HUSD elex update: 6 for 4, 3 for 2
By Eric Kurhi
Friday, August 6th, 2010 at 6:13 pm in Hayward, Politics, Schools.
UPDATE #2: May, Jones NOT running. New post to come.
UPDATE: Becerra, Jimenez have withdrawn. Will update after 5 p.m. with final list of candidates.
According to the Registrar’s list, we have a field of three for the two year term, six so far for the four. Deadline is up for the shorter term race, but because incumbent Paul Frumkin III did not file for the four the period is extended until 5 p.m. Wednesday. Here’s that field right now:
Hayward Unified School District VOTE FOR: 2
Filing Agency: Alameda County
1 SABRINA BECERRA Filing Completed
2 AUDIE BOCK Filing Completed
3 LISA G. BRUNNER, Papers filed
4 GABRIEL A. JIMENEZ Filing Completed
5 WILLIAM L. MCGEE, Papers filed
6 SHEILA SIMS Incumbent, Filing Completed
For the two year term, vote for one:
1 JESUS ARMAS Incumbent Filing Completed
2 LAWRENCE M. M. FITZPATRICK, Papers filed
3 ANNETTE WALKER, Papers filed
At this point, there is no sign of the Anna May-Greg Jones “MayJo” bill. And remember, they were talking about getting a third person on that slate. Suspense, you end on Wednesday.
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August 6th, 2010 at 11:29 pm
For what my view is worth – for these are people I know and have come to respect for their perception and integrity – I #1 like Lisa Brunner (10 stars I give this woman) and then I would back Audie Bock. For the two-year, I do not know Annette Walker, but think that for level head and political know-how, Jesus Armas may be our best choice.
August 7th, 2010 at 4:20 pm
Conrad;
You are absolutely correct on the choice for the two year seat.
Mr. Armas has management experience as City Manager in two communities, the first of which he acquired as a candidate for a position on the SF Peninsula which he won after reciting among his qualifications, his experience as the assistant City Manager here in Hayward. See my earlier post in this blog reciting the fact that the Burbank school would not be seen standing today had it not been for his involvement…… The trustess would have had to search far and wide, at great expense, to do what Armas did for HUSD as well as the image of the City in that most beneficial to Hayward Schools. Armas did all that whule overseeing a staff on City Payroll with around 900 souls.
As to Mr. Fitzpatrick….. Well, that gentleman ran for the school board on a ‘paired campaign’ expense sharing arrangement with Mr. Reynoso. Mr. Reynoso had the advantage of having the first position on the ballot……. While his campaign associate, having lost that election, moved on th higher opportunities with his attempt to gain a seat on Hayward City Council last June. His campaign had as it’s highlight, the ideas that City Budget would gain a very big boost if we simply collected tolls for use of Mission Blvd between ‘Down Town’ and ,,, ( Tennyson ?) …. Mr Fitzpatrick again, wishes to run for the two year seat against Mr.Armas?
….Mr Fitzpatrick is to Hayward what Lou Filipovich is to San Leandro, a perennial wannabe!
Annette Walker? Has made an unfortunate decision…..perhaps she relies too much on the idea that women vote for women?
Had she even a smattering of knowledge about Mr. Armas she would not have tossed her hat in that ring!
Not surprising is the candidacy of Ms. Audie Bock. This lady wants desperately to be elected to something, somewhere?
She did win a sear in the assembly some time ago……. She won on a fluke… but if Mr Kurhi aids us with the ADDRESS FOR THE Wikepedia account of that event,,, assuming that it has not again been edited, as was seen by Wikepedia’s annotation as to the February 2010 changes,,
Ms. Audie Bock was very upset when Board of Trustees failed to appoint her rather than Mr. Armas. She instantly released a story to The daily Review on the need for a recall. Her disappointment at the fact that the “recall Campaign” failed,…. Is reflected in her frequent appearance at Public comments and again at the Burbank School meeting put on by the Board of Trustees…. ….demanding. Present Superintendent Duran be fired. That is it… just a constant demand by use of cardboard signs and oral expression, without expression of cause for the demand!
It might help to understand the that the demand for the firing of Ms Duran is probably locked into the fact that Ms. Bock, in her resume submitted to the Trustees seeking to be selected as replacement for Sara Gonzales,.\ revealed the fact that she had been a ‘substitute teacher’ in the district where Duran had been Superintendent…. Before Duran’s retirement, (with great appreciation for Duran’s performance at San Lorenzo).
Ms. Brunner is outspoken and has in past exhibited great zeal; the campaign will certainly warm up with her presence. My difficulty is that she may have entangled her self too deeply with problems of the past and might not present us with a clear image of what she sees as the HUSD future and how to achieve great change.
As to Mr William L. McGee….had it not been for the presence of Mr. Armas,, this man would have been my choice. Now wrapping up his attendance at University seeking advanced degree….; this man is, in my estimation, an ‘up and comer’’ I lean heavily to his corner in the coming election. Let us hope that a ‘candidate night’ is held in City Chambers where the TV exposure might well confirm my estimate of this man’s chances of a wining vote
Of Course, seemingly reserved Ms. Sims, is no slouch in terms of intellect. Educational achievement and understanding of the educational processes. She gets one of my two votes for the four year seats.
August 7th, 2010 at 5:51 pm
I hope that facgt that Kyle is tending to support Wil MCGee does not place a black mark on this young man’s chances. His name calling and bashing of people who show an interest in dedicating their time and work to the students in HUSD leaves me and I am sure many others with a sour/foul taste in my mouth. God forbid Mr. McGee should take a stand on something that Kyle doesn’t agree with, he will suffer the slash and burn of Kyly.
I believe that each person who expresses a desire to work on behalf of the students and employees of HUSD would do well to study the history of the district. Learn just how little power the board really has, given the restraints of Education Code and institutional thinking. I need to be prepared to sacrifice much family time, personal time and be willing to endure hours of reading and preparation to understand the workings of a school district…that is if they truly want to work for successful outcomes for children. Being a REAL board member requires long hours, an open mind and an open ear to their constituants.
August 7th, 2010 at 5:53 pm
Please excuse the typo…clearly I meant to say They need to be prepared…….
Old hands sometimes hit the wrong keys.
August 7th, 2010 at 6:36 pm
HI you all been away on vacation and saw the boards meetings on internet. Good riddens is right from Ms Ana Wilkes on Paul Frumkin he was responsible for so much mess in all years at district but i still want to wish him well in his retirement cause someone putting so much time in school board stuff is all hard works even if you are wrong and making lots of mistakes needs a thank you for trying.
Ms. Kathi Booth is right that the meetings do not let Mr. Reynoso speak and always interrupt him and I think cause they are afraid of what he says that his questions are really very very very good questions and he is the only one that asks them and is not a rubber stamper. You rock Mr. Reynoso too bad more board people were not like him to question and not rubber stamp.
I think it so funny that people had to tell Mr. Armas and Ms.Heredeia to stop talking and stop chewing gum. Does Armas wife still works as the personel manager of the district and why does the Superintendent keeps on sitting on the midle I just heard some of her mumbling on the tv meetings somebody get her out. If Mr. Armas was not a rubber stamper and his wife not work as manager for personnel I might vote him but he needs more training cause he sounds when he speaks in board meetings like he really does not know anything about the district in education.
Is Mr. John Kyle going to answer Kathi Booth cause i was expecting him to do that so? Thank God finally this blog gets an educated woman Ms. Kathi Booth to answer that nasty man that uses jive latin to monopolise this internet blog. I almost did not want to come back cause you all seen how nasty he is when anyone disagrees with him.
Anyone that Mr. John Kyle likes for a board I will not vote for them cause that candidate might be like him that thinks is ok to do things with out telling the public and not care when he defends that board on so much illegal Brown Act violations on meetings going on.
The next election needs a board that keeps away from secret meetings, secret decisions, asks hard questions, does not rubber stamp and will lets anyone on the board speak when that person disagrees and lets the community speak with out insulting them by talking, chewing gum, or just not letting them speak.
August 8th, 2010 at 12:01 pm
After a breath of fresh air, I came back to this blog and re-examined Mr. Kyle’s commentary. I believe that he has walked a fine line regarding what he refers to, in particular to take it upon himself to post that I live somewhere close to him..Last time I checked, it was a violation of my personal privacy, since I am not an elected official and have no responsibility to state openly where I may reside. I chose to use my complete name because I do not feel comfortable with, chat names. I believe that I now understand why others have made the choice to keep their identity confidential. It is to protect themselves and thier familes from the likes of a John Kyle, who feels not one bit of compassion for the personal lives of human beings. It is this tactic that causes me to state that he is a small minded man, who uses slash and burn to hurt those that may make him feel that his intellectual capacity may be limited.
August 9th, 2010 at 11:43 am
While I like the idea of an anarchy blog, with no moderation, this exchange had some elements that crossed the line into an invasion of privacy. Freedom of unsupervised commentary has been revoked.
August 9th, 2010 at 2:20 pm
Mr. Kyle please stop referring to where you live and giving out once again that you have stopped at my house to speak to me. You have no right to refer to my husband in the context of my commentary. Additionally, I have not attacked you personally, I have not referred to you having something wrong with your mind. You are a very tactless man who somehow believes that his blog gives you the power to say things that are hurtful and personal. I have no kidea what Mr. Kurhi is speaking of when he says that he elements of a commentary have crossed the line. I see that your statement and my response have been eliminated or edited to some degree. Honest disagreement on issues is very good and I think healthy, however to stoop to the level that has been represented in your commentary is not. Once again DO NOT REFER TO MY HUSSBAND IN YOUR COMMENTARY IN THE FUTURE. HE IS NOT A PART OF MY THOUGHT PROCESS, HE DOES NOT PARTICIPATE IN FORMULATING MY OPINIONS AND AS YOU CAN SEE HE DOES NOT COMMENT ON THIS OR ANY OTHER BLOG.
August 9th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
Mr.Kurhi,
A phone call would have been appreciated regarding the process that you are using in monitoring this blog. Perhaps if we had spoken I would feel better about what has and may transpire on this site.
August 9th, 2010 at 5:17 pm
Here is some food for thought….I was looking for ways to save HUSD money..In researching the education codes I found Education Code#35120 regarding compensation for the members of the Board of Education. The monetary compensation for districts with less than 25,000 and above 10,000 students is $400.00 per month, with the option of an additonal 5% for a total of $420.00 per month.
According to the State of California, HUSD’s official enrollment for 2008-2009, the last figures reported, was 22,098, 2902 students below that figure. CURRENTLY AND FOR THE LAST YEAR, HUSD’s BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBERS ARE RECEIVING $750.00 PER MONTH!!!! If Mr. Armas and others on the board wish to “give back” a percentage of their compensation, I suggest that they start by accepting only that to which they are entitled for monthly compensation.
Interestingly enough, Ms. Duran, our interim and now permanent superintendent and our “famous” county fiscal advisors have not noticed that they are fraudenly paying more money to each board member than they are legally entitled to. Hmmmm I wonder how many other areas HUSD is ignoring state law?????
PLEASE NOTE THAT I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT ANY OF THE CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS KNOWINGLY ACCEPTED MORE THAN THEY WERE LEGALLY ENTITLED TO. Perhaps this is just another indication of how little the current BOE had done to adequately educate themselves about school district finances.
August 10th, 2010 at 12:02 pm
As a compassionate man concerned about “our” Hayward children’s future and the quality of education imparted to them, I have spent much personal time during my retirement years, striving to improve factors upon which my thoughts and experience are capable of being used to bring influence upon education as dispensed by HUSD.
Having provided education to my own children within the parochial school system and conscious of the my own youthful experience in parochial schools, I saw a retirement opportunity to involve myself with unattended needs of the public school system .
Retired from lengthy experience of appraisal work, (30 of 40 years) within the banking system, I was highly conscious of the affect which good or poor schools have upon real estate values. In early 1961, I chose my present home because of it’s location to St. Joachim’s School as well as Longwood school; knowing (as I thought then) that the proximity to Longwood as well as St. Joachim’s would ease salability in the event I had need to move, as might well have happened had the Bank ‘pushed’ me to work in another area of California. Today, that effort might be limited to seeking out Catholic families looking for Parochial schools; in the not too distant future when conditions of age and health impose a need for ’quick sale’ it will probably prove difficult given the economy and API scores at HUSD.
At the conclusion of the City sponsored “Longwood – Winton Grove” task force, at which activity, I was the elected Chairperson, I turned to becoming a volunteer groundskeeper. It had been hard to not notice some pretty unfavorable, even health and physically hazardous conditions, existent at Longwood School’s play areas.
Those play areas, dedicated to school children were used at night for illicit sex activity, dump ground for used condoms, bullet shell casings ejected during live fire gun practice, (frequently heard in my bedroom late at night and which included automatic weapons fire,) broken glass liquor bottles, and the discarding of auto batteries, used oil, tires.
HUSD’s maintenance and operations folk were none too quick in removal broken tree limbs fallen from neglected trees or extensive intrusion onto the premises of thorny berry vines, and even a homeless person’s shelter hidden in those vines. There was loss of parking area reserved for teachers along the western most property line.
On one Sunday afternoon inspection tour, I actually broke up an act of oral copulation on school premises!
I worked hard distributing materials in support of the Legislature’s Le Roy Green funding mechanism as well as the Maintenance Assessment District’s parcel tax for which activity I drew the ire of one or two local residents thus causing a recall attempt led by three neighbors, on of whom was a ‘retired’ HUSD teacher!
Mr. Armas, God bless him, had taken note of a suggestion included in the neighborhood task force report, accepted and approved by City Council in 1994. Somewhere in the years 1995 or ‘96 I had a call from Mr. Armas seeking to know if the ‘temporary’ fire department’s ‘Battalion Chiefs HQ.’s building, (in use while the Central Fire House was being built,) would serve as a residence for the Longwood School’s on-site residence program, recommended in the 1994 report to the City. Of course I jumped on the idea, visited the structure, finding that even though it was not an architectural gem, it certainly would be no worse then the incredible number of similar style portable classrooms seen used as classrooms or the YEP program.
Mr. Armas had the structure moved to Sunset High school where it sat on blocks for nearly a year before HUSD got around to setting it in place at the SE corner of the premises between the Stonewall and Cottonwood St. gates.
I will not trouble you with the details occurring after Dr. Vigil noticed the structure and imposed a demand upon the tenant for $800 per month after eight years of a very successful barter agreement with the tenant. Free rent in exchange for duties of gate closure and ‘door lock checking’ or light turn off which janitors failed to do before late evening departures, an idea seen employed in many school districts, saw a savings of $50,000 when the graffiti problem went away due to presence of the highly effective initial site resident.
The site resident program at Longwood eliminated illicit activity at Longwood which had cost the District at least $50,000 per year in graffiti removal costs, to say nothing of removing broken glass and other litter.. The resident person said thanks but no thanks! So, guess what the ‘supe’ did? He had the interior remodeled and painted, while the original person just took it ‘as is’ with all the wall markings left behind by the electronic equipment used by fire personnel, ‘gang shower’ restroom, etc…
The initial resident was a female employee in the ‘security staff’ who had periodic encounters with teachers who thought the residence would be more useful as a ‘teachers’ room. Obviously, those teachers were relatively new and unaware of the conditions existent prior to introduction of the site resident concept.
It has taken over three years to bring attention to the fact that the second tenant, a full time security person, had a seconds security job with the Federal security presence at Oakland Airport.
I have been led down the primrose path in attempting to have that second tenant removed and the original program re-instituted, especially since graffiti vandalism returned during the tenure of the second tenant, who denied that condition in his conversation with me. Worse, he had a diminutive childlike wife and baby living alone while he was away at work! Not to worry, after the interior remodeling, he was charged $750 per month rent… because the District needed the money. Note that arrangement included all utilities and free use of the waste collection containers used by the school.
Graffiti activity returned, almost immediately after the $130,000 exterior paint job which excluded window trims.
In March 2009, some several years after my objection to presence of the second resident, the trustees ordered the return of the original concept….. The date of ‘the meeting’ at which I was to sit down with management was put off on several occasions… after the departure and re-hire of Ms. Duran, there were some understandable delays in further conversation with the subject but finally another meeting with staff occurred in late May or early June 2010.
It was agreed that a job posting would occur, that a lease with terms that I had proposed requiring specific duties of a new resident would occur, using a $12. Hourly wage in exchange for specific detailed duties would be presented to prospective replacement. I was to be involved with interviews and selection in chpice of new resident. All would be prepared and set in place by August 15, 2010. Now, calls are unanswered!
A campus with gate controls employed at reasonable hours, would see weekend opening of the school grounds so that the area between West A St. and W. Winton Ave from Hesperian to Hwy 580.… would have a decent recreational area in a neighborhood of low income folk, who are effectively excluded from use of the high draw. popularity of Kennedy Park. Rides cost money that the neighborhood kids in South Garden segment especially, just do not presently have.
It is not advisable for children to cross West A and Hesperian Blvd., upon which each street, there exists a very high auto and truck traffic count! The less than three acre Hard Park on Reed Ave near the Helen Turner facility, is below the standards set by the City for similar population count neighborhoods. Children attending Helen Turner Day Care Center, make more frequent use presently than do neighborhood children because of the long walk imposed by locked gates at the school..
Under the open campus use on weekends and summer days, that Reed Ave Park would become available for picnic purposes to families with children using the play fields of Longwood School, now denied them.
Why the continued delay in re-installation of the site resident? I suspect that the extreme nature of the cash crisis has caused intense overburdening of staff. Again Longwood fell between the cracks!
That is why, in tomorrow’s submission of a statistical data sheet released to me by HUSD, I will go into insightful detail on the subject of truancy statistics.
Be prepared for a shock !
August 11th, 2010 at 2:11 pm
At Conclusion of school year 2007-08, there was an interesting statistic published by ’Safe and Healthy Kids Program Office‘, (California Department of Education) which was provided me, on April 19, 2010 but reflecting statistical data for HUSD’s school year 2007- 2008. ( two years ago!)
It displayed data based on enrollment of 21,770 students, at HUSD. It also revealed that 5,541 students had been absent, but it reported infractions only where an absence exceeded more than 30 minutes, on 3 or more successive days. It included the aggregated data, occurring at each school. involving, in alphabetical order all of the elementary, middle and high schools. The final. tally of 5,541 instances represented a truancy rate of 25.45% of the enrollment. The enrollment number was fixed at 21,749 students. ( As of October 1st in year 2007).
Be sure to understand that the above tally is centered on the idea that only those absences of 3 or more days are recognized in the arrangement of this particularly limited analysis leading to substantial losses in our (ADA) money experience.
Over the years there has been an obvious neglect in dealing with the “Average Daily Attendance” money sent us by the State as recompense for having ’grabbed” a sizeable portion of our real property tax affecting each property in this state.
In the above mentioned report the tally does not report the number of absences of less than three successive days. nor does it recognize the numbers of those instances at which the incident exceeded three days. Truancy is applicable to unexcused absences of three days, or more.
I do not question the accuracy of the count as recited. What I do question, in a rather logical, disputatious manner, is the accuracy of the involved number of students both as to number of repetitious acts or those involved in counts of successive days exceeding the ’3 day’ limitation.
Another thought involves recognition of the fact that transience might be reported as truancy. An example of that situation where the confusion of truancy with transience occurs, is seen in instances where the principle wage earner in a family unit, becomes involved with an employer’s desire to relocate that employee. It often occurs that the relocation is hurried and in their haste, the last advice of a movement, if it occurs, is the notice to HUSD of a student withdrawal. Transience is suspected as being involved in the Truancy report. This must be immediately corrected.
HUSD has provided me a copy of the year 2009- 2010 data as it was prepared for submission to the ‘Safe and Healthy Kids’ program offices. It encompasses data gathering technique employed in the school year 2007-2008, but is applicable only to the school year just completed.
I am shocked and assume that all who read this will also be shocked at the fact that ‘truancy’ in 2009 – 2010 has nearly doubled over the previous report of 25.45% in 2007-2008 year We experienced 48.94% truancy (as defined by the report’s format) in the school year just recently completed. That grabs attention!
Again be reminded that for purposes of the report’ Truancy involves absence of 3 days or more without an excuse. The report fails to reveal the aggregated numbe of days involved with truancy..
I have not made a comparison of the schools by name but use only the bulk data for each classification, i.e. Elementary, Middle Schools and High Schools.
Overall the truancy rate reported in year 2007-2008 was mild compared to the experience of each grouping in school year 2009- 2010.
Be concerned that, in 2007- 2008 the numbers of truants involved in unexcused absences of 3 or more days was reputed to involve, 5,541 students! Or 25.25% of the accumulated enrollment in all of the three categories.
In school year 2008 2009, just completed, the numbers of truants has risen to a count of 10,432 a shocking truancy rate of 48.94% which is unexplained by the loss of just 450 in the total enrollment.
Truancy occurs with an ‘unexcused’ absence of 3 or more days. It does not make any distinction in the counts involving a student guilty of successive periods of 3 days lost. Thus does the count of involved students become skewed. In fact I personally suspect that the count does not come even close to the 10,437 tally of truant students suggested by the manner in which raw data is treated.
In HUSD’s most recent school year, the truancy rate, as calculated in the format presented is reported as being 36.4% for elementary schools. In Middle Schools the truancy rate is 64.3% and the High School Rate is 74%.
Does the law, as seen in Ed. Code law forbid any idea that there ought be a separate count for those involved with two or more periods of three day absences? Is there some sort of prohibition against identifying the chronic truants ( 2 or more such experiences is a chronic situation in my book). Why have parents not been counseled on the affects of such absences?
The amazing thing is that at the high school level, (excluding Brenkwitz, which had a superior record in this matter,) sees raw data at Hayward High suffering a truancy rate of 78% on an enrollment of 1,754; Mt. Eden at 75.5% on enrollment of 2,027 and Tennyson at 77.4% on enrollment of 1,561.
The data is skewed! These reports are nothing more than harmful to the image of HUSD and prepared carelessly as ‘busy work’!
You do not need to tell me the names of the involved students, just advise the accumulated numbers of daily absences with each involved student. At what point does expulsion occur?
Either shut the schools down or learn something about gathering and use of raw data.
Better yet, adopt the idea that each family having a student or students enrolled, must put up a ‘performance bond’ of $100. per each. The idea has substance but has been derided by those who fail to see an opportunity to end a ridiculous problem which the children of the district can not afford. If a family pleads poverty, suggest that they enroll at another school district. Our schools are impoverished by those parents who fail to understand their obligations as parents as well as the law which says they must educate their children Their failure to perform parental duties has seriously damaged Hayward Unified School District.
The carrot in that performance bond idea is that they get their money back when their children accept the idea that hooky is not a game. Simple to understand, no unexcused absences? Here is your money back! The loss of average daily attendance money due to truancy and unreported transience due to job transfers etc. is just not acceptable.
I perceive the problem as involving students with a history of a ‘chain’ of such events and that perhaps only 300 or 400 hundred are involved. The ‘adewole’ program at HUSD failed. Why? It is not a situation endemic to just afro-americium students, who under proper influences, are as smart as many attending in this, as well as other public schools.
Support for that last thought is seen in the experience of the young Afro- American student who graduated in June 2009, with grade point average of 4.3 and was accepted by all 12 of the ‘prestige’ schools to which he had applied. He chose Harvard, which offered considerable inducement, of course!
I attended a commendable program, at Palma Ceia Baptist Church organized by Hayward chapter president of NAACP on second Saturday in March 2010, It had an impressive number of ‘involved’ folks and a panel of well educated professional ‘leaders’ advising the effort to support the Mentor Mentee program which admittedly is having to face some tough obstacles.
I was impressed, especially with the recognition that one of the problems ( just one ?) facing that program is the problem of youngsters hanging around the ‘cash flash’ corners where drug sales may or may not be happening according to your skills in observation of human behaviors.
Question: Are kids attracted to those corners in hopes of finding some of the cash action? Those involved think themselves to be facing that problem with the kids they call mentees, who seem in some instances to be indifferent to schools and education.
.
Although suffering some minor criticism for the thought, I continue to advocate for a public event called a “Town Hall Meeting”. My several critics recite the erroneous idea that town hall meetings are comparable to that which certain politicians employed in the last presidential election campaigns. I refute that idea for the obvious reason that true Town Hall Meeting activities are not ego-centric as was seen occurring in the last election campaign. Those attending must participate in putting forward “pro active” ideas as part of the attendance requirement.
Town hall meetings were largely the only form of Government outside national and Stae Capitols in the early years of US History and were much admired by the French Government official who visited the U.S. in 1830.
A successful Town Hall meeting operates without re-crimination and is based on the idea that the community must put forward the many positive ideas that lead to solution of it’s own problems. The obstacle of course is the tendency of many of our HUSD parents is to dwell on past faults or deny that any good can arise from public meetings not specifically controlled by parents of present students. Public comments prior to the business of Trustee meetings sees little but finger pointing and few presentations of progressive, palatable ideas.
Vox clamantis in deserto !. ( A voice crying in the desert.
August 11th, 2010 at 3:35 pm
I am sorry Mr.Kyle, Town Hall meetings, task forces and the like do not seem to produce any meaningful outcomes. A lot of talk, a lot of let’s study this, sometimes wonderful plans but little happens after that. I suggest that you ask HUSD if the School Attendance and Review Board is still in existance. I believe that they have the power to refer habitual truants and their parents to the District Attorney for action. Allowing or condoning habitual truancy on the part to a parent is punishible. It is really time that HUSD uses the power that they have to enforce school attendance. However, it is also time that HUSD provide meaningful and accessable classes, teachers and programs designed to keep kids in school. This pattern of putting everyone in the same box as far as teaching and learning is concerned has not worked. I offer a successful program and philosophy for you to investigate, the Charquin/Faith Ringold school. I am relatively sure that they have success in keeping children in school and engaged in learning. I believe that the percentage of successful high school attendance of these students is also rather high. It is time to admit that alternative learning methods need to have a more prominent place in HUSD.
August 11th, 2010 at 4:31 pm
Ms. Booth
Thanks for your sage advice. It carries much weight in some circles….. wherever they are located?
August 11th, 2010 at 5:01 pm
Ms. Booth
Charquin….???/ I recall that group’s big appearamnce at an HUSD Trustees mmeting…..When a gentlman handed in a bundle odfspeaker’s cards and convinced the clerk to place it above my own, even though I was first to do so.
I had onserved him filling uout ‘speakers’ cards from a long list, as he sat at a table in the Council’s ante chamber…….. He spole first and then asked the very old gentleman then presideing to let the others in his packet speak on the basis of the idea that it was all one theme….. Petersen complied and the horde of children who had earlier been seen demonstrating, under adult supervision outside City Hall, streamned to the microphone….. one last speaker who turned out to be a teacher went on to an eleven minute rant despite the feeble banging of the gavel by that old man..
That teacher put on a terrible display of bad temper…. ran over 11 minutes of wild harangue all the while old Grant Petersen banged his gavel….to no avail!. when she tired of her angry game… she left abruptly at which time that old mans advised the rest would need to wait until item j. on the agenda arrived. as I Rose, Vigil as was his wont leaned over and in a loud whisper statewd that ‘Kyle ought to be heard’. Unfortunately I was angry and merely suggested that Petersen retire to a rest home…. I dashed out to the lobby but teacher was half down the stairway ….. I did let go a few remarks in my best Stentorian tones, that she was not much of a teacher for having brought that display forward especially for having taken that matter to the level she did….. outside parents and teachers derided me because I had no respect for teachers….. of Course they were correct I had no respect and continue to have no respect for that sort of Behavior.
Now that Ms. Bock is in the campaign waters… we will easily expect more….. she claims to be a techer also but her attacks upon Duran seem to have been based on some sort of problem occurring at San Lorenzeo school District where Bock was a substitute teacher…..as she stated in her resume when seeking tyhe seat now occupied by Nr. ASrmas!
So Kathy, I have at least mentally, tucked you into the same file….. good luck!
August 11th, 2010 at 7:42 pm
Mr. Kyle, the philosophy of Charquin/Faith Ringold is to encourage students to participate in governmental activities and to make use of their first amendment rights..Just as you do at board meetings and in this blog. The teacher’s rants are no different from when you “strongly” express your opinions at a meeting or on this blog. I would venture to say they were nowhere near the visciousness with which you have written on this blog.
I do not attack, nor do I rant in the manner in which you do Mr.Kyle. Once again I will go toe to toe with you on the history of HUSD and how to make the use of the Education Codes. I take pride in my ability to help others understand how education in Hayward has worked and is working. Unless you have spent time in an alternative learning enviornment and observed the engagement of children of all academic abilities you cannot and should not make such derisive comments.
Attacks, as you call them, on the current superintendent are often based upon factual evidence and frustration with the attitude of the superintendent. She is neither welcoming, accepting nor open to suggestion….it appears that her philosophy is “my way or the highway”. Most people will react in some negative manner to being dismissed as having nothing important or helpful to offer.
Age by itself does not command respect. Respect is a mutual action…one must give it to receive it. The superintendent does not give even a show of respect for public comments or for anyone who dares to question her manner of leadership.
Tuck me where you wish Mr. Kyle, my feelings will not be the least bit bruised.
August 11th, 2010 at 8:58 pm
Booth;
Try being ignored !
August 11th, 2010 at 8:59 pm
Don’t forget that being late more than 30 minutes also counts as days lost. Really, no absence is excused anymore. So, you have this rediculous data. So, you can be truant say, for wearing braces and getting them adjusted. To make the list, you don’t even have to be absent a full day. And the three days count the whole school year, too. How many working folks only miss three days over a 10 month period? Not too many.
The law states that a parent can be cited and put in jail for non-attendence. You can also lose custody of your kids. The average kid gets 3/4 colds a year plus the other kid diseases that show up. No wonder the truancy rate is at 50%. What does HSUD do? I can tell you. They send you a letter. “Your kid is truant. This is what will happen. No, no matter what your kid is truant all year.” Great. Then you get a letter and visit from the district child welface people. Your child is truant. Gosh, can I get you the doctor’s slips? No, Your child is truant. Then the county child welfare folks come to visit you. Then you get put under observation until they decide to move on, or the school year ends. Not very fun. And it didn’t solve my kid’s problem of getting strep throat several times the moment he stepped back into school. A change in school however, eliminated this problem. I really think he caught it from the dirty bathrooms, which according to HUSD are clean. If you child goes on independent study it doesn’t count as truant. Just try to get the teacher to put together independent study. They won’t. And then the school says your kid is not eligible, when every kid actually is. Attendence is a nightmare. Sorry if this is rambling.
August 11th, 2010 at 10:39 pm
Qodrn:
Mr. Armas has convinced the Board of Trustees to hold five meetings (5) starting in Sept, one every 2+ weeks, They are to be held at the Middle Schools which number 5 in total.
The parents and neighobors within the service area are to be invited to that Meeting held at a middle school which serves the elemnemtary schools of THE FIVE NEIGHBORHOODS.
It would be well for you to attend and if you accept my suggestiohn…. number your concerns in a logical, WRITTEN fashion… along the lines of the problems you described. ,AKE SEVERAL COPIES… HAND JUST OPNE TO THE BOARD IF UNABLE TO DISCUSS ALL YOUR CONCERNS.
Your blog entry sounds as though you have a tough time in your dealings with the attendence clerk as well as that teacher to whom you turned for help in Home study etc…..
Write it out in logical sequence as it occured to you……. Prepare a legible copy and have it duplicated by xerox machine…. If they conduct a meeting with an agenda it is probable that your time at the mike will be limited to three minutes. that is why you write it all out, so that if you are unable to finish, you can hand in a copy for their perusal and possible response. That is what they seemed to do at the Burbank school earlier this year, just before school closed. They attempted to answer all questions and provided anbswers on the WEBSITE.
I have been attempting to promote support for a TOWN HALL meeting for the purpose of drawing voTers who live and pay parcel taxes,in this school district BUT WHOSE CHILDREN ARE OUT ON THEIR OWN..
The rules applicable to a Town Hall meeting are not those you saw employed by candidates in the last national election.
The rules I propose is that you simply must live within the district in order to gain entry and participate. The basic rule in a Town Hall meeting is that no anger Or slanderous remarks be made evident in the vocal actionS of the Participants…. If Three hundred folk arrive… no problem… we seat no more tha 20 folks att a table and all must participate in agreeing that only pro-active ideas are brought forward to solve problemms which you describe.
From such a meeting, geared to last no longer than three hours, we get pro-active… constructive ideas and then, oddly, when those ideas are acccpted by the ggroup, you would be surprised at the number of folks who wish to join a group charged to ‘push’ the idea forward. Those volunteers would be organbized into specific commissions or ad hoc groups charged with presenting the logic to the board of trustees…
The City has such a system…. see it in action at the ‘Planning Commission’ or the ‘library commission’ or any of the other eight groups existent in addition to the two just mentioned above.
Twon Hall meetings were much admired by a French Government official who saw them in action when he visited this country in 1830…. he went on to write a book about the idea and some of that was used in France, AT LOCAL VILLAGES OR SMALL TOWNS.
Town hall meetings were the only form of LOCAL Govern=ment we had in early United Staes History…. Government was pretty much limited to the Congreess and the State Governments in their respective Capital Cities.
If a community wanted a road or a bridge across a creek…. they called for a Town Hall meeting to discuss it, work out the details etc… Town hall meeting concept was abused in the last National election and more recently by the folks involved with the TEA Party movement. Frankly, they abuse the concept!
We need one in Hayward so that positive ideAS CAN BE DEVELOPED AND PUT IN FRONT OF THE TRUSTEES. iT IS TIME TO PUT THE SHOE ON ANOTHER FOOT AND ADVISE TRUSTEES OF SOME BASIC CHANGES IN THE ‘PrOCESSES’ WHICH DO NOT SEEM TO WORK… WITNESS THE MONEY PROBLEMN AND THE LACK OF ACTION TO CORRECT THE MONEY PROBLEM THAT is CAuSEd. By Hooky players.
Plewase take the time to read the somewhat lengthy iotems numbered # 11 and #12 above. Try to put aside the reply by my critic. Ms. Booth, who is an obstructionist.
August 12th, 2010 at 10:58 am
Mr. Kylle, who died and made you the decider of what my motives and intentions are. How dare you call me an obstructionist! I simply stated my opinion regarding my experiences with town hall type meetings. Each and every person is capable of deciding if they wish to attend and or believe in the method.
If I am such a poor example of an interested and concerned citizen, WHY IS IT THAT YOU ASKED FOR MY ASSISTANCE IN OBTAINING A COPY OF THE STATE EDUCATION CODES? I suppose my assistance is only requested if you decide that I have joined you in your efforts to end truancy.
Your advice to Qodrn, while problably well intended, is just another example of suggesting that “your way” is the only way to address a particular problem.
Again, I suggest that you inquire about whether the School Attendance and Review Board still operates in HUSD.
To Qodrn, I completely understand your problems with HUSD in obtaining an adequate education for your child as you deal with health problems. There is a void when it comes to compassionate and supportive assistance from HUSD. They simply decide, based upon their own narrow mindedness, what your problem is and are unwilling or unable to see the other side. This the standard mode of operation for HUSD. Attack the parent and student and forget what the underlying circumstances may be. I speak from experience….unlike Mr. Kyle who has never had to deal with the administration, classroom teachers, or any other part of public education when it comes to his children. One cannot understand the workings of HUSD or public schools in general, unless they have undergone the experience.
August 12th, 2010 at 1:09 pm
Booth…
The last line in your above submission advises that ‘One can not understand the working of HUSD or public schools in general unless they have undergone the experience.
The fact that you made that statement suggests strongly that your belief that all the taxpayers who support HUSD but who are either childless or sent their children to private schools,(even if those other schools are not Parochial,) leading to your unexpressed but implied idea that they are not entitled to an opinion.
That, dear lady, is obstructionism in it’s purest form. Gee whiz, I sat on the ‘parents group at St. Joachi’s which interviewed prospective hires … you would be surprised at the number of protestant folk who grew tired of teachinbg at public schools, simply because they perceived that parents are non-supportive and lack the wherewithal to use Parochial or other private enterprsing groups take responsibility for their kids!
I affirm my personal belief that you are an obstructionist.. with an additional handicap! You deliver in written form endless unwarranted criticism such as my thought when approaching you for simple information, which I imagined available to you when your husband was on the Board of Trustees. His effort at that participation, did not make you an expert!
If I bang my head on the wall in an attempt to see fruition of the Town Hall Meeting, I accept substantiated, openminded critique. Why do you object to bringing together folks who mihht be helpful. Even if I had power to ‘select; attendees, which I do not, my thought was that your insights might be helpful… as those insights might be judged by the folk attending.
yOU HAVE NEVER SEEN ME SPEAK OUT OR WRITE ABOUT MATTERS WHICH HAPPEN IN THE CLASSROOM…PERIOD! ON THE OTHER HAND HAVING BEEN IN THE REAL ESTATE APPRAISAL BUSINES IN WHICH CAPACITY I CREATED WRITTEN DOCUMMENTED OPINIONS CONCERNING/DESCRIBING ALL TYPES OF RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY, BOTH EXISTING AND PROPOSED, AS WELL AS SPECIAL PURPOSE COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS, BOTH EXISWTING AND PROPOSED…. FROM FUNERAL HOMES TO HIGH RISE OFFICE STRUCTRES, I THINK I KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT PROPERTY MAINTENACE ETC…
IT IS IN THOSE AREAS WHERE I HAVE CONCENTRATED MY EFFORT TO AID HUSDd… AS AN EXAMPLE THE ONSITE RESIDET INSTALLATION, CAME FDROM MY OBSERBVATION OF THE EXPERIENCE WHEN I HAD ASSIGNED ‘COOKIE CUTTER’ WORK TO CLEAN CUT WELL DRESSED, ALERT, SANTA CLARA STUDENTS, 9AS OPPOSED TO SAN jOSE STATE STUDENTS WHO LACKED UNDERSTANDING THAT YOU COULD NOT APPEAR AT THE ENTRY DOOR OF A MOBILE HOME DRESSED LIKE A SLOB, UNSHAVEN ETC’ AND EXPECT TO MAKE AN IMPRESSION UPON THE BANK’S CUSTOMERS…. ESPECIALLY WHEN THE VALUEATION FAILED TO SUPPORT THE DESIRED LOAN REQUEST! THE QUALITY OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOL PRODUCT, EVEN AT COLLEGE LEVEL IS BELOW STANDARD.
THE TOWN HALL IDEA MIGHT EVEN DEVELOP INTO CREATION OF PERMANENT ‘AD HOC’ GROUPS ALONG THE LINES OF THE cITY’S TEN (10) ‘COMMISSUIONS’ as an aid to relief of the more mundanr workload laid upon the HUSD staff AND ESPECIALLY those in the ‘frontlines’
Quite frankly, I fully exopect opposition from you on the subject of a Town Hall Meeting’ …. what the heck, …. no town is perfect!
If you are visably successful in opposing Town Hall meeting… I will walk away. Then what?
i AM ANXIOUS TO HEAR YOUR ‘BETTER SOLUTION’ IN AID OF RELEIVING THE WORKLOAD AND MAKING BETTER USE OF THE EXOSTING ‘CASH FLOW’
oNE OF THE THINGS i EXPECT TO SEE COME OUT OF THE tOWN HALL MEETING IS CREATION OF AN AD HOC GROUP ENTITLED ‘sPORTS AND pROMTIONS’ i HAVE SOME GOOD IDEWAS FOR RELATIVELY QUICJK CASH THAT MIGHT YIEDL $100,000 PER YEAR MINIMUM WITH THAT GROUP…. WOULD THAT AID THE SPORTS OR MUSIC PROGRAMS AT husd?
GO AHEAD…; SAY IT! I EXPECT YOUR NAY SAY RESPONSE!
August 12th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Dear Ms. Booth,
Excellent point. I have decided to completely ignore Mr. Kyle’s comments. I do not appreciate people that at every opportunity toots their own horn. I think Eric could limit how many words we could have per entry. When Mr. Kyle annointed the former city manager as the heroe at HUSD and supports the passive, non verbal characteristics of rubber stumpers, I had enough!
Please continue providing information to people that through this media wants to have a healthy interaction.
Community meetings are REQUIRED, they are not the invention of one board member. We’ve have them in the past. Nothing new.
What should be stressed is the amount of time the district takes on those meetings, it’s absolutely ridiculous!
THe ADM. should be limited to 30 minutes as introduction, leave the rest of the time for the community to ask questions.
When they answer question, they do not have to go back in history for 5 to 10 minutes before they get to actually answer.
There is no need for key note speakers. Boy, the last Community Outreach meeting at Burbank was a waste of time!
Let’s hope they don’t insult parents with silly raffles!
Thanks again Ms. Booth. Keep up the good work!
August 12th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Once again Mr. Kyle…I am my own person and I have been actively following HUSD in all aspects for 25+years. And by the way…I have asked you to discontinue referring to my husband in your commentary.
What he did or didn’t do as a board member had and has no bearing upon how I form my opinions or where I learned to research the Education Codes. So please drop the references…believe it or not I have a brain and an education…and I am capable of acting and thinking on my own…which must be a novelty in your estimation, particularly since I am a female.
With respect to Town Hall meetings, I don’t believe I advised anyone who chooses to read this blog not to attend any meeting Town Hall or otherwise. I simply expressed my opinons of the outcomes of such meetings. I am not bound and determined to force people to think as I do. I simply express my opinions and offer information which I can back up with research, personal knowledge, and the law.
It is not important for me to be a leader of anything…I have been there and done that in my younger years. Power is not my desire. Educating those who are wandering in the muck and mire of public education, especially in Hayward, is all that I am interested in doing.
I hope that I satisfied your desire to have another reason to denegrate me and my mind. I am so glad that it provides you with stimulation. Have a nice day Mr. Kyle.
August 12th, 2010 at 2:59 pm
Mr. Kyle, the dictionary defines an Obstructionist as “one who dystematically blocks or interrupts a process, especially one who atttempts to impede passage of legislation by the use of delaying tactics”. I don’t believe that my opinions or attempts to educate readers is in any way obstructionistic.
I suggest you use Roget’s Thesaurus to find a word that you think will fit whatever it is you need to “tag” my style with.
I believe to adequately understand the public school system, one needs to have first hand experience with it. One need not have a child enrolled in school to volunteer their services to a local school. Working in a classroom offers a multitude of learning experiences for the volunteer. Observing the atmosphere of a school helps one to form opinions of how well the staff promotes positive learning, good citizenship, compassion for others and a variety of other qualities that students need to be exposed to if they are to become effective and positive contributors to society.
Never having worked or had a student enrolled in a non-public school, I would never attempt to discuss what goes on either good or bad. That is where we differ. My opinions are based upon direct knowledge, first hand experience, a keen sense of observation and a willingness to examine all aspects of a subject.
Again Mr. Kyle, be sure you have your facts straight before you begin to criticize me or anyone else that chooses to participate in this blog exchange. You know nothing about me or I would venture to say anyone else that posts on this cite. How dare you make blanket assumptions about any of us. Likewise how dare you to set yourself up as the only opinion that counts. Sorry to tell you this is not a society of one.
August 12th, 2010 at 3:53 pm
Ms. Booth’
I thought I had clearly stated that I never interfere with classroom instruction nor the supervision of Teachers. Yet, you infer or twist a reply to your own needs. Then you indicate that I am a sexist unable to interact with women. How in blazes did you grab onto that?
My father died when I was sewven…I had two younger brothers near the middle and the youngest at 33 days of age.
Dop you for one minute think I do not understand what the glass ceiling was all about…. especially in 1938~!
She came down with cancesr and passed on Chrisrmas day 1950….. It was tough…money wise as well as the strong tendency in those days for mareried women friends to reduce visirts by friends because, since my mother was physically attractive, seems that some friends feared that husbands would be drawn away….. geez, some such as your sel,f are down right freigtening in your misplaced tendency to seek dominance.
Why is it you never rose to a prominent position within servce to HUSd by volunteers? Did I not indicatew that you would have influence at Town Hall meeting?
I recall only the event held in 1991 at Centennial Hall. Ot was close to being a town hall meeting that was successful in that it led to creation of City Hall at it’s present location. However, it was not quite a “Town Hall Meeting” and was limited, as my memory permits, to something near 150 folks.Not well publicised…. suspect it was intended to folks known to be active in matters that were principally influenced by planning Commission, library commission or involved with the task forces or ad hoc groups of the p[eriod leading up to the event.
As to my being ubfair to some blog participants, you probaly did not notice that I became intense in my criticism when some of the ‘low’ types began casting accussations used unfairly…. not all elected folk are crooks etc.
If I thought poorly of Vigil, I certainly had company but I never inferred that he was ‘crooked’ as some have….. and when you are involved with this blog particularly, you will come to understand that irrational aspersions cast upon elected officials is part and parcel of the things which draw my ire.
Cace quid dicis, quando, et cui. ( Beware whAT you say, when and to whom.)
Have you stopped smoking? When lAST WE SPOKE TO EACH OTHER AMICABLY, I THOUGHT YOU TO BE A CHAIN SMOKER.+
tAKE CARE OF YOUR HEALTH FOR THE BENFIT OF husD IF NOTHING ELSE!
August 12th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
Mr. Kyle, I CANNOT AND WILL NOT STAND FOR YOU TO SPEAK OF ME PERSONALLY….YOU KNOW NOTHING OF MY HEALTH HABITS. YOU FIND SUCH LOW AND DERISIVE WAYS TO TRY TO COMBAT SOMEONE WHO DOES NOT FEEL COMPELLED TO JOIN YOUR BAND WAGONL.
IF YOU PERSIST IN REFERRING TO ME IN A PERSONAL WAY I WILL HAVE TO ASK MR. KUHRI TO MONITOR YOUR POSTINGS.
I care not what you went through as a child..if it made you the person you are today then I guess that is something you alone are proud of.
Stop referring in such a derrogatory manner to others who wish to post their opinions or ask questions. The mere fact that they are willing to endure your attacks makes me admire them. To criticize or comment on opinion can and should be done without the mean and tastless methods you employ.
NO ONE PERSON HAS THE ANSWERS TO THE WOEFUL STATE OF HUSD, AND CERTAINLY NOT YOU NOR ME. REFRAIN FROM PERSONAL REFERENCES, TRY TO JOIN THE RANKS OF PEOPLE WHO RESPECT ONEANOTHER’S PERSONAL PRIVACY. PLEASE DO NOT ADVISE ME OR ANYONE ELSE ON HOW TO BEST TAKE CARE OF THEIR PERSONAL PHYSICAL OR MENTAL HEALTH. YOUR “CONCERN” IS SHALLOW AND TRANSPARENT.
August 12th, 2010 at 4:24 pm
GROW UP MR. KYLE!!!!!!
August 12th, 2010 at 4:51 pm
OK Mr. John Kile why do you behave in such a obstructionist way to Ms. Booth and everyone that disagrees with you?
I disagree with you alot and I keep telling you Mr. Armas is no good for a school board he needs to do something else with his life that is a match for his skills. Mr. Armas is way over his head he sounds really like he needs alot of training in education and business. Please stop telling us he is good for HUSD because he is not.
If you had a child hood like you saids you did we all don’t really care just behave like a good person.
How would it sound to you if I ask you if you are still seeing your therapist after 20 years of therapy…tell me is that ok even if true or false? I think you need to see one if you are not already as soon as possible. Please stop using jive latin to us it does not impress anyone here.
August 12th, 2010 at 5:13 pm
Mr. John Kyle please apologize to Ms. Booth no one needs to be treated like that. Ms. Booth we will keep reading what you write.
It looks like Ms. Kathi Booth is a woman with an educated head on her shoulders and I think that does not sit well with you Mr. Kyle when she has different opinion than you on HUSD.
You all I think the town hall meeting is a bad idea too it will just be another meeting to talk and do nothing just like the last one in Burbank where the HUSD did not think of us older folk to have better sound and handicap access cause I had a hard time hearing and parking was no good.
Mr. John Kyle If you think you know so much about HUSD maybe you should train Mr. Armas on how to be a school board member cause he needs your help. And Maybe you can be a contractor to train the board on town hall meeting and you will probably get the contract cause you have 4 rubber stampers on that board.
August 12th, 2010 at 5:15 pm
I would like to congratulate all the candidates running for School Board Audi Bock, Lisa G Brunner, E. Sue Lafferty, William McGee and Sheila Sims, for the 4 year seat and Jesus Armas, Lawrence M. Fitzpatrick and Annette Walker for the 2 year seat.
August 12th, 2010 at 5:24 pm
For those of you who haven’t already figured this out…Using Latin quotes gives the user a feeling of superiority. I for one am not impressed and it looks like some of you aren’t either. It is just another way Mr. Kyle thinks he can “put us in our ignorant place”. OF COURSE THIS IS JUST AN OPINION, NOT BACKED UP BY ANY FACTUAL RESEARCH, ONLY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.
August 12th, 2010 at 5:36 pm
Yes Ms. Booth God bless you too cause I also pointing out the use of JIVE LATIN that Mr. John Kyle likes to use to try to impress to put one over.
Ms. Booth can you tell me why the superintendent sits up with the board right in the middle like a queen? Was it always like that cause I really don’t remember it like that until Mr. Reynoso started questioning and many other people speaking on board meetings and I think they all are right that only the board needs to be up there.
You all I think by letting the Ms. Duran superintendent up there means we have a weak rubber stamping board. We all did not elect Ms. Duran to be up there with the elected board we need her with the rest of the HUSD staff.
August 12th, 2010 at 5:37 pm
NO MORE JIVE LATIN!!! Please
August 12th, 2010 at 7:40 pm
Dear Obama, newage,
I believe the current seating arrangement began with Mr. Vigil, I truly don’t remember if it occurred during Madam Duran’s first time commanding the district back in the early 2000s. Until then, the superintendent and staff sat where the student board members are seated. There was a definite deliniation between the board and the administration. That practice was in place as far back as the 1970s.
It worked very well for all of those years. For some ridiculous reason, perhaps a power play, the past and current superintendent felt the need to place themselves in the middle.
If you look at the seating set up at the council chambers there are two sets of seats, one on either side of the board dias, allowing plenty of room for the students and the staff to be accomodated.
I really challenge the claim/excuse of Mr. Frumpkin for needing the superintendent at his side during meetings. He has been a board member for almost a decade and has held the position of president more than one time. In fact he did a much better job of chairing the meetings without the superintendent”whispering” and sighing in his ear.
August 12th, 2010 at 11:05 pm
Ms. O‘bama new age., and Ms. Booth
There will be no further attempt on my part to communicate with either of you.
Ms Booth;
You had implied, in one of your scribbles that I was one if those who put down women; my purpose in relating my Mother’s experience as a widow at age 28 with three very young sons, was to reflect upon how I acquired understanding of the difficulty experienced by those who have encountered glass ceilings; which is just about every woman who has attempted to earn a living,. Empathy for that plight is higher in my mind that that of many men..
Obama new age,
At 17, and with another year of High school in front of me, I took a job on the Lurline. a passenger vessel which was popular, for those wishing to sail from San Francisco and/or Los Angeles to Honolulu . Airlines drove Matson Company out of passenger business.
At the time that the union gave me the ‘trip ticket’ at 17 (and having need to shave. lightly, but once or twice a trip. I was attacked by a white homosexual and wound up with a huge black eye while defending myself.
A very light complected Afro-american woman had been working as a first class passenger cabin Stewardess…. , the morning after the ‘night attack’, the stewardess noted the black right Shje was the ranking shipboard union rep for the Marine Cooks and Stewards union aboard the ship. She spoke to the balck man who ws the who was the ‘go to guy’ for union members working in the galley.
After hearing the story, he invited me to stay in the bunk area where the black crew members had segregated themselves for reasons I am sure you understand.
HE INVITED ME TO BUNK IN THE AREA WHERE BlACK CREWMEN WERE BUNKED. While assuring me that all were ‘straight’ then he and another ( both tall and muscular,) went out and came back dragging the guy with whom I had the fight.. THESE WERE TWO BLACK GUYS WHO STOOD WELL OVER SIX FEET AND THEY EACH HAD AN ARM AND THE OFFENDRERS FEET WERE PLACED BEHIND HIS BODY, TOES DOWN SO THAT THE MAN COULD NOT KICK ME. As they suggested, rather strongly that take a swing ! THE INSISTED over my feeling that it wasn’t fair .. By this time 10 or 20 guys were watching and it became evident that I had no choice. Asll laughed as it was apparent that my whole body was not behind the puch. Some hurled, the remark that ‘white boys never chopped no cotton or lifted bales… to much laughter! The gay guy was advised in no uncertain terms that he was to be the first one down the gang plank when we tied up in Los Angeles. And he was… the message was clealy understood
I SPENT 7 OR 8 WEEKS IN THE COLORED QUARTERS AND WAS TREATED VERY DECENTLY…. IN ADDITION, AS THEY PLAYED THEIR MUSIC OR POKER GAMES…. THEY TOLD OF EXPERIENCES THEY SUFFERD AS BLACKMEN,
PARTICULARLY IN THE NEED FOR JOBS.AMD HOUSING
. IT WAS AN EDUCATION WHICH I CARRIED BACK TO SCHOOL…WHERE I USED THOSE EXPERIECES IN ELOCUTION CLASS;
I KEPT IN MY MIND OPEN AS I APPRAISED HOUSING IN OAKLAND GOING TO EXTRA STEPS IN ASSURING THAT THE PLAYING FIELD WAS LEVEL….in all cases of work with which I was engaged.. That Stewardess became a Treal Estate broker…. She owned A REAL ESTATE BUSINESS on Telegraph Ave in Oakland…….. She was shot dead in the doorway of her own home by a man for whom she was trying to help find work. He was a felon on parole. Life is tough is tough for black men my experience was carried into the Army where I lent money to a few black guys … without the vigorish, in small amounts since I was married when drafted, I onle spent money to visit a brother and to Rome to visit a Jesuit related by kinship to my spouse…
Having said all that and having read your poorly written unwarranted criticism of HUSD Trustees I venture tio say… Stop! Yours is not free speech… it is often slanderous which none of those elected by Blacks as well as Whites do not deserve.
Especially since you have obviously not had they job experiences which they seem to enjoy.
You know nothing ABOUT MANAGEMENT OR THE SKILLS INVOLVED IN MANAGEMENT OF AN OPERATION THAT HAS, OR HAD, NEARLY 900 PEOPLE REPORTING TO WORK AT HUSD
Learn the differnce between free speech and licentious comments which cast unwarranted shadows upon their honest efforts. You on the other hand admit to coming out of a southern share croppin arrangement amnd through no fault of your own lack education….. But learn this… free speech does not include ‘the right to destroy hard earned reputations…. Mr Asmas struggled to geyt his… he had hard times in a family with seven siblings….. He made something of himself despite prejudice against Latinos! You do harm to the black population of HUSD with much of your remarks!
Incidently, The STEWARDESS WAS NAMED ARLENE SLAUGHTER AND SHE WAS THE mOTHER OF hUEY nEWTON’S WIFE!
August 12th, 2010 at 11:08 pm
Hmmm so Mr. Armas agreed to have a few town hall meetings. Does anyone really think any information presented at those meetings will carry any weight? Or is this just campaigning?
August 13th, 2010 at 9:37 am
Norm D Plume I agree with you meetings for Mr. Armas are just campaign meetings cause don’t forget he was given that seat by the other board members that planned to seat him in secret and so far in board meetings he does not sound too knowledgeable under pressure on TV. He is the last choice for me on the ballot cause he needs alot of help he really sounds like he needs alot of training on what a board member supposed to do to not be a rubber stamper and he is very rude to people that speak on the audience they have to keep telling him to shut up and Ms. Heredia to stop chewing gum.
Is Mr. Armas going to sound like that in those meetings I think you should train him Mr. John Kile since you know so much of HUSD and I think he is way out of his league in these board meetings. Mr. Armas is to weak for a seat like that they need a gutsy vocal educated person like Mr. Reynoso. No more cockroaches or ruberstampers. We need more Reynosos.
Did Mr. Armas and Ms. Heredia go to college cause they really dont sound like it. Mr. Armas sounds like someone that plucks big words that don’t really mean anything just like on of my cousins does to sound smart. Mr. Armas for reals to make him sound himself sound important he sounds more like someone that works in a building maintenance business and Ms. Heredia sounds like my unemployed neighbor that is a mom and high school drop out not wanting to work and just keep on getting section 8 and food stamps.
You all I know I am not as educated as some smart people here like the nice Ms. Booth but mama did not raise no fool cause I know sharp people when I hear them and I know jive latin when I see it
August 13th, 2010 at 9:37 am
Mr. Kyle,
Again you have breached the code of conduct for a “gentleman”. To give out information that transpired between to people is to be considered private and certainly not for publication on a blog, unless the party in question has given you permission to publish such.
How dare you state that Mr. Reynoso’s childhood experiences have any bearing on his ability to understand the US system of justice.
It is you Mr. Kyle that seems to have difficulty understanding it. As an elected public official, he is limited to what he can publish regarding any questions of misconduct or illegality that he may choose to take to the DA or any other prosecutorial agency.
How dare you elect yourself as the one to decide that any person posting on this blog must meet your standards of “proper English” in order to be effective in their communication.
You are entitled to your opinions regarding Mr. Armas, however it is ridiculous for you to continue to badger anyone who does not hold the same opinion as you. If we all believed and spoke the same words as you it would be a very boring and onesided world.
Collegial disagreement can take place without your methods of attack. I would be careful the next time you decide to reveal/expose/tell, information of a personal nature about people without a clear message from them that it is ok to do so. Some one may just decide to proceed with action against you.
Leave the personal out of your blog. You have quite a lot to say without it. Stop stooping to such low and tasteless tactics. It is unbecoming.
August 13th, 2010 at 9:46 am
So Mr Reynoso wouldn’t support your town hall meetings now he’s in your “file” along with everyone else who hasn’t stroked you at one time or another in your years of trying to make Hayward a better place. Seems to me he just tries to bring things to light that the others just want swept under the carpet and because he is largely out numbered then he’s the one who comes across looking like the trouble maker. I would think the story of his youth would be touching but obviously he’s not up to your high standards. I don’t pass judgement on Mr Armas one way or another but I’ve got to tell you that your support for him doesn’t help in my eyes. And in light of all the attention drawn to the town of Bell, CA lately neither does the simple fact that he was a City Manager. Mr Reynoso is clearly fighting a board full of rubber stampers and he alone is willing to bring that to the attention of the public. I say GOOD FOR HIM!!!
August 13th, 2010 at 9:59 am
Mr. John Kyle you remember when Mr. Armas was seated by the other board members Ms. Sims, Mr. Frumkin, Ms. Heredia they did not even deliberate with themselves and many people there were questioning that and were complaining about it along with Mr. Reynoso.
Look it here remember days later why the district erased the recording of the interviews of candidates and why the applications of all the candidates in the interview and why the 3 board members did not want to say that Mr. Armas has a wife as head of the personnel department … all of those records that talked about in the meeting by Mr. Reynoso and the public were destroyed isn’t that illegal? and what cockroaches do?
Now there is no official record audio or video of anything of that meeting when Mr. Armas was seated that is not good for the people on transparency and makes people think of corruption don’t you think Mr. John Kyle. Thank you for stop using jive latin.
Again Mr. Armas and Ms. Heredia are way over their head I will not vote for Armas and will like to recall Ms. Heredia. And good riddens Mr. Frumkin with a big thank you for doing things the wrong way and lets get Ms. Simms out with someone that is more involved and not a rubber stamper.
August 13th, 2010 at 10:28 am
To all my critics;
None of you have advanced a proactive thought as solution to HUSD’s problems..
For your information, Mr. Reynoso did accept my idea for a Town Hall meeting…. at least up until the Appearance of Ms. Bock….
And I would hate to see a vote by the Board on the subject of a Town Hall Meeting prior to the el;ection….. on the other hand, why would a vote be necessary?
If you watch ‘Public comments’ prior to Board meetings, have none noticed the constant negativity? How do you propose to alter that?
30
August 13th, 2010 at 10:37 am
Qodrn:
I agree! Attendance is a nightmare! The description you have given is very typical of how it plays out. By definition truant is supposed to mean one who shirks duty, especially one who stays out of school without permission. If am confused by the link between that definition and a parent keeping home a 7 year old child with the flu! It is all driven by the need for the ADA!!
I also see reference in this discussion regarding matters in the classroom. It seems to be stated clearly that people need to speak on matters they are familiar with. It seems then, that we should seek Board Members with public school experience either as parents, volunteers or teachers. Those who can see that there are often huge gaps between policy and reality and know the impact of the votes they are making.
Lucy’s Mom
I agree that the amount of showboating taking place at these “community” meetings is ridiculous! Who are the meetings really serving?
Norm:
Wow, timing is everything … that puts all 5 meetings in before the election … convenient?
Kathi Booth:
Welcome, it is because people interested in sharing information and ideas that I will return to this blog. In hopes of keeping updated on changes and trying to openly discuss all aspects of problems and solutions without being personally attacked. Thanks!
August 13th, 2010 at 1:02 pm
Holy cats People! You all realize that at this point NO progress has been made with the teacher’s union; this means state takeover in September. This voids the November elections. How about we all concentrate on avoiding state takeover first?
I thought this summer with no summer school I would be overrun with children. Not so. I have a feeling that Hayward has lost even more children this summer. We will see.
August 13th, 2010 at 3:01 pm
Qdrn says….
Holy cats! No HUSD election?
That means that Audie Bock will need to concentrate all her effort on being elected to the Hayward Area Recreation District seat occupied by Paul Hdges.
If not aware, she is in that race also!
My gosh, Nodges is a great guy well experienced in local atheleticism. Bock tried to dislodge Mr. Hodges but failed in an earlier attempt which was thwarted by the good, common sense folk involved in the excercise of the right to vote in Bock’s last attempt..
On the other hand, must we not provide Audie Bock with a reward in her relentleass search to be elected to something? Some where ….??
After her dislodgment ftom the State Assembly, which she won for A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME (when Elihu Harris, was caught violating election law, in that one on one battle between Harris and Bock, the lady went to Sacramento to complete the short remainder of the term made available but the previous occupant who wennt to thge State Senate.
Audie stated in the wikipedia entry that she wrote laws, of which none seem to have made it to the senate, She ‘took on’ Barbara Lee in an attempt to reach the US Congress.
EWhy must she ( Bock) suffer so much defeat… especially the opporttunity to fire Ms. Duran….. who was the Supt at San Lorenzo when Audie was working, presumably on an intermittent basis,at San Lorenzo School District?
We absolutely must aid her quest…. any suggestions?
August 13th, 2010 at 3:33 pm
Yes my two cents Mr. John Kyle is too get rid of the two incumbent rubber stampers Mr. Armas cause he is not qualified to be up there cause I don’t he knows nothing of anything about public school business and was seated with fraud on part of 3 trustees in a phony interview meeting that records have been destroyed and to get rid of Ms. Simms for never doing anything.
You all that should be a good start for anyone. When are you going to start training Mr.Armas about business in public education? Even jive latin might help him over the nonsense way he speaks on pretending he knows something. The emperor has no clothes..you get what I mean….
August 13th, 2010 at 6:28 pm
Mr. Norm de plume and Mrs. Roccio;
What the Board is sponsoring at the urging of Mr. Armas, is not a Town Hall meeting! At least not as I envision the concept.
What is to occur is a separate Board meeting at the five middle schools so that parents of children in elementary “feeder schools” associated with the ’middle school’ are able to have opportunity to present the problems, about which folks in the involved neighborhoods, and thus presumably able to find some sort of response not found at regular meetings of the board.
For those who do not attend regular board meetings, it would seem to be opportunity to accomplish two things:
1.) see reduction in anger typically present at Public comment period of regular board meetings;
2.) be able to reasonably have opportunity to speak without imposition of a one hour time limit imposed upon all attendees as now occurs at regular meetings; there is a provision of a second hour at item J. on the agenda for regular meetings, at which occurrence most have gone home, (thus to save valuable meeting time for the actual business of the meeting.)
Thus the by having a special meeting with single purpose agenda, the ‘crowds‘ are somewhat dispersed so that those aggregated large numbers of folk who are anticipated to be at interest will have been cut down to manageable size so, to make available ample time available to hear what the board has to say and vice versa….. If not in oral fashion then at least in written fashion as occurred with the Burbank meeting.
I suspect the agenda will provide ample time to either speak or submit written suggestions to the board with the idea that all would earn reply, as was the example seen in the Burbank meeting.
It is worth a try… But given the constant flow of negative criticism seen directed to the board at regular meetings. I think it worthwhile if only seen from the view point, THAT THEY ARE WILLING TO LISTEN and provide answers which the Brown act proscribes at regular meetings.
I urge all to attend, if only to prove the point that the general public from which group the largest proportion of financial support for schools is extracted, ought be given other opportunity to come forward and express pro-active ideas as opposed to the long list of parental complaints of varying degrees of intensity and value.
Town hall meetings would open up opportunity for childless residents or empty nest singles and couples to provide proactive solutions to long term problems. One way or the other it would open up possibilities for success of the heavy load of additional taxes seen in the proposed parcel tax heard falling from the lips of the Superintendent.
The second installment of parcel taxes occurring with the Measure I campaign is soon to fall onto your taxbill, four years later a third and then added weight of the last of Measure I assessments falls on our backs. (I should be lucky to live so long ?)
A town hall meeting might well lead to creation of ‘ad hoc’ committees or ‘commissions’ as seen employed in the various Cities of California,, such as the Planning Commission or the Library Commission. Why are such not used at school districts?
My favorite idea for a commission or ad hoc group would be the ‘Sports and Promotions Commission’ dedicated to enlisting HUSD residents in creation of a permanent group, which sponsors annual Hole in one or Christmas tree sales etc. and which group would hand over that money in direct, dedicated support of sports or music programs in this school district. They would operate under the auspices of the school district in much the same relation-ship seen with the City’s Library or Planning Commissions.
Of course that is an idea that is beyond the comprehension of my critics. Surely there are a few blog readers who might agree, if they found that there was support which can only be determined within a Town Hall meeting. Why deny others opportunity to be of service if the are empty nesters or childless?
Why turn away those types who see service to others as the greatest work of life? Retired folk especially are largely limited in ability to travel any great distance to find opportunity for service but might find ‘fun’# in some form of service such as with a Sports and promotions group looking to raise money with a hole in one contest conducted on such places as the unused Football field at Sunset HS location. I have other sites in mind.
Or perhaps find an opportunity for highly useful service applicable to all races but having the intentions of the Adewole program or the Mentor-Mentee program which needs help, not to just African American students, but to those lagging behind their grade level due to low performance of parental duties which many students suffer regardless of race.
The coming influx of ‘early release for felons’, especially for unsupervised men who almost certainly will find low income housing here in Hayward before they find it in Pleasanton, Dublin and Livermore.
In the movie “Midway’ there was a scene in which naval officers lamented the lack of preparedness in naval aviation, apparently caused by those favoring construction of Battleships…. One character says to another in the presence of another played by Charlton Heston, “ the nay sayers will win every time”.
I do not surrender the idea of a Town Hall meeting to my critics.
We have children who ARE DROPPING OUT! Playing hooky and raising hell with the flow of ADA money.
What to do? In my opinion the need for a Town Hall meeting is obvious and I will not give my vote to a candidate for HUSD school board who fails to see the point.
August 13th, 2010 at 6:36 pm
Qodrn,
A take over will get rid of “the network in power”. Those that are telling us that if the state takes over will the worse thing that happens is… because they themselves will have no power. No more “protecting your jobs and those of your friends”.
Let’s not forget that School Improvement Grants are coming to 3 or 4 schools. 2 million less that planned, but is a good chunk of money. Read the Daily Review on that.
Additionally there is more money coming from the federal government assigned for k-12. How much? I am sure it will be enough to keep the ” network of friends at the DO employed”
After I read your input, I went to read the information on the HEA website. I would like to know who is part of the team trying to come to an understanding with our teachers? I know HEA has the smartest team in place. Who is on the other side? I know there is a new lawyer. Take a look at HEA’s information, maybe you get more out of it and enlighten us. Thank you!
August 13th, 2010 at 8:00 pm
Mr Kyle:
The mere fact that the “proposed” meetings are at the middle schools does not proclude or prohibit ANYONE from speaking or attending. School board meetings are open public meetings and therefore cannot exclude anyone’s attendance.
Speaking of these meetings, unless these are official meetings of the board, and even then I am not sure, they can take place without a consensus or a vote of the full board. While it may be commendable that Mr. Armas has suggested these meetings, he alone cannot decide for the entire board.
PlEASE, Mr. Kyle, stop your constant barrage of negative and tasteless comments about Ms. Bock. Especiallly since you are not willing to let others speak in a negative manner about your “star board member” Jesus Armas.
Lucy’s Mom: While it is important to receive money from the federal government, and possible concessions from HEA, I believe before any meaningful budget saving can take place the HUSD Board of Education should admit that they are receiving over $300.00 more per monthe than they are legally entitled to. Negotiations cannot be successful unless everyone behaves in an ethical manner.
Hving been involved in HUSD for sooooo many years I have seen how little is really accomplished by “AdHoc” committees, task forces and study groups. They are simply a way to appease the masses, keep them busy and then write a report to be placed on the shelf with the hunddreds of others gathering dust. The HUSD administration is convinced that thier “educationa” background surpasses any suggestions or input by we commoners.
August 13th, 2010 at 11:24 pm
Contriburors to the Blog….
Have you noticed that some ‘SELF PROCLAIMED EXPERTS’ SUCH AS SEEN IN THE SCRIBBLE IMMEDIARELY ABOVE WHERE THE NOT TOO SUBTLE SUGGESTION IS TO ‘PACK THE MEETING‘. THIS IS EASILY SEEN AS THE BASIC PROBLEM WITH HUSD.
The suggestion that some might ‘pack’ the meetings, TO DENY PARENTS IN A NEIGHBORHOOD, as the ‘show’ moves from one middle school to the other, is an exanple of the negativity appearing before the Board of Trustees at their regular meetings.
IT SUCH AS THOSE TYPES REPRESEMNTED ABOVE. WHO PROCLAIM THAT THE INTENT OF USING CHILDREN WAS TO TEACH RATIONALE PARTICPATION THOSE Charquin stuidents, WHILE LETTING A LOOSE CANNON ‘RUN ON in angry manner’ FOR 11 MINUTES RUN ON, PULLS THE RUG OUT FROM EXPlATIONS IN DEFENSE OF THE FOLKS USING MARKHA,M SCHOOL. SEE MY ABOVE DISCUSSION ON THAT SUBJECT. At item # 15 ( fifteen) in this column.
So what Ms. Booth is now saying to all you empty nesters, retirees etc. is: TO BUZZ OFF, pay your taxes and ‘LEAVE THE THINKING TO US” a message of despair if any is existent above.. Even the suggestion to pack the five meetings s which are basically intended for the residents of the geographic service area of each middle school, is highly disturbing. Perhaps the Board will accept the suggestion that those intending to attend will sign up for a seat by registering at the involved elementary schools in sufficient time to mail a ‘ticket’ to those living in the area appropriate to their middle school thus to defeat the suggestive remark made above..
Ms. Booth may be well educated but does she use that education properly?
August 14th, 2010 at 10:43 am
Again Mr. Kyle, you have used your own interpretation of my entry, just as you do with others who choose to post on this site.
I must admit I was a bit confused when reading your entry regarding meetings at the local middle schools. Since your ramblings are so long and verbose, I misunderstood some of it.
I believe that I encouraged and stated that ALL members of the community were entitled to speak to the board. My second point was to say that they may choose to do so in any manner they decide is most comfortable to them, not exactly as you have stated they must formulate their thoughts.
While you may not approve of the “ranting” that so disturbed you at the meeting you referred to, which by the way occurred quite some time ago; it is still perrogative of each speaker to express frustration and disapproval of board proposed actions.
By the way Mr. Kyle, your anger at the students from Charquin being placed before you to speak to the board, was just another sign of someone who thinks that they come first no matter what. It has been common practice of the board to allow students to speak as early in the meeting as possible to accommodate their early bedtime hours. It is common courtesy to allow for them to speak and leave the meeting as soon as possible. Mr. Peterson simply observed past practice of the board and he was correct in his decision. One must look at the big picture when making criticism, obviously you were not concerned with any picture that did not allow you to speak when you wanted.
Yes Mr. Kyle, I do use my education and intellect wisely and properly. I employ all of the skills I have aquired, in law school, in continuing education classes, and in life, to assist me in researching and understanding the laws that govern HUSD and other institutions. Your jabs do not scare me, they do not dissuade me, they do not impress me…AS LONG AS THEY DO NOT DISCUSS MY PERSONAL AND PRIVATE LIFE.
It may surprise you to know that my past endeavors have earned me honors from the ALCOSTA teachers association, the NAACP and other respected organizations. That being the case, there seem to be some citizens out there that appreciate my attempts to assist parents, employees, students and the general community in understanding the educational system as well as the legal system.
I am so sorry you seem to be unable to appreciate honest disagreement and differing viewpoints. It smacks of narrow mindedness.
August 14th, 2010 at 10:52 am
Lucy’s mom (and all of us): That federal money is supposed to go to rehire laid off teachers. Let’s make sure that it does not get stuck in Sacramento somewhere nor in the D.O. We should all keep reading the papers, check the CDE (CA dept. of Ed) website, the HUSD website and find other ways to stay informed. Call your state senators and assembly members at the first sign of trouble (or before). Let’s make sure that money gets to Hayward! Then we can “help” the school board and district spend it right. Lower class size, secure music/P.E./etc., bring back the middle school counselors, hire back the nurses, restore instrumental music, more electives for high schoolers . . . plenty of good ways to spend those funds in ways that directly benefit the KIDS!
August 14th, 2010 at 11:11 am
Teachermama,
My sentiments exactly!!!!!!!!
August 14th, 2010 at 6:49 pm
Ms. Booth.
Annoying as it may seem. it is not my purpose to refute your every purpos, but in view of your being a lawyer, in your disputatious best, you make a comment suggesting that HUSD has a work atmosphere in which employees seem to elevate themselves to possession of status of superiority in social position,,,, how else are we to interpret your own remark that we are ‘commoners‘? Does the latter renark apply yo teachers?
Well, I respect lawyers just as I do Doctors or others in professional’ employment endeavor..however, I never tremble in their presence! That you are an attorney requires my respect for that accomplishment. However, I do not place you on a pedestal! Gee whiz, you use a non-existent word in the first sentence of your 8:00 pm post of the 13th. You used ‘proclude’ not preclude in your very first sentence.
Legalistically, you may be correct in stating that the ’five’ intended meetings at middle schools are open to all…. However, the intent is to bring as many of the ‘parents’ as possible into those meetings as well as those childless or empty nest souls who have a vested interest in seeing the public schools of Hayward succeed. Real estate values are heavily dependent on good schools.
The meetings are intended to gather those folks into an opportunity to speak to Trustees about any negative or pro-active concerns as they see them to exist. One of the considerations is that the all purpose rooms may not hold all those folk interested in attending as result of your apparent urgency, to do what? Impede solutions?
Under health and fire code regulation some ‘locals ‘ might be turned away! So when you bring up the right of all District wide parties at interest, to attend each of the five meetings and appear to make that an issue, are you not then seen as being an obstructionist and part of the overall problem faced by the District?
As to Ms. Bock and her rights as a citizen, consider that the woman offers nothing than the pursuit of a vendetta directed at Ms. Duran.
At the Burbank school meeting, she held up a sign which read
“Fire Duran” nothing more, nothing less. Will she pursue an opportunity to do that at each of the five meetings? Frankly, since she includes in her personal history, the fact of being a substitute teacher in the same district from which Duran retired with highly favorable comments of the San Lorenzo trustees and citizenry, then I suspect, reservedly, that Bock holds a grudge for which there is no solution outside her own mind. Yes, I oppose her candidacy to HUSD, and as a longtime admirer of Paul Hodges’ contributions to community, I will also oppose Bock’s effort to unseat him from his position on the Board of Directors at HARD. She runs for two seats in different areas of administration and interests?
That lady juggles a lot of balls in the air, too bad the political wind blows against the activity. You might have thought that after her defeat, when running for Governor, if you remember the event when about three thousand souls took the same opportunity in a laughable but never the less, harmful event in California’s history.
Funny, I do not think Armas would advance the idea if he were not confident of the vote to proceed. As manager of the City, he did not bring forward any of his actions which required a vote unless he was sure that there was genuine interest expressed by the majority at the City’s publicly open ‘Work sessions’. The HUSD Board meetings are in effect a ‘work session’ as that is described when they adjourn at 5:00 pm on meeting days it too is a requirement of the Brown act when salaries and job dismissals are on the table… (modified to the advantage of CTA around 1994 by the State legislature to prevent open discussion of the amounts given to teachers ‘perks’) ‘You could maybe ‘look it up’ in your law library !
It is nice that you acknowledge that in the instance of HUSD, ad hoc groups have not succeeded as well as they might have done if they were not under direct supervision of staff or HEA Representatives. One of which … the ’Concordia Project’ conducted on the premises of Glad Tidings Church, …. never really got of the ground….invited to be part of that, my first indication of failure, was the incredible numbers of name tags that were never picked up. A major part of those active in Chamber of Commerce, Service clubs and entrepreneurial types just never attended. I dropped out after about two months ( 4 or 5 meetings)!
Much to my annoyance, a small group of Fairway Park Ladies, living in New Haven School district were vesting the Concordia meetings and seen as attempting to ’capture’ HUSD’s Bidwell School Campus…. They had resurrected a long held ’story’ emanating from the days when that area was being developed, to the effect that they had been promised a Community center…. By God only knows whom. I’d give ’em Treeview since in my opinion it is in danger of being damaged or destroyed by the ’Big One’ if as and when that occurs.
So in a large sense you are correct, ad hoc groups sponsored by HUSD have not been too successful. On the other hand, the City has successfully used them as in the case of Stonebrae Develop- ment. I spent over 100 hours spread out over something in excess of a year working with that group….. On the day of the dedication, the celebration was ’handled’ by HUSD Staff, HEA Members etc… I did not even receive a name tag while Sarah Gonzales advised her annoyance that her name, written in bronze, on the dedication plaque was spelled wrong. School district contribution in achieving that school was pretty limited. Kathy the HEA President was deeply involved in contributions of design for interior of classroom amenity. Other than that HUSD was not seen involved.
So in essence, I agree that HUSD has some major administrative problems and I perceive that Mr. Armas’s management experience will be soon felt provided that takeover by State is postponed.
To wrap up this my response to your first presently unanswered communiqué dated Aug 13th
Another is response to that of August 14th will follow…my gosh 65 years from date of Japan’s surrender and 96 years since ‘official;’ start of WW I. If my memory serves me well!.
August 14th, 2010 at 8:26 pm
Mr. Kyle,
Try as I might I cannot ignore your verbose postings. Be careful that you are not calling the kettle black here. If I tried to count the number of times that I find mispellings in your postings I would lose count. I do believe that whether I mistyped a word or whether it was a non-existant one you still understood what I was saying.
By the way, I don’t think at anytime I stated I was a lawyer..hmmm..another one of your assumptions. One need not attend law school with the soul desire to become an attorney. Some of us pursue interests for the sake of LEARNING and expanding our knowledge. Six yers of law gave me a keen understanding of how to make the law work for people who cannot access the very costly legal system.
You fail to understand that Mr. Armas, your golden boy, is but one of 5 on the board. While he may have a majority supporting him at this time, remember there is no guarantee that will be the case come November. In addition, having exprience as a city manager does not automatically prepare him for the institution of education. Municipalities and school districts are very different entities.
So nice to read a posting that does not give out information that I have not already shared. Must be difficult for you, since you so enjoy exposing personal information that you have gathered.
August 14th, 2010 at 10:53 pm
Teachermama,
Definitely! Somehow, we must make them accountable. It is time for us parents ( I know teacher have been trying to do this for years) to start asking for a VERY TRANSPARENT DISCLOSURE OF HOW THE DO SPENDS OUR CHILDREN’ MONEY! If some of us were a bit involved before, NOW is the time to sit down with our principals and look at the budget. How much of our dollars stay at the DO for adm., how much actually get to the kids. We need all the programs that they are trying to take away from them. From k-12 as you stated.
We need to have conversations with other parents, encourage them to vote this November. We need three new people on that board, well four, but she will be gone in two years, maybe earlier, we can only hope.
Mrs. Booth, are you an advocate for children and their families in educational issues? You will be great resource to many families.
Regarding the Community Outreach meetings that may take place in the future, I recalled during 2008-2009 Vigil had those meeting taken place at the old school by Tyrrell School. He made sure the principals were there to greet their parents and they had to sit with them. I noticed parents were intimidated by this, others were upset. How could they state their concerns? What if they felt the principal was at fault?, At the last meeting parents couldn’t speak; they had to write their questions in a card. The DO had so many staff members, again parents felt intimidated.
As parents, we need to let the DO know that none of the former settings have worked as far as Community Meetings go. Maybe the golden boy will come up with a friendly and productive setting.
August 15th, 2010 at 11:33 am
Dear Teachermama,
Yes I have assisted many students and families throughout the years. I will answer any questions and provide information to anyone who needs assistance. Far be it from me to set myself up as the expert, but I think that the work in have done for others has resulted in positive outcomes for all concerned.
All of the tactics that the DO uses during “community meetings” is designed to do just what you felt…to intimidate and to control input. Parents are unfortunately correct when they fear some sort of retalliation. HUSD DO administration are the biggest set of bullies this community has ever seen. Unfortunately, their tactics generally work..Might does not make it right.
August 15th, 2010 at 11:34 am
OOPs sorry, that was meant for Lucy’s Mom. My brain is a little sluggish, after reading and responding to Mr. Kyle.
August 15th, 2010 at 11:37 am
So sorry this was meant to respond to another posting. I suppose that I will become more efficient in my entries with time.
August 15th, 2010 at 1:32 pm
As I said good morning.
August 15th, 2010 at 2:00 pm
This is for John Kyle
In regards to Ms Sims great intellect and quiet demeanor does that include her quiet ability to sleep during board meetings.
August 15th, 2010 at 2:20 pm
Mr. Kyle;
You keep telling us how impressive Armas is, all the while Duran sits on the board but the only time a super sits on the board is when the board is without direction and are week. The only member who objects is Reynosa it would imply that you support a weak and inefficient board. And your support of Armas says you support a weak and inefficient candidate.
August 15th, 2010 at 7:03 pm
First off, I would like to apologize to Kathi Booth, Annie Wilkes, Obama NewAge, Qodrn and others for my condescending, side-swiping comments. I have become self-aware.
Ms. Booth, you are 100% correct- I should not be so enamored with Mr. Armas. I am beginning to think the critics might be correct that his appointment to the board is questionable. It needs to be examined whether it really is LEGAL because of the possible CONFLICT OF INTEREST of his wife currently working as the HR director at HUSD.
As far as town hall meetings, all of you are absolutely correct. They would be a COMPLETE waste of time. Instead, we need people to be more involved at board meetings.
I appreciate the constructive criticism of all bloggers in response to my numerous, obsessive attacks I have directed on people. Sometimes I ask and tell things that are none of my business or should be private. I realize I sound very crabby in my responses, and I need to stop projecting my anger onto innocent bystanders that just want to contribute.
Again, I appreciate everyone’s input. I want to apologize for being so judgmental towards everyone when instead I should have been working to unite everyone as a team to improve HUSD.
August 15th, 2010 at 7:09 pm
To my fellow critics and bloggers. In the future I will be a much more pleasant person to the blogging community and my postings will not be so verbose. Of course I will have my own opinion and you will have one too, but respect will be practiced and attacks on your person or trying to find out where you live will no longer be a practice or priority. Let us all continue to blog just on issues and have differences respectfully and peacefully.
August 15th, 2010 at 7:11 pm
Dear Foam Somot, you might be right and you are entitled to you opinion and I respect that.
August 15th, 2010 at 7:19 pm
Ooops! I almost forgot that I will no longer spitefully attack Audie Bock for I realize that it is very irrational to do so and I am looking forward to have any accomplished scholars like Ms. Kathi Booth and Ms. Audie Bock to participate on intellectual discussion in this blog for all of us to read. I apologize to all if I had offended anyone for now on there will be only honorable debatable discourse.
August 15th, 2010 at 7:48 pm
Mr. Kyle,
I certainly hope your postings are truly a result of what you have come to realize, and not just a new version of your caustic and sarcastic commentary. I would like to say hooray this is a red letter day!!!
I welcome heartfelt discourse and disagreement, simply minus the personal attacks on one’s character and motives.
I look forward to reading your next entry.
August 15th, 2010 at 9:48 pm
The LA Times latimes.com has an interesting article on teacher effectiveness. In a nutshell, the idea is to base a teacher’s effectiveness on the level that their students perform at. For example, if they entered a grade testing at the 80 percent level, they ought to at least leave the grade at that level or better. The times found someone to grade a bunch of elementary teachers, so now you can look up these teachers and get an idea how they do with their students over a period of years. The idea is that its the teacher that is most critical to a child’s learning, not the school or other stuff. What do you all think about this?
August 16th, 2010 at 5:19 am
Who’s posing as John Kyle?
August 16th, 2010 at 5:49 am
Kathy Booth followers and devotees;
Wow ! Too bad I do not possess an abacus to aid count of blog submissions by Kathy Booth. That lady has submitted, as of 8:30 pm August 15, something like 32 separate items since the 2nd or 3rd day of this month. If that isn’t an example of verbosity, show me another! 32 out of a count of 61 since about August 3. (52.5 %) Keep in mind she is a newcomer to this thing!
Ms. Booth. With reference to yours dated Aug 14th, ( blog item #51 under Kurhi’s lead about HUSD elections,) I say to you and those who have not yet caught on to shortcomings, displayed by many previous occupants of seats on the Board of Trustees going back as far as the time of the hire of Ms. Kohl, is their inability to adopt actions which level the playing field for all intended public comment speakers, preceding actual move to the business of the day. ( your opportunity to deal with a ‘run on’ sentence ! .)
On May 10,2006, there were no public comment speakers thought by me to be in support of whatever little was known of Board’s intent relative to the Charquin’ project. It would seem to me that the proper time to address any action taken by the board, would be more properly supported or opposed at the time the item was actually on an evening’s agenda.
Two things occurred within the first of public comments, on the date above.
1.) The charquin kids were given a lesson in self defeating experiences, far from that lesson in civics as you maintain. Those adults, used kids to completely monopolize the total time allocated to the initial period of public comments.
2.) Those members of the audience, involving an unknown count, who had thought to speak about unrelated, subjects, were rudely ‘cut off’ from that opportunity; thus compelled to wait several hours; if intent on using ‘their three minutes’ they were probably deeply offended, as I was. That second period of public speaking time often does not come under item ‘J’ until a very late moment of the meeting. Hardly a recommended technique to gain substantive support for any particular cause.
Basically, the representatives of the Charquin project were either poorly led or just plain lacking in manners. Worse yet, the children were taught nothing in that particular experience especially during the ‘rant’ by the lady teacher whose attempts ‘to advise’ trustees were so ill conceived that I failed to understand that it was, as you put it., ‘common practice’ to allow students to speak so that they experience participation in public affairs and in addition, could return home to accommodate early bedtime hours.
Contrary to your opinion, Mr. Peterson was not correct; that poor old gentleman failed to recognize a technique, frequently urged upon him and other members of the board, to follow the rules laid down by the City Council when ‘hot topics’ are being approached. In their case, the Council is observing proper procedures, permitted by the Brown Act, so as to hear ‘others’ speak. An accommodation to ‘others’ to exercise the rights of citizenship has been well met by the public!. Had they, the members of the Board followed my frequent suggestion to them, that when a group arrives to speak on hot topics, they must first select from their ranks a leader who is provided five ( 5 ) minutes of speaking time which can be followed by two more from that same group, who are allotted 3 minutes each. If the subject is not well presented within an 11 minute period, then find solution in another form of communication but whatever is the result of that practice, do not deny others the right to address the board at the moments when public comments occur prior to taking up the formal agenda items.
On May 10, 2006, the children of Charquin were taught nothing but boorish manners and behaviors which are frequently self defeating. Yes, they should have gone home early, especially after about an hour’s worth of ‘demonstrations’ in front of City hall, prior to that meeting. Your surly remarks about my own scribbles are ignored….. Which is the best insult afforded to those who are resentful of opinions I hold. I wonder why you have not either run for the Board yourself, or at least come up with some pro-active ideas.
So, you are not actually a lawyer in the sense that you did not take the bar exam. Well do not feel alone, I had a classmate who failed the exam six or seven times.
There was once an occasion when I found myself in Superior Court of Alameda County which resulted in a fabulous pay check amounting to aggregated total of $495.00 (or $5,00 per day in that era).
Some of the antics displayed by trial lawyers would be amusing if not so sadly displayed under serious conditions. One of the things I experienced with some pleasure were the oral skills possessed by some lawyers having minds and tongues with ‘rapier’ like qualities.
I do not see that in your writings! Perhaps if you appeared at public comments, we might see something to change an opinion, or two? Surely you have at least one proactive idea!
Not having a positive suggestion of your own to offer the Board of Trustees, you attack my suggestion revolving around the Town Hall meeting idea. I offer the following in support of the Town Hall concept.
It would become a highly useful device by which to enroll folks who are either empty nest types or new arrivals seeking opportunity to develop contacts and friends as a means of maintaining mental acuity or ‘settling in’ with the community. If we had a group of older adults wishing, for whatever reason, to make a contribution of time, why not employ them in fund raising activity as support for athletic for music programs. I used the term ‘ad hoc’ groups; which set you off on one of your tangents about success of ad hoc groups within HUSD. Geez lady, I do not imagine my self ever again involved with an ad hoc group set up by HUSD. Volunteers directly appointed within the system are abused!
For the lack of a better term my favorite idea is an ’ad hoc’ group dedicated to the use of sports activity, such as a hole in one contest which alone, on an annual basis would probably see $10,000 raised for HUSD Sports or even music programs.
I once put on a ‘junktique’ at St Joachim’s school… it raised $4500. In two days of sales of discards. Clever me… I offered folks opportunity to attend the largest rummage sale west of Lake Winnipesauke in New Hampshire. The ad which appeared in Daily Review offered opportunity to haggle with our little old ladies in tennis shoes and then spring the ad upon them for an additional 10% in price reduction after the haggle had been completed. Use of the name, in bold type, “Lake Wiinipesauke , New Hampshire” set the jovial tone leading to success of the ‘Junktique’ activity. $4.500 profit earned in about 12 hours, spread over two days was no small achievement..
It is through use of a Town Hall meeting that funds can enually be raised in meaningful ways for HUSD. Get it?
Your repugnance to use of the words ‘ad hoc’ is not something you should continue. It is counter productive
Limiting your self to defense of lesser minds who are simply disparaging the reputations of others, is not worthy of your intellect.
Apparently you are unaware of the qualities of Mr. Armas whose management experience saw oversight of the City’s 900 plus employees, including police and fire departments. The man is no slouch… he has the respect of a great many throughout the whole community, not just the Latino segment. Let me ask this, is your opposition based on the Latino factor? Frankly, I think that to be the case with O’Bama new age! She has a subliminal fear of surrendering ‘a piece of the pie’ to Latinos at the expense of Afro Americans. Her slanderous remarks are absurd and might easily be attributed to what I just described.
While I am at it, the question of Mr. Armas’conflict of interest was covered by an attorney representing HUSD. That lady stated unequivocally, during the ’appointment process’ that Armas would be in conflict with the law, ONLY if he voted upon a contractual relationship between his spouse and HUSD. Armas knew that and as I recall touched on the subject without being asked. It is characteristic of the man to ‘BE PREPARED’!
Poor Reynoso, my memory suggests that the conflict of interest topic had also been reviewed by the County Supt. of Schools.
When might we see your pro-active appearance at public meetings of the Trustees ? Are you able to induce Obama new age to make an apperance, in pro-active stance?
August 16th, 2010 at 6:04 am
Dear ‘Who cares, just tell the truth !”
Your introdustory rematks appearin immediately above my most recent post….. are truly enlightening! Keep up the good work,,,,,
Are you a graduate of USD schools? If so, how do we measure the deoth of our problem?
August 16th, 2010 at 9:33 am
The Charquin folks could be quite pushy. They had become a school unto themselves with quite different rules including one that parents had to donate a set amount of money each quarter, and students attended school when they felt like it. Parents were in the classrooms all the time, many doing the teaching instead of the paid teacher. All of these folks were nice until you disagreed with them. Unfortunately, this and other things Charquin did violated state laws.
Nice to have Mr. Kyle back. Your messages of yesterday sent me to double check my depression meds.
August 16th, 2010 at 10:25 am
Lucy’s Mom: I agree that parents need to get involved in their site funding. A great way to know what is happening at your school is to attend the School Site Council meetings. Ask your principal.
There is also some discussion above regarding Public Comments at the Board Meetings. Correct me if I’m wrong, but the Board has recently appointed an employee to sit behind the Board and “organize” the comment cards received. They are separated by items on the agenda and also “bundled” by topic. This process now means that speakers will not always be called by the order cards were submitted. I know this is a difficult change for those used to arriving early to ensure being called early. It is also seen by some as a means to move the more undesirable topics to the late hours of the meeting in hopes those speakers will retire for the night. Which way did you like best? Speakers called in order cards received or “bundled” by topic?
I have also noticed that the late hours of the recent meetings have caused people to be creative in filling out their comment cards to be allowed to speak during Public Comments rather than wait until agenda item finally comes up. Again, can we move topics of big interest to early on the agenda for the sake of the community??
August 16th, 2010 at 10:26 am
To all who have read or posted on this blog:
After reading Mr. Kyle’s postings 63-66 last evening, I was tempted to say that it was an imposter, however, I live by the rule that all should receive a second chance and that there is some good in each and every one of us. How foolish I now feel!!!
Mr. Kyle,
Again you make assumptions based upon no factual data regarding me or anyone else you choose to malign and attack in your postings.
1.You have no idea whether I did or did not take the bar, for that matter it is none of your business what my motives were for studying the law.
2.If you want to know how familiar I am with Mr. Armas and his time as city manager, I suggest you go straight to the source. But, for your edification, I am fully aware of his abilities and if you ask him I am sure that he will tell you that I stronly urged him to apply for the position of superintendent. It is in that position that I feel he could have made many positive strides for the students and employees of HUSD. Surprise, Surprise…Mr. Armas and I have actually spoken to one another.
I care not how many postings I have placed on this blog, as long as I am able to reach just one individual with factual information that may help them to understand the workings of HUSD.
By the way Mr. Kyle, perhaps we can make a deal, since I am relatively good at editing copy. Maybe before you post your rambling, viscious, diatribes I could help you with spelling and sentence construction.
To Qodrn,
I had a very positive experience in the Charquin Program and while each and every parent and teacher had free will and the guarantee of free speech, my grandson’s academic life was enriched and made stronger by the Charquin Program. If you truly understood the philosophy of Charquin you would know that having parents contribute, in what were at that time called “Centers” you would understand that the philosophy encouraged all adults to share knowledge with children. The Charquin Program stimulated many adults to return to school and obtain thier credentials so that they could contribute to public education.
Obviously Charquin was not for everybody but, it did instill in the students a sense of tolerance for those who were “different”, a love for learning, and an understandting of community spirit. Was it perfect? Certainly not, but it was a much better environment for my grandson to grow and blossom as a person and a life long learner.
August 16th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
Ms. Rocchio,
It’s very important to attend those meeting for sure, to inquire about funds. It is important to ask for a copy of the school budget and become familiar with it. We should all be concern about the four schools that will be receiving School Improvement Grants. These funds belong to all students at these schools. Lately it seems that only one subgroup benefits from everything; parent centers, services, conferences, private meetings with a board member, etc. The School Improvement Grant is not Title I money, right?
It seems that in the last 3 months we not only have an additional employee sitting behind board members (overtime money?), we have lawyers, (airfare, hotel, fees, more money out?) and many administration staff sitting all over the place. It seems to many of us parents that this tactic is designed to intimidate the community.
I think the purpose of the employee sitting behind is to take care of the speaker cards. It is a way to control the situation, somebody needs to, I guess. Some of our board members are engaged in private conversations, arguments or just waiting for the prompts from Ms. Duran. Prior to Ms. Duran’s arrival we had the speakers called in order of cards, that should continue. It is only fair to those that arrive early.
I agree with you that the most important topics should be early on the agenda. The agenda is developed by the President and Vice president. I have respected Mr. Frumkin for a very long time, but I don’t see him there anymore. It seems we have already being taken over; not by the state, but by an employee of the district.
I am becoming a cynic and my daughter has not finish elementary school yet. I appreciate your optimism, continue working for our community.
August 17th, 2010 at 9:06 am
Dear Lucy’s Mom,
Again I believe yours and Ms. Rocchio’s postings hit the nail on the head. Both of you are inciteful persons who seem to understand the underlying problems facing this communit. Keep up your monitoring of the district and the board. It is comments and observations such as yours that spur others to examine what is happening in HUSD.
August 20th, 2010 at 1:43 pm
Cheryl;
Thanks for the defense!
At my entry numbered as #59 above, I revealed some horrific statistics taken from a report prepared by HUSD and submitted to a small obscure section within the Calif. Dept of Education, operating out of Sacramento.
I recited some pretty horrible statistics at #59 above which are horribly poor unto themselves and supposedly relative to truancy rate occurring at our separate schools and broken down into revelation of experience at K-6, Middle schools and High Schools.
At the last meeting of the Board of Trustees I brought those statistical matters forward in a fashion which should have, by now, resulted in the matter being brought to their agenda pretty darn soon.
Questions should be asked of the State, both as to the methodology as well as the purpose of the report. Especially when that report indicates an over all truancy rate of 48.94% of the total enrollment established on October 1, 2009. I question that methodology which revealed such a staggering statistic. Methodology as well as the purpose of the report ought be fully revealed. It does unjust damage to the public image of this community.
To describe or imply that 74% of our High school students are ‘Truants’ requires enquiry! I think it to be a measure which fails to recognize that the accumulated number of absences exceeding three or more days might easily be confused with ’transience’ as well as existence of a hard core number of youngsters enamored of opportunity to join in at the ‘cash flash’ corners where illicit sales of flesh and ill advised substances are occurring.. Why go to school when considerable money is garnered at ‘cash flash’ corners located at or near troubled arterials?
I attempted use of humor at #59 so that the ’Kathy’s of the world
WOULD NOT ATTEMPT TO DISPUTE ACCURACY OF WHAT I derived and brought forward from that report. Frankly, I think the report to be a joke in whatever use of methodology was employed. It is especially damaging when recognizing that the data will be circulated on a broad basis outside this school district. Do we purposely limit use of expulsion as an action against hard core truants?
I suspect that the accumulated numbers of student absences might easily be laid at the feet of our potential ‘dropouts’ who escape their duty to themselves as well as their parents and the community….. To attend to those matters, which I heard described at a meeting of those interested in the Mentor – Mentee discussions at Palma Ceia Baptist church, last March 13th, requires community wide effort of individuals representing all races and religious faiths existent within the district.
The lure of quick cash , is appealing and apparently out weighs and thus defeats any notion of getting a formal education with potential for a better future. The threat of trips to the penitentiary seems lost in the thought processes of children who lack comfortable housing and are subjected to parenting by those whose own education is lost in similar experience at truancy, especially when combined with transience.
Kathy is not really a bully but.. Kathy in my opinion is attempting domination by what she describes as superior experience in all matters, in the world of blog discussion, involving HUSD.
I did not reveal personal information matters about the woman. What Mr. Kurhi revealed to me was that she took offense when I had I very briefly wrote of a person, who I thought to be close to the woman. I thought I had expressed admiration for the individual in question, who in my mind set was dealing heroically with a serious health matter. How that was interpreted as disclosure of personal matters is still a mystery to me. Note also, that I revealed no names.
Again, I wonder if she thought I was telling an untruth about a contributor, ( Obama new age) whose once frequent long, irrational, poorly expressed thoughts and who was not justified in frequent acts of slander directed at Mr. Armas. That individual did not and does not yet understand the difference between license and freedom of speech ! Her accusations directed at the moral character of Mr. Armas were totally untrue and unacceptable.
To my knowledge none indicated recognition or acceptance of that which was submitted by that venomous individual. Yet Kathy and others defended her right to say it! I dispute that on the basis of the moral fact that there is huge difference between exercise of free speech and exercise of licentious slander. I even attempted to see Obama new age accept a suggestion that she seek counseling from her religious counselor, deacon or Pastor.
The last of her many contributions that I bothered reading saw her expressing the fact that she was going to vote against Mr. Armas. The right to vote, in her case, is a bit confusing in view of the fact that she had moved to Oakland as a means of escaping, (whatever she was fleeing from,) that which caused her dissatisfaction in Hayward.
Ms. Booth also has objections to my effort, as seen introduced on the editorial page of the Daily Review issue of June 3, 2010; The article referred to my belief that Hayward needs a Town Hall meeting which would be conducted beyond the purview of both City and School District.
The ‘My word’ article called for a town hall meeting to be held outside the procedural controls employed by HUSD or the City. It would start without an agenda, thus no compliance or need to observe the Brown act, under any stretch of imagination by those who oppose the thought. A town hall meeting would see use of ’break out groups’ which do not exceed 20 individuals seated at one table. The single biggest rule governing a Town Hall meeting would be that worthwhile ideas are sought but that all negative references, finger pointing or negative, muddy aspersions cast upon HUSD Administration or trustees would be forbidden.
What is desired is a free flow of ideas intended to aid HUSD without direct involvement of staff. Trustees would be invited solely for the purpose or permitting them opportunity to observe and perhaps measure strengths of the community.
Booth’s announced objection to Town Hall concept seems to center on my use of those two little words…‘ad hoc’! Her aversion appears to be based upon experiences she said she had when involved within groups organized by HUSD Staff or Trustees.
I think she and I agree that some of those large scale groups have spent energy as well as monetary reserves …. with no results occurring after much time investment.
If ad hoc groups or task forces employed within HUSD ’s historical attempts to cure it’s continuing problems have left a bad taste in Ms. Booth’s mouth (as well as my own) why is that sufficient reason to abandon the Town Hall Concept? Surely we are all smart enough to recognize that the so called ‘Town Hall Meetings’ used and displayed in the political games of the last election, are not the reason we must abandon the idea! Or are we not sufficiently endowed with knowledge about their use in the early history of this nation?
I suggest that what we ought attempt is the creation of opportunity for older folk, empty nesters, retirees, new comers to the community, (regardless of age), as well as those who are just plain interested in expanding their contacts within the community, to come together and organize themselves in groups involved with common interests.
It is my observation that parents of public school children are in need of examples of community support beyond passing a bond issue or parcel tax.
Example:
If we had a separate ad hoc group, involving senior citizens, working at what I describe as fund raising activities WE MIGHT, easily see results that bring in as much as $100,000 PER YEAR DEDICATED TO BE USED FOR SUPPORT OF MUSIC AND SPORTS PROGRAMS !
Call that one the ‘ad hoc’ group for sports and promotions involving ‘Hole in One’ contests, rummage/flea market gatherings or Christmas tree sales occurring on unused or lightly used High School parking lots such as that at the Mt. Eden HS lot facing Hesperian Blvd.
I could go on…. But why would be the point if Ms. Booth, a well established ‘community leader’ is determined to oppose constructive thought….
Good luck to you Ms. Booth… JUST STOP KNOCKING the honest efforts of others..
August 20th, 2010 at 8:51 pm
Mr. Kile,
Once and for all you did reveal where I lived and you did reveal information about a member of my family. YOu know it and so do I and so does anybody who read your entry before Mr. Kurhi removed it. Don’t deny what you have done you are dishonest to do so.
I have simply stated that I have much knowledge about the history of HUSD and much experience dealing with the roadblocks placed in the paths of so many of its students and families. I related my years of direct volunteering in the classroom, school office and at various other venues within HUSD. It was done simply to assure people that I had some foundation to allow me to critique the district and its current administrators.
I really should be honored that you, on your own, have given me so much power of persuasion over those who post on this blog. Is that really what you are afraid of Mr. Kyle, that some other voice may be listened to and appreciated? I do not oppose constructive thought, I simply reserve the right not to fall lock step into what you believe is the one and only way to resolve a problem.
TTFN Mr. Kiiile
August 20th, 2010 at 11:01 pm
I agree with Kathi Booth; I was so disgusted by Mr. Kyle’s last posting to me, accusing me of being irrational just because I had my own opinion, that I completely avoided this website. It’s inappropriate to hound out other people’s addresses and their family, and it is time to speak up against this practice.
Cheryl in your post criticizing Ms. Kathi Booth. Where were you Cheryl when Mr. John Kyle was telling us where Ms. Booth lives and ridiculing her husband’s illness just because Ms. Booth had a different opinion? Cheryl you need to read the posts of Mr. Kyle before you come to his defense.
This Mr. Armas that Mr. Kyle supports so blindly is in over his head. He is not qualified for this board position, and in my mind, he is a puppet of those in power. Is Mr. Kyle going to marry him since he adores him so much. Do not vote for incompetent board trustees.
We should all be entitled to have opinions without someone ridiculing us and stalking us. I just hope Mr. Kyle and those that support him do not know where I live or where my kids go to school. By the way Mr. Kyle I do not care where you live or your scribbles about your childhood. Ms. Kathi Booth you go girl!!
August 21st, 2010 at 9:56 am
Dear Ms. Wilkes,
Thank you for letting all who read this blog for telling the truth. I have never had a problem with anyone disagreeing with my opinions or suggestions. My only beef is when there are uncalled for personal attacks.
My purpose for posting on this site is to let folks know that sometimes it is important to understand the history of HUSD, because so many time history repeats itself. Since I have “worked” during the time of approximately 8 superintendents and their various administrations, I have seen and experienced many different styles, educational “visions”, open and closed door policies and have assisted parents and students during each of them, I just felt that there may be some value in sharing my own lessons and observations.
If there are folks out there who wish to pick my brain or actually need assistance in walking thru the muck and mire I am only a question or request away.
August 21st, 2010 at 1:01 pm
I’m not going to get into a back and forth defending myself. That’s what leads us down this unproductive path. You can read my past posts if you want to know what I’ve said previously. Let’s focus on the issues and not on personalities. Please don’t leave the blog. Please contribute. We have a very important election coming up with a lot at stake.