every effort to create a competitive environment has been met by drastic pushback from the teachers' and administrators' unions, who seem to fear the rigors of that competition.

If private schools were allowed to compete on a level playing field with public schools via vouchers or tax credits, parents would have the opportunity to select the schools which they thought were doing the best job of teaching their kids. Schools which refused to reward the best teachers and fire the worst teachers and find ways of operating more efficiently would find themselves losing customers to those schools which did. And good teachers who considered themselves the victims of unfair administrators would gravitate to schools which recognized their talents and treated them fairly.

Instead we remain mired in a bureaucraticized public school system which demands more and more and more taxpayer money without producing commensurate results. Until we fundamentally reform education by introducing meaningful competition, that's not likely to change.

How could one inspire parents to get involved in their children's schools if their children aren't enough reason?

How hard are the schools really trying to get the parents involved?

Mr. Blum,
Are you related to Carl Blum? I remember him from CVLL. Good guy decent curveball.

I don't see the layers of bureaucracy that you seem to believe exist in our local school district. In fact, there is so little oversight in the Simi Valley school district that it is more like a loose association of schools than a district. Some more management oversight would help provide some consistency. That should improve learning at the next level.

Yes, the State does do a poor job at overseeing the education system. Far too many micromanaging rules, and too little help. But as long as the courts have ruled that the state has to fund education equally, that’s the price we pay. It could get worse - the feds are coming to help.

You seem to suffer from the same problem as many in the education community - a refusal to recognize that this is a public education system, paid for by taxpayers and thus overseen by politicians. Wishing that they go away is simply not in the cards. No one is going to hand a blank check from the taxpayers to the schools and not expect accountability.

In general, the existing K-12 system operates pretty much like it has been for a long time. And its not working. So it needs to change, and yes, there are lots of ideas that get thrown at the system from all sorts of places, making for a big jumble. There really needs to be a comprehensive look at how other systems perform to redesign our system.

The K-12 teaching profession would be more attractive if it opens up to others with the requisite subject expertise. It is very difficult to enter or reenter the profession mid or late career. For example, I can teach at a Junior College, but not at a High School. There are retiring professionals of many fields that could bring tremendous subject matter expertise, and real world experience, to the schools. There has to be an easier way to make that happen.

Even teachers who leave the profession find it hard to return. There is no credit for other job experience, and no more than 10 years credit for teaching anywhere. That seriously limits access to the profession and thus makes it less attractive. Teachers themselves find it difficult to switch districts.

Improving personal safety at the schools would also make the profession more attractive. Dealing with some of the students is not fun, and there is everything from minor vandalism to threats. Simi Valley does not have a big problem with this, but certainly big city schools do. Discipline really needs to be improved.

To make the schools better, we have to look at the purpose of the public schools. The primary goal is to create an educated population to ensure our economic place in the world, and thus maintain and improve our standard of living. Our schools already have very qualified teachers, and any student who wants an education can get a good one. Yet many don’t. I don’t believe that’s the fault of the teachers. It is the fault of society, and the education system needs to figure out how to handle the many unmotivated, unsupported students. Simply a few less students per teacher across the board is not the answer. A new approach has to be created to involve the family and get teachers dealing with those students some help.

Greg,

What do you think of charter schools?

Mr. Stratton. In the past year or two the Ventura County School Board paid about $300,000 of taxpayer funds to a lobbying firm. That lobbying firm then made large political contributions to Tony Strickland. A review found that the lobbying firm had done nothing to bring more revenue to County Schools. The main driver of sending these tax dollars to this lobbying firm was former Strickland aide Chris Valenzano, Strickland friend Dean Kunicki, Marty Bates and Ron Matthews. Voters kicked out Valenzano over this scandal and elected Lisagor. Greg Totten did not investigate this, but when an Audra Strickland aide beat up an elderly vietnam vet and a young girl, Totten excused himself from the investigation because of his very close relationship with the Stricklands. As a former School Board member and Mayor, what is your opinion of this whole sordid affair?

Lobbyists donate to candidates or they don't stay in business very long. I'm not familier with this firm, so I don't know what their expertise is. Lobbyists are useful to focus on items unique to your district that are not being covered by the State wide groups. So maybe a Republican leaning lobbyist was a good idea. You have to look at the big picture. So I can't tell from just the data you provided.

In the City, we used a lobbyist who represented 'no tax' cities and was very successful in protecting our city from raids by the state. But it is a long term process, so its not often easy to see results in a few years.

Charter Schools cover a wide variety of school types, so its hard to say. One would have to look at the purpose of the school before I could comment.

In the LA district, Charter Schools seem to replace the magnet schools to attract students with higher parent involvement. Even in our non magnet schools, the level of parent involvement is pretty high, although it does vary from school to school. So I don't see how that niche is not being satisfied in Simi Valley.

That's not to say that there aren't other niches that could be served. Santa Susana has been sucessful as a magnet, but maybe there are others that are needed. Vocational (now Workforce) education has come back into popularity, so there could be an opportunity there. I know that Rob Collins has been looking at that area, but I don't know how much progress has been made.

So Mr. Stratton you have no issue with the VCSB giving $300,000 in taxpayer money to a lobbying firm that did nothing for the children of Ventura County and then gave thousands and thousands of dollars to Tony Strickland who had his former staffer Chris Valenzano elected to the County Board? Strickland was Valenzano's largest contributer when Valenzano ran for the Board. So are you saying taxpayer money should not go to educate children, but instead should go to right wing lobbyists who will then kick that money back to local politicians like Tony Strickland? This entire story was published in the Star recently. The new Board voted to end these payments to this lobbying firm and instead to use the money educating children.

I suspect there is more to the story than you have told me. I did not see the story, so I am missing the other side. So don't conclude anything about my position until I have been given the whole story.

Given the funding crisis in Sacramento, the boards decision to cancel the contract seems prudent. That does not mean it was wrong when they did it, just that its wrong now.

So it was not wrong to spend $300,000 of the taxpayers money on a lobbying firm that produced no results and deprived children of badly needed supplies and facilities? The voters kicked Valenzano out over this debacle, I guess the voters agreed this was a shameful waste of money and a blatant scheme to get taxpayer funds funneled into candidates pockets.

Merit pay's a great incentive amongst industries that have the option of doling out their year end profits. Public education doesn't have that option. There IS NO disposable income to hand out as bonuses. It survives on a fixed income, just like the elderly couple who survives off their monthly Social Security check.

Where do schools secure the year end bonuses if they can't even secure enough money to keep its teachers employed? Bake sales? Parking lot car washes? Increasing class size to 50+?

CA is drowning in simplistic solutions, can't you already tell.

Merit pay's a great incentive amongst industries that have the option of doling out their year end profits. Public education doesn't have that option. There IS NO disposable income to hand out as bonuses. It survives on a fixed income, just like the elderly couple who survives off their monthly Social Security check.

Where do schools secure the year end bonuses if they can't even secure enough money to keep its teachers employed? Bake sales? Parking lot car washes? Increasing class size to 50+?

CA is drowning in simplistic solutions, can't you already tell?

GS. What is your opinion of the VCSB paying $300,000 to a lobbying firm that produced zero results but is reported to have given Tony Strickland a big campaign donation and it just so happens the main driver of the lobbying deal was Chris Valenzano, former Strickland aide? Also Rick Waggoner ran GM into the ground and he is walking away with about 30 million dollars, is that 30 million what Wall St calls merit pay?

Greg,

Thanks for your comments on charter schools. I tend to agree that it really depends on community needs and how successful the existing schools are in fulfilling those needs.

I wouldn't waste your time responding to "Wyatt Earp." He's obviously an anti-Strickland shill who's just trying to bait you on the lobbying expenditures. There are plenty of guys like him who hang out on this blog.

Greg, Stephen,

Will students in your districts be impacted by budget cuts next year much? Do you think it will have an impact on student achievement?

Response to Mr. Stratton

The excess bureaucracy I am referring to is not at the Simi Valley local level. Simi is one of the more efficient districts around. However, in Ca. we have 1,059 school districts, over half with less than 500 students, we have a state superintendent, county superintendents, and local superintendents. We have a state school board, county school boards, and local school boards. This is just one example.
Agreed the state does terrible job overseeing the school system. Jack O'Connell has no clue and does far more harm than good. I completely understand the public education system is paid for by taxpayers and thus overseen by politicians. Taxpayers are not getting their money's worth partly because of silly ideas and "reforms" brought forth by politicians.
I am all for an intelligent accountability system. We currently do have one. Just a system of testing, testing, and more testing. This leaves far less time for teaching. Not wise. Just another knucklehead notion brought to our children by people who do not know or understand the education system.
We agree on how to make teaching more attraction. Teaching credentials are too difficult to obtain. Second careers teachers are hit hard by the social security offset. Teachers are indentured servants who cannot move from one district to another. Creativity is stifled, discipline problems continue to grow, and much of the enjoyment of the job has been eliminated.
Schools exist to create an educated population. Today, the ONLY real focus is on test scores. Children can tell this, drop out rates are rising, students are tired of being pushed to test better in order to make schools look good. The system is terribly out of order. The fault belongs to the well-meaning state politicians who have tired to "fix" schools and have made them worse in the process. Students, parents, teachers, local school boards, and local administrators have been left to attempt to put the pieces together. It gets more difficult every year.

My work is done on this blog debate. It has been an honor to participate in this ongoing discussion with someone of Mr. Stratton’s stature. Mr. Stratton has been an outstanding public servant to whom I tip my hat. Simi Valley is lucky to have your continued service. Thanks for all you do.
Thanks to Mr. Dennert for allowing me to participate in this forum.

Thank you as well. We have much more in common than in differences.

I don't understand the resistance to standardized testing. Testing has aways been a basic part of the the education process. The standard question in every classroom is "is that on the test?" Stardardized testing was being used at least 50 years ago in Ca. The only difference now is that someone is looking at the scores on a school and district level.

The current testing does seem like a extra workload because it has not been integrated into the classroom. Done correctly standardized testing can become a part of the process, not an extra effort. Advance placement tests are a good example of how the system can work.

And good news for second career teachers - since teacher salaries are not covered under SS, the earnings do not cause a reduction in SS payments!

All, Pay no attention to Mike "The loser" Gibson. He is a far right wing extremist jerk who has his head so far up Tony Strickland's rectum he can taste Phony Tony's hair gel. Tell us Mike, how does it feel to be a wack job and a political hack who will never be elected to public office because the electorate knows what a looney you really are? Are you still sad that Osborn threw you under the bus in your failed bid for office in Ventura? Maybe you and your wife should have prayed harder, then you might have won. But then again, if you did pray to win and lost, what is God really saying to you Mikey boy? Maybe he just doesn't like you. That aside, why do you and Stratton support giving $300,000 of taxpayer money to a lobbyist who then kicks that money back to Strickland for his campaign? I guess all your talk about the taxpayer money being sacred is really a load of crap.

"And good news for second career teachers-since teacher salaries are not covered under SS, the earnings do not cause a reduction in SS payments!" This is not an accurate statement. Public employees not covered by SS and who are in PERS and STRS have their SS benefits reduced as they become vested in PERS and STRS. To understand this completely call Buck McKeon's office or go to the Social Security website and look up WEP "Offsets". A little surprising that a former School Board member would be giving out false information on this blog. Second career employees must now be told by law that they will be getting the offset.

Scott Wilk of Anchor Consulting, one of the lobbyists who received the County Board of Education money, was also a fundraiser for Tony Strickland's campaign.

Here he is in photos on Flap's blog (as part of Team Strickland) at Tony's swearing in. Note bottom photo:

http://flapsblog.com/2008/12/03/photos-tony-strickland-sworn-into-the-california-state-senate/

Scott Wilk of Anchor Consulting, one of the lobbyists who received the County Board of Education money, was also a fundraiser for Tony Strickland's campaign.

Here he is in photos on Flap's blog (as part of Team Strickland) at Tony's swearing in. Note bottom photo:

http://flapsblog.com/2008/12/03/photos-tony-strickland-sworn-into-the-california-state-senate/

Wyatt Earp:

At the very least, the whole affair surrounding the lobbyist deal is sickening and needs to be investigated. It's also incredible that there are some who are still ignorant of what happened or who pass it off as the cost of doing business.

The Feds should have bought a majority of GM shares at present value, replaced the Directors and bankrupted the firm, making it possible to void any post-employment agreements...just like the airlines and others have already done with their own retiree contracts. We should be doing the same with every bank that gets bailed out. Void all agreements and fire their asses.

Also Rick Waggoner ran GM into the ground and he is walking away with about 30 million dollars, is that 30 million what Wall St calls merit pay?

Hey Wyatt, once Gibson gets called out he usually switches to his fake name of Mango Flaming, I mean Mongo Flamo.

Hey Wyatt,

I suggest you put your toy gun back in its holster and man up by posting under your real name.

You think that will happen, folks? Not a chance.

This guy's just a big coward and that's how all cowards act (hiding behind their keyboards under fake names).

I don't respond to phonies, cowards, and wimps. But if you ever decide to grow a pair, I'll see you at the OK Corral.

I guess you're the expert at cowardly keyboard assassination. Right, Mike?

Mike and others,

Focus on the debate or post on another entry.

Sheriff Dennert said he didn't want that kind of talk around here.. Now you git!

Hey Gibson, this was a strand on education issues. It has been as issue that your best good buddy Strickland and Valenzano have made $300,000 of the taxpayers money that was supposed to go to children's education disappear. No one asked your opinion because you are a complete nobody and not someone that anyone cares what you think or what you have to say. Now go back under your rock like a good little right wing wacko and leave the blogging to the adults you loser. I predict you will get beaten even worse in your next race. Did you ever ask your buddy Osborn why he threw you under the bus? HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mr. Blum. What do you think about the fact that local representatives Audra Strickland, Tony Strickland and George Runner refuse to meet with local Superintendents to discuss the education of children they are supposed to be representing? Why do you think they are afraid to meet?

We were not talking about teachers going into a second career, that does have the offset. We were talking about retired professionals teaching as a second career. If you are receiving SS, and you work, there is a reduction in your SS if you are under 65 and make too much. What a friend of mine who is teaching at a CC found is that the Public School income is not covered by SS so it doesn't count against that offset. So a retired 62 year old engineer can teach school and not lose any SS.

If you have worked 30 substantial years under SS, there is no reduction from the STRS offset anyway. So the 55 year old accountant can start a second career as a teacher, retire at 62 from SS and earn a second STRS retirement and not have a problem either. Its only the teacher who retires at 55 and works 10 years in SS that has the offset.

Mr. Stratton is correct that someone collecting SS is not offset provided they stay under the earnings limit, meaning they could not teach fulltime, or someone who has already put in 30 substantial years in SS. Anyone who does not meet these two criteria however will have their SS benefits offset by their STRS or PERS and they will have any benefits coming from a spouses SS offset by their STRS or PERS. This is why legislation is currently in Congress to repeal the offsets, basically you should receive the benefits you pay for, just like U.S. Congresspeople do.

Brian,

My apologies for Wyatt. It seems his unhealthy obsession with me has taken a turn for the worse.

He obviously has the attention span of a gnat and the intelligence of a mite. But, then again, it's probably not necessary for me to state the obvious.

Mike "The Loser" Gibson sounds like a crap salesman with a mouthfull of samples. It is not my fault Mike that you are a loser and that Osborn threw you under the bus. People won't vote for you because they know you are a far right wack job. Maybe your buddy Strickland will give you a job mowing his yard or something. When you lose your next election I will laugh and laugh and laugh! For everyone living in Ventura remember to never vote for Mike "The Loser" Gibson! He was a big Bush supporter!

Hey Wyatt ole Gibson really tucked his tail and ran. But don't worry, I'm sure he will crawl back from under his rock and go back to using his fake name of Mango Flamo.

Is Gibson running for Ventura City Council again? I'll give him this much. He's got huge huevos.

No, not huevoes, more like a mental problem if he thinks he can actually win, the people of Venutura will never elect Gibson, and I should know because I'M HIS DADDY!

Not so sure, Gibson's Daddy. Do you think the 4 Councilmen who are up for reelection in November will get voted in again? These guys have huge baggage to overcome with all the crappy decisions they've made over the last couple of years. We'll see, I guess.

Gibson will not do well in Ventura due to his ties to Strickland, Kunicki, and Boss Hogg Osborn. Ventura is a liberal town.

He should hit up Daddy's trust fund and move to Utah or Idaho with his holy-roller wife and set up shop there. I'm sure he'd do just fine there.