Here it is...
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/485590.html
We knew it was coming... The interesting thing is to find, embedded in the text, on the last page, this tell-tale fact:
"The school has met academic criteria the state requires for a charter to be renewed."
There are, of course, financial criteria as well, but we believe from our experience with VAPAC, that it really takes an act of God (or gross malfeasance) to get a charter revoked or discontinued. We need to remember, however, that renewal of the charter doesn't necessarily mean renewal of the facilities lease. If the campus is underutilized, if middle school and possibly elementary school students are needed to justify continued usage, then perhaps our district should consider reclaiming the school for its own needs -- to rectify overcrowding at Hiram Johnson and Rosemont (the two schools that picked up the brunt or the former Sacramento High School's attendance areas).
Or perhaps the district should cherry-pick its brightest students and make it an "honors" academy -- heretofore referred to as the "St. Hope model." While St. Hope's numbers might look impressive to some, it is a wonder that they cannot keep their enrollment up. Many teachers throughout the district are shouting that if they were allowed to teach at a school where the repercussions for misbehavior were expulsion, they would show similar if not better gains in their classrooms. Furthermore, school and community pride would increase because of the nature and character of the students attending. But the reality of the situation is, our district expels about 5 students a year, and while the district blathers on about higher academic expectations, they do nothing about having higher behaviour expectations.
When we look at St. Hope, we see no innovative teaching design or advanced curricular models. We see the status quo -- high teacher burnout and turnover, disenchanted students (as evidenced by declining enrollment), and administrative mismanagement and confusion. In short, what almost every district high school has to offer.
But we also see students hungry to learn in an environment that fosters a positive educational atmosphere and pride in academics (not unlike the MESL program when it was at Sacramento High School). What the district and community need to examine is how much longer will we put up with schools that harbor felons and illegal and illicit activities? How much longer will we allow the district to merely suspend a child for 5 days for engaging in a bloody brawl on campus instead of removing the child or attempting to help the child? Or to do what the district likes to do: disenroll the child from one school and send him or her to another district school, never addressing the problem of the student's behaviour. Case in point: Last year two teacher were punched by students while attempting to break up an altercation. Both students, after much complaining by teachers and parents, were disenrolled from the high school. One ended up at Capitol City, the other Health Professions.
Simply put, when is the district going to create the campus environments that facilitate higher academic goals and expectations?
If the St. Hope model allows them to remove behaviour problems for infractions or even offer stiff consequences for minor misbehaviour difficulties (i.e. Friday Night Blues), when is this district going to have the courage to support its administrators, teachers, and most importantly, its students by allowing them to offer similar consequences for those who interfere with or impede the academic process and disrupt or are detrimental to the school environment?
However naive or impractical, these are some of the questions that the St. Hope situation raises in our minds.
We knew it was coming... The interesting thing is to find, embedded in the text, on the last page, this tell-tale fact:
"The school has met academic criteria the state requires for a charter to be renewed."
There are, of course, financial criteria as well, but we believe from our experience with VAPAC, that it really takes an act of God (or gross malfeasance) to get a charter revoked or discontinued. We need to remember, however, that renewal of the charter doesn't necessarily mean renewal of the facilities lease. If the campus is underutilized, if middle school and possibly elementary school students are needed to justify continued usage, then perhaps our district should consider reclaiming the school for its own needs -- to rectify overcrowding at Hiram Johnson and Rosemont (the two schools that picked up the brunt or the former Sacramento High School's attendance areas).
Or perhaps the district should cherry-pick its brightest students and make it an "honors" academy -- heretofore referred to as the "St. Hope model." While St. Hope's numbers might look impressive to some, it is a wonder that they cannot keep their enrollment up. Many teachers throughout the district are shouting that if they were allowed to teach at a school where the repercussions for misbehavior were expulsion, they would show similar if not better gains in their classrooms. Furthermore, school and community pride would increase because of the nature and character of the students attending. But the reality of the situation is, our district expels about 5 students a year, and while the district blathers on about higher academic expectations, they do nothing about having higher behaviour expectations.
When we look at St. Hope, we see no innovative teaching design or advanced curricular models. We see the status quo -- high teacher burnout and turnover, disenchanted students (as evidenced by declining enrollment), and administrative mismanagement and confusion. In short, what almost every district high school has to offer.
But we also see students hungry to learn in an environment that fosters a positive educational atmosphere and pride in academics (not unlike the MESL program when it was at Sacramento High School). What the district and community need to examine is how much longer will we put up with schools that harbor felons and illegal and illicit activities? How much longer will we allow the district to merely suspend a child for 5 days for engaging in a bloody brawl on campus instead of removing the child or attempting to help the child? Or to do what the district likes to do: disenroll the child from one school and send him or her to another district school, never addressing the problem of the student's behaviour. Case in point: Last year two teacher were punched by students while attempting to break up an altercation. Both students, after much complaining by teachers and parents, were disenrolled from the high school. One ended up at Capitol City, the other Health Professions.
Simply put, when is the district going to create the campus environments that facilitate higher academic goals and expectations?
If the St. Hope model allows them to remove behaviour problems for infractions or even offer stiff consequences for minor misbehaviour difficulties (i.e. Friday Night Blues), when is this district going to have the courage to support its administrators, teachers, and most importantly, its students by allowing them to offer similar consequences for those who interfere with or impede the academic process and disrupt or are detrimental to the school environment?
However naive or impractical, these are some of the questions that the St. Hope situation raises in our minds.
posted by All of Us at
2:27 PM
379 Comments:
Visit cbs13.com and to the right of the screen take the CBS 13 poll.
Should the school district let Sac High continue to be run by a private group?
Seems as if st hope already alerted staff to take the poll.
It is confirmed ST HOPE is calling teachers and telling them to go to cbs13.com and vote yes.
Call your friends and family let them vote on cbs13.com
As a teacher I was just TOLD by my boss to vote yes my opinion does not count.
I still don't understand how St. Hope(less?) manages to dump so many students onto the other schools but can't raise their test scores.
Although it's McClatchy--not Rosemont--whose enrollment is impacted by students who would have attended Sac High.
I wish all schools could enforce rules like St Hope is allowed to. When you enforce the little rules, kids are much less likely to think about breaking the big ones. So, if not doing your homework means Friday detention, with consequences that include being removed from the school, students think twice before skipping class--and don't even consider worse infractions. At the district high schools, students often think detention is a joke. Why? Because the only thing school administrators are allowed to do as a follow through is suspension. If they suspend too many kids, then they hear from Dr. Mejia on how they should suspend fewer kids. After three months of meetings on the same student, then admin can ask the district to remove the student. But usually they won't for at least another too months of meetings. The kids *know* this, they see it and they take advantage of it. What I can't imagine is that St Hope(less) teachers cannot do more with the ability to enforce discipline. What are they doing there that they are in program improvement instead of up for state recognition?
Identify the people who have posted comments to the sac bee article:
http://www.sacbee.com/dyn/comments/standard/comments_separate.html?uri=http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/485590.html&avatar=n&tie_to=485590&o=d&ud=d
hagdann- Dann Hagstrom (Teacher STHOPE)
cedricb57 - Cedric Burgess (Staff STHOPE)
leavingsac - (Staff STHOPE DISTRICT)
alewilliamson - Al Williamson (Staff STHOPE)
lorijab - Lori (community member)
teacherofmath - (Former Teacher STHOPE)
Alicia,
I'm not sure your affiliation, but to clarify I am Lori Jablonski, who has been opposed to the Sacramento High School giveaway from day one (for the very simple reason, that public resources should not be given away to single entities such as St. Hope and Kevin Johnson...they belong to the public and should always be subject to strict public scrutiny and oversight). I teach at McClatchy High School, where I have taught former Sac Charter students (currently four former Sac Charter kids are in my classes).
My son graduated from Sacramento High School in 2001 and during his years there we had three other Sac High students from Oak Park live with us after they were essentially abandoned...thus I am versed on many of realities facing the kids living there. That said, Sac High was the neighborhood school for Downtown, Midtown, East Sac and Oak Park. As such it was one of the most diverse places not just in Sacramento but in the entire state. It was never a school whose sole purpose was to serve Oak Park.
I spoke out numerous times at school board meetings against the take over, helped elect a new school board and have written on several occasions to the Bee on this matter. I am a great admirer of Heidi McLean, Kate Lenox, Patrice Rogers, Ellyne Bell and all the others who have worked publicly on this issue for years. I do wish others would do the same and come forward in public with their names, especially those who seem to know details about the situation at Sac Charter. To that end, Alicia M, could you please tell us more: your full name and affiliation? Thank you so much.
http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/489295-p2.html
Denise Lee - Teacher
Genevieve Sides - 1st Year Teacher at Sacramento (Charter) Hi
Ms. Jablonski, I appreciate your honesty. But what you are saying points out an obvious flaw in where high schools are located in SCUSD. Where are the high schools in midtown, downtown and East Sac? (why not build the consent decree at Kit Carson? well, for one thing, the neighbors did not want that to happen). Sac High is right in the middle of Oak Park. Even if it is a charter school, it is available as an option to anybody who is interested. What you seem to be implying is that you are uncomfortable with St. Hope as the operator of the school. The Bee's chart shows that Sac High has more African Americans. Isn't it a good thing that African American students have a school where they can study with teachers and administrators who have high expectations and understand where they are coming from? At your own school, McClatchy, SCUSD can barely get a handle on things. It was shocking to hear a teacher getting in to a fight with a parent. Also, there have been several gun incidents.
Sac High is not in the middle of Oak Park, it is on the very north edge. It historically served Oak Park, East Sac, College Greens, River Park, parts of Rosemont, Downtown and Midtown. Those students now face a substanial commute to a public high school. The diversity of the old sac hi was an incredible asset to education, one that does not exist for the current sac high students.
The results of the st hope experiment do not justify it being continued. If st hope were as good at education as they are at pr and image building then I might agree that it were worth continuing but that is not the case. You mention the gun incident at CKM but forget that Sac Charter also has had several gun incidents, incidents of sexual misconduct by staff, all of which they manage to keep out of the press.
The Bee invested to much in to the take over of Sac High by st hype to not continue it's support. Do not expect them to be objective. Their investment in st hype will not allow them to admit they were wrong 5 years ago.
So much for real investigative journalism.
The Bee is simply reporting the facts. SCUSD's high schools are stuck in a time warp. They are incredibly dysfunctional. Many of us in the city of Sacramento would like to see our schools improve so we can entrust them to educate our children. A flight to the suburbs is something we would rather avoid. Charter schools are what cities everywhere have been relying on to implement radical changes in our education system.
Change is good when it is for the better. In the case of st hype, not so good.
Hello anonymous (wish I could address you be your name),
No I'm not implying I'm uncomfortable with St. Hope operating the charter, I am saying outright that I was and am opposed to giving a large public asset to a private charter operator, no matter who the operator might be. St. Hope should feel free to pursue its charter school dreams, but they need to find another site. Don't deliberately confuse the issues by bringing up Kit Carson...the school was built to function as a middle school, not a high school (and as such serves hundreds of middle school students from Oak Park in addition to kids from Downtown, East Sac, etc.). Sacramento High School was built to serve all high school age students--college bound, those unsure of college, ELL, Special Ed, the whole gamut-- from (again I repeat) Downtown, River Park, Midtown, East Sac, Oak Park, etc. Sacramento High School should be returned to the community.
By the way, we do have a pretty good handle on things at CKM, despite several regrettable incidents that were fully and openly reported in the Bee. We've had many public meetings (attended by hundreds a piece) as we continue to address school and community safety -- I welcome anyone who is interested to attend our school's Shared Decision Making Committee Meeting next Monday at 3:30 to see us in action.
Thanks.
FILE THIS ONE UNDER, YOU MUST BE FREAKIN' KIDDING...KJ TO THE RESCUE IN DC!!!
From today's Washington Post:
D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee is considering bringing in national nonprofit charter school operators to manage at least two dozen of the city's lowest-performing schools, one of the first indications of how she might proceed in reforming the 49,600-student school system.
Hobson said there are 25 traditional public schools in the restructuring phase, while state education officials put the number at 27. Four charter schools have also failed to meet testing benchmarks.
According to Hobson, Rhee told the parents and teachers she met with Monday that three nonprofits potentially could run some D.C. schools: St. Hope, a charter operator in Sacramento; Green Dot, which operates 12 charter schools in the Los Angeles area; and Philadelphia-based Mastery Charter Schools.
Rhee has a personal connection with St. Hope. She recruited teachers for St. Hope in her former position as chief executive and president of the nonprofit New Teacher Project. She also was a board member of St. Hope for about a year until she was appointed chancellor, according to a St. Hope official.
Today's article about the teacher shortage at Johnson (http://www.sacbee.com/education/story/493145.html) is yet another example of SCUSD's dysfunction. SCUSD is just not set up to respond to serious education related problems. It is hard to believe that quite a few people would like to give Sac High back to SCUSD. Why would anybody want another dysfunctional SCUSD high school? St. Hope, even with its own problems, at least has Sac High on the right track.
A simple response to anon. above...
It is called public accountability. Yes, the district is screwing up with respect to Johnson, but those 200 new kids did not just appear out of thin air, they are attending Johnson rather than Sac Charter. The issue is being hashed out publicly in the Bee and the district is being held responsible. Throwing up one's hands and giving a public resource up to a private operator that lacks that kind of transparent public scrutiny is not the answer. The answer is public engagement, public involvement and demanding that the board and the district be responsive...if not you vote for new board members who are willing to hold those at the top responsible...the basics of American democracy, by the way.
It also should be noted that the teachers who have stepped up are doing so without fear of reprisal...they are talking to the press and lobbying the district and board using their names, not doing so anonymously for fear of whatever...another important reason to keep public resources in the public realm. Too bad so many current and former teachers at Sac Charter do not feel the freedom to take such public action on behalf of the students.
There never would have been a St. Hope take-over if the old Sac High had been doing its job effectively. It is not acceptable with what is going on in SCUSD's schools. The slow, deliberate democratic process has failed us for a long time. We need a faster, more responsive & more efficient system.
"DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM HAS FAILED US"
Now that's a scarey statement. I guess you can try living in Cuba or China.
Ah, "the st hope way".
Facist Dictatorships work well in place of the "Democratic process". I'm sure that is the st hope way. It is a role that kj can embrace.
Mary Sheldon visited Sacramento Charter this morning. I am sure ST HOPE was aware and did the following:
1) Alerting the teaching staff
2) Answering all her questions in positive tone.
3) Entering the spin zone
SCUSD needs to make unannounced visits to Sacramento Charter.
Go ahead and just ignore the argument for "a more responsive & efficient system." It isn't acceptable what is happening at Hiram Johnson now. And it will not be acceptable to have another dysfunctional school at the Sac High campus.
Sacrafice the democratic process and that is exactly what you will have, "another dysfunctional school at the Sac High Campus".
Mary is a smart person and will know a dog and pony show. But it isn't going to change the outcome.
Tonight's Meeting
8:16 p.m. - Public Comment
8:51 p.m. - Consent Decree
yeah, got to hand it to ol' Mussolini, he was certainly efficient! and his propaganda machine never failed to remind the people how responsive he was, even as he was marching them into Fascist hell. anonymous, I hope the response was sufficient.
Well, all the "anonymous" posters, you certainly were not at the SCUSD board meeting tonight. There was lots to dislike in the staff report to the board, but no one was there to question the staff's inaccurate portrayal except me. Board member Young commented that obviously there was almost no support for the co-location of the school at Sac Charter. I can only assume that, except for Erik Jones, there is no one brave enough to step forward and speak in public. It is such a pity that those who watch cable TV will only get one point of view.
Jerry Houseman went on at length about a great school facility in NY that is home to 5 different schools and is very successful. I think Board member Houseman also said that he knew that couldn't happen here because "you" (speaking to the St. HOPE people in the audience)don't want it. He seems to have forgotten that the school board gets to determine who uses the facility.
"The answer is public engagement, public involvement and demanding that the board and the district be responsive..."
Of course the answer is public engagement, public involvement and demanding that the board and the district be responsive. That is obvious. So, why aren't all the "anonymous" posters on this blog going to board meetings and making those demands and urging others to do likewise? This blog doesn't fill the void. How don't know how many of you "anonymous" posters there are, but you have just as much of an obligation to come forward as anyone else. If more people came forward it might empower others to do the same. Of course, you already know that.
because they are all HYPE...
whereas ST HOPE is all about action and results...
amazing how all the "absent anons" use the reference st hype...
It's too bad that Terri Hardy isn't writting on education instead of the development piece. Then the education story might have some meat to it.
It was only a matter of time before Michelle Rhee invited her "special friend" KJ to set up a school in her new backyard. Hopefully however, DCPS will have the good sense to study the results at Sac High and realize there are numerous charter entities more qualified to bolster student achievement for DC kids.
Nice st hype written editorial in the Bee today 11/19/07. What happened to an independent press and journalistic ingerity?
Watch Kevin Johnson on Charlie Rose:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DE__5af4JA8
Was added August 27, 2007
Seven Public Schools?
I can see it now-KJ flies in with a banner reading "Mission Accomplished"
I taught English a long time ago. Erik how does anon actually translate?
St Hype will get their charter renewed but they can't get the facility. Done and done.
Politics will play a big role in the SCUSD decision to renew the CHARTER FOR SACRAMENTO HIGH SCHOOL.
Once approved it will pave the way for a new journey for ST HOPE.
Please discuss...
"New St Hope Journey", Today Oak Park, tomorrow the WORLD!
Carter,
I'll discuss when the time is right
When will that be? Or is it ROSEWOOD? I would like to get KOJO on it as soon as possible.
When the time is right carter. I will call for a ROSEWOOD.
During the ROSEWOOD meeting the admin staff/co-principals will finally get to know the plan 3 weeks late.
ROSEWOOD 4PM
Carter needs to get a life.
I wonder how the meeting with ST HOPE and the BEE went. Anyone know?
The Bee probably agreed to publish another St Hype written editorial as their own.
https://teachercred.ctc.ca.gov/teachers/PublicSearchProxy
Not a good link. And why?
Carter died for your sins...
Here is the outcome of the meeting ST HOPE had with Daniel and the Bee Editorial Staff:
http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/534132.html
St Hope runs the Bee.
Soon all of you can shut up for another 5 years. St Hope will have it's charter renewed, get the facility and move forward. This will leave you whining for another 5 years, while St Hope continues it's progress towards being the finest urban high school. Thanks for providing entertainment and laughs though.
"Anonymous"
You have not learned anything from working for ST HOPE. 'HOPE' is ALWAYS CAPITALIZED ALWAYS.
"Anonymous"
You quiting soon?
Her aim is true...
To: SCUSD Board Members
Fm: Allison Alair
Re: Only 486 students from the old Sac High attendance area are attending Sacramento Charter High School? Please ask St. HOPE to find a new facility for their small school.
Dear School Board Members,
I am-
-A voting, tax paying, resident of the old Sac High attendance area (College Greens/Glen Brook) with a daughter in the 4th grade at Bancroft, who I hoped would be a Sac High Dragon in the class of 2016.
-A Sac High alumnus from the class of 1983.
-The first student member on the SCUSD Board of Education (1982-83)
-Daughter of two Sac High grads, class of 1952. (My brother and uncle also graduated from Sac High).
-A teacher at Sacramento Charter High School 2003-2006.
-A teacher at Einstein Middle School (02-03)
-Currently, a teacher at Arthur A. Benjamin Health Professions High School.
-A proud SCUSD graduate of: Thomas Jefferson, Kit Carson, Sac High
If you do vote to renew the charter for Sacramento Charter High School, please vote to not renew their lease at the 34th street site. St. HOPE is wasting our district resources by having a school that is less than half full. Furthermore, less than half of the students that attend the charter school are students from the old Sac High attendance area- only 486. You are giving St. HOPE a charter to educate students from Elk Grove, Natomas, and many other districts and attendance areas, but not from the old Sac High attendance area. Students from the old Sac High attendance area have been forced to attend Johnson, McClatchy and Burbank. What does that say about the service our students are getting from St. HOPE? I had no idea it was this bad. If you want a small high school for just Oak Park, then you've got it. St. HOPE is not serving the SCUSD students of the old Sac High attendance area. It has also gone from an ethnically diverse school, to one that is not.
Ironically, Sacramento Charter High School now claims that it would be impossible to share the campus with another small high school, when in fact their charter stated that they would have 6 small high schools on one campus. Even if St. HOPE's intention was to have six, separate, autonomous, small high schools on one campus, they have failed to live up to the promises listed in their charter. It is now one, small high school.
I believed in the dream of the new Sac High and made a huge commitment to help be part of the change. I taught there for 3 years. Unfortunately, the promises in the charter were not fulfilled. I left Sacramento Charter High School because like all of the many other dedicated educators that have left before me and since, I realized that the vision outlined in the charter is not being carried out.
At the risk of sounding like a disgruntled ex-employee, I have not spoken out. However, the statistics revealed in the school board meeting of 11/15 shocked and horrified me. I am asking you to please consider the harsh reality that St. HOPE is not doing what its charter said it would do. Out of the 486 students from the old attendance area that are currently attending Sacramento Charter High School, how many of them are from Oak Park? I couldn't tell from the scatter map, but I would guess that most of them are from Oak Park. The maps and statistics that were presented at the 11/15 board meeting clearly showed that the parents of downtown, mid-town, East Sac, College Greens, Glen Brook, and other neighborhoods of the old attendance area, are not sending their students to Sacramento Charter High School. You need merely ask the question- why not?- in order to understand that there is a huge problem.
Sacramento Charter High School's attendance is too low to validate St. HOPE using the entire campus. If they are unwilling to share, they need to find a new facility. We need to offer the hundreds of students that left Sac High to go to Johnson, McClatchy, Burbank, and Rosemont the option of attending the new high school. Over enrollment at the other high schools with refugees from the old Sac High, have caused many problems and safety issues at the other large high schools in the district.
It's not too late. Please be brave and ask St. HOPE to find another facility for their charter school. We need the building back. We paid for it, and have been paying for it since 1856. We should get to use it and the district should serve the students who live in the attendance area. We tried St. HOPE, and it didn’t work.
I am also disturbed that the Sacramento Charter High School dance teacher's comment at the 11/15 SCUSD board meeting. Dance teacher Ms. Sheila Coleman publicly stated that they have non-credentialed people teaching advisory classes at Sacramento Charter High School. She specifically mentioned that Ronnie Johnson, Kevin Johnson’s little brother, and other non-credentialed people “need all of the space available to teach advisory classes.” What St. HOPE says, and what St. HOPE does is often incongruent.
I have been afraid to attend the public meetings asking for input on the location of the replacement high school, even though the outcome affects me directly as a parent of a soon-to-be high school student. I am intimidated by the herd of St. HOPE paid staff that have organized supporters for the charter school.
Please use our limited resources wisely and help St. HOPE find another facility to rent for their charter high school. You closed the school, please don't give away the public property it sat on.
Allison Alair
SCUSD Parent, SCUSD Teacher, SCUSD Alumnus, SCUSD Student Board Member (1983)
Allison Alair, a real DRAGON, bleeds purple and truly cares about kids. I hope her courage to speak out does not fall on deaf ears.
see today's Bee editorial at http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/543258.html SCUSD is not equipped to manage its schools. Another SCUSD campus at Sac High is not likely to be successful.
My understanding is that the SCUSD Board will make that determination, not the Bee.
glad all of you racist white folks think that sac high doesn't serve the needs of its community. as you'll recall, scusd failed sac high for many years - is that what you want? true dragon spirit my ass. this is about kids, not about your special memories. grow up!
Alison,
You need to attend the board meetings, call the board 643-9314, fax a letter, e-mail them a letter.
ST HOPE knows they are in trouble, and it will indeed only get worse for them as the 20th of this month approaches.
One "co-principal" is worried about his job, because he doesn't have an Administrative Credential, and knows he will not get a job elsewhere.
The saga continues ----------
St. HOPE has made substantive changes to their charter. Why is this a renewal and not a new charter petition? Gone are the small schools. Now Sac Charter will have Small Learning Communities. How is that an alternative to what SCUSD offers? Does this mean that the Gates Foundation was/is mistaken about breaking large high schools into small, individual schools?
Their renewal charter also mentions 6-8 grade students. That is not part of the original charter.
Counting the number of students who have been accepted by colleges is a poor way to measure success. Counting the number of students who succeed in college is a better way to measure success.
To anonymous who made the comment "racist white foks", you don't have to be white to be a racist. Racism comes in all colors. When one group of people is treated with preference over another it is racism. Look in the mirror.
WELL SAID ALLISON,
Don't be afraid to speak out, I was for too long and now I feel that my experience is too removed to be of help to any of you. I've been gone now for three years.
I have sounded like a disgruntled ex-employee (which maybe I am) due to quotes in the paper, but I think that is because I waited so long to speak out, I don't have new facts to support what I know is still true at St. HOPE and I was to afraid to speak out when I did have more facts.
Now, as a parent of a kid who will someday attend in this district I am once again interested in how they spend their money and what they allow in the district. If they want to support the charter fine, but the campus should be returned to students and a community that need it (yes, I'm part of that community but my daughter will NEVER attend any St. HOPE program).
Allison, I know how hard we all worked to try and make that school work, so the argument that teachers who quit just don't want to work hard enough falls short with me, and would with anyone who knows you. Everyone who started that program wanted that charter to work, but you can't function in an environment of fear and intimidation, chaos, crime.
Please mail your letter, and for what it's worth I'll write one too. You rock.
Mara
It is settled that the consent decree school is at Marian Anderson? What were a few things discussed at the Board meeting last night? The Bee article today was very brief (http://www.sacbee.com/education/story/550255.html)
No it is not settled that the Consent Decree High School will be at Marian Anderson. That is the staff recommendation. The board doesn't have to follow the recommendation.
If people have questions about the staff recommendation send those questions to Jerry Houseman, Roy Grimes and Miguel Navarrette.
The board must vote on this issue. It is absurd to convert Marian Anderson into a high school.
Heidi, I appreciate your tenacity but the fat lady is singing. 5 more years of ST HOPE.
Dear Anonymous,
The point isn't 5 more years of St. HOPE. The point is where will the Consent Decree HS be located and equity and access for the students who don't want to go to St. HOPE's Sacramento Charter High School. If the State of California wants to allow charters to be renewed which have not lived up to the program outlined in their charter, so be it. That is a regulatory, legislative issue. It is up to SCUSD staff and board of education to treat charter schools no better than their own non-charter schools. That includes facilities. Marian Anderson is not a good site for a high school. St. HOPE needs to share the Sacramento High School campus. That is the issue.
The truth regarding Sac Charter will only be seen if someone follows up on the success rate, and enrollment rate of Sac Charter graduates. ST. HOPE is the entity that continuously brags about how many of their students have been accepted by colleges. That isn't the same as going to college, and it isn't the same as being successful in college. It also has no relevance to having the critical thinking skills necessary to be an active participant in a democracy. How sad that the leadership of St. HOPE is incapable of setting a good example for the students by showing a willingness to have that campus fully utilized by HIGH SCHOOL students. Sharing is obviously not part of the St. HOPE mindset. However, it should be part of the SCUSD mindset, since they force it on their own schools.
I'm still waiting for all the "anonymous" posters on this site to reveal who they are.
The "Consent Decree" high school is going to Marian Anderson. That's the staff recomendation and this board isn't going to go against staff recomendations. I hear the lady singing. Time to move on Heidi, find another battle.
It is always good to have proof that elected officials were presented with the information they needed to vote against the staff recommendation. That is what happened in the case of CASA. The board meetings are recorded. If the consent decree high school is put at Marian Anderson it will come back to haunt those who vote for it.
Fight thje power Heidi. You never let the bastards grind you down...
When is the next meeting?
The next board meeting is on Dec. 20. The agenda is not posted yet. Sac Charter's so-called renewal should be an action item. The same for the location of the Consent Decree High School.
Anonymous, are you a district employee who knows how the board will vote in advance? Why don't you share with us who will vote which way?
Does anyone know why Sac Bee columnist Daniel Weintraub, and former SCUSD Board of Education Member Jay Schenirer send their children to C.K. McClatchy? Both of these men are firm, public supporters of Sacramento Charter High School.
6 yea and 1 abstention
Do I hear someone singing?
Not at Sac Charter-there is no music program.
There is no music program at Sac Charter? That seems odd.
Odd at Sac Charter, there's a surprise.
If they are singing it's Gospel.
As the great sage, Yogi Berra said: "It aint over til it's over." The Board has 3 trustees who voted against the charter 5 years ago. Ms. McLean, what does your fellow litigant, Ellyne Bell, tell you?
I have no fellow litigant because I'm not a litigant. Sorry, Yogi. I encourage everyone to contact all the board members if they have facts to share about St. HOPE, or concerns. I still don't understand how St. HOPE's petition can be called a renewal since it adds in 6 - 8 grades. PS7 is the charter for K- 8. Sacramento Charter High School is suppoed to be 9-12.
Fa-la,la. La, la, la
I feel the board will vote to put the decree at Marian Anderson.
Board Votes my opinion:
Karen Young A yes yes she can be violating brown act now by discussing matters she should not be. Note I said she could be, I have not been able to gather enough proof, but do belive it is out there. Possible recorded coversations, phone calls, etc.
Roy Grimes will likely exclude himself from voting
When I form an opinion on the others I will post.
radical proposal: have St. Hope take over Hiram Johnson. Have most of the Johnson teachers transfer to the new SCUSD campus at Sac High. The best thing St. Hope did was blow up the old Sac High. Now it is time for someone to blow up Hiram Johnson.
why would Roy Grimes exclude himself? conflict of interest? I think his daughter used to work for St. Hope.
Well Grimes might just vote YES after all.
Bell will surely vote yes on renewal as well.
http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/568981.html
Another editorial written for ST HOPE again, of course the person that wrote it wants to remain nameless, do you blame them?
The board meeting is on December 20th. E-mail the board you opinion on ST HOPE, CC Maggie Mejia on all e-mails.
Manny Hernandez manny.hernandez@comcast.net
Roy Grimes rgconsultant@sbcglobal.net
Karen Young jeank@sac-city.k12.ca.us
Ellyn Bell
ellynebell@yahoo.com
Miguel Navarette navasac@sbcglobal.net
Jerry Houseman jerry@housemanconsulting.com
Rick Jennings rick@fathersandfamilies.com
Maggie Mejia Maggie-Mejia.CO_PO.SCUSD@saccity.
k12.ca.us
We are sure to see a big turnout from ST HOPE on December 20th at the board meeting, by students who don't want to be there. You will notice as you have in the past board meetings that these students are in extra curricular activities and ST HOPE is forcing their attendance.
Fa, la-la, la, la, la, la
2 days to total victory
Rhee's Plans Are Likely To Pass, Lawmakers Say
Parents, Unions Oppose Firings, Closings
By Nikita Stewart and Yolanda Woodlee
Washington Post Staff Writers
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/17/AR2007121701992.html
Tuesday, December 18, 2007; B01
The D.C. Council will probably approve two bills today that would give Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee the authority to fire nonunion central office employees and the funds to carry out the proposed closings of 23 public schools, several lawmakers said.
Both bills, requested by Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D), have drawn protests from different fronts and have been complicated by a budget deficit facing the school system. About $81 million of the $183 million supplemental appropriations bill would go to the schools.
Although the budget legislation would make the funds available that Rhee needs to close the schools, some council members are still pushing for a say in which schools will stay or go. For example, council member Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) has proposed saving Shaw Junior High School. "There are 140 schools, and we probably only need 100," he said.
Last night, 5-year-old Robert Hackett led a small protest march of parents and students to keep open Stevens Elementary School in Northwest. Rhee's plan calls for the school to be merged into nearby Francis Junior High School, where she outlined the merger to parents.
Robert, eight other students and 17 parents chanted, "Keep Stevens open," as they trekked the five blocks in wind and cold to Francis.
Robert's father, Bernard Hackett, said he did not like the idea of sending his son to a school with older children. "I want him to go to a junior high, but not before he's ready," he said.
Rhee faced heated criticism at the meeting. "I would appreciate if we could communicate respectfully," she told a parent after he derided the prospect of sending his child, a kindergartner at Stevens, to the junior high.
She told the audience that a reconfigured school can be successful and that she is trying to act "in the kids' best interests."
The Washington Teachers' Union and other unions representing school employees oppose the personnel bill, which would reclassify workers so they can be terminated without cause. About 100 to 150 nonunion employees could be affected, and the labor groups fear that the terminations could be just the beginning. Rhee's next target could be teachers, principals or others, they say.
The unions have proposed that potential firings be limited to employees classified as management and that those workers be allowed to retrain for other jobs within the system.
The unions have advertised their proposal as an alternative in a 60-second radio advertisement called "Hijacked" and using the O'Jays' "Back Stabbers" as background music.
Council member Harry Thomas Jr. (D-Ward 5) said he will put the union recommendations in a bill that he plans to offer today as a substitute to Fenty's proposal. Under the school takeover approved this year, the school system is part of city government and should adhere to the same personnel rules that apply to other departments, Thomas said. "We don't need three or four different personnel policies," he said. "Act fair across the government."
Thomas lobbied his colleagues at an administrative meeting yesterday and one-on-one with council Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D).
Although some council members agree with Thomas's reasoning, the council is likely to approve Fenty's request with some minor tweaks offered by Gray, lawmakers said.
"This is one of those where there is no middle ground," Gray said. The chairman hopes his amendments will address Thomas's concerns about consistent personnel rules.
Rhee needs the power to fire the employees so she can carry out her plans, Gray said.
Joslyn Williams, president of the Washington Metropolitan Council of the AFL-CIO, said in a statement that he was disappointed with Gray's proposed changes. "Stripped of its superficial exclusions and ambiguity, Chairman Gray's proposal echoes the draconian reform bill championed by Mayor Fenty and Chancellor Rhee."
Council member Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6), a former school board member who favors the bill, said the school system has for years had a militaristic setup with teachers and principals viewing the central office as their bosses. With Rhee's vision, the "central office needs to be more like customer service," he said. "It's a different model. It doesn't mean the central office is incompetent."
But some council members were sympathetic to the unions. "Firing people is not a panacea for improving . . . our schools," Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) said. "I've seen it over and over again. You make it easy to fire people, and you fire good people."
At a hearing last month on the bill, however, several parents described their experiences with central office employees who bungled work orders and seemed uninterested in helping students.
Since that hearing, Rhee announced the potential closing of 23 schools. Unions have tried to unite with parents because both are upset that they had little or no input in developing that list.
Nathan A. Saunders, general vice president of the teachers union, walked with the Stevens protesters last night.
"Reform will be done with us, not to us," he said. "It's not true reform until it involves the stakeholders."
st hope east
Notes from December 3rd SCUSD meeting at McClaskey Adult School: http://www.scusd.edu/com_office/FCPRO/NewHighSchoolCommunity%20Engagement%20Notes%2012-3-07.pdf
It was news to me that some are asking that the West Campus high school program move to the Sac High campus. St. Hope’s charter program would move to where the West Campus is now. This would make a lot of sense. Spending millions of dollars on a consent decree school that is not needed is outrageous. The money should be spent on upgrading/improving other SCUSD schools.
It makes sense, that guarantees it won't happen.
Let's all remember what ST HOPE wanted to do with SACRAMENTO HIGH FROM THE START!
http://www.reinventsachigh.com/sachigh/Concept%20Proposal%20FINAL.pdf
It was a nice trip down memory lane to look at the original concept again. The structure envisioned in their proposal was discarded almost immediately. Where was the SCUSD oversight to hold ST. HOPE accountable to their charter?
St. HOPE promised 6 schools. Now they will have what every other comprehensive high school in SCUSD has, "small learning communities". Is that innovative?
Has Superintendent Mejia responded to the concerns voiced by Eric Jones at the charter renewal hearing? Where are those answers?
Just a few more hours to go and I bet ST HOPE is giving the people talking tonight their "Talking Points"
This is sad, forcing the students to attend then forcing words down their mouth.
Sacramento Charter High School should be around 930 students in 9-12 right now if you go by the projection they lose about 30 kids every two months.
930 if all students attend everyday.
St. HOPE's enrollment has dropped 19% from last year. The second month enrollment reported at the SCUSD Board meeting is 974 with 48 of those students in Special Education. 782 are students from within the district. 212 are from outside the district.
The Board voted 6 - 1 in favor of renewing St. HOPE's charter. Ellyne Bell voted against it.
The vote on placing the Consent Decree at Marian Anderson was 4 to 2 with Roy Grimes and Miguel Navarette voting against that location.
A young man who used to go to St. HOPE made public comment during the charter renewal period. He spoke about the sexual harrassment that has been ignored and other very interesting matters. Manny Hernandez wouldn't let him finish speaking. This meeting will be broadcast on Channel 14 Sat. Dec. 22 at 2:00 pm and Sunday, Dec 23 at 6 pm. If you didn't attend the meeting watch, or check out the video from the library.
Even though St. HOPE has said they will no longer call themselves Sacramento High School, or Sac High they continued to do so during the meeting. They said how much they looked forward to working with the district and as soon as the charter was renewed started complaining about the district making them change parts of their renewal.
Susan Miller revealed that the current plan is to keep the Therapeutic Center at the Marian Anderson site and co-locate the high school students who want to attend the Consent Decree high school on that site. So, there would be high school students sharing a campus with a Children's Center, and the Therapeutic Center for the Severely Emotionally Disturbed.
It was interesting.
http://schoolsmatter.blogspot.com/2007/11/kevin-johnsons-overreaching-michelle.html
http://schoolsmatter.blogspot.com/2007/12/charter-school-crime-and-corruption.html
http://schoolsmatter.blogspot.com/2007/12/charter-schools-no-oversight-to-be-seen.html
http://schoolsmatter.blogspot.com/2007/12/fenty-rhee-move-forward-with-stealth.html
Such a shame that Rhee knew she was going to be appointed way before the time it happened, politics does play a big role in everything.
Thank you for the information about Michelle Rhee and the school system in the District of Columbia. There is a profile of her in Wikipedia, along with links to articles. I have worked with Michelle and she is a very smart, capable person. I have a hard time believing that she would be hired to run the whole school system. But on the other hand, this is a very desperate situation. The schools in D.C. may be the worst in the country. I applaud the Mayor of D.C. for going against the grain and trying something unconventional.
Blade Runner may be the best movie out there...get the new Ridley Scott cut of the film.
Does anyone know if Pia Lopez ever taught at Sac Charter?
to my knowledge she has never taught at sac charter, but does talk to st hope staff frequently
here is a little of her background:
associate editor of the sacramento bee since march 2007, about 10 months now. she attended the university of chicago from 1976-1980.
She talks to St. HOPE staff frequently? Do you know the context? That is very interesting. Are these monthly talks, or less regular than that? Did she have a connection to St. HOPE before she started working for the Bee?
heidi,
i'll say about about two to three times a month. mostly positive items to talk about. pia will help st hope anyways possible. i can't make any connections with her and st hope before she started working for the bee at this time.
heidi also note this past month that st hope meet with the editorial board and daniel weintraub. daniel is also on board with st hope.
with rick maya now as executive director of st hope, they have many more connections and funding to come their way. rick formally worked for bank of america. he was the market president for greater northern california.
source: st hope pipeline
http://www.sthope.org/pipeline/Pipeline%2012%2015%2007%20Final.pdf
*this issue got formating problems but still readable, but not st hope material don't know why they put it out like this.
I think Pia Lopez was a grad from the old Sac High.
who is Andrew Dykstra?
don't think she attended sac high but will research
What happened to all the Sacramento Bee articles and opinions on Sacramento Charter?
The charter was renewed so is the Sacramento Bee at the point were they are saying we will wait for further instructions?
sometimes, evil prevails...st. hype is no different...hell hath no fury when you're the likes of kj mr
i think michelle rhee gained weight..she looks fat in the pics of the last st. hope dog and pony show where unsuspecting citizens had their guilt played on them by a manipulative Oak Park resident..people actually gave money for tables and bought the dog and pony show..many dogs but no ponies, just jack asses....hehehhe
well if you are as manipulating as st hope and picked up comment cards early in the day before the meetings created talking points for each member to speak then turned the comments cards all in at one time at the board meetings in the order you wanted people to speak yes it is a true dog and pony show. i do not see how the board or the district allowed this wait they are a partner of st hope and should be just as guilty
Does these mean this blog is dead? All it touches seems to turn to crap. Once passionate about VAPAC-we talked up a storm until the school closed. Enraged about St. Hope-we yacked long enough for them to earn another five year run...
My point?
This blog simply poisons the well meaning and does the dirty work and spins around until nothing much happens.
Let's talk about another school in another district-maybe some where in the midwest.
Let's talk politics....
no one wants to talk politics?
How about New York charter schools?
what do you know about NYC charter schools?
what type of politics do you want to talk about?
Did anyone else get a call from a survey group? It seems Kevin Johnson may be seeking political office. It mentioned Heather Fargo also so it may be the Mayor Seat indeed.
has anyone else been getting negative vibes from PK Diffenbaugh?
Shaun,
I know the New York State Board of Regents announced its approval of St. HOPE charter petition to open a K-12 charter school in Harlem. Which they have a scheduled open of August 13, 2008.
Just received a rather lengthy call from a pollster asking about Kevin Johnson's community work, take over of Sacramento High and how he compares to Heather Fargo.
What a pleasure (small but nice) to answer "strongly disagree" to a variety of statements related to his record in helping Oak Park and the children of Sacramento.
Mayor? My head is really exploding.
"Exploding head" are you sure it was Kevin Johnson, not Grantland Johnson? Has anyone else been polled?
Absolutely Kevin Johnson. One question asked specifically about my familiarity with his NBA all-star career. My response: "Yeah and So What?" I was told that wasn't on the list.
Wow. Kevin Johnson wants to go into politics. Amazing. What is his party affiliation?
Parents in DC taking action:
http://schoolsmatter.blogspot.com/search/label/Michelle%20Rhee
if he is running get ready to enter the spin zone with the bee.
Hi all,
My husband also received a polling call this past week. He told me the questions asked about his impressions of Dave Jones and Roger Dickinson before concentrating on Fargo and Johnson. The Johnson questions included asking about Johnson's work at Sac Charter, helping children, revitalizing Oak Park and his time in the NBA.
he will run his whole mayor campaign on education announcement in the coming week(s)
Marcos mentioning Heather Fargo again.... this article may have KJ in mind as mayor
http://www.sacbee.com/breton/story/648176.html
this one sounds like it had nothing to do with Kevin.
http://www.sacbee.com/breton/story/630724.html
Anon,
It would be nice if you would actually provide more info than just a cryptic remark about an education announcement in the coming week(s). I'm still wondering if anyone else received a call from a pollster and is willing to put their name to it. Several posts ago, anon asked if anyone wanted to talk politics. Is this another cryptic message by someone who knows something may be up?
Funny thing, exploding head, my husband had almost the same answer as you to questions about Johnson's time in the NBA: "so what...?" I can only hope that this means that Johnson or whomever else ia behind the polling will get the message that his basketball star status buys him little credibility.
I can only wonder what the powers that be in this city do if Johnson decides to run for mayor or anything else for that matter.
Has anyone else been surveyed? Does anyone know who is paying for the survey?
KJ will never run. While he has the ego to think he could do it he does not have the courage to stand up in public unless he is in complete control.
By the way, the controversy at Sac High has nothing to do with Kevin Johnson. The charter school movement is happening all across the country. Our public schools have been failing for so long. Communities everywhere, even in Rocklin (see today's Bee), are looking to charter schools for solutions. It is difficult to get things done at today's public schools when they are stuck in doing things the way they always have. Ironically, the frustrations over the consent decree school is a perfect example of how inept a large sprawling school district can be.
so was i right about the kevin johnson run and the bee?
i will identify myself at the right time and place
I agree with reporter 101 i will come to identify myself when the time is necessary also. St Hope has went many years with filling taxes late and paying penalties.
http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/663155.html
ST HOPE written? you make the call
I never hear mention of students on this blog. Do you people realize that Sac schools are a mess and you focus on is Kevin Johnson? He's not the problem; the board of educaiton in Sac is. Stop all the 5th grade talk and stand up for the kids who need us.
anyone read the latest article? http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/666615.html
read one comment from "leavingsac" I guess who is LSM. LSM needs to remember about her rep but more importantly her fathers reputation and vision for Education and Sacramento as a whole.
where do you people sharpen your knives? I need to get a few of mine sharpened?
so sacramento charter is going back to his own ways my younger son who is attending now told his older brother who graduated in '99 that kids are back to smoking on campus and starts are happening again. If I continue to hear this from him I am sending my son to Rosemont or New Tech.
Once Kevin Johnson makes the announcement next week I am going to call for an audit of St Hope Corportation as well as ST. Hope Public Schools.
He may have some deep pockets but they will not help him in the mayor run.
The money trail will be followed.
Since the Sacramento News and Review ran an article that former NBA star, and Sacramento native, Kevin Johnson may run for mayor, the buzz around the capitol city has been going non-stop.
Will KJ run? What will Mayor Heather Fargo do? Sacramento Bee columnist Marcos Breton, who has written about the tenure of Mayor Fargo and the possibility of KJ's run, joined us Live_Online Friday evening to talk about the possibilities.
Check out the transcript of the chat:
[Michael Langley, News10] 4:58 pm: Good evening. Rumors are flying around Sacramento that former NBA star Kevin Johnson may run for mayor after an article in the Sacramento News & Review. Sacramento Bee columnist Marcos Breton has done a lot of work on this story and joins us Live_Online to talk about it.
[News10 Online Chat]: W Girl has entered at 5:15 pm
[Michael Langley, News10] 5:15 pm: hello w girl ...
[W Girl] 5:15 pm: Hello.
[Michael Langley, News10] 5:15 pm: marcos is on-air with Cristina Mendonsa right now
[Michael Langley, News10] 5:15 pm: he'll be right back to us
[News10 Online Chat]: watching has entered at 5:16 pm
[W Girl] 5:17 pm: Kevin Johnson still has unfinished business in Oak Park....will he complete those projects any time soon?
[Michael Langley, News10] 5:17 pm: good evening watching .,.. thank you for joining our conversation
[News10 Online Chat]: froi has entered at 5:17 pm
[Marcos Breton, Sacramento Bee Columnist] 5:18 pm: I think he will have to address the Oak Park issue right away. He'll have to make it go away or it will dog him during his entire campaign. Whether its by paying the fines or reaching out to community members, her has to deal with it
[Michael Langley, News10] 5:18 pm: hello froi
[Michael Langley, News10] 5:18 pm: thank you for joining us
[News10 Online Chat]: Abhi has entered at 5:18 pm
[Michael Langley, News10] 5:19 pm: marcos ... is this a good time to run for sacramento mayor?
[News10 Online Chat]: Vanessa has entered at 5:19 pm
[Michael Langley, News10] 5:19 pm: hello abhi and vanessa ... welcome and thank you for joining us
[froi] 5:19 pm: I think KJ would make a good mayor. We need someone who will revitalize Sac.
[Vanessa] 5:19 pm: Good evening.
[Marcos Breton, Sacramento Bee Columnist] 5:19 pm: In many ways its a tough time to run for mayor because the city is $55 million in the red and economic prospects look bleak
[Marcos Breton, Sacramento Bee Columnist] 5:20 pm: I think what KJ does is create excitement. He might have an Arnold effect in that he will make government seem interesting
[News10 Online Chat]: kaneortega has entered at 5:20 pm
[Michael Langley, News10] 5:20 pm: good evening kaneortega
[Abhi] 5:20 pm: The economy is in the red in most cities across the country. KJ will bring popularity to Sacramento
[Michael Langley, News10] 5:20 pm: do you have any quesitons for marcos breton?
[Marcos Breton, Sacramento Bee Columnist] 5:20 pm: He is also a pro-business guy. There are many people who think Sacramento needs to attract more investment and not be so dependent on property taxes to make money
[Marcos Breton, Sacramento Bee Columnist] 5:21 pm: Yeah, I could see Charles Barkely coming to town to stump for KJ
[Abhi] 5:21 pm: As a player KJ had a lot influence with young children and their education. He can bring more of that influence at a greater scale as Mayor
[Marcos Breton, Sacramento Bee Columnist] 5:21 pm: Maybe KJ could finally help the Maloofs get their arena
[Abhi] 5:21 pm: Barkley isn't the best speaker, but sure is exciting and amusing. You're absolutely right about the stumping.
[Michael Langley, News10] 5:22 pm: marcos, i know kevin is well known, but how "popular" is he?
[Abhi] 5:22 pm: Would running for mayor only affect voters in Sacramento county?
[froi] 5:22 pm: I agree with Mr. Breton. We need all the help we can get and he could use his "fame" to bring new business' here.
[Vanessa] 5:22 pm: All the more reason why we do need a REAL mayor! With crime increasing every day and our city has no positive growth, just empty promises, all we've heard from our mayor is how wonderful it would be to have more movie theatre. We need someone with vision and not just a "driving ms. daisey" attitude! I would vote for Mr. Martin!!
[Marcos Breton, Sacramento Bee Columnist] 5:22 pm: KJ is popular among a lot of people. The people who work for him practically worship him. He has a lot of friends in business too - lots of big wheels are behind him
[Marcos Breton, Sacramento Bee Columnist] 5:23 pm: Driving Ms Daisy. I love that!
[froi] 5:23 pm: I voted for Fargo and am very disappointed. I cant recall any issues that she's been passionate and/or agressive for besides her raise.
[Marcos Breton, Sacramento Bee Columnist] 5:24 pm: If you could see the house KJ grew up in, you'd be amazed. It's in a tough area of Oak Park. He really comes from humble roots and understands the culture of poverty and the crime that goes with it
[Michael Langley, News10] 5:25 pm: marcos, froi raises a good question ... with a well-known mayor of sacramento, will it bring more to the entire region? and have an impact outside the city limits? or does it matter who leads sacramento?
[Marcos Breton, Sacramento Bee Columnist] 5:25 pm: Heather Fargo is a very bright person but one of her weaknesses is her inability to communicate issues. She is more of a policy wonk. At one time, that type of mayor was sufficient. But I really think the needs of the office have changed. It's still a weak mayor system, but a mayor could use the office as a bully pulpit to promote serious issues
[Abhi] 5:25 pm: Mr. Breton is absolutely right. KJ is a well-spoken individual despite being an athlete. He knows his roots and is willing to help the issues that plague Sacramento.
[watching] 5:25 pm: does KJ even live here?
[Marcos Breton, Sacramento Bee Columnist] 5:26 pm: I think what matters most is a mayor in tune with the changing needs of the city. We're in the red. We still have serious issues with our levees, are still in danger of big floods. We have serious crime and traffic issues. There are major development projects pending downtown. You need someone to help promote and push those ideas along
[Vanessa] 5:27 pm: Heck, I would campaign for Mr. Martin myself. yes, name recognition, a can do attitude and especially not having a "entitlement " attitude, oh how refreshing that would be.............
[Marcos Breton, Sacramento Bee Columnist] 5:27 pm: Yeah, he lives in Curtis Park.
[Marcos Breton, Sacramento Bee Columnist] 5:27 pm: I bet a lot of people would knock on doors for him
[Vanessa] 5:28 pm: Any idea when an annoucement may come?
[kaneortega] 5:28 pm: Well we need a change in our city, we need new ideas, and different ways of getting new business in our great city, and yes KJ does care about our coummitty so let us see what he can bring. Just like Barack, wants to see change in our country, so I hope that is what KJ what to do as well.
[Marcos Breton, Sacramento Bee Columnist] 5:29 pm: I think about two weeks or so. After the California primary on Feb 5. Maybe in that second week of February
[Abhi] 5:29 pm: Any idea if he'll open up a campaign office?
[Michael Langley, News10] 5:29 pm: all, marcos has to get out of here ... thank you for joining our conversation
[Vanessa] 5:29 pm: I bet Ms. Daisys pounding the pepto!
[News10 Online Chat]: kaneortega has left at 5:30 pm
[Vanessa] 5:30 pm: Good eveningMr. Breton
[Michael Langley, News10] 5:30 pm: please log on every weekday at 11am and discuss the issues affecting our community
[Michael Langley, News10] 5:30 pm: and please keep chatting, we won't kick you out
What's the Problem?
Does anyone ever notice that downtown is like a ghost town on the weekends and K St. is an embarrassment? That gang violence seems to grow every year? That talk of levee protection never seems to end in anything for the city?
What's the Solution?
Well, if you feel this way, you're not alone. This city never changes, problems fester, and solutions are shrugged off or sidestepped. We need some real leadership in this town and we need it now.
Good leaders are hard to find. But we're fortunate to have one right in our back yard. Kevin Johnson has indicated that he's seriously considering running for Mayor this June. We've put this website together to show Kevin that there are thousands of Sacramentans who recognize he has the qualities, experience, passion, and vision to lead Sacramento.
How Can It Happen?
This is a man who has single-handedly changed an entire neighborhood, who's created better futures for thousands of kids, who understands how to build coalitions of people to work together, and who isn't afraid to take on tough issues.
I think Kevin Johnson can transform Sacramento. All of us who support Kevin hope you do too. Please send us your comments and join the team that will usher in a new era for our great city!
"Friends" of Kevin Johnson for Mayor
source: kevinjohnsonformayor.com
Lord help all of you. You'll need it.
I was referred to this blog by a fellow parent at sutter. I don't see anything about the district or our kids. Might as well shut this site down - I'm not interested in Johnson.
so much going wrong inside this organization
suttermom1,
the reason this is about johnson now is because he is the problem to the education of students in oak park, the main focus is making money with his non profit organization st hope. SCUSD has given him whatever he has needed and will continue to do so as long as Karen Young is on the board (she may have violated the brown act). She may have violated the brown act by feeding st hope inside information during the charter renewal. This will no dout be investigated to the fullest potential. Who knows you might even read about the investigation unfolding in your local Sacramento Bee.
Sac Charter is now on the brink, of being like the old sacramento high. More fights are taking place on campus. Drugs are back on Campus. It seems like St Hope is back to square one, with another 5-years to go. I admit I do hear good things about some teachers but then bad things about others.
The reason why sacramento charter looks good on the outside is they spin the truth with the media (the bee, news 10 and kcra 3 mainly). They also do not have a SRO on campus to file real police reports. Thus causing nothing to get reported that happens on campus. They do not track suspensions well either so when CBES is turned in they look like the golden school.
So suttermom1 be sure to check into the school fully before you send your son or daughter to high school. If you send him/her to sac charter please report back to us your positive or negative feedback.
I sat down to talk to my daughter about the CAHSEE testing at her school Sacramento High, and she told me she tried her best to concentrate on the test but a man that was watching them was watching a DVD in the same room. I interpreted him as being the proctor of the test. She said she would ask his name tomorrow and give it to me so I may report it to the state. If you have a son or daughter and they took the CAHSEE and witness this also I urge you to call the state as well at 319-0800. I am on the verge of pulling my daughter out of this school.
Did St Hope make the "Run Kevin Run" signs? A source says YES.
ST HOPE covers up yet another incident. There was a "minor" stabbing incident that occurred on campus but when Channel 3 went to go ask questions they were told nothing happened.
Investigative_reporter: you are alleging that something quite serious occurred, a "minor" stabbing incident. The frustration for me and I'm sure many others is that for the past five years, many have alleged or hinted that rather serious transgressions, even crimes have occurred, yet no one comes forward who is willing to put his/her name to anything. For those of us not in any way attached to St. Hope allegations like this never reach us, until they're alluded to on the blog. I tend to believe these things, but can't go any further because I don't have first hand knowledge....and many times am left trying to piece together cryptic clue after cryptic clue. In the meantime, if what is being hinted at is true, kids are bearing the brunt and, in the worst case, may have even been the victims of serious crimes against them. My question here and now: when will anyone actually come forward and put his/her name on the record in regards to specific incidents? Journalists are pretty hamstrung unless folks are willing to come forward. So are your supporters in the community,
This story is taken from Sacbee / News / Top Stories.
Kevin Johnson pulls mayor's papers but is still undecided
By Terri Hardy - thardy@sacbee.com
Published 5:24 pm PST Tuesday, February 12, 2008
A representative for Kevin Johnson has pulled papers to run for mayor of Sacramento, but the former NBA player has not made a decision if he will challenge Mayor Heather Fargo.
"He's just doing his due diligence, but this doesn't signal that he's made up his mind," said David Townsend, a local political consultant who is volunteering his efforts on Johnson's behalf.
Johnson has until March 7 at 5 p.m. to submit nomination papers with the city clerk's office.
Johnson, a local landowner and developer who founded St. Hope, the nonprofit organization that runs Sacramento Charter High School, has said he's seriously considering a run for Sacramento's top political post. Townsend said a host of volunteers have offered to help.
"The response has been staggering," Townsend said.
Investigative_Reporter,
From everything I've seen, St. Hope has done quite a bit for the Oak Park community. Again, I have not been tainted like many on this blog (very negative I might add) so I can only speak as a concerned parent faced with making a decision on a high school for my child. SCUSD offers nothing except for West Campus but that's really not an offer because my child may not get in. The problem is with SCUSD, not Johnson or his organization - that's just my opinion. The only thing I can do is see for myself what's really going on at Sacramento Charter High School. What's the best way to do this?
Easy-make an appointment with KJ. If you have a pulse he'll have sex with you. Then you can join a lengthy list of mayorite hopefuls!
Good Luck!
***********BREAKING NEWS***********
Kevin Johnson to make his mayor run announcement this weekend! And it will be a YES.
************************************
Published 12:00 am PST Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Story appeared in EDITORIALS section, Page B6
Open Sac High facilities to others
According to the Feb. 11 article "They bend over backward to get into West Campus," that diverse school with outstanding academics is the crown jewel of the Sacramento City Unified School District. The Bee reports that West Campus doesn't have a football field.
Maybe with the current remodel of Sac High Charter School, the district board will vote to discontinue exclusive use of its facility so that schools such as West Campus and other high schools without comprehensive athletic, arts and theater facilities can use that magnificent facility.
- Karen Gunby, Sacramento
why is their no blog updates on this site since november 12, 2007?
is this site dead?
do you not care about our child's education?
Not sure how to respond to that message posted by "the man." What I do know is that I toured Sac High this week and am impressed with everything I saw. I visited McClatchy and Hiram Johnson and was not as impressed. I'm sorry that this website was not as helpful as I thought it would be.
My advice for Suttermom: keep in mind that the only option you have, if you enroll your student at Sac Charter and discover that it isn't a good fit for your student, is to leave. The choice is yours. I toured the VAPAC charter, listened to all the promises, enrolled my student and regretted it 6 months later. After 2 years of VAPAC I had to get my student out because the quality of the educational program was so poor. The effort for straight A's at VAPAC turned out to be minimal compared to the effort required for straight A's at C.K. McClatchy. My student is about to graduate from CKM. Even though there have been problems at CKM there is a process for resolving those problems. I hope your student gets into West Campus. If not, and you choose to enroll at Sac Charter, please, write in this blog what you experience there. I think the reason no one can give you specific advice is because the education code has not provided a system for evaluation of charter schools other than test scores. There is no way for anyone to access data that shows a measurement of how many students who entered a charter stayed the full four years. Nor is there a way to measure if students who were performing poorly in a regular school, perform better in a charter school. Regular public high schools, except for specialized programs like HISP and West Campus, cannot pick and choose who attends. Charter schools can require parent volunteer hours, student maintenance of a certain g.p.a., uniforms, etc. etc. Regular public schools cannot require those things. I'm not implying that is the case at Sac Charter. I'm just pointing out a big difference between how charters are allowed to self-select students vs. public schools which must accept everyone.
Good luck.
suttermom1,
So many have been fooled by the dog and pony show tours. You have to ask why sac charter opened with 1650+ students and now has less than 900. Why has there been such a high turnover of teachers and administrators. What happened to the 6 schools that were there when sac charter opened. Go to the CDE website and look at the data. You need to talk with the previous sutter parents about why they have taken their students out of sac charter. For the sake of your child be cautious and informed.
It was a rough beginning. St. Hope had had very little time to prepare for the 1st year. A lot of the teachers they hired were brand new and had little experience. You can't expect St. Hope to build a successful program over night. It takes a lot of time to get this done right. Give them credit for what they have already accomplished. I only wish that Johnson, Burbank and other high schools were converted into charter schools. The old way of doing things no longer works.
Hi anonymous,
I just love the "anonymous" people who submit stuff to this blog. Not all charters work, just as not all regular schools work. Stop making excuses for St. HOPE. Explain how St. HOPE is so much better when the regular, non-charter high schools end up with the students who left St. HOPE? CK McClatchy has some of those students right now. Apparently they were not doing well at St. HOPE i.e. were failing, and now they are at CKM. If St. HOPE and Sac Charter are so great, why didn't they keep those students and help them?????? The St. HOPE way of doing things obviously isn't working either.
suttermom1,
I urge you to look more into St. Hope before you enroll your child. There are talks in the background about St. Hope making MAJOR cuts this next school year due to funding issues, which no doubt will impact your child's educational experience.
Heidi, did you start this SCUSD Watch blog? It does not look as if anybody is willing to assume responsibility for this blog. The profile section is very vague. No names are listed. Another weird thing about this blog is that people are only adding comments. The last blog article was in November! It does not say who wrote this blog article. Kind of odd for you and others to complain about anonymous comments when the blog itself is anonymous.
I know nothing about who started this blog. It doesn't matter does it? I post my name and if I was responsible for the blog I would state that. I neither care nor worry about who created it. All you have to do "anonymous", since you dislike an anonymous blog, is fess up to who you are. Maybe it would start a trend. The blog provides a forum for comments. If you don't like it being anonymously created don't post anything, and don't read it.
To anonymous: I re-read your comment and felt it was necessary to add to my original response. Why do you want to know who wrote the article? What would you do if you did know who was responsible for creating the article or the blog? The reason I want to know the identity of anonymous is because of the content of some postings. There are so many anonymous postings it is impossible to tell if they come from different people, or the same person.
Does anyone care that Dr. Mejia is retireing? Who IS running this blog? They are always a half step behind.
No one cares the Dr. Mejia is retiring she has been wanting out of the district since year one when she started cleaning up a big mess which included CASA.
Editorial: $8 million for a school nobody wants or needs?
http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/751429.html
another st hope written article?
St. HOPE can do no wrong according to the Bee editorial board. No one cares that so many students come to CKM from Sac Charter credit deficient and/or failing. If Sac Charter can dump failing students on another school, it is no wonder that they seem to look so good on paper.
Even with dumping kids they still don't look good on paper. The fact that they pick their kids makes the results even more tragic. They now have less than 900 kids in a school for 2000+, pay little in rent, what a wast of taxpayer money.
So who are the parents from East Sac who are attending the ST HOPE meeting to become partners with ST HOPE?
Did LSM find a new job yet anyone know?
Does anyone know why PK Diffenbaugh is still employed with ST HOPE?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He does enough gripping on the streets about ST HOPE.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So, there are East Sac parents going to St. HOPE meetings? How do you know they are from East Sac and how do you know they support St. HOPE? Are they religious? I'm just curious. Maybe they are genuinely interested, or maybe they are spying. I hope it goes well for them.
Maybe they are supporting KJ for Mayor.
Why did LSM leave St Hope? She was a vocal supporter and a founding board member.
Yes, please someone enlighten us about LSM. Did she leave St. Hope? Is she planning on working on the KJ for mayor campaign? The New York stuff? DC? Or did she make a total break?
So Kevin Johnson is making his announcement tomorrow.
Again, I ask is that where LSM is?
LSM is still with ST HOPE
the questions are how much longer can she take it? will she join kevin johnson campaign?
Take what? Would someone please explain what the heck you all are talking about? Why can't anyone associated with this organization or formerly associated with this organization ever talk straight? And why would she join KJs campaign if she can't take it? Grrrr.
join kevin johnson campaign
1) let kevin johnson continue to mention former mayor joe serna
2) work for the city
3) become an elected official
join kevin johnson campaign
1) let kevin johnson continue to mention former mayor joe serna
2) work for the city
3) become an elected official
Does anyone know why it is that principal Ed Manansala makes more classroom visits then principal PK Diffenbaugh?
The East Sac Parents that are meeting with ST HOPE next week still yet to identify themselves to us other east sac parents what do you have to hide?
Are there really East Sac Parents meeting with St. HOPE next week? Who is claiming that there are, and how did this person find out?
It's a big deal in East Sac Heidi. Not sure of a secret meeting.
...oh I had a dream that KJ was major AND kept a newly modernized school facility for 800 hand picked kids. Damn!
exploding head,
LSM will leave st hope to work on Kevin's campaign no questions asked.
Anonymous......why are you so interested in East Sac parents meeting with St. Hope. Many parents in this area have been on the campus checking it out. It's fabulous. And it should be returned to the broader diverse community it was meant to serve. We had to see what the $24 million dollar remodel looks likes verses the $8 million they will pour into pitiful little Marian Anderson. KJs had five fruitless years and MILLIONS of dollars from foundations and grant money. What is KJ so afraid of.....he has to beef up his enrollment numbers so he looks good when the press start snooping around. What about the many inappropriate sexual occurances that have been reported. Kinda of creepy isn't it? To have someone in a position of power that can buy people off. I'm with the rest of the bloggers.....it's time to start speaking out and stop being afraid.
all of you know where LSM is; if you have the balls why don't you contact her? you must really care about her if you keep bringing her and her father up. she knows where to find all of you spineless idiots!
I don't know who LSM is but Erik Jones is Erik Jones is my hero!
Who is LSM? Why should I care about LSM? Is this code for someone or something else?
Lisa Serna-Mayorga (LSM) is the daughter of the late Mayor Joe Serna
The meeting with East Sac Parents is to take place tomorrow the 10th at 6pm @ Sacramento Charter High School.
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