Comments on: MDUSD 11-5-12

By: Theresa Harrington

Theresa Harrington — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 21:38:49 +0000

In response to new USDA school lunch regulations, MDUSD and other districts nationwide are cooking up new recipes and offering more fruits and veggies at lunchtime: http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_22101469/students-are-getting-more-fruits-and-veggies-school

By: Theresa Harrington

Theresa Harrington — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 19:42:17 +0000

Not surprisingly, it looks like SFUSD board members are at CSBA, based on this tweet by SF Trustee Rachael Norton: “Ron Bennett CSBA board, led by Jill Wynns, provided great advocacy this year. #csbaaec #proudofmycolleague”

I wonder if any MDUSD leaders are receiving similar kudos at the conference.

By: Theresa Harrington

Theresa Harrington — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 19:14:27 +0000

Jessica Preciado also told me that sometimes the principal was very nice to her. That was part of the reason she was so surprised when the principal failed to respond at all to her request to switch to part-time after her son’s illness and by the principal’s failure to respond to her request for a letter of recommendation, when it became clear to her that she would not be able to return to work part-time at MDHS because she had received no response to her suggestions regarding making slight modifications to the master schedule. She said she thought she had been on good terms with the principal.
When I was talking to Skip Weinstock about how to motivate students, he said that students who like you will do anything for you. He said he was discussing this with district consultant Mary Bacon, who is training teachers and administrators in cultural responsiveness. Weinstock said he asked, somewhat tongue in cheek, why staff wasn’t being trained in how to be likable. Weinstock’s practice of listening and taking an interest in students, which makes them feel heard and valued, provides a good lesson for all teachers and administrators in how to motivate others.

By: fly on the wall

fly on the wall — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 18:47:30 +0000

#77, 78, 120

Don’t know where the MDHS principal is getting her make over advice, but acting unusually friendly is fairly transparent. Same old policies and ideas. Sad to see the overly ambitious VP following in her principal’s footsteps

By: Theresa Harrington

Theresa Harrington — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 18:32:20 +0000

Jon Isom was there, along with many other financial advisors and board members from around the state, I learned, when I called him for comments regarding CABs. Here’s a blog post about the cautionary tale that MDUSD provides to other districts regarding lack of transparency in bond financing: http://www.ibabuzz.com/onassignment/2012/11/30/mt-diablo-and-poway-districts-provide-cautionary-tales-for-school-districts-seeking-to-issue-capital-appreciation-bonds/
WCCUSD Board President Charles Ramsey told me he was also there and that he planned to give a presentation on CABs yesterday morning. I don’t know if any MDUSD board members were there. The Dublin district superintendent and Acalanes superintendent were also there, we were told when we tried to reach them for our CAB story.

By: Doctor J

Doctor J — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 14:33:04 +0000

Any board members attending ? California School Boards Association Annual Conference

Date(s):11/29/2012 – 12/01/2012
Location:San Francisco, CA

By: Doctor J

Doctor J — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 13:28:29 +0000

What happenens to former MDUSD administrators who “early retire” ? Check out Nancy Baum’s desire: “After spending my entire professional career as an educator, I have stepped away from direct public school service with a clear purpose. I am now looking to move my deep commitment to public education to an appropriate position at a private foundation. I believe that our public school system needs active advocacy and support from public organizations and private foundations to sustain and enhance children’s growth. My resume documents a wide variety of professional experiences within the public school system, including community outreach and the development of successful partnership programs that support children’s academic, social and emotional growth. I look forward to the opportunity to transfer my relevant skills to a position at a foundation. ”
http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=214541474&authType=NAME_SEARCH&authToken=W8bK&locale=en_US&srchid=b738aeca-0d46-4542-ad6f-3dba5a45bcb2-1&srchindex=19&srchtotal=19&goback=%2Efps_PBCK_*1_Nancy_Baum_*1_*1_*1_*1_*2_*1_Y_*1_*1_*1_false_2_R_*1_*51_*1_*51_true_G%2CCC%2CN%2CI%2CPC%2CED%2CL%2CFG%2CTE%2CFA%2CSE%2CP%2CCS%2CF%2CDR_us%3A0_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2&pvs=ps&trk=pp_profile_name_link

By: Jim

Jim — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 19:58:19 +0000

@118 — Here’s another way to look at how principals can add value. If you look at house values in central CC County, the difference in the prices of identical median-priced houses between those in a “good” school district and a “not-so-good” school district is about $100,000. At higher price levels, the differential can easily exceed $200,000. (This is based on my own sampling, but y’all are free to poll your realtor friends.) Looking at the Northgate section of Walnut Creek, there are, I think, about 15,000 dwelling units (a little less than half of the 32,000 DUs in WC). That means there is a $1.5 – 3 BILLION difference in the aggregate value of those homes, depending on whether they are regarded as having “good” schools (a la Lamorinda, Alamo, etc.) or “not-so-good” schools as in (fill in the blank). In Prop 13 terms, that extra value, over time, represents $15-30 million per year in property tax revenue (which, admittedly, would go mostly into a black hole in Sacramento, but still…)

And yet the delivery of public education in that area is in the hands of just FIVE public school principals — 3 elementary, one middle school, and one high school. Imagine the impact on property values that just one principal could have, especially if he/she were a high school principal whose “territory” covers the entire community!

Some may regard this analysis as crass, overly simplistic, etc. And the estimates may vary. But for the majority of residents — who btw do NOT have children in K12 public schools — these might be interesting numbers. The differential can be significant at all price levels, wherever you see a “better” district adjacent to a “not-as-good” district.

There’s no question about the basic conclusion. If principals and teachers in MDUSD could truly run their own schools, without interference from their incompetent district, and if they were truly doing a good enough job to be considered “good” by the public, they could overcome the MDUSD stigma that destroys value, rather than creating it. And in the process, they would be producing a significant economic value for the community, over and above the important mission of preparing the next generation of students for the 21st Century.

By: Theresa Harrington

Theresa Harrington — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 19:51:15 +0000

As an aside, if anyone knows of any weather-related issues at local schools, please let me know. We’re planning another weather story and could use anecdotes about how the storm is affecting the community. Thanks!

By: Theresa Harrington

Theresa Harrington — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 18:29:32 +0000

Back on the subject of effective principals, here’s a US Dept. of Ed. blog post that sheds light on how one self-described “rebel” principal turned around his low-income school: http://www.ed.gov/blog/2012/11/beating-the-odds-and-the-naysayers/