Greater Orange News Service

Metro TALK ______________
A community service of Orange Net News /O/N/N/

El Modena High School music teacher arrested on sex charge

The Orange County Register broke the story the Orange police acting on a complaint arrested El Modena High School music teacher Carlie Attebury for sexual misconduct with a male student. The Orange Police learned about the complaint on October 10, 2008 and interviewed Attebury about the matter and arrested her on October 13, 2008. Attebury was released after posting a $50,000 bail. Orange Unified has placed her on administrative leave.

Attebury, an Orange resident and relatively new teacher at El Modena H.S., earned her Preliminary Single Subject Teaching Credential in music in December 2003. Her current Clear Teaching Credential was not set to expire until 2012. If charged and convicted, Attebury will loose her credential. Attebury taught the AP Music Theory class and directed the high school band.

The Attebury case is just the latest in a string of staff scandals related to sexual misconduct at El Modena H.S. The high school was also ground zero in the legal battle Colin vs Orange Unified that confirmed the El Modena Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) club’s right to meet at the high school under the 1984 federal Equal Access Act.

The story of the Attebury case quickly spread across the web on blogs and news sites.

OC REGISTER Story

TRU TV

SO STYLO BLOG

BARSTOOL SPORTS

ELECTION DAY LINES
With expectations of heavy turnout on Election Day the Orange County Registrar of Voters is issuing a warning to voters of the potential for lines for the November 4, 2008 Presidential Election. The OC Registrar of Voters has received a record number of voter registrations prior to the Presidential Election. There are well over 100,000 more registered voters than there were for the General Election of 2004.

The high number of registered voters, a long ballot and high level of interest in the election will potentially produce lines at many polling places. In addition, voters need to be aware that parking will be limited at some polling places.
The best chance to avoid lines is by voting mid-day if possible. The busiest times for polling places are in the morning and after work. The OC Registrar of Voters has increased the number of voting systems being deployed to poll sites and are allocated equipment based on what is anticipated to be a historical turnout.

For additional information on planning ahead from the OC Registrar of Voters
CLICK ON: VOTE



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eLECTION Watch 2008
an Orange Net News
Special News and Analysis Series

Union money dominates Orange Unified races
Wonder how much that glitzy Arianna Barrios website cost? Want to know who has the largest campaign war chest? Ever wonder what candidates do with their money when they don’t have any opponents? Answers to those questions and other interesting information can be gleaned from the mandatory campaign filings for the races for the Orange Unified School Trustee seats.

The last mandatory filing deadline for campaigns to report contributions and expenses before the November election was Thursday October 23rd. Greater Orange campaign contributors include local power players, perennial contributors, Political Action Committees and unions. As always, Orange Unified’s unique position spanning several cities and communities in the center of Orange County has also attracted contributions from outside Greater Orange.

Even after contributing over $20,000 to two local campaigns, the local teachers’ association remains a major player in Greater Orange politics with a remaining political war chest of almost $60,000. Champ of the fundraising race is Florice Hoffman who raised $60,000. Hoffman’s war chest was filled mostly by union money from union locals, union Political Action Committees and union representatives. Arianna Barrios raised the most money directly from the Greater Orange Communities including her own political family which loaned or donated almost $10,000 in family money.

Alexia Deligianni’s main supporter is the Education Alliance, the same group who gave OUSD the Marty Jacobson-Kathy Ward-Maureen Ashoff* Recalled School Board. Deligianni lists herself on the official 460 form as “substitute teacher” for the Orange County County High School of the Arts. Also despite the legal reporting threshold for contributions being $100, Deligianni lists a $99 contribution to her campaign from Orange Council member Denis Bilodeau’s campaign Friends of Denis Bilodeau.
*What ever happened to Maureen? CLICK ON Dr. MAUREEN

OUSD Trustee John Ortega had no opponent in his bid for a third term, so his Eco-Tech Inc. provided war chest went mostly to another candidate Arianna Barrios. Jerry Winant spent the largest percentage of his $2, 142 on a CPA for his paperwork. Winant also had $100 contribution from Canada.

The following information contains only the noteworthy information Orange Net News was taken from the campaigns filing of the required California 460 Campaign Disclosure Statements.

Orange Unified Education Association Education Action Committee (PAC)
Beginning cash: $ 75,847
Cash on hand: $59 890

Noteworthy contributions entries:
California Teachers Association - $7,500

Noteworthy expenses:
Florice Hoffman Campaign- $18,229
Arianna Barrios Campaign - $ 5,000
Political Mailer - $5,021

Florice Hoffman for Orange Unified School District Board
Raised year to date: $ 60,297
Spent year to date: $ 58,493
Cash on hand: $ 1,799
Outstanding Debts $ 0

Noteworthy contribution entries:
Orange Teachers Association PAC (Orange, CA) $22,906 ($4,677 returned)
Service Employees Union #721 (Los Angeles, CA) $500
DRIVE Committee (El Monte, CA) $ 1,500
UURWAW Union PAC (Washington, DC) $250
OC Federation of Labor PAC (Burbank, CA) $500
AFL-CIO #36 Union (Los Angeles, CA) $250
David Melman UNITE HERE Union (Hopewell, NJ) $100
Elizabeth Duarte UNITE HERE Union (Mira Loma, CA) $500
Leslie Blanchard IATSE #504 Union (Stanton, CA) $150
Eric Henry TEAMSTERS #952 Union (Whitter, CA) $100
Patrick Kelly TEAMSTERS #952 Union (Orange, CA) $100
IBEW # 47 Union PAC (Diamond Bar) $1000
LA/OC Building Trades Council (Los Angeles, CA) $100
Planned Parenthood OC/San Bernardino PAC $4,000
Antonio Orea SEIU Union (Orange, CA) $200
Mary Lou Salmeron TEAMSTERS #986 (Covina, CA) $100
Shannon Silva TEAMSTERS # 683 (San Diego) $300
UAOJAAOTPAPF Union (Santa Ana, CA) $2,000
Operating Engineers Union 12 PAC (Pasadena, CA) $2,641 (in kind printing)
Operating Engineers Union # 12 (Pasadena, CA) $2827 (in kind printing)
Orange County Leaders for Change (Burbank, CA) $5,400 (in kind)
Orange County Leaders for Change (Burbank, CA) $11,045 (cash)

Noteworthy expenses:
Continuing the Republican Revolution (mailers)-$850.
Orange County Leaders for Change (Burbank, CA)-$11,045 (cash)
Republican Women’s Voice (mailers)-$864
Slate Mailer -$ 1,233
California Voter Guide - $2400
Elizondo Communications (internet/email/web) $6578
Orange Teachers Association PAC (return contributions) $4,677

Friends of Arianna Barrios
Raised year to date: $ 26,984
Spent year to date: $ 24,070
Cash on hand: $ 2,052
Outstanding Debts $ 4,300

Noteworthy contribution entries:
William Steiner- (Orange, CA) $250
Carolyn Cavecche-(Orange, CA) $200
Orange Police Association-$ 500
Rodger Faubel (Lake Forest, CA) $1,000
Friends to Elect John Ortega - $2,000
Orange Teachers Association PAC - $5,000
Brian Lochrie (Orange, CA) $2,500
Arianna Barrios (Orange, CA) $1,000

Loans
To herself and from husband Brian Lochrie -$4,300

Noteworthy expenses:
Slate Mailer- $500
Orange City News-$1,225
Direct Mail- $3,147
Robo Calls- $1,500
Website- $2,500

Friends of Alexia Deligianni
Raised year to date: $ 12,924
Spent year to date: $ 11,705
Cash on hand: $ 1,469
Outstanding Debts $ 5,641

Noteworthy contribution entries:
Friends of Denis Bilodeau - $99.00
The Education Alliance PAC- $1,500

Noteworthy expenses:
Taxpayer Protection Slate Mailer-$250 (canceled and refunded)
La Familia Slate Mailer -$200
Republican Slate Mailer- $250
Villa Park Republican Slate Mailer - $250
Time Warner Cable- $2,000

Friends of John Ortega
Raised year to date: $ 4,698
Spent year to date: $ 3,562
Cash on hand: $ 3,348
Outstanding Debts $ 0

Noteworthy contribution entries:
Eco-Tech Inc.( Anaheim, CA) $3,000
Noteworthy expenses:
Arianna Barrios Campaign $ 1,000

Friends of Jerry Winant
Raised year to date: $ 2,142
Spent year to date: $ 1,832
Cash on hand: $ 310
Outstanding Debts $ 0

Noteworthy contribution entries:
Brian Alters (Quebec, Canada) $100
Noteworthy expenses:
CPA Services - $870
Mailer-$387
Foothills Sentry Ad- $189.00

Mark Wayland
No record of 460 form filing (10/26/08).

eLECTION Watch 2008
is an independent news service of /O/N/N/
Orange_NetNews@yahoo.com
“Independent Local Insight”

ORANGE Unified Schools INSIDE
a news service of Orange Net News /O/N/N/
Independent insight into OUSD

It’s back:
OUSD OFFICAL CENSORSHIP RETURNS and…
Ledesma's vote against consultant fees spurs discussion on
OUSD Consultant Culture

OUSD Censors Rocco Photo display
In a return to the government censorship employed under former OUSD Superintendent Dr. Thomas Godley, the Orange Unified School District again has censored the broadcast of an OUSD Board of Trustee’s meeting. Like before, controversial OUSD Trustee Steve Rocco was again the subject of the governmental censorship. In the cable broadcast to the community of the October 16th, 2008 OUSD Board Meeting, OUSD blurred out OUSD Trustee Steve Rocco’s photo display he placed in front of him on the Board Room dais. Throughout the cable broadcast OUSD blurred the three large photographic images in the same fashion that broadcast television blurs sexually explicit images.

What type of explicit photos is the school district saving the voters and citizens of Greater Orange from? Their elected officials!

Rocco’s dais displays began years ago with the placement of a soft drink bottle in front of him to protest the exclusive agreement between OUSD and Pepsi-Co allowing the soft drink giant exclusive rights to sell sugary non-carbonated beverages (i.e. Gatorade) on secondary campuses throughout the district. The Rocco display quickly morphed into a photographic display of various Rocco elected nemesis that have included former OUSD Trustee Robert Viviano, OUSD Trustee Kathy Moffat, and the famous image of Trustee John Ortega standing over Rocco during their shouting match (which was censored from the OUSD Broadcast to the community). One of the offending photos on display that was censored this month by the district bureaucrats was of absent OUSD Board President Wes Poutsma. Poutsma, who is ill, has missed several Board meetings leaving the duties of President to Trustee Melissa Smith. The last two OUSD Board meetings Poutsma has only attended the Closed Session meetings enabling him to be paid his monthly Trustee pay without a formal resolution to pay him from the Board and saving a fight over declaring his seat “vacant” due to absences.

Rocco’s dais display, has become grander as his time on the Board slowly winds down to his last meeting in November. Up until now the display has been largely ignored as one of Rocco’s quirks. OUSD governmental regulators sadly seem not to have learned the lesson to ignore its sore spots with Rocco rather than highlight those items again bring a glaring focus to things better left alone.
Photograph of OUSD BOARD PRESIDENT WES POUTSMA


THE IMAGE OUSD Censors
did not want the community to see




Ledesma pulls consultant contracts to vote against them
Using one of the few OUSD Board powers left to a minority member, fiscal conservative OUSD Trustee Rick Ledesma pulled from the automatically approved October 16th OUSD Consent Agenda a $4,200 contract for a workshop by consultant Dr. Dennis Parker to be voted on separately. The $4,200 in Educational Tax funds for the workshop was approved by a 4-2 vote with Ledesma and Rocco voting against the consultant expenditure, and Trustees Lissa Smith, Kim Nichols, John Ortega and Kathy Moffat voting to approve the expenditure. This is the second consulting contract for Dr. Parker this year. At the July 24th OUSD Board Meeting, the OUSD Board voted to pay the consultant $10,000 bringing this year’s payment in OUSD Educational Tax dollars for Dr. Parker $14,200 for three “workshops”. An Orange County Department of Education website promises a 40 point increase in state testing scores by using Dr. Parker (To read more about Dr. Parker’s $10,000 OUSD Consultant fee CLICK ON:PARKER )

Ledesma also pulled a another item from the Consent Item, Item 14 P, a two year grant award totaling $699,342 to integrate technology into the 6th Grade at eleven district schools. Ledesma noted that ORANGE Unified Schools INSIDE keeps a running total of district expenditures (see below), but that the district does a good job at receiving grant monies and that those totals of “free money” should also be available to the community. The discussion then turned to the Consultant Culture at Orange Unified led by OUSD Trustee Melissa Smith. Smith, using a medical analogy, likened the use of consultants by OUSD as akin to her husband being referred to heart specialist by his regular doctor. Smith argued that like a heart specialists, consultants provide a specialized service regular staff (like your regular doctor) cannot provide.

Smith blasted for her support of “Cosmetic Consulting”
In response to Smith’s health care analogy of the OUSD Consultant Culture, the watchdog Greater Orange Communities Organization in a community-wide email blasted Smith’s defense of the OUSD Consultant Culture using the health care analogy. The watchdog group’s emailed message noted that the INSIDE the OUSD Budget featured only reports on frivolous wasteful consultant spending of “corporate-politico profiteers ”. The group noted that true specialized consultants used by OUSD for engineering, architecture and specialized legal issues have never appeared on the on-going INSIDE the OUSD Budget tally. The ongoing Consultant/Speaker Tally of the EDUCATIONAL TAX DOLLARS WATCH 2008 (see below) currently stands at $53,800 for the year. Among its tally of wasteful spending, the list includes items like thousands of tax dollars paid for speeches and the $6,600 in OUSD Educational Tax dollars to an art consultant to create a mural on butcher paper of the happenings at an upcoming workshop that another two consultants will be paid $14,000 in Educational Tax dollars to conduct.

Taking Smith’s healthcare analogy defense to task, the Greater Orange Community Organization email stated:

“In the current economic crisis for OUSD Trustee Lissa Smith to compare wasting valuable Educational Tax dollars on six thousand dollar “workshop art murals” to a doctor’s referral for a heart specialist shows how out of touch with economic reality and how confused over her financial oversight role to protect the Educational Tax dollars of the Greater Orange Communities Smith continues to be. Using Smith’s health care system analogy, a frivolous $6,600 butcher paper art mural is more akin to an elective plastic surgery glamour “tummy tuck” or a vanity “lipo-suction” procedure than a life saving heart specialist. Clearly Smith should be aware that health care insurance providers in their financial oversight role will not authorize payment for elective cosmetic surgery. Likewise, Smith in her role as a financial overseer of education taxpayer monies should not continue to vote for wasteful elective Cosmetic Consulting.”

The email went on to state:

“Smith has never voted against any administrative spending schemes presented to her. We are in fact hard pressed to find her ever casting a no vote against anything. There is however clear evidence of Smith taking her role as a uninformed rubberstamp so serious as to show open distain for those Board members who do question and vote NO on items.

“When Smith originally ran in the Orange Recall Election she ran against the wasteful lawsuits, litigation and legal fees of the Recalled Board. Since being elected however, Smith has voted 100% of the time for the wasteful OUSD Administration's Cosmetic Consulting requests like $6,600 workshop murals, $8,000 speaker fees, and millions of dollars in consultant contracts her administrators described as similar to “marriage encounter training”.”

(Read about another $4500 in educational funds going to Cosmetic Consultants at the next OUSD Board meeting below in: $4500.00 more for Controversial Consultants!!!!)


INSIDE FACT CHECK:
Drier: A tall tale about Canyon Hills scores?

At the October 16th Board Meeting, in her Superintendent’s Report an excited OUSD Superintendent Renae Drier repeated an Orange County Register story heaping praise on OUSD’s Canyon Hills school for increasing their state testing scores by 83 points. The only problem of course is the school is not a regular school, and the 83 point jump is not on regular tests. Drier should know that Canyon Hills is a special school for severally mentally handicapped students. On the State of California 2008 Academic Performance Index Report (see link), Canyon Hills 2007-2008 Growth Target column is footnoted by the letter “D”. The state report explains:
"“D” means this is either an LEA, and Alternative Schools Accountability Model (ASAM) school, or a special education school. Target information is not applicable to LEA’s, ASAM, or special education schools."

In other words, the 83 point jump at Canyon Hills, and the 61 point drop at OUSD’s Richland Continuation school are not counted by the state because they are “alternative schools” (which is why Orange Net News ignored both schools scores in its recent report on the OUSD’s state scores). The state test administered to the 51 severely mentally handicapped students at Canyon Hills last year is not the California STAR tests that Drier’s comments might lead the community to believe, but the California Alternative Performance Assessment (CAPA) test. The CAPA test consists of simple manipulatives (samples) and simple identification (like colors) and is read and recorded to the severely impacted students by an educator. As an example, for Social Studies, a severely handicapped student might be shown a spread out newspaper and asked to identify the sports page; or for Science, the educator makes a bubble in a liquid and the student is asked to identify the “bubble” and so on with the teacher filing in the test answer sheet paper with their interpretation of what took place. The little secret about this test, anyone who takes it is automatically scored at the state passing score of “proficient”. Hence footnote “D”.

At best, Drier repeating the OC Register’s misreading of the 83 point jump was a purposeful thoughtful and deceptive attempt at making OUSD’s dismal state scores look good. At worst, the $750,000 superintendent had no idea about the official California state designation of Canyon Hills scores or what the 83 point “jump” really represents. Either way, while OUSD censors photographs of elected officials in front of Rocco, and the new OUSD Superintendent misleads the Greater Orange community on test scores, it appears from all angles that at the October 10the OUSD Board meeting, the OUSD censor got the “blur” wrong.

OUSD’s API results with CANYON HILLS and Richland’s “D” footnotes:
API REPORT

California’s CAPA TEST: CAPA

INSIDE the October 30th OUSD Board Meeting
$4500.00 more for Controversial Consultants!!!!

The October 30th Consent Agenda Item 14 J (page 40) has another $4,500 in Educational Tax dollars going to controversial educational consultant Dr. Willard Daggett. However, Daggett’s name does not appear on the agenda item, instead just the name of his consultant business, the “International Center for Leadership in Education”, which Daggett is the founder and corporate president. The Daggett controversy goes beyond the famous cases of him being caught making up facts and research to support his business, it goes to the very snake-oil salesman of the educational corporate-politico buzzword culture. The corporate-politico trail of billions of wasted tax dollars nationally to the “rigor” “jingle” also leads to the twice now debunked Bush-family Reading First program nepotism (this month another research study debunked that billion dollar boondoggle with a final report due soon after the November election).

Many in the education and political world have distant themselves from Dr. Daggett including former Arkansas Governor and presidential candidate Gov. Huckabee (who once had Daggett as an advisor). Meanwhile, Daggett has positioned himself as the purveyor of the “rigor” buzzword making a fortune in educational tax dollars from willing spenders of educational tax dollars like our own perhaps uniformed OUSD Executive Director Chris Reider
who’s name appears the wasteful request for $4500.00 of OUSD Educational Tax dollars to further line Dr. Daggett’s coffers and while Reider’s name appears on the public request, Daggett’s name does not.

LINK to: Commentary on Rigor
LINK to: Information on Dr. Daggett 2007 Rotten Apple Award
DAGGETT AWARD

Also on the October 30, 2008 OUSD Board Agenda:

• AGENDA 12 A (page 3-10) At the October 10th Board Meeting, OUSD Assistant Superintendent Jon Archibald reported that OUSD has plenty of cash on hand to meet it’s payroll obligations. He also announced that the OUSD Administration is waiting for the “markets to stabilize” to present the refinancing plan to fund modernization projects. Despite the rollercoaster ride in worldwide financial markets over the last two weeks, Archibald apparently believes the “markets have stabilized” and will be presenting the refinance plan to raise money for modernization for the OUSD Trustees to vote on.

• AGENDA Item 13 A (page 11-12) Responding to parent complaints about too much student homework, Trustee John Ortega asked for this informational item on the OUSD Board policy on homework…so tell us again what was all the money going to “rigor” workshops all about???????

INSIDE the OUSD Budget

INSIDE’s EDUCATIONAL TAX DOLLARS WATCH 2008:
$803,800 Total
2008 Attorney Fee Tally:
6/19/08 Parker & Covert $ 60,000
6/05/08 Miller, Brown & Dannis $ 40,000
6/05/08 Parker & Covert $150,000
6/05/08 Parker & Covert $200,000
2/07/08 Parker & Covert $100,000
11/15/07 Parker & Covert (for 1/08 to 6/08) $200,000
$750,000

2008 Consultant/ Speaker Fee Tally:
10/30/08 Dr. Willard Daggett (ICLE) $ 4,500
10/16/08 Dr. Parker 40 pt Consultant $ 4,200
9/25/08 Visual Ink for Sadler Consultant $ 6,600
9/25/08 Bob Sadler Consultant Fee $ 8,500
9/25/08 Candace Simpson-Sadler Helper $ 5,500
7/24/08 Dr. Parker 40 pt Consultant $ 10,000
4/17/08 Dr. Kenneth Stichter Speaker Fee $ 6,500
3/7/08 Dr. Kathleen Weigel Speaker Fee $ 8,000
Consultant Total $ 53, 800

2008 TOTAL $803,800

Former Superintendent Godley’s Retirement Bonus running total (beginning 8/2008):
$6,050*

* The Godley Retirement Bonus presented here is an estimate of the amount in “bonus retirement” accrued since the Superintendent’s retirement on 6/30/08 using a 6% lifetime formula calculated at $1210 a month since 8/08. The actual retirement plan the former OUSD Superintendent opted to take is not public information and the figures presented are only as an estimate of the taxpayer costs after the OUSD trustees voted against an amendment to exclude Godley from the retirement program. The on-going estimated figure is presented as a reminder to the community of the high cost in educational tax dollars the OUSD Board vote to allow the former Superintendent to participate in the 6% retirement incentive cost the OUSD education community in tax dollars. Godley retired from OUSD on June 30, 2008 after he worked for the school district for a little over five years.

Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2007: $704,090.00
2007 Consultant/ Speaker Fee Tally:
4/30/07 Debra Ford Speaker Fee $ 4,090
4/30/07 Danny Brassell Speaker Fee $ 3,500
3/8/07 Dr. Daggett Speaker Fee $ 9,000
9/27/07 Dr.Daggett Speaker Fee $ 35,000
11/15/07 OCDE High Priority Consultants $115,000
Total $166,590

2007 Attorney Fee Tally:
1/18/07 Parker & Covert (1/07 to 6/07) $175,000
(6/07-12/07) $200,000
2/08/07 Miller, Brown, and Dannis $ 7, 500
2/22/07 Parker & Covert $ 45,000
5/10/07 Miller, Brown and Dannis $ 50,000
7/19/07 Parker & Covert $ 60,000
Total $537,500

2007 Administrative Conference/Travel: hidden since 6/8/06**

**JUNE 8th, 2006 Trustees VOTE to Give OUSD Superintendent the power to APPROVE Travel Requests taking this item OUT of the PUBLIC AGENDA

Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2006: $849,717.00*
2006 Consultant Fee Tally: Total $176,400
2006 Attorney Fee Tally: Total Approved $655,000
2006 Administrative Conference/Travel: Total $ 18,317 *
* JUNE 8th, 2006 Trustees VOTE to Give OUSD Superintendent the power to
APPROVE OUSD Travel Requests taking this item OUT of the PUBLIC AGENDA

Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2005: $978,300.00:
Total 2005 Conference Administrator/Board Fees: $ 7,500.00
2005 Attorney Fee Tally: $730,600.00
Total Watched 2005 OUSD Consultant spending: $ 270,200.00


Next OUSD Board Meeting October 30th, 2008 for more information
CLICK ON: OCT 30

OUSD CLOSED SESSION STARTS 6:00 PM, Regular Session: 7:30 pm
For more information call the OUSD Superintendent’s office at 714-628-4040
For budgeting questions call Business Services at 714-628-4015
ORANGE Unified Schools INSIDE Independent insight into OUSD
is an independent news service of /O/N/N/
Orange_NetNews@yahoo.com
“Independent Local Insight”

eLECTION Watch 2008
an Orange Net News
Special News and Analysis Series

This Week's Upcoming Greater Orange Candidates Forums
With the November election two weeks away, Greater Orange voters have a chance to see local candidates up close. On Tuesday October 21st, 2008 the Orange Republican Women Federated will host a local Republican candidates who are running for both partisan and non-partisan local offices in Villa Park, Orange, Orange Unified, Congressional, State Senate and Superior Court. Community members are welcome, but reservations for the $25 per person event are required 714-731-2460. The event will be held at the popular Turnip Rose Restaurant beginning at 10:30 am.

Two candidates not invited to the Republican only event will be OUSD Trustee Area 6 seat candidate Arianna Barrios and Orange City Councilperson Tita Smith. Villa Park Councilperson and Republican Central Committee member Deborah Pauly sent out an email to her Republican supporters complaining about a recent Barrios campaign ad featuring a look-alike Republican logo (see RED COUNTY blog link below). In the email Pauly complains that "Democrats are hijacking the Republican party” and uses the Barrios “logo” and the candidates party affiliation switch from a Democrat to a Decline to State as proof. In her campaign Barrios has garnered key endorsements from both Republicans and Democrats in her non-partisan race. Councilwomen Tita Smith has suffered attacks in her non-partisan race from challenger Stu Campbell who took out a wordy full-page ad in the Foothills Sentry. Campbell devoted half the page against Smith under a banner:
16 Years is Enough! Why you don’t want to Vote for Tita Smith;
TITA SMITH- DEMOCRAT (She knows how to raise your fees/taxes)

Two School Board Candidate Forums will be held for all Orange Unified School Board candidates. The forums are sponsored by the Orange Community Council of PTAs and moderated by the League of Women Voters. The forums will be:

Wednesday October 22- 7:00 pm
OUSD District Office Board Rooms- 1401 Handy Street, Orange

Wednesday October 29- 7:00 pm
Orange High School Library- 525 Shaffer St. , Orange

For more information on the PTA Forums-email cvbayles@pacbell.net

OC BLOG/ Red County OUSD Story:
OC BLOG

eLECTION Watch 2008
is an independent news service of /O/N/N/

Orange_NetNews@yahoo.com
“Independent Local Insight"

"The Million Dollar Consultant" Allan Weiss with his dog and Bentley automoblie


Metro VIEWS ______________
Giving voice to the
Greater Orange Communities

an editorial opinion by the
Greater Orange Community Orgainization

With his recent call for Orange Unified to include the costs of consultants in the OUSD Administrative budget, Orange Unified Trustee Rick Ledesma once again proved why as the often lone fiscal conservative on the OUSD Board of Education, he is the best friend of the Greater Orange Communities taxpayers. For years we here at the Greater Orange Communities Organization have campaigned against the waste of millions of educational tax dollars on the education systems worst kept secret…educational consultants. Despite wasting millions of dollars on these fly-by-night snake-oil salesman, OUSD standardized test scores are well with-in the normal growth range for California school districts. Yet most California districts have not followed the siren’s call of the Consultant Culture that has become an addiction for OUSD. Ledesma’s call for transparency on this issue is while welcome, comes millions of wasted educational dollars too late.

Ledesma rightly points out that the OUSD Administration has bragged long and hard about having a noteworthy 2% cost percentage on one hand, but then argues that consultants supplement the work they are unable to perform. Well, let us put things into perspective. OUSD has spent $14,000 on “speakers” for just two engagements. Are there no talented administrators able or willing to provide a keynote address as part of their duties? The teachers they lead are required to make dozens of impromptu addresses, usually to audiences that are much more difficult than a meeting of adult educators. Yet, those administrators were willing to ask for, and the OUSD Trustees are willing to approve, $6,500 of educational tax dollars for Dr. Kenneth Strichter to make a 55 minute speech that, according to some of those listening, was far from motivating. Then you get the $6,600 for an “event mural”. That’s right, they will pay a company $6,600 dollars to do a “live” rendering of the workshop that will produce the next three year strategic plan. With a shortage of textbooks in OUSD classrooms, even that amount toward textbooks would be more educationally sound than wasting $6, 600 on an ”event mural” of a workshop. By the way that workshop will be run by two consultants who will earning $14,000 of your educational tax dollars.Trustee Ledesma voted against the mural and the two consultants. What ever happened to the “event mural” from the last workshop after it hung in the OUSD Board Room for a month?

The OUSD Consultant Culture is similar to the “good old boy” political culture that infests the rich halls of Wall Street and Washington’s smoke filled rooms. The OUSD millions of educational tax dollars dumped into the failed OUSD Focus on Results program was started when OUSD Principal Kathy Bruce recommended the program to OUSD Administrators. Bruce however failed to reveal that she was also listed as a Senior Consultant for the firm that raked in millions of OUSD educational tax dollars with no oversight of the services they provided (i.e. Principal Coaching) or the copyrighted intellectual material they freely absconded. Bruce later resigned her position with the consultant company when the conflict of interest was revealed by Orange Net News. The school she was principal at OUSD’s Prospect Elementary School is still featured on the Focus on Results website, but no mention of the nosedive in scores Prospect took after the 2003 listing shown on the site.

It is common knowledge in educational circles that it is who you know that gets you in the door to lucrative educational funding. Earlier this year after paying tens of thousands in educational tax dollars to send hundreds of OUSD teachers to a weekend conference with the poster boy of controversial consultants William Daggett (who has been documented outright making things up), former OUSD Superintendent Dr. Thomas Godley used the occasion to announce his retirement to the morning breakfast meeting of the hundreds of OUSD personnel in attendance.

Consultant Bob Sander who OUSD has hired twice now to “run” the community workshop to adopt the OUSD 3 Year Strategic Plan. It is Sander who has OUSD hire the “event mural” artist (using educational tax dollars) thus helping to create the symbiotic relationships of consultants. This year Sander has also been approved to have a second “helper” consultant help him-paid for by the OUSD taxpayers with their educational tax dollars. Sander is an associate of guru of consultants, Allan Weiss (see photo above) who is known as the “Million Dollar Consultant” and “consults” the consultants on how to ply their trade on the unsuspecting (see links below).

At one of the early budget discussions for the current budget, OUSD Trustee John Ortega asked then OUSD Superintendent Dr. Thomas Godley if he was going to be addressing the community concerns about the widespread use of consultants by the district. An excited Godley gave Ortega the you-bet-I-am gun-ho response he and the community was looking for. Sadly, it is now obvious that Godley has left the job of ending OUSD’s addiction to its entrenched Consultant Culture to the new Superintendent Dr. Renae Drier. It remains to be seen if Drier is a leader who will be remembered as ending OUSD’s Consultant Culture, or just another one of the “good-old-boys”.


For more information:
Greater Orange Million Dollar Consultant
Story:MILLION


Allan Weiss Million Dollar Consultant Club:
CLUB

Allan Weiss Consultant How To Books:
BOOKS

ORANGE Unified Schools INSIDE
a news service of Orange Net News /O/N/N/
Independent insight into OUSD

Amid worldwide financial crisis…
OUSD PREPARES FOR “TEMPORARY” BORROWING

What a difference three weeks make. Just three weeks ago at the September 25th Orange Unified School Board meeting, OUSD Trustee Kathy Moffat (a confident Angel baseball fan) was asking the OUSD Board to consider moving the time of the October 30th OUSD Board Meeting because it would interfere with an “if needed” seventh game of an Angels' World Series bid. Moffat’s dedication to her favorite team left an uncharacteristically optimistic OUSD Trustee Rick Ledesma predicting “the Angels in four”. Three weeks ago that optimism also fueled the expectation that the OUSD Board would be voting at this Thursday’s October 16th OUSD Board meeting on refinancing a $53 million dollar account to provide $42 million for new school building projects. The sports metaphors aside, as Congress that same three weeks ago struggled with the $750 billion bailout legislation, even the representative of San Francisco investment banker Stone and Youngburg, speaking to the OUSD Board seemed flush with optimism as he delivered a long mind numbing financial soliloquy that included the statement “[There is] a lot of liquidity in the market place”. Fast forward three weeks later to this week, and the Angels season is over, the world economy is still teetering, and the Certificates of Participation refinancing will not be voted on this Thursday. The refinancing now appears on the OUSD Agenda as an Information Item (OUSD Agenda Information item 13 B, page 26).

The Stone and Youngburg representative was appearing at the OUSD Board September 25th meeting expecting a preliminary-go-ahead vote for refinancing of a 2003 OUSD Certificate of Participation to obtain new financing for OUSD modernization projects. The Stone and Youngburg representative and an attorney from the firm came expecting the OUSD Board to be approving the refinancing, but instead found a cautious and speculative OUSD Board of Education finding comfort only in OUSD’s A plus financial rating and deciding to wait three weeks until the October 16th meeting to move forward on the complicated refinance scenario that uses “leverage”. The new “L” word is a word that has become as toxic in financial circles as the financial mortgage house of cards built upon what has amounted to a crumbling world-wide pyramid-like scheme built by Wall Street “leverage” experts.

Basically, the scenario to fund the OUSD $54 million refinancing is to leverage existing funds now in a fixed rate account into a US Bancorp “Extended Rate” account. This variable interest account would have a low fixed rate payback for three years with three basic financial options available at the end of the three years: renegotiating another Extended Rate (at the future interest rates); converting to a weekly rate; or changing to a sure-to-be-higher fixed rate for the duration of the 31 year loan. The Stone and Youngburg representative assured the OUSD Board that US Bancorp did not have exposure to the now trash mortgage paper that has caused other banks to drop like dominos. As evidence, the representative commented that US Bancorp stock shares were a healthy $36 a share compared to failed banks Wachovia and Washington Mutual which he noted were below $5 a share each before they failed. (Three weeks later and the US Bancorp stocks have dropped to $30 a share as of Friday 10/ 09/08).

Trustees Moffat, Ledesma and Kim Nichols questioned the financial experts who promised more information at the October 16th meeting when the refinance plan was scheduled to be back before the OUSD Board for procedural votes required to continue with the plan, or not. In answering an inquiry as to how the procedure will work, at one point the Stone and Youngburg representative stated “If the markets don’t improve, it’s back to the drawing board”.

However, a financial plan is still being voted on by the OUSD Board at the October 16th, 2008 meeting. OUSD Resolution 16-08-09 is a Consent Agenda Item which is scheduled to be automatically approved without comment unless “pulled” for discussion by an OUSD trustee (Consent Agenda Item 14-A pages 33-34). Anticipating the State of California will have trouble borrowing a 7 billion dollar budget deficit in light of the current global credit crunch, the October 13th unprecedented resolution authorizes OUSD to “temporarily” transfer funds between OUSD “special or restricted” fund money accounts (in essence borrowing from itself) to forgo any cash flow problems that may result from a state credit crisis. The Education Code which authorizes this borrowing in a fiscal crisis also requires any funds borrowed from one school district account be repaid during the same fiscal year unless taking place during the final 120 days of the fiscal year, in which case the funds maybe paid back the next fiscal year. OUSD Superintendent Dr. Renae Drier noted that the California State budget had been passed, referring to it as a “flat” budget. Trustee Moffat later took exception to the term “flat” noting that while the budget remained “flat” in funding to education, the increasing expenses to OUSD and most California school districts have resulted in necessitating cuts.

Ledesma calls for consulting costs to be part of Administration budget
The Orange Unified Administration has touted a very low 2% total budget cost figure for the OUSD Administration as the lowest in Orange County. Trustee Rick Ledesma pulled the September 25th Consent Agenda Item 14A for $20,600 to pay three consultants suggesting that in the future like consultant fees be counted as part of the Administrative budget to give the community a truer picture of the administrative costs of the district. Moffat took exception to Ledesma’s suggestion stating that if OUSD included consultant fees and other districts did not, it would be comparing apples with oranges. Ledesma countered by pointing out that other districts may be having the services outsourced by OUSD to consultants, performed by their administrative personnel. The Consent Agenda Item 14A $20,600 in consulting costs was for two consultants to conduct a community workshop for the next community meeting to begin planning the next 3 year OUSD Strategic Plan. That includes $6,600 is for an artist from a company called Visual Ink to created a “mural” on paper of the day’s events. Visual Ink is a corporate communications company specializing in event murals (see photo).

Visual Ink co-founder Kevin Woodson is currently working on a project for elementary school children:

“Working in community organizations battling the AIDS pandemic, John Lipp and Kevin have seen the disease from hundreds of angles. As writers, Kevin and John were shocked to realize there is currently no picture book on the market that appropriately introduces the reality of living in a world with AIDS. As a result, John and Kevin created Aunt Imelda, and her 500 – word picture book for ages 5 – 10 that gently introduces children to the basic concepts of AIDS.”

Trustees Rick Ledesma and Steve Rocco voted against the $20,600 consultant payment. Trustees Kathy Moffat, Melissa Smith, Kim Nichols and John Ortega voted for the $20,600 fees.

To see what $6,600 in educational tax dollars buy in Consultant Art CLICK ON:
VISUAL INK

To see the bio on Visual Ink co-founder Kevin Woodson CLICK ON:
KEVIN BIO

To view the Kevin Woodson blog: KEVIN BLOG

INSIDE the September 25th OUSD Board Meeting
…More OUSD consultants to Nowhere!

At the July 24th, 2008 OUSD Board meeting, the OUSD Board approved a $10,000 fee payment to consultant Dr. Dennis Parker. The Orange County Department of Education touted that Dr. Parker’s $10,000 workshops teach the Strategic Schooling Initiative. Never heard of it? For a mere $10,000 in educational tax dollars the Orange County Department of Education states that the Strategic Schooling Initiative will increase the schools API by 30-40 points. Apparently however, there is a hitch in the $10,000 fee already given to Parker. The October 16th Consent Agenda (Item 14 K Page 71) has OUSD taxpayers shelling out an additional $4,200 for two more days of “staff development training” for the Handy and Fairhaven staffs (each staff on a separate day) from Dr. Dennis Parker. We hope the staffs are well rested, because in ONE day according to the OUSD Agenda this is what Dr. Parker provides:

“The training will include professional development for faculty and administrators, guidance and training for the site leadership team, demonstrations for staff, data analysis that identifies school strengths and next steps for improved scores, and coaching to ensure successful implementation of the Strategic School Strategies.”

Wow! That’s one full day and a lot for those teachers and administrators to be “trained” in. Perhaps Dr. Parker also sells bridges on the side, perhaps if not in Brooklyn at least a Bridge to Nowhere…

To read more about Dr. Parker’s $10,000 OUSD Consultant fee CLICK ON:
Greater Orange News on PARKER

OUSD 3 Year Strategic Plan lists Bond Plan as an official no-go
The 1st Quarter Strategic Plan for 2008-2009 Year 3 is also on the October 16th Agenda (Information Item 13 A pages 19-25). On page 25 the potential OUSD Bond is officially put to rest under the PROGRESS section of Strategy #1 states: “OUSD decided not to proceed with a bond campaign at this time. Economic conditions are not favorable for a successful outcome.”

INSIDE the October 16, 2008 Board Meeting
• Agenda 12 A (page 2): Opening bargaining proposal from the CSEA classified OUSD workers association
• Agenda 12 D (page 16) Williams Settlement Public Hearing

INSIDE OUSD DONATIONS
For a complete list of the $76,266 in donations see the Agenda page 30.

Silverado PTA-$1,500 for computer aide; Villa Park H.S. Choir Boosters- $11,000 for an accompanist; Carl Karcher Enterprises- $481 for Panorama E.S. supplies; Canyon H.S. Band Boosters- $7,100 salary stipends.

INSIDE the OUSD Budget

INSIDE’s EDUCATIONAL TAX DOLLARS WATCH 2008:
$799,300 Total

2008 Attorney Fee Tally:
6/19/08 Parker & Covert $ 60,000
6/05/08 Miller, Brown & Dannis $ 40,000
6/05/08 Parker & Covert $150,000
6/05/08 Parker & Covert $200,000
2/07/08 Parker & Covert $100,000
11/15/07 Parker & Covert (for 1/08 to 6/08) $200,000
TOTAL $750,000

2008 Consultant/ Speaker Fee Tally:
10/16/08 Dr. Parker 40 pt Consultant $ 4,200
9/25/08 Visual Ink for Sadler Consultant $ 6,600
9/25/08 Bob Sadler Consultant Fee $ 8,500
9/25/08 Candace Simpson-Sadler Helper $ 5,500
7/24/08 Dr. Parker 40 pt Consultant $ 10,000
4/17/08 Dr. Kenneth Stichter Speaker Fee $ 6,500
3/7/08 Dr. Kathleen Weigel Speaker Fee $ 8,000
Consultant Total $ 49,300
2008 TOTAL $799,300

Former Superintendent Godley’s “golden handshake” bonus total (beginning 8/2008):
$3,630*

* The Godley Retirement Bonus presented here is an estimate of the amount in “bonus retirement” accrued since the Superintendent’s retirement on 6/30/08 using a 6% lifetime formula calculated at $1210 a month since 8/08. The actual retirement plan the former OUSD Superintendent opted to take is not public information and the figures presented are only as an estimate of the taxpayer costs after the OUSD trustees voted against an amendment to exclude Godley from the retirement program. The on-going estimated figure is presented as a reminder to the community of the high cost in educational tax dollars the OUSD Board vote to allow the former Superintendent to participate in the 6% retirement incentive cost the OUSD education community in tax dollars. Godley retired from OUSD on June 30, 2008 after he worked for the school district for a little over five years.

Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2007: $704,090.00
2007 Consultant/ Speaker Fee Tally:
4/30/07 Debra Ford Speaker Fee $ 4,090
4/30/07 Danny Brassell Speaker Fee $ 3,500
3/8/07 Dr. Daggett Speaker Fee $ 9,000
9/27/07 Dr.Daggett Speaker Fee $ 35,000
11/15/07 OCDE High Priority Consultants $115,000
Total $166,590

2007 Attorney Fee Tally:
1/18/07 Parker & Covert (1/07 to 6/07) $175,000
(6/07-12/07) $200,000
2/08/07 Miller, Brown, and Dannis $ 7, 500
2/22/07 Parker & Covert $ 45,000
5/10/07 Miller, Brown and Dannis $ 50,000
7/19/07 Parker & Covert $ 60,000
Total $537,500

2007 Administrative Conference/Travel: hidden since 6/8/06**

**JUNE 8th, 2006 Trustees VOTE to Give OUSD Superintendent the power to APPROVE Travel Requests taking this item OUT of the PUBLIC AGENDA

Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2006: $849,717.00*
2006 Consultant Fee Tally: Total $176,400
2006 Attorney Fee Tally: Total Approved $655,000
2006 Administrative Conference/Travel: Total $ 18,317 *

* JUNE 8th, 2006 Trustees VOTE to Give OUSD Superintendent the power to
APPROVE OUSD Travel Requests taking this item OUT of the PUBLIC AGENDA

Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2005: $978,300.00:
Total 2005 Conference Administrator/Board Fees: $ 7,500.00
2005 Attorney Fee Tally: $730,600.00
Total Watched 2005 OUSD Consultant spending: $ 270,200.00

Next OUSD Board Meeting October 16th, 2008 for more information
CLICK ON: AGENDA

OUSD CLOSED SESSION STARTS 6:30 PM, Regular Session: 7:30 pm
For more information call the OUSD Superintendent’s office at 714-628-4040
For budgeting questions call Business Services at 714-628-4015


ORANGE Unified Schools INSIDE
Independent insight into OUSD
is an independent news service of /O/N/N/
Orange_NetNews@yahoo.com
“Independent Local Insight”

Produced by the
Orange Communication System /OCS/

Metro TALK
a community service of the Greater Orange Communities Organization

Orange Unified Attorney Spencer Covert’s history as an educational attorney with Brown Act problems came under media scrutiny in connection to the most current Orange County dysfunctional school district, Capistrano Unified School District. An article in Friday's Orange County Register and a posting on Dissent the Blog, outlines Covert's brushes with the California public officials meeting secrecy law known as the Brown Act.

Representing a total of 40 school districts, Covert’s clients include 8 Orange County school districts plus the Orange County Superintendent of Schools. Covert’s firm has worked for Orange Unified as the school district’s legal representative twice. Covert had represented OUSD until the radical (and eventually recalled) extremists lead by former OUSD Trustee Marty Jacobson dropped Covert for the ideological similar attorney James Bowles of the Los Angeles firm Hill, Farrer and Burrill. Bowles was the losing attorney in the landmark Colin vs Orange Unified El Modena H.S. Gay-Straight Alliance lawsuit. After the successful Orange Recall, Bowles was fired and replaced by Covert. In 2003, Orange Unified represented by Covert lost a court case over a 2001 Brown Act violation. That loss required OUSD to tape record all Closed Session meetings for three years. That case is highlighted in the Register article.

Last month Covert won an appeal over OUSD Trustee Steve Rocco that included alleged Brown Act violations against Orange Unified. The judge in that case ruled that the Brown Act did not apply to the Rocco Censure case under appeal.

For more information CLICK ON the blue links:

Capistrano district lawyer has run afoul of open-meeting laws-
OC Register 10-3-08
OC REGISTER

Covert defends the covert, but he’s a bungler
Dissent the Blog 10-3-08
BLOG

MEMORIES: (For those of you old enough)… The James Bowles Bio:
MEMORIES

* Spencer Covert caricature from DISSENT the BLOG

MONSTER GARAGE SALE
Covenant Christian School will be the beneficiary of a "Monster Garage Sale" to be held on Saturday, October 25, 7:00 AM - 3:00 PM in the school gym, located on the campus of Covenant Presbyterian Church.

The entire community is invited to shop the event. Hundreds of donors will generate a massive inventory of clothing, kitchen and household furnishings, electronics, tools and hardware, books, toys and games, sports and exercise equipment, baby and invalid care essentials, auto accessories, musical instruments, you name it.

There will be plenty of parking in the adjacent lot. Donations of items for the sale will be gratefully accepted at the site beginning Thursday, October 23rd. Covenant Christian School is a non-denominational Christian school, pre-K through 8th grade, which has been in existence for 33 years in the City of Orange.

Covenant Christian School Monster Garage Sale- October 25, 2008
855 Orange-Olive Road (north of Taft/south of Meats), Orange

For further information, please contact the school office, 714-998-4852, or visit the church's website: COVENANT.
Chairman of the sale is Carol Avellino.

Orange Chamber Election Endorsements
The Orange Chamber of Commerce has released it’s endorsements for the November ballot initiatives (see link below).

It has also endorsed Arianna Barrios and Jerry Winant in their races for seats on the Orange Unified School Board. The Barrios campaign also announced the endorsement of her campaign by Assemblyman Todd Spitzer.

To see the Orange Chamber Proposition picks CLICK ON:
CHAMBER

Metro TALK
is a community service of the
Greater Orange Communities Organization
greaterorangeco@gmail.com

Rocco’s Petty Theft Ketchup charge makes news
Los Angeles television news channels broke the story of Orange Unified School District Trustee and Santa Ana City Council candidate Steve Rocco being ticketed for theft on Thursday, September 30th, 2008 by the Orange Police after being stopped and detained by a Chapman University campus security guard for allegedly stealing a 14 oz. bottle of Heinz ketchup from an outside dining area at the university. The story was picked up first by local blog OC Blog of Red Country, then by other television stations across California (see links below), the Associated Press, and eventually nationally on FOX News.

Rocco’s business at Chapman University was not immediately clear in any news reports. Speculation is that Rocco was at Chapman University looking for his local nemesis Chapman University Political Science Professor Fred Smoller. Smoller was active in the unsuccessful Rocco Recall Attempt. Smoller videotaped Rocco at OUSD Board meetings for a documentary. Smoller posted clips of the documentary on YouTube as part of the recall campaign. In what appears to be an appropriate day and time, Smoller’s Rocco documentary is scheduled to air on local PBS channel KOCE on Halloween, October 31st, 2008 at 11:30 p.m.

This latest Rocco controversy at the end of his elected four-year controversial career on the OUSD Board (he is intelligible for re-election and his last Trustee meeting is November 13, 2008), is strikingly familiar to the story Rocco often tells about how he first decided to enter politics to fight “the Partnership”. Rocco has often related the story of how “the Partnership” controlled the judge in another Rocco shoplifting charge in 1981. In that case, Rocco was charged and convicted of stealing sausage and Kodak film from a Santa Ana Albertson’s grocery store. Rocco, who fought the charges in a Santa Ana court, recounts how he believes his conviction on those charges was orchestrated and controlled by Albertsons and Kodak who he believes is part of a conspiracy of corporate and publicly elected wrong-doers he calls “the Partnership” who run all things evil and corrupt in Orange County. Rocco insists that the presiding judge was also controlled by the Partnership. Rocco contends this first shoplifting episode and brush with the “Partnership” led him to a life dedicated to fighting the corrupt Partnership.

If convicted on this latest petty theft charge, Rocco faces a fine of up to $250.

STORY LINKS:
OC BLOG

OC BLOG Follow UP

LA TIMES

OC Register

CBS NEWS

FOX NEWS

MSNBC

Mercury News