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| Sacramento Issues Archive
ACTION NEEDED Save our Summer Schools!
The SCUSD Board of Education claims to be committed to:
• Conscientiously deciding how to use the district’s financial resources.
• Ensuring accountability to the local community, including personnel, programmatic and fiscal accountability.
• Providing community leadership and advocacy at the local, state and national levels on behalf of all students and public education.
We must hold them accountable to these commitments.
Here’s what YOU can do:
CALL and E-MAIL the Board of Education.
Demand that they uphold their commitment to the students in the district.
Challenge them to call a Special Budget Workshop and to evaluate the budget line-by-line before cutting essential programs.
Please read the Larry Tagg’s powerful letter to the Board of Education as an example of how you can help. http://kidsnotcuts.wordpress.com/2009/06/15/larry-taggs-letter-the-the-board-of-education/
Board of Education Office: (916) 643-9314
ATTEND the Board of Education Meeting THIS Thursday, June 18 at 6:30 p.m. Speak directly to the Board and demand that they follow the lead of the San Diego Unified School District and call a Special Budget Workshop to review the district budget.
If you don’t feel comfortable speaking, simply attend. Bring friends, family and your children who are students in this district. Our strength is in our numbers. You can view the agenda at Board Meeting Agenda Please note that the suggested “summer options” suggested in the agenda will provide limited enrichment opportunities to a small number of students but will NOT employ credentialed teachers and will NOT provide remediation to students who are below proficiency levels. Meetings are held at the Serna Center: 5735 47th Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95824Driving Directions
SPREAD the word Many parents in the community still do not know that summer school has been canceled. Some do not understand the irresponsible nature in which this program was cut. Explain to them that this precedent must no be allowed to stand. We must hold SCUSD and the Board of Education accountable and demand they review the budget line-by-line and research alternatives before cutting essential programs.
WRITE a Letter to the Editor Share your stories with the Sacramento community. Publicly demand that the Board of Education call a Special Budget Workshop and fulfill their obligations to Sacramento’s children. You may submit a Letter online here.
http://www.sacbee.com/326/story/19629.html
For articles over 200 words, e-mail oped@sacbee.com directly.
Kids first. Cuts last. To email a Board of Education Member, click on his or her name. Not sure who your Board of Education Trustee is?
Check out the district map at http://www.scusd.edu/board_of_education/Trustee.htm
Follow the issue at kidsnotcuts.wordpress.com | From the Sacramento Press | From News 10.Net | | |
Kids first Cuts last
Website: http://kidsnotcuts.wordpress.com
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Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education Why can't SCUSD do this? Surely if San Diego can go over their budget, line by line, SCUSD can do the same. We should at least try to do it. Heidi McLean Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education
Dear Board members,
It broke my heart this evening to get the phone call from the district about the closure of summer school for elementary and middle school kids. What hurts is the knowledge that you (and, by extension, I) have betrayed the families of this district. They trusted you to stretch every nerve to keep the budget cuts as far away from the kids as possible, and you have refused to hear any alternatives to this solution, the very one that will cause the greatest hardship to students and families across the district.
Board member Terry complimented the board on making the tough decision, but this was not the tough decision. The tough decision would have been to refuse to take the district office's budget pronouncements at face value and to go over the district budget, line by line.
Mr. Terry asked us to "look at what other districts are doing," and I see that the San Diego School District board did just that. They took twelve hours and went over the budget, line by line, and eliminated departments and management positions, and saved millions by eliminating outside contracts and consultants. The San Diego board persisted with constant questioning of the district office. They served their constituents well. You have not.
I very much appreciate Ellyne Bell's courageous "no" vote, and Gustavo Arroyo's thoughtful abstention.
Larry Tagg
English and drama teacher, Hiram Johnson High School
Arts, Multimedia, and Entertainement SLC Lead Teacher
Facilities Re-Use /7-11 Committee Contact Us
Three meetings have been recommended (more if necessary). See the dates, times, and some general guidelines for those meetings below:
All meetings are held at Serna Center, 5735 47th Avenue
6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.
The meeting schedule is:
Monday, June 15, 2009, Minnesota/Michigan Rooms Wednesday, June 17, 2009, Minnesota/Michigan Rooms Return to Top of Page
Superintendent Search Process | | 6/3/09 Superintendent Search flyer 5/19/09 News Release: District board seeks public comment about desired traits of new city schools superintendent... Invitation to May 21, 2009 Open Forum | Open Forum Schedule | Share your thoughts about what characteristics you want in a new superintendent for SCUSD
The Board of Education invites the public to an open forum for community members and stakeholders to provide input into what characteristics should be considered in the hiring of a new superintendent. Representatives from the search firm responsible for recruiting candidates will record public comment to share with the Board. From the input, the Board will develop a profile of the desired candidate. Community members are invited to attend one of two sessions:
Thursday, May 21 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
Serna Center Washington Conference Room, 5735 47th Ave.
Schedule
OR
Thursday, May 21 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Genesis High School Multipurpose Room, 5601 47th Ave.
Schedule
If you cannot attend, but would like to submit your suggestions, you may Submit Comments here, or send a letter to:
SCUSD Board of Education, Superintendent Search
5735 47th Ave.
Sacramento, CA 95824.
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Attention Parents! Hello DAC members and interested parties:
Ray and Associates are searching for the new SCUSD Superintendent. They are seeking input from the parents. Attached is the survey that provides desired characteristics. Select 10 out of the 33 choices or add your comments on the third page. Please complete and fax. The due date has been extended to Monday, May 25, 2009. Let your voice be heard.
The search schedule is fast track. A new superintendent will be selected by July 1st.
Please forward this email to any parent in this school district.
Wanda Yañez
DAC Chair As many of you have not been able to attend a forum to discuss desired
characteristics in a superintendent, attached is the survey the search firm
hired to do the search is using to seek input into what characteristics the
Board should consider in hiring a new superintendent. Please disregard this
message if you have already completed a survey. Thank you.
Please note that it is a multipage document. Completed copies may be sent to
the following email or fax by Monday, May 25, 2009.
email: glr@rayassoc.com
FAX: 319-393-4931
Public meetings set to help find Sacramento school superintendent
mgutierrez@sacbee.com Published Tuesday, May. 19, 2009
Sacramento City Unified School District trustees are inviting the public to two open forums on Thursday where the community can give input on what they'd like out of a new superintendent. Representatives from the search firm Ray and Associates will record public comments and share them with the district's school board.
Candidates will be interviewed in late June.
The first meeting will be held from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. at Genesis High School Multipurpose Room at 5601 47th Ave. The second is from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Washington Conference Room at Serna Center at 5735 47th Ave.
Suggestions can also be submitted online at www.scusd.edu under "Superintendent Search Process" or mailed to SCUSD Board of Education, 5735 47th Ave., Sacramento, CA 95824.
The Sacramento NAACP announces: A CALL TO ACTION | Sacramento NAACP President Betty Williams addresses SCUSD Board 6-5-09 | | | Black Parallel School Board addresses SCUSD Board 6-5-09 | |
The Sacramento NAACP announces:
A CALL TO ACTION
Friday, May 29, 2009 St. Paul’s Baptist Church – Sacramento, CA
3996 14th Avenue6:30 pm
www.sacnaacp.org
Sacramento City Unified tours schools on closure list dlambert@sacbee.com Published Thursday, Apr. 02, 2009 Sacramento City Unified school board members and administrators boarded a small yellow bus Wednesday to look for themselves at the handful of schools the district has proposed closing. They drove by Thomas Jefferson, Mark Hopkins, Lisbon and Alice Birney elementary schools and Genesis High School – all on the list of potential closures. The tour stopped at other campuses that could absorb students from the closed schools. Trustees and staffers discussed crosswalks, spoke to principals and took a look at the surrounding neighborhoods. The board is expected to vote on the closures at its April 16 meeting, district spokeswoman Maria Lopez said. If approved, the campuses could close at the end of the school year. Community meetings – for parents to share concerns about the closures – started Wednesday night at Genesis and are scheduled through April 15. The campuses slated for closure all are operating at below capacity and are projected to have a continuing decline in enrollment over the next five years. Three have academic problems. Interim Superintendent Susan Miller said the district began studying the possibility of closing some of its schools three to four years ago. Closing the schools could save the district $2.1 million annually, according to staff reports. The district hopes to further shore up its budget by leasing some of the properties. Miller said the economy has made parents more understanding of the need to close schools. "Everyone knows the economy is bad," she said. "Everyone is downsizing. If we'd tried it before, it would have been different." Most complaints have centered around the closure of Lisbon and Alice Birney elementary schools, Miller said. At Thomas Jefferson Elementary, it was parents who suggested combining the school with Hubert H. Bancroft Elementary to reduce costs and improve programs, she said. The district also has discussed other ways to save money and consolidate operations. One idea bandied about was blending operations at under-performing Kit Carson Middle School and high-scoring Sutter Middle School. Miller said there is no plan to merge the schools' operations at this time, although it will continue to be considered. Kit Carson is under-enrolled at 478 students, while Sutter is over- enrolled at 1,294. ShareThis Call The Bee's Diana Lambert, (916) 321-1090. 
This story is taken from Sacbee / Our Region / Education
Sacramento schools closure debate plays to packed house Published Friday, Mar. 20, 2009
Sacramento City Unified School District officials continued a long-running conversation about potential school closures and consolidations at Thursday night's board meeting, a process that has sparked concerns among community members.Last week, interim superintendent Susan Miller offered a glimpse of potential actions, including a blending of Kit Carson and Sutter middle schools.Miller said at Thursday's meeting, which drew a packed house, that the proposal to blend the two schools is causing "quite a bit of consternation." "Kit Carson has struggled, and Sutter has developed into a program we're very proud of," she said.The proposal, which still lacks specifics, drew a number of Sutter Middle School teachers and parents to the meeting.No board action on school closures is expected until April. District officials have said transition planning for any changes would begin in May and that closures could start in the next school year. Call The Bee's Robert Faturechi, (916) 321-1098.
“Get on the Education Train for our Children” A CALL TO ACTION Black Community Attend the Sacramento City Unified School District Meeting April 16, 2009 Thursday 7:00pm 5735 47th Ave The Sacramento City Unified School District will be making decisions on School Closure and the firing of school staff. Let’s your voices be heard
BLACK PARALLEL SCHOOL BOARD (BPSB) “Get on the Education Train for our Children”
April 14, 2009
Roy Grimes, President
Ellyne Bell, Vice President
Patrick Kennedy, Second Vice President
Jerry Houseman, Ed. D.
Donald Terry
Gustavo Arroyo
Diana Rodriquez
Susan Miller, Interim Superintendent and Board Secretary
Re: School Closure and termination of African Descended Staff in the District
Dear SCUSD Board Members:
On April 2, 2009, the District's staff submitted recommendations for school closures to the SCUSD board. We are aware that you had a series of meetings to solicit community input and we also provided input in the process. The Black Parallel School Board clearly understands that you have to make very difficult decisions. However, it appears that the Black community's concerns about the District's plan for closing of the schools were not taken very seriously.
The Black Parallel School Board has reviewed the plan and concluded that the district's closure plans will "highly limit educational opportunities" for Black students. The reasons are as follows:
* A family's involvement in a child's education is one of the most important factors in achieving academic success.
* Current research recommends that the ideal size for an elementary school is 300-400 students. This size is small enough to allow staff members to provide students with individual attention, and is large enough for a school to be able to provide a range of support staff for students, such as counselors, librarians, English as a Second Language specialists and others who can provide students the assistance they need to succeed.
* The recommended closures could potentially disenfranchise "people of color," the poor and students with learning disabilities thereby causing them to be extremely disconnected with the learning process.
* School closures often limit students' participation in extra-curricular and after school activities.
* Because of school closures, parents and students are forced to attend schools outside their neighborhoods; that means parents and students whose neighborhood schools have been closed are not afforded the same opportunities as those who live in the neighborhoods where the schools are located to develop and maintain relationships with other students and parents.
The Black Parallel School Board (BPSB) believes that the closing a school is a horrifying experience for the immediate community and the surrounding neighborhoods. School closure has the most impact in communities that lack a solid infrastructure i.e. the financial means to get support for their children. It affects relationships, jobs and of course families and their lives. BPSB views schools as community centers, places that are the focal points of neighborhoods especially since they help form neighborhood identities and responsibilities. They serve as places of nurture and respect, places where children can feel at home, and a collective space that everyone in the neighborhood owns together and shares together. This is particularly true for underserved and low income neighborhoods, whose residents have comparatively few material resources to draw on, and often comparatively little social capital. Schools give them social spaces that are genuinely theirs.
Hence, the absence of a school in a neighborhood is a critical loss, all the more so when it is one of the few resources people have, and possibly their only collective resource. As a result, a school should be removed from a poor or underserved neighborhood only as a last resort. Once a school is removed from an impoverished community every effort should be made to see to it that as many of the functions the school served can be maintained by the facility which remains, e.g.: community center, after school programs, preschool programs, tutorials, cultural programs, recreational opportunities, community meetings, festivals, musical/enrichment venues. The community should know that the space is still theirs and that it is present to serve them in as many and in as fruitful ways as possible.
Additionally, a closed school leaves a vacant site with liabilities. The district is still required to upkeep the property for many reasons.
Perhaps the cost of maintaining and disposing of the closed property site should be weighed against the cost of negatively disrupting the neighborhood and the community. In other words, we need a cost benefits study of the full impact on the community.
The Black Parallel School Board is also very concerned that the tight budget situation is being used as a tool of convenience to displace, furlough, and terminate African Americans in the District (teachers, administrators, and classified staff). We urge the School Board members to assert their leadership by not using the District's budget shortfall to displace and terminate valuable Black teachers, administrators, classified staff; and programs that are needed to assist the District in closing the achievement gap.
Therefore, in regards to the issue of school closure we make the following recommendations: 1) No proposals or decisions to close schools should have a negative impact on African American students (2) The BPSB should be involved in all levels of discussions and decisions impacting schools where African Descended students are of significant numbers or in P-5 schools (3) A report should be made on how school closings will affect the closing of the achievement gap for African Descended students before any decision is made, (4) The District should conduct a cost benefit study in those neighborhoods where our children will be most impacted and (5) if schools are to be closed all opportunities should be made to transform schools into community centers, meeting places, cultural and recreational centers.
In closing, in order for the District's to close the achievement gap we demand the District's not terminate Black staff. Without the key staff reflective of the community, closing the achievement gap is nothing more than words on paper. Every last child is entitled to academic equity and we must be mindful of the message we are sending to African Descended children about how those in leadership care about their pursuit of higher learning regardless of race or economic status.
If you have any additional questions and/or would like to schedule a meeting with us, please contact us at (916) 484-5025.
Sincerely,
Board Parallel School Board
Cc: Sacramento Area Black Caucus
Sacramento NAACP
Sacramento Observer
Sacramento Bee
Sacramento News and Review Newspaper Black Parallel School Board
UPDATED SACRAMENTO COUNTY EDUCATIONAL SERVICES PLAN FOR EXPELLED AND HIGH RISK STUDENTS JULY 1, 2006 – JUNE 30, 2009
Editorial: Wanted: New superintendent Published: Saturday, Mar. 21, 2009 - 12:00 am | Page 16A School boards in the Sacramento region have extremely tough budget decisions in the coming weeks. And many, on top of that, have to restructure to deal with years of declining enrollments. The Sacramento City Unified board also has a third issue. The district does not have a permanent superintendent. Though the four new members of the board have been through a "baptism by fire" on budget and enrollments, they should not lose sight of this extremely important task. Consider this: Two of the largest school districts in the region lost superintendents last June: San Juan Unified and Sacramento City Unified. But there's a difference. The San Juan Unified school board moved immediately and had a new superintendent within two months. In contrast, the Sac City school board after nine months has yet to hire a permanent replacement. The old school board chose to fill the position with an interim superintendent, until a new board could take office after the November election. That new board has been in office since December, and it has done little to move the hiring process along. Belatedly, the board narrowly voted in February to start a search process, and board president Roy Grimes announced Thursday that they're asking search firms to submit their qualifications. But the board still has no timeline for hiring. This task is urgent. The board should have a permanent superintendent in place by July 1, a year late but the best Sacramento can hope for. That leaves three months for the board to attract a strong pool of internal and external applicants and make a decision. Civic leaders need to urge the school board to move into the fast lane on this task. It's fortunately an opportune time for such an important search. The national spotlight is on Sacramento following the mayor's education summit this month, "Education That Works: Ideas for Sacramento." A superintendent looking for the challenge of restructuring a district to serve 46,000 students, down from 53,000, would leap to work with schools in California's capital. School board member Donald Terry highlights the best competitive advantage of Sacramento public schools: By census tract, Sacramento is the country's most diverse city. President Barack Obama's education secretary, who headed Chicago's public schools, is pushing incentive grants for innovation. A permanent superintendent would rush to join in. After 30 years of piling on inflexible categorical spending, California's governor and lawmakers in the latest budget agreement gave unprecedented spending flexibility to schools for the next four years. An innovative superintendent would seize the moment to create incentives for high-quality teachers to move to struggling schools, to attract needed math and science teachers, to extend the school day or school year, to reward performance – and not allow the money to fall into a black hole of cost-of-living increases. The task of hiring a superintendent is the top priority for any school board. If the Sac City Unified school board doesn't act now, it will miss a prime chance to take advantage of unusual, optimal circumstances. The board needs an aggressive recruiting schedule to get the job done by July 1. Don't let this task get lost in the press of other hard decisions. Comments: coopmike48 wrote on 03/21/2009 12:04:18 PM: Yo Leo, great reply! But the ship we should reference instead of the Titanic, USS Hope or the good ship lollypop is the St. Louis. This ship went many places but ended up going no where, not because of Captain Gustav Schroeder, but because too many people and governments did not care. Like the St louis, going to the orginal destination did not solve the problem. Also like the St Louis another Captain would not have changed the out come, what would have changed the outcome was the voices of the community and the governments rising to rescue the mission and the people that needed to be saved. That never happened and like the poor souls of the St Louis, SCUSD will continue to go nowhere until the captains of our ship of state and captains of industry rise to the needs of the California childern they serve. leocauchon wrote on 03/21/2009 11:21:37 AM: Susan Miller could learn from the Titanic’s Captain Smith. In the cold of crisis he lost his heart. The current SCUSD Asset Cruise set sail with a 10/23/08 workshop. On 11/5 the bridge crew received a briefing from IBI consultants which suggested consolidating 3 to 5 schools and the “mega Sutter” two campus/one principal idea. On 2/19 there was an update to the itinerary that moved decisions to 4/2 with a workshop on 3/12 to continue discussion and community engagement. However the fiscal lookouts kept calling out “budget crisis” and so Susan increased to flank speed ahead with closure recommendations on 3/12. She only added Lisbon to the ideas of outsiders and is now not utilizing the wealth of community ideas. SCUSD’s process commits to Board evaluation of options from staff, community and individual Board members. Obama is warming up the sea with stimulus and we can afford to slow down our “asset” cruise to allow for genuine engagement. The good ship HOPE awaits its captain. Foodservice wrote on 03/21/2009 09:55:35 AM: Why waste more money on an overpaid super? Miller is as good as any of these bums. anayeli wrote on 03/21/2009 08:58:48 AM: "School board member Donald Terry highlights the best competitive advantage of Sacramento public schools: By census tract, Sacramento is the country's most diverse city." What exactly does this mean? Any ideas? coopmike48 wrote on 03/21/2009 08:12:38 AM: Calling for a new superintendent for the SCUSD at this time is somewhat like calling for a new captain for the Titanic . That ship has sailed and sunk. Yes there is a need for new leadership but not on 47th Ave. The cumulative damage that has been done to our district and education in our state has come from those people located at 10th and Capital and will not be fixed by any new superintendent. Maggie Mejia and Susan Miller are extremely qualified to lead our district or any district. Yet they have spent much of their time cutting and rearranging with less and less resources. However, rearranging the deck chairs will not prevent the collision that is California’s lack realistic and adequate funding of Education.
Susan Miller has shown the leadership that we need in this district. She has embraced the new energy of the SCUSD Board with vigor, heart and imagination. She has rose to the challenges of the new round of budget cuts with insight and innovation. She has sought the wisdom of the community with parent engagement and community forums. She is one of us, a Sacramento original. I say get rid of the interim and make it just; Superintendent Miller. This story is taken from Sacbee / Opinion
Trustee tours precede possible Sacramento school closures Looking for insight about schools they might close, Sacramento City Schools trustees today will tour several facilities that face potential shutdown because of declining district enrollment. Sacramento City School Board members will get on the bus this morning as they visit the neighborhoods of several campuses that may be closed next fall due to declining district enrollment. Scheduled for visits from trustees touring the district by bus today are the neighborhoods around Genesis High School, Thomas Jefferson, Mark Hopkins, Lisbon and Alice Birney elementary schools. "We think it's important to be as fully informed as possible before making decisions that will affect our families," said Roy Grimes, school board president. "School closures are difficult decisions, and it's essential that we all more fully understand the potential impact not only to students, but also to neighborhoods." Enrollment, a key source of funding, has decreased significantly in the district in recent years, falling from 52,190 in the 2000-01 school year to 47,491 this year. Trustees could decide in mid-April which schools, if any, to close. A community meeting is scheduled for tonight at Genesis High School. Other meetings are set for April 13 for Thomas Jefferson and Mark Hopkins, April 14 for Lisbon and April 15 for Alice Birney. All meetings are scheduled for 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the schools. This story is taken from Sacbee / Latest News Return to Top of Page
Genesis High closure plan to be aired for community Published Wednesday, Apr. 01, 2009
The proposed closure of Genesis High School in the Sacramento City Unified School District will be the focus of a community meeting at 6 p.m. today.
Genesis High School opened at the John Still Center, a K-8 school, in Meadowview as part of the "Education in the 21st Century Program" in 2003.
These schools, of no more than 500 students, were designed to make the education experience more personal for students.
The school moved to its current location next to district headquarters on 47th Avenue in 2004.
The school, aligned with the California National Guard's Cadet Corps, is tailored for students who have not done well at traditional high schools.
Despite the emphasis on discipline at the school, Genesis High School had a 38 percent dropout rate in 2006-07.
The district's board today will tour the neighborhoods of schools that could face closure in the 2009-10 school year.
Community meetings are scheduled at each school that the district has proposed closing. Meetings are scheduled for Thomas Jefferson and Mark Hopkins elementary schools April 12; Lisbon Elementary on April 14; and Alice Birney Elementary on April 15. All meetings are from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
– Diana Lambert
This story is taken from Sacbee / Our Region / Education Return to Top of Page
Mar 31, 2009 8:06 pm US/Pacific Five Sacramento Schools Face Closure This Year Reporting
Koula Gianulias SACRAMENTO (CBS13) ― Parents, teachers and students are trying anything they can to save their schools. Teachers and students are trying to save their schools after the Sacramento City Unified School District announced that five campuses will likely close at the end of this school year.
Genesis High School and Alice Birney, Lisbon, Mark Hopkins and Thomas Jefferson elementary schools are all on the chopping block due to budget cuts and losses over the past decade, officials said. The district's budget has been slashed by $100 million and they are down 10,000 elementary school students.
"Part of it is that all the communities have settled, and there hasn't been a turnover to new families," said district spokeswoman Maria Lopez. "Some of it is that people are moving out to the suburbs."
Most of the schools slated to close are in Land Park and south Sacramento. If the board approves the cuts in April, students at the affected campuses will be sent to neighboring schools.
Pink slips have been sent to 300 teachers and 160 administrators. The layoffs will have to be either dismissed or finalized by May 15.
The board will also have to decide whether to increase class sizes to save money. The current limit is one teacher to 20 students; that could change to one in 25.
Community meetings have been scheduled as listed to share information and gather input regarding potential closure of the schools.
Wednesday, April 1
6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Genesis High School
5601 47th Ave.
Monday, April 13
6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Thomas Jefferson
2635 Chestnut Hill Dr.
Monday, April 13
6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Mark Hopkins
2221 Matson Dr.
Tuesday, April 14
6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Lisbon
7555 South Land Park Dr.
Wednesday, April 15
6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Alice Birney
6251 13th Go to CBS News 13 for full coverage and video click here Return to Top of Page
Talk of city school consolidation alarms parents, teachers
rfaturechi@sacbee.com Published Tuesday, Mar. 24, 2009 The Sacramento City Unified School District's review of its campuses has struck a nerve with parents concerned about potential school closures and consolidations – and how that might affect academic performance. Last week, interim Superintendent Susan Miller offered a glimpse of potential changes, including blending underperforming Kit Carson Middle School with academic gem Sutter Middle School. That particular move sparked concern among parents, teachers and other community members – especially those associated with Sutter. "Kit Carson has struggled, and Sutter has developed into a program we're very proud of," Miller said during a district board meeting. "It is not meant to water down or dilute or put into mediocrity." Sutter Middle School is widely considered to have a stronger academic program than Kit Carson. Last year, Sutter boasted an Academic Performance Index score of 868 – a gauge of student body performance out of a possible 1,000 – compared with Kit Carson's 650. The target score for most schools is 800. The district has released few specifics about the proposed blending of the two schools. During an interview Friday, Miller said a detailed plan would come only after further conversation and analysis, but she offered a general idea of how the schools might be blended. "You take two different identities and you merge them," she said. "Perhaps they have one identity but are on two campuses." Miller said the schools are candidates for blending because of enrollment numbers, proximity and a lack of "ethnic distribution" among their respective student bodies. Kit Carson is significantly underenrolled at 478 students, while Sutter is overenrolled at 1,294. About 85 percent of students at Kit Carson Middle School in 2008 were considered underrepresented minorities, compared with less than 60 percent at Sutter Middle School. Board members are not expected to take action until April. District officials have said transition planning for any changes would begin in May. Other possible facility changes that could save the district money include closing Genesis Charter High School, consolidating Thomas Jefferson Elementary with Hubert Bancroft Elementary and closing or consolidating Alice Birney Elementary, John Sloat Elementary and Lisbon Elementary. Enrollment, a key source of funding, has decreased significantly at Sacramento City Unified schools in recent years, falling from 52,190 in the 2000-01 school year to 47,491 now. Board President Roy Grimes reiterated that district officials plan more talks before acting. "We really need this kind of information before we can make a reasonable, intelligent decision," Grimes said. ShareThis Call The Bee's Robert Faturechi, (916) 321-1098.
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Mayor Johnson Will Be Joined by D.C. and NY Schools' Chiefs, Newark, N.J. Mayor, and Rev. Al Sharpton to Highlight Day-long Focus on Improving Sacramento Schools Press Release SACRAMENTO - "Mayor Kevin Johnson is bringing some of the nation's top education reformers to Sacramento next week. Johnson's education summit, titled Education That Works: Ideas for Sacramento, will feature Reverend Al Sharpton, president, National Action Network and co-chair of the Education Equality Project; New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein; District of Columbia Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee; Newark, New Jersey Mayor Cory Booker and more than a dozen other well-respected national education leaders. The education reformers will focus on accountability, school choice, teacher recruitment and retention, and closing the "achievement gap" in public education. "This summit is bringing the top education reformers in our nation together to help create a vision for the future of education in the Sacramento region," said Johnson at Sacramento High School. "It is an opportunity to begin to chart a map to improve our schools and students' academic success." Johnson unveiled the upcoming education summit's priorities and top-notch line up of educational experts at Sacramento High School. Sac High's API score jumped 83 points last year--the largest increase in California for high schools its size. "Our children are our most important asset and our city should be known for having the top schools in the state," said Johnson. "Sac High's accomplishment is a giant leap forward for the students, teachers, and administrators. We need all of our schools to be excelling to best prepare our students for their future." The "Education That Works: Ideas for Sacramento" summit will be held at the California Museum on Monday, March 9, 2009. The summit will have four major discussion topics: Accountability for Reform: Key leaders will discuss the importance of providing principals, teachers, parents and students with the tools and data needed to accelerate learning, drive student achievement forward and share effective strategies and practices. Human Capital: Educational leaders and entrepreneurs will discuss innovative recruitment and training programs, performance recognition options and ways to recognize and reward excellent teachers and their work. Educational Options: This session will consider different educational models for expanding specialized and themed programs and providing attractive choices to families including small school settings, theme-based schools, charter schools, and career and technical education programs. In addition, there will be a discussion of strategies for expanding options within the public schools and how to create a healthy choice dynamic in the city. Building the Sacramento Agenda Participants will have the opportunity to join one of three discussion groups based on the Summit's focus areas. These breakout sessions provide an opportunity to reflect on the ideas, best practices and lessons learned during the morning session, and to discuss the potential implications for Sacramento. Each group will be charged with identifying clear priorities for the city and strategies for continued engagement in the implementation of these priorities. OBSNews.com
City of Sacramento Form of Governance
Opposition to Proposed Amendments to the City Charter Published by Concerned Sacramentan on Jan 14, 2009 The City of Sacramento has a history of open, democratic, and participatory government. However, a recent proposal to amend the city charter threatens our system of democratic government. This proposal would silence the voice of the people by taking power away from our duly-elected representatives and allowing one person (the mayor) to:
* Adopt a budget plan that would spend taxpayer money without consensus from our duly-elected area representatives
* Appoint anyone the mayor wants (qualified or unqualified) to serve as head or director of a department, in an unfair and undemocratic manner, and without consensus from our duly-elected area representatives
* Not be required to attend city council meetings and not be subjected to public comment and accessibility
* Be the only elected official in the city with the authority to vote twice on matters – once during council proceedings, and then again as mayor, essentially eliminating checks and balances in the system
This proposal was drafted without any community input and there is no evidence to support that amending the city charter is a community priority. It is estimated that placing this measure on the ballot will cost taxpayers $1.3 million and increase our estimated budget shortfall by up to 3.25%. In a time when our city budget is in deficit, there is no reason to justify why taxpayer money should be spent to amend the charter. Since it is unclear whether the proposed amendments are legal, the city may be forced to spend even more taxpayer money to defend the amendments in court, with no guarantee of success.
In summary, this proposal would remove a system of democratic and participatory government and replace it with a system open to cronyism, patronage, favoritism and pay for play politics. It is fiscally irresponsible, silences the voice of the people in government, is not a community priority, and was not brought forth by the community.
Please visit www.stopthepowergrab.com
Citizens Rally to "Stop the Power Grab" by Steven Bourasa, published on January 22, 2009 at 11:07PM Sacramento citizens gathered, at the South Natomas Community Center, to oppose the proposed costly mayoral power grab. Joan Bryant, co-chair of the grass roots coalition "Stop the Power Grab", was joined by former Sacramento Mayor Anne Rudin, to speak to the crowd. "We are here today as a group of ordinary citizens who want to keep the doors of city hall open and accessible", said Rudin. "I applaud this group of citizens for coming together to do the right thing to stand against this." Bryant announced that the formation of this coalition, "Stop the Power Grab", is intended to make sure that the voice of the people is not shut out of city hall. "This measure is an unnecessary power grab", said Bryant. "If passed, Sacramento will be a city with one mayor who will have two votes. Instead of appointing five political positions, the mayor will have over five hundred political appointments". The proposal would amend the city charter so that the mayor would vote on issues as a city council member and then have the ability to sign or veto them as mayor. In addition, the proposal would allow the mayor to appoint all department heads and city supervisors and single handedly fire the city attorney, city treasurer, city clerk and city manager. This proposal also gives the mayor the authority to spend taxpayer money without the approval from the people or their duly elected local representatives. "This measure is unnecessary and costly," Bryant continued. "In this time of economic hardship and budget deficits, when we are discussing laying off people, we will spend over one million dollars on a dangerous ballot initiative." Over the past several weeks, paid signature gatherers have been collecting signatures to put the "strong mayor" measure on the ballot. Grassroots opponents have begun circulating a petition to oppose this measure. Go to the Sacramento Press Return to Top of Page
Sacramentans for Accountable Government Frequently Asked Questions Q: What are these proposals? A: Sacramento voters are being asked to reform the city charter -- the document that guides the city’s government. Two proposals will be put to the voters: one to change the role of the Mayor and City Council, and another to create a position within city government to independently analyze the city budget. Q: Why are these changes needed? A: These reforms are important steps to modernize Sacramento city government – the first major changes since the 1920s. They will bring our city in line with those of most major cities in California and around the nation. Q: What other cities in California have the same form of government that are proposed in the charter reform? A: Fresno, San Diego, Los Angeles, Oakland and San Francisco are a few of them. Overall, Out of the nation’s top 50 largest cities (Sacramento being the 38th largest), 62% of them have an executive mayor form of government. Q: How will changing the structure of the Mayor and city government more accountable? A: The city’s now relies on an unelected city manager to run city government. The proposed reform will hold elected officials you vote for -- the Mayor and Council -- responsible for Sacramento’s city government. Q: So then what role will the City Manager have if reforms are passed? A: The City Manager will become the administrator for the Mayor and Council’s decisions instead of directing them. Q: Will there be checks and balances in this new system? A: Yes. It will work the way our federal and state governments do: The City Council will become the legislative branch and the Mayor will become the executive branch. For example, the City Council will need to approve all of the Mayor’s appointments to key city positions, and it will be able to override Mayoral decisions. Q: Doesn’t the City of Sacramento already have a full-time mayor? What will the charter reform do that is different? A: In November 2002, Sacramento voters overwhelmingly supported a change to have a full-time mayor with a full-time salary. But it did not change the Mayor’s job description. The mayor, although full-time, has the similar responsibilities as any other part-time councilmember. The City Manager still runs the operation of city government. Q: But why do the Mayor and Council need to run city government? A: So you can hold them accountable for the performance of city government – re-electing them if you are satisfied or turning them out of office if you aren’t. These reforms will make city government more responsive, and elected officials more responsible. Projects like K Street or the Railyards that have languished for years could be jumpstarted with a more nimble and effective government. Q: How does that differ from the way things are now? A: Here’s an example: if you want a pothole on your street and you call the mayor’s office to get it fixed, the mayor’s office could not take action. It would have to ask the city manager’s office to take action. Then the city manager would decide whether to fix it. Under the new system, your call to the Mayor’s office would result in the Mayor ordering the pothole fixed. Q: Will the City Council be more accountable too? A: Yes. The City Council will have more responsibility – and be more accountable to you. Under the reforms, the City Council will have a significant role in directing policy, confirming appointments, and crafting the budget. There will be a City Council president as well. Q: Why do we need these reforms now? A: Our nation and city voted for change last November. These reforms are a significant step toward making city government effective, nimble, and accountable to you. The sooner they are enacted, the quicker we can make Sacramento a city that works for everyone. Sacramento lags behind most of the state and nation’s major cities in having this type of responsible, accountable government. Introducing the proposal now will give voters at least six months to review these reforms. Q: Is there a special election to vote on the proposed charter reform? A: The charter reform will be placed on the next statewide special election – not an election that just includes these proposals. It may be held in June or November 2009. Q: What’s the budget analyst proposal? A: In a nutshell, it is modeled after the highly successful Legislative Budget Analyst in California’s state government. The City Budget Analyst will provide an independent review of the budget and the finances of the city to guide the Mayor and Council without political influence. This will help Sacramento balance its budgets. Q: How were these reforms developed? A: Mayor Johnson’s transition team was tasked to work on the different policy areas that are important to the city. One of the tasks given to the transition team was to review and research how to make city government more accountable and responsive. The team reviewed the best practices of other comparable cities for insight on the best way to reform the city’s charter to become a more accountable government including: San Diego, Fresno, Seattle, Denver, Salt Lake City, and Indianapolis. Return to Top of Page
Behind Closed Doors By Robert Stacy McCain on 7.20.09 @ 6:08AM
"Staff doesn't speak for the committee," a source on Capitol Hill explained last week. "The committee speaks for the committee."
That's the practical meaning of Senate Rule 29, which has been invoked regarding the Homeland Security and Government Oversight Committee investigation into last month's firing of AmeriCorps inspector general Gerald Walpin.
The committee's chairman, Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, is entirely within his prerogative to protect the integrity of the investigation via Rule 29, which reads, in part:
Any Senator, officer, or employee of the Senate who shall disclose the secret or confidential business or proceedings of the Senate, including the business and proceedings of the committees, subcommittees, and offices of the Senate, shall be liable, if a Senator, to suffer expulsion from the body; and if an officer or employee, to dismissal from the service of the Senate, and to punishment for contempt.
Staffers therefore discuss the investigation at peril of termination and prosecution, and are understandably skittish when a reporter walks in the door. (For the record, the deputy press secretary for the committee revealed nothing more sensitive than the fact she plays catcher on Lieberman's staff softball team, which had a game Friday afternoon at an undisclosed location.)
Rule 29 is in some sense standard operating procedure for Senate investigations, but it is one of several factors fueling a palpable distrust between Democratic and Republican staffers on the Hill as congressional inquiries into the apparent crackdown on watchdogs move forward -- or don't.
Republicans on both sides of Capitol Hill express skepticism of whether Democrats are genuinely interested in investigating anything except allegations of wrongdoing by the long-gone Bush administration. Not all of this skepticism is off-the-record, and it is by no means limited to the cases of Walpin and two other former inspectors general.
"You would think the majority would be just as vested as we are at exposing who knew what and when," Kurt Bardella, spokesman for Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), told a reporter for the Hill last week, regarding a slow-moving House investigation of the controversial merger between Bank of America and Merrill Lynch. "What exactly is the majority afraid we'll find?"
Sharp public criticism of colleagues -- in this case, Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, on which Issa serves as ranking Republican -- is not particularly rare in the fractious House of Representatives. Decorum and dignity are more the norm on the Senate side of the Hill, but the fact that Senate Republicans aren't publicly denouncing Joe Lieberman doesn't mean they're happy with the pace of his investigation into Walpin's firing.
The most favorable GOP view of how the Lieberman committee is proceeding was expressed Friday by a Hill source who used the word "methodical," saying that Lieberman and the committee's ranking Republican, Maine Sen. Susan Collins, aren't "looking for a press hit." They're not chasing headlines or, as prosecutors like to say, they don't want to try the case in the media.
One Republican clearly unhappy with the Lieberman-Collins "methodical" approach is Gerald Walpin himself, who made headlines Friday by filing a lawsuit seeking reinstatement as IG, accusing the Corporation for National and Community Service -- the agency that oversees AmeriCorps -- and three of its officials of violating federal law in the process of firing him.
Win or lose, the Walpin lawsuit definitely adds a new angle to the story, primarily through the legal process known as "discovery," whereby the defendants can be required to disclose…well, just about anything, really. If there is some document that the plaintiff can convince a judge is relevant to the case, the defendants will be ordered to hand it over, and then there are the sworn depositions. These requirements expose the defendants to legal jeopardy -- for perjury, obstruction of justice and other such "process crimes" -- if they don't fully and honestly cooperate.
If all this sounds vaguely familiar, perhaps the reader is recalling a lawsuit, Jones v. Clinton, which led to the momentous deposition in which the defendant, William Jefferson Clinton, committed perjury about "that woman, Miss Lewinsky."
Of course, as Americans were lectured for months on end, "everybody lies about sex," but does everybody lie about firing a government watchdog whose job is to keep an eye out for "waste, fraud and abuse" in federal agencies?
Asked about the practical consequences of Walpin's lawsuit, one former federal prosecutor familiar with such cases said that unless the suit is dropped or dismissed, it will eventually push new information about the case into the public record. "Eventually" is the key word, as the wheels of justice grind slowly.
Ironically, as Byron York of the Washington Examiner has reported, publicity about scandals at AmeriCorps -- especially the taxpayer money misspent by a charity founded by former NBA star Kevin Johnson, an Obama ally who is now the Democratic mayor of Sacramento -- was exactly what the administration had hoped to squelch by firing Walpin.
That move has clearly backfired. In addition to the discovery process of a federal lawsuit and the Lieberman-Collins investigation, Walpin's case is also the subject of a separate inquiry by Sen. Chuck Grassley -- the Iowa Republican regarded as the Senate's patron saint of IGs -- as well as an FBI investigation into allegations that someone in Sacramento deleted e-mails relevant to Walpin's investigation of Johnson's St. HOPE charity.
Beyond that, Walpin's dismissal was the first of three similar cases of pressure against IGs, along with the termination of ITC inspector general Judith Gwynne's contract and the sudden retirement of the Amtrak IG Fred Wiederhold.
Those familiar with the investigations caution against "playing connect-the-dots" with these three distinct cases. However, some informed Republican sources are beginning to call attention to other evidence of a concerted effort to blindfold, muzzle or neuter watchdogs -- especially those who dare to growl at Democrats.
Why, for instance, did Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) rush through the House a bill that would give President Obama power to dismiss five inspectors general -- including the IG for the Securities and Exchange Commission -- who under existing law report to the agency heads?
The IGs themselves have protested against the Larson bill, which has yet to be debated in the Senate, and it has not escaped notice on Capitol Hill that Larson is a prominent "Friend of Chris." That would be Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.), chairman of the Senate Banking Committee. Dodd is under intense scrutiny for a number of shady-looking activities -- "Chris Dodd Update" has become a regular feature at Professor Glenn Reynolds' popular Instapundit blog -- and Dodd is also facing a tough re-election bid next year.
No one on the Hill has yet directly suggested that the Larson bill -- which could effectively muzzle watchdogs at five federal financial agencies -- was specifically intended as assistance to the embattled chairman of the Senate Banking Committee. But as liberal bloggers used to say about the Bush administration's activities, some Republicans have begun to "question the timing."
Timing is very important in politics, and both Republicans and Democrats are beginning to look ahead to the 2010 mid-term elections. Projections of double-digit unemployment and mushrooming deficits are already causing some Democratic jitters. The questions being asked about the IG investigations and Obama's promises of "transparency" now dangle like a sword of Damocles above the heads of Democrats on the Hill.
If Democrats take a "methodical" approach to the investigations, working behind closed doors with Rule 29 to prevent public disclosure, they risk Republican accusations -- fair or unfair -- that they are "dragging their feet" or worse. On the other hand, if Democrats begin to express public skepticism about the Obama administration's "transparency" rhetoric, they risk repercussions from the "Chicago Way" of hardball politics that Team Obama seems to have brought to Washington.
And at the center of all this nervousness and suspicion stands the junior senator from Connecticut, Joe Lieberman, who campaigned last year for Republican "Maverick" John McCain. That would be the same Joe Lieberman who is now an independent because left-wingers backed millionaire newcomer Ned Lamont against him in the 2006 Democratic primary. And Chris Dodd was among the Democrats who campaigned for Lamont.
Lieberman prides himself on bipartisanship and integrity. Three weeks ago, he reacted furiously to an accusation by the Washington Times that his committee was failing to pursue the IG investigation. Since then, the "methodical" Lieberman has said little, while Republican suspicions have flourished.
Yet Democrats may have suspicions of their own. Given the vicious treatment the chairman endured from some Democrats three years ago, one veteran Washington journalist told me last week, Lieberman "don't owe those people squat."
*********
PREVIOUSLY: July 17: Amtrak IG: Important Background
July 14: IG-Gate: Sincere Doubts
July 14: The Little Scandal That Could
July 9: Democrats Question AmeriCorps Official's Stonewall on IG Case
July 1: Malkin on IG-Gate: Does the Endangered Species Act Include Watchdogs?
June 26: Grassley: Amtrak 'Systematically Violated' IG Law
June 25: Eleanor Acheson: Lobbyist
June 25: Obama Plays Hardball With Watchdogs
June 23: Amtrak IG Probe: Who Is Eleanor Acheson?
June 19: IG-Gate: Domino Theory
June 18: AmeriCorps Scandal Won't Go Away Soon The American Spectator Return to Top of Page | Fired IG's Office Produced Newsletter With Racial And Sexual Jokes 
Go to TPM Media We reported recently that, according to two board members for the Corporation for National and Community Service, the firing of the agency's inspector general was initiated by the board, which had developed serious concerns about the IG's performance. Conservatives had been accusing the White House of firing the IG, Gerald Walpin, for conducting an aggressive investigation into an Obama ally. And today the Washington Post offers more detail about what caused the board to lose confidence in Walpin, based on documents turned over by CNCS to lawmakers reviewing the firing. Reports the Post:
Among the documents is a May 2008 parody newsletter published by staff members in Walpin's office and approved by him as a gift for a retiring assistant inspector general. The newsletter contained fake news articles, including two with racial and sexual jokes referencing the federal procurement process and the government's use of set-aside programs for minorities and disabled veterans. One article refers to former New York governor Eliot L. Spitzer's admitted use of a prostitution service "that specializes in the procurement of blondes, brunettes and redheads." Another suggested the departing colleague had "finally procured her Federal retirement" from a vendor "known to be owned and operated by a qualified minority-female-veteran-disabled person." An employee later complained about the newsletter to agency management, who then addressed the matter with Walpin. He never issued a warning or disciplinary action about the matter, according to corporation officials. Walpin said that his staff had enjoyed the newsletter's humor and that no one had directly complained about its content. He acknowledged he spoke with the corporation's general counsel about the complaints but took no disciplinary actions related to the newsletter because, "I still don't see where it's objectionable." So there was that. And of course, we reported that board members also were unsettled by a formal complaint, filed by the local US Attorney, about Walpin's handling of the probe into the Obama ally, Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson. And the fact that at a subsequent board meeting to talk about the issue, Walpin, according to one board member, "became forgetful and couldn't remember what he had said twenty minutes ago" didn't improve his standing. A board member also told us that Walpin's office had been investigated by CNCS's Equal Employment Opportunity unit, after a complaint, and that Walpin's response to the probe had been "intimidating," according to the staffers conducting it. Based on memos provided to Congress, the Post sheds a bit more light on that episode: [Walpin] raised procedural questions and suggested the investigation was handled unfairly, before admitting in a late January e-mail, "I had no prior experience and therefore no knowledge of the procedure." Walpin said he cooperated fully with the investigation but objected to its focus and said investigators mishandled transcripts of his testimony related to the complaint. The bottom line is that the evidence for Walpin's case that his firing was instigated by the White House for political reasons -- rather than by CNCS itself because, through a series of incidents, he lost the confidence of the agency's board -- is looking weaker and weaker. Go to TPM Media | Documents Detail Case for Walpin's Dismissal
Documents delivered to lawmakers this week expose a frequently confrontational and petty relationship over the past several years between officials at the Corporation for National and Community Service and the group's inspector general, Gerald Walpin. President Obama fired the Bush appointee last month, citing a lack of confidence.  Former Corporation for National and Community Service Inspector General Gerald Walpin. (AP)Lawmakers almost immediately raised concerns with the dismissal, suggesting the White House failed to follow proper procedure in removing the Bush appointee and did not provide adequate reasons for the dismissal. The White House outlined its concerns in a letter to lawmakers, suggesting Walpin appeared confused, disoriented and unable to answer questions at a late May Corporation board meeting. This week Corporation staffers delivered even more evidence suggesting a difficult working relationship with Walpin, sending the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee several e-mails, memos and even a mock newsletter for their review. In an interview yesterday, Walpin once again suggested the agency’s claims lack merit and do little to build a case for his dismissal. He is scheduled to be interviewed today by Senate committee staffers, according to the panel’s spokeswoman. Among the documents is a May 2008 parody newsletter published by staff members in Walpin’s office and approved by him as a goodbye gift for a retiring assistant inspector general. The newsletter contained several fake news articles, including two with racial and sexual jokes referencing the federal procurement process and the government’s use of set-aside programs for minorities and disabled veterans. One article references former New York governor Eliot Spitzer’s admitted use of a prostitution service “that specializes in the procurement of blonds, brunettes and redheads.” Another suggested the associate had “finally procured her Federal retirement” from a vendor “known to be owned and operated by a qualified-minority-female-veteran-disabled person.” An employee later complained about the newsletter to agency management who then addressed the matter with Walpin. The former inspector general never issued a warning nor took disciplinary action with regard to the matter, according to Corporation officials. Walpin said that his staff had enjoyed the newsletter’s humor and that no one had directly complained about its content. He acknowledged he spoke with the Corporation’s general counsel about the complaints, but took no disciplinary actions related to the newsletter because “I still don’t see where it’s objectionable.” The agency also provided a series of memos from January 2009 regarding an equal opportunity complaint filed against Walpin’s office. He raised several procedural questions and suggested the investigation was handled unfairly, before admitting in a late January e-mail, “I had no prior experience and therefore no knowledge of the procedure.” Walpin said he cooperated fully with the investigation, but objected to its focus and said investigators mishandled transcripts of his testimony related to the complaint. Corporation officials also once again provided lawmakers with Walpin’s May 2008 report to Congress regarding the Justice Department’s settlement with former NBA player Kevin Johnson and his Sacramento-based St. Hope Academy. Walpin’s initial investigation into the nonprofit’s misuse of AmeriCorps grants led to a legal settlement earlier this Spring between Johnson, the academy and the U.S. attorney’s office in Sacramento. The Corporation alleges that Walpin’s 166-page report unfairly characterized the settlement and omitted key pieces of information. “That is a job of the IG, to comment on what the IG thinks is the most efficient use of the money,” Walpin said yesterday, admitting he had frequent disagreements with agency leadership. By washingtonpost.com Editors | July 1, 2009; 5:42 AM ET
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OIG ISSUES SPECIAL REPORT CRITICIZING SETTLEMENT OF CORPORATION CLAIMS AGAINST ST. HOPE ACADEMY,
KEVIN JOHNSON, AND DANA GONZALEZ
On Wednesday May 6, 2009, the Office of Inspector General delivered a Special Report to the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service in which it criticized the settlement of the Corporation’s claims against St. HOPE Academy, Kevin Johnson, and Dana Gonzalez. As explained in greater detail in the Report, which is posted below, OIG does not believe the settlement to be in the best interests of the United States because, among other reasons, it does not protect the Government’s rights to receive payments under the Settlement Agreement: It imposes the obligation to make the payment of $35,000 for each of the next ten years only on St. HOPE Academy, which is effectively insolvent, and no security is provided to secure those payments, while no obligation to pay any money to the Corporation is undertaken by either Johnson or Gonzalez. The Special Report was issued pursuant to, among other statutory provisions, section 5(d) of the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, which provides the Corporation seven calendar days to transmit the Report and “a report . . . containing any comments” it deems appropriate to Congress. Instead of transmitting any comments, though, the Corporation pointed to a complaint by the Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of California against this Office, stating that it would only provide its comments when the complaint is resolved, whenever that is.
We have seen the Acting United States Attorney’s letter, dated April 29, 2009, and believe his complaint to be without merit. Moreover, while we will seek the prompt resolution of that complaint, we do not believe that it provides the Corporation with a good reason for postponing its response indefinitely. We have encouraged Congress to direct the Corporation to submit its comments as section 5(d) warrants, at this time, so that Congress can determine if the Corporation has any legitimate basis for entering into this settlement.
Thus, to date, we have not received any substantive comments. When we do, we will post them as an addendum to this posting of this Special Report. Special Report in PDF Below: Corporation Letter OIG Letter To Congress Corporation Letter to Congress List of Exhibits Exhibit 1 Exhibit 2 Exhibit 3 Office of Inspector General Return to Top of Page
New Documents Explain CNCS Firing Sexual charges started Johnson probe; White House says IG lost credibilityby Nancy Lewis The acting head of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) has told Congress that the agency's inspector general was excluded from settlement negotiations involving Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson's misspending of AmeriCorps grant money because the inspector general had made "questionable comments" to the press about the matter. Nicole Goren's June 18 letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid provides new insight into the long-term disagreements that the corporation and its board of directors had with Gerald Walpin, who was fired by President Barack Obama on June 11. Goren writes that "Mr. Walpin's own actions called his objectivity into serious question." The White House has also said that Walpin had acted disoriented in a meeting, causing officials to lose faith in him. Goren's three-page letter, with nearly 60 pages of attachments, represents the corporation's comments on Walpin's special report to Congress about the Johnson matter, which was submitted May 12. Goren's comments, which by law were to have been included when Walpin's report was transmitted, were filed only after a barrage of congressional inquiries to the corporation and the White House in the wake of Walpin's firing. Previously she had maintained she should not file comments until a complaint against Walpin to the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency had been resolved. It is still pending. Walpin's firing has caused a furor among some members of Congress and has turned into a cause célèbre of the political right, which is questioning whether Congress should fund the planned expansion of AmeriCorps to 250,000 members, given what critics say are massive funding irregularities. Much of the public discussion of the matter has centered on whether Johnson was given a sweetheart settlement because he is a political ally of the president. Sexual Allegations Ignite Probe Ironically, the investigation of Johnson, St. Hope Academy and its Hood Corps was requested by CNCS after the California commission that recommended St. Hope for funding received reports of irregularities at the program, including allegations of sexual misconduct. It was disclosed that a female student at St. Hope had told a teacher that Johnson had inappropriately touched her. Rather than school officials reporting the alleged incident directly to police, Johnson's attorney interviewed the girl, who then recanted. The teacher soon resigned, saying in his resignation letter that "St. Hope sought to intimidate the student through an illegal interrogation and even had the audacity to ask me to change my story." At about the same time, it was discovered that Johnson had been accused in a similar incident in Arizona in the late 1990s. In that case, Johnson reached a $230,000 settlement. Local media outlets reported that the investigation included reports that the AmeriCorps members at St. Hope were required to attend church services. Sources said that there were also allegations of physical abuse. In her letter, Goren complained that Walpin never completed a full audit of St. Hope's grant spending. But in his report to Congress, Walpin set out in detail how his investigators were never able to obtain the main financial records from Johnson or St. Hope, or the timesheets that AmeriCorps members are required to fill out. And he noted that his case was not based merely on financial accounting but on the "ethical misuse of the money for the personal use and benefit of the CEO." The investigators determined that among other improprieties, Johnson had used AmeriCorps members to perform personal errands for him, to recruit students to the charter school he ran and to participate in activities surrounding a Board of Education election. They found few records to show that the AmeriCorps members had performed the tutoring and other service projects set out in the grant. Walpin determined that all of the $847,000 paid to St. Hope and AmeriCorps members as education awards had been used improperly. The corporation barred Johnson and St. Hope from receiving federal funds, at least until the matter was resolved. Walpin referred the findings of his office to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Sacramento. Johnson Seeks Relief After Johnson was elected mayor in November, the Sacramento city attorney hired a lawyer to determine if Johnson's funding suspension might affect federal funding to the city. The lawyer found that it could. In his report to Congress, Walpin stated that Johnson could have appealed the suspension or the city could have designated another official recipient of federal funds, bypassing the Johnson suspension. He said that Johnson never appealed. In an attachment to Goren's statement to Congress, corporation general counsel Frank Trinity said that Johnson's attorneys repeatedly asked for extensions of the time for him to appeal the suspension. After the passage of the federal Recovery Act this year, Johnson pressed for a quick resolution to the suspension and investigation. On April 9, Johnson, his executive director and St. Hope signed a settlement with the corporation that required the repayment of about half the funds St. Hope had received and the lifting of Johnson's suspension. Under the agreement, Johnson paid the first payment - with the expectation that St. Hope would repay him when it had the money - and St. Hope agreed to repay $350,000 over 10 years. Walpin maintains that St. Hope is essentially insolvent and would have to use other grant money to repay the government. Goren said the settlement guarantees the government will be paid, even if St. Hope becomes insolvent, apparently through seizure of property. Walpin said in his report to Congress that "the settlement accepted by the corporation leaves the unmistakable impression that relief from a suspension [from receiving federal funds] can be bought." He also maintained that the corporation could have obtained a better settlement - the government could have sought at least twice the amount of money used improperly - and that Johnson personally should have been held more accountable. In a memorandum to Goren, Trinity complained about Walpin posting information about Johnson's suspension under a flashing "News Flash" headline on the OIG website, and about an opinion piece Walpin wrote for the Sacramento Bee, while the U.S. Attorney was considering the case. Firing Angers Congress Members of Congress declared immediately that the way Walpin was fired - with a telephone call from the White House informing him he had an hour to resign or be fired - violated the Inspectors General Reform Act of 2008, of which Obama was a sponsor. A day after the firing, which was announced in a message by Goren to AmeriCorps colleagues, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) complained to the White House that Obama had to give a 30-day notice to Congress, stating his reason for the firing, before Walpin could be removed. The White House sent letters to both the House and Senate saying that the president had lost confidence in Walpin - an explanation that several congressional representatives said was not sufficient. A later White House letter stated that Walpin was confused and seemed disoriented at a May 20 board meeting, causing the president to lose faith in him. Now, members of Congress - including Grassley, Sens. Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) - are awaiting answers from the White House and the corporation to inquiries about the reasons for and procedure surrounding Walpin's firing. Youth Today
Politics , St. Hope Jude and The Brotherhood of Democrats for Education Reform in Sacramento 
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The Firing of Gerald Walpin: What You Need to Know
The conservative media and blogosphere think they have an explosive story on their hands. President Obama illegally fired a whistleblower for investigating Obama's friend and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, conservatives charge. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) wants to investigate the "murky" details of Obama's reasons for firing Gerald Walpin, Inspector General of the Corporation for National and Community Service.But here are the cold-hard facts: President Obama did not "illegally" fire Walpin. To fire an IG, according to the Inspector General Reform Act of 2008, the president must inform Congress 30 days before terminating the IG's employment as well as provide Congress with a reason for doing so. Obama suspended Walpin with pay and informed him that he would be terminated after 30 days. Obama wrote Congress to inform them of this decision and supplied his reasoning for doing so. Congress does not get to grade this reason, they just have to read it. The 'liberal media' has largely ignored this fact. Assuming the validity of Obama's reasoning mattered at all, he was still right to fire Walpin. U.S. Attorney Lawrence G. Brown wrote a letter to the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency condemning Walpin's actions during his investigation of Kevin Johnson. Brown accused Walpin of overstepping his authority, compromising his impartiality, and withholding information from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. "The Inspector General is not intended to act as an advocate for suspension and debarment," Brown wrote. "He sought to act as the investigator, advocate, judge, jury and town crier." These claims were echoed by Obama Counsel Norman Eisen in the letter he wrote to the Senate Committee that oversees AmeriCorps. Eisen wrote that Walpin had engaged in "troubling and inappropriate conduct," and had become "disruptive to agency operations. He stated that Walpin was dismissed from his post "after unanimous request from the AmeriCorps board of directors." It's clear that Obama did not violate the law in firing Walpin and that he had ample reason to fire him. Nevertheless, conservatives claim that the firing was political. Was it political when President Bush "quietly forced out" IG Luise S. Jordan? Jordan served as IG of the CNCS just like Walpin. The Washington Post reported in 2002: ...recently two inspectors general were quietly forced out of their jobs, causing a ripple of anxiety within the IG community. They were both given the bad news on Valentine's Day. According to Luise S. Jordan, the IG at the Corporation for National and Community Service since 1994, she was summoned to a meeting with Ed Moy, an associate director in the presidential personnel office. "I was told I had done a good job. I was complimented on the achievements of my office, but the second paragraph, after all these compliments and making it clear this was not a dismissal for cause, was that the corporation had decided to get a new IG," Jordan recalled. The same day, Roberta L. Gross, the IG at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration since 1995, was given a similar message by NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe. "He said the White House was in the process of selecting somebody else" for the IG job, Gross said. "He said it was time to move on."
Bush didn't violate the law in replacing these IGs, but their firings were clearly political, which is why it's so disingenuous for conservatives to now cry "politics" over the firing of an IG who was either overzealous, partial, inept, or all of the above. I've got a number of background posts on the Gerald Walpin firing and conservative media distortions, if you're interested, which can be read here, here, here, and here. Daily Kos Return to Top of Page
Walloping Walpin By The Prowler on 6.18.09 @ 6:09AM House Republican staffers on the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform are mulling their next steps in investigating last week's firing of Gerald Walpin as Inspector General for the Corporation for National and Community Service and its AmeriCorps program. On Tuesday, ranking member Darrell Issa sent a letter to White House Counsel Gregory Craig, demanding the release of all e-mail and other communications between the Department of Justice's Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California regarding the dismissal of IG Walpin. The U.S. Attorney connection arose from a 2008 Walpin investigation into allegations of misused taxpayer funds via AmeriCorps to the St. HOPE Academy of Sacramento, Calif., founded by Obama supporter and former NBA player -- now mayor of Sacramento -- Kevin Johnson. Walpin determined that Johnson's program misused almost $1 million in AmeriCorps funding, referred the case to the U.S. Attorney in Sacramento, but no criminal charges were filed. St. HOPE officials, however, settled the case, promising to repay half of its AmeriCorps grants. But Republican aides want to step up the pressure on the firing, because, as one senior committee aide put it: "What's at stake isn't just one man's job: it's how $6 billion in taxpayer money is going to be used by this Administration on an agency with no independent oversight." The aide is referring to the Corporation for National and Community Service's primary entity, AmeriCorps, set up in the 1990s by the Clinton Administration to increase public service among young people -- mostly college grads and young professionals -- largely via grant-making to a network of state and local community nonprofit groups. "Just how AmeriCorps is going to be used by the Obama Administration -- and what steps the administration has taken to ensure that it can do with AmeriCorps what it wants -- is at the heart of our concern," says the GOP House staffer. "We think that the removal of Walpin was part of that agenda." It has not gone unnoticed among some Republicans on Capitol Hill that First Lady Michelle Obama's former chief of staff, Jackie Norris, recently stepped down from her White House position to become head of the Corporation for National and Community Service. According to White House sources, Norris and Obama have already discussed how AmeriCorps could fit into the First Lady's volunteerism projects. According to White House sources, Norris's shift to the CNCS was discussed not only with the First Lady, but also with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. "Her move was not done just give her a safe landing," says one White House aide. "We have a very clear agenda and a lot of plans for that organization; we wouldn't be giving it the resources that we are if we didn't." Those resources amount to more that $6 billion in funds, and those plans include turning AmeriCorps into a supersized, taxpayer-funded ACORN-like organization, focused on the Obama Administration's policy agenda, including health care reform, targeted stimulus spending, and possible work on the upcoming U.S. census in 2010. In the past, AmeriCorps volunteers lobbied and organized groups against the "three strikes" rule in California, and had plans in place to identify groups to support a second attempt at health care reform after Hillarycare went down in flames. Some AmeriCorps resources have gone to assist ACORN projects around the country, including anti-Republican demonstrations in state capitals and in Washington, D.C. "You look at what the CNCS is funding over there: a 'Social Investment Fund,' which over the next five years is going to hand out almost a half a billion dollars to young people who start up community activist organizations," says a Senate Republican aide. "Who the hell is going to be monitoring that kind of underwriting? Michelle Obama's former chief of staff? Emanuel? I don't think so." A senior House Republican leadership aide says that Issa's inquiries into the Walpin removal should be expanded. "We need a full Government Accounting Office study on this Walpin removal, and his firing should be delayed until we have full accounting of the situation," says the aide. "We also need to understand what kind of operations and funding controls are in place for AmeriCorps." The aide also says that Republicans are considering demanding an Inspector General investigation into any and all contacts between the Department of Justice and the White House in advance of the Walpin's removal, including whether those contacts were limited to individuals authorized to have such contacts. He also said the committee may ask the First Lady's Office to make all of their records of contacts with AmeriCorps's parent organization CNCS, available for review. "Finally, we need to see everything that Walpin pulled together. We have people inside this administration trying to smear him. The proof will be in his work product. Everything he pulled together for the investigation in Sacramento against Mayor Johnson, and more broadly, should be made available for review," says the House aide. Meanwhile, a White House source says the White House is trying to find out if dispersal of parts of the $6 billion budget for CNCS can be sped up under a Presidential request that the funds be considered part of the economic stimulus program. The American Spectator Return to Top of Page
AmeriCorps Board Member: We Initiated IG FiringThe White House's decision to fire the AmeriCorps inspector general was set in motion by a unanimous request it received from the board of the Corporation for National and Community Service, which asked the White House to review the IG's performance, according to a board member. The firing "would not have played itself out" were it not for the fact that the board raised concerns about the IG, Gerald Walpin, after the May 20 board meeting, a board member told TPMmuckraker. The board member added that the White House had no role in encouraging the board to make the review request, calling it "completely board-initiated." The White House had cited the request from the board in its letter to Congress explaining the reason for Walpin's firing. Since the firing, Walpin has claimed that he was fired because the White House objected to his pursuit of an Obama ally, Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson, in an investigation into the misuse of federal funds. Some conservatives have trumpeted those claims. The board member explained that the board had had "serious concerns" about Walpin's judgment, dating to before the May 20 meeting, causing board members to fear the "potential damage [Walpin] could cause to the corporation" through his erratic behavior. But the board member added that "the events of the 20th raised the board's concerns from concerns about his judgment to concerns about his capacity." The original concerns, said the board member, focused on Walpin's conduct during his investigation of the St. HOPE Academy, the Sacramento nonprofit formerly run by Johnson. The board member alleged that Walpin had spoken to the Sacramento Bee to publicly criticize the settlement reached between the government and St. HOPE. But a review of news archives suggests that Walpin has not spoken on the record to the Bee about the settlement. Rather, the Bee reported last month that Walpin had submitted a "Special Report to Congress" in which he called the settlement "a farce." It's unclear whether Walpin was the source for the Bee's story. The board member also said the board was aware of a formal complaint filed by the US Attorney about Walpin's handling of the probe, and that this too played into its thinking. That complaint -- cited also by the White House -- made several charges. But the board member specifically mentioned the claim that Walpin had withheld from the findings he turned over to the US Attorney's office relevant exculpatory information about Johnson and the St. HOPE program. The May 20 meeting, said the board member, was called because the board wanted to "extend [Walpin] the courtesy of hearing him out" on the St. HOPE issue. After Walpin spoke for about 20 or 30 minutes, board members expressed the view that he was personalizing things, and asked him to remain focused on the issues. In response, said the board member, Walpin "became forgetful and couldn't remember what he had said twenty minutes ago." (The White House cited the fact that Walpin had been "confused" and "disoriented" at the meeting as one reason for firing him. And a board member, speaking to Politico, called the meeting "painful," adding: "There were several periods of time where there were one- to two-minute pauses where he clearly was confused and was not able to respond to questions and was just going through his notes.") According to the White House's letter, the board's request for a review of Walpin's performance was unanimous. The co-chairs of the board are Alan Solomont, a Boston entrepreneur who has been a major Democratic fundraiser, and Steven Goldsmith, the Republican former mayor of Indianapolis. Its other members also come from both parties.
Late Update: A second board member confirms to TPMmuckraker that it was the board's concerns that led to the firing.
The second board member said that the board had unanimously directed its chair, Alan Solomont, to inform the White House of the board's serious concerns about Walpin's performance, and that Solomont had done so. "No action would have been taken if the board had not, on a bipartisan basis, directed the chairman" to talk to the White House, said the second board member. The move was "entirely unanimous -- no division at all." As for what had caused the board's concerns in the first place, the second board member again echoed the first, saying that the board had had worries about Walpin since before the May 20 meeting, but called his performance at the meeting, "the capper." At that meeting, said the second board member, Walpin made "ad hominem attacks on individuals that we thought were completely uncalled for." The second board member declined to elaborate on the nature of those attacks. The second board member also referred to an investigation of the IG's office conducted by staff for CNCS's Equal Employment Opportunity unit, after a complaint. The second board member said that, according to the staffers conducting the probe, Walpin's response to the investigation had been "intimidating." The second board member claimed to be unaware of the nature of the original complaint. 
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 From the SCUSD Observer Fired Inspector General Gerald Walpin speaks out ...Continue reading this story at the SCUSD Observer
KJ gets excuse note from Obama
Why St. Hope is so important?
Today's Sacramento Bee editorial page features an opinion about Sacramento Charter High School and PS7's astounding academic performance gains.
Some of the positions stated in the editorial have merit but one glaring omission makes the entire read irrelevant: the students that these charter schools reject for behavior and academic problems get shipped out to Hiram Johnson and other SCUSD public schools -- the district has no special charter rules to impose on these students and the district is mandated by law to educate everyone. St. Hope is not ...Continue reading this story at the SCUSD Observer | Political Connections | St. Hope Board Resignations | | | |
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