|
 |
||
|
PALs Update It has been a while since my last email, so there is much to review. You probably know most of the information. Just in case you missed it, here it is. Supt. Carter was officially let go with unpaid leave based on allegations against him. The board made a list of allegations that were rebutted by Supt. Carter and then refuted by the board and their attorney. You can view the board's allegations in the OC Register article: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/carter-report-district-2341049-school-board Former Supt. Fleming's trial was delayed for the fith time. Apparently, Fleming's attorney since 2007 is stepping down due to "ethical and legal" conflicts. You can read more details in the following OC Register article: Last year the CUSD Foundation raised funds for Class Size Reduction. This year CUSD Foundation is not going to fundraise for CSR. Instead, they are working to fundraise for the G.I.F.T. program. This program provides grants to CUSD teachers for laptops, new books, teaching items, etc. There will be a 3/5K run event at the district office on Sun.````, May 31. Look for upcoming information or visit www.cusdfoundation.org. Currently, there are no fundraising opportunities for saving CSR in CUSD. This Monday is the general board meeting where the board will approve the $24-million budget cuts for 2009-2010. You can view the agenda at www.capousd.ca.schooloop.com There are several proposals of budget cuts. It is a bit confusing, but I've tried to break it into key items for you.. This is not a complete list. Please visit the district Website to verify the information on the agenda. Plans A & B - District Office plans for cuts Plan C - Developed by a small group of moms from Barcelona Hills who took the extra step to help CUSD. Special THANKS to those moms taking time to make a difference! Budget Subcommittee (Board members Palazzo, Bryso, and Brick) Recommendations Plan D - Developed by Trustee Winsten On a special note, the district's plan to consider cutting CSR will have a huge impact on all CUSD students. Some schools were built with smaller classrooms due to smaller class sizes. If the board votes on the district administration's recommendations to cut CSR, those schools will keep CSR at 25:1 (students:teacher) The rest of the elementary schools will have 31.5:1. Here is the list of schools. The numbers next to them are the numbers of classrooms that will have CSR
Speaking of CSR, it is certainly a main concern for teachers and parents. CSR has been proven to benefit young students as they learn the foundation of their education. Having larger class sizes places many students at risk of being left behind. This could end up costing the district more because they would have to provide extra resources. Providing extra resources is costly and would defeat the purpose of cutting the cost of CSR. While many parents and teachers are hopeful CSR will remain at CUSD, we are aware the budget issues might force the class sizes to 23:1 or 25:1. I personally experienced the unfortunate effects of larger class sizes two years ago with my son. His 1st grade class had 28 students. He and seven other "average" students fell behind in this larger class. It took two years, SST meetings, private tutors, assurance he would be in classes with 20:1 through 3rd grade, and his wonderful teachers to help him make great steps forward. I do not want the same thing to happen to other children and their families. Based on my own child's situation, I am fully supportive of smaller classes for all grade levels. Ron Lebs, Dept. Superintendent, took time to explain some of the budget issues to me this week. I asked him about the discussion re: the Adult Ed reserves. The Adult Ed has $2M in reserves and with the State's allowance of categorical flexibility, the district can move these reserves to the General Fund. Mr. Lebs explained the district is considering moving $40,000 per year for the next five years from the Adult Ed reserves to the General Fund. He also explained Adult Ed has been saving the reserves to purchase new facilities and improve some other facilities. Could Adult Ed use the empty part of the district office instead of buying new facilities? I also asked Mr. Lebs about the sedans that district employees use to drive to the various schools. It seems that if they sold those cars, they would create revenue and save on the cost of insurance, maintenance, and full tanks of gas. He explained the district has not had time to fully analyze everything that has been suggested by the community. He did not know the number of these cars off hand. He knew some of them were at the district office. He believed there were three to five sedans at the district office. He explained those cars are used by the new Director of Construction and by the tech department to travel to various schools to fix computers. Also on the agenda are postings of classified and certificated employees retiring, resigning, or getting raises (Items 23 and 24). Take some time to view the salaries/raises of these employees. There is talk that in order to save CSR, teachers will have to take a 10 percent pay cut (must be negotiated by the union-CUEA). As we are all aware, the economy across the nation is forcing many people to take cuts in salaries and benefits. A 10 percent cut for teachers, however, could be devastating for their families. Many parents support our amazing teachers and hope we can save CSR without the devastating effect of a 10 percent decrease in the teachers' salaries. While many parents are hopeful CSR will remain at CUSD (for ALL students), they are aware the budget issues might force the class sizes to 23:1 or 25:1. Those of you who support keeping class sizes smaller, please wear green to the board meeting on Monday. As parents, we have an opportunity to voice our opinions and expectations that cuts are kept far from the classrooms. Gone are the days of apathy and wishful thinking that decision makers will make the right choices for our children and the teachers who teach them. You do not have to attend the board meeting, but you can email district officials and the board with your concerns. Email addresses can be found on the district Website. The board will vote on what is presented to them on Monday. As you can tell, they have many choices. If you would like to make your ideas heard by speaking at the board meeting, please keep your speeches down to one minute. The board sticks to the 20 minutes total time of public speakers per agenda item. You can find more information in the following articles http://www.parentsadvocateleague.org Parents helping parents and their children succeed. |
||