Comments on: MDUSD and teachers’ union at impasse

By: Theresa Harrington

Theresa Harrington — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 01:26:47 +0000

The district and MDEA appear to be playing a game of chicken.
Here’s a new blog post with more details from both sides: http://www.ibabuzz.com/onassignment/2012/03/12/war-of-words-continues-in-mdusd-impasse-with-teachers-union/

By: Theresa Harrington

Theresa Harrington — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 01:25:46 +0000

The district is caught between a rock and a hard place. If its budget is qualified, I believe that negatively affects its bond rating or its ability to sell bonds.
The last time the board was about to certify a qualified budget, Jon Isom was prepared to present some sort of fix that would have been necessary to sell the bonds. But, when the district was able to show the budget was positive, Isom breathed a big sigh of relief and left the meeting, saying whatever he was proposing was not necessary.
Since I’m about to leave for tonight’s meeting (and the teachers have probably already started their protest), I don’t have time right now to look up what it was that Isom was proposing.

By: g

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 01:25:28 +0000

So it looks like MDUSD blinked on its Last Best Offer.

By: g

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 01:22:20 +0000

So, it is actually Qualified, if we count this-and if we count that; but let’s go ahead and approve it as Positive in the hopes that no one higher up will catch the “If’s”?

Crazy

By: Theresa Harrington

Theresa Harrington — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 01:20:32 +0000

The Powerpoint has just been posted: http://esb.mdusd.k12.ca.us/attachments/eb900e3c-59f3-46b5-b081-9f02cd84ea8b.pdf

By: Theresa Harrington

Theresa Harrington — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 01:06:18 +0000

The staff report still states: “Approval of the District’s Positive Certification is recommended:” http://esbpublic.mdusd.k12.ca.us/public_itemview.aspx?ItemId=4838&mtgId=339
I wonder if that will be changed as well.
I have asked Cooksey if it is legal to add items without identifying them as additions. I have also suggested that the district clearly label additions as addenda.
I will post another item shortly, with new information about the impasse from both sides.

By: Doctor J

Doctor J — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 01:03:19 +0000

Running rough shod over the Brown Act again. It wouldn’t surprise me if he isn’t changing the attachments during the meeting — does the Board Meeting start at 6 pm or 7:30 pm ! Once the 72 hour limit is hit, no one is supposed to subtract from the posting, but its ok to add, if it is identified ! Getting Sherry to sucker into signing a “Qualified Budget” in an election year showing nearly a $40 million surplus at the end of the year, and presently a $68 million surplus. Only Sherry is that gullible.

By: g

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 00:56:46 +0000

Isn’t he always still busy marking the cards right up until game time?

By: Theresa Harrington

Theresa Harrington — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 00:49:09 +0000

No, I don’t have a copy of the minutes. I just spoke to Deb Cooksey and Julie Braun-Martin about the impasse.
Also, Mike Langley left me a message saying the district still hasn’t filed its official declaration because it is still working with MDEA on the wording so it can be a joint statement.
Teachers plan to protest the impasse outside the district office starting at 6 p.m. Cooksey said Bryan Richards will present six different budget scenarios tonight, based on whether or not the governor’s proposed taxes pass and whether the district’s or MDEA’s last best and final offers had been accepted.
She said Richards had reworked the numbers and she didn’t think the budget would be positive three years out. I said the staff report showed that it would. She said that had been posted Friday. I told her the Second Interim Report that was online this morning also showed a positive budget three years out. She expressed surprise and said that wasn’t her understanding.
Based on her reaction, I just checked the district’s website and found a new version of the Second Interim Report that shows a Qualified budget: http://esb.mdusd.k12.ca.us/attachments/f3ab9e1b-6313-45c9-8d6c-b66866f4c858.pdf.
I told her it would be really helpful if Richards would post his PowerPoint BEFORE the meeting, so the public can get a look at it and possibly even comment on it. She said she thinks he’s still working on it.

By: g

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 23:51:36 +0000

Theresa, do you have a copy of the BOC minutes yet? I most want to see an official copy of the Minutes of the Dec 15 meeting, with an exact list of which committee members were there and which were absent. You gave us a pretty good accounting of the action that night, but an official list of the committee members has not been updated since they last met in Sept 2011 when the total “official” count was 17.