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| Sac City Community Voices Archive
Look Who is Blogging Sac City Community Voices
From the SCUSD Observer Johnny Data Is the ink dry on the $260,000 contract? No official word but a biographical picture of Jonathan Raymond emerges.
In 1996, Raymond secured a contested Republican nomination to run in Massachusetts’ 4th Congressional District, challenging the seven-term Democratic incumbent, Barney Frank. Raymond has been an associate with the law firm of Cushner & Bloom in Boston, served as legislative counsel to the U.S. Trade and Development Agency and worked on Capitol Hill for Congressman Tom Lewis and Senator Orrin G. Hatch.
Before becoming ...Continue reading this story at the SCUSD Observer
From the SCUSD Observer
Saturday, May 16, 2009
You can call them Ray...and Associates.
Standing With The Smallest! By Leo Bennett-Cauchon
There are alternatives...
...to bringing children to tears and parents to anger,
to ripping the social fabric of our neighborhoods,
to making the lives of our lower income families even harder
to increasing the carbon footprint of education.
One is called the sustainable (walkable and community-centered) neighborhood schools that already grace our unique and diverse urban neighborhoods. Over the years these schools have managed to protect themselves from ...Continue reading this story at the SCUSD Observer
Time to Really Think Outside the Box By Mike Simpson It is time for each of us in leadership roles to look in the mirror. While the current state of crisis is directly related to the recession, there are structural reasons that this crisis is so desperate. The leadership of our education establishment suffers from inbreeding and groupthink. When Einstein described insanity, he had the educational establishment in mind. BIG districts and BIG unions have not served the best interests of our children. While we continue to do amazing things for ...Continue reading this story at the SCUSD Observer
SCTA Calls for Parcel Tax Classifed Union Calls for Parcel Tax
Jerry Houseman’s pro-tax rantPosted April 17, 2009 at 9:35 AM by CoolDMZ in Schools/Education (15 comments)
At last night’s SCUSD board meeting, during which the board voted to close 4 schools, the thing that really caught my attention was member Jerry Houseman’s comment on the proposal for school closures. He took the opportunity to rail against the Tax Day Tea Party protests and Fox News, yelling at the assembled school parents and other taxpayers that the reason the district is in such dire straights is that people in California don’t want to pay taxes. The prospect of an elected official — charged with spending millions of taxpayer money — browbeating his constituents to cease their resistance to higher taxes while they have the gall to take advantage of a public service like education, is pretty frightening. I think perhaps he was out past his bedtime. I’ll grab the video and post it as soon as I can, because IIRC Houseman literally wagged his finger at the parents and teachers who had come down to the district’s office to plead their case to keep their beloved schools open. This is especially offensive given that California consistently has one of the highest tax burdens and worst performing school systems in the country. I would also like to ask Houseman how he supposes the state’s various tax regulations have led to the mass exodus of students from SCUSD — a trend that is actually directly responsible for the current situation his board is facing. For all the Sacramento News, Gossip & Snark go to the Sac Rag Jerry Houseman,
SCUSD Board Member
From the SCUSD Observer
Houseman's Tax Harangue Goes Viral Out of the mouths of (seemingly unnoticed) elected officials...
Jerry Houseman's tax tirade apparently has gone viral with the anti-tax-tea-party crowd. The video has been posted by Blogger Joshua Trevino who describes Houseman this way:
Per Dr. Houseman: “They don’t want to pay for kids — your kids!” Well, no: the low-tax movement, and small-government ideology in general, is not actually about “not pay[ing] for kids” so much as it’s about being able to pay for one’s kids. We shouldn’t be much surprised at his outburst: in addition to being a lifelong education bureaucrat, and thus prone to the hammer/nail problem...Continue reading this story at the SCUSD Observer
Multiple Pathways to Where? From the SCUSD Observer Respectfully Disagreeing with the Bee In today's Sacramento Bee there are three items; one graphic chart, one opinion piece and a community forum to discuss thoughts about the proposed closing of five district schools.
It's easy to expose the Bee's objective of generating controversy and playing on emotion two nights before the board's proposed action, but it's also important to call out the Bee on some incorrect reporting.
For instance, the Bee states that the schools on the hit list are under-enrolled and that projected enrollment will decline in the coming years. That information is false.
The opinion states that the board must ..... continue reading at SCUSD Observer
Community meetings have been scheduled as listed to share information and gather input regarding potential closure of the schools.
Wednesday, April 15
6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Alice Birney
6251 13th |
SACRAMENTO CITY UNIFIED MEETINGS ON CLOSURES
6251 13th St., 6 p.m. April 15. Students would be transferred to John Cabrillo Elementary.
• 288 students, capacity 472
• Closure saves $478,587
Closing Alice Birney Elementary: Why? All this week, we've been asking questions surrounding recommended school closures and today we'll focus on Alice Birney Elementary. Like the other schools on the hit list, Alice Birney has a diverse neighborhood population and a school community composed of . .... continue reading at SCUSD Observer
Mark Hopkins Elementary
2221 Matson Drive, 6 p.m. April 13. Students would be transferred to John Sloat and John Bidwell elementary schools. • 336 students, capacity 529
• Closure saves $497,305
Closing Mark Hopkins Elementary: Why?
Lisbon Elementary
7555 South Land Park Drive, 6 p.m. April 14. Students would be transferred to Martin Luther King Jr. and Matsuyama elementary schools. • 344 students, capacity 632
• Closure saves $506,053
From the SCUSD Observer Closing Lisbon Elementary: Why? Return to Top of Page
Genesis High School, 5601 47th Ave., meeting held Wednesday. Students would return to their neighborhood schools.
• 220 students, 720 capacity
• 38.2 percent graduation rate
• Operates at a $158,000 annual deficit
From the SCUSD Observer Closing G.E.N.E.S.I.S. High School. Why? Another school on SCUSD's hit list for 2009-10 is G.E.N.E.S.I.S. Charter High School. With a new principal, steady enrollment and dedicated staff, the District's very own website describes the latest in programming at the . .... continue reading at SCUSD Observer
Mark Hopkins Elementary
2221 Matson Drive, 6 p.m. April 13. Students would be transferred to John Sloat and John Bidwell elementary schools. • 336 students, capacity 529
• Closure saves $497,305
Closing Mark Hopkins Elementary: Why?
Extraordinary Meeting of the SCUSD Board of Education April 2, 2009 Video Excerpts Private Citizens Will Balance the Budget Tonight At tonight's board meeting, a group of citizens will make a presentation that will knock your socks off.
Thanks to the diligent research of Mr. Leo Bennett-Cauchon, the presenters will shine a light on a budget process that focuses on concrete solutions, complete with charts and graphs.
They will tell us that all of our schools can remain open and that teachers and administrators can be brought back to work. Mr. Cauchon and other citizens have excavated the wasteland of bureaucratic numbers and found pay dirt.
Tonight, this new board will be given a rare opportunity to embrace the democratic process, listen to constituents and capitalize on the information presented to them.
Grimes, Houseman, Bell, Rodriguez, Arroyo, Kennedy and Terry can unite as a board to provide clear, direct instructions to management to come back on the April 16th budget
deadline with different and positive options. This board can confirm for us their commitment to policy governance.
This is their chance.
For Full Coverage go to the SCUSD Observer | Community Budget Relay L`eo Bennet-Cauchon Sums up the Community Proposal to Balance the 2009-2010 SCUSD Budget | More Pink Slip Pain | | Community Comments | Community Comments |
The Gadfly Buzz "Gadfly" is a term for people who upset the status quo by posing upsetting or novel questions, or attempt to stimulate innovation by proving an irritant. The term "gadfly" (Gk. muopa) was used by Plato in the Apology to describe Socrates' relationship of uncomfortable goad to the Athenian political scene, which he compared to a slow and dimwitted horse. SCUSD Favorite GADFLYS Heidi McLean Chair of Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education, Leo Bennet-Cauchon, Chair DAC Bylaw Committee and Darlene Anderson, Past DAC Chair are some of SCUSD's most active "Gadflys". Whether you agree or disagree with them, they have become a staple in the Sacramento Education Debate. They appear at most SCUSD Board meetings with direct and often uncomfortable comments and questions. They represents "Parent Engagement" with an edge. Below you will find their comments at the March 5 meeting of the SCUSD Board of Education: Return to Top of Page
Giving Pink Slips to those who are Giving Pink Slips Return to Top of Page
From the SCUSD Observer
A Public meeting space for discussion and news related to the Sacramento City Unified School District. Not affiliated with or sanctioned by the district in any way -- this blog is an exercise in free speech by private citizens interested in sharing ideas about the public education system in Sacramento, California.Closing Mark Hopkins Elementary: Why?
Closing Lisbon Elementary: Why?
Closing Thomas Jefferson: Why?
Closing G.E.N.E.S.I.S. High School. Why? Another school on SCUSD's hit list for 2009-10 is G.E.N.E.S.I.S. Charter High School. With a new principal, steady enrollment and dedicated staff, the District's very own website describes the latest in programming at the . .... continue reading at SCUSD Observer
Old Marshall School to the Sacramento Charter Campus? Why? In the next couple of weeks, we will be examining and discussing the school closures and budget cuts recommended by the SCUSD management to the school board at the April 2nd meeting. The Board is scheduled to vote on the recommendations at its April 16th meeting. Last Thursday, staff recommended to close . .... continue reading at SCUSD Observer
All the Little Ones... At last night's school board meeting, a heartbreaking parade of teachers, parents and students voiced their concerns about school closures. Thomas Jefferson, Lisbon, Old Marshall School, Genesis High School, Mark Hopkins, and Alice Birney are recommended to be shut down this fall.
Especially poignant were a group of parents dismayed at the plan to close Mark Hopkins Elementary. One father stated that his boy would not be able to go to school if he couldn't walk across the street because the family had no other means of transportation and an elderly grandmother who takes care of the boy would not be able to walk the two miles required to fetch ..... continue reading at SCUSD Observer
Private Citizens Will Balance the Budget Tonight At tonight's board meeting, a group of citizens will make a presentation that will knock your socks off.
Thanks to the diligent research of Mr. Leo Bennett-Cauchon, the presenters will shine a light on a budget process that focuses on concrete solutions, complete with charts and graphs.
They will tell us that all of our schools can remain open and that teachers and administrators can be brought back to work. Mr. Cauchon and other citizens have excavated the wasteland of bureaucratic numbers ..... continue reading at SCUSD Observer
Breaking...SCUSD to get federal stimulus money
As reported by the Sacramento Bee this afternoon:
Published: Wednesday, Apr. 1, 2009 - 3:35 pm
Sacramento-area school districts will receive close to $63 million in federal stimulus for special education and programs for low-income schools, Congresswoman Doris Matsui's office announced today.
Title 1 and IDEA programs - which both already receive federal funding - will receive ..... continue reading at SCUSD Observer
Open Enrollment is Frozen Return to Top of Page
From the SCUSD Observer
A Public meeting space for discussion and news related to the Sacramento City Unified School District. Not affiliated with or sanctioned by the district in any way -- this blog is an exercise in free speech by private citizens interested in sharing ideas about the public education system in Sacramento, California.Unwise decisions that repeat past mistakes...
On March 5th, SCUSD’s Board meeting concerning layoffs was a disappointing effort that will result in destroying morale and harming the emotional life within our schools.
Most of those dedicated to and involved with students will dig down and increase their usual self sacrifice. Some will have to pull back for self preservation. A few will be pushed beyond their personal breaking points. And why? To “provide flexibility” to management to issue “notice to a maximum number of certificated employees to ensure that there are no possibilities of surplus employees.” ..... continue reading at SCUSD Observer
The Education Equality Project comes to Sacramento
Mayor Kevin Johnson hosts his "Education Summit" next week with Rev. Al Sharpton and Joel Klein headlining the event. Entitled, "Education that Works: Ideas for Sacramento," the conference includes discussion on "educational options, accountability for results and human capital."
Last summer, Sharpton and Klein teamed up to push a nationwide agenda that brings teachers' unions under fire and proposes that "viable" charter schools are the answer to public education's ills..... continue reading at SCUSD Observer Summary of Staff's Presentation at the 2/12 Board Workshop By Leo Bennett-Cauchon
SCUSD staff is developing an outline of preliminary facilities options in a 3 year plan format. The stated need is to provide quality educational programs with declining fiscal resources.
The stated priorities that guide the plan include equity, access and achievement for every student by name, a safe environment, family engagement and strong partnerships.
The themes from community engagement are: expand successful programs, consider all options prior to closing neighborhood schools, especially consider effects on poorer and historically under served/underachieving students, keep schools small, increase services to save schools and provide for a fair process.
Development of the facilities plan will use a systems-approach which is defined as using policy priorities and strategic plan as a frame, and a decision-impact analysis, including .... continue reading at SCUSD Observer Highlights from the Special Board Workshop of 2/12 Thoughts from a reporter in the field....
It was great see the "new" board members in action -- a group of intelligent people trying to solve problems. Gustavo Arroyo thanked the gallery for attending, and invited us to chime in. Donald Terry advocated effectively for his constituents in Rancho Cordova, showing a good understanding of the issues .... continue reading at SCUSD Observer Return to Top of Page
Send Your Kids to School
Highlights from Tuesday evening's community meeting at Sacramento Charter High School in the North Study Area.
Board Members in attendance: Roy Grimes, Ellyne Bell, Patrick Kennedy, Gustavo Arroyo and Diana Rodriguez .... continue reading at SCUSD Observer Return to Top of Page
The Black Parallel School Board The Black Parallel School Board, which meets on the first Saturday of the month, has posted a summary of their first year accomplishments.
At this month’s meeting a discussion was held with Susan Miller, interim superintendent, concerning district efforts to improve the cross-cultural effectiveness of staff. She stated that SCUSD is committed to equity in its efforts through a top- down and bottom-up approach. At the top the principals are trained monthly in how to have conversations with staff in this area and how to .... continue reading at SCUSD Observer Return to Top of Page
One Size Does Not Fit All
Highlights for Wednesday evening's community meeting at Martin Luther King Jr. K-8 School, West study area.
Board Members in attendance: Roy Grimes, Patrick Kennedy, Diana Rodriguez
The school’s auditorium was packed full of supporters for John Morse Waldorf , MLK (K-8) and Lisbon elementary schools.
Community comments
Many speakers voiced support for .... continue reading at SCUSD Observer Return to Top of Page
Mayor Johnson announces education summit
In today's Bee the article states:
(Mayor Kevin) Johnson is bringing national researchers and policymakers to an education summit downtown, has met with superintendents of several city school districts, and is investigating creating an "education czar" in City Hall.
The summit will be .... continue reading at SCUSD Observer
Jefferson Elementary: More clear speaking concerning small schools Community input and ideas from the meeting at Thomas Jefferson Elementary:
- Add more services to the community rather than remove school services.
- Our students need music and art or they leave for other options.
- Add a home school support program.
- Increase.... continue reading at SCUSD Observer
CGNA proposes a two-part action at Thomas Jefferson Elem. meeting Return to Top of Page
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