More News

The VAPAC Thing

The judge has ruled, and unfortunately, the judge ruled in accordance to procedures outlined in the charter approved by the SCUSD. So not only do the DLCs have the ability to unilaterally appoint members to their board, a board that creates their salary schedule and job descriptions, but they have also secured for themselves return rights to the district if the school folds and, now, an arbitrator to buffer the wrath of the district. And the school board ratified this thing AND expects the community to allow them to create more charters. The VAPAC debacle casts a telling light on a district unable to reign in a monster that it created – numerous charter schools operating without oversight from the district and free from threat of action should there be any wrongdoing. Additionally, they have allowed St. HOPE to commit material breaches in the operation of their charter without any consequences. You can read more about the VAPAC ruling here:

http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/14244553p-15063028c.html

On a related note, so much of the current state of the district seems to have as its progenitor the decommissioning of Sacramento High School. Now the district, under the conditions of the consent decree, wants to convert Kit Carson into a high school and spend $8,000,000 in the process. We say save the district and the community the money, the headache, and the impending lawsuits and reclaim that which rightfully belongs to the community – Sacramento High School. The facilities lease expires in ’08, coinciding wonderfully with the latest possible date allowed in the consent decree. Create a magnet program at Kit Carson to help with declining enrollment if that is the concern, and let’s spend our time, energy, and money improving the education of our children.

On a related note, The Save Kit Carson folks have better defined their list of concerns and are calling on the community for help. Visit their site and give them a hand:

http://www.savekitcarson.com/


As always, feel free to comment at our message board. Since a few have asked, access to post comments does not require membership. Just give yourself and handle and comment

http://scusdwatch.proboards100.com/

Recent Topics

The Kit Carson issue seems to be heating up with vigor. Both sides -- the district and the concerned neighbors -- have fired up their media machines and are disseminating information as quickly as possible. The district has updated their site with the most recent information. The concerned neighbors have created their own site:

http://www.savekitcarson.com/

The implications of this battle are interesting for the community and the district. The disenfranchised parents of Marion Anderson had little recourse in a decision that appeared to be a done deal before it was announced. The better connected Kit Carson parents seem to have gotten a good jump on efforts to stop this school closure. However, some of their claims seem to be pandering to our more base instincts, specifically the claim that "East Portal Park will become a haven for truants, drugs, and violence with no police protection." While we at this site are sympathetic to their cause, we feel that claims such as this one cloud the real issue and disparage students, most of whom are rather well behaved, by over generalizing. Feel free to comment at:

http://scusdwatch.proboards100.com/

Day of Silence Resolution. The school board has yet to vote on a resolution to support the Day of Silence, an event that highlights the difficulties that gay and lesbian student frequently encounter with unsympathetic administrators, faculty, and fellow classmates through an act of participatory silence. Unfortunately, judging by the article that appeared in the Sacramento Bee, these students are further being castigated by religious populations in the community. Even more troubling, the Bee's article featured several students from the burgeoning Eastern European population who, having escaped religious persecution in their native countries, seek to oppress the gay and lesbian community in the schools and elsewhere. While in the spirit of democracy we always encourage dialogue, we cannot condone outright hatred and oppression. And while we encourage both parties to exercise their right to free speech, we should remind some that if the end result of their speech is to suppress, oppress, or persecute, then we lessen the very foundation upon which that right was built. Feel free to comment at:

http://scusdwatch.proboards100.com/

The Library Mess

This library thing is getting serious. Some teachers at the high schools have refused to take part in senior projects because cutting off this resource – the library – unnecessarily handicaps the student. And it does. Administrative pork remains, but valuable resources that directly benefit students are chopped. Now senior projects are jeopardized.

Perhaps the district needs to rethink its commitment to the small schools move for now. Perhaps the district needs to rethink its position on overpaid and under worked School Improvement Facilitators, contracts with Action Learning Systems and America’s Choice (the curriculum not the school), and other dubious sources of spending (i.e. numerous consultants).

The next board meeting is this Thursday. The libraries aren’t on the agenda, but many teachers, parents, and students are planning to voice their opinions during the comments portion of the meeting.

Come on down and make your voice heard.


Feel free to comment at:

http://scusdwatch.proboards100.com/