Comments on: Mt. Diablo district superintendent’s school closure recommendation

By: Doctor J

Doctor J — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 07:23:05 +0000

@ Wait SASS has hired TWO part time consultants in the last six months for a total of $183,550 — Why ? Lawrence said in May that SASS would cost less and would employ less people. Another shell game.

By: Wait a Minute

Wait a Minute — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 05:22:29 +0000

Its hard to argue to the taxpayers you need more money when you hire a “consultant” at $1,375 per day!

I wonder what preexisting relationship this Lynn Carlisle (working out of her home in Davis, CA) may have with Lawrence and friends? Come to think of it. I wonder what her qualifications are as a google search shows nothing apparent of her company or “skills”.

By: Doctor J

Doctor J — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 02:53:13 +0000

OMG, another “consultant” contract $82,250 @$1375 per day !! Through May 31 only ! She is a “performance strategist” to work with the two directors of SASS. I thought Lawrence hired the best of the best to work in SASS. See Sue Berg comment #31. This is item 13.9 on the Agenda. But wait, don’t miss item 13.2 on the Agenda. SASS is also hiring a new “Administrator of Coordinated School Support” but it doesn’t list the fiscal impact. If he or she is an experienced principal with years of service, presumably the salary would be in the neighborhood of $120,000 plus benefits — but at least that is for a full years work, not just four months. What happened to the alleged $50,000 savings, which I don’t really believe was there in the first place. I hope the Board puts its foot down — it is really an insult to every child of all the schools being considered for closure, an insult to every parent and an insult to every taxpayer. This one tops the Gang of Five raises, and that is a pretty hard feat to do.

By: Theresa Harrington

Theresa Harrington — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 01:13:58 +0000

Agenda has been postedhttp://esbpublic.mdusd.k12.ca.us/public_itemview.aspx?ItemId=3606&mtgId=297
The board may bring up new ideas and/or vote to eliminate or move forward with previous recommendations. If trustees decide to move forward with a new idea (no new ideas are outlined in the staff report), they would not vote Feb. 8. Instead, they would bring back the new recommendation for a vote at a subsequent meeting.

By: Theresa Harrington

Theresa Harrington — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 20:06:48 +0000

FYI, I just found out the Tuesday board meeting will be held in the Mt. Diablo HS gym to accommodate a large crowd. No word yet on whether a staff report outlining school closure scenarios/recommendations will be released with the agenda this afternoon.

By: Doctor J

Doctor J — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 19:25:31 +0000

@Sue. Of course Gary’s micromanagement style exceeds the “prime functions” of Board Policy 1140 and it is very clear that he and Paul were and are very controlling in their relationship with the Supt. That’s why I believe that when Nugentgate happened, not only did Lawrence know about the DUI prior to the appointment, but so did Paul and/or Gary. Remember, Nugent was to be Principal at Gary’s school. Would Gary have been involved in Nugent’s selection — duh. Sue, I have never doubted your intelligence nor wit.

By: Sue Berg

Sue Berg — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 19:01:23 +0000

Doctor J Says:
February 3rd, 2011 at 1:25 pm
Dr. J, I am not trying to be an apologist for Gary. He can and does speak for himself. I was simply pointing out that he introduced a new leadership model two years ago in which the Board, or at least the Board officers who set the Board meeting agendas, provide more specific direction to the Superintendent than Board Policy 1140 calls for. That policy, under “Responsibilities of the Governing Board,” states,”The Board’s prime functions are the formation of policies and judgment of results.”

Some posters, including you, were upset when Superintendent Lawrence said he was waiting for direction from the Board president and vice president in regard to which school closure options the Board will consider, and when. His comment is in keeping with the current Board-Superintendent relationship. As a Board officer for the past two years Gary has played a major role in providing direction to the Superintendent.

I’m not offering an opinion, just noting that the Board-Superintendent relationship is different, based on your comments, than you think it is. If you think I’m “dumber than a rock” for pointing this out, so be it.

By: mdusd mom

mdusd mom — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 15:42:23 +0000

More than one person is using “mdusd mom” – apologies to anyone who is confused by this

By: Mary Caldwell

Mary Caldwell — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 03:34:43 +0000

In addition there was someone one at the community meeting the other night from the Coast Guard who stated we should expect 400+ new families in the near future. Coast Guard children typically attend Holbrook and then Glenbrook.

By: Theresa Harrington

Theresa Harrington — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 03:00:23 +0000

Mary Caldwell, Glenbrook’s PTA president, just told me she expects the march to begin around 2:30 p.m.
She said many Latino parents weren’t aware of what was going on at the school board meetings because the district doesn’t distribute its agenda information in Spanish.
The march will give the entire community a chance to participate, Caldwell said.
“It’s just to show the kind of support that the other schools have had,” she said. “It’s just showing one more sign of force that we’re united together and committed to keeping it open.”