Greater Orange News Service

2012-01-26T23:40:00.000-08:00

Orange Unified’s Grade Inflation Out of the Box or Out of Control?
Part 2
Palo Verdes Peninsula Unified
CST Incentive Program dividing community

While Orange Unified’s El Modena High School California Standards Test (CST) Incentive Program is being ignored by the Orange Unified School Board and Administration, the CST Incentive program in Palo Verdes Peninsula Unified School District has been the focus of a community backlash on both sides of the issue. The PVPUSD School Board has found itself caught in the middle of a community crisis it had no say in developing, but has tried to deal with as problems in the school’s ill-designed program began to become evident across the close-knit well-to-do community.

Similar to El Modena High School’s program, the PV High School program developed and initiated by the school’s administration without district approval, first split the high school's staff as the school’s administration pushed the program. Then the PV High School program’s “grade-boosting” reputation caused wide-spread community concern of “equity” and required school board to take action to revoke the school's program in July 2011. Now the school board is faced with a push back on its revoking the program and finds itself becoming as controversial as the ill designed program it and district staff had no say in developing.

The Palo Verdes High School CST Incentive Program has caused a firestorm in this small close-knit community. Blindsided by the controversy and problems coming to the forefront, in July of 2011 the program was revoked by the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School Board when the PVSPU Superintendent and Board were hit by a barrage of complaints about a policy they did not approve. Parents and educators from the cross town rival school, Palo Verdes Peninsula High School, as well as parents from Palo Verdes High School complained about the equity of the program to the school board who revoked the program in a special meeting in the summer. PVSPU Superintendent Walker Williams was widely quoted as calling the system “not totally equitable”, while the PVPUSD Board President Barbara Lucky stated that the Board was not fully informed about the program. Now the controversy has returned with some in the school wanting the Board of Education to reverse its vote to revoke the program. The Board has directed the high school's staff to try and come to a consensus before taking further action.

Among the concerns that came to light is a change in a senior student’s grade from their 10th grade year (based on a CST Score that year) that allowed that senior student to become the high school’s Valedictorian. The prestige of Valedictorian has enormous consequences. As an example, California State University, Long Beach gives any Valedictorian who selects CSULB a full scholarship. The fallout from the grade change-two years after the fact-that led to the Valedictorian fiasco and the fact that the PVPUSD School Board was not informed of the program, led PVPUSD Board President Barbara Lucky, PVPUSD Superintendent Williams and parents to publicly question the program.

PV High School Principal Dr. Nick Stephany however has publicly defended the program, putting him at odds with the school board and the Superintendent. The principal cites the CST Incentive as one of the programs in an arsenal of programs that PV High School used to get their API Score to 898. While the principal has also defended the program by stating that only 5 percent of the students have boosted their grades using the program he also acknowledges that because of so many new programs at PV High School, nothing can be directly attributed to any one for the school's increase in API. However, parents and faculty point out that cross town rival PVP High School also increased its API score to 898 without the CST Incentive program or the controversy. The program has also divided the staff at PV High School as well. While the school board has directed the staff to come to a consensus for the school board to consider, with the controversy in the open and community-wide, the staff appears even more divided.

In addition, Board members under advice from district counsel were concerned about possible exposure of the district to an ongoing American Civil Liberty Lawsuit (ACLU) lawsuit over the use of fee-based Advanced Placement (AP) tests and the grade-boosting based on AP testing results. That issue is yet to be addressed.

None of the issues that PVPUSD is dealing with have yet developed in the case of Orange Unified’s El Modena High School’s CST Initiative Program. In comparison El Modena’s less thought out CST Program has even more troubling attributes than the PV High School program has- as this series will continue to examine.

LINK to PART 1: PART 1

Orange Unified’s Grade Inflation Out of the Box or Out of Control?Is an investigative news series of
Orange Net News /O/N/N/
Independent insight into OUSD

WATCH FOR Part 3 Of Orange Net News newest investigative series:

Orange Unified’s Grade Inflation Out of the Box or Out of Control?

Surridge elected Orange Unified Board President

2012-01-17T19:31:00.000-08:00

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

Surridge elected Orange Unified Board President
One year after being elected to the Orange Unified School Board by defeating former trustee Kimberly Nichols, Trustee Tim Surridge was elected as Orange Unified School Board President on a split 4-2-1 vote. Surridge was nominated by John Ortega just a moment before Trustee Diana Singer nominated Trustee Dr. Alexia Deligianni for the position. On the vote for Surridge, Deligianni abstained, with Trustees Kathy Moffat and Diana Singer voting No. Surridge voted for himself and was joined by Trustees John Ortega, Mark Wayland and outgoing OUSD Board President Rick Ledesma giving Surridge the majority vote. Deligianni was then elected Board Vice President on a 7-0 vote and Wayland was again voted Board Clerk on a 7-0 vote.

In parting comments, Ledesma reflected that he had started the year with Superintendent Dr. Renae Dreier, and was ending the year with Superintendent Michael Christensen, praising both of them. He went on to then describe the OUSD Board’s imitative to address the district’s surplus properties as a source of income stating the district was looking to “maximize value" of the under and unused parcels it owns. He also warned that some “media and gadflies may not like some of these decisions” and stated he was committed to getting value from those properties (see item 12 C below).

For his part, new President Tim Surridge reflected on the California School Boards Association annual convention, this year held in San Diego. Surridge stated he took the keynote speaker’s message of telling positive stories of local schools to heart. He pledged to spend the year of his presidency telling positive stories about Orange Unified.

OUSD Budget certified Positive
It wasn’t long before the first case of positive news was heard. OUSD Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Joe Sorrera reported that despite the now all but certain State of California budget “trigger cuts”, OUSD would be able to absorb the $8.1 million in anticipated revenue shortage without further program cuts by extending the present cost-saving measures already in place.

Later, OUSD Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources reported on the required R-2 Administrative Ration report required by the State of California of every school district. The report is to make sure that school districts are compliant with mandated administrative to teacher acceptable ratios. OUSD, which over a 5 year period has had the lowest ratio of any Orange County Unified District, continued to post a very low administrative to teacher ratio in the current report. Allowed 8 certificated administrators per 100 credentialed teachers under the current formula, OUSD would be allowed about 87 certificated administrators. Currently (not including percentages of the two charter schools and federally funded positions) OUSD has 66 certificated administrators, falling far below the allowable number and ratio.

INSIDE the January 19 OUSD Agenda
Closed Session Agenda Item 4A: discussion of Meadows Construction Services Inc. v Orange Unified School District. In 2008 the firm had been awarded the modernization contract for Sycamore Elementary School. In 2009, two phases (#5 & 6) were terminated by OUSD decreasing the contract and days of constriction.

Closed Session Agenda Item 4 D: Discussion of the Superintendent’s evaluation instrument

Action Item 12 B ( Agenda page 5): in dealing with the ‘trigger cuts” OUSD is requesting a continuation of the waivers for two more years to the California Education Code it received for the school years 2010-2011 and 2011-2012. The annual savings to the district is projected to be $1.9 million annually.

Action Item 12 C (Agenda page 6): Public Hearing on waiver to sell or lease Killerfer site surplus property site. OUSD is seeking a waiver from state requirements outlining the process for selling or leasing property that a district may not receive the highest price. OUSD is seeking to determine “what constitutes the most desirable bid, set its own terms and conditions, and remove the requirement that oral bids be accepted”.

Former Superintendent Godley’s Retirement Bonus
Running total (beginning 8/2008)
$48,180.00*

* 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 January 19, 2012
Next OUSD Board Meeting Thursday Jan 19, 2012, 2011 -OUSD BOARD ROOM
CLOSED SESSION- 5:30 pm
OUSD Regular Session: 7:00 pm
For AGENDA-CLICK ON: AGENDA
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”

WATCH FOR Orange Net News newest investigative series:

Orange Unified’s Grade Inflation Out of the Box or Out of Control?
Part 2

Whitney Amsbary wins 2011 GOPY

2011-12-29T16:32:00.001-08:00

Orange Unified Educators Association President Amsbary wins 3rd Annual Greater Orange Person of the Year award

The Orange Communication System, has announced Orange Unified Educators Association (OUEA) President Whitney Amsbary has been named the 2011 recipient of the GOPY (Greater Orange Person of the Year).

In a December 29th press release, the Greater Orange Community Organization announced that the Orange Communication System awarded 2011 GOPY Award based on the award’s criteria of "the person who’s actions most influenced the Greater Orange Community” during the year. Amsbary, a 5th Grade teacher at Nohl Canyon Elementary School in Orange Unified, is serving her second term as OUEA President. The press release states Amsbary:

“has been a standout leader in improving communication, cooperation and understanding between the Orange Unified School Board, the Orange Unified Administration and with the Greater Orange Community at large. Her commitment to open and honest communication and finding common ground during this unprecedented economic turmoil has helped make Orange Unified a shinning example in Orange County and across the State of California of how cooperation and trusts unites a community.”

Orange Communication System is the communications arm of the watchdog group the Greater Orange Community Organization. The Orange Communication System is the producer of original local central Orange County news services that include Orange Net News (ONN) and the Greater Orange News Service and is affiliated with national citizen news organizations.

Past GOPY Award recipients are:
2010- Orange Unified Deputy Superintendent Michael Christensen (now Superintendent)
CLICK ON: 2nd GOPY

2009- Orange Unified Superintendent Renae Dreier (now retired)
CLICK ON: 1st GOPY

Orange Unified’s Grade Inflation: Out of the Box or Out of Control PART 1

2011-12-12T21:25:00.000-08:00

Orange Unified’s Grade Inflation
Out of the Box or Out of Control?

Most of the handful of schools across California that have implemented a California State Standards (CST) Incentive Program are doing so on their own with a wide-range of approaches. Only Los Angeles Unified School District has a district-wide experimental program in place with district-wide policies for the 39 schools selected to participate in the experimental program. Those policies include legal and logistical policies to navigate the legal pitfalls that the program encounters. By contrast, Orange Unified's El Modena High School, with a more fly-by the-seat-of-our-pants approach, has done none of the legal legwork to prevent another colossal El Modena scandal from erupting in the myriad of issues that could and may have already happened with the program at El Modena. This school year in Orange Unified’s Grade Inflation Out of the Box or Out of Control? the newest Orange Net News investigative series, we will be examining the good, the bad and the ugly issues that this new program opens up, not only specifically with the program at El Modena and its potential far reaching consequences for Orange Unified, but also with the possible future of CST Incentive programs overall.

PART ONE:
AP and honors Students penalized: Student Segregation Returns
Orange Unified’s El Modena High School is no stranger to controversy, or controversial programs. The most recent foray into the land of educational controversy is being pushed by El Modena Principal John Briquelet. Under Briquelet, the principal has pushed El Modena to join a handful of California high schools experimenting with motivating students to do better on the California State Standards (CST) exams by increasing classroom grades for students who perform well on the tests.

The idea of the grade improvement program is to improve apathy among high school students towards a testing regime that students have come to realize by high school has no real world consequences for poor performance because they do not effect grade-points, do not fulfill graduation credits or requirements for college entrance or help on college applications. At El Modena however, the program tries to not reward motivated AP and honors students who would be more inclined to be “motivated” to use the rewards program.

Any new program can be a hard sell, especially when California Education Code makes teachers the final authority over classroom grades. By most accounts, Briquelet used his bully pulpit to impose the system on the El Modena staff. That can clearly be seen in the paper issued by Briquelet titled A CST Incentive Program FAQ . In it Briquelet repeatedly uses the pronoun “I”. More astonishing is the A CST Incentive Program FAQ presentation of antidotal evidence, generalizations, stereotypes and assumptions as fact.

The A CST Incentive Program FAQ includes phrases like;

“We would like to be accurately represented as a an academic institution”;

“Believe it or not, a school’s performance can affect home values in its attendance area!":

“We do not expect excessive grade inflation”.

“First, very few students will have sufficient knowledge to move from F to D, but their certainly will be a few who manage to do so."

“AP and honors students and honors students should be able to score Advanced in most cases with little effort- the CST exams are not much of a challenge for these kids”

The El Modena plan also includes the legally questionable policy of penalizing Advance Placement (AP) and honors not only by not only requiring them to score higher on the CST exams with an Advance score, but also by giving those already motivated students only one-third the grade “bump” if they do score higher on the CST. The El Modena CST Incentive Program FAQ explains: “AP and honors classes are already provided a bump of sorts through weighted GPA’s, therefore, therefore a full grade increase would result in excessive grade and GPA inflation.”

The LAUSD Board of Education approved Los Angeles Unified plan treats all students equally while recognizing the extra efforts AP and honors students make. Far from penalizing AP students, those students are treated the same as all students by the LAUSD CST Program. The LAUSD program rewards any student improving their score by one achievement category to the next achievement category. In addition, the Los Angeles Unified incentive policy recognizes and rewards AP students for the extra efforts needed to pass the AP examinations by allowing students to petition for an A in a class for a passing score on those college level AP examinations.

Finally, the El Modena CST Incentive Program FAQ addresses what many critics cite as the educational ethical questions with more of an opinion piece:

“Are extra credit assignments unethical? What about the administration of final exams? How about giving students’ college course credits for passing Advanced Placement exams? No, I do not see the CST Incentive Program as remotely unethical.”

Unfortunately, this is just where our series begins.

Orange Unified’s Grade Inflation
Out of the Box or Out of Control ?
Is an investigative news series of

Orange Net News /O/N/N/
Independent insight into OUSD

WATCH FOR PART 2 of
Orange Net News newest investigative series:

Orange Unified’s Grade Inflation
Out of the Box or Out of Control?

OUSD Board rejects returning to Rotating Officers

2011-12-06T19:03:00.000-08:00

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

OUSD Board rejects returning to Rotating Officers

At the November 17, 2011 Orange Unified School Board meeting, the Board rejected on a 2-5 vote returning to the practice of rotating Board officers, keeping the current policy of electing them. Trustee Diane Singer sponsored the proposal to revise the Orange Unified School Board Policies to again include the rotation of Board officers as first implemented by the Citizens Board that was elected after the 2001 Orange Unified Recall election.

Currently Trustee Kathy Moffat and OUSD Board President Rick Ledesma are the only remaining trustees that were elected as part of that original Citizens Board that implemented the package of Board Policy reforms dubbed the Recall Reforms that included the rotation of officers. A few years later, the controversial election of Steve Rocco to the OUSD Board proved too much for the then citizens majority and they began changing Board policies. Those changes including eliminating the rotation of officers to deny Rocco any leadership role as they simultaneously tried to pursue a recall against Rocco.

At the November 17th meeting it was Moffat who moved Singer’s proposal and asked her fellow Board members to support it. Acknowledging for the first time in public (without mentioning him by name) that Rocco’s election was the motivation behind the change away from the rotation system, Moffat noted that having served under both systems of rotation and election, in her experience the rotation system was a “healthier one”. Moffat explained that she felt under the rotation system it gave proper perspective to the officers, making their service more positive, and avoiding the feeling that the Board President’s position was a “super board member” position. Moffat noted that if the situation ever again arose that the by-law needed to be changed, it could.

Trustee Mark Wayland reasoned that some members are not as prepared to be Board President as others. Wayland also countered the argument that rotation of officers ensured fairness with the statement, “Life is not fair”. Trustee Timothy Surridge, who has often been a bridge builder between the majority and minority members, reasoned that the Board President must be a “consensus builder” and an election ensures that the Board President “has support”.

The 2-5 vote had Moffat and Singer voting to return to the rotation system with Wayland and Surridge being joined by Trustees Rick Ledesma, Dr. Alexia Deligianni, and John Ortega to oppose the change.

Agenda Item 9 A (Agenda page 1) for this week’s Thursday December 8, 2011 OUSD Board Meeting is the Annual Organizational Meeting that will elect new OUSD Board officers for next year.

Villa Park Councilman Robert Fauteux praises OUSD Superintendent

Villa Park Councilman Robert Fauteux is no stranger to the OUSD Boardroom. Commenting for years in the Foothill Sentry on OUSD, his November 17 reason for his appearance before the OUSD Board was remarkable for anyone who has followed Fauteux’s career. The councilman stood before the OUSD Board to heap praise on Superintendent Michael Christensen for his attendance at a Villa Park City Council Meeting to hear community complaints about the traffic centered around OUSD’s four schools located in Villa Park. Fauteux also praised the Superintendent for beginning the work to address the traffic issues that with City of Villa Park staff and officials. While he was there the councilman also invited everyone to the Villa Park Great Dry Land Yacht Parade on Sunday December 13- and you know what- we could tell he really meant it.

OUSD sound as California prepares to pull the Budget Trigger

After a stellar Annual Audit Report from the independent auditor, Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Joe Sorrera gave an update on the financial outlook for OUSD with the prospect of an estimated $3.7 billion California budget deficit forcing double trigger budget cuts built into this year’s California budget. As the weak economy continues to take its toll, OUSD could see a loss of $8.1 million dollars. With a current $13 million dollar reserve (due in part to lower interest rates on its OPED Bonds) OUSD should not have further budget cuts or be required to cut further days off its school year this year. The two outlying years will require applying for continuing the Class Size Waiver in grades 3-8 for two more years and may require further negotiations to extend current pay agreements with its employees through 2014 to offset continued projected revenue losses.

No takers on OUSD Killefer site or OUSD Bond offer

The economy is taking its toll on more than just tax receipts from the Sacramento. The opening on bids for purchase of the OUSD Killefer property site on Lemon Street in Old Towne proved anti-climatic as no bids were received for the site during the Public Hearing at the November 17 meeting.

Meanwhile, a day later on November 18, Standard and Poors withdrew it’s A plus rating of OUSD 2008 Bonds because no one bought them.

For More Information CLICK HERE: OUSD BONDS

Superintendent Christensen pushes back OUSD Strategic Plan goals to 2014

Explaining to the OUSD Board that the OUSD 3 year Strategic Plan was good but “We need more time”, OUSD Superintendent Christensen extended the timeline to accomplish the goals to 2014. Honestly explaining to the OUSD Board that “The timelines [to accomplish the goals] are moving back because they cannot be met”, Christensen used the example of technology as how the economy has impacted meeting the goals. Citing the lack of funds to upgrade technology, the elimination of teacher in-service days to train on new technology and the shear stress and workload on the district’s human resources, the forthright Christensen explained “We are not finished with what is in place” and therefore needed to extend the timelines assuring the Board that “We are moving ahead”.

INSIDE the December 8, 2011 Agenda-New Xerox Machines

While officers for next year will be decided at the December 8 OUSD Board meeting, perhaps more interesting to teachers and support staff is Consent Item 15 D (pg 50). OUSD’s current 5 year lease with Xerox Corporation will expire in June, 2012. The Agenda Item reports the new lease includes: new copy machines throughout the district with the latest technology; and a 17% savings over the current contract (less machines) a five year $940,000 savings.
Also..
Announcement 10 E (Agenda pg 5-6) Proclamation recognizing Villa Park’s 50th Anniversary
Announcement 10 F (Agenda pg 7-8) Proclamation recognizing the Orange Chamber of Commerce 90th Anniversary
Action Item 13 A- (Agenda pg 9-42) First Interim Financial Report on the OUSD budget

Former Superintendent Godley’s Retirement Bonus

Running total (beginning 8/2008)
$48,180.00*
* 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 December 8, 2011
Next OUSD Board Meeting Thursday Nov 17, 2011 -OUSD BOARD ROOM
CLOSED SESSION- 5:00 pm
OUSD Regular Session: 7:00 pm
For AGENDA-CLICK ON: AGENDA

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”

WATCH FOR Orange Net News newest investigative series:
Orange Unified’s Grade Inflation:
Out of the Box or Out of Control?

Tis the Season for Greater Orange Hoilday Traditions

2011-11-25T11:16:00.000-08:00

METRO Talk:

Santa to Tour Villa Park before heading to North Pole
Few people outside Villa Park may know that Santa and Mrs. Claus keep their Southern California vacation residence right here in Greater Orange at the Claus Villa in Villa Park. Each year before making the final push towards getting ready for that Christmas Eve world tour, the Claus family spends a weekend at their Villa Park get-a-way. Traditionally, Santa has thanked his home-away-from home neighbors with the Annual Villa Park Santa Tour winding his way through the Greater Orange “Hidden Jewel” in a bright red fire truck. This year’s tour is Saturday December 3, 2011 starting at 8:00 am.

Santa has been known to drop by or stop along the route where ever there is a gathering of believers. For more information contact the Villa Park City Hall at 714-998-1500. The Annual Santa Tour is sponsored by the Villa Park Foundation.

For a map and times CLICK ON: SANTA TOUR

17th Annual Orange Plaza Tree Lighting and Candlelight Choir Procession
The Christmas holiday season’s official Greater Orange kickoff celebrates 17 years of tree lighting ceremonies in the Orange Plaza. The 350 voice Orange Master Chorale choir led by Orange High’s world famous choir director Michael Short and a 60 piece orchestra in the traditional Choir Procession and Tree Lighting Ceremony.

The festivities start at 3:30 pm on Sunday December 4th with food booths and kids activities including those holiday photo ops with none-other than Santa himself followed by the official choir and tree ceremony starting at 5:15 pm.

In case of rain please call the official Orange Special Events Hotline for details: 714-744-7278.

14th Villa Park Great Dry Land Yacht Parade Kicks off 50th Celebration

Being land-locked never bothered many in Greater Orange, especially in Villa Park where the 14th Annual Great Villa Park Inland Yacht Parade takes place on Sunday December 11th, 2011.

Kicking off Villa Park’s 50th Anniversary of cityhood, the mighty armada sets sail starting at 5:00 pm, to arrive at its home port at the Villa Park Towne and Community Centre at around 6:00 pm. The hometown festivities including a tree lighting ceremony and entertainment and promises of special 50th year surprises. The Great Villa Park Inland Yacht Parade is sponsored by the Villa Park Foundation.

For a Parade Route Map: CLICK ON:BOAT PARADE

The newest education controversy comes to Orange Unified

2011-11-15T20:13:00.000-08:00

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

The newest education controversy comes to Orange Unified

Orange Unified’s Grade Inflation
Out of the Box or Out of Control?

OUSD’s El Modena High School expands Grade Inflation Incentives
Orange Unified’s El Modena High School, a school with a long history of scandals, is posed to again take center stage in the latest educational ignominy to boost testing scores: Grade Inflation Incentives. Orange Net News has obtained documents about the changing year old grade incentive program at El Modena High School to try and increase the school's California Standards Test (CST) called the CST Incentive Program. El Modena’s program has spread to Orange High School, and may soon be in place at other OUSD schools. Beginning this month, Orange Net News will produce a new investigative series on the controversial testing practice:
Orange Unified’s Grade Inflation Out of the Box or Out of Control?

El Modena High School under Principal John Briquelet has instituted, without Orange Unified Board approval (but with the full knowledge of upper OUSD Administrators), a plan to retroactively boost student classroom grades based on their performance on the California Standards Test (CST). While the plan is similar to controversial CST Incentive Plans in a few other California schools, unlike the other CST Incentive Plans, the El Modena Plan was not approved by the Orange Unified School Board, was implemented by what some characterize as a “strong handed” approach by the El Modena School Administration, and lacks protections and safeguards of other plans. Those other plans, even with their safeguards have come under question.

Similar to a plan authorized by the Los Angeles School Board Trustees in 39 schools in that district, the El Modena Plan differs substantially in administration, participation and equity. In addition, ONN has documents showing the plan has changed since its introduction and without safeguards could lead to possible unethical and possibly illegal abuses of the system now in place.

In our new investigative series Orange Net News will explore and examine the serious issues raised by the El Modena CST Incentive Program and other CST Incentive Programs including the serious issues around “retroactive” grade reassignments. Those issues include: High School Grade Inflation relating to college entrance exams; competitive college applications; adult initiation vs. student driven grade changes; CIF athletic and grade required activity participation eligibility; equity of incentives; accreditation issues; and the legal, moral and classroom issues of the CST Grade Incentive idea in general as well as investigating Orange Unified’s current version in specifics as implemented by El Modena and Orange High School.

Trustee Diane Singer proposes
OUSD return to Recall Reform of rotating Board officers
Trustee Diane Singer has placed a proposal on the November 17, 2011 Orange Unified Board Agenda to revise the Orange Unified School Board Policies to again include the rotation of Board officers as first implemented by the Citizens Board that was elected after the 2001 Orange Unified Recall election. Item 14 D (Agenda page 7) requests a return to the rotation of officers adopted in December 2002. Current Trustee Kathy Moffat and OUSD Board President Rick Ledesma are the only remaining trustees that were elected as part of that original Citizen’s Board that implemented the a package of Board Policy reforms dubbed the Recall Reforms that included the rotation of officers. Ledesma had been on the OUSD Board prior to the Recall, but was ousted in the election that brought the Marty Jacobson Radical Board to power. Ledesma was returned to the OUSD Board in the Recall Election.

After the 2001 Orange Unified Recall, then President Bob Viviano, with the newly elected Trustees, proposed and passed several reforms known as the Recall Reforms. Trustee Viviano was an outsider on the Recalled Conservative Board and knew very well how a majority could weld power. After the Recall Election, his contribution to approved package of Board Policy changes included a plan of having the three Board offices rotated between all the Trustees so a small minority would never be isolated by another overwhelming majority. Both Moffat and Ledesma supported all of the Recall Reforms.

Later, after the controversial election of Steve Rocco to the OUSD Board, then Superintendent Dr. Thomas Godley proposed (under the guise of saving money) to eliminate the Recall Reform of televising OUSD Board Meetings. It was Trustee Rick Ledesma that rallied the community to save the Trustee broadcasts, and those broadcasts continue to this day ( although for a time Godley censored items he did not want broadcasted involving Rocco, leading ONN to report to the community all items Godley censored). Rocco’s election however also proved too much for the then majority. After Trustee Kim Nichols became Board President after Moffat, Nichols and her allies took aim at Rocco and began changing Board policies, including eliminating the rotation of officers so as to deny Rocco any leadership role as they simultaneously tried to pursue a recall against Rocco. The Recall Reform of rotating officers was changed the rule back to electing Board officers. Kathy Moffat supported that move.

Now, with another super majority in control of the Board, minority members again are shut out of the Board power structure and forced again to try to participate from outside, the exact situation, former Trustees Bob Vivano, Bill Lewis, and current Board President Rick Ledesma had fought in the past to change with their then ally Kathy Moffat.

INSIDE the OUSD Agenda for November 17, 2011
Work Study Session- 5:30 pm pm An Orientation on the Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) and the Emergency Operation Center (EOC).

Closed Session – 6:00 pm The OUSD Board will appoint an Assistant Superintendent and a Administrative Director for Business Services and a Coordinator, Special Education-Learning Services.

Action Item 14 A- (Agenda page 3) Opening bids for the purchase of the Killefer Elementary School site at 541 N Lemon Street in Orange. Bids must be at least $3.4 million.

Information Item 15 B – (Agenda page 10) Budget Update- What a difference trust makes for the Greater Orange Community. As the state budget continues to tank…and the trigger dates for automatic dates for the state budget cuts approach- OUSD’s highly regarded financial staff will continue to look into their renowned crystal ball and try to make sense of it all for the Trustees, staff and community.

Information Item 15 E – (Agenda page 13) A Progress update on OUSD’s current three year Strategic Plan. Under former Superintendent Dr. Dreier those updates grew refreshingly honest; with Superintendent Christensen we expect that level of integrity to continue.

Former Superintendent Godley’s Retirement Bonus
running total (beginning 8/2008):
$46,970.00*
* 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 November 17, 2011
Next OUSD Board Meeting Thursday Nov 17, 2011 -OUSD BOARD ROOM
Work Session- 5:30 CLOSED SESSION- 6:00 pm
OUSD Regular Session: 7:00 pm

For AGENDA-CLICK ON: NOVEMBER AGENDA

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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WATCH FOR Orange Net News newest investigative series:

Orange Unified’s Grade Inflation Out of the Box or Out of Control?

OUSD's Ledesma calls Attorney ruling “minutia"

2011-10-18T19:15:00.000-07:00

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OUSD Board President Ledesma calls
OUSD Attorney ruling “minutia”
The last Orange Unified Board Meeting on September 15, 2011 started off with a disagreement over the meeting Agenda which did not include a requested agenda item from Trustee Diane Singer. Singer objected to Board President Rick Ledesma not placing a legal opinion from OUSD Attorney Covert Spencer on the use of “Board consensus” that Covert issued in September. Singer had requested the clarification over concerns about Ledesma’s proposals at the June 2011 meeting on changing the process Board members were to go through for requests for information from the district staff. Ledesma used a non-voting “consensus” to require all requests for information go through him. Covert was asked to issue a legal opinion, and Singer asked that the legal opinion be included in the agenda for discussion. Ledesma did not include it, and Singer objected. Answering Singers concern, Ledesma called the letter “board minutia” and offered that as the reasoning for not including it as an Agenda item to be discussed in public as Singer continued to object. Ledesma then moved on with the meeting. The Agenda was approved 6-1 with Singer voting “NO”.

Singer’s Agenda item however does now appear, with Covert’s legal opinion letter, on the October 20, 2011 Board Agenda as item 13 B (agenda pages 9-16). Singer, received support from Trustees Kathy Moffat and Tim Surridge to have the item placed on the Agenda. In his letter, Attorney Spencer Covert states that current Board Policy allows trustees to submit requests for information directly to the Superintendent. Covert also states that to change the policy takes a vote of the Board, and states that that a vote for changing the policy never occurred. Covert also notes that the word “consensus” does not appear in the Brown Act and that any change to a Board Policy requires an item placed on the agenda and a formal vote be taken.

Under current Board rules, the President with the Superintendent, decides if a trustee requested agenda item is in the “subject matter jurisdiction” of the Board and can be placed on the Agenda. If a requested item is not placed on the Agenda, in practice it can be added if three trustees request it (basically an appeal of the ruling). Singer also objected to the Board rule that requires three Board members to sign on (appeal) an item to add it to the agenda. Singer called that appeal process a violation of the Brown Act, reasoning that three members would have to discuss an item. However, OUSD Board Policy states the appeal process is to be done in Open Session. In addition, the Brown Act states that a majority of the Board may not discuss an item outside of Open Session, which in OUSD’s case would be four Trustees-not three.

Ironically the agenda appeal item rule was changed from two Board members to three Board members after Ledesma had supported a request by then estranged OUSD Trustee Steve Rocco to place two items on the OUSD Agenda to the dismay and outrage of the then Board Majority. After Rocco used the agenda items to further his conspiracy theories, the then majority (which current Trustee Kathy Moffat was then apart of) voted to change several Board policies aimed at isolating Rocco and any support Ledesma might offer him. Those changed policies, now in the hands of a new voting block majority with Ledesma as President, have proved to be powerful tools and have isolated the current two vote minority.

Another of the policies changed by Moffat and her allies aimed at Rocco, was one of the so-called Recall Reforms from 2001. After the Orange Recall, then President Bob Viviano proposed and passed several reforms known as the Recall Reforms. Trustee Viviano was an outsider on the Recalled Conservative Board and knew very well how a majority could weld power. After the Recall election, his contribution to approved Board Policy changes included a plan of having the three Board offices rotated between all the Trustees so a small minority would never be isolated. That plan lasted until Rocco was elected. The idea of having Rocco in a leadership role was too much for the new majority of the then Citizen’s Board that was elected because of the Recall. They quickly changed the rule back to electing Board officers and ended the rotation of officers. Now, with another super majority in control of the Board, minority members again are shut out of the Board power structure and forced again to try to participate from outside, the exact situation, former Trustees Bob Vivano, Bill Lewis, and current Board President Rick Ledesma had fought in the past to change.

SB 161 Seizure medication law signed by Brown
SB 161, authored by Senator Bob Huff (R-Diamond Bar), was been signed by Governor Jerry Brown. The Orange Unified Board’s LegCo Committee supported the bill and the OUSD Trustees voted to support the bill. The new law allows volunteer employees at California schools who have been properly trained to provide emergency assistance to students with epilepsy who suffer a seizure at school. Diastat Acudial is a pre-dosed preparation of diazepam gel that was developed to be used by those without medical training. It is considered to be the fastest, safest, and most effective way to treat epileptic seizures. Huff’s office issued the following statement:
"The Governor's signature on SB 161 marks the victorious end to a long and bitter fight to provide the safety net that children with epilepsy desperately need in our schools. This victory proves that a determined group of parents, doctors, schools and other citizens can overcome even the most powerful of special interests."

INSIDE the AGENDA- October 20, 2011

Ledesma Places Trustee Boundary Changes on Agenda

Taking a page from former Board President Kimberly Nichols, current Board President Rick Ledesma has added Item 13 B (Agenda Page 9) to the October 20, 2011 Agenda to look at adjustments to the Trustee Area Boundaries.

The famous Nichols Realignment in 2007 came about after failing to gather enough signatures to qualify a recall election against former Trustee Steve Rocco. The 2007 realignment moved Rocco’s out of his Trustee Area so that he could not run as an incumbent in the Area that elected him. Rocco was moved into Ledesma’s area and later ran against Ledesma and lost.

INSIDE the OUSD BUDGET
OUSD Finances sound even with pending trigger cuts
During a report to the OUSD Trustees at the September meeting, Interim Assistant Superintendent for Business Services Joe Sorrera stated that Orange Unified’s approved budget will be able to “absorb” the $ 7.7 million in possible mid-year budget cuts if the “trigger” revenue loss to the state is reached that will cut into California’s state allocations to K-12 districts.

Former Superintendent Godley’s Retirement Bonus running total
(beginning 8/2008):

$45,760.00*

* 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 October 20, 2011
Next OUSD Board Meeting Thursday -OUSD BOARD ROOM
For AGENDA-CLICK ON: BOARD
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

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Orange Unified School Board meets

2011-09-14T23:13:00.000-07:00

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Orange Unified School Board meets
Thursday September 15 – 7:00 pm

The Orange Unified School Board will meet in Open Session at 7:00 pm on September 15. 2011.

The Agenda will include:
• Action Item 12 A (page 6-24) Adoption of the 2010-11 Revised Budget

This “Unaudited Actuals” meets the states 3% reserve and continues to show OUSD finances are as good as it gets when compared to most school districts and other government entities around the state.

• Information Item 13 B- Legislative Coalition Update on SB 161 emergency administration of Diastat epilepsy drug by school employees. Controversy and political turf wars surround this OUSD sponsored legislation.
CLICK HERE for administration instructions: DIASTAT

New Student Advisory Board members (page 3).

Proclamation of Walk to School Week and Day (page4)

CLICK HERE for more information:WALK

INSIDE the OUSD Budget
Former Superintendent Godley’s Retirement Bonus running total (beginning 8/2008):
$44,550.00*

* 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 15, 2011
OUSD BOARD ROOM
For AGENDA-CLICK ON: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
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/O/N/N/ Orange Net News
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Orange International Street Fair's 2011 theme- " A world of Flavor at your Finger Tips"

2011-08-27T13:31:00.000-07:00

39th Annual Orange International Street Fair this Labor Day
The Orange International Street Fair is the annual end-of–summer Labor Day Weekend bash that is celebrating its 39th year since being the centerpiece of the City of Orange centennial celebration in 1972 as a re-creation of a 1910 Orange International Fair. The celebration literally draws the world to the center of Greater Orange as world famous Orange Traffic Circle becomes the center of pedestrian traffic on the numerous international themed food streets. Over 1200 volunteers have been preparing to make the expected half million visitors feel welcome. More than 80 community organizations dedicated to serving the Greater Orange Communities rely on the Orange International Street Fair as one of their biggest fundraisers of the year.

A World of Flavor at Your Finger Tips

This year’s theme is “A World of Flavor at Your Finger Tips!!”. Like the past 39 years, the fun is all about the food, music, more food, drinks…and don’t forget the FOOD…from around the world. Craftsmen will be selling handmade items around the Plaza and present and past Orange Street Fair commemoratives will be on sale to complete your Orange Street Fair collection. As always no pets are allowed at the orange Street Fair and wristbands for public alcohol consumption are required.

Fourteen bands to play
The free entertainment includes fourteen bands that will perform thought the four block downtown Old Towne Orange Plaza traffic circle center representing music from around the globe on the numerous stages on the various streets including the famous Main Stage.
Band Entertainment Schedule CLICK ON: BANDS

Children’s Street
The Children’s Street family oriented activities will again be offered on North Orange Street just off East Chapman Ave. No alcohol is allowed in the Children’s Street area. Children’s Street hours are:
Friday September 2nd: 5 pm – 8:30 pm
Saturday September 3rd: 10 am – 8:30 pm
Sunday September 4th: 10 am – 8:30 pm

Parking and Traveling to the Orange Street Fair
The event draws half a million visitors over its three days. Visitors from out-of- town are encouraged to avoid the parking crunch by taking the Metrolink (at reduced weekend rates-see below) to the historic Orange Santa Fe (Metrolink/Amtrak) Depot conveniently located adjacent to the street fair. OCTA will sell you a $10 weekend Metrolink trains will allow you to ride anywhere in the regional system from 7 p.m. Friday to Sunday midnight. Weekend passes are only sold at the vending machines located at Metrolink stations (no web sales). Those wishing to brave the parking drama may try the Chapman University lots or parking on the surrounding streets. Expect to walk several blocks from where you park just to get to the Traffic Circle area where the Street Fair takes place.

LINK to Metrolink Pass story: $10 Metrolink Pass

LINK to Orange Old Town Metrolink Station Information:Orange Station

Orange Street Fair Schedule
The Orange Street Fair is in Orange Old Towne at the Orange Plaza the Traffic Circle intersection of Chapman and Glassell Streets in Orange. The fair runs Friday- Sunday (yes Sunday is the last day…Monday Labor Day is clean-up). Entering the street fair as always is free. Alcohol Sales on the street are over at 9:00 p.m. and a wrist band to purchase and drink at the fair must be purchased each day

Dates and hours of the 2010 Orange International Street Fair are:
September 2 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm
September 3 & 4 10:00 am - 10:00 pm
CLOSED MONDAY

Link To Orange Street Fair website: Orange International Street Fair

OUSD keeps Covert as Christensen Administration begins

2011-08-23T15:19:00.000-07:00

ORANGE Unified Schools INSIDE
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Independent insight into OUSD

Spencer Covert remains in OUSD with 2-5 Board vote
Orange Unified Board President Rick Ledesma was handed a rare defeat during the July 28, 2011 OUSD Board Meeting on Action Item 12 B (Agenda page 5) as the OUSD Board voted 2- 5 against Ledesma’s proposal to replace long-time OUSD law firm Parker & Covert. Ledesma sought to replace OUSD’s lead counsel Spencer Covert of Parker & Covert as lead negotiator for OUSD with its employee groups with Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Rudd & Romo. Only OUSD Trustee John Ortega voted with Ledesma to replace Covert, who was once replaced in OUSD by various right wing counsel under the Radical Board, but then brought back as lead counsel in 2001 after the Citizen’s Board won the Recall election. At the May 12, 2011 Orange Unified School Board meeting, OUSD Board President Rick Ledesma recommended that OUSD change legal representatives for negotiations with its employee groups. Ledesma asked the OUSD Board for consensus to have staff ask for a quote from law firm Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Rudd & Romo to be the legal representative for the district in employee negotiations. At that time Ledesma stated it was “good business sense” to occasionally rotate firms for a fresh perspective. While Ledesma during the May meeting was getting the consensus of nodding heads to pursue the switch, only Trustee Kathy Moffat spoke up at that time with concerns. However when the proposal was brought forward at the July meeting, most of the Trustees spoke up against the switch for various reasons, many echoing the concerns Moffat had initially raised in May.

The July 28 meeting was also the last for the popular retiring OUSD Superintendent Dr. Renae Dreier.

INSIDE the August 25, 2011 OUSD Board Meeting
The August 25, 2011 OUSD Board Meeting will be the first official meeting for incoming OUSD Superintendent Michael Christensen. As OUSD’s first Deputy Superintendent, Christensen was a familiar figure at OUSD Board Meetings keeping the OUSD Board updated on the OUSD’s responses to the states financial crisis. Christensen is widely credited with making OUSD a standout in the state for fiscal management during the current budget crisis. If anyone on the Board was hesitant about moving Christensen up from his stellar performance as OUSD’s head budget guru, the August 28 Agenda may lay any fears aside that Christensen will not keep an eye on the hard-won fiscal soundness that has made OUSD the envy of statewide educational insiders. Under the Consent Agenda Item 14 F (pages 21-23) Christensen will remain a member of the OPED Bond Board of Authority. In addition, Thursday’s four Action Items 12 A-D (pages 1-13) are applications to the state to waive state requirements for an open bidding process on four district surplus properties. While on the face of it, retreating from an open bidding process may not seem like an ideal course of action, but as the Christensen Administration explains it, the purpose is to give OUSD greater flexibility to not only get the right price for the properties, but also the right match for the surplus properties since two of them ( Killefer and Walnut) are adjacent to existing school sites.

Earning the trust of the community over these last 2 years also earns the OUSD Administration community support for this waiver and the reasoning behind the waiver request. We expect the OUSD Board will vote to support the waivers.

INSIDE the OUSD Budget
Former Superintendent Godley’s Retirement Bonus running total (beginning 8/2008):
$42,340.00*

* 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 August 25, 2011, OUSD BOARD ROOM
For AGENDA-CLICK ON: AUGUST 2011

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

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2011 STAR test results: Culture continues to play role

2011-08-16T10:48:00.000-07:00

ORANGE Unified Schools INSIDE
2011 STAR test scores results:Culture continues to be ignored by state educational bureaucrats

California has released the 2011 STAR (Standardized Testing and Reporting) results for the 2010-2011 school year. In a news release like his processors, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson began by heaping praise on the system and students scores:

“California's students continue to steadily improve their performance across the board, with a larger proportion than ever scoring proficient or higher on the 2011 Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program exams in English–language arts, mathematics, science, and history–social science”

Five paragraphs into his press release however, the real news of the continued “achievement gap” was given in this short terse paragraph:

“While the STAR results show an increase in proficiency levels among all subgroups, a troubling and persistent achievement gap exists for African American, Latino, English-learner, and low-income students, compared to their peers.”

The “achievement gap” is the real racial and socio-economic difference in scores on the STAR test that have persisted since its inception. However, while the state acknowledges the differences in “a troubling and persistent achievement gap exists for African American, Latino, English-learner, and low-income students, compared to their peers”, it continues to ignore the real issue of “culture” by failing to address those who make-up the over-achieving “peers” of the under-acheiving minorities. The acheivers are by-in-large middle-to affluent white students AND all economic levels of Asian students. The fact that all economic brackets of Asian students out perform their white counterparts and all other minorities across the state continues to provide clear and present evidence to the de facto role of culture in education. However, because "culture" cannot be addressed by the educational system, educational bureaucrats continue to ignore the elephant-in-the-room of long standing and overwhelming evidence that culture plays a significant role in test scores and those bureaucrats continue to chase after a solution that cannot be addressed by the current testing system that reports scores by race, but ignores the cultural differences of those races.

This fact can be seen in Orange Unified that is divided by the clearly defined and now openly acknowledged OUSD 55 Divide of economics and culture. In OUSD’s 2011 Hispanic/Latino Economically Disadvantage CST General Math scores for 8th Grade, 4% of those 678 students scored advanced and 28% scored Proficient. Looking at the 2011 CST General Math scores for OUSD’s 19 8th Grade Asian students who are also Economically Disadvantage; 32% scored Advanced and 32% scored Proficient. Clearly the differences are stark and real. The stark differences can be seen across the board (see LINKS below), not only in OUSD, but state-wide. In addition, the shear numbers of the different cultures continue to take a toll on the education system. The facts are crystal clear, a school with a high percentage of Asians will outperform a school with a high percentage of other minorities.

This is not an “achievement gap” it is a “cultural gap”. To deny this is to deny reality. However, that denial is deeply seated in today’s educational bureaucracy and continues to eat away at public confidence in our schools. To ignore the cultural differences and to demand that “better” strategies are needed (paid for by taxpayers) is the modern equivalent of the continued saga of The Emperors New Clothes, or perhaps the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s New Clothes.

LINK for OUSD District-wide Scores 2011 OUSD

LINK for OUSD Individual School Scores
OUSD Individual schools (select school on drop menu)

LINK for OUSD Asian Economically Disadvantage Scores
2011 OUSD Asian Economically Disadvantage Scores

LINK for OUSD Hispanic/Latino Economically Disadvantage Scores
2011 OUSD Hispanic/Latino Economically Disadvantage Scores

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Orange to participate in August 2nd National Night Out

2011-07-27T16:34:00.000-07:00

Orange will participate in the 28th Annual National Night Out

Tuesday August 2nd 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm the Orange Police Department will host the local celebration of National Night Out at the Orange Target parking lot. This years’ event will mark the 28th national anniversary of the annual event with the stated purpose to “strengthen our neighborhoods and enhance police-community partnerships”. The event highlights crime and drug prevention awareness and offers information on local anti-crime program and allows the community to get to better know the police officers who serve them. The event also serves as gathering place for community members to visit with fun family-oriented activities.

This year’s event will again feature police and fire equipment and demonstrations; children finger printing; Mc Gruff the crime fighting mascot; and refreshments.

Last year, over 15,000 communities in the United States, Canada and on U.S. military bases around hosted 37 million people in National Night Out.
CLICK ON: NIGHT OUT

National Night Out in Orange
Tuesday, August 2nd from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Orange Target store parking lot at
2191 N. Tustin Street.
FREE for the whole family
For more information contact Brad Beyer: 714-744-7327

INSIDE OUSD: Information Entropy

2011-07-26T13:38:00.000-07:00

ORANGE Unified Schools INSIDE
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Independent insight into OUSD

OUSD’s Information Entropy

INSIDE the June 11, 2011 Meeting
The June 9, 2011 Orange Unified School Board meeting in many ways paid homage to mathematician Claude Elwood Shannon, the father of modern cryptography and information theory (i.e. Information Entropy). In his information entropy theory, Shannon said the more uncertain or random the event is, the more information it will contain. Case in point the June 9, 2011 Orange Unified School Board meeting,

Over a decade ago, Orange Unified was run as a private fiefdom for a far right radical anti-education fringe group that used amassed district resources as their personal treasury to further fringe political war by spending multi-millions of dollars on legal fees and far right attorney’s to try to remain in power as they waged a culture war, all the while watching hundreds of highly qualified teachers and administrators flee OUSD. After a successful community recall and subsequent election, the newly elected Citizen’s Board then allowed the pendulum to swing far to the left taking a hands-off rubber stamp governing approach that allowed the district bureaucracy to create a Consultant Culture that began wasting as much, if not more district resources, on consultant driven fad-culture educational gobbley-gook programs that district administrators had direct ties to– again, ignoring the fundamental district educational problems. During that decade, community watchdogs have kept the pressure on the OUSD Board and Administration by relentlessly informing the community through a 21st Century communications system, born in the 2001 Recall, about the spending sprees. All that came to an end with the financial collapse and the arrival of Superintendent Dr. Renae Dreier.

On June 9, 2011, almost ten years to the day, OUSD’s information entropy occurred as Deputy Assistant Superintendent Michael Christensen, the soon-to-be-next OUSD Superintendent, presented a break down of legal fees to the Board and community in response to Trustee Diane Singer’s pulling of legal fees from the OUSD Consent Agenda in May. In his report, Christensen, who publicly acknowledged the years of public scrutiny of OUSD legal fees, outlined the successful extra-ordinary length that outgoing OUSD Superintendent Dr. Renae Dreier’s administration took to control legal costs during the current Financial Crisis. Under Dreier, management review and the Superintendent’s Cabinet level review of legal fees brought those costs down to only 2.13% of the total OUSD Budget.

While the OUSD Board pre-approves legal budgets to create accounts to draw from, Dreier’s stringent review policies have resulted in a significant savings to OUSD, with the Board approved, but unused legal fee funds returning to OUSD accounts. Christensen in his presentation broke down to the OUSD Trustees and public, for the first time, the actual costs of the yearly legal fees spent by OUSD for the last five school years:
2006-2007 $714, 277
2007-2008 $679, 507
2008-2009 $503, 975
2009-2010 $365, 543

Christensen reported that so far in the 2010-2011 school year, the actual legal costs have risen slightly because of dealing with the bankruptcy of the contractor for the Yorba Middle School remodel to $503,975. In his presentation, the community also learned for the first time that the actual legal fee reimbursement that Cal-Aware First Amendment group was forced to pay OUSD in their Rocco Censure lawsuit for suing OUSD was $75,597.

At the end of the meeting during Trustee comments, entropy examples continued as OUSD Board President Rick Ledesma in a cryptic statement stated that in response to numerous requests for information to the OUSD staff from OUSD Trustees he was proposing that in the future a new process be implemented for Trustees wanting information. Ledesma proposed that all Trustee requests for information from the staff be “evaluated” by the Board President and Superintendent to see if it the request was worthy to have staff spend time on to gather the information and/or present the information to the whole Board as an agenda item. Seeking consensus, Ledesma quickly received approval of his Ledesma Plan from fellow majority block members, Wayland, Surridge, Ortega and Deligianni. Minority block members Moffat and Singer, however protest vehemently. Moffat continued to ask Ledesma for examples of offending requests (which he did not provide), while Singer objected to what she described as an attempt at “controlling” information. The usually upbeat and positive Moffat, in frustration publicly referred to the “dark age” (a reference to the 2001 Recalled Board) where the only way to obtain information was through the Freedom of Information Act, which Moffat stated might be something that Trustees would have to resort to under the Ledesma Plan. Ironically, when Moffat was a part of the majority, it was her majority that changed Board policy from 2 trustees to agendize an item without the Board President to needing 3 trustees to agendize an item. That change was in response to Ledesma who signed on to a request by former OUSD Trustee Steve Rocco to agendize two items which Rocco used to continue his conspiracy theories grandstanding. That same majority in response to Rocco also eliminated the Recall Reform of rotating the OUSD Board offices between all the trustees that former Trustee Robert Viviano had instituted after suffering as an outsider for years under the former Radical Board that was eventually recalled.

Further Reorganization approved
Also in the June 9, 2011 meeting parents addressed the Board and presented a petition to the Trustees about a re-organization plan to save $200,000. The parents were against the reassignment of Canyon Hills Principal Dr. William Gee. After a motion to approve the reorganization was made, OUSD Trustee Kathy Moffat made a substitute motion to support the parent request. In her motion, Moffat sought to remove the Canyon Hills component from the proposed reorganization in order to allow more study of the Canyon Hills situation. The Board voted (splitting along gender lines) 3-4 against Moffat’s motion (Moffat, Deligianni and Singer Yes; Ledesma, Surridge, Ortega and Wayland –No). The Board then voted to approve the staff reorganization by a 6-1 vote with Singer, who represents Canyon Hills in OUSD Trustee Area 1 casting the lone No vote.

Other items of note from the June 9, 2011 meeting:
Trustee Mark Wayland in honor of Flag Day, gave full-size American flags for everyone in attendance at the OUSD Board meeting (200 flags in total). Mr. Wayland also recognized the late former OUSD Trustee James Fearns’ son Jeff Fearns for his family’s yearly $5,000 scholarship award to an Orange High School student enrolled in the JROTC student since 2009. Jeff’s father James, a retired Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sergeant, was instrumental in establishing the nationally recognized JROTC program in OUSD by personally flying to Washington D.C. to meet with the Marine Corps Commandant. The elder Fearns, who passed away in 2007, was once part of the OUSD Board minority that opposed the Radical Board. Fearns’ minority partners were Robert Viviano and current Board President Rick Ledesma.

The COSCO stores realty officer presented the OUSD Trustees a packet showing interests in the surplus OUSD Parkside site property

Staff presented updates on the OUSD Drug Dog program at OUSD High Schools. Inside OUSD administrative sources say staff is planning to ask the OUSD Trustees to expand the program to OUSD Middle Schools.

INSIDE the July 28 Agenda
It will be outgoing OUSD Superintendent Dr. Dreier’s last OUSD Board meeting. She will be retiring August 1st, with OUSD Deputy Superintendent Michael Christensen taking the helm as the new OUSD Superintendent

Ledesma moves to replace lawyer Spencer Covert
In Action Item 12 B on the July 28, 2011 OUSD Board Agenda (Agenda page 5) Board President Rick Ledesma seeks to replace longtime OUSD lead counsel Spencer Covert of Parker & Covert as lead negotiator for OUSD with its employee groups. Ledesma, who two months ago got Board consensus to bring the matter up, has long been a critic of the “me-too” deals that have been negotiated for administrators under Covert. Covert, who was once replaced in OUSD by various right wing counsel under the Radical Board, was brought back as lead counsel in 2001 after the Citizen’s Board won the election. At the May 12, 2011 Orange Unified School Board meeting, OUSD Board President Rick Ledesma recommended that OUSD change legal representatives for negotiations with its employee groups. Ledesma asked the OUSD Board for consensus to have staff ask for a quote from law firm Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Rudd & Romo to be the legal representative for the district in employee negotiations replacing longtime firm Parker & Covert. Ledesma stated it was “good business sense” to occasionally rotate firms for a fresh perspective. While Ledesma was getting the consensus of nodding heads from the Trustees, only Trustee Kathy Moffat spoke up with concerns. Moffat, who stated that she had no objection asking for quotes, however did object to only one firm being considered for the contract to negotiate on behalf of OUSD and also wanted some objected criteria established. Moffat also thanked long time OUSD Attorney Spencer Covert for his service to OUSD.
Other Items:
4 B – (Closed Session) new hires for 6 Administrative positions
13 A- (Agenda 7) page Report on the sometimes controversial OPED Bond
13 B- (Agenda 8) update on the state budget impacts

INSIDE the OUSD Budget
After eleven years of running on-going totals of consultants and attorney fees, Inside the OUSD Budget will no longer keep a running total of these two items. In recognition of the current safe-guards instituted by outgoing Superintendent Dr. Renae Dreier, and in recognition of the honest and open reports of current Deputy Superintendent and the next Superintendent Michael Christensen, Orange Unified Schools INSIDE will cease on-going monthly tallies of those items. In doing so, it is our hope that the OUSD Board and Administration will recognize the historical significance of the communities interest in continue yearly reports to the community on legal expenses as exemplified by Mr. Christensen’s outstanding report from June. Orange Unified Schools INSIDE will continue to monitor consultant and legal fees and bring it to the communities’ attention when warranted. As watchdogs, we recognized and appreciate the enormous change in culture that OUSD has achieved under Dr. Dreier and urge Mr. Christensen to continue to embrace Knowledge as Power. We look forward in working with him to keep the Greater Orange Community informed about the most important resource that unites Central Orange County- their once again great education system.

Former Superintendent Godley’s Retirement Bonus running total (beginning 8/2008):
$41,130.00*

* 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 July 28, 2011, OUSD BOARD ROOM
For AGENDA-CLICK ON: BOARD
CLOSED SESSION- 5:30 pm

ORANGE Unified Schools INSIDE
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OUSD LegCo bill controversy

2011-07-21T15:21:00.000-07:00

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Orange Unified’s Legislative Coalition bill in the news

The following is the CAPITOL WEEKLY article about SB161 sponsored by Orange Unified’s Legislative Coalition and the controversy surrounding the bill meant to help students.

Jobs vs. brain damage: Epilepsy bill sparks fight

By Malcolm Maclachlan | 07/21/11 12:00 AM PST

(Article below or DIRECT LINK TO ARTICLE: CAPITOL WEEKLY)

In October 2008, over two dozen people sat in a K Street conference room to talk about a potential bill that would allow non-medical school employees to be trained to administer Diastat. This is a gel form of Valium that, when delivered rectally, can stop a major epileptic seizure.

The parents of epileptic victims said that in many school districts around the state, teachers and other personnel have been successfully administering the drug for years. But there has been was no coherent statewide policy. Those present worked mainly for healthcare advocacy groups, or for unions representing teachers and nurses.

Then, according to several people who were present at the gathering in the offices of the Chamber of Commerce, the California Teachers Association’s legislative advocate Toni Trigueiro started talking about how the real issue was jobs.

“She said it was a matter of making sure these children receive this medication from one entity only, school nurses, and that we should be helping to push hiring of more school nurses,” according to Ann Kinkor, a former speech therapist now with the Epilepsy Foundation and the mother of three adult sons with epilepsy. “We knew then, as we know now, that there wasn’t money to hire school nurses.”

Brad Morrison, a consultant hired to help facilitate the meeting, tells a similar story.

“She [Trigueiro] set a tone that she wasn’t really in a collaborative mood,” he said. “It was clear we were not going to come to a solution that day. People were falling back into their positions.”

“There have been no stakeholder meetings since then,” Trigueiro said, claiming it was the other side that cut off talks.

The thorny, unusual issue has taken traditional allies, labor groups and children’s health care advocates, and turned them into enemies.

But both sides agree on many of the same facts — for instance, that they would prefer that the state has enough money to hire a nurse in every single school. Currently, fewer than half of California schools have a full-time nurse.

And the legislator now carrying a bill that would allow non-medical personnel to administer Diastat is a Republican — and many of the parents blame Republicans for forcing the education and health care cuts they say eliminated funds to hire school nurses.

But Sen. Bob Huff, R-Glendora, and others say that even if there were a school nurse at every school, the bill would still be needed. The goal of the drug is to stop seizures quickly, within the first five minutes. In many schools, the nurse could be on the other side of campus and further away than that.

Students carry a pre-prepared dose specific to their body weight in a plastic syringe with a soft rubber nipple, along with a blanket to cover them from being seen by bystanders. The federal Food and Drug Administration approved Diastat administration by non-medical personnel in 2005. This decision cited research showing that the drug was effective 85 percent of the time, and hospitalizations dropped by two-thirds among epileptics carrying the drug with them in situations where there was someone around trained to administer it.

The California Medical Association is among the groups supporting SB 161, and the California School Nurses Organization is one of the leading groups opposing it.

Estimates show that about 64,000 kids in California suffer from epilepsy. About 16,000 have the severe form that would warrant a Diastat prescription – although CTA disputes the figures.

Many of the same people met the following February. But this time, no one from the CTA was present, and there were fewer nursing representatives in the room.

By then, there were other wheels turning.

That September, Geri Nibbs, a nursing education consultant with the Board of Registered Nursing, sent out a letter stating that the “controversial” administration of Diastat “is a nursing function that may not be performed by unlicensed personnel unless expressly authorized by statute.”

According to Kinkor and others, this effectively overturned a decade of successful Diastat administration by school personnel that resulted in several cases in which injury or death was avoided.

The next March, even more definitive word came down from the legal department of the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA), which oversees the nursing board. In a six-page memo, supervising senior counsel Don Chang took apart the arguments for letting teachers or others administer Diastat point by point. He reiterated that, barring “a modification of the law,” giving Diastat “constitutes the practice of nursing,” then argued that a nurse who teaches someone else how to give the drug may be subject “to discipline for aiding and abetting the unlicensed practice of nursing.”

The memo goes on to state that those giving Diastat wouldn’t be subject to protections offered under the state’s good Samaritan laws, and warns “the possibility of piercing the rectal cavity is high.” Finally, Chang’s memo states that the Nursing Practices Act (NPA) would trump seemingly contradictory language in the California Education Code, saying that giving the drug to someone having a seizure “does not fall within any of the exemptions from the NPA.”

One of those exemptions is “in case of an emergency,” and that seems to be the key policy disagreement between the camps. Chang’s letter states only that this definition “includes an epidemic or public disaster.”

By then, Huff was already trying to deliver “a modification in state law.” His SB 1051 — essentially the same bill as the current SB 161, minus some technical amendments — was introduced in January, 2010. It was sponsored by the Orange Unified School District, also a major supporter of SB 161. It got stuck in the Senate Health Committee, where that April seven out of nine senators didn’t even cast a vote on it. In May it died in the Senate Appropriations Committee after Senate Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, and others gave passionate floor speeches against it.

In that debate, Huff delivered a different definition of “emergency,” stating, “Without it, they can have brain damage or death.” He added, “The bill is voluntary. No one is coerced.”
This time around, Steinberg was one of 32 Senators whose yes votes helped SB 161 get out of the Senate on June 2. So was Sen. Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego, who said Huff’s previous bill was “lowering the standards” by “allowing what should be done by medical professionals to be done by volunteers.”

Supporters also point to medical and legal opinions they say show Diastat is safe. In 2007, School and College Legal Services of California delivered an opinion that found “the ‘emergency’ exception would appear to apply to a student who is suffering a seizure” and that Diastat administration is a “routine” procedure that poses “little potential harm to the student.”

In 2008, the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health issued a 47-page case study on medical care in schools. It found that the lack of nurses in schools was a major problem, but recommended that non-medical personnel be trained to perform some procedures, as long as there was no coercion.

The CTA and CNA continue to lobby against the bill. Sources who have been following SB 161 say that at least one of the Democratic Assembly members who voted for the bill so far in committee is now wavering on voting for it on the Assembly floor.

The bill’s supporters say opponents have failed to show instances of the potential harm they cite, such as breathing problems or perforated rectums. Kankor said that some of the amendments the opponents have pushed, such as a mandatory 911 call, would actually make things worse. For instance, she said, in one of the small number of cases where they cite depressed breathing, the problem was caused when paramedics injected more valium into the student, not by the original dose of Diastat. She said the Diastat dose is calibrated so that patients can withstand three doses without a fear of respiratory problems.

“Valium does suppress breathing,” said Stephanie Roberson, a lobbyist with the California Nurses Association (CNA), which does not represent school nurses. “There can be synergistic effects with other drugs. Whoever is administering this medication needs to know all that.”

“We really believe that everybody should have access to the appropriate trained medical staff,” said Dean Vogel, president of the California Teachers Association.

This kind of talk bothers Scott Wetch, a lobbyist who usually represents labor groups. The parent of a 7-year-old epileptic daughter with a Diastat prescription, he has become a leading pro bono advocate for the bill. He also said that life-threatening overdoses of the drug are basically unheard of.

“You know what the training is?” Wetch said. “You talk to the pharmacist for two minutes. It’s not rocket science. Just give it to them. There’s no downside.”

The opponents also appear to have played up one discomforting aspect of the procedure — that it involves the rectum of an unconscious student. A July 6 Capitol press conference by opponents featured a two-foot high blowup of the Diastat directions, featuring several panels of drawn posteriors.

But Naldo Cabanillas, whose now 22-year-old daughter was disabled by a grand mal seizure when she was six, scoffed at this objection.

“If someone is going to see my daughter’s private parts but save her life, I’m going to choose to save her life, or save her from a brain injury,” he said. “Seizures can damage your brain permanently.”

Much of the debate seems to get back to overworked teachers who want to make sure they’re not coerced into “volunteering,” something she said has been made worse by budget cuts and the otherwise-desirable practice of “mainstreaming” students with serious disabilities and medical issues.

“Students are coming to school with more and more medically fragile conditions,” said K.C. Walsh, a special education teacher in San Jose. “Imposing this on teachers who are already overburdened is not the correct solution.”

LINK TO ARTICLE: CAPITOL WEEKLY

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1st EVER El Modena H.S. Car Show

2011-07-08T21:32:00.000-07:00

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El Modena High School hosts 1st Annual Car Show

At a school rich with traditions, the El Modena High School Cheer Boosters are starting a new one with the 1st Annual El Modena Car Show, this Sunday July 10, 2011 at El Modena High School from 8 am – 3pm. The show will feature pre-1972 Cars and have 8 award categories including Best Muscle Car and “Cheerleaders Choice”.

Breakfast and lunch will be sold by various vendors including La Casa Garcia, Pogi Boy , The Gourmet Food Truck and of course...KETTLE CORN! Booths will also be manned by Elmo’s Cheer, Football and Basketball boosters. Of course everyone needs a Car Show t-shirt, and this is your chance to have an original 1st Edition car show t-shit to prove you were there for the 1st El Modena Car Show. The crowd will be entertained by a live band and those 50/50 raffles everyone loves.

The event is a free public show. Entry fees for cars are $25.00 before the event and $30.00 the day of the event. To enter a car or for more information or questions call: (714) 679-8647 or (714) 602-6655. El Modena High School is at 3920 Spring St.,Orange 92869

AWARD categories:
Best In Show Best Original
Best Lowrider Best Paint
Best Muscle Car Best Full Custom Cheerleaders Choice

CLICK ON: CAR

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4th of July events in Greater Orange

2011-06-27T16:07:00.000-07:00

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Orange’s 3rd of July Fireworks show in its 16th year

Greater Orange kicks off Independence Day early with the City of Orange’s 16th Annual "3rd of July" Celebration. Begun in 1996, the 3rd of July festival has grown into one of Orange County’s biggest Independence Day centered events that includes live music, inflatable activities and that famous Orange hometown festival atmosphere all leading up to the grand finale in Fred Kelly Stadium featuring the Orange Community Master Chorale followed by Greater Orange’s most spectacular fireworks choreographed to music.

The 16th Annual 3rd of July Celebration will take place Sunday, July 3, 2011 at 4 p.m. at Orange Unified’s Fred Kelly Stadium at 3920 East Spring Street, Orange, CA 92869.

Fred Kelly Stadium’s artificial turf requires special rules for everyone to enjoy. The following rules when attending the July 3rd activities apply:

• Only blanket seating is allowed on the field.

• Strollers, wheelchairs, wagons, or other wheeled items are only permitted in designated areas.

• Lawn Chairs, food, drinks, seeds, gum, popcorn, hard-soled or high-heeled shoes are prohibited on the field.

On-site staff may deem items not currently on this list as harmful to the field. If so informed, please help us by not bringing those items onto the field.

Tickets for the 16th Annual "3rd of July" Celebration are $7 for adults and children over two years old. Tickets can be purchased at the Orange Community Services Department, at the Orange Civic Center complex at 230 East Chapman Avenue (corner of Grand Street) through Friday, July 1, 2011. Tickets will also be available for purchase at the event.

For more information please call the City of Orange Special Events Hotline at (714) 744 -7278.

Anaheim Hills to Host City of Anaheim’s Official 4th of July celebration
Anaheim Hills, a Greater Orange community, will play host for its city’s official 4th of July Celebration with a full day of activities including a return of the 4th of July Parade. The day starts at Orange Unified’s Canyon Hills High School with the returning Firecracker 5/10K run 2K Walk beginning at 5:30 am. Registration is available online at www.active.com through June 28. Also beginning at 5am and continuing throughout the morning is an accompanying Health Fair at the campus.
Beginning at 8 am until 10:30 am in the Canyon Hills H.S. cafeteria will be the Anaheim Hills Rotary Club’s famous Pancake Breakfast that includes hotcakes, sausage, orange juice, coffee and a whole lot of visiting with neighbors and friends all for only $4.00 for adults and teens and $3.00 for kids under 12 years old, with the proceeds going toward the annual fireworks show.

This year the Yankee Doodle Dog Show also returns at 10 a.m. to Canyon High School. There are six fabulous dog-gone-good categories: Best Dressed Dog, Cutest Dog (35 lb. and under), Best Trick, Owner/Doggie Look-a-like, Bigger Cutest Dog (36 lb. and over) and Yankee Doodle Dog. There is a $7.00 entry fee per dog for the first category entered and $5.00 for each additional category. Prizes and awards given and the winners get to ride in the Firecracker July 4th Parade.

At 3:00 pm the 4th of July Parade returns after a one year hiatus starting at Canyon High School and making is way to Peralta Park at 115 N Pinney Dr., Anaheim Hills. The parade starts at Canyon High and proceeds west on Santa Ana Canyon Rd ending at Pinney Drive.

This year, shuttle busses are planned to run from 5:00 pm until 10:30 pm every 15 minutes from the Anaheim Hills Crossroads Shopping Center to Peralta Park and from the park back to shopping center.

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Smith announces run for Orange Mayor

2011-06-22T20:41:00.000-07:00

eLECTION Watch 2011
an Orange Net News Special News and Analysis Series
Tita Smith announces run for Orange Mayor in 2012

Orange Mayor Pro-Tem Teresa “Tita” Smith announced her candidacy for Orange Mayor in 2012. The less than surprise announcement comes more than 16 months before the November 2012 election and less than a year after a bruising mayoral election that saw Orange Mayor Carolyn V. Cavecche defeat Orange Councilman Jon Dumitru for a third two-year term in November of 2010. That campaign was one of the most negative campaigns in Orange history that caused a voter backlash against Dumitru.

In 2012, Cavecche’s two-year mayoral term will be up as well as both Smith’s and Dumitru’s four year council terms. In an email to supporters on Tuesday June 22nd, Smith announced her expected run. Outlining an economic platform, Smith wrote:

“In today's economic environment, there are issues and decisions facing our city today that will have long-lasting impacts beyond our generation. We must uphold Orange's values and our commitment to protecting Orange taxpayers. At the same time, we must guarantee excellent public safety and infrastructure maintenance that will continue to make Orange attractive for new businesses and new families.”

In announcing her candidacy, lifelong Orange resident Smith also a long time Pitcher Park Community Foundation member chose that quintessential Orange landmark for her campaign kick-off on July 7, 2011 from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm. Pitcher Park is located at the corner of Cambridge and Olive Streets. The campaign event is free.

For more information about Smith CLICK ON: Smith Philosophy
Or Smith BIO
or email:
info@titasmith.com

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BROWN VETOS STATE BUDGET

2011-06-16T16:56:00.000-07:00

Governor Jerry Brown's message on his veto of the Democratic passed state budget
CLICK on video or read text below:

I am returning Senate Bill 69 and Assembly Bill 98 without my signature.
In January, I presented a balanced budget solution with a mix of deep spending cuts and temporary tax extensions subject to voter approval. My plan would put these extended revenues in a lockbox, ensuring that they are only used to protect education and public safety. It would also address California’s long term fiscal crisis by substantially paying down the $35 billion wall of debt built up over the last decade.

Yet Republicans in the Legislature blocked the right of the people to vote on this honest, balanced budget.

Meanwhile, Democrats in the Legislature made valiant efforts to address California’s budget crisis by enacting $11 billion in painful cuts and other solutions. I commend them for their tremendous efforts to balance the budget in the absence of Republican cooperation.

Unfortunately, the budget I have received is not a balanced solution. It continues big deficits for years to come and adds billions of dollars of new debt. It also contains legally questionable maneuvers, costly borrowing and unrealistic savings. Finally, it is not financeable and therefore will not allow us to meet our obligations as they occur.

We can -- and must -- do better. A balanced budget is critical to our economic recovery. I am, once again, calling on Republicans to allow the people of California to vote on tax extensions for a balanced budget and significant reforms. They should also join Democrats in supporting job creation and ending tax breaks for out-of-state companies. If they continue to obstruct a vote, we will be forced to pursue deeper and more destructive cuts to schools and public safety -- a tragedy for which Republicans will bear full responsibility.

Traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall to be in Orange for Father's Day weekend

2011-06-12T15:42:00.001-07:00

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Traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall to be in Orange for Father’s Day Weekend

The Traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Museum will be at Yorba Park ( at Chapman Ave and the 55 Freeway) in Orange June 15-June 19 (Father’s Day) on display for 24 hours a day. Admission is free.

One of several traveling ½ scale replicas of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C., the traveling exhibit is called “The Wall that Heals”. The traveling exhibits visit hundreds of communities across the U.S. each year allowing thousands of veterans and others to visit the wall within their own communities. Part of the mission of the Wall is to match names of those killed or missing in action to photographs of those who served.

The City of Orange Yorba Park display is sponsored by Vision 2 Victory, a group that helps veterans from all wars to fulfill requested “dreams”, much like the Make A Wish foundation does for ill children.

One of the goals in remembering the Vietnam War (one of the most controversial wars in U.S. history) with a physical memorial was to do so by avoiding controversy with any commentary on the war itself. However, the actual design of the memorial became controversial. The winning design for the memorial was chosen from over 1400 entries submitted in a national contest. The wining designer was Maya Ying Lin, a 21 year old architecture student at Yale University. The unconventional design quickly became controversial especially among veterans with the black stone wall memorial being nicknamed the “black gash of shame”. Many early prominent supporters of the memorial withdrew their support. President Ronald Regan’s Secretary of the Interior James Watt refused to issue a building permit for the memorial.

With the simplicity of the design, a black granite wall, in the shape of a V with the names of the American military dead and missing inscribed, Maya Ying Lin the designer hoped that "these names, seemingly infinite in number, [would] convey the sense of overwhelming numbers, while unifying these individuals into a whole.” Once the Wall was unveiled in 1982 with the original 58,175 names, most of the critics, and Americans came to appreciate the simple beauty and emotional power of the wall.

One of those in attendance at the 1982 dedication ceremonies of the Vietnam Veteran Memorial in Washington D.C. was John Devitt of Stockton, California. The Vietnam veteran was so moved by what he saw as the healing nature of the memorial that he decided to make a transportable version of the Wall- a “Traveling Wall” for those who could not travel to the memorial in the nation’s Capital. Devitt established the Vietnam Combat Veterans organization using his own finances to fund the building of the first half-sized replica of the Wall. It was first displayed in Tyler Texas in 1984. The waiting list for the Moving Wall quickly grew that Vietnam Combat Veterans built two more Walls. Now there are several that move throughout the United States attracting millions of visitors. All were paid for through private contributions.

Traveling with the Wall is a Traveling Museum and Information Center. It is the goal of the exhibit to serve as a resource for people to learn about friends and loved ones lost in the war. With the use of scanner technology, visitors can upload photos and remembrances of loved ones on the Wall. They are saved and forwarded to the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Education Center in Washington D.C. Part of the mission of the Traveling Walls is to put a face to all the names on the Memorial and to tell their stories so they will not be forgotten. Over 1,200 local Orange County Vietnam Veterans listed on the Wall still do not have a photograph associated with their name.

The controversy over the design led to additions to the overall memorial area on the Mall in Washington D.C.. A bronze statue called The Three Soldiers (often called The Three Serviceman) was added as a compromise, as was the statue called the Vietnam Women’s Memorial which depicts three uninformed women with a wounded soldier. In 2004, a Memorial plaque was added in a block of black carved granite. It is inscribed: "In memory of the men and women who served in the Vietnam War and later died as a result of their service. We honor and remember their sacrifice."

For More information on Vision 2 Victory CLICK ON: V2V

To volunteer to sign up for a shift at Yorba Park to help guard the Wall and assist those who are visiting CLICK ON: WALL SIGN UP

Ledesma wants new legal team negotiator

2011-06-07T20:14:00.000-07:00

ORANGE Unified Schools INSIDE
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Independent insight into OUSD

Ledesma wants new legal team negotiator,
Singer questions legal expenses as fees double

At the May 12, 2011 Orange Unified School Board meeting, OUSD Board President Rick Ledesma recommended that OUSD change legal representatives for negotiations with its employee groups. Ledesma asked the OUSD Board for consensus to have staff ask for a quote from law firm Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Rudd & Romo to be the legal representative for the district in employee negotiations replacing longtime firm Parker & Covert. Ledesma stated it was “good business sense” to occasionally rotate firms for a fresh perspective. While Ledesma was getting the consensus of nodding heads from the Trustees, only Trustee Kathy Moffat spoke up with concerns. Moffat, who stated that she had no objection asking for quotes, however did object to only one firm being considered for the contract to negotiate on behalf of the District and also wanted some objected criteria established. Moffat also thanked long time OUSD Attorney Spencer Covert for his service to OUSD.

Later in the meeting, Trustee Diane Singer continued her ongoing mission to comb over the Consent Item Agenda legal fees asking the other Trustees and staff to stop and think about the amount of taxpayer money that Orange Unified pays out in legal fees. Singer wanted “to take a comprehensive look” at whether in these times of fiscal crisis the District is doing everything it can to avoid getting into a position that it needs to use a lawyer. Singer used Special Education as an example of a place where the District might avoid the need for lawyers by listening to parents earlier in the process before attorneys get involved. Trustee Mark Wayland on prompting from Ledesma offered his experience with the issue. Wayland shared that when he first was elected to the Board he too tried to tackle the legal money issue by investigating the possibility of using an in-house attorney. Wayland reported that he found that because of dozens of legal specializations having one attorney do everything is impossible. Wayland stated that even the City of Orange, with its own City Attorney, is forced to farm out legal services to law firms specializing in certain areas of the law. Wayland used the example of going to a divorce attorney vs. going to a property attorney. Trustee Kathy Moffat suggested that a comparison between OUSD’s legal costs and a comparable school district be might helpful. Staff agreed to be more descriptive in routine legal requests that establish accounts that are used to pay for legal fees over a period of time. Those items pulled from the Consent Agenda by Singer were held over until this month’s meeting. OUSD President Rick Ledesma characterized her concerns over legal costs as part of “a long tradition” in Orange Unified of questioning legal fees.

The June 9th OUSD Agenda includes Information Item 13A:Legal/Services Fees (Agenda Page 32). In the item, OUSD Staff will explain how District departments “estimate the potential legal service expenditures” to have purchase orders in place for the OUSD fiscal year. With the held over items from last month that Singer pulled, plus the legal items from this month, OUSD Trustees will approved legal fees in this calendar year that will be twice as much from those legal fees approved last calendar year. This year’s initial requests of $760,000 for legal fees are double last year’s approved $385,000 in legal fee funds (see below).

It is the Board action to approve legal fee requests that Orange Net News has reported since 2005 every calendar year in its popular Inside the OUSD Budget feature (see below). That ONN feature is used by the public to compare multiple legal requests in a single year and gives a quick reference for comparison. In past years, the OUSD legal expenses requested in the initial “estimated” request by OUSD Staff (and approved by the Trustees) have been used up before the end of the year. Then the OUSD Staff goes back to the OUSD Board for more legal funding. Those requests can be clearly seen in years that this happens with Inside the OUSD Budget. It is that same feature that clearly showed the millions of educational dollars that OUSD previously wasted on the Consultant Culture that OUSD had maintained under previous administrations until OUSD Superintendent Dr. Dreier began using “in-house” experts necessitated by the current fiscal crisis, but producing far better results than under expensive educational consultants.

OUSD to Re-Organize to save $200,000
In an effort to further save $200,000, the June 9, 2011 agenda Action Item 12 F (Agenda page 30-31) lists 24 personnel, title, job reclassifications and eliminations. Among the changes a re-introduction of the Elementary Assistant Principal position and elimination of Director of Communication and Technology position.

Budget resolutions
With the California State Legislature expected to vote to reject the state budget until after the Friday June 10, 2011 pre-release of the new redistricting lines for the California State Legislature, OUSD Trustees are expected to approve the June 9 Action Items 12D (Agenda page 11-26) and Action Item 12E (27-29). Item 12D includes a paragraph from the Orange County Department of Education that states $9 million dollars in further cuts might be needed if Governor Brown’s proposed tax extensions fail. Item 12E is an annual legal resolution (that has yet to be court tested) on reserving the right to cut salaries after the school year starts.

INSIDE the June 9th AGENDA
Action Item 12A- Orange Unified Education Association negotiation proposal
Action Item 12B–California School Employees Association #67 negotiation proposal
Information Item 13B– Update on drug dog program

INSIDE the OUSD Budget
Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2011: $760,000
2011 Attorney Fee tally
4/21/11 Parker & Covert $ 85,000
6/09/11 Dannis,Wolvier, Kelly $ 30,000
6/09/11 Keenan & Associates $ 20,000
6/09/11 Harbottle Law Group $ 75,000
6/09/11 Atkinson, Andelson, Loya $150,000
6/09/11 Parker & Covert $200,000
6/09/11 Parker & Covert $100,000
6/09/11 Parker & Covert $100,000
TOTAL $760,000

Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2010: $ 395,000

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
Misc Fees
12/2/10 2010 CSBA-Trustees and Superintendent: $ 10,000
TOTAL $ 395,000

Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2009: $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 *

Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2005: $1,008,300

* 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): $38,930.00*

* 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 OUSD Board Meeting Thursday June 09, 2011. For more information

CLICK ON: JUNE 2011

OUSD CLOSED SESSION STARTS 5:30 PM, 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/

3 OUSD High Schools make Newsweek's best schools list

2011-05-13T19:02:00.000-07:00

3 OUSD High Schools make Newsweek magazine’s
“America’s Best High Schools List”

Three Orange Unified High Schools have made the Newsweek magazine’s “America’s Best High Schools” list for 2010: Canyon High School, El Modena High School and Villa Park High School. Only 6% of American high schools make the list of 1,623 schools from all 50 states. Newsweek uses a formula that counts the total number of students at each school who prepare for and take any of three college level tests- Advance Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) or the Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE)- and divided that number by the number of seniors at that school graduating that year.

Canyon High School has made the list every year since 2006. This year they were ranked number 853. Past year’s ranks are: 2009-# 605; 2008-# 537; 2007-# 750; 2006-# 952.

El Modena High School has made the list four times. This year the school was ranked number 1269. Past year’s ranks are: 2008-# 915; 2007-# 1075; 2006-#1145.

Villa Park High School has made the list three times. This year the school ranked number 593. In 2009 the school ranked 433 and in 2006 the school ranked 590.

To see the complete list CLICK ON: 2010 Newsweek List

OUSD to approve $350,000 in legal fees

2011-05-10T21:31:00.000-07:00

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

What budget crisis?
OUSD Legal Services to be discussed as
Board Consent Agenda asks for $ 350,000 in Legal Fees

One of the most famous Orange Recall bumper stickers seen on hundreds of cars all over Greater Orange from the nasty June 2001 Orange Recall Election was the white and black two lined zinger:

OUSD=Lawyers, Lawsuits,and Litigation.
Bad for Students. Bad for Taxpayers. Bad for Orange.

The Greater Orange Community was lashing out against an unchecked OUSD Board that was using hundreds of thousands of educational tax dollars to pay for politically inspired lawsuits. Orange County Education Alliance attorney Mark Bucher was on their payroll, and the soon-to-be-recalled Board’s Los Angeles attorney was even giving the recalled Trustees political contributions. After the Orange Recall Election was won and the Citizens Board took over, the old political insider law firm was booted and Parker & Covert were re-instated as the OUSD law firm. They have been here ever since as over the years, the Trustees have weighed getting an in-house attorney vs. a hired firm. Next came the attempted Santiago Charter Revocation on the heels of a major sex-scandal and the law firm of Miller, Brown and Dannis- dubbed the Revocation Law Firm- was taken to task by the community for that legal fiasco. It was Trustee Rick Ledesma who led the charge against that firm as Trustee Kathy Moffat served a hellacious year as Board President trying to maintain order under a community revolt against the Revocation Attempt of Orange County’s first charter school. Ledesma symbolically voted No to payments for the Revocation Law Firm year after year as he dutifully pulled the firms payments from the OUSD Consent Agenda every time they appeared and he achieved a reputation as a fiscal watchdog. For years Ledesma was the lone vote, until one day during his first term as Board President, quite by accident, one of his pulled Miller, Brown and Dannis votes resulted in a tie vote. That tie (which appeared to surprise even Ledesma) meant that Miller, Brown, and Dannis were not getting the money- and since then, they have disappeared from the OUSD Agenda. Born in the Orange Recall, Orange Net News has always published the OUSD Agenda approved legal expenses for the calendar year (OUSD works on a fiscal school calendar) for the community to see. Over the years, the community, and sometimes the Trustees have taken notice.

On the May 12, 2011 Board Agenda, the OUSD Trustees will discuss “legal services” under Information Item 13 D. During the same meeting on the Consent Agenda, $350,000 is being asked for approval for three law firms “on going Special Education matters”- Parker & Covert- $100,000 (Agenda pg 33); Atkinson, Andelson, Loya- $150,00 (Agenda pg 29); Harbottle Law Group – 100,000 ( Agenda pg 31).

It was just one year ago that the OUSD Board approved on May 5, 2010 $300,000 to Parker & Covert for general legal payments through June 2011, plus authorized an additional $55,000 to the firm for “Special Education Services”. The same meeting they authorized Dannis, Woliver & Kelly $30,000 for “Special Education services”.

At the April 21, 2011 OUSD Board meeting, Trustee Dianne Singer pulled an $85,000 legal contract to Parker & Covert from the Consent Agenda (Item 14 D) for discussion . In the discussion caused by Singer pulling the item, it was learned that the fees were for a pending law suit and work on surplus property issues from a special fund. Trustee Singer pointed out that jobs have been cut, and salaries have been cut and it is the Board’s responsibility to know where each dollar is spent. Implied in Singer’s move is the fact that in these times of fiscal belt-tightening, when voters may be asked to approve extending tax-hikes for schools, these discussions should be had, especially in a community that has had a history with wasted educational tax dollars, and has the information on the educational dollars being spent on attorney fees. Administrators, teachers and support staff, yes even the school board have taken pay cuts. Have the attorneys cut fees?

The OUSD Trustees voted to approve the $85,000 in attorney fees 6-1, with Singer the lone vote against it. Perhaps after the vote, Board President Ledesma, knew how Singer felt.

Revisit the Orange Recall CLICK ON: ORANGE RECALL

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: the April 21st Meeting

The April 21 OUSD Board meeting will be remembered as the meeting that had, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. With an audience full of employees and high school civics students, lessons in American democracy can’t get much better than an Orange Unified School Board meeting on a night like April 21st. In the Good Category, the OUSD Board announced their choice for a new Superintendent- Deputy Assistant Superintendent Michael Christensen. That announcement caused and outburst of applause in the Board Room as President Rick Ledesma made the Board’s choice known. The choice of Christensen, the 2010 Greater Orange Person of the Year and often just referred to as just Mike during the OUSD Board meetings, was met with universal approval from the community. The watchdog Greater Orange Community Organization praised the OUSD Board’s choice as “a grand slam of good wisdom, good faith and good business”. Christensen takes over the Superintendent’s position from the popular Dr. Dreier on her retirement in August.

Then a Bad situation became quickly apparent after the Superintendent announcement as Ledesma next announced that staff had pulled all of Consent Item 14 I from the Agenda. Trustee Moffat asked if it was to be voted on, and Ledesma responded no, because the agenda had yet to be approved. Trustee Dianne Singer then announced that she had information that with-in the item there was a conflict of interest, and that the district must never allow any thing that even looks like a conflict of interest to appear. Later in the meeting the Trustees alluded to the $224,217 contract to the Anaheim firm of Willdan Homeland Solution for Readiness and Emergency Management noting that the regular bid comparisons and other checks the Trustees usual get were missing with that item.

Later in the meeting, Trustee Diane Singer caused quite a stir by pulling two Consent Items for discussion (the first item reviewed above) as Singer sought to have the OUSD Board slow down on the approval of the $85,000 in legal fees until a clearer budget picture emerged from Sacramento lawmakers. Singer added that OUSD Attorney Spencer Covert was amenable to waiting. After being out voted on that item- things then got Ugly.

Singer also pulled from the Consent Agenda 14 R the item to pay Trustee John Ortega his stipend for missing the March 10, meeting. Again Singer noted that as Trustees it is their duty to show up to get paid. Moffat then injected that the Ed Code allows for the Board to vote to pay a stipend due to “hardships”, but that when it comes to Ortega, the Board never knows what the hardships are and stated it was the Board’s duty to make a judgment call with no explanation. Moffat went on to state that Ortega had frequent absents. Ortega responded by taking exception to Moffat’s comments responding that it was evident that they were brought about by a dislike for him. He defended his absences in 2009 because of training at the FBI National Academy and accused Moffat of grandstanding. Ortega took further exception to being talked about “Like I am out of the room. I’m an adult. Treat me with respect”. When Moffat asked for permission to respond to Ortega, Ledesma denied her permission. Moffat invoked Roberts Rules for a response which Ledesma retorted “As President, I’m the rule here”. Ledesma took the vote. The vote was 4 yes for the item to pay Ortega (Ledesma, Deligianni, Surridge, Wayland) and two No votes (Moffat, Singer).

Inside the May 12 Agenda

Data Returns

A special Work Study Session on the controversial Data Director tool will take place from 4:30-5:30 for the OUSD Board members. The hour long Data Director Training is sure to focus on the data that the system puts out, not on how the data gets in, which is where the controversy lies.

Sources report that OUSD Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Dr. Gunn Marie Hansen got an earful of those problems when she recently paid a visit to the Orange Unified Education Association’s Representative Council. The time consuming process to input the Data (which the OUSD Data Gurus reportedly have an insatiable appetite for) is only overshadowed by the unrealistic “stop-what-your-doing” timetables and one input machine per campus to feed the Data Director its needed diet of constant testing results. Those results must be presented in a perfect pre-digested way-which just happens not to happen often, causing the long input process to easily double in time. Put plainly, the bang for the buck (unless you are part computer) is so far from the mark that this bit of technology turns the purpose of technology on its head as it tries to make teachers dataticians and data miners. There is a reason the U.S. Census is only done every ten years.

Other Items:
12 A- Approval of Superintendent’s contract: While his new pay rate is public information- the Agenda item’s Fiscal Impact lists: “As per the terms and conditions of the contract”
12 B- Naming of Facilities- With a policy of no schools named for community members, the push to honor local civil rights hero Lorenzo Ramirez will end up with the El Modena High School Library Media Center named for him and an unprecedented OUSD annual day of celebration- March 2nd , to honor the day in 1945 the landmark case was filed. If OUSD pulls off making March 2nd a true community-wide day of honor, the memory of Ramirez will truly be honored more than a school name ever could.
12 C- Budget Update- not just an Update-but now a guessing game…who will take Christensen’s place at the podium for future Updates?
12 D- The OUSD Legislative Coalition wants OUSD support for a bill to allow the emergency administration of the anti-seizure drug Diastat at schools.

INSIDE the OUSD Budget
Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2011: $435,0002011 Attorney Fee tally
4/21/11 Parker & Covert $ 85,000
5/12/11 Harbottle Law Group $100,000
5/12/11 Atkinson, Andelson, Loya $150,000
5/12/11 Parker & Covert $100,000
TOTAL $435,000

Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2010: $ 395,000
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
12/2/10
2010 CSBA-Trustees and Superintendent: $ 10,000
TOTAL $ 395,000
Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2009: $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): $37,720.00*

* 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 OUSD Board Meeting Thursday May 12, 2011. For more information
CLICK ON: AGENDA

Work Study Session 4:30-5:30 OUSD CLOSED SESSION STARTS 5:30 PM,
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/

Orange_NetNews@yahoo.com
“Independent Local Insight”

The Fairytale continues: California releases API Scores

2011-05-08T18:26:00.000-07:00

The Fairytale continues: California releases Academic Performance Index for 2010 standardized test scores

Standardized testing season has started in California. To coincide with the start of the testing season, last week California released the Academic Performance Index (API) numbers for last year’s California Standards Tests. The API index includes two scores. The first number is the school’s Statewide Rank. That ranking is based on a formula that is calculated based on the schools Base API score. The second number is the Similar Schools Rank. For the calculation of this number, the state ranks a school by comparing them to 100 schools “determined” to be similar based on “certain school, student, and teacher comparisons”.

The problem with the comparison rankings which the state openly acknowledges, but the mainstream media ignores, and it is doubtful the vast majority of the public understands, is that because the state uses a statistical ranking known as a decile system, ten percent of the schools statewide will always be in each (1-10) decile. That means that the because of the nature of the statistical formula, even if every school was performing equally, 10 percent would always be at the top, and ten percent would always be at the bottom, with the rest scattered evenly in ranks of 10. Put another way, regardless of how well California schools perform, under the current decile ranking system, 10 percent must always be at the bottom. If this same system was used as a grading system in a high school honors class, or a high school AP class, or a baccalaureate class, 10 percent of the students would always be at the bottom – or put another way-always failing regardless of how well they were doing.

Eight Orange Unified Schools achieved a top score of 10 ( 10 is high, 1 is low) in one of their rankings: California E.S. – 3/10 ; Chapman Hills E.S.-10/8; Crescent E.S. -10/2; Nohl Canyon E.S.- 10/5; Villa Park E.S. 10/7; El Rancho Charter M.S. 10/6; El Modena H.S. 3/10; and Panorama E.S.- a perfect 10/10.

Panorama, the small private-like Orange Unified school, has often been labeled a “fairytale” school by the watchdog Greater Orange Community Organization. The school only had 252 students included in the 2010 API tests, of those the only statistically significant sub-group was the 155 white students (a student group must number 100 to be statistically counted).

Panorama's student statistics include 3 African American students, 44 Latino, 27 Asian (plus 4 Filipino) students; 28 “English Learners” (don’t assume they are all Spanish speakers at this school!);30 students labeled “Socioeconomically
disadvantaged”; and 16 “Students with Disabilities”. As the education bureaucrats- “Educrats”, continue to look for the “holy grail” magic “best practices” to wipeout the statistically significant racial testing differences that have persisted since the beginning of testing years ago that the educrats euphuistically referred to as the “achievement gap”, that statistical racial, cultural and social "gap" can be easily seen even at this fairytale 10-10 school. Panorama's 27 Asian student's 991 API score was 63 points above the 928 school wide score of the white students; 101 points above the 44 Hispanics 890 score; 96 points above the 890 score of the 30 students labeled “Socioeconomically disadvantaged”; 94 points above the 897 score of the “English Learners”; and a whopping 264 points above 727 score of Panorama’s 16 “students with disabilities”. Yes this is a 10-10 school.

Compare those numbers to Prospect E.S., one of OUSD’s two 1/2 API ranked schools. Prospect’s 264 students fall into 3 statistically significant subgroups; 219 Hispanics; 237 “Socioeconomically disadvantaged” students; and 162 students labeled “English Learners” (yes-at this school it is Spanish). In addition, they have 7 Asians, 25 whites and 45 “Students with Disabilities” – almost 3 times more than Panorama’s 16. Prospect’s school wide 683 API Score is 245 points lower than Panorama’s 928 API Score. However, to call Prospect a failing school, would be akin to calling Panorama a failing school for its Asians scoring 264 points above that schools “Students with Disabilities”.

The truth is simple. The racial, economic and mental divided is real and cannot be bridged as long as we have linguistic, economic, emotional and cultural diversity in California. By bashing public education and public teachers that deal with the everyday realities of that diversity with skewed bureaucratic statistical rankings the educratics are trying to support their very public fairytale quest of finding the magic solution to the “achievement gap”. Like the mythical quests of the past that governmental leaders have wasted scarce resources on- the quest for the Holy Grail, the Fountain of Youth, the Arc of the Covenant, the Seven Cities of Gold, and the Northwest Passage- the 'holy grail" solution to close the achievement gap will continue to allude the governmental educarats as long as they continue to believe in fairytale endings and continue to insist that educators, like the Emperor, wear new clothes.

Panorama’s API Score information-CLICK ON: FAIRYTALE SCHOOL

Prospects API Score information CLICK ON: PROSPECT

Orange Unified API Score information for all schools CLICK ON:
OUSD API

OUSD Special Session Board Meeting

2011-05-03T18:46:00.000-07:00

Orange Trustees to meet in Special Session to approve Michael Christensen’s contract as new OUSD Superintendent

The Orange Unified School Board Trustees will meet in Special Session on Friday May 6, 2011 to approve an employee contract with OUSD Deputy Assistant Superintendent Michael Christensen as the new Superintendent when current Superintendent Dr. Renae Dreier retires at the end of June. The announcement of Christensen’s appointment at the April 21, 2011 Board Meeting was met with cheers from the board room audience.

Since the announcement Christensen’s appointment has been greeted with near universal community enthusiasm. The watchdog group Greater Orange Community Organization in an email to its members called the OUSD Board’s appointment “a grand slam of good wisdom, good faith and good business”.

The Special Session will begin at 6:00 pm with public comments then will go to Closed Session for the contract vote.

Richard McKee of Californians Aware dies

2011-04-25T19:32:00.000-07:00

Richard McKee of Californians Aware dies

Richard McKee,Vice President for Open Government Compliance for Californians Aware, died over the weekend according to an email from that group he helped found. McKee, who had many appearances in Orange Unified before the Board over the years, and had many court battles with the law firm of Parker & Covert (the firm that represents OUSD and many other school districts in Southern California), passed away unexpectently.

McKee retired from a 35-year career as professor of chemistry at Pasadena City College.Since 1993 he had been an activist for open local government, educating officials in more than 100 local agencies on the requirements of the Ralph M. Brown Act and California Public Records Act. The founding president of Californians Aware, he had also served on the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Press Club and as president of the California First Amendment Coalition. He was a frequent speaker onopen government issues to community organizations, public officials, media groups, public agency attorneys, and college and university journalism classes.

While most of McKee's efforts were focused on open government education, to protect the public's rights he had also litigated fourteen successful open government and First Amendment lawsuits, often representing himself. According to his official biography on the Californians Aware website, KPFK radio dubbed McKee "John Q. Citizen." KCET's Life & Times Tonight called him "the citizen who won't shut up and go away." The Times characterized him as "the scourge of public agencies across the eastern suburbs of Los Angeles County" who "walks softly and carries a big stick." Sacramento Bee christened him "Mr. Sunshine," a man with "a head for the law, a heart for justice and a nose for government officials with secrets."

OUSD names Michael Christensen new Superintendent

2011-04-21T20:46:00.000-07:00

SPECIAL REPORT
OUSD Deputy Assistant Superintendent
Michael Christensen
named new OUSD Superintendent

The setting could not have been more ideal, a packed Orange Unified Boardroom, filled with various employees who were there for various proclamations and reports. It was that room, a room that has seen its share of controversy, anger and joy, that room, on this night, full of the Orange Unified Community,and it was that community that burst into thunderous cheers and applause as Orange Unified School Board President Rick Ledesma announced that by a 7-0 vote the OUSD Board had picked one of the communities own, Michael Christensen, to replace retiring OUSD Superintendent Dr. Renae Dreier. It was clear, no other announcement could have brought such a universal approval, and sigh of relief, after the surprise retirement of the popular Superintedent Dr. Dreier.

Christensen helped lead OUSD through one of the most difficult budget periods in its history. Additionally, in his many years with OUSD he has had numerous duties including: negotiating with the Irvine to mitigate impacts of the proposed (and now delayed) East Orange and Mountain Park projects: implementing the integration of year-round school schools to the traditional calendar; collecting and reporting on developer fees; school boundaries and Trustee Area boundaries; future enrollment projections; applying and implementing state modernization funding, the planning and remodeling of five OUSD schools-without a bond; implemented OUSD’s widely recognized energy saving program; and representing OUSD to numerous state, county and local boards, offices and agencies.

Christensen, who has held numerous titles in OUSD including Executive Director of facilities and Planning and Executive Director of Administrative Services, was named in April 2010 the first ever OUSD Deputy Superintendent in a re-organization that was initiated after massive cuts brought about by the on-going California State Budget crisis. Christensen had become a regular fixture at the OUSD Board meetings keeping the Board and community up-to-date on the latest state budget news-or no news- and its implications for the local schools and employees. In addition, this year he was responsible for dealing with the remodel of the 1950’s era Yorba Middle School and the numerous delays and problems caused by the current budget crisis on the contactors. During the budget crisis, Christensen has also overseen the closure of two of OUSD’s smallest schools, Silverado and Riverdale elementary schools, including successfully arguing before the Orange County Committee on School District Organization that Silverado community should remain part of OUSD. He was instrumental in implementing OUSD Superintendent Dr. Renae Dreier’s budget priorities including successfully implementing a merging of the three employee groups into one health care plan. Christensen also served on the Board of Directors of the California Association of School Business Officials,

As Deputy Superintendent, Christensen often speaks in the vernacular as when he publicly acknowledged the demographic differences and challenges OUSD faces by geographical regions by uttering the long OUSD administrative taboo words “55 divide”. It was Christensen who accompanied Dr. Dreier in the first ever visit of a Superintendent to the Representative Council of the Orange Unified Educators Association.

In December, the watchdog group, Greater Orange Communication Organization named Christensen the 2010 the Greater Orange Person of the Year (GOPY) describing Christensen as “an irreplaceable asset to the Greater Orange Communities who’s many years of service to the local community has included numerous contributions while staying true to his long stated philosophy of providing the best possible learning environment with the least amount of impact to the general fund. In 2010, by continuing to work to keep our schools fiscally solvent during the current unprecedented fiscal crisis, Deputy Superintendent Michael Christensen has clearly been the person who had the most influence on the Greater Orange Community in 2010”.

Christensen, who holds an MBA, will be the first Superintendent since former OUSD Superintendent Barbara Van Otterloo to not hold a doctorate in education.

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Controversy quickly returns
The time for celebration however would have to wait as Ledesma quickly announced a change in the agenda. Announcing that staff had reccommended that all of Consent Item 14I be removed from the agenda, Trustee Moffat asked it it was to voted on. Ledesma said no, because the agenda had yet to be approved. Trustee Dianne Singer then announced that she had information that with-in the item there was a conflict of interest, and that the district must never allow any thing that even looks like a conflict of interest to appear.

Consent Item 14I contains 16 contracts:8 contracts for Board and care treatment facilities for Special Education students; one contract with County of Orange Health Care Agency for mental health related services;on to (ACES)Comprehensive Educational Services for behavior interventions; a contract for a CPR/First aid workshop to Sabrina Bradley and Marra Williams;one contract for a McPhearson Magnet Native American Senior Recognition to Lynda Estrella and Nikishina Polequatewa; one contract to Willdan Homeland Soulutions for Rediness and Emergency Mangement;one contract to Teleparent Educational Systems software at Orange High School;one contract for Parent Instutute for Quality Education at Sycamore School; and one was for pass through funding for Vanderbilt University's Lau Lee Yen to provide a workshop to St. Paul's Luthern School.

OUSD to appoint New Superintendent

2011-04-19T19:32:00.000-07:00

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

OUSD April 21st Agenda has Board of Trustees
appointing new Orange Unified Superintendent
The Orange Unified School Board will meet in Closed Session on Thursday April 21st to appoint two Elementary School Principals, an Executive Director for Elementary Education and a Superintendent of Schools according to the Agenda for the meeting. Item 4 B on the April 21 Closed Session meeting is titled Public Employee Appointment. The item includes the four positions under three job descriptions and reads that the Board will in fact appoint a new Superintendent in the Closed Session. In wake of the unexpected retirement announcement by OUSD Superintendent Dr. Renae Dreier, a Special OUSD Closed Session Board Meeting held on Thursday March 24. That meeting included Trustee Kathy Moffat who participated in the meeting by teleconferencing from South Lake Tahoe. Sources in the Dreier Administration have stated that the OUSD Board was looking to promote a current OUSD employee to the position.

OUSD to look at sale or lease of six properties
Also on the Closed Session Agenda for April 21, 2011 will be meeting with the OUSD property negotiators for price and terms of a possible sale or lease of six surplus district properties. The surplus properties include five former school sites: Killerfer; Parkside; Peralta; Riverdale; and Silverado. The OUSD property by Santiago Charter Middle School, commonly called the Walnut Avenue site, is also surplus. The April 21 agenda also includes in the Consent Agenda 14 D on page 50, paying $8,500 to Parkcenter Realty Advisors for a “market analysis for various surplus/vacant properties throughout Orange USD”.

INSIDE the April 21, 2011 OUSD Agenda
California law requires a public hearing “sun shining” of negotiation proposals between the district and its employee unions. Agenda Action Item 12 A (page 9) has the support staff union, the California School Employees Association (CSEA #67) publicly announcing its negotiations and Action Item 12 B (page 13) has the Orange Unified Educators Association publicly announcing its negotiations.

While Sacramento lawmakers continue with their ongoing budget drama, Orange Unified is preparing to deal with anticipated cash flow problems with Action Item 12 C Page 13) and Action Item 12 D. The items detail cash flow problems are due to the state government delaying up to 25% of the district’s funding, requiring the school district to transfer funding between accounts-paying itself back later. Action Item 12 C would give the district authority to borrow funds from other categories listed on page 14. Those include: Capital Outlay; Deferred Maintenance; and the Retiree Benefit Fund.

Action Item 12 D is more complicated. The issuance of a TRANs financial instrument is close to those big bank money schemes that got us all into this financial mess in the first place. The complicated arrangement (it takes up 28 pages of the agenda…page 15…43) basically allows the district to borrow on future tax dollars…hence the name Tax and Revenue Anticipation Note (TRAN) and pool its money in an investments with other governmental entities. The Fiscal Impact on the agenda page 15 shows an “Estimated” savings of $25,000 in “interest savings” on up to a $25,000,000 investment (1%). It should be noted that there are significant costs going to some significant big time money players that are not spelled out in the long resolution. In the complicated resolution costs are referenced: on page 29, Section 10, item (F) mentions the “interest” costs; on page 30, Section 10, item (M) spells out the district has a “pro rata share” of obligations; and on page 33, in Section 13 the District directs the Trustee to pay the interest on the note and requires the District to pay the “principal and interest on the Note on the day that it matures”.

Agenda page 43 lists Wells Fargo National Association as the program Trustee. Agenda Page 35 lists Stone & Youngberg LLC as the Underwriter of the Program and Keygent LLC as the Financial Advisor. Page 36 lists Stradling, Yocca, Carlson & Rauth as Special Counsel and Disclosure Counsel. One thing for sure, the services of these big time finance players are not pro-bono.

For more information how to invest $25,000,000 and only make $25,000 CLICK ON:

Stone & Youngberg LLC
Stradling, Yocca, Carlson & Rauth
Keygent LLC
Wells Fargo National Association

also INSIDE:
Consent Item 14 D (page 50) Parker and Covert $85,000 for “modernization, surplus property” and “developer fees”. This item states “there is a need to increase the original dollar amount to finish the 2010-2011 year”

Consent Item 14 R (page 96) paying Trustee John Ortega for “hardship” in missing the March 10, 2011 Board Meeting.

Announcement 9 E: School Bus Driver Day April 26th
Announcement 9F: School Nurse Day May 11th
Announcement 9G: California Day of the Teacher May 11th

INSIDE Community Donations
Villa Park Community Service Foundation-$2,500 for supplies to Cerro Villa M.S.; Jane Layton $307 to McPherson Magnet for folders; Pacific Life Foundation $4000 to El Modena H.S. for Smartboard, Extron, iPad; Barnes and Noble-$142 to Sycamore E.S. for supplies; Villa Park Elementary Home and School League $4700 to Villa Park E.S. for technology; Running Springs PTA- $3,000 to Running Springs E.S. for PE Stipend; Canyon H.S. ASB- $449 to canyon H.S. for Dance workers.
For a complete list of the $82 998 in donations see page Agenda page 46.

INSIDE the OUSD Budget
Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2011: $85,000
2011 Attorney Fee tally
4/21/11 Parker & Covert $85,000
TOTAL $85,000

Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2010: $ 395,000
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
12/2/10
2010 CSBA-Trustees and Superintendent: $ 10,000
TOTAL $ 395,000

Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2009: $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): $36,510.00*

* 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 OUSD Board Meeting Thursday April 21, 2011. For more information
CLICK ON: AGENDA

OUSD CLOSED SESSION STARTS 5:30 PM, 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/

New Ketchup Trial for ex-OUSD Trustee Steve Rocco

2011-04-14T22:48:00.001-07:00

New Ketchup Trial for ex-OUSD Trustee Steve Rocco

For those of you still interested:
ROCCO TRIAL

Santiago Charter Middle School named 2011 California Distinguished School

2011-04-14T20:46:00.001-07:00

Santiago Charter Middle School named a
2011 California Distinguished School
Orange Unified’s Santiago Charter Middle School was one of only seven Orange County Middle and High Schools named as a 2011 Distinguished School by the California Department of Education. Santiago Charter was the first charter school in Orange County and also won the California Distinguished School title in 1999. This year is the California Distinguished School Recognition program’s 25th year with 97 schools statewide honored as year as Distinguished Schools.

Applicant schools were identified by the state for eligibility on the basis of the state’s Academic Performance Index (API) and the federal Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) test results. Applicant schools also had to identify how they are having success in closing the “achievement gap”. That gap in learning is based on societal racial and social-economic realities that Educrats and educational elitists have been trying to close with magic-bullet approaches that have eluded long-term social engineers and have resulted in the growing practice of politicizing public education. That politicization, starting with the failed No Child Left Behind federal law , which promised every child in America as “grade level proficient” by 2014, has turned public education into a scapegoat for larger political agendas.

This year, the California Department of Education required the schools earning the Distinguished School title to describe two “Signature Practices” that helped “narrow” (not close) the “achievement gap” at their schools. State bureaucrats from the Department of Education then visited the schools to “validate” the Signature Practices” Each winning school had to agree to share those Signature Practices with other schools and serve as mentors “to those who want to replicate their work” and post them on the Signature Practices Website (see link below). Currently 19 middle schools are listed in the “Closing the Achievement” gap website from Orange County. Those 19 schools include two from Los Alamitos Unified with 1% English Learners. The middle schools in Orange County listed on with the highest percent of English Learners are one from Santa Ana Unified with 27% English Learners- (all Hispanic or Latino), one from Ocean View School District in Fountain Valley with 29% (197 Asian/ 316 Hispanic) and one from Garden Grove with 25% English Learners (513 Asian/ 113 Hispanic). All the Asian sub groups scores are well over the 800 minimum score, with many over 900. The Mendez Fundamental School had a 56% growth in 2007-2008 when they were selected for the Distinguished School. That growth fell to a still healthy 20% in 2009, but Santa Ana Unified as a whole has not been able to duplicate the success of this school.

The 2011 California Distinguished Schools will be honored during an awards ceremony and dinner at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim on May 20, 2011. Also being honored during the ceremony will be schools selected last month as Title I Academic Achievement Awardees and California's nominees for the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program. The event and awards are funded by donations from many of California's most prominent corporations and statewide educational organizations.

CLICK ON: Signature Practices

BROWN ENDS BUDGET TALKS WITH REPUBLICANS

2011-03-29T17:39:00.000-07:00

Today, Gov. Jerry Brown issued the following statement, stating that he has stopped discussions he'd been holding with some Republican legislators on his budget proposals to span California's $26 billion fiscal year budget deficit. Brown's measures included phasing out Redevelopment and ballot measure(s) by which the public would decide whether to extend certain state taxes for five years. That $26 billion deficit would impact local governments and schools.

The following is the statement issued by Gov. Brown:

Yesterday, I stopped the discussions that I had been conducting with various members of the Republican party regarding our state’s massive deficit.

The budget plan that I put forth is balanced between deep cuts and extensions of currently existing taxes and I believe it is in the best interest of California. Under our constitution, however, two Republicans from the Assembly and two from the Senate must agree before this matter can be put to the people.

Each and every Republican legislator I’ve spoken to believes that voters should not have this right to vote unless I agree to an ever changing list of collateral demands.

Let me be clear: I support pension reform, regulatory reform and a spending cap and offered specific and detailed proposals for each of these during our discussions. While we made significant progress on these reform issues, the Republicans continued to insist on including demands that would materially undermine any semblance of a balanced budget. In fact, they sought to worsen the state’s problem by creating a $4 billion hole in the budget.

One glaring example is the taxation of multinational corporations. My budget plan requires that gigantic corporations be treated the same as individual taxpayers and not be allowed to choose their preferred tax rate.

This is the so-called single sales factor. The Republicans demand that out-of-state corporations that keep jobs out of California be given a billion dollar tax break that will come from our schoolchildren, public safety and our universities. This I am not willing to do.

Much is at stake, and in the coming weeks I will focus my efforts on speaking directly to Californians and coming up with honest and real solutions to our budget crisis.

Brown also attached his letter to the Repubican Leader, Sen Bob Hutton. That letter can be viewed here: BROWN LETTER

Orange Unified Trustees meet as Superintedent Dr. Dreier prepares to retire

2011-03-22T19:03:00.000-07:00

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

Orange Unified Board to meet to discuss next steps after
Superintendent Dr. Dreier announces retirement

The Orange Unified School Board will meet in a Special Meeting Closed Session on Thursday, March 24, 2011 to discuss the process for recruiting a new OUSD Superintendent in the wake of last week’s announcement by Superintendent Dr. Renae Dreier that she will be retiring from OUSD at the end of the current school year.

Dreier, who has worked as an educator for 23 years, started in Orange Unified in July 2008. Starting in California as a teacher, Dreier’s first Superintendent assignment brought her to the Greely-Evans School District Number 6 in Greely, Colorado. After applying for the job and interviewing in Orange, some of the then OUSD Trustees in a controversial move flew to Colorado to interview the Greely-Evans community about Dreier (just as a sex scandal in the Greely district erupted). In Greeley, Dreier had both supporters and detractors. Returning to California, the OUSD Trustees met and offered Dreier the job, which she accepted. Her husband Fred Dreier, who was a principal in Colorado remained there, while Dreier moved to California to start in Orange Unified. Last year Fred Dreier retired and moved back to California to join his wife.

In OUSD, Dreier quickly worked to end the pervasive OUSD consultant culture even before the financial crisis hit, cancelling a controversial “artist” as part of a consultant package approved under former OUSD Superintendent Dr. Godley’s administration. The artist was to draw a rendering of meeting of the semi-annual Strategic Planning Workshop. Dr. Dreier quickly let the community and the district know that she would be using OUSD employee experts for future trainings and areas needing educational expertise.

Dreier also fostered open communication within the district and with the community, becoming the face of OUSD in the community as no other Superintendent has. She was the first Superintendent in OUSD history to attend a meeting of the Representative Council of the Orange Unified teachers union, the OUEA. Dreier was often out in the community and was a member of groups in the community like the Rotary Club.

Dreier’s “knowledge is power” mantra transformed the censorship driven and secretive OUSD and paid huge dividends as the financial crisis hit California schools hard. Her open budget process, and leadership in dealing with cuts help ensure labor peace and community unity. Dreier lead cutting district salaries by voluntarily cutting her own staff and amending her contract to take pay cuts that all OUSD employees took, even as the OUSD Board bickered about nominal cuts to their stipends. In January of last year, the OUSD Board gave Dreier contract extension past her July 2011 contract expiration. The extension did not include a pay raise.

Dreier embraced technology, issuing the first OUSD podcasts to employees, even as she joked just months before she had not even known what a podcast was. Dreier responded quickly to staff concerns as evident in a quick move to restore a slightly more expensive parent communication system that was replaced by a cheaper version that did not meet the needs of the staff and resulted in a loss of effective school-home communication. Under Dreier’s leadership, the three employee groups where once again unified under a single health plan and numerous agreements where worked out between the employee groups and the district without the slightest hint of unrest, an extraordinary accomplishment in the climate of the current economic crisis. Her administration was not without its challenges, like the closing of two schools. Unlike the past, the focus of the little controversy that did occurred remained minor and focused on the Trustees as Dreier remained above the politics of the moment like no other Superintendent had been able to do in recent memory. These examples and her other widely acclaimed accomplishments earned her an unprecedented popularity in the community and in education circles. In 2009, the long time self-appointed Orange Unified watchdogs, the Greater Orange Community Organization (that has its roots in the 2001 Orange Recall) named Dreier their first recipient of the Greater Orange Person of the Year (GOPY) Award. In 2011, Orange County Region XVII named her the 2011 Superintendent of the Year. Dreier was lauded by outgoing Trustees Melissa Smith and Kim Nichols last year after the November election. Both trustees had been swept into office in the Orange Recall and were instrumental in Dreier being selected to replace Dr. Godley.

In a letter emailed to all Orange Unified staff after the district office closed on Tuesday March 15th, Dreier wrote " I know it is time for me to move to the next phase in my life". Her announcement sent shock waves across the Greater orange Communities. Ironically, March 15 is the legal deadline for California school districts to issue notices to permanent teachers of possible layoffs. Unlike many Orange County school districts, Orange Unified, because of their current strong fiscal position under Dreier’s leadership, did not have to issue notices to any permanent teachers.

The Orange Unified School Board will meet Thursday, March 24 in Closed Session to discuss Dr. Dreier’s replacement. Comments on the Agenda item may be made at 6:00 pm before the Trustees adjourn to Closed Session.

INSIDE the OUSD Budget
Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2011: $ 0

Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2010: $ 395,000

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
12/2/10
2010 CSBA-Trustees and Superintendent: $ 10,000
TOTAL $ 395,000

Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2009: $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): $35,300.00*

* 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.

ORANGE Unified Schools INSIDE
Independent insight into OUSD
is an independent news service of /O/N/N/
“Independent Local Insight"

Next OUSD Board Meeting Thursday MARCH 24, 2011.
For more information
CLICK ON: SPECIAL MEETING
OUSD CLOSED SESSION STARTS 6:00 PM, NO Regular Session.
For more information call the OUSD Superintendent’s office at 714-628-4040
For budgeting questions call Business Services at 714-628-4015
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Orange Unified Superintendent Dr. Dreier announces retirement

2011-03-16T07:03:00.001-07:00

In a letter posted to the Orange Unified website after closing on Tuesday March 15th, popular Orange Unified Superintendnet Renae Dreier announced her retirement effective this summer.

Dreier wrote " I know it is time for me to move to the next phase in my life" She also announced that the Board of Education would meet next week to begin working on a replacement.

UPDATE 3/16 3:30 pm
The Orange Unified Educators Assoiciation released this statement regarding Dr. Dreier's retirement announcement:
" OUEA congratulates Orange Unified Superintendent Dr. Renae Dreier upon the announcement of her impending retirement this summer. Her ability to build positive relationships is greatly admired. Her leadership will be missed."

Orange Net News will have continued updates on the Dreier retirement.

OUSD Fails Watchdog’s Public Records Audit

2011-03-08T19:42:00.000-08:00

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

OUSD Fails Watchdog’s Public Records Audit

Californians Aware, the organization with the mission of “To foster the improvement of, compliance with and public understanding and use of, public forum law” gave Orange Unified a failing grade in its most recent statewide public education audit released at the end of February. The Audit was of 194 California school districts in meeting the requirements of the California Public Records Act. Over half of the school districts in the Audit received a failing grade. The watchdog group, that has had specific dealings with OUSD in the past, also has had numerous run-ins with the law firm of Parker & Covert that represents OUSD and numerous other school districts. The school district public records audit comes on the heels of a similar audit of the state’s public colleges and universities.

In the released report card, available on line on the Californian Aware website (see link below), the group sent requests to each of the 194 districts for public records and evaluated the districts’ responses in meeting the requirements of the California Public Records Act. The districts were each asked to provide “a copy of the most recent pre-lawsuit claim for damages brought on behalf of a student that was settled without going to court, as well as a copy of the settlement agreement and records showing any approval.” The group chose this public record because often the only way the public finds out how educational funds have been spent in lawsuit settlements is to request public records.

Districts were graded in how they initially responded to the laws requirement to respond to the request within 10 days by declaring which of the requested documents were public records and would be provided if they could be located. According to the California Aware website, the F grade justification for Orange Unified is that it ignored the request altogether, failing to respond properly within 60 days [ G. C. ss 6253 (c), (d)]. The group had decided that if documents were received within 60 days that would constitute a prompt response the law requires.

While the group was concerned with the high failure rate and the apparent confusion many districts had with the request and the law, they had high praise for the districts that performed perfectly in responding to the identical request. A total of 21%, or one-fifth of those surveyed received the perfect A+ score. Among the A+ districts identified for exemplary response and adherence to the law was Poway USD which responded in 3 days free of any charges.

While a few districts complied with the law and charged a legal nominal copying fee, California Aware took to task and is planning legal action against districts that tried to charge excessive fees in violation of the law, some up to 20 cents a page (for profit retail stores Staples and Office Depot charge 10 cents an employee handled copy). In addition, San Diego Unified wanted to add $20 -$28 an hour charge for clerical time to retrieve the information in direct violation of the law. Other legal problems included: Unjustifiable Delayed Responses; Illegal Screening Queries (illegally requesting names of the requestors and affiliations they have); Ineffective Employee Training; and Passing the Buck. In addition, California Aware states that the best performing districts had basic Common Sense/Courtesy-that made all the difference, as opposed to the lowest scoring districts that showed little Courtesy or willingness to comply with the request and get on with meeting their obligations under the law.

That last concern is the most troubling for the Great Orange Communities. Orange Unified Superintendent Dr. Renae Dreier has been lauded for her mantra “Knowledge is Power”. Her administrations open process of budget cuts has resulted in peaceful and cooperative labor relations not seen for over 15 years and a community united behind their schools. In addition, Orange Unified’s highly visible Outstanding Customer Relations Program, one of the few holdovers from the rocky tenure of former OUSD Superintendent Dr. Godley’s administration, prides itself on that exact Common Sense and Courtesy that the bottom districts lacked. In the past, the F rating would have been accepted as “business as usual” for a district adrift in political factures and bad PR. However, current community leaders feel differently. The Greater Orange Community Organization (GOCO) , issued a statement regarding the rating:
“The CalAware rating should be a wake-up call to the current OUSD administration. The Greater Orange Communities have proved they are mature enough to use Knowledge as a power for the greater good of the community. Going back to a time of censorship, limited information and widespread community unrest is a direction we feel confident that our current Superintendent has no intention of revisiting. We believe her vision of Knowledge as Power for OUSD has not only united our community but moved it forward. We hope that the Dreier Administration will move quickly to rectify this current breach in the public trust.”
- GOCO community email 3/2/11

California Aware- OUSD Audit rating link
CLICK ON: OUSD AUDIT GRADE

INSIDE the OUSD AGENDA- March 10, 2011
At the March 19, 2011 Orange Unified School Board Meeting, Agenda Announcements 9 E (Agenda page 3-5) is a Proclamation honoring Lorenzo and Josefina Ramirez and their children for their role in ending legal school racial segregation in California. A local committee has been seeking to name a school after Ramirez.

While other school districts throughout California this year are really only now dealing with a budget crisis over two years in the making, OUSD which has planned prudently again will be able to certify a “positive certification” in meeting its financial obligations. Action Item 12 C is the Second Interim Financial Report required by state laws. OUSD’s abilities to weather the financial storm is an envy of districts state-wide and a testament to the current OUSD Administrative team and the district’s employees. While there have been sacrifices, Orange Unified has been able to maintain a “positive certification” during one of the worst financial meltdowns in history.

Other Agenda items include:
Closed Session 4B: Continued discussions on selling or leasing 6 surplus properties including now closed Riverdale and Silverado sites.

Action Item 12 A: Public Hearing on the Special Education Local Area Plan and Budget

Action Item 12 B: Tier III Flexible Funding Transfer- this allows the District to transfer funds between normally inflexible accounts during non-economic emergency times

INSIDE the OUSD Budget
Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2011: $ 0
Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2010: $ 395,000
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
12/2/10
2010 CSBA-Trustees and Superintendent: $ 10,000
TOTAL $ 395,000

Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2009: $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): $35,300.00*

* 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.

ORANGE Unified Schools INSIDE
Independent insight into OUSD
is an independent news service of /O/N/N/
“Independent Local Insight"

Next OUSD Board Meeting Thursday MARCH 10, 2011.
For more information CLICK ON: OUSD AGENDA

OUSD CLOSED SESSION STARTS 5:30 PM,
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

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Independent insight into OUSD
is an independent news service of /O/N/N/

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Former El Mo Band Director Carlie Attebury sentenced to 16 months

2011-03-05T22:19:00.000-08:00

Former El Modena High School band director Carlie Rose Attebury was sentenced to 16 months in prison on Friday March 4, 2011 after being found guilty in November of 2010 on felony unlawful intercourse with a minor, one felony count of sexual penetration of by foreign object of a minor, and two felony counts of oral copulation of a minor under 16. Attebury was arrested in 2008 and accused of a variety of improper sexual relationship with a minor charges involving a male band student.

Orange County Superior Court Judge James A Stotler rejected probation and reducing the felony counts to misdemeanors. Attebury was also ordered not to have any contact with the student and to register as a sex offender for the rest of her life.

Keep tabs on Orange and Villa Park Gas Prices

2011-02-26T16:17:00.000-08:00

On the front page to the left is a direct link to the Orange and Villa Park prices of gasoline supplied by Orange County Gas Prices.com. The gas prices are listed by price, brand and location.

Orange Unified Administrators win honors

2011-02-19T17:27:00.000-08:00

OUSD Superintendent Dr. Dreier, Deputy Assistant Superintendent Christensen and three other OUSD Administrators honored

OUSD Director of Communication Larry Hausner issued a press release that ACSA Region 17, the Orange County Region of the Association of California School Administrators, announced that five OUSD Administrators have been selected to be honored as the regions Administrators of the Year. OUSD Superintendent Dr. Renae Dreier was honored as Administrator of the Year-Superintendent and Michael Christensen was the Administrator of the Year- Business Service , Both administrators have also received the GOPY award, the Greater Orange Person of the Year- Dreier in 2009 and Christensen in 2010. Also awarded from OUSD was: Julie McNealy as Central Office Administrator of the Year; Canyon H.S. Principal Dr. Greg Bowden as Secondary Principal of the Year; and El Rancho Principal John Besta as Middle Grades- Administrator of the Year.

OUSD Director of Communication Larry Hausner is President of ACSA Region 17, the Orange County Region of the Association of California School Administrators.

OUSD embraces DATA

2011-02-15T19:56:00.001-08:00

ORANGE Unified Schools INSIDE
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Independent insight into OUSD

Move over Blackboard…
OUSD embraces DATA at the January Board meeting

“What is your quest” “To seek the Holy Grail”
“What is your favorite color?” “Blue” “Right, off you go”.
– Sir Lancelot’s exchange with the old man in Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Lieutenant Commander Data is a fictional character in the legendary Star Trek series. Data is an android -a robot or synthetic organism designed to look and act like a human. In the popular science fiction series, Data experienced ongoing difficulties with understanding various aspects of human behavior. Unable to understand or feel any emotion, Lt. Data is inspired to strive to be human, even eventually adding an “emotion chip”. Over the course of his story Data was to evolve to become more and more human. Data however would never quite make it. Now like its fictional namesake, as reality imitates pop-culture, educational elites newest fad in education is the non-emotional android-like quest simply called Data.

At the January 20, 2011 Orange Unified School Board Meeting, OUSD’s Assistant Superintendent of Educational Service Dr. Marie Gunn Hansen presented Information Item 13 B- Using data for Academic Achievement- OUSD’s newest exercise in reaching educations Holy Grail- increasing standardized test scores and closing the racial and social-economic “achievement gap”- all by 2014.

Prior to Dr. Hansen’s presentation during Information Item 13 A’s report on OUSD’s Strategic Plan, OUSD Superintendent Dr Renae Dreier gave the OUSD Trustees a “Data dump” in the form of oversized notebooks filled with information on the Strategic Plan. Commenting on the large amount of Data she had given the Trustees, and as an ironic but unintended segue into Dr. Hansen’s presentation; Dreier reassured the Trustees that “Data is used by people in different ways”. As she so often does, Dreier summed up a concept with few words. Dreier put a human face on Data. However, the night was young.

Dreier’s human Data is a stark contrast to the newest educational fad that the Educational Elite are now pursuing that they call Data. Like the lords of old living off the land farmed by others, the new Data Aristocracy is directing the lower classes to “mine” the Data aimed at finding the Holy Grail- higher standardized test scores and closing the achievement gap. The Data Fad however, lacks evidence (Data is not “evidence” although Data Diva’s like to use them interchangeably). As with many edu-fads, Data was started by marketing. Retail marketing. Yes, the same people who brought you former OUSD Superintendent Godley’s business model of Good to Great that featured such business stars as Circuit City and the soon to be dismantled Fannie Mae. As many of you long time community Board Watchers know, and as some of our Trustees exhibited knowledge of, the devil is still in the details when examining reports given at Board meetings.

The Data mining industry got its start in retail sales and since has been applied to numerous areas like bioinformatics to counter-terrorism (the Patriot Act basically gives the Federal government the authority to Data Mine in every part of life). The concept of Data Mining is to take (mine) huge amounts (the more the better) of Data (not evidence) to get something useful from it. Data became a hot commodity when Wal-Mart used real time inventory controls called on time/on line data inventory to overtake and bury retail giant competitors Sears and Montgomery Wards. Wal-Mart used its inventory control to wrangle price concessions from its distributors. Sears was eventually bought by K Mart and Wards imploded. Educational Consultants often turn to the saying “An entrepreneur is a person who dreams up a product that no one knows they need”. Data mining became hot in education consulting, a product that nobody knew they needed. In 2006, New York City spent $80 million educational tax dollars to “datatize” Beginning in June of 2006, Compton Unified (where OUSD Dr. Marie Hansen worked before OUSD), started to spent hundreds of thousands of dollars of School Library Improvement Block Grant Budget monies, not on books, but for a product called Data Driven Classrooms run by Educational Consultant Richard Church. Church’s small consultant company, with only a handful of employees, services Compton’s “data” under the Data Driven Classrooms brand. So pervasive is the consultant relationship, that the former head of Compton Unified’s Information Technology, Dr. Mark Jones provides a testimonial on the website of Data Driven Classrooms -a paid district consultant(see link). Jones is no longer the information director, and now serves as principal of Compton’s Walton Middle School.

Education Data Mining (EDM) is one of the fastest growing business opportunities in education, despite the fact that the practical side of Data as a classroom tool is under debate. Four years ago, the Educational Data Aristocracy started holding an annual conference called the Educational Mining Conference. This year it meets in July in Eindhoven, Netherlands. Unfortunately like the androids looking for humanism, Data Elitists are in search of practical applications for the emotionless Data in the very human practice of education. The current wave of consultant driven spending on Data systems is far ahead of the practical applications of Data. Here is an example of the work of the Educational Elites Data work that is far removed from the classroom:

Beck and Mostow obtained data for each student’s performance in reading each story within the software. Reading time was used as a continuous measure of word knowledge; mis-reading and help-requests were also taken into account, reading opportunities where these behaviors occurred were assigned a time of 3.0 seconds (99.9% of word reads were faster than 3.0 seconds). An exponential model of practice was set up, relating response time to the function: time=A*e-b (w=t1 = t2)

In this equation, parameter A represents student performance on the first opportunity to read a given word, parameter b represents the overall speed of learning, e is 2.718, and t1 and t2 represent the number of times the word is read, within two different types of practice. In this case, t1 was defined as the number of times the word was read when re-reading a story and t2 was defined as the number of times the word was read when reading a story for the first time. W is the relative speed gain associated with the two types of practice. If W equals 1, the two types of practice are considered to be equally effective; if W is above 1, opportunities of type t1 are more effective than opportunities of type t2 (and the reverse holds true if W is below 1).*

*Data Mining for Education Ryan S.J.d. Baker, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Lieutenant Commander Data, does that compute?

In her January 20 description to the OUSD Board on how OUSD teachers are to use Data, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Marie Gunn Hansen tried to explain the process that OUSD uses Data. Hansen infused the Data Mining into the Cycle of Instruction, implying that the practice is widespread in OUSD. Many Educational Elitists have compared this use of Data to the medical profession (a now common, but faulty comparison as explained below).

In Hansen’s model, the assessments are the pre-state standards tests (these are the essential standards usually- which are the standards with the highest propensity to appear on the state standardized tests- yes this is teaching to the test “standards deconstruction”…but it is not called that). The teachers (i.e. lower class statisticians) then mine the “Data” from the tests and find out what a student did not answer correctly (i.e. does not know) then re-teach it. While this seems all nice and neat in a one hour sci-fi series, according to OUSD teachers and administrator sources, the reality is (among many other problems) time. For unlike sci-fi characters, teachers and students do not live in warp time. Listening to the long detailed vernacular explanation that Dr. Hansen had about the process and it would appear that she does not understand that simple concept of time. However, to Trustee Diane Singer, that concept was clear. Crystal clear. Trustee Singer interrupted Dr. Hansen with that exact question, How long does the process take? Hansen replied anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks. Clearly, that is the problem. The problem with Data, the problem with the model, the problem with the medical analogy and the problem teachers and administrators are having dealing with as the Data Divas push the Data fallacy to find applications for their massive spending projects. We have given you the tools- now go and figure out how to use them... in a timely manner.

Time does not stop. The Cycle of Instruction cannot use the infusion of Data (as assessment) efficiently, nor can any humans on a short term basis. During those 6-8 weeks, time, standards and instruction continue. Most people have waited those long hours for a doctor’s test results ( an analogy now often compared to the Education Data Mining) to return from the lab. The doctor examines the Data (lab results), the doctor then can prescribe the medicine (re-adjusts teaching). The fallacy of course is with the time. Imagine if that process took eight weeks instead of the two hours. Life goes on- or so you hope. In the classroom, instruction goes on. For many subjects, returning to lessons from 15-20 weeks ago (lessons plus Cycle of Instruction time) are not practical. Our society has long ago accepted that not everything taught will be retained-unless of course you are an android with a memory chip. While elementary teachers appear to have more use for limited Data on individual students in a contained classroom, secondary teachers report that to learn individual needs for hundreds of students is unrealistic in the human world. Wal-Mart was able to use Data because the Data was digressed by computers that did the ordering. Humans did not digest the Data. It was automatic. Teaching is human and done in human time- not in milliseconds.

Trustee Kathy Moffat, a former teacher, commented after Hansen’s presentation that she could not teach today because of all of the work (i.e. time) that is expected. Moffat is right, no one could, which is why that fact they are should tell her something. No one can. In the tale of the Emperor’s New Clothes, people nodded and smiled- all while knowing the truth. Dr. Dreier knows the truth- “Data is used by people in different ways”. According to administrative and teacher sources in OUSD, the Cycle of Instruction model of Data to the extent that Dr. Hansen implied is science fiction. Moffat also asked for a demonstration of Data Director- the district’s Data information system. Sources in the teacher’s association report that OUSD’s Data Director is so time consuming-it is voluntary.

We applaud Moffat and Singer for asking the right questions. Educational Elitists, like Dr. Hansen now appears to be, are now, consciously or not, trying to take emotional human teachers like Kathy Moffat, and turn them into teacher Data Droids- a robotic organism designed to look and act like a teacher- but work like time=A*e-b (w=t1 = t2).

The good news is, if you know the story of Star Trek, you know who wins. The question is how many educational tax dollars will be wasted on the battle before this newest educational fad is assigned to the trash heap. Move over Blackboard.

FOR more information CLICK ON:
DATA DRIVEN CLASS

DATA MINE

INSIDE the February 17, 2011 OUSD Board Meeting
Closed Session -

Agenda Item 4 C- former Killerfer School Site- report on negotiations for sale or lease in Closed Session.

Open Session
Agenda Item 13 B Response to Instruction and Intervention Congress changed the law about identifying children with specific learning disabilities when they reauthorized IDEA. This is how districts are dealing with that change.

Agenda Item 13 C- Budget Update The California State Budget depends on high stakes political dealings on a Special Election to extend the current state tax rates. Expect the Good, the Bad and the Ugly in the report from OUSD’s Deputy Assistant Superintendent Michael Christensen.

Agenda Item 14 F- With agreement from the two labor unions, the district will require a 50 Year vesting policy to receive a post-retirement employer contribution instead of the normal 5 year requirement under the new CAL-PERS Health plans.

INSIDE the OUSD Budget
Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2011: $ 0
Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2010: $ 395,000
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
12/2/10
2010 CSBA-Trustees and Superintendent: $ 10,000
TOTAL $ 395,000
Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2009: $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):
$34,090.00*
* 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: 7:00 pm
THURSDAY February 17, 2011 OUSD BOARD ROOM
For AGENDA-CLICK ON AGENDA
CLOSED SESSION- 5:30 pm

ORANGE Unified Schools INSIDE
Independent insight into OUSD
is an independent news service of /O/N/N/
“Independent Local Insight"

Chapman University Student John Taylor Skilling dead of possible suicide

2011-02-04T18:51:00.000-08:00

Chapman University Student John Taylor Skilling-son of imprisoned ex-Enron Chief Jeffery Skilling dead of possible overdose

The following links are to a sampling of stories about the death of Chapman University student John Taylor Skilling:

ABC News

Daily Mail- United Kingdom

KNX Radio

International Business News

Houston Press

Metro TALK: Villa Park gets ready for 50; Orange Library goes Sci-Fi; Bald Eagle visits

2011-02-01T19:12:00.000-08:00

Villa Park, the Hidden Jewel, turns Golden
On January 3, 1962 by a vote of 264 to 134, citizens on 1300 acres of mostly farmland just south of Anaheim and just north of Orange voted to become the City of Villa Park. Later that month the first Villa Park City Council met to pass the laws establishing the new city. Last year in August, the Villa Park City Council set in motion the planning of next year’s city-wide celebration of the 50th Golden Anniversary of the establishment of the city known by its nickname, the Hidden Jewel. The City Council designated the Villa Park Community Services Foundation to lead the 50th Anniversary Celebration Committee (50ACC) with Doug Bender as Chair. The first meeting of the 50ACC was September, 2010 and the committee lost no time getting to work, establishing a contest for a slogan and working on developing an official logo. That logo was approved by the Villa Park City Council in December 2011.

Creating a first class celebration will take a lot of volunteers, and the 50ACC is inviting all interested residents to attend a committee meeting to share ideas. The next committee meeting is scheduled for February 10, 2011 at 8:30 AM at Rockwell’s Bakery.

Orange Public Library Saturday Science Fiction

The Orange Public Library is connecting science fiction movie buffs with the original books those movies are adapted from in their Saturday Science Fiction series. Discussions of books that have inspired cult favorite classic “sci-fi” movies are led by librarians. In January, Androids Dream of Electric Sheep was discussed. This month on Saturday February 12, at 2:00 pm the classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers by Jack Finney will be the topic. The event is free at the Orange Public Library and History Center (aka Main Branch). For more information call 714-288-2410.

National Symbol sited at Irvine Regional Park
A wild Bald Eagle has been visiting the OC Zoo inside Irvine Regional Park. The Bald Eagle has been spotted perched in trees above the zoo's Bald and Golden Eagle exhibits. Below is the video of the Bald Eagle at Irvine Regional Parks that the Orange County Parks has posted on YouTube.

Ledesma elected OUSD Board President

2011-01-18T19:33:00.000-08:00

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

New OUSD Board elects Trustee Rick Ledesma OUSD President
At the last Orange Unified School Board meeting on December 9th 2010, OUSD Trustee Rick Ledesma was elected Orange Unified School Board President. Nominated by Trustee John Ortega, Ledesma who is now the leader of OUSD’s Board conservative majority was elected 7-0. After his election, Ledesma nominated Ortega for Vice President and Trustee Dr. Alexia Deligianni for Board Clerk. Deligianni was elected by a 7-0 vote, while Ortega was elected 6-1 with Trustee Kathy Moffat voting against Ortega without comment. Moffat did not answer an email request for an explanation of her vote against Ortega.

Before the election for officers, returning trustees Ledesma and Moffat, and the two new OUSD Trustees Diane Singer and Timothy Surridge, were all publicly sworn in after their November election victories. Moffat and Singer were sworn in by Singer’s husband, U.S. Marshal David Singer. Surridge and Ledesma were sworn in by Assemblyman Curt Hagman. Surridge, who defeated Kimberly Nichols for his seat, publicly thanked both Ledesma (who supported Surridge against Nichols), and political advisor Chris Enami for helping him in his election victory. Enami, (who was seated in the audience) ran against Nichols and lost four years ago is the Membership Chair of the Orange-Villa Park Republican Assembly (OVRPA). Orange Unified Trustee Clerk Dr. Deligianni is the President of the OVRPA. The Treasurer of the OVPRA is Chris Nguyen who was lost his bid for the OUSD Area 1 trustee seat in November to Diane Singer.

Also during the December 9th Board Meeting, Deputy Superintendent Michael Christensen gave a legally required update on the current fiscal year’s budget. Known as the First Interim Financial Report, Christensen reported that the district’s conservative budget calculations of state financing of $4941 per student has kept the district on a positive financial footing despite the incoming Governor Jerry Brown’s administrations estimated $ 28 billion shortage in the current state fiscal budget. With the meeting falling a month before Brown released his budget proposals this month, Christensen was uncharacteristically upbeat for a budget report. That attitude maybe well deserved considering that Orange Unified finances are currently one of the best in the county, if not the whole state. Christensen’s role in managing the budget and keeping OUSD solvent and so the communities schools operating smoothly during one of the worst financial crisis in history was recognized at the end of the year by the Greater Orange Communities Organization* . That watchdog group selected Christensen as this year’s Greater Orange Person of the Year (GOPY) award winner. The GOPY is awarded to “the person who’s actions most influenced the Greater Orange Communities” during the pervious year.
* Orange Net News is produced by the Orange Communication System /OCS/ the communication arm of the GOCO.

Surplus Killerfer Site on Closed Session of January 20 Board Meeting
On the Thursday January 20 Board Meeting, the Orange Unified School Board in Closed Session will discuss the sale of the surplus Killerfer Site property at 541 N Lemon Street. The property was on the November 18, 2010 as a resolution, but was pulled without explanation. The Resolution to sell the district’s Killerfer site property as surplus property was not less than $3.4 million.

Other items on the Board Agenda include three Information Items:
• 13A- An update on OUSD’s Three-Year Strategic Plan
• 13B- using Data for Academic Achievement
• 13C- A State Budget Update

INSIDE OUSD Community Donations
The January 20 OUSD Board Agenda pages 6-7 lists $82,918 in community donations. They include: Tustin Toyota- $50.00 in supplies to El Rancho M.S.; Nohl Canyon School Association- $2,094 for a Computer Aide; Jordan PTA- $1500 for transportation costs; Villa Park HS Boys and Girls Tennis Boosters- $2000 for salary stipends; Canyon High School ASB- $2,955 for Cheer Stipends.

INSIDE the OUSD Budget
San Francisco trip by Trustees and Superintendent-$10,000
During the December 9th 2010 Board Meeting, Trustees Moffat and Surridge spoke about their attendance at the California School Board Association’s annual convention, held December 2-4 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Six OUSD trustees and Superintendent Dr. Renae Dreier attended the conference. Early registration for the conference was $ 425 per person (registration after the November election was $455 per person) with accompanying spouses free to the conference. Convention room rates for the convention at the San Francisco Marriot Marquius for three nights were $717 and for the W San Francisco $ 589. Air flight and transportation, plus food expense accounts put the conference cost to district taxpayers at well over $10,000 in educational taxes. That brings the total for Watched Tax Dollars to $395,000.

INSIDE the OUSD Budget
Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2011: $ 0

Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2010: $ 395,000
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
12/2/10 2010 CSBA- Trustees and Superintendent: $ 10,000
TOTAL $ 395,000

Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2009: $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):
$32,880.00**

**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: 7:00 pm
THURSDAY January 20, 2011 OUSD BOARD ROOM
For AGENDA-CLICK ON AGENDA

CLOSED SESSION- 5:30 pm
ORANGE Unified Schools INSIDE
Independent insight into OUSD
is an independent news service of /O/N/N/
“Independent Local Insight”

Orange Unified's Deputy Superintendent Michael Christensen named Greater Orange Person of the Year

2010-12-30T18:51:00.000-08:00

Michael Christensen named 2010 GOPY winner

Orange Unified School District Deputy Superintendent Michael Christensen has been named the recipient of the 2010 GOPY Award- the Greater Orange Person of the Year award. Christensen is the second person to be named the annual award from the Orange Communication System, the communications arm of the watchdog group the Greater Orange Community Organization. The Orange Communication System is the producer of original local central Orange County news services that include Orange Net News (ONN) and the Greater Orange News Service and is affiliated with national citizen news organizations.

In a December 30th press release, the Greater Orange Community Organization announced that the Orange Communication System awarded 2010 GOPY Award based on the award’s criteria of ”the person who’s actions most influenced the Greater Orange Community” during the year.

Christensen, who has held numerous titles in OUSD including Executive Director of facilities and Planning and Executive Director of Administrative Services, was named in April 2010 the first ever OUSD Deputy Superintendent in a re-organization that was initiated after massive cuts brought about by the on-going California State Budget crisis. Christensen had become a regular fixture at the OUSD Board meetings keeping the Board and community up-to-date on the latest state budget news-or no news- and its implications for the local schools and employees. In addition, this year he was responsible for dealing with the remodel of the 1950’s era Yorba Middle School and the numerous delays and problems caused by the current budget crisis on the contactors. During the budget crisis, Christensen has also overseen the closure of two of OUSD’s smallest schools, Silverado and Riverdale elementary schools, including successfully arguing before the Orange County Committee on School District Organization that Silverado community should remain part of OUSD. He was instrumental in implementing OUSD Superintendent Dr. Renae Dreier’s budget priorities including successfully implementing a merging of the three employee groups into one health care plan. Christensen also served on the Board of Directors of the California Association of School Business Officials,

Christensen has lhelped lead OUSD through one of the most difficult budget periods in its history. Additionally, in his many years with OUSD he has had numerous duties including: negotiating with the Irvine to mitigate impacts of the proposed (and now delayed) East Orange and Mountain Park projects: implementing the integration of year-round school schools to the traditional calendar; collecting and reporting on developer fees; school boundaries and Trustee Area boundaries; future enrollment projections; applying and implementing state modernization funding, the planning and remodeling of five OUSD schools-without a bond; implemented OUSD’s widely recognized energy saving program; and representing OUSD to numerous state, county and local boards, offices and agencies. As Deputy Superintendent, Christensen has publicly acknowledged the demographic differences and challenges OUSD faces by geographical regions by uttering the long OUSD administrative taboo words “55 divide”.

The Greater Orange Communication Organization’s announcement of the GOPY Award described Michael Christensen’s as “an irreplaceable asset to the Greater Orange Communities who’s many years of service to the local community has included numerous contributions while staying true to his long stated philosophy of providing the best possible learning environment with the least amount of impact to the general fund. In 2010, by continuing to work to keep our schools fiscally solvent during the current unprecedented fiscal crisis, Deputy Superintendent Michael Christensen has clearly been the person who had the most influence on the Greater Orange Community in 2010”.

We're back! Google victorious in cyber attack

2010-12-14T16:59:00.000-08:00

Orange Net News caught up in international cyber war

Thanks to the diligent Google Blogger Team, the Orange Communication System's Greater Orange News Service, along with thousands of other blogs, are back up and running after a cyber attack on Google. Wikileaks leaked cables last week put the blame on the highest levels of the Chinese government for a sophisticated cyber attack on Google in January of this year. The attack was purported to have acquired trade secrets from Google. Last week as the Nobel Peace Prize went to jailed Chinese activist Liu Xiaobo for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China another high level attack was levied against Google as Wikileaks supporters also leveled attacks against Google owned PayPal (MasterCard and VISA were also attacked). Google bloggers around the world began getting messages about “suspicious activity from China”, and blogs started to disappear everywhere. Google put out this message on its HELP forums about restoring the blogs on Wednesday:

“Our team has isolated the source of delay and is working now to restore the affected blogs ASAP. Thanks for your patience.”

Over the weekend, blogs were slowly being restored in numerical sequence by Google. Greater Orange News Service was restored early Tuesday.

Thanks again to the Google Blogger Team for restoring service after a serious attack on its system.

Exiting OUSD Trustee Lisa Smith warns:“To the community, it is your job to watch carefully”

2010-12-07T18:14:00.000-08:00

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

Exiting OUSD Trustee Lisa Smith warns:
“To the community, it is your job to watch carefully”

The November 18, 2010 Orange Unified School Board Meeting was the last meeting for outgoing Trustees Lisa Smith and Kim Nichols. In a prepared farewell address, Smith (who no longer lived in her trustee area and could not run for re-election) gave a brief history of the reasons for her original election, how the district was when she was elected, and where the district is at as she leaves it. Citing the current administration under Superintendent Dr. Renae Dreier as putting OUSD on a “course towards excellence”, she praised the fiscal solvency and positive morale of Orange Unified. Referring to the to the new leadership of the OUSD Board, Smith warned about returning to a time, like when she was first elected in the Orange Recall, when the then and eventually recalled Board’s focus was on politics and not the students of OUSD. Like the preacher she is, Smith sternly admonished “to the community, it is your job to watch carefully”. Next, an emotional Nichols, who lost her seat in the November election, did not have a prepared speech, stating that she wanted to focus on the positive. Like Smith, Nichols reminded the audience she was a parent of OUSD students who believed in public education and stated that she would continue to stay involved and active in the school community.

Action Item 12 A on to sell the Killerfer site as surplus property was pulled
At the beginning of the November 18, 2010 meeting, OUSD Board President John Ortega announced that Action Item 12 A had been pulled from the agenda. He did not elaborate on the reason. The item was a Board Resolution to sell the district’s Killerfer site property as surplus property for not less than $3.4 million. The item does not appear on the next OUSD Agenda of December 9, 2010.

Inside the December 10, 2010 OUSD Board Agenda
Two new OUSD Trustees will be ceremoniously sworn in as a result of the November election. Dianne Singer, endorsed by Melissa Smith, Kim Nichols and Kathy Moffat will fill the open Area 1 trustee seat created by the Nichols Realignment that changed the OUSD Trustee Boundaries. Tim Surridge will replace Kim Nichols in Area 5 after defeating her in the November election. Surridge was endorsed by Trustees Rick Ledesma, Mark Wayland and Dr. Alexia Deligianni. Trustee Rick Ledesma will also be sworn in after defeating former OUSD Trustee Steve Rocco by a landslide in Area 7.

After the swearing in, new OUSD Board, new officers for next year will be elected. After the 2001 Orange Recall, a new OUSD Board policy was put into place, rotating the officer positions among the trustees. With the election of Steve Rocco however, the OUSD Board returned to electing Board officers to prevent Rocco from taking a leadership role.

Also on the December 9 board Agenda:
Action Item 12 A-First Interim Budget Report- OUSD will continue its positive financial certification status, even as the current California State Budget goes down in flames.

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 2005: $978,300.00

Former Superintendent Godley’s Retirement Bonus running total (beginning 8/2008):
$31,670.00*
* 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 December 9, 2010
OUSD BOARD ROOM;For AGENDA-CLICK ON
DECEMBER

CLOSED SESSION- No Closed Session is Scheduled
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”

Greater Orange Holidays: Chanukah, Tree Lighting; Santa Tour and Boat Parade

2010-11-29T21:06:00.000-08:00

Plaza Menorah Lighting Nightly at 6:00 PM during Chanukah
This Wednesday December 1st is the beginning of Chanukah and for the fourth year in a row the Temple Beth Sholom on Tustin Ave will host the nightly ceremony lighting the menorah in the Orange Park Plaza at the Orange Traffic Circle. For the 8 nights of the Jewish festival of lights a ceremonial lighting at 6:00 pm will take place in the Orange Park Plaza. The simple ceremony includes blessings over candles and singing songs. Participants from all faiths are welcome.
For more information on the Chanukah Ceremony email
information@tbsoc.com

Lighting Schedule
Wednesday, December 1st Leader: Mark Borovay
Thursday, December 2nd Leader: Peter Newell
Friday, December 3rd Leader: Peter Newell
Saturday, December 4th Leader: Elaine Schwartz
Sunday, December 5th Leader: Cantor Reinwald
Monday, December 6th Leader: Lindy Lane Epstein
Tuesday, December 7th Leader: Lainey Mitzman
Wednesday, December 8th Leader: Sara Weiss-Gottesman

16th Annual Orange Plaza Tree Lighting and Candlelight Choir Procession

The Christmas holiday season’s official Greater Orange kickoff celebrates 16 years of tree lighting ceremonies in the Orange Plaza. This year's program narrator is Dr. William Hall, Dean of Performing Arts at Chapman University. The 350 voice Orange Master Chorale choir led by Orange High’s world famous choir director Michael Short and a 60 piece orchestra in the traditional Choir Procession and Tree Lighting Ceremony.

The festivities start at 3:30 pm on Sunday December 5th with food booths and kids activities including those holiday photo ops with none-other than Santa himself followed by the official choir and tree ceremony starting at 5:15 pm.

In case of rain please call the official Orange Special Events Hotline for details: 714-744-7278.

Santa to Tour Villa Park before heading to North Pole
Few people outside Villa Park may know that Santa and Mrs. Claus keep their Southern California vacation residence right here in Greater Orange at the Claus Villa in Villa Park. Each year before making the final push towards getting ready for that Christmas Eve world tour, the Claus family spends a weekend at their Villa Park get-a-way. Traditionally, Santa has thanked his home-away-from home neighbors with the Annual Villa Park Santa Tour winding his way through the Greater Orange “Hidden Jewel” in a bright red fire truck. This year’s tour is Saturday December 4, 2010 from 8:00 am- 5:00 pm.

Santa has been known to drop by or stop along the route where ever there is a gathering of believers. For more information contact the Villa Park City Hall at 714-998-1500. The Annual Santa Tour is sponsored by the Villa Park Foundation.

For a map and times CLICK ON: SANTA TOUR

13th Annual Villa Park Great Inland Boat Parade-December 12th, 2010
Being land-locked never bothered many in Greater Orange, especially in Villa Park where the 13th Annual Great Villa Park Inland Boat Parade takes place on Sunday December 12th, 2009. this year a new route sails through the backwaters of Villa Park, from starting at 5:00 pm, the mighty Villa Park Fleet sails to the Villa Park Towne and Community Centre arriving around 6:00 pm. for more hometown festivities including a tree lighting ceremony and entertainment. The Great Villa Park Inland Boat Parade is sponsored by the Villa Park Foundation. The new route was designed at the recommendation of the Sheriff's Department, and will have the parade cross busy Villa Park Road only once instead of twice, but still covering the same traditional streets. Instead of staging the parade on Taft, adjacent to Villa Park High School, the new route will start at the south end of the community, on Fitschen Ranch Road, then circle through town along the traditional streets until it ends at Villa Park Towne Centre.

For a Parade Route Map: CLICK ON: BOAT PARADE

El Modena sex scandal goes to trial

2010-11-15T22:28:00.000-08:00

Former El Modena teacher Carlie Rose Attebury trial starts

The alleged sex scandal trial of former El Modena H.S. band teacher Carlie Rose Attebury started in Santa Ana today as the story went national.

LINK: Associated press story

Trustees Smith and Kimberly Nichols last meeting as Neo Conservative Board wins

2010-11-15T21:07:00.000-08:00

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

Trustees Smith and Kimberly Nichols last meeting
as Neo Conservative Board wins

Orange Unified School Board Trustees Melissa Smith and Kim Nichols last night as OUSD Board members will be this Thursday November18, 2010. Nichols was defeated by private school teacher Tim Surridge in the November 3rd election and Smith’s home was moved out of Trustee Area 1 she was serving. Both Smith and Nichols were part of the original Citizen Board that was swept into power in the 2001 Orange Recall election. At the same time, Trustees Kathy Moffat, John Ortega and Rick Ledesma were also elected as part of the Citizens Board. However, that original five trustee alliance over the years has been shattered. The strains on the alliance over the years were numerous: from selections over superintendents and Board officers and Board procedures; to the issues over the Santiago Revocation actions and the law firm involved in that attempt; splits on how to deal with controversial Trustee Steve Rocco; and basic personality and political allegiances have often boiled to the surface over the years during OUSD Board meetings and fractured the one time allies. Shifting allegiances and long–ago departures of the other OUSD Trustees made this November’s election a struggle between two competing blocks, one lead by Rick Ledesma, and another lead by Nichols. Ledesma made the feud very public by publicly endorsing Surridge over Nichols. In losing, Nichols is the first of the one-time Citizen Board trustees to be defeated at the polls. Ironically, in this election, Ledesma defeated Steve Rocco who in a strange way helped bring about the downfall of the Nichols block that at one point had tried to recall Rocco After failing to recall Rocco, it was the Nichols Realignment that shifted not only Rocco, but Smith out of their respected Trustee Areas, thus preventing both of them from running for their old trustee seats. That realignment also paved the way for Mark Wayland and Alexia Deligianni to be elected in 2008 who allied with Ledesma. This year, Smith’s open Area 1 seat was won by Dianne Singer who is regarded as ally of Moffat. Current Board President John Ortega is considered to be an independent moderate swing vote, while Ledesma, Wayland, Deligianni, will be joined by Surridge as the new OUSD Neo Conservative Board majority.

Surplus Killefer site to be sold for at least $3.4 million
Action Item 12 A (page 3) on the November 18, 2010 Board Agenda is a resolution to sell OUSD’s Killerfer site as surplus property for not less than $ 3.4 million. The site is at Walnut and Lemon Streets in Orange. In addition, Agenda Item 12 B (page 11) forms a new 7/11 Committee to evaluate the former Silverado and Riverdale sites for recommendations on potential disposal of the sites.

INSIDE the October 14, 2010 OUSD Board Meeting
Information Item 13 A- Annual Audit Report
Information Item 13 B – Review of Naming of Facilities Bylaws- relating to a proposed renaming of Esplanade to Lorenzo Ramirez Elementary School
Information Item 13 D- Legislative Coalition Chair Christina Bayles reports

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 2005: $978,300.00

Former Superintendent Godley’s Retirement Bonus running total (beginning 8/2008): $30,460.00*

* 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 November 18, 2010 OUSD BOARD ROOM
For AGENDA-CLICK ON: LAST 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/

NICHOLS DEFEATED while SINGER WINS IN OUSD,LANDSLIDE FOR CAVECCHE

2010-11-03T21:42:00.000-07:00

NICHOLS DEFEATED while SINGER WINS IN OUSD,LANDSLIDE FOR CAVECCHE

In Orange Unified Trustee Kim Nichols was defeated by private school fundamentalist Tim Surridge in a two-way head-to head race In the three way race for the open seat in Area 1 Diane Singer won comfortably over political novice Chris Nguyen. In Area 4, another 3-way race let incumbent Kathy Moffat squeak out a win with 44% of the vote Incumbent Rick Ledesma defeated former Trustee Steve Rocco in Area 7.

Popular Orange Mayor Carolyn Cavecche won a landslide re-election in a nasty campaign that could spell the end of the political ambitions of Orange Councilman Jon Dumtru. The two open seats on the Orange City Council had incumbent Denis Bilodeau and Fred Whitaker top the crowded eight candidate field for the posts.

In Villa Park Incumbents Deborah Pauly with Brad Reese were re-elected and Robert Fauteux defeated Jim Rheins.

Nguyen and Surridge try to take over OUSD School Board

2010-10-25T17:03:00.000-07:00

eLECTION Watch 2010
an Orange Net News Special News and Analysis Series

OUSD Board of Trustees Battle of the Slates as Nguyen and Surridge try to take over OUSD School Board

The campaign blue and orange colors are the same, the websites look the same, the campaign signs are identical except for the names. Orange Unified School Board outsider candidates Chris Nguyen and Tim Surridge are running as a far right slate in a bid for control over the Orange Unified School Board. Both candidates have paid to be on a controversial slate mailer called Continuing the Republican Revolution.

Those who know Nguyen who has little educational background (his main claim to any experience is he attended OUSD schools) see his bid for a seat on the OUSD Board as a first step in political ambitions much like his fellow Orange Villa Park Republican Assembly (OVPRA) Board member Alexia Deligianni who won a seat on the OUSD Board in 2008. After being elected to the OUSD Board and with barely half of her first term completed, Deligianni made an unsuccessful (and personally embarrassing) run for the California Superintendent of Public Instruction. Nguyen’s online resume full of political apprenticeships was removed after ONN published the link to Nguyen’s politically ambitious resume which had no educational interests or experience aside from the schools he attended. A further example of Nguyen’s disconnect is his political website which lists one of his core issues as consolidating OUSD health plans:

"Chris believes the OUSD Board must push forward with the consolidation of health plans to save taxpayer money. By pooling OUSD employees, OUSD becomes a bigger purchaser in the health insurance market and is able to negotiate cheaper health insurance rates".

That consolidation has long since been approved by the OUSD Board and all of its employee groups and has already been instituted.

Nguyen is running for the open seat that Melissa Smith was forced to give up in a re-districting of her Trustee Area. Smith has endorsed and is actively campaigning for Dianne Singer. Nguyen however is endorsed by OUSD Board members Deligianni, Mark Wayland and Rick Ledesma. A win by Nguyen would give the four control over the OUSD Board. A win by Singer and re-election of Kathy Moffat and Kim Nichols would give current Board President and moderate John Ortega the swing vote and make him the power broker between the two blocks.

As of the last financial filing period, Nguyen had more money than all other candidates for the OUSD office combined-$60,000. That amount came from just 10 people. Two contributors, Dzung Nguyen and Lien Tonnu both of Anaheim, both gave $25,500 each to the first time candidate. Public record searches show that Dzung Nguyen and Lien Tonnu are related. The other 8 smaller donations for Chris Nguyen’s were from outside the district with many from outside the state.

In a rare move, OUSD Board Rick Ledesma has endorsed Tim Surridge over the current board member who holds the seat- Trustee Kim Nichols. Both Nichols and Ledesma are Republicans. Surridge a graduate of Christ College in Irvine is a private school teacher, but does not mention that on his website while touting his educational experience as a “classroom teacher”. In a strange, yet cleaver blurb about himself, he lists his wife’s more extensive educational experience more than his own:

“I have lived in this district with my wife Shelly, who possesses a masters degree in education, and is a Nationally Board Certified Teacher with 30 years of classroom experience.”

Both Shelly Surridge and Tim Surridge have worked at the same private school, Salem Lutheran School in Orange. Shelly Surridge is still listed as a staff member. Tim Surridge is no longer listed on the staff directory. There are no records for either Surridge on the California Commission for Teacher Credentialing website about holding a current teaching credential. On her school website, Shelly Surridge writes:

“The 2010-2011 school year will be my 29th year of teaching and my 22nd year at Salem. I love Salem because I get to hang out with the coolest kids in the whole world and we get to share Jesus all day long.”

The Salem Lutheran School in Orange is a member of the ultra-conservative creationists branch of the Lutherans called the LCMS or the Missouri Synod.

Surridge only raised a little over $7,000, most of that in a loan from himself. In addition the cash-rich Daniel Nguyen paid a little over $2,000 for cable television ads for Surridge.

Both Surridge and Nguyen paid to be on the slate mailer Continuing the Republican Revolution produced by Scott Hart of the Newport based political consultants Hart & Associates. The mailer has come under fire for recommendations that are opposite to true conservative positions. The flyer looks like it is officially from the Republican Party, which it is not, and quotes Ronald Regan (long deceased) and name drops President George W. Bush. Each person and position pays to be on the flyer (see story link below).

More on Continuing the Republican Revolution:NEWPORT

For more information about LCMS CLICK ON: LCMS

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Local Media goes into attack mode against Orange Mayor

2010-10-17T15:30:00.000-07:00

eLECTION Watch 2010
an Orange Net News Special News and Analysis Series
Local Media goes into attack mode against Orange Mayor

In what appears to be a concerted attack on Orange Mayor Carolyn Cavecche, the Orange County Register and their OC Watchdog blog appear to have taken sides in the current Orange Mayor’s race. With wild stories spinning facts into innuendo, the unprecedented media attacks have been accented with local anonymous signs futher trying to sully the popular Orange Mayor and influence the mayor’s race.

The stories and signs appear to be part of a coordinated effort to paint Cavecche’s legal salary benefits from the City of Orange and the OCTA as out-of–the ordinary. An Orange County Register story and continued attacks on Cavecche by the OC Register’s OC Watchdog blog writer Tony Saavedra appear one-sided and use inflammatory rhetoric. The article and the blog postings lump all of Cavecche’s salary and benefits over a multiple years from two separate agencies together in what appears to be an attempt to exaggerate her salary. The attempt is clearly a poor impersonation of the truly noteworthy reporting that the Los Angeles Times articles concerning the City of Bell’s officials scandalous compensation packages. However, $200,000 in compensation divided by two agencies over up to seven years does not a scandal make.

The reaction to Saaverda’s blog later forced him to a follow-up post with a link to all the salaries and benefits for Orange City Council members. That link in the follow-up posting (SEE LINK BELOW) shows nothing out of the ordinary in Cavecche’s compensation. In the follow-up Saaverda states he will also be posting Orange Councilman Denis Bilodeau’s benefits from the Orange County Water District. However, Saaverda and the Orange County Register would have to post all of Bilodeau’s salary and benefits from all of his public service jobs (including his taxpayer supported job of Chief of Staff for Orange County Supervisor Shawn Nelson) over multiple years to come close to the damage they tried to inflict on Cavecche. Mysteriously absent from the mix are any mention of Cavecche’s challenger Jon Dimitru’s salary and benefits from his taxpayer supported job at the Orange County Fire Authority.

Almost simultaneously as the articles attacking Cavecche, anonymous signs attacking Cavecche as a PENSION ABUSER began to appear. The signs appeared all over Orange last week turning the contest for Mayor between the popular Mayor Cavecche and Councilman Jon Dumitru into one of the nastiest campaigns since the 2001 Orange School Board Recall. Photos of the signs have also appeared on Dumitru supporters Facebook pages. An inquiry to Councilman Dumitru about the signs from Orange Net News went unanswered.

Mayor Carolyn Cavecche has called the all-but anonymous signs posted around town saying NO CAVECCHE PENSION ABUSER " Not very classy" . In a statement issued to Orange Net News, Cavecche stated “The community deserves better then someone anonymously posting signs with false information. Not very classy. I am hearing from many people who are saying that anyone who knows Orange knows that we don't do things that here.” In her statement, Cavecche also points out “Fact is I'm not the one who has a pension.” Clearly, the supporters of Dumitru that are responsible for the signs are overlooking it is Dumitru that is employed by an agency that gives pensions, not Cavecche. So perhaps the real issue in the election is not over pensions or salaries, but over truth.

LINK To OC REGISTER Orange Officials salaries: ORANGE SALARIES

BE SURE TO VOTE IN THE POLL FOR ORANGE MAYOR BY CLICKING ON THE TOPIX LINK ABOVE

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OUSD jumps on the Loophole Cruise Ship

2010-10-12T19:22:00.000-07:00

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

All aboard for the voyage to Safe Harbor…
OUSD jumps on the Loophole Cruise Ship

At the September 23, 2010 Orange Unified School Board Meeting, Information Item 13 A was a report by OUSD Assistant Superintendent Dr. Gunn Marie Hansen on OUSD student test scores (Student Achievement Results) that were released by the state in early September. The report was frank and honest highlighting OUSD successes and for the first time publicly addressing OUSD’s challenges under the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law. In fact Dr. Hansen at one point became stunningly frank and honest for an OUSD administrator when she made it clear that OUSD was going to use a provision of the federal NCLB law that some call a loophole and others a safety valve, known as Safe Harbor to try and move the district out of Program Improvement the program for schools and districts not meeting student testing mandates.

In the past, OUSD administrators glossed over OUSD’s Program Improvement challenges, but Hansen several times readily embraced the label and reminded the Board that the district was in the second year of Program Improvement. Her presentation charts outlined the challenges, and yes, in case they missed it, she pointed out the charts plateau in the math and English scores and publicly noted the subgroups OUSD was struggling with: Hispanic/Latino; low social economically disadvantaged; Special Education; and English Learners. Hansen’s candor then was turned to addressing the district’s challenges with Program Improvement. There for all to see, Hansen’s presentation slide flashed Safe Harbor across the large Board Room screen.

No Child Left Behind is currently stalled in Congress for reauthorization, under the current version of NCLB is the unreal goal that in two years (by 2014) , every child in America is to be at the predetermined “proficient” level measured by standardized test as the ever increasing target goals grow more statistically impossible to achieve .However, since 2003 when the bill was passed, statistical experts have become very familiar with the so called loopholes of the bill: Confidence Interval; Highly Mobile Exclusions; Change Cut Scores; 9th grade Exclusions and Safe Harbor. Similar sounding to the legal financial derivatives that brought Wall Street down, these legal provisions of the law are in some cases as statistically complicated, but are what school districts across the nation are turning to hold off the No Child Left Behind Armageddon date of doom in 2014.

Safe Harbor is no secret and is perfectly legal. Also known as the “poor man’s growth model”, many districts and schools have used it now for years. It has created some confusion as schools with lower scores that do not meet all their target goals are still hailed as making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) when other schools that have higher scores are listed as not. How this confusion occurs can be readily seen in the OUSD Press Releases from September 24 and September 30 of this year. Both hail Fairhaven Elementary School for exiting Program Improvement. The September 24 Press Release on Hansen’s September 23rd Board presentation states “ Fairhaven accomplished this by meeting AYP targets two consecutive years” and the September 30 Press Release states: “Fairhaven accomplished this by meeting Annual (sic) Yearly Progress targets two consecutive years on the California Standards Test (CST).” Neither Press Release notes that Fairhaven did this by an alternative measure called Safe Harbor. While Safe Harbor is part of the law NCLB , stating that exiting Program Improvement was done by “meeting Annual Yearly Progress ( yes it is really called Adequate Yearly Progress)” is misleading. Neither Press Release mentions Safe Harbor.

The key to using the Safe Harbor, as outlined by Hansen, is to improve just 10% of non-proficient students in all of a school’s subgroups (i.e. Hispanic, poor, African American). In fact, Hansen told the Board and so the world-that’s how OUSD’s Fairhaven Elementary School did it. Hansen went on to explain that Orange County has 186 Program Improvement Schools and the four in Orange County that exited this year (Fairhaven was one) all used Safe Harbor. In theory and in practice, by finding 10% of your students you need to move and making them improve, a school exits Program Improvement. Little else matters.

So, move over Wall Street brokers as OUSD teachers now become statisticians trying to sail to the promised Safe Harbor, taking 10% of their students with them. Perhaps with the reauthorization, the new law will be called At Least Ten Percent Were Not Left Behind.

FOR MORE INFORMATION (or not) on Safe Harbor
ED WEEK
Washington Post 08
Washington Post O6
SWIFT
PR #1
PR#2

Canine demonstration at OUSD Board Meeting
OUSD Board members watched a playful golden retriever drug sniffing dog as part of the approval process for voting 6-0 ( Trustee Deligianni absent) to approve the dogs on OUSD high school campuses. The dog “alerted” on a backpack with a small sealed bottle of booze in it, then proceeded to play with the small bottle. Trustee Mark Wayland then asked that his carry bag be sniffed. The demonstrator trainer brought the dog over to the bag and it sniffed and alerted and sat quietly. Wayland then produced a prescription bottle of painkillers and explained he was concerned about the playfulness of the dog with his familiar training backpack, but was satisfied with the calmness of the dog in altering on his unfamiliar bag.

OUSD will start a publicity campaign to inform the community and schools the purpose of the new drug sniffing dogs.

County Board could decide on October 20th on Canyon Transfer Request
Information Item 13 B on the October 14 OUSD School Board Agenda (page 10) is an update to the OUSD Board on the Canyon Communities request to be transferred out of OUSD and to Saddleback Valley Unified. A meeting by the Orange County Committee on School District Organization on the environmental impact of the transfer will take place on October 20 at the Orange County Department of Education Board Room. It is possible that action on the request could take place at that meeting.

INSIDE the October 14, 2010 OUSD Board Meeting
Action Item 12 A- Student Calendars a vote to finalize 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 calendars.
Information Item 13 A- Naming of Facilities review – more on the move to rename Esplanade Elementary for El Modena city rights leader Lorenzo Ramirez.
Information Item 13 C- Budget Update- Yes we finally have a state budget…now what does it mean for OUSD

INSIDE Community Donations
McPherson Ed Foundation- $15,000 Computer Software; Villa Park HS Cheer Booster- $11,819-Accompanist; Running Springs PTA-$3,000 PE Teacher; Target- - $676 - supplies Nohl Canyon; Cambridge Fathers Club- $823 Playground balls.

For a complete list of the $78,521 in donations see Agenda page 13.

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 2005: $978,300.00

Former Superintendent Godley’s Retirement Bonus running total (beginning 8/2008):
$29,250.00*
* 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 October 14, 2010 OUSD BOARD ROOM
For AGENDA-CLICK ON OCTOBER

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”

Orange candidates follow Rocco Ballot strategy

2010-09-26T16:34:00.000-07:00

eLECTION Watch 2010
an Orange Net News Special News and Analysis Series

Orange candidates follow Rocco Ballot strategy
Former Orange Trustee Steve Rocco is running as a “Retired Teacher” this time in his bid to regain a seat on the Orange Unified School Board. Last time he ran his win is widely attributed to his ballot description as an educator vs. his more well know and financed opponent who was a community activist, had children in the schools, but happened to be a Park Ranger. So, Rocco won. Since then others have tried the Rocco Ballot strategy also known now as to Rocco-up their ballot descriptions in the hope of gaining votes. Sometimes they are challenged, but most often not. Most recently, Chris Enami tried a similar tactic when he ran in 2006 against Trustee Kim Nichols. Enami a walk-on (after school) girls basketball coach tried to be listed as a “Teacher” on the ballot. Nichols went to court and won an order that forced Enami to remove the misleading moniker. That route is expensive, and few candidates take it that far, allowing less than truthful ballot descriptions to remain unchallenged.

This year in Orange Unified, the Registrar of Voters reports that they were approached about two OUSD candidates- Chris Ngyuen and Steve Rocco. Nguyen is Chris Enami’s fellow Board member on the Orange Villa Park Republican Assembly (OVPRA). Nguyen has himself listed on the ballot as “Education Policy Advisor”. Graduating from USC in 2007 as a Political Science major and from Stanford this year with a Masters in Public Administration, Nguyen’s resume on the Linked In website showed five political internships over a period of two years and being a Legislative aide only since January 2009. While his resume is heavy on political experience, nowhere did his on-line resume mention anything related to being an “Education Policy Advisor” as he describes himself on the ballot. After Orange Net News ran the link to Nguyen’s Linked-In site- Ngyuen deleted the site.

Other interesting ballot designations around town include:

Orange Councilman Jon Dumitru is running for the Orange Mayor’s job, his full time job with the Orange County Fire Authority is as a Fire Communication Dispatcher. However on the ballot Dumitru lists his occupation as Firefighter Coordinator- a position that does not exist.

Running for re-election, Orange Councilman Denis Bilodeau has another fulltime bureaucratic job, he is Chief of Staff to Orange County Supervisor Shawn Nelson. However, in his ballot description he describes himself as a businessman.

Candidate Mike Merino list himself as a Military Officer/ Businessman. He is a Military Reservist and an Architect.

Attorney Fred Whitaker, who is also an Orange Planning Commissioner, pays homage to Shakespeare’s dislike of lawyers by taking no chances and listing himself him self as a Businessman/Planning Commissioner.

Who knew that Steve Rocco would be such a trailblazer.

To see all the Orange ballot designations CLICK ON: BALLOT DESCRIBE

Villa Park’s Sentry Newspaper to host Orange Candidates Forum
With Villa Park City Council Candidate Bob Faxteau the official timer, Foothill Sentry owner Anita Bennyhoff hosting, and Foothill Sentry writer Marjan Dunn asking questions, you have to know this is going to be an interesting evening. Oh and if that’s not enough- Cliff Robbins is billed as the “wistle blower” for the evening.

The “Hill People” will be hosting the Foothill Sentry Orange Candidates Forum at the Orange Women’s Club 121 S Center Dr., Orange, Monday September 27 from 7 pm- 9 pm.

eLECTION Watch 2010
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Orange_NetNews@yahoo.com
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Orange Unified –Going to the Dogs

2010-09-21T18:26:00.000-07:00

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

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

OUSD API Scores reflect growing have vs. have not problems

2010-09-13T21:01:00.000-07:00

OUSD API Scores reflect growing have vs. have not problems

California released the state Academic Progress Index scores , two weeks later than promised today, and the Orange Unified School District released a press release based on the good news on the test. However, the OUSD scores reveal a mixed bag of test scores. Even as the mainstream media (ie Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register ) and politicians continue to try and blame schools and teachers for student test scores, OUSD and the state statistics underscore what 8 years of the failing test regiment have proven: race, economic standing, and language skills continue to separate the defined successful and unsuccessful schools (see data on link below). An unbiased reading of the racial data logically leads to that conclusion- in effect it leads to calling a spade a spade despite the continued fairytale of the Marxists-styled theme of “closing the achievement gap”. Either one accepts the 8 years of racially significant statistics or the unthinkable that politicians and the mainstream media increasingly maintain- that a vast conspiracy exists by districts like OUSD (with clear cut racial and economic divides) and the subversive prejudice teachers to insure the continued failure of the economically disadvantaged and racial subgroups, except for an unexplained affinity towards Asian Americans ( perhaps left over from guilt about the World War II California Concentration camps of Japanese decent, or guilt over the Vietnam War, or perhaps the U.S. support of Taiwan over Mainland Communist China).

The politically correct September 13, 2010 OUSD press release on the released scores (see link below) was upbeat, but again skirted the underlying growing problems. In addition, while trying to underscore the easy to see positive numbers, the press release not only ignored the bad news, but also missed some of the statically good news.

One of the missing facts in the OUSD Press Release was that OUSD as a district failed to meet all needed growth components in English Language Arts and Math, resulting in OUSD going into the second year as a Program Improvement District, all while increasing as a district 10 points to a score of 806. OUSD had the biggest subgroup drop with 111 Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders dropping -21 points in the API statistics.

Focusing on numbers, the press release praised Fairhaven’s 30 point jump, but failed to mention that the school also met all of their subgroup (racial and economic) improvements making the school the only OUSD school to exit program improvement this year. The OUSD press release also featured Canyon H.S. 24 point increase, but again failed to report that Canyon H.S. has problems in meeting its subgroup targets which could prove troublesome for Canyon H.S. pending reviews on the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) status. Other OUSD high schools showing API score improvement was El Modena (+12) and Villa Park (+29) with Villa Park passing the magic 800 number. However, both those schools and Orange H.S. (-4) also face AYP problems for not meeting subgroup targets.

A total of 20 of the 37 regular OUSD schools showed scores improvement (54%) with 65% of the total (including small and special schools) meeting or exceeding their goals, beating the state average of 57%. The 20 schools that did improve had scores that ranged from +2 points improvement to +48 points improvement for a total of 395 points or an average of 19.75% points for the improving schools.

A total of 15 of the 37 regular schools, 40.5%, had declining scores, the state average was 23%. A total of 32% of all OUSD’s schools declined or did not meet their goals including 2 schools that showed no growth or loss. The declining scores ranges from -2 points decline to -40 points for a total of a loss of - 239 points or an average of 15.9% points for the declining schools.

The small and special schools had a spread of 190 points. Canyon Hills, a small special school with special testing showed a decline of -88 points. Last year Canyon Hills was singled out for misguided distinction equating its “special testing” success with normal testing procedures. Richland Continuation School scores increase + 102 points.

Other schools to take note of were Olive which lost 31 points to fall below the magic 800 number the state requires all schools to meet. On the other end, Crescent Intermediate increase -20 points to increase over the 900 mark to 917. Five other schools surpassed the 900 mark: Chapman Hills; Nohl Canyon; Panorama; and Villa Park E.S. Schools to surpass the magic 800 number this year were canyon H.S.; El Modena H.S.; Villa Park H.S.; West Orange E.S. and Santiago Charter Middle School. Those schools join others over the 800 mark: Anaheim Hills; Canyon Rim; Imperial; La Veta; Linda Vista; McPherson Magnet; Running Springs.

In addition to OUSD going into its second year as a program improvement district, these 13 Orange Unified Schools are in program improvement: Cambridge; Esplanade; Handy; Jordan; Lampson; Palmyra; Prospect; Sycamore; West Orange; Taft; Portola MS; Yorba MS; and Orange H.S.

OUSD Press release LINK: OUSD API

OUSD School API Scores LINK: API Scores

OUSD AYP Scores (Program Improvement)LINK Program Improvement

California Department of Education Racial and Economic statistics for 8 years of Star Testing (scroll down to the charts at the bottom of the Press Release):
RACIAL STATS

Orange International Street Fair set for Labor Day Weekend

2010-08-28T18:49:00.000-07:00

METRO Talk
Orange International Street Fair set for Labor Day Weekend

The Orange International Street Fair is the annual end-of–summer Labor Day Weekend bash that celebrates its 38th year since being the centerpiece of the City of Orange centennial celebration in 1972 as a re-creation of a 1910 Orange International Fair. The celebration literally draws the world to the center of Greater Orange as world famous Orange Traffic Circle becomes the center of pedestrian traffic on the numerous international themed food streets.

The free entertainment includes dozen’s of bands that will perform thought the four block downtown Old Towne Orange Plaza traffic circle center representing music from around the globe on the numerous stages on the various streets including the famous Main Stage. More than 80 community organizations dedicated to serving the Greater Orange Communities rely on the Orange International Street Fair as one of their biggest fundraisers of the year.

Like the past 38 years, the fun is all about the food, music, more food, drinks…and don’t forget the FOOD…from around the world. Craftsmen will be selling handmade items around the Plaza and present and past Orange Street Fair commemoratives will be on sale to complete your Orange Street Fair collection.

The Children’s Street family oriented activities will again be offered on Orange Street just off East Chapman Ave. Over 1200 volunteers have been preparing to make the expected half million visitors feel welcome.

The Orange Street Fair is in Orange Old Towne at the Orange Plaza the Traffic Circle intersection of Chapman and Glassell Streets in Orange. The fair runs Friday- Sunday (yes Sunday is the last day…Monday Labor Day is clean-up). Entering the street fair as always is free. Alcohol Sales on the street are over at 9:00 p.m. and a wrist band to purchase and drink at the fair must be purchased each day

The event draws half a million visitors over its three days. Visitors from out-of- town are encouraged to avoid the parking crunch by taking the Metrolink (at reduced weekend rates-see below) to the historic Orange Santa Fe (Metrolink/Amtrak) Depot conveniently located adjacent to the street fair. As always no pets are allowed and wristbands for public alcohol consumption are required. Those wishing to brave the parking drama may try the Chapman University lots.

Dates and hours of the 2010 Orange International Street Fair are:
September 3 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm
September 4 & 5 10:00 am - 10:00 pm

CLOSED MONDAY

FOR MORE INFORMATION CLICK ON:

Orange International Street Fair

For taking the train CLICK ON

METROLINK

OUSD Board acknowledges Brown Act violations

2010-08-23T22:35:00.000-07:00

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

OUSD Trustees acknowledge Brown Act violation as district’s attorney calls violation an “oversight”
At their July 29, 2010 Board Meeting, the Orange Unified School Board Trustees tried to corrected the Brown Act violations of their June 10, 2010 Board meeting with a quickly added resolution to the already posted agenda. Resolution 14 W was added as a “yellow sheet” item (it did not originally appear on the agenda) to the meeting after OUSD’s high priced attorney Spencer Covert of the law firm Parker and Covert explained the reason for the Brown Act violations as “an oversight”. Resolution 14W was in response to a July 26 posting of Orange Net News’ ORANGE Unified Schools INSIDE report on the numerous illegal votes during the June 10, 2010 OUSD Board meeting. During that meeting, Trustee Kim Nichols participated by teleconference from Memphis Tennessee and the OUSD Board voted by illegal voice vote on several major items. The Brown Act, which allows teleconferencing, also specifically denotes the rules under how that teleconferencing is to take place. One of the specific rules spelled out in Section 54952 (2) of the Brown Act is that all votes during teleconferencing be roll call votes. Resolution 06-10-11 of Agenda Item 14 W (page 93) approved by the OUSD Board at the July 29 meeting affirmed the violations of the June 10th meeting and also stated:

“In the future, whenever one of the board members is participating by teleconference, roll call votes will be taken on each action item.”

During the portions of the July 29 meeting, Trustee Melissa Smith participated by teleconference from Lake Forest, Illinois and all the votes during her teleconference were conducted as required by the Brown Act. However, on more than one voting occasion, Board President John Ortega had to be reminded about the need for a roll call. The OUSD Board has a long record of Brown Act violation troubles. Those violations include recent illegal votes during the July 19, 2007 meeting when Trustee Melissa Smith teleconferenced from the Union Club Hotel in West Lafayette, Indiana and illegal votes at the March 13, 2008 Special Board Meeting when Trustee Kathy Moffat teleconferenced from the Hayes Mansion Hotel in San Jose, California. None of the illegal votes at those two meetings have ever been addressed.

INSIDE the July 29 OUSD Board Meeting

OUSD Board splits on vote to join Cal-PERS Health Trust
In a major cost-saving victory for OUSD Superintendent Renae Dreier’s Administration, the Orange Unified School Board voted 5-1-1 to join the Cal-PERS Health Trust and unite its three employee groups under one health plan. The goal was also a priority of the district’s teachers association since its one-time flagship self-funded Health Trust had been eliminated in hard-ball political fight with the Recalled OUSD Board ten years ago. The split vote to join Cal-PERS Health Trust came only after the OUSD Board defeated a motion by Kathy Moffat to delay the vote to join Cal-PERS Health Trust by 1 week to allow employees time to study the new plan on a 6-1 vote (Moffat the lone Yes vote).

In the vote to join the Cal-PERS Health Trust, Board President John Ortega cast the lone opposition vote after voicing concerns over the Cal-PERS Health Trust policy allowing retirees a one time buy-in option with the district contributing a minimal amount ( one dollar per retiree opting in for the first year, with the retiree paying all other fees). The final vote was 5-1-1 with Ortega voting No and Moffat abstaining.

OPED Retirement Bond recovers
The OUSD OPED Bond that ate up millions of educational dollars last year as the economy tanked and district budgets were cut, made a modest recovery during the last year according to a report given by the OUSD Deputy Superintendent Michael Christensen. While still performing at less than forecasted, Christensen reported that the OPED Bond issued to manage retiree health care obligations had made up losses due to the financial system collapse and added a small profit. The 3% bond profit was off 50% from the predicted 7 plus returns. Trustees and Christensen stressed that the bond was a long term investment strategy until 2065.

Revised 2010-11 Budget to be approved
The August 26 OUSD Board Meeting will feature adoption of the revised budget for the 2010-2011 school year that reports “The district is solvent and has a balanced budget for 2010-11”.

State law requires the budget to be adopted 45 days after the California Governor signs the state budget. Not surprising, California does not have a budget yet, in fact it is the only state in the union not to currently have adopted a budget for next year. However, OUSD is prepared, per state law, to update its 2010-2011 budget that was adopted on June 10, 2010. Agenda Action Item 12 A (agenda pages 1-19) shows that budget is projected to have an unappropriated balance of $13.4 million plus a state required reserve of $6.8 (3%).

Request to re-name Esplanade Elementary after historic local civil rights leader
Fifty seven years ago in 1953, Orange Union High School District united with surrounding districts to become Orange Unified. One of those districts, the El Modena School District now has a school named after it, El Modena High School. However, the El Modena School District also has its place in history as a segregated district that separated whites and Hispanics, a policy that played a pivotal role in the long battle for desegregated schools in America. A group called the Committee for Ramirez is requesting in the OUSD August 26, 2010 Agenda Information Item 13 C (page 22) to change the name of Esplanade Elementary. The group is seeking to change the name of the school to honor one of the local civil rights brave crusaders Lorenzo Ramirez a participant in the locally famous desegregation case called Mendez v Westminster, Orange County’s version and predecessor of the famous Brown vs Topeka Board of Education case that desegregated schools across the nation.

Lorenzo Ramirez was one of five fathers to challenge segregation in Orange County in federal court on behalf of 5,000 children of “Mexican Ancestry” in the Westminster, Garden Grove, Santa Ana and El Modena school districts. Ramirez as a child had attended Roosevelt Elementary School in El Modena. Later in life he married and moved to Whittier where he began a family and his three sons began school there. In 1944, Ramirez moved his family back to his childhood neighborhood of El Modena near Orange and tried to enroll his children at Roosevelt School. However, times had changed and he was told that Roosevelt was now for whites only and his English speaking Hispanic children had to go to the all Mexican ancestry Spanish-speaking school next store, Lincoln School. Of course like everything with the failed doctrine of “separate but equal”, the truth is that Lincoln School was far from equal and very separate.

Lorenzo Ramirez not only joined the Mendez v Westminster lawsuit against segregation in Orange County schools, but also bravely testified in the trial in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. Senior Federal District Judge Paul J. McCormick ruled in favor of the families against the school districts ruling for the first time that segregated schools violated the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. A year later, after the school districts appealed, the Ninth Circuit Appeals Court upheld the ruling, but not on 14th Amendment grounds. The Court ruled on the grounds that California law only allowed segregation of "children of Chinese, Japanese or Mongolian parentage" and not those of Mexican ancestry. With that narrow holding, the Appeals Court ruling thus kept in place the “separate but equal" interpretation of the 14th Amendment enshrined in the now infamous 1896 U.S. Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson.

Later that year, California Governor Earl Warren signed a law repealing the remaining school segregation statutes in the California Education Code outlawing segregation in California schools for all children. Warren would eventually become the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court and seven years later would pen the famous unanimous Brown v Topeka Board of Education ruling which would affirm what Judge McCormick found years earlier in Mendez v Westminster, that "separate but equal” schools were unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause.

For more information on the El Modena Families CLICK ON:
EL MODENA FAMILIES

Chapman University’s Leatherby Library has a group study room dedicated to the Mendez v Westminster with historical documents. For more information CLICK ON:
CHAPMAN Leatherby Library

INSIDE the August 26 OUSD Agenda
Information Item 13 A- (page 20)- Opening of Schools Report
Information Item 13 B- (page 21)- Update on Year 2 of OUSD Strategic Plan
Information Item 13 D- (page 23)- Presentation on Safe and Drug Free Schools

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 2005: $978,300.00

Former Superintendent Godley’s Retirement Bonus running total (beginning 8/2008):
$27,550.00*
* 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 August 26, 2010 OUSD BOARD ROOM
For AGENDA-CLICK ON 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

STAR State Testing results released

2010-08-16T20:50:00.000-07:00

STAR State Testing results released

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today released the results of the 2010 Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program. For eight years the California Standards Tests (CSTs) have been used to track student progress across California in learning state achievement standards.

To view the overall Orange Unified Scores CLICK ON:
ORANGE USD SCORES

To view individual school scores CLICK ON the following ling then select the school: OUSD School Scores

Registrar of Voters rescinds OUSD Area 1 filing extenstion

2010-08-09T17:49:00.000-07:00

eLECTION Watch 2010
an Orange Net News
Special News and Analysis Series

SPECIAL REPORT

Ramifications of the Nichols Realignment continue…
OC Registrar of Voters rescinds
OUSD Area 1 Candidate Filing extension

The 2008 realignment of Orange Unified Trustee areas, known as the Nichols Realignment (named for OUSD Trustee Kim Nichols-the driving force behind the idea) continues to have wide-spread ramifications, this time causing confusion at the Orange County Registrar of Voters office. The Nichols Realignment of 2008 realigned the Orange Unified Trustee Areas. In doing so, it moved two OUSD Trustees out of their Trustee Areas, Trustee Steve Rocco and Trustee Melissa Smith. Under Orange Unified rules, Trustees must live in the Trustee Area they represent, but are elected by the whole district. The move prevented Rocco from running when his term expired two years ago. (he is running this November in the new Area he is now in). This year, Smith’s term is up in Area 1 and she cannot run again in that Trustee Area. She is not an “eligible” incumbent because she no longer lives in Area 1. However, according to Orange County Registrar of Voters Steve Neal, that information was not put on the form turned into his office from Orange Unified.

State election law requires the candidate filing period for a contested office be extended if the incumbent does not file during the regular filing period. After the filing period closed on Friday August 6, Smith had not filed because she was ineligible to run again, so Orange Unified’s Trustee Area 1 was included on the list of races with extended filing periods that was posted on the Orange County Registrar of Voters website OCVOTE.com. On Sunday August 8, Orange Net News posted the story that the OUSD Trustee Area 1 filing deadline had been extended. OUSD Trustee Melissa Smith posted the following comment to the story:
“I may be mistaken but I believe that the provision for extending the filing period is when an "eligible incumbent" has not filed. Since I am not eligible due to the location of my home I do not believe the filing period is extended. The same would be true if we had term limits.”

On Monday at 8 am Orange Net News personnel contacted the Orange County Registrar of Voters office and explained the situation. Later in the day, Orange County Registrar Steve Neal confirmed that his office contacted Orange Unified and they confirmed the mistake about Trustee Smith. Neal then stated that they were updating their paperwork to show that the Area 1 race was no longer open.

Candidate Chris Nquyen tries to Rocco-up his ballot description

Three candidates have filed to run in Area 1: Anaheim City Planning Commissioner Harry Persaud; Anaheim City Community Center Commissioner and former OUSD LEGCO President Diane Singer; and California State Senate Legislative Aid Chris Nguyen.

Nguyen has himself listed on the ballot as “Education Policy Advisor”. Graduating from USC in 2007 as a Political Science major, and from Stanford this year with a masters in Public Administration, Nguyen’s resume on Linked In shows five political internships over a period of two years and being a Legislative aide only since January 2009. While his resume is heavy on political experience, nowhere does his resume mention anything related to being an “Education Policy Advisor” as he describes himself on the ballot. When former controversial OUSD Trustee Steve Rocco won without campaigning, much of the credit was given to his ballot designation of “Teacher”. His opponent Phil Martinez was a very involved parent who listed his occupation as a Park Ranger. Those ballot designations are widely credited with Rocco winning, a lesson not lost on politicians.

Nguyen’s fellow Board member on the Orange Villa Park Republican Assembly (OVPRA), Chris Enami tried a similar tactic when he ran in 2006 against Trustee Kim Nichols. Enami a walk-on (after school) girls basketball coach tried to be listed as a “Teacher” on the ballot. Nichols went to court and won an order that forced Enami to remove the misleading moniker.

Obviously, Chris Nguyen did well in his Political Science classes as he tries to Rocco-up his ballot description for votes.

For Chris Nguyen’s resume CLICK ON: The REAL Chris Nguyen

Keep up with all Greater Orange updates at ONN TWITTER

eLECTION Watch 2012
is an independent news service of /O/N/N/
Orange_NetNews@yahoo.com “Independent Local Insight”

OUSD Area 1 Trustee candidate filing period extended

2010-08-08T20:27:00.000-07:00

eLECTION Watch 2010
an Orange Net News Special News and Analysis Series

Ramifications of the Nichols Realignment continue…
CLICK HERE FOR UPDATE MONDAY AUGUST 9

The 2008 realignment of Orange Unified Trustee areas, known as the Nichols Realignment (named for OUSD Trustee Kim Nichols-the driving force behind the idea) was then called “A gift from heaven” by OUSD Trustee Melissa Smith because it accomplished the goal of removing controversial OUSD Trustee Steve Rocco from running as an incumbent by moving his home into another Trustee Area that was not up for election when his term was over. Smith and Nichols had been the driving force behind an ill connived recall campaign against Rocco that fell way short of needed signatures. After the failure of the recall, the resulting “gift” of the boundary realignment also changed Smith’s home out of Area 1 where she was elected, Smith however remained the Area 1 Trustee until her term expired –this year (although she had pulled papers to run in her realigned Area in 2008, she never filed). Under Orange Unified rules, Trustees must live in the Trustee Area they represent, but are elected by the whole district. This unique election arrangement is a by-product of Orange becoming a unified district. The arrangement guaranteed that the OUSD Trustees would be distributed throughout the areas being unified in the new district and not dominated by Orange, at that time the largest city. The same system gave OUSD an unusually large 7 member trustee board.

State election law requires the candidate filing period be extended if an incumbent does not file during the regular filing period. With Smith no longer living in Area 1, she cannot file, therefore, the filing period has been extended.

So far the non-partisan OUSD Area 1 office has drawn fairly involved partisans. Active Republicans Harry Persaud and Chris Nguyen have filed papers. Peraud is an Anaheim City Planning Commissioner and Nguyen is a highly connected Board board officer of the Orange Villa Park Republican Assembly (OVPRA). The OVPRA Board has some highly ambitious members including Board President of the OVPRA and OUSD Trustee Dr. Alexia Deligianni. Not finished with her first term on the OUSD Board, in June Deligianni made an unsuccessful run for Superintendent of Public Instruction. Also filing for the OUSD Area 1 is Diane Singer. Singer, has impressive educational credentials with a long involvement in education with OUSD including being OUSD LEGCO Chair. President of the non-profit KinderCaminata that introduces low-income children to college, Singer too has had political ambitions. In 2008, Singer ran as a Democrat for the 60th State Assembly seat with a detailed education platform, but lost to Curt Hagman. Currently a commissioner on the Anaheim Community Center Authority, Singer also pulled papers to run for the Anaheim City Council before pulling and filing papers on the last day of the regular filing period for the OUSD Area 1 Seat.

The new filing period ends on August 11th.

Keep up with all Greater Orange updates at ONN TWITER

eLECTION Watch 2012
is an independent news service of /O/N/N/
Orange_NetNews@yahoo.com “Independent Local Insight”

Crowded ballot in Greater Orange races

2010-08-07T15:22:00.000-07:00

Crowded ballot in Greater Orange races
Greater Orange voters will have plenty of choices in the November election to fill five city council seats and four OUSD school board seats.

In Orange a huge field of candidates will be vying for just two city council seats. Among the candidates, Councilman Denis Bilodeau will be seeking re-election, Orange voters will also be selecting a Mayor as ambitious Orange Councilman Jon Dumitru tries to unseat popular Mayor Carolyn Cavecche.

In the Villa Park Council race, three seats are open with incumbents Brad Reese, Deborah Pauly and Jim Rheins all seeking re-election, while former appointed Councilman Robert Fauteux is also running trying to make a political come-back

Three Orange Unified incumbents challenged
On the last day of filing, private school teacher Timothy Lee Surridge pulled and filed papers to challenge incumbent Orange Unified Trustee Kim Nichols in Area 5. Surridge teaches at Salem Lutheran School and lists his occupation on the ballot as “Orange County Teacher / Businessman”. In OUSD Area 4, Trustee Kathy Moffat faces LEGCO Chair Larry Cohn and a popular retired OUSD El Modena High School vice-principal Paul Todd. In Area 7, incumbent Rick Ledesma faces the always surprising Steve Rocco.

In Area 1, with Trustee Melissa Smith moved out of her Trustee Area in the Nichols Boundary Change leaving Harry Persaud to face Chris Nguyen ,treasurer of the Orange Villa Park Republican Assembly (OVPRA)and former LEGCO Chair Diane Singer. Nguyen lists himself as a "Education Policy Advisor" on the ballot. OUSD Trustee Dr. Alexia Deligianni is President of the Board of the .OVPRA. Chris Emami, who ran against Trustee Kim Nichols and lost, is Memebership Chair of the Board for the OVPRA. .

Singer jumps into OUSD race
Pulling papers and qualifying late on the last day of filing, Diane Singer filed late for OUSD Area 1. Singer who has run for other elected positions including Assembly is president of Kindercaminata, Inc. KinderCaminata ia a non-profit developed to give children, many of them from immigrant, low-income families, an introduction to the "college dream". She has been an Anaheim city commissioner, a member of the Anaheim Hills Rotary Club, president and founder of an Anaheim taxpayer and property rights protection group, a past chair of the Orange Unified School District’s Legislative Coalition and a past vice president for legislation of the Orange Community Council of PTAs.

Keep up with all Greater Orange updates at TWITTER/ONN

UPDATED 8/6/10
Orange City Council Races Two Seats
Pulled Papers:

7/12
Denis Bilodeau Filed 7/30
Fred Whitiker Filed 8/2
Michael Merino Filed 7/13
Chris Horton Filed 8/4
Robert Douglas Filed 8/4

7/19
Christian Vaughn Filed 8/5
Kahan Chandrani

7/20
Joe Pazmany

7/29
Margaret Townsend

7/30
Sue Dominquez Filed 8/6

8/4
Mark Marquez Filed 8\6

Yolanda Alvarez Filed 8\6

Orange City Mayor
Pulled Papers:

Carolyn Cavecche Filed 7/26
Jon Dumitru Filed 8/5

Orange Unified School District Races
Area 1
Pulled Papers
7/14
Harry Persaud Filed 7/15

8/5
CHRISTOPHER H. "CHRIS" NGUYEN Filed 8/5

8/6
Diane Singer

Area 4
Pulled Papers
7/19
Larry Cohn Filed 8/4
7/21
Kathy Moffat Filed 8/4
7/28
Paul Todd- Filed 7/28

Area 5
Pulled Papers
7/16
Kim Nichols Filed 7/30

8/6
Tim Surridge Filed 8/6

Area 7
Pulled Papers
7/13
Steve Rocco Filed 7/14
7/14
Rick Ledesma Filed 8/6

Villa Park City Council Races Three Seats
Pulled papers
7/13
Jim Rheins Filed 8/5

7/20
Deborah Pauly Filed 8/4

7/23
Dr. Murari Gupta

7/28
Jonathan Olsen

7/30
Robert Fauteux Filed 8/4

8/2
Richard Barnett Filed 8/6

8/6
Brad Reese Filed 8/6

Dumitru files, Reese pulls in Villa park

2010-08-05T22:37:00.000-07:00

eLECTION Watch 2010
an Orange Net News Special News and Analysis Series

Dumitru makes it official and Brad Reese pulls papers for reelection
Orange Councilman Jon Dumitru filed his papers to challenge Orange Mayor Carolyn Cavecche. In the Orange Council race, Yolanda Alvarez became the 12th person to pull papers for the election for two seats. With Friday August 6th the last day to file, to date six of the candidates have filed. In Villa Park, Councilman Brad Reese pulled papers for his reelection.

In OUSD Trustee Rick Ledesma has yet to file to face Steve Rocco. If Ledesma does not file, the filing deadline will be extended for a possible candidate to challenge Rocco.

UPDATED 8/4/10
Orange City Council Races Two Seats
Pulled Papers:
7/12
Denis Bilodeau Filed 7/30
Fred Whitiker Filed 8/2
Michael Merino Filed 7/13
Chris Horton Filed 8/4
Robert Douglas Filed 8/4

7/19
Christian Vaughn Filed 8/5
Kahan Chandrani

7/20
Joe Pazmany

7/29
Margaret Townsend

7/30
Sue Dominquez

8/4
Mark Marquez

8/4
Yolanda Alvarez

Orange City Mayor
Pulled Papers:
Carolyn Cavecche Filed 7/28
Jon Dumitru Filed 8/5

Orange Unified School District Races
Area 1
Pulled Papers
7/14
Harry Persaud –Filed 7/15

8/4
Christopher NquyenFiled 8/5

Area 4
Pulled Papers
7/19
Larry CohnFiled 8/4

7/21
Kathy Moffat Filed 8/4

7/28
Paul Todd Filed 7/28

Area 5
Pulled Papers
7/16
Kim Nichols Filed 7/30

Area 7
Pulled Papers
7/13
Steve Rocco Filed 7/14

7/14
Rick Ledesma

Villa Park City Council Races Three Seats
Pulled papers
7/13
Jim Rheins Filed 8/5

7/16
Deborah Pauly Filed 8/4

7/23
Dr. Murari Gupta

7/28
Jonathan Olsen

7/30
Robert Fauteux Filed 8/4

8/2
Richard Barnett

8/4
Thomas P Dodge

8/5
Brad Reese

Three more candidates move to join local school and city races

2010-08-04T22:14:00.000-07:00

eLECTION Watch 2010
an Orange Net News Special News and Analysis Series
Three more candidates pulled papers, while others made their bids official by filing the paper work. Thomas Dodge pulled papers for the Villa Park City Council and Mark Marquez for the Orange City Council. In Orange Unified, the open seat in Area 1 may now be a contest with Christopher Nquyen pulling papers to challenge Harry Persaud.

UPDATED 8/4/10
Orange City Council Races Two Seats
Pulled Papers:
7/12
Denis Bilodeau Filed 7/30
Fred Whitiker Filed 8/2
Michael Merino Filed 7/13
Chris Horton Filed 8/4
Robert Douglas Filed 8/4

7/19
Christian Vaughn
Kahan Chandrani

7/20
Joe Pazmany

7/29
Margaret Townsend

7/30
Sue Dominquez

8/4
Mark Marquez

Orange City Mayor
Pulled Papers:
Carolyn Cavecche- Filed 7/28
Jon Dumitru

Orange Unified School District Races
Area 1
Pulled Papers
7/14
Harry Persaud –Filed 7/15

8/4
Christopher Nquyen

Area 4
Pulled Papers
7/19
Larry Cohn

7/21
Kathy Moffat Filed 8/4

7/28
Paul Todd Filed 7/28

Area 5
Pulled Papers
7/16
Kim Nichols Filed 7/30

Area 7
Pulled Papers
7/13
Steve Rocco Filed 7/14

7/14
Rick Ledesma

Villa Park City Council Races Three Seats
Pulled papers
7/13
Jim Rheins

7/16
Deborah Pauly Filed 8/4

7/23
Dr. Murari Gupta

7/28
Jonathan Olsen

7/30
Robert Fauteux Filed 8/4

8/2
Richard Barnett

8/4
Thomas P Dodge

Election file deadline approaches

2010-08-03T20:45:00.000-07:00

eLECTION Watch 2010
an Orange Net News Special News and Analysis Series

The August 6th deadline approaches for most of the Greater Orange election races to file. Most candidates who have pulled papers to run have not yet filed.

UPDATED 8/3/10
Orange City Council Races Two Seats
Pulled Papers:
7/12
Denis Bilodeau Filed 7/30
Fred Whitiker Filed 8/2
Michael Merino- Filed 7/13
Chris Horton
Robert Douglas

7/19
Christian Vaughn
Kahan Chandrani

7/20
Joe Pazmany

7/29
Margaret Townsend

7/30
Sue Dominquez

Orange City Mayor
Pulled Papers:
Carolyn Cavecche- Filed 7/28
Jon Dumitru

Orange Unified School District Races
Area 1
Pulled Papers
7/14
Harry Persaud –Filed 7/15

Area 4
Pulled Papers
7/19
Larry Cohn

7/21
Kathy Moffat

7/28
Paul Todd Filed 7/28

Area 5
Pulled Papers
7/16
Kim Nichols Filed 7/30

Area 7
Pulled Papers
7/13
Steve Rocco Filed 7/14

7/14
Rick Ledesma

Villa Park City Council Races Three Seats
Pulled papers
7/13
Jim Rheins

7/16
Deborah Pauly

7/23
Dr. Murari Gupta

7/28
Jonathan Olsen

7/30
Robert Fauteux

8/2
Richard Barnett

Richard Barnett pulls papers for VP race

2010-08-02T19:18:00.000-07:00

eLECTION Watch 2010
an Orange Net News Special News and Analysis Series

Richard Barnett pulls papers for VP race
Richard Barnett, who helped with a code violation problem with the city of Villa Park in 2009 has pulled papers to run for Villa Park City Council. In the Orange City Council race, Fred Whitker made his race official by filing papers today, Only three of the 10 possible candidates have filed the needed paper work.

For more information on Barnetts run in with the city, CLICK ON: BARNETT helps out

UPDATED 8/2/10
Orange City Council Races Two Seats
Pulled Papers:
7/12
Denis Bilodeau Filed 7/30
Fred Whitiker Filed 8/2
Michael Merino- Filed 7/13
Chris Horton
Robert Douglas

7/19
Christian Vaughn
Kahan Chandrani

7/20
Joe Pazmany

7/29
Margaret Townsend

7/30
Sue Dominquez

Orange City Mayor
Pulled Papers:
Carolyn Cavecche- Filed 7/28
Jon Dumitru

Orange Unified School District Races
Area 1
Pulled Papers
7/14
Harry Persaud –Filed 7/15

Area 4
Pulled Papers
7/19
Larry Cohn

7/21
Kathy Moffat

7/28
Paul Todd Filed 7/28

Area 5
Pulled Papers
7/16
Kim Nichols Filed 7/30

Area 7
Pulled Papers
7/13
Steve Rocco Filed 7/14

7/14
Rick Ledesma

Villa Park City Council Races Three Seats
Pulled papers
7/13
Jim Rheins

7/16
Deborah Pauly

7/23
Dr. Murari Gupta

7/28
Jonathan Olsen

7/30
Robert Fauteux

8/2
Richard Barnett

National Night Out AUGUST 3rd in Orange and Screamin Coupons helps local schools

2010-08-02T18:47:00.000-07:00

Metro TALK
a community service of the
Greater Orange Communities Organization

National Night Out in Orange on TUESDAY August 3th
The City of Orange and the Orange Police Department will host the local 27th Annual National Night Out on TUESDAY AUGUST 3rd , 2010 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm at the Target Center, 2191 N Tustin Ave in Orange.

National Night Out is the communities chance to get to know their local police department, learn about local crime, and get information on drug and violence prevention in a fun family atmosphere. The thousands of local events generate support for, and participation in, local anti-crime programs. The international event is designed to send a message to criminals letting them know neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

In addition to free hourly drawings, the Orange event will include: police and fire vehicles on display; children’s fingerprinting;refreshments and entertainment. Guests are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs.

National Night Out, ‘America’s Night Out Against Crime,’ was introduced by the nonprofit crime prevention National Association of Town Watch (NATW) in 1984. The program was the brainchild of NATW Executive Director Matt A. Peskin as an effort to heighten awareness and strengthen participation in local anticrime efforts, Peskin felt that a high-profile, high-impact type of crime prevention event was needed nationally. At that time, he noted that in a typical ‘crime watch community’, only 5 to 7% of the residents were participating actively. Feeling that the percentage of participation was too low, he proposed a national program which would be coordinated by local crime prevention agencies and organizations, but that would involve entire communities at one time. The first National Night Out was introduced early in 1984 - with 400 communities in 23 states participating in National Night Out. Nationwide, 2.5 million Americans took part in 1984. The seed had been planted and participation has grown steadily. The 25th Annual National Night Out last August involved 37 million people in 15,449 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities, and military bases worldwide.

For more information, CLICK ON: NNO

Screamin Coupons helps local schools

Screamin Coupons helps local schools earn money and has has given over $7000 in Staples School supplies to local schools. In addition schools receive up to 5-10% of proceeds from purchases made through Screamin Coupons. Many of Orange Unified parents have already signed up and the site is recruiting PTA/PSA members of schools in Orange Unified to work with . The site offers parents 50-90% off at local restaurants, museums, classes, spas, and even whale watching. 100% free to the schools, and free for parents to sign up. The company was featured on both CBS 2 news and KCAL 9 news CLICK ON: CBS .

For more information CLICK ON Screamin Coupons: Scremin Coupons

Metro TALK
is a community service of the Greater Orange Communities Organization

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Former Villa Park Councilman Robert Fauteux pulls papers for VP race and Tenth candidate files for Orange City Council Race

2010-07-30T20:29:00.001-07:00

eLECTION Watch 2010
an Orange Net News Special News and Analysis Series

Former Villa Park Councilman Robert Fauteux pulls papers for VP race and Tenth candidate files for Orange City Council Race

Former Villa Park Councilman and Foothill Sentry columnist Robert “Bob” Fauteux pulled papers Friday July 30 for the Villa Park City Council race. Fauteux was appointed to the Villa Park City Council in 2004 to fill a vacancy. Then in 2006 he ran for his seat and lost garnering only 16% of the vote. Fauteux is the fourth person to pull papers for the three city council seats up for election.

In Orange, the tenth person, Sue Dominguez, pulled papers to run for the two Orange Council seats on the ballot. Councilman Denis Bilodeau filed his paper work.

UPDATED 7/30/10
Orange City Council Races Two Seats
Pulled Papers:
7/12
Denis Bilodeau Filed 7/30
Fred Whitiker
Michael Merino- Filed 7/13
Chris Horton
Robert Douglas

7/19
Christian Vaughn
Kahan Chandrani

7/20
Joe Pazmany

7/29
Margaret Townsend

7/30
Sue Dominquez

Orange City Mayor
Pulled Papers:
Carolyn Cavecche- Filed 7/28
Jon Dumitru

Orange Unified School District Races
Area 1
Pulled Papers
7/14
Harry Persaud –Filed 7/15

Area 4
Pulled Papers
7/19
Larry Cohn

7/21
Kathy Moffat

7/28
Paul Todd Filed 7/28

Area 5
Pulled Papers
7/16
Kim Nichols Filed 7/30

Area 7
Pulled Papers
7/13
Steve Rocco Filed 7/14

7/14
Rick Ledesma

Villa Park City Council Races Three Seats
Pulled papers
7/13
Jim Rheins

7/16
Deborah Pauly

7/23
Dr. Murari Gupta

7/28
Jonathan Olsen

7/30
Robert Fauteux

OUSD Trustees vote to oppose Canyons Succession Bid to Saddleback Valley

2010-07-29T23:18:00.000-07:00

OUSD Trustees vote to oppose Canyons Succession Bid to Saddleback Valley

Citing transportation issues and a bond tax in Saddleback Valley Unified, the Orange Unified School Board Trustees voted 7-0 Thursday night July 29 to go on record opposing the succession efforts of the Inter-Canyon League to have the Orange Unified Canyon Communities join Saddleback Valley Unified. The vote to oppose will be presented at the August 4, 2010 hearing of the Orange County Committee on School District Organization (OCCSDO). By opposing the direct petition to join Saddleback valley Unified, the Trustees wanted to allow the citizen’s of the Canyon Communities to vote on the succession bid item directly. The Saddleback Board had voted to stay neutral on the item at the hearing.

The Inter-Canyon League collected 542 signatures on a petition (45.8 % of the 1184 voters in the Canyon Communities) to bring the item before the Orange County Committee on School District Organization (OCCSDO). Much of the discussion of the succession bid focused on the fact that Saddleback Valley Unified has a general obligation bond assessment of $34 per $100,000 of assessment, The Measure B $180 million dollar bond was passed with 59% of Saddleback Valley Unified voter approval in 2004. OUSD Trustees stated that by not opposing the succession bid would be tantamount to the OUSD Board voting to force the Canyon Communities to pay the bond tax they did not have a vote in.

Another issue for the OUSD Trustees included the fact that only about 10 Canyon Community students had opted to go to Saddleback Valley Unified, while 118 stayed in Orange Unified. Those 118 are provided bus service to OUSD schools. If the succession was to take place, those 118 students would be forced out of OUSD. If they applied and were granted an inter-district transfer, they then would no longer be provided bus transportation to OUSD schools. There also would not be any bus transportation for the Canyon Communities to Saddleback schools if they joined Saddleback.

Trustees cited the fact that any Canyon Community student who wanted to go to Saddleback Valley Unified could now go by a current agreement of both school districts. Therefore, the Trustees saw the current options for families in the Canyon Communities being part of OUSD as more beneficial by providing them with more options. In addition, Trustees wanted to be sure that Canyon Community voters were completely aware of all the options and saw an election campaign as bringing forth the most information. The Inter-Canyon League collected 542 signatures on a petition (45.8 % of the 1184 voters in the Canyon Communities) to bring the item before the Orange County Committee on School District Organization (OCCSDO).

The Orange County Committee on School District Organization (OCCSDO) will take hear testimony regarding the transfer on August 4, 2010 at 6:00 pm at Canyon Hills Elementary School and 8:00 pm at Saddleback Valley Unified School District offices.

Ninth candidate pulls papers for Orange City Council

2010-07-29T22:19:00.000-07:00

UPDATED 4/29/10
With a week still left in the filing period, the race for the two seats on the Orange City Council is getting crowded with a ninth potential candidate pulling papers today.

Orange City Council Races Two Seats
Pulled Papers:
7/12
Denis Bilodeau
Fred Whitiker
Michael Merino- Filed 7/13
Chris Horton
Robert Douglas

7/19
Christian Vaughn
Kahan Chandrani

7/20
Joe Pazmany

7/29
Margaret Townsend

Orange City Mayor
Pulled Papers:
Carolyn Cavecche- Filed 7/28
Jon Dumitru

Orange Unified School District Races
Area 1
Pulled Papers
7/14
Harry Persaud –Filed 7/15

Area 4
Pulled Papers
7/19
Larry Cohn

7/21
Kathy Moffat

7/28
Paul Todd Filed 7/28

Area 5
Pulled Papers
7/16
Kim Nichols

Area 7
Pulled Papers
7/13
Steve Rocco Filed 7/14

7/14
Rick Ledesma

Villa Park City Council Races Three Seats
Pulled papers
7/13
Jim Rheins

7/16
Deborah Pauly

7/23
Dr. Murari Gupta

7/28
Jonathan Olsen