Let's Talk School Choice...
*UPDATE* 8/5/07
For more information regarding the future of the arts in the SCUSD, see today's Sacramento Bee:
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/309355.html
First off... We have noticed that the SCUSD administration seems to have given up on creating an arts school for the students of this district. According to the SCUSD website, VAPAC students can enroll at Sam Brannan (7/8) or Kennedy (9-12). No other options are mentioned nor any explanation given as to why these are the only schools mentioned as viable sites of enrollment for these students. Various sites have been mentioned as possibilities and co-location with St. HOPE was even floated but quickly dismissed. (Of course the districts experiment with this arrangement in the past -- Rosemont and America's Choice -- was viewed by many students and school administrators as a dismal failure.)
So where does that leave us? A few parents have contacted us and stated their pleasure with the program at The Met. Among other things parents tout "the strength of its administrators and the school's structure, which allows students to pursue independent creative options and explore there own various interests via internships and mentorships." While the school doesn't have an arts program per se, parents report that "students are encouraged to pursue these interests and create their own program at the school." Support will be provided by the faculty and staff and "interested outside mentors." As an example, parents pointed out that students can stage their own productions and create their own performing groups. More information about the school can be found at: http://bigpicture.org/index.htm
As an addendum, the new principal will be Allen Young. While many unsavory things have been said about him in some posts (things proliferated in some instances by other administrators acting unprofessionally), those of us at this site who have worked with Mr Young or had children in his classes have always found him to be courteous, professional, and enjoyable. Even though we at this site refrain from censorship of posts, we advise that before people devolve into making questionable claims, check your facts and remember -- who is still employed by the district and who isn't?
For more information regarding the future of the arts in the SCUSD, see today's Sacramento Bee:
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/309355.html
First off... We have noticed that the SCUSD administration seems to have given up on creating an arts school for the students of this district. According to the SCUSD website, VAPAC students can enroll at Sam Brannan (7/8) or Kennedy (9-12). No other options are mentioned nor any explanation given as to why these are the only schools mentioned as viable sites of enrollment for these students. Various sites have been mentioned as possibilities and co-location with St. HOPE was even floated but quickly dismissed. (Of course the districts experiment with this arrangement in the past -- Rosemont and America's Choice -- was viewed by many students and school administrators as a dismal failure.)
So where does that leave us? A few parents have contacted us and stated their pleasure with the program at The Met. Among other things parents tout "the strength of its administrators and the school's structure, which allows students to pursue independent creative options and explore there own various interests via internships and mentorships." While the school doesn't have an arts program per se, parents report that "students are encouraged to pursue these interests and create their own program at the school." Support will be provided by the faculty and staff and "interested outside mentors." As an example, parents pointed out that students can stage their own productions and create their own performing groups. More information about the school can be found at: http://bigpicture.org/index.htm
As an addendum, the new principal will be Allen Young. While many unsavory things have been said about him in some posts (things proliferated in some instances by other administrators acting unprofessionally), those of us at this site who have worked with Mr Young or had children in his classes have always found him to be courteous, professional, and enjoyable. Even though we at this site refrain from censorship of posts, we advise that before people devolve into making questionable claims, check your facts and remember -- who is still employed by the district and who isn't?
posted by All of Us at
9:46 AM
80 Comments:
It's great to see that someone figured why the MET is a real opportunity for some kids. Independence for some young people is a wonderful thing.
I have actually enrolled my child in this program because:
(a) The success of the child is directly correspondent to his or her effort. Because the program is "student driven" the child gets out what he or she puts in.
(b) The success of the child is dependent upon the input of the parent. If you want merely to drop your child off at 8 and pick him or her up at 3 then this school is not for you. Additionally, if you feel that your child needs the structure of the 6 or 4 period day than this program is not for you.
The open-ended structure of the school already has my child thinking about projects and possible internships. In his 14 years I have never seen him so interested in school and excited to go back in the middle of summer. Heck, my wife and I are even excited about the upcoming school year.
The MET is an excellent option for kids and a perfect fit for Allen Young's gifts and talents.
Allen Young worked at STHYPE until he was let go, he is what the students of STHYPE need today. Since he and many others have left or been fired STHYPE has been falling apart, but it is not seen by the public due to cover up after cover up, and the lovely Sacramento Bee in which STHYPE feeds their "contact" the information is publish.
He quit he wasn't "let go". He maybe could have even saved VAPAC.
Maybe Sir Eric Jones can join Allen Young. What a team they'll make. They can both pose as educators that care about kids until their own anti Saint Hope agendas dictate that they cast the kids concerns aside.
They are both fake and both should end up together.
Then they can pretend to care about kids but at the first chance to sacrifice their kids they can so they can take down Saint Hope.
I'm just thrilled that there are alternatives for our kids. That's what charters are supposed to do, provide alternatives. Some of them may be traditional, while others may be way out there. Success is all that matters. Please keep the personal attacks out of this thread. It ruined the others.
Let's go through the list.
Ms. Minero: resigned
Ms. Fortune: resigned
Mr. Hunt: resigned
Mr. Young: resigned
Mr. Rutten: resigned
Ms. Harris: resigned
Teachers: at least 75% of the orignal staff have resigned
All with successful experience in education, educational organizations, leadership, instruction, small schools, curriculum, kids, parents, school boards
What did they know that we don't?
I agree, leave the personal attacks out. Allen Young and Eric Jones are stand up kids 1st guys. They did not turn their backs on the kids they stood up for them and that is what resulted in them leaving st hope.
Ditto. Commentary yes, personal attacks, no.
You ought to go back to the May 2005 commentaries. Interesting reading
Yeah, interesting now how it's please stop the "personal attacks". Are you joking?
The whole blog is anti-St. Hope and anti-Kevin Johnson.
Also, it wasn't personal. It was factual.
Ask Eric Jones how he undermined his students last few weeks of school, last few weeks of high school so he could march off and pursue some pointless personal attack.
That's really putting the students first. No personal attack. Factual statement.
Didn't Sac High start this week? In better shape than ever. By the way, a full month before other high schools so more teaching and learning can be done. A mandatory fifth period for longer days and more instruction so that at risk students will get the extra time they need. Teachers committed to doing what it takes. (Jones must have liked his free time and didnt want to sign up for the extended commitment).
Early read on test scores is Sac High made significant gains and will see a double digit gain in API.
Then will see some crow being eaten. PS7, top scores in area, renewed for five years. Sac High, double digit gains and real foundation set. Middle school in Oak Park and on Sac High campus. New preschool setting new standards for early education.
Get prepared crew.
API estimated to be 776 from the state, is what a friend told me as far as compared to other schools i can't comment at this time but will keep you posted
Hell no! That is too high of a jump get your facts STRAIGHT!
Let's get something straight that I hope we can all agree upon: There is a difference between fact, opinion, and unsupported information. Any high school student can point that out..
For example, stating an API number is a fact -- it can be verified and supported by empirical data.
However, the statements about Mr. Jones qualify as unsupported opinion. What in fact did he do to "undermine his students"? What was his "pointless personal" attack? Did he state publicly that he didn't want to commit more time to the program? Unfortunately offered in support of the commentator’s opinion about Mr. Jones are only vagaries. Empirical evidence can support the commentator’s interpretation of the facts, but he or she offers no hard evidence to support his/her claims.
Admittedly, passions frequently get the best of all of us, and we commit to an idea that is not fully formed. Additionally, opinions are drawn from interpretations of a body of knowledge or facts, and that interpretation is subject to further interpretations. However, we can strive to refrain from making personal attacks or grandiose suppositions when all we can offer are only “questionable claims.”
I found your blog a few months ago. I find it all to be passionate, subjective opinion and non-factual for the most part. I also went back and read the archives. Talk about personal attacks, that's all that most of you did. The anger, slander and accusations, mostly against a few (DLC's) primarily, is frightening. VAPAC has been destroyed and now you move on to St. Hope. Hopefully someone out there is learning by these examples. I don't even really support St Hope, but I hope it succeeds because this district we are in is systematically destroying kids lives by their actions (or non-actions). So, all those displaced VAPAC kids - go to Kennedy HS??? A school that loses track of its young students, where kids do crack/cocaine in the back of the classrooms and truancy is at an all time high??? The public system is broken and the charter system is suffering because of it.
We have a much bigger problem to tackle, and that is the mob style behavior of our district and people like Tom Barenston. Where is the justice??? Have we been blaming the wrong folks??? It is not the teachers and many times, it is also not the administrators either, but the no win situation they are placed in. The pain experienced by those who went through the closure of VAPAC now and four years ago will never be forgotten. Do you really want to destroy St Hope now too??? Flawed or not, it is serving that community and the kids NEED IT.
Lies and Cover-ups. Today's story in the Sac Bee continues the half truths and outright lies coming from SCUSD. The only reason VAPAC is not opening this fall is because of Tom Barenston and the mob he represents. They pushed through a dependent charter in the dead of night in a May Board meeting and only because councel told them that if they did not, the district would lose the $1.8 mil that would come in. A group put together a dependent charter in about one week so that they could take over the school at Depot Park.
They also neglected to tell anyone that they strong armed VAPAC, scared the living daylights out of them, tried to take over the campus, lied to the owner of the park, thereby destroyed any hope for Sacramento Arts Conservatory and ended up with a completely empty building that is non-Field Act compliant and no school period.
Who gives TB his marching orders? Why is all this cover-up ok with anyone? Who can control the actions of this fataly flawed district? I don't even have kids and the injustice of all this is more that I can personally bare having witnessed it all firsthand.
Heidi - you are right! I wish for all our sakes we were dealing with a fair district. Follow the MONEY everytime.
Good stuff but:
How did the district strong-arm VAPAC? I thought the courts had ruled mostly in their favor regarding governance, and because they could not get another entity to approve their charter, the only other option was to go private. The mismanagement of the DLCs is legion and well documented on this site.
I haven't heard that the district took over the site at Depot Park. Where is this information coming from? What did they lie about to Dick Fisher to get the site? (It should be noted that the district "loaned" the DLCs money to acquire and rehab the facility.)
Another observation: Is the 8th and V site Field Act compliant? I thought it was district headquarters for years because it wasn't?
I guess I would like some clarification as to the coverup you speak about. If you're correct, lets get the facts out there -- look at what Reggie Fair did regarding CASA. We can be effective if we have the details.
What's Field Act compliant?
I had both Jones and Young as teachers and I thought they were great. They made the class fun, interesting as well as challenging. They are similar. My sister goes to a school in Natomas where Jones teaches now. I don't know the name. He loved Sac High. He lives three blocks away. Why would he quit unless it was too much?
Has anyone requested the salarys of STHYPE administrators or teachers? The information is public information. I heard many teachers are paid on the low end and are expected to perform extra duties during the year.
The Field Act is a set of safety standards in the construction of public schools (K-12) that is supposed to ensure safety against earthquakes and other types of potential disasters through a rigorous certification process. Newer buildingd always pass; older buildings don't -- i.e. Newton Booth, Fremont, and Old Marshall. (Districts generally use the buildings that can't pass as admin. sites or adult schools.)
According to the legislation, some public schools, such as cout schools and charter schools, are exempt from this provision.
What is going on at Sacramento High? My son told me that no one knows what is happening and he wants to go to Johnson.
Just the usual chaos from another reorganization and clueless leadership. Check out the other small school/charter options in Sacramento there are many.
What's wrong with Johnson? Not all students will do better in a small high school environment. It depends on the student. Johnson is a lot smaller than it used to be anyway. Don't limit your son.
Sorry, I did not mean to imply that HJ was not an option. I just wanted it to be known that there are many options out there for students and parents.
Just so you know the Met Sac has arts. They also have a partnership with classes with the Sol Collective Art Academy and Sac City.
They have arts materials like throwing wheels and instruments, etc.
Students report 1st week at Sac Charter is a disorganized mess. Many are out shopping for other schools.
"anonymous" identify yourself. Sac Charter have got a few parent complaints this week but they have all been addressed and both parties are satisfied. Also note that Sac High's API is up 38 points this year.
We have had various "estimates" about St. Hope's API scores when the CDE reports don't come out until August 31st. Where is this information coming from?
Also, if the scores are so good, what accounts for the decreased enrollment at the school?
Parents and students please remember that St Hope Public Schools is a public school system. With that, their Board meetings are public meetings covered by the
Brown Act and they must make time available for public comment. While the meetings are held in the middle of the day, so as not to be convient for parents and others to attend, they are open to all. They all always well orchestrated but I'm sure members of the board would like to hear your thoughts.
The meetings are scheduled so that folks can't usually come. No accident. Nothing Kevin has ever done was an accident: well maybe like having the keys to all the upstairs apartments, going on trips to New Orleans with young ladies, showering mentorships in Arizona and working oh so closely with many staff and students over the last few years. How many CPS calls were made?
Reasons why Sac High is not the choice:
1. 1.5 Counselors for about 1100 students who still do not have schedules and are pushed off into the library until the bell rings.
2. Again, they let go a key person who actually new what she was doing in Ed Services.
3. Again, Mr. Johnson put an "out of stater" in charge of everything and she is in in way over her head He's going to ruin her career..
4. WASC Audit is coming up in the Spring and they have almost finished cleaning "house". No whistleblowers on deck, but that doesn't stop anyone from contacting WASC themselves and disclosing everything....
5.
Response From: Jane Doe
08/05/2007 2:59AM
I'm concerned with the amount of politicking going in regards to the appointment of Ms. Rhee. Her association with Mr. Kevin Johnson (CEO of St. Hope Public Schools_ and his aspirations of political social climbing has appalled the Sacramento Education Community to no end. With his little Soldiers running St. Hope Public Schools to excommunicating employees without notice, who challenge the "system", Ms. Rhee's ties to Kevin Johnson may harm her in months to come. From shredding "bad" test scores to luring unsuspecting high level Directors to Sacramento, Miss Rhee has much to overcome. In 2006-2007, Miss Rhee was the interim Operations Director of St. Hope Public Schools. She lured many successful Administrators from all over the U.S. to come to St. Hope in hopes to turn it around from the cesspool Mr. Kevin Johnson had created witin his own organization. But, alas, the St. Hope Song and Dance was just it, a song and dance. These hopeful Administrators were under the impression they had a say in the curriculum and the day to day operations of running a high school and an elementary school. They were sorely mistaken. St. Hope had an agenda and meant all along to exploit the services of these highly motivated Administrators who had much to offer. These Administrators saw on a daily basis bad data passing through the SIS, they saw how under developed the curriculum was, they saw money wasted on outside agencies coming in and giving their resources only to fight with accounting about getting paid for their year long services. These outsided agencies had to deal with un-credentialed new teachers who had nary a clue how to teach students, much less manage the classroom. Additionally, Ms. Rhee's hiring/firing practices lack ethics and morales and I pity the DC School system and all the teachers who will eventually face Ms. Rhee's chopping block and creative test scores. I digress. I actually pity the children who attend St. Hope Schools in Sacramento High School in year 0708. With a Miss Rhee appointee from New York at the helm in Sacramento, has surely put Miss Rhee and KJ in a tenuous spot. Students with no Math Classes scheduled to a staff that has been cut in half, I feel that the new lady running St. Hope has more than her hands full. Professionally, anyone in high level postions at St. Hope better hope they get the Charter renewed because where else are they going to go? Additionally, I'm waiting for the Sac Bee/SCUSD memorandum stating the allegations of one minor who was victimized by Mr. Kevin Johnson. I hope Sac Bee/SCUSD have enough balls to break the story at the Charter renewal because the public in Sacramento and the world deserve to know the truth.
Your post contains 2 very serious accusations. The statement about shredding of Test Scores and minor being victimized by Kevin Johnson are huge. Why has this information not come out before and can you back it up with evidence?
True, true. If you are going to level charges such as these, you need to be able to back it up, otherwise, it's useless.
You can wait for the SacBee all you want. For some reason (I'm sure St.HOPE has something to do with it) they cover the school as if it is a great success. You have to have been on the inside to really understand what CHAOS that place is. I wouldn't even call it a school.
How sad that none of the people who say St. HOPE/Sac Charter is a mess are willing to come forward. What is everyone afraid of?
This sounds more like a disgruntled ST HOPE employee why does not SHE or he step forward and show evidence like Heidi says.
Why doesn't anyone come forward...well..it takes a certain amount of balls, income and entourage to level charges against KJ et al. Erik Jones contacted the press already with the story about the child..but money seems to be the crux of the issue and/or the young girl's name would be dragged into the mud and that is no way to start out in life. Haven't you noticed that Lara Knight is still part of St. Hope but working far off in Seattle telecommuting rather than showing her shameful face in public, though she will come around at least once a month and "assist" Ms. Andie Corso with "data". Since WASC will be coming out in the Spring, ST. Hope has rid itself of anyone who will flag WASC with any ideas of impropriety or unethical business practices. People just disappear around Sac High and you never hear the real story because the spin machine is hard at work..Go figure..
"anonymous" you keep posting stuff about why no one comes forward why don't you take steps and come forward yourself? I disagree it doesn't money it does take courage any media outlet would be more than happy to hear you out even the cable news outlets.
What is going on here at Sac High?
you tell us what is going on.
Michelle Rhee Lands Free Media Relations Man at WaPo
http://schoolsmatter.blogspot.com/2007/06/michelle-rhee-lands-free-media_21.html
Heidi correct, it is sad that no one is willing to come forward. I also have to agree with anon at 12:16 in response to teacher west: YOU need to tell us what is going on at Sac High. I understand how hard it is to come forward as a whistleblower with details and actual evidence, but it must happen.
So many very, very serious allegations are swirling at this point...I truly fear what is going on and the long-term repercussions for the kids and the community. We have folks on this site who risked everything to stop the St. Hope Sac Charter train when it was leaving the station. They filed lawsuits, spoke publicly, wrote letters to the Bee with their names attached, addressed the school board and elected (against very long odds) a very sympathetic school board member. Even other local elected officials are becoming more and more skeptical as allegations are reaching their ears. I'm not sure who Jones has spoken to, but if he is talking then others should step up and support him. There are people around here who have your back. Bee reporters have said in the past they would investigate if folks would bring them verifiable claims. And at least one very well respected national political writers has splashed water on the Rhee lovefest in DC.
We all need to find out what's really going on...this is still a PUBLIC school operating with public funds.
Lori I doubt we will ever find out anything. SCUSD is working on a partnership with ST HOPE and is assisting them with placing a middle school soon to open at Sacramento Charter.
This doesn't change my mind about anything I just wrote. Of course, if no one is willing to come forward with facts/evidence to back up the variety of allegations that are out there, then obviously things will continue to move forward with respect to the middle school. There are two (possibly three) other board members, as well as other electeds around town open to getting the other side of the story; but my goodness folks who can need to help them out and give them some stuff to work with...
The people who have left st hope are all pretty public folks and still local. If the Bee or others wanted to make inquiries I don't think they would be too difficult to find. How open they would be is a different question but who knows it might be worth the effort.
A quick review of Sac Charter HS stats may show a decrease in student achievement. Check it out on the CDE website. There's your data for you.
A start, certainly...and I will go and study the data. But this doesn't come close to directly addressing the allegations of teacher/admin intimidation and unethical practices and even more to the point the very, very serious (criminal) allegations about test score shredding and child victimization. Quite simply, what is really going on at Sac Charter and are kids there in danger?
They are in danger in many ways. The biggest danger, impacting the largest # of kids, is an inadequate education that sets them up to fail later in life. Then there are the victims of inappropriate conduct. I just looked at the CDE site and there may be some very small improvements. One improvement is the % of students tested which puts in to question the allegations of shredding tests.
Last year a point was made by a former STHOPE employee in the which said that students who were enrolled after the CBEDS data was reported would not count in a positive or negative way into the API. Since ST. HOPE enrolls many students late which are not the best students this may may help their API if the employee was right.
August 31st when CDE posts API scores we will all know.
I doubt that we can take the test shredding allegations seriously. Anybody who has worked in or around education can attest to the accountability of each school site for these documents -- affidavits are signed and filed by teachers and admin, etc. Any perceived chicanery -- such as missing answer documents -- would arouse the suspicion and ire of the state. Basically it would be a difficult feat to pull off w/o somebody higher up, like from the state, REALLY looking the other way.
As far as the other allegations go, without a police report or a complaint to the appropriate agency, no media outlet is going to be interested. If you remember the Blue-Hair Fiasco from VAPAC, this was basically the response of the local media outlets. A freelancer, James May, actually wrote a story that he shopped to the major outlets and the SN&R, and this was the response he got. Without a report or complaint on file, it’s merely he said/she said.
I do agree with your points, Ombudsman. Which is why I pushed. Without reports/complaints and or former employees and parents willing to go on the record this stuff will remain only unsubstantiated allegations, making it difficult for elected officials and reporters do much more than read this blog and make occasional school site visits (although things can always be made to look neat and tidy when visitors are around). Of course, when St. Hope's charter comes up for renewal former staff, parents and students with unsatisfactory experiences (and it sounds like there are many) could choose to get involved and contact and testify before the district board as to why the education there is not measuring up, including providing info on staff and student attrition. But again, folks need to be willing to publicly tell the story.
Question: why is kevin johnson's personal attorney, St HOPE's attorney?
Question: name one prinipal from opening day that remains with St HOPE? can you name any staff that have been there since day one?
Question: how many ell classes are being offered inspite of the fact that over 48 languages are spoken on campus? is there even someone over the ell/eld program?
Question: who is the registrar this week? or have they passed that back to another unqualified counselor?
Questions: how many counselors on campus even have a pps?
Question: who is in charge of supplying cde with data this week?
Question:how many teachers have quit mid-semester, mid-week or even mid-day since St HOPE took over?
Question: what was the real enrollment on opening day this year? (compare with four-years ago)
Question: how many staff members have had intimate relations with mr johnson?
Question: how many students have felt betrayed, confused, angry,or ashamed at mr johnosn's kisses, hugs, mentoring in the wee hours of the morning?
the anwers can be found. the answers must be found. call oprah. call jack o'connell. talk to the school board. picket the campus. our children's lives, literally, are at stake.
What is going on at Sac High is a student got chocked by a teacher, I am not sure they put the teacher on administrative leave but no media coverage is not that odd?
and this is a concerned group of parents? how about dealing w/the crappy scusd board of education first. stop focusing your anger towards st hope and focus it all over this city. negativity won't get you anywhere; action will.
Anonymous said...
Question: why is kevin johnson's personal attorney, St HOPE's attorney?
ANSWER: LOL! EVEN KEVIN HIESTAND (KJ'S LAWYER) HAS 3 OR 4 DIFFERENT JOBS. NAME ME ONE NON TEACHER WHO ONLY HAS ONE JOB DESCRIPTION. Question: name one prinipal from opening day that remains with St HOPE? can you name any staff that have been there since day one?
Question: how many ell classes are being offered inspite of the fact that over 48 languages are spoken on campus? is there even someone over the ell/eld program? THERE IS, BUT EVERYONE AVOIDS HER BECAUSE SHE'S SOCIALLY INEPT AND SHE DOESN'T EVEN HAVE AN ADVISORY CLASS. EVERYONE EXCEPT HER HAS AN ADVISORY CLASS. WILL SHE BE LET GO? PROBABLY.
Question: who is the registrar this week? or have they passed that back to another unqualified counselor? THE REGISTRAR FOR ST. HOPE HAS A MASTER'S IN PE AND HOPES TO BE A COACH SOMEDAY. HE'S DELUDED IF HE THINKS KJ IS GOING TO FIX HIM UP WITH AN NFL TEAM. PLUS, THE REGISTRAR IS ALSO HELPING SCHEDULE CLASSES FOR THE STUDENTS. WHAT DOES HE KNOW ABOUT SCHEDULING KIDS. AS IT IS, HE'S COACHING, REGISTRARING, HAS AN ADVISORY CLASS HE WANTS TO GO TO HARLEM, IF AND WHEN IT OPENS. I SAY, GOOD LUCK.
Questions: how many counselors on campus even have a pps?
Question: who is in charge of supplying cde with data this week? NOBODY IS IN CHARGE OF SUPPLYING DATA TO CDE BECAUSE THE LAST PERSON WHO HAD ANY CLUE ABOUT STATE REPORTING REQUIREMENTS WAS LET GO...SHE JUST DISAPPEARED.
Question:how many teachers have quit mid-semester, mid-week or even mid-day since St HOPE took over? MORE THAN WE REALIZE
Question: what was the real enrollment on opening day this year? (compare with four-years ago)IT'S HARD TO FIGURE OUT ENROLLMENT WITH ST. HOPE GIVEN THE FACT THAT ST. HOPE DOESN'T HAVE THE PROPER STAFF TO AUDIT THE DATABASE.
Question: how many staff members have had intimate relations with mr johnson? IF YOU ARE YOUNG, A WOMAN AND IN HIGH LEVEL POSITIONS AT ST. HOPE, MOST LIKELY, YOU DID THE DIRTY DEED.
Question: how many students have felt betrayed, confused, angry,or ashamed at mr johnosn's kisses, hugs, mentoring in the wee hours of the morning?
the anwers can be found. the answers must be found. call oprah. call jack o'connell. talk to the school board. picket the campus. our children's lives, literally, are at stake.
16/8/07 18:28
i called up kcra and the only way they would take the story is if a lawsuit is in progress. otherwise, it's hearsay...
Well..
School started August 1, 2007 and Andie Corso, the "carpetbagger" definitely has more than she bargained for. I suspect that she wasn't the one who "fired" Jillian, the Data Accountability Person/PowerSchool Administrator. It had to have been KJ. Who else would make that kind of asinine decision. Evidently, Jillian is not one of KJ's harem..or she would still be there..If anyone should go to the press, it should be her..I hope she does..I hope she's okay..I hope she doesn't get bribed by St. Hope..
http://www.myspace.com/sthype
Look at the pics portion...veeeery interesting
"anonymous" it was actually Andie Corso who wanted Jillian Fired and Tom Bratkovich approved most likely as well as KJ since they go hiking now on Sundays
Well..in light of that information, they all deserve to go down together..Misery loves company..
On another note, they have a wonderful front of the house, but the "back of the house" leaves a lot to be desired..
How can they tout "children" first when they can't even sustain a consistent business model that "should" ultimately support the success of the children?
Additionally, just because you hold a Harvard degree or any other Ivy League degree, doesn't make you immune to being stupid. Stupid begets stupid and in the end the urban school district in Sacramento will ultimately pay. KJ is exploiting his black brethren..
kj exploits more than his black brethren, he exploits all that he comes in contact with. for him the end justifies the means. the problem with sac charter is that the end justifies nothing.
well said....
Response From: Bruce
08/08/2007 8:38AM
Everyone is blaming the system, the Mayor and the School Administrators. Why not blame the parents and students. Parents of the DC School Students are not generally active in the education of their kids. Also the Gangster Rap Hip Hop Culture of many of the Kids in DC Schools affect attitudes about learning.
Unless the culture changes there is no chance the DC Schools will improve.
Response From: John Doe
08/08/2007 12:13PM
Bruce,
In response to the above comment, you are not understanding my premise. You are right, parents and students have a responsibility for the outcome of their lives. However, the way the system works, the constituents vote in leaders who promise to lead them in an ethical manner (HA!!). I realize the constituents in the DC Publc School system lack higher education and are predominantly black and will most likely vote in someone that understands their culture the best. That doesn't mean outside entities (KJ & Rhee) go in and exploit their position to further their own political aspirations, (KJ & Rhee). The only answer to this quagmire is to regulate a process by which neutral parties vote in the BEST possible candidate for the "Chancellor" Position rather than APPOINTING THEM due to the political ties. It is obvious the Oak Park, Sacramento black youth are pawns in the M.Rhee K. Johnson alliance as are the children in the DC school system, New York School system, Illinois School system..need I say more? But who regulates that process..everything comes back to the Office of the Mayor who incidentally will cover up anything that will compromise his/her position or his political cronie's positions.
Additionally, I have no problem with Hip Hop, etc. I have a problem with Black Leaders exploiting their black brethren to further their own careers.
On another note, I wonder which school in the DC system will Ms. Rhee place her kids in? I dare her to place her kids in the Montgomery School District.
i have, as late, read the various comments that have been posted (about me and others, both within and peripherally connected, with st hope). long ago i sat in those late nights board meeting in the sac high auditorium, listening to those many voices, trying to hear what could be done, should be done, to allow the children of our community a voice and an opportunity to develop and grow. i stood in front of the school board and challenged the district to present a better opportunity for our children. i then taught at sac high and loved the young people i had the opportunity and privilige to teach. that my committment to those students has been questioned shows only a callous misunderstanding of the realities of st hope and it running of sac high. st hope is, was and will continue to be unprepared, misguided, and hopelessly frustated in their attempts to create meaningful and lasting change in education. this is to say nothing of the pervasive absues of sexual misconduct and impropieties of st hope's leader. it is my fervent will that st hope lose its charter. it has not served the community it most vigilanlty purported to want to serve and it has alienated every other community within the traditional sac high boundary. i want to see, and will fight to bring about, a sac high that is a vibrant and beautiful example of its namesake. we are sacramento and we will have her school back. the challange will be to open its doors with something progressive and innovative and becomes the landmark that she is. their are enough aware citizens--not to mention board members--that will bring about the end this present sadness. it is our challenge to bring about its next incarnation.
i hope you are correct and also hope that scusd will share your desire to reopen the school that carries the city's name, Sacramento High School, as an innovative institution meeting the needs of this city's students. Sac Charter, st hope, and Kevin Johnson have betrayed this community. They should be held accountable for the lives they have destroyed.
I have seen the self reported API break down by small school. The report that will go to their board leaves one thinking that the school has made major strides. It has not. Look at it's Math and ELA strands by year since 2003 dismal. The higher percentage of A to G prepared students is the product of watering down the curriculum. The board meeting is mid September where you can request such information as per the Brown Act and the facts will come out on August 31. It is a shell game that Kevin makes himself look good. LPS rose a major amount of self reported API points. But they are still the lowest performing small school on campus. How many small schools do they have? The charter says they must have at least four. How many principals do they have? One uncredentialled Stanford educated blow-hard that has NO credibility with the kids. And another guy who has stuck it out. What credentials does Ronnie (KJ's lil bro) have to be director? Who is the next savior to come down the pike? Maybe Rich O or Big Al can come back to finish the game. Everyone else has moved on.
Very good questions you asked. Actually, more to the point, who actually has a credential/experience other than little short stints here and there to run a school. Andie Corso is just a Math teacher who is now Michelle Rhee and KJ's lacky who exhibits absolutely no leadership ability, Ed M. has an Admin Credential with no teaching experience and drinks the Kool Aid like it's his life support, Diffenbaugh just lacks basic human skills, and the Executive Team's has no concept of accurate data and honest accountability..The book from Good to Great, their bible outlines good leadership..KJ, it's one thing to read a good book and rally on the band wagon, it's another thing to implement the principles and use it effectively...Unfortunately, St. Hope has a disconnect when it comes to reading a good book and applying its' principles..Why waste your time on Tuesday Mornings reading about something and then forgetting what you've read..Obviously St. Hope should not be in Education if they cannot even figure out that concept..Students of St. Hope, get out now, while you have the chance..You will never ever get the time back you wasted at St. Hope..never....
Oh yeh, the Charter says 4 small schools..However, Power School shows only one Sacramento High School and the counselor are only 1.5 centralized in W-5 and only two principals, if we want to call them that...So where are the 4 small schools?
Obvious charter violation. this is the type of information that will cost st hype charter renewal
Last spring whem st hope announced it's reorg of sac charter they said "one vision, one school".
It will only cost St. HOPE its charter if people like anonymous come to the SCUSD Board Meetings and say it publicly, now. Otherwise there is no reason for the district, and no political will on the part of the board, to do anything. If those who post as "anonymous" continue to be anonymous nothing will change.
believe me, I will come..just keep me posted when they have the "meeting"..thanks, heidi.
The vote on making Marian Anderson the location for the Consent Decree high school is supposed to be taken at the Sept. 20 meeting. That will be a perfect time for people to write letters to the board, and come to the board meeting and speak to the issue of facility useage. Remember that district staff do not always give every board member all the information that they have available. One of the reasons which swayed board members like Jerry Houseman to vote for Marian Anderson was St. HOPE's claim that they didn't have room on the Sac Charter campus. Those of you with information need to let the public and the board know how few students attend Sac Charter.
The board needs to request a report from powerschool (the school operating software) showing total enrollment. It is less than 1000 for the high school.
In light of the development on the cover story of the sacbee, sunday, oct. fourteenth, two thousand and seven, I must say kj will not be vindicated for his abysmal behaviour around st. hype and their accountability to the children and the state. if he's cutting corners with his properties enough to make it on the front page on a sunday and then take up two more pages, he's had it..I, for one, am glad the public is realizing what a slum lord slime ball he really is. i just hope his supporters will not turn a blind eye to his actions. if his supporter do not believe he's a slime ball...then st. hype is bordering on cultish behavior and kj is no better than david koresh...he will lead his followers to hell, if they let him.
Investigative Report: Neglect taints a star's legacy
Ex-NBA player's holdings frequently cited by city
By Terri Hardy and Phillip Reese - Bee Staff Writers
Published 12:00 am PDT Sunday, October 14, 2007
A pungent, sickly sweet odor punctuates the breeze on 33rd Street in Oak Park. Ramon and Jennifer Nickelberry grimace as they stand in their front yard and gesture toward the vacant lot next door.
More dead things, they say.
For months, the remains of animals -- sheep and goats that neighbors suspect were dumped by someone butchering them for meat -- have turned up with gut-churning frequency on the empty weed patch.
Neglected lots attract problems, especially in lower-income areas. On the 33rd Street parcel, the animal remains molder alongside garbage, discarded construction materials and jagged bike parts as children play nearby.
"I guess somebody high-ranking, a high-up figure owns it," Jennifer Nickelberry said. "At the least, they should be keeping it maintained and cleaned up."
The "high-up figure" behind the lot is Kevin Johnson, 41, the former NBA All-Star and local philanthropist. Johnson's for-profit company, Kynship Development, also owns two rental homes nearby. One has had sewage bubbling up in the backyard and waste backing up in the washing machine, while the other is infested with mice, according to tenants and a city report.
Within a two-mile radius, a Bee investigation found, half of the 37 parcels owned by Johnson or companies and organizations he founded have been cited by the city in the past decade, some multiple times. The 73 violations at those Oak Park properties resulted in 42 fines or fees totaling at least $32,080.
At speaking engagements across the country, Johnson touts his success in helping Oak Park. Top officials in his organization and at the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency sing his praises, saying no one has done more to improve the struggling area.
"We maintain the properties better, if not the best of anyone in the community," said Tom Bratkovich, the chief financial officer for St. HOPE Academy and part of the development team. "We're making sure they look good and we're taking care of matters. Do we hit every single thing? I'm not sure."
Chris Pahule, who oversees Oak Park projects for the redevelopment agency, said Kynship Development and the nonprofit St. HOPE (Help Our People Excel) Development Co. have made a difference in Oak Park. The SHRA has given St. HOPE Development almost $3 million in grants and loans.
"We believe they've done quite a bit of investment in Oak Park, and that they're committed to the community," Pahule said.
But Johnson's organizations, whose combined holdings rank them among Oak Park's largest private property owners, also are one of the neighborhood's most frequent city code offenders, said Max Fernandez, Sacramento's code enforcement chief.
"It's unfortunate that these particular properties that we've had problems with are owned by one person," Fernandez said.
In its investigation, The Bee reviewed property records, code enforcement files, permits, and police and fire reports. Reporters visited every property affiliated with Johnson and interviewed dozens of Oak Park residents.
Shown the results, Kynship and St. HOPE officials acknowledged they lack the employees or funds to do the revitalization projects long-promised to the community. Plans for a pediatrics building, lofts and shops to transform Oak Park's central core all have been sidelined, they said.
St. HOPE Development is struggling with "no money and a lot of debt," said Kynship's attorney, Kevin Hiestand. Based on its most recent tax forms, by mid-2006 the nonprofit was more than $900,000 in the red and carried debt of $6.2 million.
Hiestand told The Bee that Kynship, which owns a majority of the Oak Park properties, has only one other employee -- an administrative assistant who doubles as an office manager on St. HOPE Academy's staff -- and no one with development expertise.
It takes a thorough document search to sort out responsibility for and ownership of the 37 properties, but all have strong ties to Johnson.
Johnson is CEO of the Kevin Johnson Corp., the sole general partner of Kynship, according to the California secretary of state's office. Johnson also founded and is president of St. HOPE Academy, according to federal tax forms filed by the agency. The academy is his umbrella group and it owns a headquarters building and three school-related properties.
Johnson also founded St. HOPE Development Co., which owns six Oak Park properties, including Johnson's urban renewal gem, the 40 Acres complex on Broadway, with its Starbucks, art gallery and theater. St. HOPE Development is guided by Johnson's vision for Oak Park, Hiestand said, but Johnson does not currently serve on its board.
The three organizations have owned 80 percent of the Oak Park properties for more than five years; about a third for more than a decade. Additionally, a home at 3450 16th Ave. has been owned by the Kevin M. Johnson Living Trust since 1991.
Yet today about two-thirds of those properties sit vacant or empty, The Bee found. One deteriorated so badly that the city took the unusual step of threatening to refer the case for criminal prosecution before tearing the home down, according to city documents.
In August 2006, records show, a Kynship representative asked the city to exempt two of the uninhabitable structures from Sacramento's vacant building ordinance, aimed at preventing structures from languishing in substandard condition.
"I don't recall anyone ever asking for that before," said Randy Stratton, the city's code enforcement manager.
The request, Stratton said, was denied.
Roofs fall; fire risk rises
Among the 42 city citations of Johnson-affiliated properties that included fines or fees, 19 resulted from code enforcement for junk, roofs open to the sky or, in three cases, demolition of buildings so decrepit they had to be destroyed. The remaining 23 were for weed abatement: the vegetation grew so high that it constituted a fire hazard.
In three instances during the past five years, Kynship failed to pay its fines and the city put a lien on the properties.
In 19 of the 31 instances where fees were not involved, the city sent a violation notice to St. HOPE or Kynship telling them someone had illegally dumped trash on a property. One of those notices was for the lot on 33rd Street -- the one with the dead animals.
Kynship was hit with three violations last month as part of the city's new crackdown on vacant buildings. If the company does not at least begin repairs on those buildings within 30 days, it could face ramped-up fines starting at $1,000 per violation.
Johnson did not respond to The Bee's repeated attempts to reach him for comment via phone, e-mail, a letter left at his Curtis Park home and a handwritten note left at Sacramento High -- the charter school founded in 2003 by St. HOPE Academy. Asked whether Johnson would agree to an interview, Hiestand, Johnson's longtime friend, responded: "I don't think that's going to happen."
In a spring 2007 interview published in Stanford University's "Social Innovation Review," however, Johnson called his company's development projects a success. The projects are a crucial part of his Oak Park renovation plan, he said, because they provide a tangible benefit to the community.
"We felt that young people and families on the edge of hopelessness needed to see something real," he said.
Hiestand and other employees of Johnson's companies charged with overseeing his properties acknowledge that they are aware of complaints about many of the parcels -- from the city and from neighbors.
Members of a group called "Oak Park United against Slumlords" -- OPUS -- have appeared before the Sacramento City Council and other government bodies, pleading for someone to force Johnson to develop or at least clean up the properties.
Ron Emslie, who heads OPUS, said the group has targeted Johnson because he and his organizations own a lion's share of key properties in the community's core and have received millions in taxpayer funds.
"He's got a monopoly on anything close by or developable," Emslie said. "We believe he's stopping progress in Oak Park."
Other Oak Park residents who have lived in or near a Kynship property have complained directly to the company that maintenance is lacking.
"Some projects, like 40 Acres, he's done right," said Alan Lehman, who lives near one of the vacant homes, on San Jose Way. "But sitting on properties, letting them deteriorate, he's not delivering on his promise."
Vacant house crime magnet
Much of Johnson's story is well known. He started coming home to Sacramento in the late 1980s, pledging to transform his old neighborhood through education reform and economic development. He had notable, highly publicized development successes, including rehabilitating key properties in the Broadway corridor, such as the U.S. Bank Building with its majestic columns, the multihued Oak Park Victorian and the 40 Acres complex.
His ability to bring mainstream commerce to the area in the form of a Starbucks and a bank overcame initial business community skepticism.
Records on other properties tell a different, less-heralded story. Over and over, neighbors and city officials have tried to get Johnson's organizations to fix a roof; remodel a substandard house; even cut a lawn. In return, city records show, they often get talk but little action.
For example, a short distance from 40 Acres is a vacant lot at 3535 Third Ave., the site of Johnson's most egregious code enforcement case, according to city officials.
The lot once contained a high-water bungalow purchased by Kynship in 2000. For more than 3½ years, the code enforcement department battled with Kynship, pushing the company to make needed repairs on what it deemed a dangerous building.
Kynship boarded and secured the house, but city code enforcement records show little was spent on repairs. The vacant structure became a center for drug use, prostitution and a magnet for transients and graffiti, according to police reports, city records and neighbors.
Sgt. Matt Young, a spokesman for the Sacramento Police Department, said vacant homes in higher-crime areas such as Oak Park are particularly attractive to criminals.
"The word gets around that there is a vacant house," he said. "It's not fair to the rest of the community if they have to deal with that traffic."
More than $20,000 in fines and fees followed; the home started to list. In April 2004, the city grew so frustrated that it threatened to send the case to the city attorney for prosecution.
Hiestand said Kynship "did everything we could to manage the property." He said Kynship fought against tearing the house down, hoping instead to relocate it to make way for a pediatric medical center on the site.
City records, however, indicate Kynship officials vacillated about what to do with the bungalow. In 2003, the company tried to halt condemnation, saying it was waiting for a city loan to make the fixes. Three months later, Kynship put off the repairs, saying it had purchased other properties and was rehabilitating them first.
But, on March 31, 2005, Kynship gave final authorization to destroy the building. The city charged the company $11,773 for the demolition work, administrative fees and penalties.
Now, a neighboring Kynship bungalow, at 3519 Third Ave. is deteriorating in a similar manner, according to city code enforcement reports. Kynship bought that property in 2000; the enforcement case has been open since January 2006.
Last July 27, Kynship submitted an application for a $26,000 renovation of the home. On Aug. 22, Al Williamson, the St. HOPE employee charged with overseeing vacant lots, commercial buildings and properties with violations, notified the city that the plan is being modified. Stratton, the city's code enforcement manager, said Williamson has yet to move forward.
"This is two months now without action or follow through," Stratton said. If nothing is done by Wednesday, he said Kynship will be fined $1,000.
Boarded-up bakery unstable
Two of the ongoing code enforcement cases involve buildings visible from the St. HOPE Development office.
Across the street is the former bar Don Ju's Swiss Club, which St. HOPE bought in 2003. The city deemed the multiuse building uninhabitable in August 2006. Next door is the former Esther's Bakery, at 3408 Third Ave.
Owned by Kynship since 1999, the brick bakery is boarded shut and posted with no trespassing signs. Labeling it unsafe, the city has been threatening to levy heavy fines for the past year. Out back, part of the building has collapsed.
The structure is so unstable that the company can't even put a roof on it, Williamson said, for fear the weight would send it toppling onto adjacent buildings. Asked whether Kynship had plans to clean up rubble inside, visible from the alley, Williamson said he "hadn't even considered going inside."
St. HOPE's Web site says Don Ju's will be renovated this year and Esther's Bakery will be rehabilitated within five years. But in August, Williamson submitted demolition permits for the two buildings and Hiestand said no plans are pending to rebuild on the sites.
"Unless we get a tenant inked, nothing pencils out," he said.
A pattern of repeated violations and inaction also is evident at many of Johnson's vacant lots, city records show. Neighbors who live near those lots say they are tired of the trouble they cause: illegal dumping, transient encampments and an aura of neighborhood decline. Over and over, residents said they'd at least like to see the lots maintained and fenced.
Though the city does not typically require fencing, Hiestand said Kynship did look "at the numbers and considered (fencing the lots) but it doesn't make economic sense." Two of Kynship's 15 empty lots are fenced.
Citing fire danger, city officials have cut or plowed Kynship's overgrown lots about two dozen times during the past three years -- the duration of the city's weed abatement files -- and fined his organizations about $5,000 for the work.
"We're not in the lawn business," said Sacramento Fire Marshal Troy Malaspino. "We're the Fire Department."
Williamson, an engineer, said he's needed time to understand city regulations related to vacant lots. He said the company has mowed its lots, too, but the weeds grow back quickly. He's protested the city's 2007 clearings, accusing the city of not giving him adequate notice.
Mom's former home decaying
Not all of the properties in the 37-parcel portfolio lie in the Broadway corridor, the hub of Johnson's urban renewal plans. Hiestand said some properties, such as those near Johnson's childhood home on 16th Avenue, were chosen for sentimental reasons.
Kynship purchased a brick Tudor on San Jose Way where Johnson's mother once lived, according to Hiestand. From the street, the house is attractive. But up close it shows signs of significant decay, with mortar easily flaking from between the bricks with a simple finger swipe.
Neighbors said -- and Hiestand confirmed -- that the house has been vacant for more than a year. They complained to St. HOPE of falling bricks, windows riddled with dry rot and weeds growing, at times, unchecked.
"My concern is that the house will disintegrate on the spot," said next-door neighbor James Bowland. Scanning the neighborhood, he added, "We have a nice house, they have a nice house, and then there's this eyesore. And, it's a safety hazard."
Bowland and other neighbors said their complaints about the property have not been adequately addressed. He and Alan Lehman, who lives down the street, said that for six months last year the yard was unwatered and unmowed -- except when neighbors pitched in and did the work.
Williamson acknowledged that he's been in frequent contact with Lehman about the San Jose Way house. "He shoots me an e-mail, I pass it to Kynship, they gather things and get it resolved," Williamson said. Hiestand said Kynship has tried to respond to the neighbors' concerns, including giving money to the neighbor on one side to help build a new fence.
Inside the home, on a recent tour arranged with Hiestand, the neglect was visible. A dead mouse lay on the kitchen floor, a vine was growing into the house through a crack in the window. Every surface was covered with a thick film of grime, floorboards were warped, and newspapers and old carpet foam were strewn throughout.
At one point, Hiestand looked into the dank basement and remarked, "I'm sure it probably stinks and it's probably ugly, but what do you want me to do?"
Lehman said friends of his offered to buy the home but were turned down. Kynship doesn't want to sell the house, according to Hiestand. Instead, he said the Johnson family plans a $175,000 remodel, including extensive mortar work, although he said no timeline has been set for the work.
Dreams -- but no concrete plans
Uncertainty dominates answers to questions about many of Johnson's properties. St. HOPE and Kynship officials said Johnson and his organizations have a lot of dreams for future projects, but they acknowledged that nothing firm is in the works.
"What's being done? Great question," Hiestand said, with a shrug.
Even the 40 Acres project, built with millions of dollars in assistance from public redevelopment funds, has not proved the catalyst Johnson and his team had hoped, Hiestand said. A lack of interested tenants and an economic downturn, he said, has meant Kynship and St. HOPE are unable to undertake projects that might otherwise appear to make fiscal sense.
"We won't do anything we can't finish," Hiestand said. "We won't do anything that isn't to the highest standard and won't do anything that won't contribute to the community."
Kynship also has struggled unsuccessfully for 18 months to find a commercial tenant for its renovated Oak Park Victorian on Broadway, Hiestand said.
Despite such economic difficulties, Kynship recently picked up its option to buy the former Made-Rite Sausage Co. site on the Broadway corridor, at 3352 First Ave., for an undisclosed sum. Kynship and St. HOPE Development officials have met with potential partners who could provide needed cash for developing the site, Hiestand said, but no deal has been reached.
Pahule, of the city's redevelopment agency, said Kynship and St. HOPE have discussed several scenarios for their Broadway parcels in recent years, but so far nothing has panned out. Although the agency doesn't track the economic benefits of Johnson's projects, Pahule said he thinks they helped bring in a few other new developments, including a loft project on Fourth Avenue.
Through much of an hourlong interview, Hiestand also maintained that Kynship was a model landowner for Oak Park. But after the tour of the house on San Jose Way, he conceded there might be some isolated problems.
"We have high standards, but I believe we may have fallen below those in some instances," he said. "The U.S. Bank building on Broadway, that's what we're about. This is an anomaly; it's an embarrassment."
The Bee's investigation found the attractive bank building far from the norm. Of the 37 Oak Park properties affiliated with Johnson, it is one of 10 with a structure and assessed value over $75,000. Fifteen are empty, mostly unfenced lots. Three are parking lots or playgrounds. Nine contain structures assessed at less than $75,000.
'I hate where I live'
Tammy Rodriguez rents one of the low-value homes on 33rd Street, around the corner from Johnson's childhood home. Hers is the house with the sewage bubbling outside, mold growing on bathroom baseboards and smelly shower water.
"I hate where I live," said Rodriguez, a tenant for more than two years. At $800 a month, she said, the three-bedroom home seemed like a good deal until the troubles started.
When she has problems, Rodriguez said she typically calls property manager HomePointe, which handles Kynship's rentals. HomePointe's general manager, Ann Fisher, said plumbers visited Rodriguez's home four times in June and July and ended up installing a new sewer line. Hiestand confirmed that he authorized the work.
"Kynship and Kevin Hiestand are great to work with," Fisher said. "We wouldn't represent a property owner that was not responsive."
In July, however, Rodriguez filed a complaint about ongoing sewage problems with the city code enforcement department, city records show. Fernandez, the code enforcement chief, said his department told Kynship representatives to send out another plumber.
Asked about the city's involvement, Fisher and Hiestand said that they were not aware that the sewage problems had continued. Fisher suggested Rodriguez might have been responsible.
"It might be something Tammy did," she said.
The night of The Bee's call, HomePointe sent out a plumber who cleared a blockage in the line.
But Christina Rodriguez, Tammy Rodriguez's adult daughter, who lives in the home, later said sewage was still coming out. "There's a pipe in back that needs some sort of cap," she said. "It still smells pretty bad back there."
Dead animals spur cleanup
The Rodriguezes live next door to the lot with the dead animals. Their neighbors and owners of some of the surrounding properties said they've complained about dumping and waist-high weeds there to the city or Kynship, but problems persist.
On a recent afternoon, Ramon Nickelberry led the way into the trash-strewn dirt lot, curious neighbors and their children straggling behind. The group headed toward a heap of garbage bags -- the suspected source of the putrid smell.
Nickelberry opened a bag and a mass of maggots spilled out. Inside was a bucket of entrails. People ran into the street, some covering their faces, others retching.
It was not the first time dead animals had been dumped in the lot, the Nickelberrys said, and not the first time they had remained there until they rotted.
After reporters showed up with a photographer, the Nickelberrys' landlord notified Kynship about the mess and Williamson hired a contractor to clear the lot.
St. HOPE understands the psychic damage trash-strewn lots can have on a community, Williamson said. In fact, the nonprofit was so concerned about illegal dumping that two years ago he began organizing community cleanups.
But Williamson was surprised to learn of the dead animal dumping, even though he said he frequently cruises by the lot, checking the height of the weeds.
"I've made sweeps," he said, but added: "I've never gotten out of the car."
See an interactive map showing Johnson's properties
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