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ORANGE Unified Schools INSIDE
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Trustees to vote on drug sniffing dogs


Orange Unified –Going to the Dogs

The August 26 OUSD Board Meeting’s Agenda Item 13 D simply stated “Staff will present a proposal for enhancing safe and drug free campuses”. That “proposal” turned out to be a proposal to use drug sniffing dogs at OUSD’s high schools. Without prior notice, no community members, for or against the sniffer dog use were forewarned of the plans.

The Orange Unified School District will follow up that Informational Item on the use of drug sniffing dogs at Orange Unified high schools with an Action Item vote on using the dogs at their September 23, 2010 OUSD Board Meeting.

Action Item 12 A (page 6) will authorize $13,500 for a contract with Interquest Detection Canines to provide drug sniffing dogs for OUSD’s 4 high schools, Richland Continuation School and the OUSD Community Day School. While all the Trustees who spoke to the item were supportive, only Trustee Kathy Moffat asked questions about the proposal. One of the questions raised by Moffat at the August 26, 2010 meeting was how the dogs would deter alcohol use on campus. Moffat was also concerned that the use of the dogs would possibly send the wrong message to students like OUSD thought all students were suspect just because they were high school students. In addition, Moffat sought assurances from staff that the district would continue to collect and analyze data to monitor if the use of sniffer dogs does deter the number of drug and alcohol incidents at the district’s schools.

Action Item 12 A states Interquest Detection Canines will provide the OUSD Board with “a demonstration of canine capacities” and answer questions at the September 23 Board Meeting. The Board is expected to approve the request. It won’t be a surprise if the song “Who Let the Dogs Out” is played across OUSD high school campuses on Friday.

For more information on Interquest Detection Canines school program
CLICK ON:DOGS


Inside the August 26 Board Meeting
The OUSD Board heard a report (Information Item 13 A) on the how the earlier in the day first day of school for OUSD Schools went. The report confirmed one of the the smoothest opening days in recent memory for OUSD, while for the first time in OUSD history top administrators from the OUSD District Office fanned out across the district to embrace the “Welcome” theme of the day and visited every OUSD campus on the first day of school. OUSD Early in the day, Superintendent Dr. Renae Dreier released a Welcome Back Pod Cast to staff and personally visited Portola M.S., Yorba M.S. and Orange H.S.

That evening, at the OUSD Board meeting, for Information Item 13 B the OUSD Administration presented the second year priorities of the OUSD Strategic Plan with continued assurances that Superintendent Dr. Renae Dreier’s administration has moved beyond the hollow sloganeering and Consultant Culture of former Superintendent Dr. Thomas Godley by reiterating that OUSD would use its own staff as “in-house experts” to make the plan come true. While most of the OUSD administrators were able to embrace the real life world of Dr. Dreier’s real life visions in their presentations, at least one OUSD administrator it seems is still stuck in Dr. Godley’s expensive Good to Great sloganeering Focus on Results Consultant Culture. Yes, Panorama Principal Michelle Moore gave the Trustees and the community more of her fairytale Edu-speak by serving up embarrassing Power Point slides filled with garbled edu-speak for a simple report on Student Engagement.

Starting with “Academic Rigor” on her opening slide on Student Engagement, Moore morphed into her familiar Edu-babble which continues to make her look like she really does believe her school's astronomical scores are based on her babble and not the racial and social-economic status and privilege that her students represent. Perhaps that temporary principal position that has yet to be filled at Fairhaven is the perfect place for the OUSD Queen of Rigor to test her theories. Then again, we bet that her passport is probably not up-to-date. Maybe a State visit can be arranged.
God Save (us from) the Queen!

For More on Moore and her husband Dr. Rock…
CLICK ON: More on Moore

Inside the September 23, 2010 Board Meeting
Closed Session: AGENDA ITEM 4 B The OUSD Trustees will evaluate the performance of OUSD Superintendent Dr. Renae Dreier in closed session. Let’s see…ending the Consultant Culture, a solvent district, taking the lead in wage concessions, consolidation of the health benefits of the three different groups, real reorganization of the district administration, a public face for OUSD, wow…just imagine what she could have been done without a budget busting recession! [NOTE Closed Session starts at 5:00 pm] .

Agenda Item 9 E- Seating of the new SACBE (student) representatives. We hope President John Ortega asks for their opinion on the OUSD sniffer dogs!

Agenda Item 9E- Walk to School Week- OUSD has been taking the lead on this for a few years- with the whole green movement, maybe its time for the district’s energy managers to start promoting this so it goes further than just a Proclamation.

Agenda Item 13 B- Student Calendars are ready for approval through the 2012-2013 school year and are posted in the agenda. Planning a trip? See the link to the agenda below and go to pages 8-10.

INSIDE OUSD Donations
Running Springs PTA- $12,096 for playground equipment and computers; Orange Jr. Soccer Club- $400- Handy E.S.; Terra Cycle Inc- $2,000 -Anaheim Hills E.S.; Panorama PTA-$6,000- supplies.

INSIDE the OUSD Budget
Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2010:
$ 385,000
2010 Attorney Fee Tally:
5/27/10 Dannis, Woliver & Kelley $ 30,000
5/27/10 Parker & Covert $ 55,000
5/27/10 Parker & Covert (to 6/11) $300,000
TOTAL $ 385,000

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 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):
$28,000.00*

* 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 September 23, 2010 OUSD BOARD ROOM

For AGENDA-CLICK ON AGENDA

CLOSED SESSION- 5:00 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