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Tuesday, October 27, 2009
OUSD to deny Global Tides “Spam” Charter School
ORANGE Unified Schools INSIDE
a news service of Orange Net News /O/N/N/
Independent insight into OUSD
OUSD to deny Global Tides “Spam” Charter School
In a scathing 14 page Board of Education Resolution, the Orange Unified School Board will reject the Charter School Petition of Global Tides for the Orange County Charter School at their October 29, 2009 regular OUSD Board Meeting. Action Agenda Item 12 A (pages 3-21) on the OUSD Board of Education October 29 Agenda has a staff recommendation denying the application on three of five legally required areas and notes that at the September 9 OUSD Board Meeting at a legally required Public Hearing no speakers, including anyone from any of the organizations involved in the proposal, spoke at the hearing. The unprecedented Agenda recommendation also noted that five OUSD administrative offices spent time working on the legally required review of the application: Administrative Services; Educational Services; Human Resources; Pupil Services; and the Superintendent’s Office.
The Resolution, which reads more like an indictment of facts, cites the fact that Charter School Development Systems, one of a web of players involved in application that are named in the Resolution, has filed 91 similar petitions across the state. The “partner” of Charter Schools Development Systems is named in the Resolution as Ed Futures Inc., a for-profit California corporation. The Resolution reveals the investigations about both entities claims and cites experiences with the firms from other school districts across the state including Long Beach Unified. Following the Resolution in the Agenda are four pages of a 16 page report on the Ed Futures charter schools in Oakland Unified. In an emailed review of the Resolution for its members the local watchdog group the Greater Orange Communities Organization praised the OUSD staff report for its veracity as it blasted the “spam application” tactics used by the Ed Futures Inc. and its partners:
“…again valuable local resources are being targeted by Edu-businesses intent on spending local educational tax dollars to line their for-profit pockets without regards to the educational missions of our schools. The GoCo directors applaud the Dreier Administration’s local quick and effective response to the spam application from Charter School Development Systems’ latest example of educational funding waste and fraud. We can only hope that the Dreier Administration diligence on taxpayer asset protection is as vigorous and their research is as diligent when state funds return to the district and educational consultants again line up to feed at the educational tax fund coffers.”
-Greater Orange Communities Organization email 9/26/09
Located in Newport Beach, Charter School Development Systems filed charter school petitions for an "internet" based charter school with all of the unified school districts in 14 carefully selected California counties: Alameda, Calaveras, Kern, Madera, Orange, Placer, Plumas, Riverside, San Benito, San Diego, Siskiyou, Sonoma, Tehama and Yolo. Under state law, an approved charter school can accept students from the county in which the charter was granted, as well as from adjacent counties. The Charter School Development Systems website offers this example: “If one of the eight districts in Kern County were to charter our online, K-12 charter school, then we would have the ability to enroll students from Kern, San Luis Obispo, Kings, Tulare, Inyo, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara counties” because all of those counties share a border with Kern County. The Charter School Development Systems petitions which were filed with 91 different school districts were signed by the same six teachers and in each case contain identical language describing the proposed charter school program. The goal of Charter School Development Systems is to establish an online K-12 charter school program that could enroll students in any part of the state. If Charter School Development Systems is successful in getting a charter from at least one school district in each of the 14 counties where it has filed petitions, they could then enroll a student anywhere in California.
To receive a statewide benefit charter from the California State Board of Education, Charter School Development Systems needs to establish a three-year track record and prove that students across California would benefit from their schools. Charter School Development Systems is the first group to ever try this tactic and nothing in state law currently prevents groups from filing so many applications at once. The tactic will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in educational tax dollars in school district's staff time alone across the state.
For more information CLICK ON: Charter School Development Systems
and Ed Futures Inc
OUSD Budget Update on October 29, 2009
At the October 15, 2009 OUSD Board Meeting staff presented a bleak report on the district’s future budget outlooks due to the continuing fiscal crisis (see link to presentation below). The multi-year budget predictions identify $16 million reductions in the fiscal years of 2010-2011 and 2011-2012. Potential budget cuts will be presented in a staff report Budget Update as Informational Item 13 B. A preliminary budget with cuts will be voted on at the OUSD December 10th Meeting. For more information CLICK ON: OCTOBER OUSD BUDGET
INSIDE Community Donations
Target Corporation $56.27 for supplies-Fairhaven E.S.; Mc Pherson ASB $1,800 for drama stipend-Mc Pherson Magnet; Serrano PFO $872 for Carnival rubbish cans- Serrano E.S.; El Modena Cheer Boosters $3,760 for stipends- El Modena H.S.; Canyon Band Boosters $7,945 for stipends- Canyon H.S. (for a complete list of the $96,000 in donations see page 25 of the Agenda).
INSIDE the OUSD Budget
INSIDE’s EDUCATIONAL TAX DOLLARS WATCH 2009: Total $1,041,000
2009 Attorney Fee Tally:
11/13/08 Parker & Covert (for 1/09 -6/09) $ 200,000
3/12/09 Atkinson, Andelson, Loya (Sp. Ed) $ 50,000
3/12/09 Parker & Covert (Special Ed) $ 98,000
6/18/09 Parker & Covert (09-10) $ 400,000
6/18/09 Parker & Covert (Special Ed) $ 200,000
6/18/09 Parker & Covert (property) $ 55,000
6/18/09 Atkinson, Andelson, Loya (property)$ 35,000
Total $1,038,000
2009 Consultant/ Speaker Fee Tally:
01/24/09 Leadership Associates Consultants $ 3,000
2009 TOTAL $1,041,000
Former Superintendent Godley’s Retirement Bonus running total (beginning 8/2008): $16,940.00*
* 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 here 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 2008: $901,200
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:
11/13/08 Subs for SDCDE (Reading First) $24,000
11/13/08 SDCDE (Reading First) $30,000
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> CANCELED in 2009
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 $ 101, 200
2008 TOTAL $ 901,200
Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2007: $704,090.00**
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 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:
Next OUSD Board Meeting Thursday October 29, 2009 -OUSD BOARD ROOM
For AGENDA-CLICK ON: OCT 29 AGENDA
CLOSED SESSION- 6:00 pm
OUSD Regular Session: 7:00 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
a news service of Orange Net News /O/N/N/
Independent insight into OUSD
OUSD to deny Global Tides “Spam” Charter School
In a scathing 14 page Board of Education Resolution, the Orange Unified School Board will reject the Charter School Petition of Global Tides for the Orange County Charter School at their October 29, 2009 regular OUSD Board Meeting. Action Agenda Item 12 A (pages 3-21) on the OUSD Board of Education October 29 Agenda has a staff recommendation denying the application on three of five legally required areas and notes that at the September 9 OUSD Board Meeting at a legally required Public Hearing no speakers, including anyone from any of the organizations involved in the proposal, spoke at the hearing. The unprecedented Agenda recommendation also noted that five OUSD administrative offices spent time working on the legally required review of the application: Administrative Services; Educational Services; Human Resources; Pupil Services; and the Superintendent’s Office.
The Resolution, which reads more like an indictment of facts, cites the fact that Charter School Development Systems, one of a web of players involved in application that are named in the Resolution, has filed 91 similar petitions across the state. The “partner” of Charter Schools Development Systems is named in the Resolution as Ed Futures Inc., a for-profit California corporation. The Resolution reveals the investigations about both entities claims and cites experiences with the firms from other school districts across the state including Long Beach Unified. Following the Resolution in the Agenda are four pages of a 16 page report on the Ed Futures charter schools in Oakland Unified. In an emailed review of the Resolution for its members the local watchdog group the Greater Orange Communities Organization praised the OUSD staff report for its veracity as it blasted the “spam application” tactics used by the Ed Futures Inc. and its partners:
“…again valuable local resources are being targeted by Edu-businesses intent on spending local educational tax dollars to line their for-profit pockets without regards to the educational missions of our schools. The GoCo directors applaud the Dreier Administration’s local quick and effective response to the spam application from Charter School Development Systems’ latest example of educational funding waste and fraud. We can only hope that the Dreier Administration diligence on taxpayer asset protection is as vigorous and their research is as diligent when state funds return to the district and educational consultants again line up to feed at the educational tax fund coffers.”
-Greater Orange Communities Organization email 9/26/09
Located in Newport Beach, Charter School Development Systems filed charter school petitions for an "internet" based charter school with all of the unified school districts in 14 carefully selected California counties: Alameda, Calaveras, Kern, Madera, Orange, Placer, Plumas, Riverside, San Benito, San Diego, Siskiyou, Sonoma, Tehama and Yolo. Under state law, an approved charter school can accept students from the county in which the charter was granted, as well as from adjacent counties. The Charter School Development Systems website offers this example: “If one of the eight districts in Kern County were to charter our online, K-12 charter school, then we would have the ability to enroll students from Kern, San Luis Obispo, Kings, Tulare, Inyo, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara counties” because all of those counties share a border with Kern County. The Charter School Development Systems petitions which were filed with 91 different school districts were signed by the same six teachers and in each case contain identical language describing the proposed charter school program. The goal of Charter School Development Systems is to establish an online K-12 charter school program that could enroll students in any part of the state. If Charter School Development Systems is successful in getting a charter from at least one school district in each of the 14 counties where it has filed petitions, they could then enroll a student anywhere in California.
To receive a statewide benefit charter from the California State Board of Education, Charter School Development Systems needs to establish a three-year track record and prove that students across California would benefit from their schools. Charter School Development Systems is the first group to ever try this tactic and nothing in state law currently prevents groups from filing so many applications at once. The tactic will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in educational tax dollars in school district's staff time alone across the state.
For more information CLICK ON: Charter School Development Systems
and Ed Futures Inc
OUSD Budget Update on October 29, 2009
At the October 15, 2009 OUSD Board Meeting staff presented a bleak report on the district’s future budget outlooks due to the continuing fiscal crisis (see link to presentation below). The multi-year budget predictions identify $16 million reductions in the fiscal years of 2010-2011 and 2011-2012. Potential budget cuts will be presented in a staff report Budget Update as Informational Item 13 B. A preliminary budget with cuts will be voted on at the OUSD December 10th Meeting. For more information CLICK ON: OCTOBER OUSD BUDGET
INSIDE Community Donations
Target Corporation $56.27 for supplies-Fairhaven E.S.; Mc Pherson ASB $1,800 for drama stipend-Mc Pherson Magnet; Serrano PFO $872 for Carnival rubbish cans- Serrano E.S.; El Modena Cheer Boosters $3,760 for stipends- El Modena H.S.; Canyon Band Boosters $7,945 for stipends- Canyon H.S. (for a complete list of the $96,000 in donations see page 25 of the Agenda).
INSIDE the OUSD Budget
INSIDE’s EDUCATIONAL TAX DOLLARS WATCH 2009: Total $1,041,000
2009 Attorney Fee Tally:
11/13/08 Parker & Covert (for 1/09 -6/09) $ 200,000
3/12/09 Atkinson, Andelson, Loya (Sp. Ed) $ 50,000
3/12/09 Parker & Covert (Special Ed) $ 98,000
6/18/09 Parker & Covert (09-10) $ 400,000
6/18/09 Parker & Covert (Special Ed) $ 200,000
6/18/09 Parker & Covert (property) $ 55,000
6/18/09 Atkinson, Andelson, Loya (property)$ 35,000
Total $1,038,000
2009 Consultant/ Speaker Fee Tally:
01/24/09 Leadership Associates Consultants $ 3,000
2009 TOTAL $1,041,000
Former Superintendent Godley’s Retirement Bonus running total (beginning 8/2008): $16,940.00*
* 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 here 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 2008: $901,200
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:
11/13/08 Subs for SDCDE (Reading First) $24,000
11/13/08 SDCDE (Reading First) $30,000
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> CANCELED in 2009
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 $ 101, 200
2008 TOTAL $ 901,200
Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2007: $704,090.00**
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 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:
Next OUSD Board Meeting Thursday October 29, 2009 -OUSD BOARD ROOM
For AGENDA-CLICK ON: OCT 29 AGENDA
CLOSED SESSION- 6:00 pm
OUSD Regular Session: 7:00 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
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Why do you imply that it is inappropriate for the superintendent to participate in the retirement program that all other certificated staff participate in? I do not know anything about the person but it certainly does not seem unreasonable to treat them like all other upper level employees.
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# posted by 
: 11/10/2009 1:23 PM
: 11/10/2009 1:23 PM << Home
