Comments on: Clayton Valley charter supporters ask to be placed on Tuesday MDUSD board agenda

By: Doctor J

Doctor J — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 23:01:44 +0000

Which two Board members have set the MDUSD policy for the most years ? Eberhart: 17 years; Mayo: 15 years. How did they possibly allow the high school and elementary teacher average salaries to get upside down ? Why have they sanctioned taking money away from the high schoolers to give to the elementary, when the state purposely funds the elementary at a lower rate ? Eberhart and Mayo share much of the responsibility for the financial fiasco. They are the policy makers.

By: Doctor J

Doctor J — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 22:56:38 +0000

If the ACTUAL costs of CVHS were different than the AVERAGES, you can bet your bottom dollar Lawrence would have used the ACTUAL numbers. If they were close, he would have used both to show they were in line with each other. But the fact that he ONLY uses the AVERAGES and refuses after multiple requests to divulge the ACTUAL costs, tells any reasonable person the actual costs associated with CVHS are monumentally different than those of the AVERAGES which must also include the alternative high schools. As we have seen over the last few year, you just can’t trust the numbers given by the district — how else could Lawrence suddenly find an additional $7.5 million and announce it the other night. And I take huge exception to his pressuring the high school principals to become his cheerleaders on this issue. I know he uses this line: “if you want to be a team member, you will do it. If you don’t want to be part of the team, don’t do it.” Toby Montez will tell you what happens to those who don’t SHOW their team allegiance. A 58 point API gain and he gets canned, only to salvage a substitute job while the principal is on maternity leave. Where is his next job ? Amazing.

By: Doctor J

Doctor J — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 22:24:57 +0000

What ever happened to Mayor Shuey’s request for an agenda item to amend the conditions ? He is still being ignored in violation of the Brown Act.

By: GO CHARTER!

GO CHARTER! — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 21:37:55 +0000

This is turning into a train wreck of monumental proportions. What a mess.

By: g

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 21:17:11 +0000

Will Mayo and Dennler just sit back and allow the truth and Parliamentary Procedure to just be buried alive?

Correct me if I’m wrong. What Ms. Hansen asked for was one item to be added to the Agenda: [...that an item of "discussion, with action to follow", and the discussion would include "review and update of the charter conditions"...]

Note, she specifically said she wanted a review “of the Conditions”, NOT what they refer to in item 13.2 as a “review of the Charter Organizers efforts to meet the Conditions”.

This is a ‘setup’! It is NOT what she asked for.

Hansen speaks of specific dates, asking for reports of meetings, which I think should include propaganda spoonfed at meetings of school principals.

She then stated her intention “at that Oct 11 meeting to make a motion to rescind…”

Well, it isn’t the 11th yet, and SHE has NOT made her motion yet.

So, what the hell is Gary trying to do by putting a “Motion” on the Agenda??? How can that even be done under Parliamentary procedure??? Has anyone EVER heard of a “Motion” being the Agenda Item!

We all know what should be the procedure in adopting or denying a proper Motion brought from the floor based on an Actionable Item, and it is the intention of proper Parliamentary Procedure to allow the person making the motion to get BOTH the first word and the last word if there is any discussion or debate!

Gary/Steven have only one reason for stating this Agenda in this way—it is an attempt To Preclude Cheryl Hansen from being able to make her own Motion, and then STATE and DEBATE her own issue. All she ever wanted was for the original vote to delay for a few days to do a proper study and dialogue and the conditions to be looked at and perhaps a couple illegal ones to be pulled.

Now look where we are because of Gary’s EGO.

On this Agenda– HOW can Staff make a recommendation on a Motion that has not even been officially made?????

By: Doctor J

Doctor J — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 20:03:56 +0000

The District has just admitted to robbing Peter [high schools] to pay Paul [elem schools]. Lawrence’s propaganda release has to be the dumbest move of the district since the Board gave the Gang of Five raises in the midst of teacher cutbacks, class size increases, cutting benefits, and all of the other things that have destroyed the morale of the district employees. Yet, the district has repeatedly refused to release the ACTUAL operating costs of CVHS. And if you don’t think Gary approved the release, I have some swamp land in Florida to sell you. Lawrence’s pressure tactics on the prinicpal’s is typical of his bullying style that he exhibited to all administrators when he first arrived and forced them into accepting the furlough days — agree to the furloughs or you are not a team player. Now all other high schools in the district realize the District has been stealing about $941 per high school student. The high school parent revolt is about to begin. Lawrence you just shot yourself in both feet at the same time with only one shot. That takes talent.

By: Doctor J

Doctor J — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 19:27:35 +0000

The district is playing hide the ball with the financials — nothing new, but it shows their bad faith and stonewalling tactics. Yet the district wants cooperation. Sounds more like hostage negotiation to me. After the outrageous tactics by the district in approving the charter with unreasonable and illegal conditions, and now with Lawrence’s propaganda piece which is so transparent, the charter really has little reason to be confident that the district will ever tell the truth. The sooner this gets to the county or state or the courts, the better. Until then, I don’t think the Dent Center or other high school administrators ought to plan any July vacations.

By: Theresa Harrington

Theresa Harrington — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 19:03:20 +0000

Pat Middendorf said the charter organizers understand the district’s concerns regarding staffing and they are trying to be cooperative.
However, she said she was very frustrated by the district’s incomplete responses to charter requests for financial information related to CVHS operations.
She said Bryan Richards is difficult to reach and that he often tells them to look at websites to find what they are looking for, so they have spent hours searching for information that the district could provide directly, if it chose to do so.

By: Doctor J

Doctor J — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 18:40:55 +0000

June 30, 2012 is a Saturday. I think the law says that when a deadline falls on a Sat/Sun, that you get to the next Monday, just like income tax deadlines. So maybe the teacher’s deadline for notifying the district is really July 2, not June 30 ? That is really going to goof up Julie’s vacation in July. Maybe the district ought to get reasonable, approve the charter without conditions in exchange for an April 30 deadline ? Just saying.

By: g

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 17:32:54 +0000

Sherry you have to follow the entire Brown Act–all the time, not just what sounds good to you this week.

The District site has crashed, or been taken down because of Lawrence’s latest “news”.

His “staff has been cut back so far” he can’t seem to keep up with the actual emergencies, issues with student safety and education problems he is either perpetuating or allowing to flourish.

HOWEVER, just before anything comes to the public regarding the Charter–he manages to have ALL the time in the world to put out a derogative charter/financial statement!

I want to remind you all, that regardless of the issue, a “HALF-TRUTH” is a “COMPLETE LIE”! That means we are dealing with elected liars and paid liars, and our children are the ones being cheated and lied to.