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December 30, 2005
Um, maybe we should build Classrooms this round
Jarvis group out this morning with a fascinating article on Prop 39 School Bonds. Here's a tidbit:
---
The numbers reveal an electorate that is starting to get irritated
with all these local bonds, especially from districts that have
proposed multiple measures. Of the 5 districts that were pursuing
their second or third Proposition 39 bond measure this last November,
none cleared the two-thirds vote hurdle, although all ended up passing
with less than a two-thirds vote.
---
What do you think of Prop 39 and its results? What do you think of the oversight provided?
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Tim
Posted by Tim Keaney at 09:30 AM
December 28, 2005
What's your take?
Both the Daily News and the Star have reported on dissension on the SVUSD board.
What is your take?
Posted by Tim Keaney at 11:14 AM
December 23, 2005
Thanks!
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to all of you. Thanks for reading, sharing your ideas, concerns and thoughts.
Here's to a great debate, and to solutions in 2006.
Tim Keaney
Posted by Tim Keaney at 10:09 PM
December 21, 2005
Operation $14,000
"Per pupil funding" is an overused and inconsistent milestone that various special interests use to justify their position that funding is either sufficient or insufficient.
Estimates range from $6500 to almost $10,000 in California's per pupil funding depending on who you ask. The conventional wisdom is if you exclude Title 1, and building construction costs, per pupil funding in California is between $6000 & $7000 per student.
Many pundits today are talking about HUGE bond issues coming next year from the Governor and Legislature, that will vastly increase infrastructure investments. With tax revenues also going up with school enrollments flattening, experts expect per pupil funding to go up.
SO - where do we go from here? Can we increase per pupil funding dramatically to increase educational resources?
Can California step up and eliminate the waste and inefficiences to wring out every necessary dollar?
Can county school agencies take up more of the administrative slack (although they already do a lot) to cut adminstrative costs?
How can we increase the arts, school supply budgets and teacher quality initiatives?
How can we get politics out, be less adversarial and more about the kids?
Do students deserve an educational Bill of Rights?
As we progress towards the new year, I welcome your thoughts.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year...
Tim Keaney
Posted by Tim Keaney at 02:21 PM
Iceberg....RIGHT AHEAD!
Leave it to the Simi Unified Board of Trustees to be leaders and tackle the tough educational issues of the day. NCLB funding cuts, deteriorating teacher working conditions, lack of adequate technology and teaching supplies, and a bond program experiencing serious cost overruns are all topics our Trustees could be tackling. And yet, when we open the Star, we don‘t see those issues being addressed, but we do see a squabble over who will be President of the Board of Education.
The President of the School Board is a perfunctory role, and many districts rotate it amongst members so everyone gets a fair chance. But if you follow the SVUSD in the Star, you get the impression that who gets to be President is actually an issue facing our schools, rather than the ruse that it is to distract the public from what is actually going on.
It’s been almost 2 years since Simi voters passed Measure C4, a $145 million bond package to improve our schools. Do you know what’s going on with the money? Do you know what’s next on the project list? Are voters aware that by state law, the District needs to post this information on a web site available to the public, but has yet to do so? Do voters know that the district recently reduced the size of the Oversight Committee by 43%?
Trustees need to stop squabbling over seats, and get the work done they are elected to do. This battle over the school board presidency seems to me nothing more than a literal rearranging of the deck chairs on the Titanic.
Tim Keaney
Posted by Tim Keaney at 10:54 AM
December 19, 2005
SHRINKAGE!
It's a classic and timeless Seinfeld tale, but now apparently it applies if you've been in the pool too long with the Simi Valley Unified School District.
Apparently, having an unruly bunch of independant overseers is JUST TOO MUCH for the SVUSD minions. 13 people! How will we manage THAT! That's 13 packets of information! 13 copies of bids and procedures! 13 more people that won't be able to tell the public what's going on with THEIR $145 million!
The Chairman of the committee doesn't re-up...the Mayor doesn't re-up. The "official" spokesman of the committee tries to re-up, but the District says no. Then the District cuts the size of the Independant Oversight Committee by 44%.
Anyone feeling better about your tax dollars at work at the SVUSD?
Tim
Posted by Tim Keaney at 11:58 AM
December 14, 2005
Thanks for Reading Peter
Apparently, Peter Schrag of the Sac Bee has been reading our blog...
http://www.sacbee.com/content/opinion/story/13977876p-14811705c.html
Let's discuss school reform!
Tim
Posted by Tim Keaney at 09:30 AM
December 02, 2005
Brian Dennert - Guest Blogger
Dennert here. I have my own blog
here at the Star. I normally write about Ventura County Politics. Tim Keaney and I are doing a cross promotion where we guest blog on each other's site. I can't wait to see what trouble he is thinking up. If you want up to date information about who is running, what the latest word on the street is, or where the next event is go to my
But for
news you are in the right
I read this story a couple of months back and it caught my eye to say the least:
Man in jail elected to school board
• A newly elected school board member in the Romoland,
Calif., school district won’t be attending many board meetings -- he is in jail.
Randy Logan Hale declared his candidacy in August, then was returned to prison in September for violating his parole on 1998 convictions for spousal abuse and drug possession. Law enforcement officials are conducting an investigation to determine whether Hale broke the law in getting his name on the ballot.
Hale received 831 votes in the Nov. 8 election, making him the third-highest vote getter and thus the winner of one of three open positions on the Romoland school board, says Superintendent Roland Skumawitz. The district, about 70 miles north of San Diego, has just two schools, both of them elementaries.
“I have no idea why he ran,” Skumawitz says, noting that Hale never went to any school board meetings or candidate forums.
And he doesn’t know why so many people voted for Hale. It’s been speculated that Hale probably got votes because his name was at the top of the ballot.“It’s like when you’re looking for a plumber in the yellow pages and you select AAA,”
Skumawitz says.
I am not attacking school boards. God knows they are mostly filled with community minded people.
But what is wrong with these voters? Every last one of them should be ashamed of themselves. Our students are literally our future, and they put that future into the hands of a man behind prison bars?
We know tax payers want well funded schools. We know they want to see value for thier dollar and progress. But, do they really know what is going on? If we can't trust voters to read simple ballot statements and vote for people NOT IN JAIL, can we trust them with anything?
People talk about impeaching Presidents....but is there any way to impeach voters?
Love to hear your thoughts...
Posted by Tim Keaney at 06:47 PM
December 01, 2005
We're going to Disneyland!
California Educators: What are you going to do with all of the cash?
From the Sac Bee:
School enrollment growth is now virtually flat statewide after years of rapid growth. The economy, meanwhile, continues to expand, producing higher tax revenues for the state. With a dedicated share of that new revenue reserved for public education, the schools will have more money to spend on the same number of students, meaning more dollars will be available for each.
---end---
Assuming tax revenues continue to increase, and assuming enrollment stays flat, or at least continues to age demographically, California schools could be in for a windfall even if the Legislature STANDS PAT (oh... well, there is NO chance of that).
What do you think California will do with this money?
T
Posted by Tim Keaney at 03:33 PM
