In particular, these two videos are from the Crocker discussion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvknLZgErZg&list=UUrixN3WawBymWBABRNaasdQ&index=1&feature=plcp and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VusYLYqQSU&list=UUrixN3WawBymWBABRNaasdQ&index=2&feature=plcp.

Once again we see politicians drawing lines on a map for political purposes.

Once again we see the brain-dead ridiculing someone else’s ideas.

#2) We need a Prop 13-A, wherein property taxes get SLASHED. We need to dramatically reduce property assessments and not let the government compensate by upping the tax rate. Don’t vote for any candidate for County Assessor who won’t pledge to work to reduce assessments by AT LEAST 90%.

The “less government” approach would save Crocker neighborhood parents alone *thousands* of dollars each year. Money they could use to purchase new Benz’ or (gasp!) even to afford private school for their spawn.

If expecting the government to follow the constitution is the hallmark of unreasonableness, then I plead guilty.

At least some public school districts in this state assign based on some sort of lottery; SFUSD comes to mind. A government-sponsored, school assignment lottery should not automatically be deemed constitutional, but at least reliance upon the element of chance is a good place to start.

OUSD’s policy relies *entirely* on the element of POLITICS.

Here’s a suggestion: OUSD can sell lottery tickets to its sought after schools (like Crocker) at $5,000 per. The first 200 (or whatever a school’s capacity) numbers drawn get in. Using my figure, that’s a quick, cool $1M for the district. For *each* school.

No more bake sales.

And what’s with this “give the TS administration more time ..” baloney? Once again we public school kids being used as cannon fodder, and taxpayers as deep pockets.

I think the current error of over a generation of governance is illustrated by the NCLB example by 2014 100% are going to meet the targeted standard.

Your reference to “messianic quest” gets the coding correct. In Oakland Superintendent Smith is going to reverse the structural racism–reflected in the District’s suspension of male Black students–according to the OCR 5-year resolution plan. His other plans will get all students above average.

Superintendent Smith is beloved for his plans and highly paid too.

However, his title is not complete. His actions, as oppose to his plans, have earned Superintendent Smith a more complete title: Dr. Anthony “Don Quixote” Smith.

Jim Mordecai

Granted, he without sin cast the first stone. But, as to your point whether there is a pattern found, I believe I have found a pattern and the pattern is Tony Smith isn’t an effective administrator.

Oversight of parcel tax Measure G, keeping the dollars directed to the classroom above 55% of the budget, administering QEIA monies, addressing million dollar special education budgeting error, providing $50,000 of OUSD money to grow targeted charter school, problems with process of school closure, are all challenges that the highest paid administrator in the Bay should have been expected to do a better job. Not a perfect job, but a better job.

And, if Kaiser, Crocker, Cleveland and Bella Vista families’ complaints are not responded to by the Smith Administration and the Board, these families need to work to replace both the Board and Superintendent Smith. Such action is part of self-government.

Jim Mordecai

They in turn need to judge whether that one mistake by a subordinate is a pattern or an aboration. If it is one or a first mistake, that employee or person needs a chance to prove if it is the exception or the rule. & not get fired if its the exception.

I would add that Dr. Smith & the Board have listened: they’re working on a sustainable solution for the Crocker boundary. So if they listened, are their sins to b forgiven? Or is every Administrator to b fired the second they make a mistake? Or, with thousands of students and hundreds of schools, two or three mistakes?

The learning curve is essential. Be it with our students, our teachers, our administration, or…ourselves.

The alternatives are either, on the one hand, a new administrator every year and chaos; or on the other a never ending retrenchment that never responds to Democracy and attracts corruption.

So far TS and the Board have responded to both Kaiser and Crocker families and made changes. To the Kaiser and Crocker families I ask, what’s wrong with that? Is that not Democracy in action? Is their positive response or NOT positive?

Or should they fry in hell for acknowledging their mistakes? Which we have generously pointed out to them, & they have responded by listening?

PS. I genuinely hope they respond to Cleveland and Bella Vista families and their complaints in a similar responsive ( if not reactionary) manner.

The Crocker dilemma is in part an unintended consequence of last year’s ill-managed school closure process. Parents and students at Lakeview and other closed schools protested passionately to keep their neighborhood schools open. Maybe if the focus had been on how to improve quality at all of our schools and these schools had been kept open, we would not be facing this uproar. In any case, I hope that the former Lakeview students’ ability to attend a good school near to their homes will be considered in any resolution as these families have already endured a great deal of uncertainty. My understanding is that a main reason why Lazear reopened as a charter school is because those students were not provided viable school options near their homes.

As a sidenote, a challenge of neighborhood schools is that to the extent that our neighborhoods are stratified by race, ethnicity, and income, we have ended up with schools with very different mixes of diversity – whether measured by race, income, or language status. A quick look at the School Accountability Report Cards for Crocker, Lakeview and Cleveland show 3 schools very close in proximity but with starkly different demographics:
Socioeconomically disadvantaged students – Crocker 9%, Lakeview 60.6%, Cleveland 55%; white students – Crocker 53.3%, Lakeview 1.6%, Cleveland 9.7%; English learners – Crocker 4%, Lakeview 24.6%, Cleveland 56.1%.