| NOTE:Paxton earned Ed.D. from UT-Austin (#8 U.S. party school). |
| Fact 1: On August 27, 2004, Xpediant, LLC loaned Scott W. Wright and Sara N. Wright $480,000.00 to purchase a waterfront residence at 2003 Mariner Point Lane, Katy, Texas 77494, such amount to be paid off in full by October 1, 2034; Katy ISD was Xpediant's primary client.. |
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| How to ask your local school district Flyer History 1st Anniversary San Antonio Triple Crown The Four-Legged Stool COPYRIGHT NOTICE: When borrowing/copying/ citing from this roster please remember to attribute the source: www.PeytonWolcott.com |
| CALIFORNIA Capistrano USD - here Clovis USD - here FLORIDA Miami-Dade CPS* here ILLINOIS (11) Carpentersville SD 300* Elgin U-46* Elmhurst SD 205 ^ Herscher CUSD 2 ^ Huntley CUSD 158* Mundelein CHS D120 ^ Naperville CUSD [ / ] Oak Park ESD 97 ^ Oak Park & River Forest 200^ Sherrard CUSD 200^ W.Chicago CHSD 94 ^ KANSAS USD 507 (Satanta) (Chk Jrnl) MICHIGAN Clawson-here (BusinessOfc.) Montrose CS - here MINNESOTA Milaca SD - ISD 192 St. Cloud ISD MISSISSIPPI Ocean Springs SD* here MISSOURI Liberty PS - BoardDocs NEVADA Clark County SD**** OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City PS***** S. DAKOTA Mitchell School District* TEXAS** (228) Allen ISD Alvarado ISD Anderson-Shiro CISD - here Anthony ISD Anton ISD - here Aquilla ISD - Baard Packet Arlington ISD Arp ISD - Athens ISD Aubrey ISD Avery ISD Beeville ISD-Agenda Packet Bellville ISD Big Spring ISD Blackwell CISD Blue Ridge ISD Blum ISD - here Bonham ISD - here Borden County ISD - Admin. Borger ISD Bremond ISD Bridgeport ISD - here Brookesmith ISD - here Bryan ISD* Caddo Mills ISD Cameron ISD Canton ISD Cedar Hill ISD Center ISD - here Center Point ISD Chester ISD China Spring ISD here Clarksville ISD-Ch.kRegister* Cleburne ISD* - here Coldspring-Oakhurst CISD Colmesneil ISD Comal ISD Conroe ISD* Corpus Christi ISD* Cotton Center ISD Crockett ISD-Check Registry Cross Roads ISD Cypress-Fairbanks ISD* Daingerfield-Lone Star ISD Dallas ISD Damon ISD - here Deer Park ISD* Denison ISD Diboll ISD - Check Registers Dickinson ISD - here Douglass ISD Dublin ISD - here (About us) East Bernard ISD Ector Co. ISD Electra ISD Era ISD - here Eustace ISD - here Evant ISD - BoardBook Fairfield ISD - here Farwell ISD-Check Registers Forsan ISD - here Fort Stockton ISD - here Fort Worth ISD-Depts/Acctg Franklin ISD Frankston ISD-Agenda Packt Friendswood ISD Galena Park ISD Galveston ISD Goodrich ISD - here Gorman ISD - Financial Rpts Graford ISD - here Grandfalls-Royalty ISD Greenville ISD Greenwood ISD - Annual Groesbeck ISD - here Groveton ISD - here Gunter ISD Hale Center ISD - here Harlandale ISD - here Harmony ISD Hart ISD* - here Haskell CISD Hawley ISD - here Hearne ISD - Financial Info Hempstead ISD Highland ISD Hitchcock ISD - here Holliday ISD Houston ISD* Howe ISD Hudson ISD - here Hull-Daisetta ISD-Bus. Docs Hunt ISD Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD Iola ISD Iraan-Sheffield ISD Jayton-Girard ISD - here Joaquin ISD - here Judson ISD (quarterly) Katy ISD Kaufman ISD Keller ISD* Kenedy ISD - here Kerrvile ISD Lackland ISD Lago Vista ISD* LaPoynor ISD - here La Vernia ISD - here Leander ISD Leonard ISD Leveland ISD - Agenda Pckt Lexington ISD Livingston ISD Little Cypress-Maur. CISD Little Elm ISD Llano ISD - here Lockney ISD Lone Oak ISD - Board PacketLorena ISD Loraine ISD - here Louise ISD - here Lovejoy ISD Lufkin ISD Luling ISD - here Mabank ISD Madisonville CISD Magnolia ISD-AgendaPacket Malakoff ISD Manor ISD - here Mansfield ISD - Consent Marble Falls ISD - here Marfa ISD - Marion ISD Marshall ISD - here Meadow ISD McKinney ISD McMullen Co. ISD - here Medina ISD Medina Valley ISD* Merkel ISD - Check Ledger Mesquite ISD - here Miami ISD MidlandISD-AgendaPacket Midway ISD - Monahans-Wickett-Pyote ISD Mount Vernon ISD Murchison ISD - here Nacogdoches ISD - here Natalia ISD Navarro ISD - Finance Nazareth ISD Nederland ISD New Caney ISD Newcastle ISD - here Nordheim ISD North East ISD North Forest ISD Northside ISD No. Zulch ISD* O'Donnell ISD - here Olfen ISD - here Ore City ISD Palestine ISD Panther Creek ISD - here Paradise ISD- Agenda Packt Pasadena ISD Pearland ISD Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD Pilot Point ISD - here Pine Tree ISD - Disbursemts Pittsburg ISD - here Port Neches-Groves ISD Pflugerville ISD Quinlan ISD Reagan County ISD Richardson ISD Rio Hondo ISD - here Robert Lee ISD Roby CISD Roscoe ISD - here Rosebud-Lott ISD Round Rock ISD * Royse City ISD San Angelo ISD San Antonio ISD Salado ISD Santa Rosa ISD - here San Vicente ISD - here Schertz-Cibolo-U.City ISD* Seminole ISD Shallowater ISD - here Skidmore-Tynan ISD Smyer ISD - Expenses Somerset ISD* South Texas ISD Southwest ISD* Splendora ISD - Agenda Pkt Spring Branch ISD * Stafford ISD - Agenda Packet Stanton ISD Stephenville ISD - here Sundown ISD - here Sweeny ISD - here Teague ISD Terrell ISD - here Texas City ISD Timpson ISD Tomball ISD Trent ISD Trenton ISD - here United ISD* - here Uvalde CISD - here Valentine ISD Valley Mills ISD - here Van Alstyne ISD Waller ISD - here Waskom ISD - here West ISD Westbrook ISD - here Wharton ISD Whitharral ISD - here Wildorado ISD - here Wilson ISD Wimberley ISD Windthorst ISD - here Winona ISD Ysleta ISD Zapata County ISD - here UTAH Davis School District* WISCONSIN Sun Prairie SD |
| COMMITTED Argyle ISD (TX) - here Clear Creek ISD (TX) Dew ISD (TX) - here El Paso ISD (TX) Hondo ISD (TX) - here Ingram ISD (TX) - here La Marque ISD (TX) Martins Mill ISD (TX) Plainview ISD (TX) - here Pottsboro ISD (TX) - here Snyder ISD (TX) - here Southside ISD (TX) Temple ISD (TX) STATE DOE ONLINE Texas Education Agency MIDDLE EDU-LAYER St. Clair County RESA (MI) HONORABLE MENTION ALASKA DOE - Checks over $1,000 MICHIGAN *** Intermediate School Districts TEXAS Brackett ISD (checks over $500) WHERE PARENTS, TAXPAYERS, TRUSTEES ARE ASKING: Cedar Rapids PS (IA) Chippewa Valley SD (MI) Eanes ISD (TX) Lake Travis ISD (TX) Lancaster ISD (TX) LA USD (CA) New York CPS (NY) Omaha PS (NB) Rochester CS (MI) Santa Cruz CPS (AZ) Water Valley ISD (TX) ___________________________ * No check numbers. ** Source for all Texas numbers: TEA PEIMS (most recently reported actuals, 2005-06) *** For online numbers including budgets, salaries, lobbying, PR, legal, autos, more **** Purchase orders ***** Encumbrances ^ IIllinois Honor Roll NOTE: Some districts such as Beeville ISD (TX) call their check registers "disbursement registers" (Source for names of Texas districts: Houston Chronicle (6), San Antonio Express-News (6) ) |
| Heads up to grassroots school reform activists: Be smart, be effective By Peyton Wolcott Updated 12.02.07 |
| Rattlesnake (L), Teddy bear (PHOTO--Steiff) |
"Walk softly and carry a big stick." -- Teddy Roosevelt "Trust but verify." -- Ronald Reagan |
| Robert Rivard, editor San Antonio Express-News |
| More here |
| HATS OFF: Bob Rivard, The San Antonio Express-News By Peyton Wolcott Tue., Nov. 27, 2007-10 a |
| San Antonio's Triple Crown here |
| Just because you can doesn't mean you should. |
| Check registers online in 252+ districts! 14 states! with $48 billion-plus in annual transparency! ----------------------- 1ST & ONLY ROSTER OF ONLINE SCHOOL CHECK REGISTERS As of 04.11.08, 15% of all Texas school districts have voluntarily posted their check registers online; over 2/3 of all state/local TX school district dollars are website-posted. |
| NOTE: We are not asking school districts to post salary or HIPAA-related dollars. |
| Welcome to the home of the National Grassroots School District Online Check Register Movement Est. Oct. 1, 2006 |
| How to find your district's checks: If there's no link on the home page, try the business or finance page, or it may be listed under links or technology or community news. If the district is paying for TASB's BoardBook software, online check registers are a free feature, and can usually be found in the board packet for the most recent regular board meeting. |
| A model for the nation: More about the San Antonio Triple Crown here How 3 major school districts put their checks online . . . in 1 week! |
| Quick Facts |
| Links |
| The National School District Honor Roll |
| ONLINE CHECK REGISTERS |
| U. S. Roster |
| H o w w e t a k e b a c k o u r c h i l d r e n ' s e d u c a t i o n: o n e p e r s o n , o n e q u e s t i o n , o n e s c h o o l a t a t i m e. |
| FAQ's ARCHIVES FOLLOW THE MONEY HOW YOU CAN START STATE & LOCAL GOVERNANCE VENDOR LOBBYING |
| KANSAS FOLLOW UP El. principal in Colorado After being charged with $41,000 KS PTA theft By Peyton Wolcott Thursday, April 24, 2008 - 12:06 a.m. Updated Tuesday, April 29, 2008 - 6:05 a.m. |
| HAPPIER TIMES IN KANSAS Then-Jefferson Elementary principal Don Atkin- son with Jefferson PTA president Pamela Kurtz |
| Until I telephoned officials at Colorado Springs School District #11 last Tuesday, Donald Ned Atkinson was still employed by the district -- despite the fact that school administrators had the week previous received a negative FBI report based on his fingerprints. Atkinson was arrested March 22, 2008 in Great Bend, Kansas and charged with 63 counts of theft by deception. (SOURCE--KSN-TV) Prosecutors say Atkinson stole the money between 2002 and 2007; he resigned last November after PTA leaders, following a training course in accountability and responsibility, took their con- cerns to school administrators, who called authorities. Atkinson had worked at the district for 28 years, 12 of them at the elemen- tary school. (SOURCE--Kansas News-Leader) Yesterday I requested a copy of Mr. Atkinson's employment application at Colorado Springs School District #11. The comments I have received from around the nation over the past two weeks focus on concerns that while all individuals have a right and duty to obtain employment in order to support their families, anyone charged with 63 counts of theft by deception in a public school setting should not be allowed to continue working in public schools anywhere until after the judicial process has been completed. |
| Colorado Springs (Inset: Donald Ned Atkinson) |
| NEW READER SURVEY! What are your thoughts on Don Atkinson? Great Bend superintendent Tom Vernon? Colorado Springs #11 supe Terry Bishop? Don's the former trusted Kansas elementary principal (below and left) who recently sought employment at a Colorado school district before his trial on 63 counts of theft by deception (PTA and other school funds) begins in Kansas. Should Great Bend supe Tom Vernon have exercised tighter internal controls? Should Terry Bishop have hired Don Atkinson? Do you have any solutions for challenges like this which we face in varying degrees in all of our public schools? Please email me by Sunday night. Be sure to mention whether you are speaking on or off the record. I'll post at least a few of the most representative responses Monday. |
| GREAT BEND, KANSAS Great Bend USD 428 employees named by former GBUSD principal Don Atkinson on his employment application to Colorado Springs School District #11 By Peyton Wolcott Wednesday, May 7, 2008 - 5:05 p.m. |
| o David Meter o Janis Link o Carla Maneth o Alvena Spangenberg |
| David Meter |
| Developing . . . |
| KANSAS Steps taken by Great Bend, Kansas USD 428 to tighten their internal controls By Peyton Wolcott Friday, May 9, 2008 - 12:07 a.m. |
| Tom Vernon , Great Bend USD428 superintendent, said by telephone yesterday, "We've tightened our internal controls in two ways. First, all cash and other gifts from groups such as PTA's now come through the district's business office and are posted publicly on the school board's agenda for approval of each item by the board. Second, we now have two meetings annually for all groups such as the PTA who give to our schools or are associated with the schools to outline our procedures to them and answer any questions they might have. We've already had one such meeting (February 4) and the next is on June 10, 2008." Tom confirmed that the district no longer allows district employees to accept cash donations from groups; instead, those monies are deposited directly with the business office and receipts are issued on the spot. |
| The Club at StoneRidge -- site of USD 428's recent education foundation fund raiser, a golf tournament. |
| SEX IN OUR SCHOOLS Is Hillsborough, FL supe Mary Ellen Elia unlucky -- or should she be fired? Hats off to Bill O'Reilly, with a question By Peyton Wolcott Thursday, May 15, 2008 - 5:00 a.m. Updated Friday, May 16, 2008 - 12:07 a.m. |
| Bill O'Reilly |
| Mary Ellen Elia with (clockwise from top left) Jaymee Wallace, Stephanie Ragusa, Mary Jo Spack, Christina Butler and Debra Lafave |
| What are the odds that a single Florida school district with 192,000 students would have five of its female teachers arrested for having sex with underage students within the past few years? |
| Fox News host Bill O'Reilly said on air earlier this week that Ms. Elia should be fired. Strong words coming from a TV host with Zencore for a sponsor. |
| HILLSBOROUGH 5 ARREST TIME LINE March 20, 2008 - Mary Jo Spack, a 45-year-old honors English teacher, accused of having sex with a 17-year-old boy after buying liquor and bringing him to a motel. March 13, 2008 - Stephanie Ragusa, a 28-year-old math teacher, arrested and accused of having sex with a 14-year-old boy. Oct. 23, 2007 - Christina Butler, a 33-year-old special education teacher at Middleton High School in Tampa, arrested, accused of having sex up to a dozen times with a 16-year-old boy. Oct. 8, 2007 - Former Wharton High School teacher and coach Jaymee Wallace pleaded guilty to having a sexual relationship with a student who played on her girls basketball team. Wallace is scheduled to be sentenced today in Hillsborough Circuit Court. She previously rejected prosecutors' plea offer of three years in prison. November 2005 - Former Greco Middle School teacher Debra Lafave was sentenced to three years of house arrest and seven years of probation after pleading guilty in 2005 to having sex with a 14-year-old boy. (SOURCE--Rebecca Catalanello, St. Petersburg Times) |
| And what was Ms. Elia's reaction to news of one of the recent arrests? Mario Diaz of Tampa Bay 10 reported recently that "Superinten- dent Mary Ellen Elia was shocked when we first showed her the arrest report." Question for Bill: If you're going to decry the moral climate in America's schools, can't you get better sponsors than one selling sex aids? |
| Duncan's decision to put SBISD's check register online came at a pivotal time at the beginnings of the online check register movement, in November 2006. Spring Branch ISD was the first large suburban district to publicly announce that it was coming online. _____________________ (Posted 05.21.08) |
| PIONEERS |
| Robert Scott Commissioner of Education - Texas |
| When Robert Scott put the Texas Education Agency's check register online in February 2007, TEA became the first state DOE to do so in the U.S.; to the best of my knowledge it is still the only state DOE in the country to list all checks. Pointing out that increased transparency was Governor Rick Perry's initiative, Robert adds, "We at TEA wholeheartedly agree." |
| Terry Bradley Superintendent, Clovis USD (CA) |
| Duncan Klussmann Superintendent, Spring Branch ISD (TX) |
| Clovis USD, just north of Fresno in California's fertile San Joaquin Valley farming region, may have been the first school district in the nation to put its entire check register online -- a natural next step, according to a district spokesman, as part of its move to a paperless board packet. |
| IOWA Supe's 2 DUI's What do you tell his students? By Peyton Wolcott Thursday, May 22, 2008 - 12:07 a.m. |
| Marty Lucas |
| Top (L to R): Chaplains Clark V. Poling, John P. Washington; Bottom (L to R) George L. Fox, Alexander D. Goode |
| Did our nation's IB schoolchildren study these four WWII heroes this week? By Peyton Wolcott Saturday, May 24, 2008 - 6: 40 p.m. |
| The Four Chaplains |
| These four brave warrior chaplains gave their lives aboard their troop ship the USAT Dorchester which was transporting American soldiers to Europe on February 3, 1943 off the coast of Newfoundland after their troop ship was torpedoed by the Nazis. Their courageous stories including giving away their life jackets here and here. |
| It is not likely that any of our American schoolchildren in the 890 International Baccalaureate schools here in the U.S. studied the Four Chaplains in any of their IB classes this past week. Instead, as Allen Quist points out, the IB kids more likely learned that the United States is an imperialist country and that its actions were "compared to Japan during World War II." |
| Read this article here. |
| Scroll down for only national roster |
| The ONLY national roster ! |
| s c h o o l n e w s q u i c k l i n k s |
| Bettendorf school super- intendent still on the job WQAD Updated: May 20, 2008 |
| Bettendorf, IOWA-- Nearly three months after a second drunk driving charge, Bettendorf School Board superintendent Marty Lucas is still on the job. Deputies arrested Lucas in February after a crash in Benton County. At the time of his arrest, records show a blood alcohol level well over the legal limit. Lucas pleaded not guilty but until a jury agrees, it leaves the school board with a dilemma. The school board reviewed police records from the arresting officer on Monday evening and completed its investigation. The board will review its findings with Lucas this week. The district's attorney, Cameron Davidson, says the board will make a public statement before the superintendent's pre-trial conference. If the board decides to take any disciplinary action against superintendent Lucas, it will be revealed publicly at a school board meeting. "The school board met in closed session this evening to review the incident regarding Mr. Lucas. The board has completed its investigation. We expect to have a public comment sometime in the near future after reviewing the matter with Mr. Lucas," Davidson said. Davidson says the board will make their decision before the superintendent's pre-trial conference which is May 29th. Court records show that Lucas received a year's probation for an earlier drunk driving arrest in 1999. |
| How many DUI do-overs should our top administrators get? By Peyton Wolcott - Tues. May 27, 2008 Updated Sun., June 15, 2008/5:00 p.m. |
| We live in a generous nation; as a people we are quick to grant second and third--and more--fresh starts to folks who want them. After all, many of our |
| forebearers came to America seeking a new life. |
| Should our public school superinten- dents be in a different category? |
Developing. . . |
y o u r q u e s t i o n s
| School News Links Commentaries Year-in-Review: 2007 2006 TX Ed Comm |
| Edu-Monopoly (Bohuchot..Coleman) Education, Inc. ERDI Technology TX supe travel/meals Credit cards Edu-Conferences TASA MidWinter Supes'n'vendors golf 1 2 3 |
| Arizona California Ohio Oklahoma Fllorida Illinois Kansas History: The Four-Legged Stool Texas ISDs: Edgewood 1 2 3 4 5 Cleburne Katy Llano Bremond |
| How Texas leads U.S. in public edu-transparency Team of 8 LTISD SLAPP suit Pass the trash Lax oversight |
| How to organize (proven!) How to ask your district to post its checks register Ask questions Activist Alert Board & candidate pledges |
| Joseph M. Vigil |
| Wayne Gerke |
| Rebecca Perry, Marty Lucas |
| Adrain Johnson |
August 2008 Commentaries
| Hats off ! |
| Retired PA superintendent's salary: $0.00 |
| At a time when increasing numbers of public school administrators retire, then begin collecting generous taxpayer-funded pensions, then immediately double-dip, earning top- dollar second salaries while still collecting the pension -- at such a time as this M. Joseph Brady in Minersville, Pennsylvania's lowest-paid superinten- dent (salary $0.00), offers by example a ray of hope: |
| Minersville Area superin- tendent M. Joseph Brady doesn’t get a paycheck anymore. The lowest-paid superintendent in Pennsylvania is among a shrinking number of administrators who don’t jump to other districts seeking higher compensation. “We had plans for a business manager,” Brady said while passing an empty office near his desk. “Down the road.” He also serves as the business manager for the Schuylkill County district. Brady, 79, works for no salary. He officially retired in 2002 and started taking his state pension. He mostly works for the cost of his health insurance. Without a business manager, Brady is on his own when recommending that his school board raise taxes. “Since I have to raise the taxes, I figured that I would help lessen the burden that’s passed on,” Brady said. “I wanted to give something back before I go.” (SOURCE--Jay M. Young/Altoona Mirror) |
| M. Joseph Brady (PHOTO--Jason Sipes/Altoona Mirror) |
| For selfless service to his community, hats off to Joseph Brady. God bless you, sir. |
| Chris Morrow |
| Texas school districts to have voluntarily posted its check register online (you'll see them listed at far left on the U.S. roster) but also they have no credit cards for administrators, plus BISD takes exceptional care of the two merchant cards the district owns. But that's not the whole story. In a recent interview BISD superinten- dent John Hardwick quoted educator John Dewey, "'What the best and wisest parent wants for his own child, that must the community want for all of its children.' That's what we do here in Beeville," he says. "In celebrating our students and their day-to- day learning in the classroom with the same passion as the best and wisest of parents, we work on a daily basis to build trust with our parents and families. A component of building that trust is our financial transparency." |
| Beeville ISD (TX) Internal Controls |
| John Hardwick |
| Beeville ISD appears to have a firm grip on trans- parency. Not only is BISD among the first 20% of |
| Further addressing both trust and trans- parency, long-time community leader Gwen DeWitt, who helped the district pass its recent $12 million bond election, said, "Our hard-earned tax dollars fund the public school system and the only way for the public to accurately hold the schools accountable is to be aware of how funds are used. It is our desire to provide a quality education for our youth. It is appreciated when a school system makes every effort to provide financial transpar- ency and subsequent accountability to the taxpay- rs and parents. Beeville ISD provides this transpar- ency and accountability on a continuous basis." Hats off, Beeville ISD! (Posted June 24, 2008) |
| Regarding the two merchant cards, access is carefully monitored and the cards are kept in BISD's business office. "Anybody wanting to use one has to submit a purchase order first and it must be approved for that specific purchase and amount, then the card is returned immediately with the receipt," says CFO Linda O'Connell . "The few times anyone forgets, we go ask them for it by the end of the day." She adds, "It's the taxpayers' money." |
| Linda O'Connell |
| Beeville ISD administration building |
ERDI supe Alton Frailey
v. public freedoms
v. public freedoms
| What was Alton Frailey thinking? By Peyton Wolcott Tuesday, June 24, 2008 - 3:52 p.m. |
| What could have been going through this veteran respected Katy ISD superinten- dent's mind when he included limiting his community's access |
| Alton Frailey |
| to information regarding how he's spending their tax dollars and educating their schoolchildren on the agenda for last night's board meeting? Surprising that he'd consider this, given that they made such strides last year by voluntarily posting the district's check register online, but here's the agenda item: |
| AGENDA - REGULAR BOARD MEETING KATY INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT / BOARD OF TRUSTEES EDUCATION SUPPORT COMPLEX BOARD ROOM/6301 SOUTH STADIUM LANE KATY, TEXAS MONDAY, JUNE 23, 2008 IX. Action 2. Consider Board approval of the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) Advocacy Resolutions. |
| Oh, you don't see the reported 18 TASB resolutions on Katy ISD's board agenda above? Oops! Neither could I. Somehow they weren't included in the agenda supplied to the public. Look for yourself here (scroll down to "Regular Meeting" on the right, then "June 23, 2008"). Well, we can all be thankful that Helen Eriksen and Jennifer Ratcliffe were on hand to tell us about it in this morning's Houston Chronicle: |
| The Katy school board on Monday backed off a plan to propose a law requiring those who want access to public records to first explain why the information's release would benefit the community. Katy officials say they're trying to stymie a flood of what they consider frivolous requests for open records. To that end, the school board intended to ask the Texas Association of School Boards to push for a new law to make information requestors justify themselves. But they canceled the vote just a few hours before the meeting because administra- tors said they don't want school board members to be criticized as being anti-open government. "I don't want our board to be conflicted and misconstrued and misrepresented as trying to thwart public information," superintendent Alton Frailey said. "I don't want this on the backs of the Katy board alone. I'm not wanting to carry the water, but I have put the bucket in the well." A draft of Katy's proposed resolution reads: "There is a growing trend where private citizens use provisions of this act to retaliate, harass and hold hostage the public school district when there clearly is no public interest being served." In May, Frailey told the school board that Katy was being terrorized by [493] public information requests. |
| Owning up to it here Friends, at least one of those 493 requests may have been consider- ed by Alton to have been from me. Let's back up. Even though I don't live in Katy ISD, according to TEA's most recent PEIMS actual financials for KISD, the district received $17.4 million in federal funds for the most recently reported period, and as a federal taxpayer this gives me a lively interest in where Alton was on Friday afternoon, April 18 -- the first day of the TAS/MUS spring confer- ence at Horseshoe Bay Resort. |
| First They Came First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a communist; Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a socialist; Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a trade unionist; Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a Jew; Then they came for me -- and there was no one left to speak out for me. -- Pastor Martin Niemoeller |
| Given that Alton is a TAS/MUS director, it seemed likely that he might have been golfing with the other administrators and vendors on some of Texas' finest links. But was he doing so -- if he was doing so -- at taxpayer expense? Sorry, Alton and his PR staff have not yet answered phone and email queries so you'll have to file a public records request to find out. Here's a friendly idea. Make it easier for them: Mark your request "Public Information Request #494." In the meantime, our friends in print didn't speak out very loudly last year when TASA/TASB made newspapers exempt from the onerous fees HB 2564 imposed on parents and taxpayers for public records. Here's hoping this new move by TASA/TASB will encourage the press association to speak up during this next Lege. |
| Texas superintendents golfing with vendors at Horseshoe Bay Resort on Friday, April 18, 2008 |
| Because of the research that I have done on the English / Language Arts (ELA) TAKS essay, I know that it is not the short answer responses that are graded too low; it is the essays that are graded too high. Please go to the link here to read the report and here to read its addendum. A decade of TEKS, 10 years of dumbed-down reading Besides the serious problem with the grading of the ELA essays, most Texas students are also not reading the traditional classics. Take a look at the literature textbooks based upon the English / Language Arts / Reading standards (TEKS) that were adopted in July 1997. (These were in place until May 23, 2008, when new ELAR standards were passed by the Texas State Board of Education.) Not only are the books filled with mere excerpts, but the graphics are so distracting that a student has to "fight" to find the written text! For ten years our public school students have experienced dumbed-down reading selections. Excerpts from multicultural pieces of literature based upon the ethnicity of the author rather than upon the quality of the author's writing have dominated our public schools during this period of time. Unless a student is in an Advanced Placement English class, she/he is probably not reading the time-honored classics outside class for independent study. Ask the average student what unabridged, complete books he/she has read during the last year. If the student names one (which most will not be able to do so), ask her/him a few questions to see what she/he remembers about the book. Most secondary students cannot name a single book they have read outside the short excerpts found in the literature textbook. Because the ELAR/TEKS has not emphasized basic writing skills during these last ten years, secon- dary students' skills have degener- ated; and the situation has grown worse over time. In response, teachers now assign less written work instead of more because of the length of time required to grade such poorly written discourse. Now the students who have passed through these ten years are coming out at the other end, and guess what? They cannot read complicated text nor can they write cogent explanations that reveal comprehension and clarity of thought. In fact, a large number of these students cannot even write correctly worded sentences that exhibit careful attention to detail. Their speaking skills have suffered also. Thankfully nine out of fifteen members of the Texas State Board of Education have taken deliberate action. New ELAR/TEKS standards will be implemented into the public schools in 2009-2010 with teachers having a year (2008-2009) to learn the more rigorous content of the new standards. If the TAKS and end-of-course tests follow suit and include questions taken only from the new ELAR-TEKS, we will begin to see an improvement in our Texas students in a few years. |
Donna Garner
explains DFW's
low TAKS scores
July 20, 2008
explains DFW's
low TAKS scores
July 20, 2008
t a k s s c o r e s
ERDI-tied execs' exits
announced same week in July 2008:
Billy Cannady (VA DOE);
Hector Montenegro (TX)
announced same week in July 2008:
Billy Cannady (VA DOE);
Hector Montenegro (TX)
| Fr. Greg Boyle, SJ Homeboy Industries/CA Working to end the school-to-prison pipeline |
| Los Angeles USD has failed to educate its poorest students about as spectac- ularly in its degree of failure as any district in the country. And for the past 20 years Father Greg Boyle, SJ has worked selflessly and tirelessly to do something about that failure through a nonprofit he founded, Homeboy Industries. |
| Homeboy Industries "has had an important impact on the Los Angeles gang problem, with young people from over half of the region’s 1,100 known gangs seeking a way out through Homeboy. Thou- sands of young people have walked through the doors of Homeboy Indus- tries looking for a second chance, and finding com- munity. Gang affiliations are left outside as these young people work together, side by side, learning the mutual respect that comes from shared tasks and challenges." Happy 20th birthday, Father Greg & Homeboys! |
BILL HARRISON: Cumberland
schools foundation executive claims
her boss the supe's ERDI award is
proof of his leadership ability.
schools foundation executive claims
her boss the supe's ERDI award is
proof of his leadership ability.
| Gloria from Luling on sidewalk outside Walsh Anderson party at Austin's Iron Cactus with unnamed man who was shy about revealing his name (TASA Mid Winter, 2007 ) |
| ERDI supes in the news |
HECTOR MONTENEGRO: Arlington
asks HOPE for info, wants $240,000 back; hats
off to the AISD board! Dallas News says new
law was Hector's undoing:
asks HOPE for info, wants $240,000 back; hats
off to the AISD board! Dallas News says new
law was Hector's undoing:
| All that plane-hopping might have flown with his school board had he not run afoul of a new, tougher state law that forbids superintendents to take money – including speaking fees – from groups and companies that do business with their districts. |
CONNIE NEALE's Elgin, Illinois
"rich" pay, $100,000 more annually
than comps ....community outrage
over $750,000 buyout; look
"rich" pay, $100,000 more annually
than comps ....community outrage
over $750,000 buyout; look
at timeline re her unnamed 'illness,' negotiations,
timing of her Missouri house purchase.
timing of her Missouri house purchase.
| With Miami-Dade school superintendent Rudy Crew's leadership apparently coming to an end sooner rather than later -- the latest sign being the 8,000-plus signatures M-DCPS trustee Renier Diaz de la Portilla has gathered on his Rudy Recall petition -- naturally enough employees are leaving the district. |
| Former M-DCPS accountability chief Kriner Cash has already found greener pastures in the form of the top job in Memphis City Schools; he announced yesterday that he's offered the top cop job in the Bluff City to his pal Gerald Darling. The announcement is however not being met with open arms let alone dancing in the streets in Memphis, as citizens there have apparently figured out how to Google. Local newscasters have been |
| Renier Diaz de la Portilla |
| Miami OIG's opinion re Rico released yesterday |
| The scribbles above are the changes M-DCPS attorney JulieAnn Rico made to her $215,000 per year employment contract with the district, which changes she thought entitled her to a $15,000 cash-in-hand moving allowance even though she didn't move to Miami but instead kept her house in Palm Beach -- another county and another school district. Things came to a head earlier this month when JulieAnn was suspended with pay pending an inspector general investigation. The OIG's opinion, released yesterday, found her to have been in the wrong for keeping the money, and states, "While the money has been repaid [July 15, 2008] whether the matter is moot is not a legal opinion to be rendered by the OIG." How awkward for the board. To whom will they turn now for legal advice? JulieAnn? And what's Rudy's next move? |
| Is Memphis ready for Miami's evacuees? -- plus a Rudy's Recall update, more on Rudy's attorney . . . By Peyton Wolcott Wednesday, July 30, 2008- 12:43 a.m. (Updated) |
| Q: Is AASA 2008 supe Rudy Crew 'arrogant' as The Miami Herald calls him? On his way out? Not even $1.2+ million in paid ads to the troubled Herald is buying favorable press, although today The Herald is calling the board "little children" -- for wanting a balanced budget? Whoa. Who are the grown-ups? And why hasn't The Herald published in English about the now-8,000+ recall signatures? |
| featuring footage of the student riot at Miami's Edison High School this past Feburary, which riot led to Darling's officers' publicized no-confidence vote in their leader. |
| J. Rico (T) R. Crew |
| New rancor in Crew drama Tempers flew and chaos reigned during a Miami-Dade School Board meeting as a member read a memo calling for chief Rudy Crew's ouster. BY Kathleen McGrory and Laura Isensee - Thursday, July 31, 2008 |
| A Miami-Dade School Board meeting erupted in chaos Wednesday after one member brought up the possible firing of embattled Superintendent Rudy Crew. The highly unusual outburst created total disorder at the well-attended committee meeting, just an hour before a public hearing on the school district budget was to begin. The fracas began when board member Renier Diaz de la Portilla, speaking from a dais, began to read a memo calling for Crew's ouster -- only to be harshly interrupted by another member, Solomon Stinson, who usually sides with Crew. Stinson, chairing the meeting, said Diaz de la Portilla could not continue to read his memo, because he had already passed out copies to members of the board. He called Diaz de la Portilla out of order and threatened to adjourn the meeting. But Diaz de la Portilla refused to stop. ''This meeting is adjourned,'' Stinson finally said, raising his voice over Diaz de la Portilla's. THE WALKOUTS A fuming Stinson then jumped out of his chair and stormed out -- violating generally accepted protocol, which calls for another board member to second such a motion. |
| MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS (FL) Hard to imagine how even Rudy's pricey PR machine can spin Wed. night's board meeting By Peyton Wolcott Thursday, July 31, 2008 - 8:38 a.m. |
| Audience members were stunned. Some members of Crew's senior staff got up to follow Stinson out. Board member Wilbert ''Tee'' Holloway, often on Crew's side, walked out, too. People stood up, not knowing whether to stay or leave. Board member Ana Rivas Logan demanded that the meeting continue -- and everyone stay put. ''Any staff who has walked out of this meeting is being insubordinate!'' Logan called out to the district administrators who left. Five minutes passed before order was restored. Later, Stinson said he had planned to allow Diaz de la Portilla to read his memo, once he handed out copies, he changed his mind. ''I wasn't going to sit there and be read to,'' Stinson said. ``I did that when I was in pre-kindergarten.'' Diaz de la Portilla called his colleague ``disrespectful.'' Board Vice Chairwoman Perla Tabares Hantman called the scene ``embarrassing.'' ''I've never seen anything like this before,'' Hantman said. ``How can any board member walk away from another board member?'' (Continued here) |
| This photo at right was taken after board member Solomon Stinson (standing, at left) got up and walked off the dais left when member Renier Diaz/Portilla began reading from a proposal to oust supe Rudy Crew. Note trustee Evelyn "My Family's In The Affordable Housing Busi- ness" Greer's body language at far left. Here's the Herald's story: |
| Renier Diaz/ Portilla confers with Ana Rivas-Logan (PHOTO/Carl Juste-Miami Herald) |
KEN BURNLEY: Detroit PS
trustees: Where's $1.6 mil in
art he bought from Sherry
Washington Gallery; is it lost?
trustees: Where's $1.6 mil in
art he bought from Sherry
Washington Gallery; is it lost?
CAROL JOHNSON: Memphis
schools scandal follows her
to Boston -- along with FBI?
schools scandal follows her
to Boston -- along with FBI?
| Miami student riot; insets: Kriner Cash (top), Gerald Darling |
| Rudy hangs on as Miami supe -- by 1 vote By Peyton Wolcott Tuesday, August 5, 2008 - 12:07 a.m. |
| By 5-4 vote, Crew survives, calls move 'high-tech' lynching Miami Herald - Posted on Mon, Aug. 04, 2008 By Kathleen McGrory and Laura Isensee (with Jennifer Lebovich,Matthew Pinzur) Miami-Dade Superintendent Rudy Crew survived the narrowest of votes Monday night to keep his job. But Crew may not be out of hot water just yet: Earlier in the meeting, board members voted unanimously to hire outside counsel to help sort through any future issues that may arise relating to his contract. Crew also hinted that the vote -- and months of near-parlyzing turmoil leading to it -- could press him to leave on his own terms. ''I have to give some thought as to whether or not there is anything left of my superintendency,'' he said. ``What has happened tonight has put a serious cramp in my ability to lead.'' Crew would not say specifically if he had any plans to leave the district. He said he planned to get through the start of school -- and that he hoped he could find some semblance of normalcy. But he said the board had ``underminded my ability to run the school system.'' The 5-4 vote on Crew's contract took place at 8:11 p.m., after more than four hours of intense debate dominated by community members who supported Crew. In a prepared statement read moments before the vote was taken, Crew invoked the polarizing words of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, calling the process a ``high-tech lynching of my reputation.'' He also called it a ''ridiculous witch hunt'' that was ``yet another sad chapter of street politics in Miami.'' ''It is beneath this board and it sets a bad example for our children,'' Crew said. But board member Renier Diaz de la Portilla, who had proposed the item, remained steadfast in his quest to fire Crew. ''This ship is not going in the wrong direction,'' Diaz de la Portilla said. ``This ship is sinking. If we do not act, the ship will continue to sink.'' Voting to keep Crew on board were Chairman Agustín Barrera and board members Evelyn Greer, Wilbert ''Tee'' Holloway, Martin Karp and Solomon Stinson. Board member Perla Tabares Hantman said she had concerns with Crew's administration, but that she found the move to fire him ''premature,'' particularly given that the board voted earlier in the day to hire special counsel. Instead, Hantman suggested that Diaz de la Portilla wait, and that the board give Crew a set period of time in which to improve his performance -- the same mechanism she used to fire former Superintendent Roger Cuevas in 2001. ''I have a big problem with the item, and I was hoping that the maker of the item would wait some time,'' Hantman said. Diaz de la Portilla declined -- and Hantman ultimately voted in favor of firing Crew. But a majority was firmly against the measure. ''Dr. Crew's conduct does not meet any standards for gross negligence,'' Karp said. ``Let's get ready for the opening of schools and move past this turmoil.'' Greer, who like Diaz de la Portilla is an attorney, said the board did not have legal grounds to fire Crew. ''This is a million-dollar gift if we make the wrong decision,'' she said, in reference to the $700,000 the board would have to pay Crew for firing him without cause. She added: ``I am not prepared to pay a million dollars on an emotional, grandstanding, election-day event.'' Barrera, Holloway and Stinson also came to Crew's defense. But board member Marta Pérez blasted Crew for ''fiscal irregularities'' and ''violations to his contract,'' and said he should be fired. ''We would not tolerate that of any other employee, not teachers, not bus drivers,'' Pérez said. Board member Ana Rivas Logan agreed, pointing out a number of board initiatives that she said Crew had never implemented. ''A board member should not be subjected to this kind of defiant behavior from an employee,'' said Logan. She added: ``I believe it is time to place a new CEO at the head of this organization.'' The discussion among board members made up only a fraction of the entire discussion on Crew's contract. Dozens of community members and public figures spoke on the superintendent's behalf, wiht few opponents. ''It appears we have sunk to a new low of government politics,'' Miami NAACP President Victor Curry said. ``We have board members and candidates who apparently can't run on their records or their vision of the district.'' Paul Cejas, chairman of the Miami Business Forum, said Miami was ''extremely lucky'' to have Crew. A former board member and U.S. ambassador to Belgium, Cejas kicked in $240,000 of his own money to help lure Crew to Miami in 2004. ''My investment has paid off wonderfully,'' Cejas said. U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek flew in from Washington to address the board on Crew's behalf. ''This man has brought us to to the level where we are at now,'' Meek said. ``It's almost like going to the Super Bowl, winning the Super Bowl, and saying three months later that we need to change the coach.'' A handful of public speakers, however, offered harsh words for Crew. Shawn Beightol, who is running against Karp in the Aug. 26 election, said the district needs a superintendent who is more sensitive to unique needs of Miami-Dade County. ''How much more time can our children wait for education that values the classroom, the teachers and support staff and the parents?'' Beightol asked. |
| THE LAW: Hundreds pack Dade schools meeting on Crew's future Posted on Mon, Aug. 04, 2008 By Kathleen McGrory and Laura Isensee In a five-page legal memoran- dum, a Miami-Dade school board attorney all but dismantled one board member's arguments that Superintendent Rudy Crew, left, could be fired for gross negligence, incompetence and insubordination. Hundreds of people filed into the Miami-Dade School Board auditorium Monday afternoon for a board meeting that will determine the future of schools chief Rudy Crew. A vote on whether to fire Crew isn't expected until late Monday -- or possibly even early Tuesday, as in recent weeks the board has tackled its most crucial matters late in meetings that have lasted past midnight. The proposed action to terminate Crew, which is being proffered by board member Renier Diaz de la Portilla, appears on page 44 of the 47-page agenda. And, more than 200 people have signed up to address the board during the meeting, a district spokeswoman said. That number could grow later in the day. Just before the 1:14 p.m. start of the meeting, hundreds of teachers, parents, students and community leaders packed the auditorium. A dozen or so watched from a spillover area. One teacher, anticipating a long meeting, brought her knitting needles. Attendees included David Lawrence Jr. and Modesto Abety both of the Children's Trust; Mario Artecona, executive director of the Miami Business Forum; and state Sen. Rudy Garcia of Hialeah. Additionally, U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek was traveling to Miami to attend the meeting, a spokesman said. In other business, the board is expected to take up: • A proposal from Crew to cut 509 teacher positions and 284 teachers' aides and clerical workers. The proposal also includes the elimination of six open police officer positions, one security director and several administrators. The cuts are part of an ongoing effort to slash millions from the district's 2008-2009 budget. • A proposal from board member Ana Rivas Logan to ask the voters if the next superintendent should be elected by county residents. If the measure is approved by the School Board, it must then be approved by the County Commission before Sept. 2 to be included on the November ballot. • A proposal from Board Vice Chairwoman Perla Tabares Hantman to hire ''special counsel'' to advise the board with regards to Crew and School Board Attorney JulieAnn Rico, who is currently on paid administrative leave for taking a $15,000 relocation package without ever having moved permanently to Miami-Dade County. • A proposal from Diaz de la Portilla to revamp the district's nepotism policy. Diaz de la Portilla would like the district to prohibit the family members of School Board members, the superintendent and top staff from holding administrative or managerial positions. Diaz de la Portilla's suggestion has met resistance from board members Solomon Stinson and Wilbert ''Tee'' Holloway. |
| Who in Miami could have forecast that just six months after Miami-Dade County Public Schools superinten- dent Rudy Crew was named American Association of School Administrators "Superintendent of the Year" -- kind of a "capo de capos" title from a trade union -- back in February that he would miss being fired by a single vote not even six months later? Let's look at Rudy's five votes--and the law: |
| Monday's Miami Schools board meeting (L to R): Rudy Crew, Renier Diaz de la Portilla, Evely Greer, Ana Rivas Logan (PHOTO--Carl Juste/Miami Herald) |
| FOLLOW THE MONEY Who were Rudy's 5 votes and what might their allegiances to him have been? By Peyton Wolcott Updated Tues., Aug. 5, 2008 - 10:45 a.m. o M-DCPS board chair AGUSTIN BARRERA's wife Alina Gallego was promoted under Crew from M-DCPS school social worker to assistant principal -- at a school in Gus's district just five minutes from their home -- bypassing the district's 350+ management program graduates. Q: Would Gus vote against his wife's boss, especially a boss who gave her a nifty promotion? o EVELYN GREER's family has long been involved in the afford- able housing business (Carlisle Development Group); since Evelyn joined the M-DCPS board, Rudy has gone along with her interest in . . . affordable housing, to the point of pledging serious money. Then there's the deal with the vacant lot. Q: Would Evelyn vote against a potentially huge increase in her family's wealth? o SOLOMON STINSON's sister Essie Pace has been promoted from principal to region 4 supe. Q: Would Solomon vote against his sister's boss or do anything to jeopardize Essie's job? o MARTIN KARP: Former M-DCPS employee; in the news last month for having deputy supe Freddie Woodson distribute his rah-rah email to teachers. Q: Why would Rudy allow his top executive to send what has been called a political email -- when Martin's running for re-election? o WILBERT 'TEE' HOLLOWAY: Last-term Democrat politician appointed to M-DCPS board by Republican governor Charlie Christ. |
| Rudy Crew (2nd from left) accepting vendor Aramark's check for scholarship at AASA |
| WATCH VIDEO |
| 62 arrested -- including Miami-Dade school employees -- in drug bust: Another setback for superintendent Rudy Crew? By Peyton Wolcott - Thursday, August 7, 2008 - 1:09 a.m. |
| including 52 people on the public payroll, using insurance paid for by taxpayers, to illegally purchase Oxycontin. "The employees were charged with using the insurance to fill prescriptions written by Dr. Ronald Harris, a Miami-Dade doctor now serving time in a federal prison for prescription fraud. Wednesday's round-up was an outgrowth of a related federal round-up three years earlier. In August 2005, 29 people -- including 22 schools employees -- were arrested and accused of the same scam. "Investigators broke the local case after Roberts admitted he wrote fake prescriptions to 6 main players in the scheme prosecutors referred to as 'recruiters.' Those recruiters than convinced 56 other friends and coworkers to get the prescripts filled using their publicly funded prescription benefits. They got up to $300 per bottle for delivering the drugs back to the recruiters. 'They get the prescription from the doctor,' said Fernandez Rundle, 'Find these people with good health insurance, then the recruiters would then take it to brokers on the street.' A large number of those charged are or were employees of the Miami-Dade school district, some who worked directly with children. Spokesman John Shuster said those people have been reassigned away from children, and could be fired." (SOURCE--CBS4) (CBS video here) |
| MIAMI STATE ATT'Y PRESS RELEASE 56 Gov't Employees Arrested in Health Insurance/Oxycontin Scam Miami (August 6, 2008) - State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, along with officials from the Miami-Dade Police Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, will hold a joint press conference at the Office of the State Attorney this afternoon, Wednesday, August 6th, to announce the arrest of 62 individuals, 56 of them employed in various different branches of Miami-Dade government, in relation to an illegal operation involving the distribution and street sales of the powerful drug Oxycontin. |
| State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle announced details yesterday regarding massive Oxycontin/Medicaid sting (PHOTO--CBS 4) |
| The wheels of justice may grind slowly but undoubtedly this time moved too fast for the individuals just arrested as the result of a three-year Medicaid/Oxycontin sting in Miami. "Dozens of people [were] charged Tuesday in a massive rip-off, where an alleged crooked doctor traded the narcotic Oxycontin for insurance payments made to public employees. The Miami-Dade State Attorney's office revealed Tuesday they are charging 62 people in what they are calling 'Operation Co-Pay,' |
| PRINCIPAL UPDATE Here's a pair for you: San Francisco USD ass't principal / accused pimp, New York's knife-wielding principal By Peyton Wolcott - Tues., Aug. 12, 2008/12:03 a.m. Updated Tues., Aug. 12, 2008/3:20 p.m. |
| Imagine being a student at high school run by this administrator: "Principal threatens woman with knife" Here's what we know of how Berne-Knox-Westerlo High School principal Mary Petrilli -- who has worked in her rural school district located in upstate New York near Schenectady for almost two decades -- came to be allegedly wielding a 12-inch kitchen knife in such a manner that she was arrested Saturday night: |
| Mary Petrilli |
| State police say she was involved in a domestic dispute on Saturday, and that Petrilli had a 12 inch kitchen knife in her hand. She's charged with menacing and possession of a weapon. Petrilli has been on medical leave from her position since October. District officials say she will be prohibited from school grounds and will remain on paid leave pending the outcome of an investigation. (SOURCE--Fox23News.com) |
| How social were Petrilli's studies? She "served as a social studies teacher in the middle and high schools, before being appointed high school principal in 2000.....Superintendent Steve Schrade has served as principal in her absence. She returned to school July 1. The district initially granted Petrilli 30-days medical leave and hired an interim principal.....The district Web site indicates Petrilli was granted leave, 'following the advice of her physician.' " (SOURCE--Scott Waldman/Albany Times Union) |
| Gerald Courtney |
| Other examples of SFUSD board pres- ident Mark Sanchez's judgment: 1. Discriminates against ROTC: Part of SFUSD's dump-the-JROTC effort, says "the armed forces should have no place in public schools, and the military's discriminatory stance on gays makes the presence of JROTC unacceptable" even though students have protested, saying JROTC is one of the few places where they feel safe. 2. Green Party member. 3. Hired ERDI consultant Carlos Garcia as SFUSD superintendent. |
| Academy of Science & Technology assistant principal Gerald] Courtney's arrest on Friday. Sanchez said the district has renewed Courtney's contract in the past ' without any reservation.' " (Source--Erin Allday/San Francisco Chronicle) |
| 'Call me mister'? Gerald Courtney, 57, who has had a day job at SFUSD for the past two |
| decades, was arrested--after four months of surveillance-- for his alleged role in the operation of at least two San Jose brothels which included "leasing apartments used for the brothels and creating Internet posts seeking prostitutes and customers....Charges against Courtney included felony pimping and pandering. Police said no minors or other school officials were involved in the prostitution case. A second suspect, Milpitas resident Hsiu Hwa Chou, also was arrested in the case. Chou, 41, allegedly was the madam of the brothels...Two other suspects have been arrested on misdemeanor prostitution violations." (Ibid.) So, could it be assumed that SFUSD's board president is against ROTC and for prostitution? No wonder the city's mid- dle class is fleeing; USA Today says there's black flight. |
| BEST PRACTICES |
| Today is Sunday, Aug. 31, 2008 Is your school district's check register online yet? 252+ already are! (see nat'l roster, far left) |
JOSEPH WISE:
Edu-hopskotch up and down
the East Cost, from Disney to
Christina in Delaware to Duval
in Florida to edu-vendor Edison
Schools in Feb. 2008.
Edu-hopskotch up and down
the East Cost, from Disney to
Christina in Delaware to Duval
in Florida to edu-vendor Edison
Schools in Feb. 2008.
| GREAT BEND USD 428 (KANSAS) Former Jefferson Elementary principal Don Atkinson: 'GUILTY' -- The power of PTA moms' questions about the cash their kids raised to help Don's school By Peyton Wolcott - Friday, August 15, 2008 / Updated Saturday, August 16, 2008 - 1:18 a.m. |
| A 28-year employee of Great Bend USD 428, Don resigned last November and, according to published reports, eventually landed in Colorado Springs at his daughter Kaci Guthrie's home while he looked for work; he was employed for at time at Colorado Springs School District #11 before their HR department did an an out-of-state background check--even though all four references listed on his February 15, 2008 employment application were Great Bend USD 428 employees. CSSD11 terminated his employment in this past May. Don's wife, Patti Atkinson, a "reading recovery" specialist, continued working at Eisenhower, |
| Former Jefferson Elementary principal Don Atkinson (L) with then-PTA president Pamela Kurtz |
| Donald N. Atkinson's guilty plea Thursday in Barton County District Court in Great Bend, Kansas to six counts of theft by deception (three felony and three misdemeanor) involving cash generated by the Jefferson Elementary PTA which was given to Don because he asked them to let him turn it into the district was not the result of an audit by Great Bend USD 428. Nor was Don's guilty plea the result of the district's chief financial or administrative executives having noticed that Jefferson Elementary was reporting PTA cash gifts--from such fund raisers as students selling lollipops for 50 cents--differently than the district's other schools. Neither did Don wake up one morning last year and say to himself, "Don, my friend. You should not have been pocketing more than $41,000 in money raised by your elementary schoolchildren and their moms and dads from 2002 to 2007. Golly gee, let's do the right thing and turn yourself in to the authorities, tell them everything." |
| THE GOOD NEWS: IMPROVED MONEY HANDLING PROCEDURES AT GREAT BEND USD 428 RESULTING FROM DON ATKINSON'S ARREST Tom Vernon, Great Bend superintendent, said by telephone a few months ago, "We've tightened our internal controls in two ways. First, all PTA and other gifts now come through the district's business office and are posted publicly on the school board's agenda for approval of each item by the board. Second, we now have an annual meeting for all groups who give to the schools or are associated with the schools such as the PTA to outline our procedures to them. " Tom confirmed that the district no longer allows employees to accept cash donations from groups; instead, those monies are deposited directly with the business office and receipts are issued. |
| years a gourmet dinner. His next court date in Kansas is a pre-sentencing hearing on September 25; he faces as much as 18 months in prison for each of the three felonies. (SOURCES--Hutchinson News, KAKE News, KSN.com) |
| Among the cash from PTA fund raisers: school- children sold lollipops for 50 cents (PHOTO/Roy McMahon/Corbis) |
| No, to all of the above. The 63 original charges (17 felonies and 46 misdemeanors) filed against former Jefferson Elementary School principal Don Atkinson by Barton County Attorney Doug Matthews were the result of PTA officers at Jefferson bringing their questions regarding his handling of PTA cash raised for and donated to the school to the attention of district authorities. |
| another elementary school in Great Bend, until her retirement at the end of the 2007-08 school year, after which the Atkinson's sold their house in Great Bend and disappeared |
| from the community of which they'd been an integral part for decades. In addition to their long-time employ- ment by the district, the Atkinson's were regulars at ball games, plus Don was president of the board of trustees of the USD 428 Education Foundation, a 501(c)3 organized to benefit the school district for which money was raised through an annual golf tournament and some |
| Patti Atkinson |
| GREAT BEND USD 428 A GOOD EXAMPLE OF WHY TAXPAYER-FUNDED TEAM BUILDING EXERCISES ARE A WASTE OF MONEY Despite the fact that Great Bend's board met this past year "as a group in a retreat setting," and worked on "good discussion" and "problem solving" and "good decisions to move us forward," the dist- rict's internal controls were too lax. Too-lax internal controls are solved not by talking but by doing, by tightening them up, preferably before the news- paper headlines. Again and again, our top administrators have been too willing to "trust" employees in situations where taxpayer dollars are involved. At some point, the folks in charge of what are frequently the largest budgets in our counties are going to have to learn to run schools like the big businesses they have become. |
| Q: Where is Don Atkinson now? What are his (employment) plans for the future? |
| MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS (FL) YouTube video says Evelyn Greer didn't stop $400,000 board office decorating -- but voted to cut teachers' pay; her primary's Tuesday By Peyton Wolcott - Tues., Aug. 19, 2008 /11 am |
| Hurricane Fay has just hit Southern Florida--and a new "Evelyn Greer Redecorates" 30-second YouTube video has just hit the Internet. If the ad is any indication, the Aug. 26 primary in which her M-DCPS board seat is up for grabs appears to be moving past rhetoric and into more productive ground: following the money and examining incumbents' past board votes. Greer's opponent is Larry Feldman, the principal whose offer to stay on at $1/year was turned down. |
| Miami board member Evelyn Greer's decision to allow Rudy Crew to spend $400,000 redecorating board offices memorialized on YouTube--by teachers |
Soghra Najafpour was sentenced
to death at age 13 for the first time in
Iran; she's now 31 -- more here.
to death at age 13 for the first time in
Iran; she's now 31 -- more here.
| The new media: compelling-- let's see what the fallout is By Peyton Wolcott Thursday, August 21, 2008 - 2:26 a.m. |
| BIRDVILLE ISD (TX) Will Birdville's parents and taxpayers put up with a stunt like this from their supe? By Peyton Wolcott Thursday, August 21, 2008 - 2:03 a.m. |
| Steve Waddell (C) with students at BISD Convocation |
| That's Birdville ISD superintendent--and Region XI supe of the year and candidate for state supe of the year--Steve Waddell above being helped to the floor of the Haltom City Coliseum Friday after marking the beginning of the new school year in his district by flying through the air on a cable then being lowered to the ground before playing with his blues band; afterwards he told Fort Worth Star-Telegram he's glad he did it -- kids now think he's "cool." Q: Why would students' opinions matter to a grown man? |
| Watch video |
| Watch video |
IRAN: Execution Danger Alert
| KATY ISD (TX) With Katy ISD supe Leonard Merrell gone, his no-bid tech vendor Xpediant has suddenly been asked to leave the building By Peyton Wolcott - Saturday, August 23, 2008 - 4:56 a.m. |
| Fact 3: Katy ISD paid Xpediant, LLC $13 million on their no-bid contract from June 2002 to April 2006. |
| Fact 2: On August 8, 2005, Xpediant, LLC loaned Jack W. Caskey, Jr. and Leslie R. Caskey $384,000.00 to purchase a resi- dence at 2018 Mariner Point Lane, Katy, Texas 77494, such amount to be paid off in full by October 1, 2035. |
Jackson Hole
| Fact 4: "Katy ISD spokesman Steve Stanford said Friday that district officials told all Xpediant employees Thursday not to return to work at any site in the district..... The district also issued a stern warning to campus principals Thursday saying 'immediate action (was) required' to maintain security on campus sites. Marcy Canady, the district's assistant superintendent for school and community engagement, urged principals to alert their staff 'from the front office to night crews' to inspect badges of any Katy ISD employee who shows up at their schools." (SOURCE--Houston Chronicle) |
Germany
Lakeway
condo
New York
Katy residence
| more photos: here |
Sunny France
| Why was Xpediant suddenly forced out this past week? Based on these photographs below, did Leonard allow new no-bid start-up Xpediant to make too much profit too soon on the backs of Katy ISD taxpayers? Did KISD receive sufficient value? |
France
The joys of waterfront living
| More School News Quick Links here |
| 'He's a wonderful guy. I've known him for many years. He's extremely highly regarded,' said school board President Mark Sanchez , moments after hearing of [SFUSD Galileo |
| MIAMI-DADE PUBLIC SCHOOLS (FL) Affordable housing proponent Evelyn Greer bounced from her Miami school board seat by Larry 'I'll work for $1' Feldman in election day 'shocker' By Peyton Wolcott Updated Fri., Aug. 29, 2008/10 a.m. |
| Larry Feldman 55.26% 12,270 Evelyn Greer 44.74% 9,933 |
| What looks like a "surprising" 2,245- vote loss in Tues- day's primary may translate to a single vote come November, should District 9 winner Larry Feldman follow through on his earlier stated inclination to join the other four M-DCPS board |
| PHOTO CREDITS Top: CharlotteSouthern//MiamiHerald Below: El Nuevo Herald |
| members who voted on August 4 to oust supe Rudy Crew. Hope Rudy's been making good use of those frequent trips away from the district --including no-showing at board budget meetings at a time when the district's fac- ing an $88 million deficit--to line up his next gig, which, given that he appears to have priced himself and his allies out of the market, may prove difficult unless Obama wins the White House, in which case Rudy appears to have been positioning himself for the US DOE top spot. Larry came to public notice earlier this year when his offer to stay on for $1 a year at Devon Aire where he'd served as principal was turned down; where Rudy Crew somehow found fault with Larry's idea voters as it turns out loved it. JUST FOR FUN: Translate the Nuevo Herald's story on Tuesday's election via Google Language Tools (at right of search box). |
| LarryFeldman Evelyn Greer |
| IKON OFFICE SOLUTIONS, INC. BREAKING NEWS: Another Katy ISD technology vendor not in good standing with Texas Comptroller By Peyton Wolcott - Thurs., Aug.28, 2008 / 1:04 a.m. |
| The American Superintendent (Leonard Merrell) as Allan Ramsay's King George III (Mixed-media collage by Peyton Wolcott, Copyright 2008) |
| Ikon no ikon at the Comptroller's office And now another Katy ISD tech vendor -- Ikon Office Solutions, Inc. -- turns out to have also not been in good standing with the Texas Comptroller. But why should the two lead KISD executives charged with technology spending oversight who brought both vendors to the district -- Xpediant and Ikon -- really much care? After all, both former supe Leonard Merrell, who retired just a year ago, and KISD chief information officer (who on Earth dreams up these titles, by the way?) Lenny Schad live in and pay their property taxes to other school districts. Following the money, friends; there's more coming. |
| UPDATE Aug. 28, 2008 8:29 a.m. CST How nice! Ikon has already this morning brought themselves cur- rent with the Texas Comptrol- ler; while I have a paper record showing that Ikon was "not in good standing" as recently as yes- terday, I'm so happy to have been able to help encourage them to become good U.S. citizens -- according to the Comptroller the president and vice president of their board are in London, England. QUESTION: Doesn't Katy ISD believe in Buying American? |
| Where did former KISD supe Leonard Merrell find these folks? First it was Xpediant (see April 14, 2006 commentary); remember, they'd let their franchise tax reporting slide for what was it, two or three years? And it was only when I published that they were late that anyone even noticed? Surely Leonard hadn't noticed -- or he would have done something about it, right? But then, if he wasn't aware, you have to wonder, as Katy ISD's chief executive, why he wasn't. As for Xpediant' s stating they were not aware of the lapse, while we can all understand a mom-and-pop storefront's forgetting the taxman's niceties, shouldn't a multi-million dollar no-bid edu-vendor have had systems in place to prevent such an administrative lapse? |
Wolcott
Peyton
| 08.29.08 / FL: MIAMI $88 MIL IN THE HOLE When AASA supe-of-the-year Rudy Crew (M) finally presented his 2008- 09 budget yesterday, a week after school started --after no-showing at called board budget workshops--and admitted to his board that he overspent by $66.5 million last year, leav- ing the district with only $4.8 mil in reserve, trustee Marta Perez (R) commented "I can't begin to express my frustration. For the past four years, I've said we're spending too much, and now we're seeing the fruit of this. I certainly lay the bulk of the blame at this administration's feet.'' Visibly angry, Crew yelled at Perez, ''Do not talk to me like a dog!' Do not! Do not get in the habit, ever!'' at which point--God bless him--board chair Gus Barrera told Crew that Perez had the floor. Barrera had to shout to be heard over Crew. (SOURCE--KathleenMcGrory / Miami Herald) |
| Q: Is Rudy trying to provoke board into fir- ing him so he can collect his $700K buyout? |
TX: Arlington ISD sues HOPE 501(c)3;
AISD wants their $240,000 back for
materials ordered by former supe Hector
Montenegro (L)(AASA/Tampa).
AISD wants their $240,000 back for
materials ordered by former supe Hector
Montenegro (L)(AASA/Tampa).
IA: Photos of local community college
president Robert Paxton's July 4 partying
president Robert Paxton's July 4 partying
start discussion re public officials'
private lives; now he's leaving with
$400,000--and remembering his '02
private lives; now he's leaving with
$400,000--and remembering his '02
felonious misconduct indictments.
| NEW |
GA: Clayton trustees' gamble
on hiring former Pittsburgh
supe & ERDI consultant John
Thompson--even with generous 45%
work days off--wasn't enough, just as
on hiring former Pittsburgh
supe & ERDI consultant John
Thompson--even with generous 45%
work days off--wasn't enough, just as
SACS had said. Clayton still lost their accredita-
tion, 1st in US in 40 years. MORAL: Throwing
money at public ed solves nothing.
tion, 1st in US in 40 years. MORAL: Throwing
money at public ed solves nothing.
FL: Bay supe James
McCalister let secretary
allegedly misuse $7K (Bay
SD credit cards). SUGGES-
TION: More time on school
biz, less time on glam pix.
McCalister let secretary
allegedly misuse $7K (Bay
SD credit cards). SUGGES-
TION: More time on school
biz, less time on glam pix.
TX: FBI arrests 2nd El Paso
ISD trustee; Sal Mena's 8 counts
include sham no-work
consultancy. Already out on bail.
ISD trustee; Sal Mena's 8 counts
include sham no-work
consultancy. Already out on bail.
| Vaya con Dios, Bob |
from Bevis PTA; shreds documents.
Trips, gambling, high life. Community:
unhappy with her & her light sentence.
Trips, gambling, high life. Community:
unhappy with her & her light sentence.
COMMUNITY FEEDBACK? Robust