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Tuesday, May 11, 2010
ORANGE Unified Schools INSIDE
a news service of Orange Net News /O/N/N/
Independent insight into OUSD
Santiago Charter Renewal and Extended Day Kindergarten on OUSD Board Meeting Agenda
At the May 13, 2010 Orange Unified School Board Meeting, the OUSD Trustees will take action on the Santiago Charter Middle School’s Charter Renewal Petition (Agenda Item 12 A, page 4). Unlike the last charter renewal in 2005 that came on the heels of a major teacher sex scandal at the school (which then OUSD officials used for an excuse to try and revoke the charter of Orange County’s first charter school), the process for the Renewal Petition this year has been uneventful.
Also on the May 13 OUSD Agenda is the Second Reading and vote on revising Board Policy 6112 (Agenda Item 12 B page 5). The revision will allow OUSD to offer full day kindergarten- also known as Extended Day Kindergarten. The policy revision is written to allow full day kindergarten to be offered as an option, while also continuing to offer the current traditional half day classes in OUSD. At the April 22, 2010 Board Meeting, OUSD Executive Director of Elementary Education Rachelle Morga gave a report that presented educational arguments for allowing the Extended Day Kindergarten. Before that meeting, the current OUSD pursuit of Extended Day Kindergarten had been purely based on financial reasons that Extended Day Kindergarten would create a positive financial flow to OUSD. In response to questions from the OUSD Trustees, Morga stated that the program could be phased in as a trial program and would most likely not be in place until the 2012-13 school year. That trial program would not give OUSD the full financial benefit that the district immediately needs that caused district officials to serious look to offering an Extended Day Kindergarten in OUSD.
INSIDE the May 13 School Board Meeting
Agenda Item 14 A is the Public Hearing on the Orange Unified Education Association’s (OUEA) current bargaining proposal. OUSD is going back to the negotiating table with its employee unions to continue to make budgetary cuts as Sacramento lawmakers continue to struggle to deal with the ongoing state budget crisis. Unlike other school districts in Orange County, OUSD has managed massive budget cuts during the crisis with the ongoing cooperation of its employee groups, and overall understanding of the community to the ongoing difficult sacrifices. Hundreds of jobs have been lost in two years of deep district budget cuts and two schools have been closed. In contrast to other parts of Orange County, under OUSD Superintendent Dr. Renae Dreier, the painful budgetary process in OUSD has been a model process of open planning, community input and methodical inclusiveness that has spared Greater Orange the often intense fighting that for years had been a community staple and is now evident elsewhere in Orange County and up and down the state. Year three of the budget crisis in OUSD under Dreier starts from a positive note of cooperation, trust and community unity and sacrifice in dealing with the local problems that continue to be caused by stalemates and stagnation in Sacramento.
Item 14 P is the new Employment Contracts for the Dreier Reorganization of the district administration. OUSD alumni and long time district and community stalwart Assistant Superintendent Ed Kissee will continue in his long time role as Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources with an extension of his contract. Effective in July, Assistant Superintendent Michael Christiansen will become OUSD’s first Deputy Superintendent and newly hired Dr. Gunn Marie Hansen will become the Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services. OUSD Superintendent Dr. Renae Dreier confirmed that the contracts do not include pay raises for the current employees and only confirm the employee’s current placement on the Leadership Pay Schedule. (For more information on the Dreier Reorganization CLICK ON: Reorganization)
Agenda Item 9E (page 2-3)-Classified School Employees Week Proclamation May 17-21, 2010
INSIDE OUSD Donations
Canyon H.S. ASB - $2,000 Tennis Stipend; Barnes & Noble-$ 176.97; Sycamore E.S. supplies; Jordan PTA - $537 Jordan E.S. Ball Wall; Villa Park H.S. Pep Boosters $7,300 Cheer Stipends; West Orange School Association $1,700 Read 180 program; El Modena Girls Volleyball Boosters- $396 salary stipend; Orange H.S. Vocal Music Boosters- $ 4,000 for accompanist; Serrano PFO-$4,500 P.E. specialist .
For a complete list of the $ 65,000 in community donations see pages 9-10 of the Agenda.
INSIDE the OUSD Budget
Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2010: $ 0
Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2009: $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
Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2008: $901,200.00
Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2007: $704,090.00*
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
Former Superintendent Godley’s Retirement Bonus running total (beginning 8/2008):
$23,920.00*
* 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.
NEXT BOARD MEETING: THURSDAY May 13, 2010 OUSD BOARD ROOM
For AGENDA-CLICK ON MEETING
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
is an independent news service of /O/N/N/
“Independent Local Insight”
a news service of Orange Net News /O/N/N/
Independent insight into OUSD
Santiago Charter Renewal and Extended Day Kindergarten on OUSD Board Meeting Agenda
At the May 13, 2010 Orange Unified School Board Meeting, the OUSD Trustees will take action on the Santiago Charter Middle School’s Charter Renewal Petition (Agenda Item 12 A, page 4). Unlike the last charter renewal in 2005 that came on the heels of a major teacher sex scandal at the school (which then OUSD officials used for an excuse to try and revoke the charter of Orange County’s first charter school), the process for the Renewal Petition this year has been uneventful.
Also on the May 13 OUSD Agenda is the Second Reading and vote on revising Board Policy 6112 (Agenda Item 12 B page 5). The revision will allow OUSD to offer full day kindergarten- also known as Extended Day Kindergarten. The policy revision is written to allow full day kindergarten to be offered as an option, while also continuing to offer the current traditional half day classes in OUSD. At the April 22, 2010 Board Meeting, OUSD Executive Director of Elementary Education Rachelle Morga gave a report that presented educational arguments for allowing the Extended Day Kindergarten. Before that meeting, the current OUSD pursuit of Extended Day Kindergarten had been purely based on financial reasons that Extended Day Kindergarten would create a positive financial flow to OUSD. In response to questions from the OUSD Trustees, Morga stated that the program could be phased in as a trial program and would most likely not be in place until the 2012-13 school year. That trial program would not give OUSD the full financial benefit that the district immediately needs that caused district officials to serious look to offering an Extended Day Kindergarten in OUSD.
INSIDE the May 13 School Board Meeting
Agenda Item 14 A is the Public Hearing on the Orange Unified Education Association’s (OUEA) current bargaining proposal. OUSD is going back to the negotiating table with its employee unions to continue to make budgetary cuts as Sacramento lawmakers continue to struggle to deal with the ongoing state budget crisis. Unlike other school districts in Orange County, OUSD has managed massive budget cuts during the crisis with the ongoing cooperation of its employee groups, and overall understanding of the community to the ongoing difficult sacrifices. Hundreds of jobs have been lost in two years of deep district budget cuts and two schools have been closed. In contrast to other parts of Orange County, under OUSD Superintendent Dr. Renae Dreier, the painful budgetary process in OUSD has been a model process of open planning, community input and methodical inclusiveness that has spared Greater Orange the often intense fighting that for years had been a community staple and is now evident elsewhere in Orange County and up and down the state. Year three of the budget crisis in OUSD under Dreier starts from a positive note of cooperation, trust and community unity and sacrifice in dealing with the local problems that continue to be caused by stalemates and stagnation in Sacramento.
Item 14 P is the new Employment Contracts for the Dreier Reorganization of the district administration. OUSD alumni and long time district and community stalwart Assistant Superintendent Ed Kissee will continue in his long time role as Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources with an extension of his contract. Effective in July, Assistant Superintendent Michael Christiansen will become OUSD’s first Deputy Superintendent and newly hired Dr. Gunn Marie Hansen will become the Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services. OUSD Superintendent Dr. Renae Dreier confirmed that the contracts do not include pay raises for the current employees and only confirm the employee’s current placement on the Leadership Pay Schedule. (For more information on the Dreier Reorganization CLICK ON: Reorganization)
Agenda Item 9E (page 2-3)-Classified School Employees Week Proclamation May 17-21, 2010
INSIDE OUSD Donations
Canyon H.S. ASB - $2,000 Tennis Stipend; Barnes & Noble-$ 176.97; Sycamore E.S. supplies; Jordan PTA - $537 Jordan E.S. Ball Wall; Villa Park H.S. Pep Boosters $7,300 Cheer Stipends; West Orange School Association $1,700 Read 180 program; El Modena Girls Volleyball Boosters- $396 salary stipend; Orange H.S. Vocal Music Boosters- $ 4,000 for accompanist; Serrano PFO-$4,500 P.E. specialist .
For a complete list of the $ 65,000 in community donations see pages 9-10 of the Agenda.
INSIDE the OUSD Budget
Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2010: $ 0
Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2009: $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
Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2008: $901,200.00
Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2007: $704,090.00*
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
Former Superintendent Godley’s Retirement Bonus running total (beginning 8/2008):
$23,920.00*
* 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.
NEXT BOARD MEETING: THURSDAY May 13, 2010 OUSD BOARD ROOM
For AGENDA-CLICK ON MEETING
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
is an independent news service of /O/N/N/
“Independent Local Insight”
