Good Morning:

I just finished Eric Cohen's letter to the editor this morning and it left me wondering why we are not interested in the implications of the "clerical error" at all and just excuses it as politically driven. Eric Cohen is speaking on behalf of the entire committee of volunteers and I would induce from this that all members of the committee have not run for school board.

Murphy's letter assigns intention of Mr. Cohen rather than addressing the issue of the 1.5 million and the potential that all projects will not be completed as promised. I could also assign intentions, but I do not believe it is helpful when looking at the facts of 1.5 million and no construction management firm in place starting September 1st. For instance, I could say, Murphy is trying to move up the union hierarchy or is trying to build loyalties with those that do not want to find out what is going on out of professional gain. Of course, that is totally inappropriate for me to say because I don't have all the facts about Mr. Murphy. I assume Murphy is well-intentioned and cares about the issue just as Mr. Cohen or Abele do and feel politics have nothing to do with this.

You could even say I am politically motivated or that Arleigh or Tim are politically motivated on this, but I just think we all care about education and getting the best school system in place for our kids.

I think just because Eric Cohen or Ed Abele or whomever has been involved in a political campaign for the school district in the past is irrelevant in terms of the Bond Oversight Committee's current responsibilities and getting the word out to the community, so it can make an adequate assessment of their tax dollars and whether the district can keep its promises to all of us.

I thought completion of all projects as promised is in all of our interests...

Scott

Yes Scott - Can you imagine Mr. Cohen's surprise when he heard from Gary Murphy that he (Cohen) was a candidate for the school board? He must have said "Did I miss a meeting?" It's almost like if you volunteer for the district using Mr. Murphy's logic, then that is to be seen as an affront to the hard working trustees, and is a clear sign that you are running for office.

PTA members and Read Across America volunteers take heed - your actions are being watched. Gary Murphy is sure that when you're reading to 1st graders, that you're really just playing politics!

SVUSD needs to figure out how to live up to the promises that 64% of voters believed...

Tim

Tim:

Do you think the district is breaking it's promises by not being able to fund all the projects?

What do you think can be done for the district to make sure all projects promised will be funded?

I'm looking forward to the auditors report that I believe will clear the District. When that happens I think Cohen, Hamilton and Abele should resign. Even if the District did transfer 1.5 million into the general fund from the bond that is not illegal as long as the money is spent on the bond. In terms of the bond I love the way Tim and others live in a fantasy world that the law of economics does not apply in Simi Valley, and that just because construction costs have soared and other Districts are having the same problem, that somehow this should not happen here. Also I found it interesting that the committee was fighting for Pinnacle One, even though the change to PMI will save 5 million and the fact that this was the Board's decision to make, and not the committee's. The fact that former Mayor Greg Stratton voted for PMI say's a lot, also the fact that current Mayor Paul Miller is on the committee and has not been saying much speaks volumns. Tim, did not Mr. Stratton endorse you in your last run for the Board? Are you now saying Mr. Stratton is wrong by voting for PMI? Make no mistake, this is political and certain people are trying to create a non-issue for them to run on in 06. I have also heard that members of the committee have cancelled three meetings to set up the web site, but Tim blames this on the District?! Also for the record Gary Murphy no longer works for SVUSD and has gone back to being an administrator at a private school so he is not trying to work his way up with the union, Gary was merely stating the obvious.

Perhaps Arleigh Kidd should attend a meeting of the ICOC. I have never seen a guy so expert, yet so terribly uninformed, on so many issues in all my life! The $1.5 Million issue is so far from political that political types like Arleigh have a hard time wrapping their brain around it. There are some issues and questions that have zero to do with politics.
For the good of the district I, and everyone else on the committee, truly wish that we could get a straight answer to a simple question so that we can move on. Six months and waiting for that straight answer.

Arleigh:

I am not running in 06, but I do believe that the spending of local bond funds to fulfill the promises made in C4 are important. I simply care about this issue and want the best facilities we can get.

Again, if there was nothing wrong with the 1.5 million in bond funds being in the adult ed fund, why did it need to be changed at all?

Arleigh: Are you running in 06 for school board?

Scott

I want to know one simple fact -

Does Arleigh Kidd agree with the following statement:

"If SVUSD wants their management of the bond money ($145 million) to be beyond reproach, then they must give the oversight committee the resources it needs, and the taxpayers the information they deserve."

Agree or disagree - no disertations please.

Chris - if the $1.5 milion issue has been asked about by the ICOC for six months, I would assume both the question and answers are in the group's minutes? How do we go about getting these from district?

Stratton's endorsement of my candidacy was indeed an honor Arleigh, but is irrelavent to this debate.

It's my understanding that the $5 mil is a savings from Bond management, but that the district now has to hire a construction manager, additonal staff and the like - And by the way, they need to start in exactly two weeks...

It's also my understanding that contingencies were built into each project estimate. That should cover most cost overruns in most situations. It doesn't cover 60% increases that SVUSD has signed off on.

Oh - and I'd love to be able to link you all to the district web site with the multiple bids, contracts and the like for us all to review... But as I said before, it doesn't exist, in violation of the ed code.

Arleigh - why is it you're all over everyone when they don't fulfil promises, but the SVUSD gets a pass? I would wonder how all of the teachers you claim to represent would feel about your defense of existing working conditions?

SVUSD has a lot of work to do to get credible on this issue.

Tim Keaney

Arleigh -

Another question - If it comes to light that the Trustees or District have broken the law, or that the $1.5 million "clerical error" was indeed a violation of the law, will you use the blog to call for resignations of staff or Trustees? I would imagine teachers and staff would be up in arms if bond money is being mismanaged.

Also - you mention the Mayor not speaking out. Here is his quote from the Daily News:

Mayor Paul Miller, who sits on the (Oversight Committee) board, said, "If the committee members express a concern, it certainly is a concern for me. I would support them in their position."

So - Sounds to me like the Oversight Committee is indeed on the same page.

Tim Keaney

Chris:

Is it true that the bond committee has not shown up to meetings with the district to get the website up and running as Arleigh states?

At a minimum, why can't the district just put the agendas and minutes on the home page with the trustee's agendas and minutes until they get the full website up?

Scott

Tim,
So it sounds like you are saying Greg Stratton made a mistake by voting for PMI and for voting for everything else that has happened with the bond? Paul Millers quote you gave really said nothing, sounds to me like he diplomatically said " Leave me out of it." Chris if you aren't into playing politics why did you put on the Hollow Hills SIP agenda to express your personal outrage at Hollow Hills teachers using their First Amendment rights to protest the Governor's education policies after working hours and on the sidewalk? What did that have to do with SIP?! Tim if the District did something illegal I would call for the resignation of anyone who knew about it and signed off on it. Are you trying to say Greg Stratton would sign off on something illegal? That is outrageous for you to say and I think you should apologize to Greg! Scott, no I will not run for the Board in 06 because it would be a conflict of interest, even though I could legally run. I will be pulling papers to serve on the Bond Oversight Committee as I have two children attending schools in the District. Chris is it true that at the last Bond meeting that the members were all complaining about lack of news coverage and so you guys were looking to create issues that would get you some coverage? I wasn't there so that's why I'm asking. Also Tim I've been meaning to ask you if it is true that you were asked to leave the Simi Valley Day's Carnival last year for trying to set up a booth without having paid for the right to do so. I have heard this from several people and if it is not true I would like to tell them that. Arleigh

Arleigh:

The Bond Oversight Committee didn't create the potentially illegal 1.5 million dollar transfer to the Adult Ed fund, they reported it. I don't think we should be shooting the messenger here, we should be focusing on why this happened and whose responsible.

I am still curious as to why the money was transferred back if nothing was wrong or illegal with this 1.5 million dollar transfer? It looks very suspicious and the answers by the district of an audit somewhere down the road make it look like the issue isn't even of concern for the district.

I think the district still has a chance to rectify the situation instead of going into deny mode.

I will also submit my name for the Bond Oversight Committee the next time openings come up as I think this is the most important issue facing our district and want to be more engaged.

Scott

Scott,
From what I understand the money was transferred to the Adult Ed building fund, which technically is a sub category of the general fund, then Pinnacle One (The group supported by the Oversight Committee) asked that for tracking purposes that the money be moved back to the bond fund, which was done. Again, it is not illegal to move bond money into the general fund as long as the money is tracked and only spent on bond approved projects. I put in my application today to serve on the Bond Oversight Committee and I think you should also Scott.

Hmmm - Simi Valley Days - Gosh Arleigh - Reminiscing about the campaign again eh? Let's see - The only time I even set foot at the carnival, was the night my good friends at the Simi Valley Republican Women's group asked me to work their booth for an hour or two and help one of them close. The first hour I worked the booth with Barbra Williamson if I recall! They later made me an honorary member!

Scott would be an excellent addition to the oversight committee. With the talent it has, and Scott's commitment before he even has kids in school would be outstanding.

At the same time, I don't think new blood will fix the accountability and communications problems. As I have said before, the district should be following the law, and communicating via press releases and the web to communicate these issues to the public - They should avoid even the APPEARANCE of impropriety. Otherwise, the alleged illegal $1.5 million transfer type of transaction will happen over and over again.

As someone who put out a ton of the signs for the C4 election, I want the district to take action.

Tim

Good Evening:

I think the transfer to the general fund looks suspicious and illegal and have said so a few times as the general fund is used to pay anything for a "lawful purpose" as defined by a book by Len Wood entitled "Dollars and Sense".

The reason I believe the transfer is illegal is because transferring the funds to the general fund comingles your funds. One could conclude that if you put bond funds in the general fund and decided to spend funds on let's say the electric bill, you are implicating bond funds into your monthly expenses, thus exposing them to unauthorized expenditures.

Placing bond funds in the general fund also inflates your financial statement to show that your organization is flush with cash, when it really isn't. An inflated financial statement could effect the overall bond rating of the school district in a positive, albeit a misleading way.

I can see why Pinnacle One would wanted it reversed as putting this transfer into that particular account could create a "comingling" problem for the district if it decided to spend money out of it.

The real problem is whether spending occured in the Adult Ed account that was not on the project list while the bond funds were in that specific general fund account. The transfer itself does looks suspicious as well...

I think the district should bump up the audit on the funds to ensure no other strange transfers occur that comingle funds into potential areas where unauthorized spending occurs.

I appreciate both Arleigh and Tim endorsing me to get involved on the Bond Committee, but feel I'm not the best candidate because I'm more worried about losing the funds and the opportunity to have better facilities than I am at understanding the fundamentals of school finance. It really appears people like Chris Hamilton, Ed Abele, and others really have a tough job. I will submit the application though.

Scott

I wanted to add this as to why I think the transfer was illegal as well. This was not from Ed Abele or from Chris Hamilton, but from the Star reporter...

Is this a correct statement from the Star's article entitled, "Bond Panel Seeks more Facts" saying that the transfer to the General Fund is illegal?

"Schultze said an independent audit looking specifically at the issue -- whether bond money was intentionally transferred into the district's general fund, which is illegal -- will soon be performed, and he is committed to getting the information to the committee as it has requested."

Is Shultze conceding the transfer to the general fund is illegal or did the reporter put that in?

Scott

I've thought about the 1.5 million dollar bond transfer and I have one thing to add.

1. I know district retains 2-3 atty's offices and I'm wondering why the Board of Trustees does not seek a legal opinion on this transfer and release it to the Star?

In the Vista Real Charter School issue, the Ventura County Board of Education ignored the law and ignored a staff report that outlined the law for the Board. I think the Simi Valley Unified School District should review this 1.5 million dollar transfer to the Adult Ed Fund with their attorney's and release the results to either admit a mistake or exonerate themselves.

I think the public deserves a full legal review consistent with the Strict Local School Construction Accountability Act. Arleigh, Chris, and Tim have been kind enough to explain some of the points surrounding this question, now I'd like this same effort from some local legal and accounting experts.

Scott

I read Gary Murphy's letter to the editor and Mr. Cohen's response. My question is this. Mr. Kidd seems to be very well informed as to district issues - do you work for the district? You said in an earlier post that Mr. Murphy no longer works at the district. How would he know if anything got transferred or not if he's not an employee of the district?

Is this the same Murphy guy who ran for school board a couple of times? I wonder if he's disgruntled.

Mike

No Gary Murphy never ran for School Board, Mike Murphy ran for the Board. Tim you seem very defensive about the Simi Valley Day's incident, I was just trying to clear your good name. I had heard that you set a chair in front of the Republican booth and put your signs next to you and tried to hand out your literature and you were told by event organizers you had to leave. If you wanted your own booth you should have used strategic planning and planned ahead. Mike I did work for the District but no longer do. I just hope when the auditor's report comes out that the Star will give it front page coverage and not bury it in the back. Also this is my last blog on this blog, I will be hanging out on Brian Dennerts blog for now on, I am tired of interjecting truth on this blog only to be attacked because my views are not in line with the six people who read this blog. Besides, I find Dennerts blog more interesting. So long!

Arleigh,

Don't go! We're all going to miss the deep debate like what I did or didn't do at Simi Valey Days. Yep - that's indeed a pressing educational issue facing Ventura County today. You've got your facts wrong again, even on this "issue".

You are aware of the fact that your candidates WON the election right? Just checking.

You see folks, Arleigh doesn't want to debate facts - Scott, Jerre and others have posted tons of interesting material, and yet all Arleigh seems to want to do is make me the issue, rather than the potentially mis-appropriated $1.5 million, the termite infested teacher working conditions, the 2% teacher raises, the overcrowded Middle and High Schools, etc..etc..

Right - all Arleigh Kidd wants to do is create this "phenomenon of anger" against people who disagree with him and want what's best for our kids in school...

People like me...

Hey y'all,

Many you guys are cynical. I know Gary Murphy and he is a man of high character. Real High. And I have heard that from people that do not work with, or for him.

Gary has done alot for the district.

He is not disgruntled, trying to make his way in a teacher's union, or part of the vast conspiracy.

I haven't read his letter in a few weeks, but whatever he said, he honestly believes it, with no agenda.

So please, before anyone else posts about him, take your time and consider that.

Brian

Hi Brian:

If you go back and read what I've written about Mr. Murphy's letter to the editor, I never attacked his character the way he attacked the Volunteer Bond Oversight Committee.

Second, I don't believe that pointing out flaws with the bond is being cynical nor am I a very cynical person. I continue to work very hard in the Simi Valley community on all sorts of issues that I believe in.

Cynics usually say nothing will ever change for the better, I believe we have an obligation to try and better our community.

I serve on numerous boards that mediate mobile home rents, regulate air quality, and monitor local city campaign finance issues. I've also served as secretary on neighborhood council and liason to the Housing Opportunities Made Easy (HOME) Committee.

This year I got involved in the neighborhood council's Arroyo Clean-up and have worked as a reading tutor for illiterate adults. I have been involved with the Coalition on Senior Housing in the past to make sure seniors can still afford to live in this community on fixed incomes.

I also spent ten weeks training in the community emergency response team (CERT) last fall, which I recommend everyone do.

In college, I registered students to vote for the 2000 election and worked to reform student government to break the fraternity monopoly on power. I just don't like government boards defined by one interest group.

As a recent grad of Leadership Simi Valley, we are working on bringing a teen center to the community and this weekend I'll be working security at the Boy and Girls Club teen concert to raise funds.

I also am also serving as treasurer for the Santa Susana Booster Club, which is trying to raise funds for a Student Performing Arts Center.

Recently, I submitted a letter to the State Superintendent of Schools to look into the illegal siting of the Vista Real Charter school and am trying to figure out a way to push for stricter regulations on the access points related to mini-alcohol bottles at liquer stores that seem to be getting into teenager hands and is a major contributor to teenage alcoholism.

I also want to really make a push on greater affordable housing in the community for teachers like you as well as helping people who work in the service sector.

I have worked on numerous campaigns on what I call both sides of the center in the past and enjoy a good debate on ideas not on personalities.

I think it's honorable that you stick up for your friend, but plain and simple, I'm not making the bond an issue for cynical political purposes as Murphy has suggested. I'm making it an issue because it's the right thing to do in my mind and I think it's a little too simplistic to just dismiss this as politically driven. And yes, I've put in a request for an application for the bond oversight committee.

Scott

Two interesting pieces in the news yesterday about the Apollo modernizaion. One - I think it's great that this school is getting a much needed facelift, and I want to commend the district for that - But then this little ditty ws also reported:

"District staff received a large surprise recently when they couldn't find an approval for seven modular classrooms being used at the district's only continuation school.

The buildings, which range from 34 to 41 years old, should have been on file with the Division of State Architect's office as approved, but could not be found"

How could these documents not be found? Wouldn't there be a backup set, or an archive? That's disconcerting, and perhaps staff should find out if ALL building approvals (we have a LOT of modulars in our district) are indeed approved. I understand this might have happened a long time ago, but the district and state must be protective of documents related to classroom construction.

This is a very important issue in regards to student safety on campus.

Tim

Brian,

I appreciate your comments about Mr. Murphy. However, for the record, it was Mr. Murphy who started the character assesments. Here is the un-edited "Letter to the editor" that was published by the Star.

Letters: Ventura County
August 10, 2005

Bond panel must focus

Flexibility and adaptability are measures of real leadership.

The Simi Valley Unified School District has determined that a change in the management of the construction work throughout the district is necessary to save money and to make the project more efficient. As a teacher, who lived with the construction at Royal High School for more than a year, I agree.

The district has now come under fire from two members of the independent panel appointed to oversee the spending of the bond for this change. The responsibility of this panel is to make sure the money approved by voters is spent wisely, not to micromanage the construction project.

The problem is that failed and aspiring school board candidates have been included on this panel. Ed Abele and Eric Cohen have been the most vocal critics and are clearly trying to stake out territory for future campaigns.

Mr. Cohen's view of this change in management in time to qualify for federal matching grants was, "It's just not going to happen." With that kind of support from our leaders, it is indeed very hard to succeed. Optimism in the face of adversity is a a quality our leaders must have, a notion Mr. Cohen doesn't seem to grasp.

In addition to criticizing the recent management change, Mr. Abele has been trying to make an issue of a clerical error that seemed to call for a transfer of bond money into the district's general account. This clearly is in the jurisdiction of the independent panel, but the problem is that no such transfer ever occurred. The error was observed by the district and immediately corrected.

Mr. Abele proved to be a critic of all things in the district last year in his campaign for school board. Now that he has a leadership position, he is making mountains out of molehills to use in his next campaign.

Leadership is about overcoming obstacles, not creating them.

Our schools need work inside and out. It takes serious, dedicated and selfless leaders to make them work. I urge the independent panel to put ambitions at bay and do the job it was appointed to do instead of overstepping its bounds and creating even more obstacles to the meaningful progress of our schools.

-- Gary E. Murphy, Simi Valley

And Mr. Cohen's response:

Panel keeps tab on bond

Re: Gary Murphy's Aug. 10 letter, "Bond panel must focus":

As a member of the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee, and one whose comments and character are being questioned, I must respond. I speak not only for myself, but as the spokesperson for the Oversight Committee.

The committee's responsibility is to make sure bond proceeds are spent in accordance with law. We feel we have the right to question the wisdom of decisions made regarding the bond.

I would like to know how many of our meetings, always open to the public, Murphy has been to. Sadly, very few choose to attend. Rather than chiding me for not being "optimistic in the face of adversity," Murphy might have understood that I am being realistic.

Our responsibility is to the community, the taxpayers who voted for this bond. It is our belief that it is extremely unlikely all projects will be completed. We are insisting the public be made aware of these issues now, so discussion can take place, rather than five years from now when the money may well run out.

I resent Murphy's implication that I should not be allowed to express my views.

What I said "wouldn't happen" had nothing to do with matching funds. I said, and I quote: "(The school district) is going to make an assumption that we're going to have a management company up and running in 30 days. It's not going to happen. It's just not going to happen."

Murphy claims the district never transferred $1.5 million from the bond fund to the general fund. It did and the committee was told this several times. We have not, however, been given all the information we requested several times: How did it happen, who authorized it and what is being done to make sure it doesn't happen again?

-- Eric Cohen, Independent Citizens Oversight Committee, Simi Valley

This is from today's acorn...

Watch group voices no confidence in school board and staff
By Michelle Knight knight@theacorn.com

The chair of a school bond oversight committee recently said he has no faith in the Simi Valley Unified School District board of education or its administrative staff.

Chris Hamilton chairs the 13member Independent Citizens Oversight Committee (ICOC), which is responsible for overseeing how a $145-million school improvement bond is spent. Voters approved the bond through Measure C4 in March 2004 to fund the modernization of 32 schools in the SVUSD. Proposition 39 requires an independent committee be formed when school bonds are passed with a 55 percent majority of the votes.

Hamilton said his group “is remarkably unified” in their frustration with the staff and that he personally has no faith in the board of education because of their decision last month to change bond management companies.

The board opted to work with Program Management Integration, which said it could save the district $5 million and become fully operational in 30 days.

Hamilton said, “I don’t just doubt (the 30-day transitional period), I know for a certainty that’s not going to happen.”

Problems surfaced earlier this year when staff seemed unresponsive to the committee’s requests for information, said Eric Cohen, another ICOC member. He said reports weren’t given to them in a timely manner, which meant months of delays since they meet every two months. And when reports were received, the committee had to comb through hundreds of pages of “murky” bureaucratic language to get to “meaningful” data, he said.

“Clearly there were signs of foot dragging,” Cohen said. “I would expect to get a higher level of cooperation from staff, certainly more than (what) we got.”

Cohen said problems continued when a February presentation by the school board staff and PinnacleOne, the bond management company at the time, showed a $1.5-million transfer from the bond fund to the general fund, which is illegal. The oversight committee’s primary job is to ensure bond money doesn’t go into the general fund, which could be used to fund things other than the voter-approved modernization project.

The committee questioned staff about the transfer and then again in May and July, when the transfer appeared as an agenda item at a committee meeting but staff offered no clear answer, Cohen said.

“We want clear answers, concise answers and complete information in a timely fashion,” Cohen said.

Lowell Schultze, deputy superintendent of business services, who only began attending ICOC meetings last month, said he’ll make sure the committee gets the exact information they need.

Janice DiFatta, school board president, said she’s not certain the entire oversight committee is dissatisfied. She, Hamilton and school Superintendent Kathy Scroggin meet regularly to ensure the oversight committee gets the information they need.

“From my understanding, we’ve met those needs,” DiFatta said.

Hamilton and Cohen said they’re also frustrated that the school board may not be giving the public the complete picture on the modernization projects; there’s not enough bond money to complete all of them due to the rise in the cost of materials and construction.

Atherwood Elementary, for example, is $3.3 million over budget, Cohen said.

Hamilton listed the schools where bond money is likely to run out before the final two phases of their modernization projects are completed.

Elementary schools include Lincoln, Atherwood, Berylwood, Big Springs, Garden Grove, Hollow Hills, Katherine, Madera, Mountain View, Park View Center, Sycamore, Township, Vista, White Oak and Wood Ranch.

Middle schools include Hillside, Sinaloa and Valley View. Apollo High School, a continuation school, and Simi Valley Adult School and Career Institute are also on the list.

The oversight committee’s next meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. Thurs., Sept. 1 at 2468 Tapo Canyon Road in the conference room.

Y'all,

The first word of my post was "y'all". I am not sticking up for Gary Murphy's point of view. Nor am I attacking it.

I have NOT been to a single board oversight meeting or a school board meeting about this issue.

My only point:

Gary is not trying to move up in his union, get another job, ink a book deal, set up a run for governor if Arnold is recalled, get a special use permit for a dump next to a children's playground etc.

Scott, I wasn't attacking you, I just hope EVERYONE can attack each other's point of view, rather than guess if they have a secret agenda.
Thanks for your service to our community.

I have a question related to construction management. According to the Oversight Committee, there is no construction management company as of September 2nd. Who will manage the projects? If there is no construction management company, then how can the district meet its performance audit and the efficiency standards that will be tested?

Will the district just go ahead and say, sorry we don't have that component for the performance audit?

I understand the district wants to save money, but how much would it cost them to haphazardly hunt for a new construction management company? Usually quick fixes end up costing more money. This seems very problematic to me as well. I hope the district can get someone in place by September 2nd.

Plus, if there is no one managing the construction costs, how can parents be assured that site safety is not compromised as well? Construction areas are usually very dangerous areas and I would want to make sure those areas are secured and managed properly for both teachers, administrators, and students.

I am more concerned than outraged right now. I think we need to get this fixed before school starts.

Scott Blough

No construction management company? Is my child safe on campus????

Brian:

When we hitting up subcontractor?

Scott

Gina,

Thanks for your post, and welcome to the blog!

I am only blogging and don't know the situation at your individual school. You'll need to ask your Principal or District rep about campus safety.

In reality from my vantage point: if there is no construction in place by the deadline, the district has two options:

1. Cease all construction activities until one is in place (which will cause ven more delay and more expense)

2. Extend the contract of the original company month to month (which I would assume would be expensive.

Either way, Safety should be paramount.

Tim

Gina,

Thanks for your post, and welcome to the blog!

I am only blogging and don't know the situation at your individual school. You'll need to ask your Principal or District rep about campus safety.

In reality from my vantage point: if there is no construction in place by the deadline, the district has two options:

1. Cease all construction activities until one is in place (which will cause even more delays and more expense)

2. Extend the contract of the original company month to month (which I would assume would be expensive.

Either way, Safety should be paramount.

Tim

I also hope that when Apollo is upgraded, that staff will consider making it a Wireless Access Campus instead of trenching to lay data cables. Will really help the students, and save the district a ton of money.

Tim

From this morning’s Star:

----article---

Collins said Lowell Schultze, assistant superintendent of business services, has shown Collins all the documentation about the transfer.

"I think we can give them all the information they can possibly need to show everything's been handled above board," said Collins.

"I think Lowell Schultze and his staff should be credited for having the safeguards in place to have caught it," Collins added. "And the money was for allowed expenses. No violations of law were made."

---end---

This is now the 3rd answer to explain this transfer!

1. Transfer didn’t happen
2. Transfer happened but we caught it and reversed it
3. Transfer was for “allowed expenses”

Will the real answer for the $1.5 million transfer please stand up?

I would suggest that the district post all of the documents they give to the Oversight committee on the district web site as well so the public can know it's money is being managed.

Tim Keaney

I was happy to see that at last night's meeting, the Board of Trustees sided with the Bond Committee and will bring in a seperate performance audit to ensure independence...

This morning's article finally stating the 1.5 million is a legal transaction is very good news for everyone involved. I think this also shows that the concerns of the Oversight Committee need to be taken care of very early. If this transaction would have been fully explained months ago, it would have never became such a huge issue.

I hope that this audit report will be posted on a website.

Scott

Why is Arleigh so obsessed with me - It's a bit scary. See - while he's left our blog, he hasn't stopped talking about me - He won't talk about education or anything important, just me and my so-called political aspirations.

Read for yourself: http://blogs.venturacountystar.com/vcs/dennert/

Tim