P E Y T O N W O L C O T T |
| h o w w e t a k e b a c k o u r c h i l d r e n ' s e d u c a t i o n -- o n e p e r s o n , o n e q u e s t i o n , o n e s c h o o l a t a t i m e . Copyright 1999-2006 Peyton Wolcott |
| Modern Minutemen: Rene Amy |
| Pasadena USD volunteer and activist Rene Amy Rene's group is online at: http://groups.google.com/group/PUSDgreatschools |
| About Rene Amy Rene has been involved in Pasadena USD (California) since 1996 as a volunteer and activist who uses open records requests to hold the district accountable. One of his most notable finds was that a prominent PUSD volunteer was actually a convicted rapist and sex offender on the lam for not one but two murders; John Whitaker Betances now sits in the Orange County jail awaiting trial. "After poring through a stack of memos released by the district in response to a state Public Records Act request by schools watchdog Rene Amy, it is clear that Whitaker not only had nearly everyone he met bamboozled, but he also had direct access to the superintendent's office, as well as PUSD office equipment, computers and district letterhead stationery.....While living in Pasadena....Whitaker posed as retired Army Col. John Whitaker Betances, a supposed Vietnam hero, and headed up the DADS, or Dads Are Doing Something, program as a volunteer. Whitaker was so comfortable in this completely fabricated identity, one in which he regularly wore military fatigues and a black or a green beret, that he assumed the district directorship of the Michigan-based DADS organization and even ran for a seat on the Pasadena City College Board of Trustees." "Documents show PUSD gave tens of thousands to DADS program and allowed accused [Betances] to use district equipment and organize on-campus activities, all without a background check." (SOURCE--Pasadena Weekly) Twice named "Editor's Pick Citizen of the Year" by Pasadena Weekly, Rene has used his expertise in public records and open meeting laws to uncover numerous other illegal activities and has repeatedly taken successful legal action to compel the release of previously withheld documents. As a volunteer, he can frequently be found at local schools, and was appointed to an Instructional Materials Advisory Panel by the State Board of Education. Rene is now attending law school and remains active in keeping the community and the media informed via the listserve he runs. He can be reached at sat9forum@earthlink.net. |
| Recent posts by Rene Amy |
| Rene on PUSD supe Percy Clerk's recent pay raise Date: Fri, Jun 30 2006 "Does Superintendent Percy Clark deserve a 20 percent pay hike in his final year with the Pasadena Unified School District?" That's what the Pasadena Star-News asks in an online poll currently underway on the paper's homepage http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ Some might argue that the paper is a "Larry-come- lately" to the question of Mr. Clark's performance - it's concerns apparently coinciding with the reservations only recently expressed by PUSD board past-prez Ed Honowitz. (Mr. Ed's been quoted about new-found concerns aobut the way the district's been running over the last couple of years - which just happens to be the time when he was board president and at the helm.) Of course, had Mr. Ed *not* urged his associates on the board to extend Mr. Clark's contract, the entire matter would be moot, as Mr. Clark would already be packing his bags, sans pay raise. Whatever the case, the voting is running about 96% against Mr. Clark's perky little performance bonus. List members might want to visit the paper's site and let their feelings be known. Then again, these online polls are amazingly unscientific, and essentially meaningless - especially since multiple voting is almost literally child's play. Rene |
| Rene Amy |
| More coming soon. |
| Rene looking out for the community Within easy walking distance of 5 schools, at least *15* convicted child molesters live in a two-block stretch of East Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena, according to the California Attorney General's Megan's Law website http://meganslaw.ca.gov According to the website, 12 of these men live at the Regal Inn at 3800 E. Colorado Blvd., 3611, 3625, and 3853 E. Colorado Blvd. each house one additional sex offender, according to the website. In the old days, Colorado Blvd. was part of Route 66. These guys put a sickening twist to the old song lyrics, "Get your kicks on Route 66." Does it matter? Ask the family of Jessica Lunsford http://snipurl.com/sjoq And please, watch your children. Rene |
| Rene on another registered sex offender Date: Sat, Jun 24 2006 7:46 pm From: Rene Amy Tina Dezerne's case made a lot of headlines, and became an example of how dangerous the Internet can be for our kids. Ms. Dezerne, and her partner in crime, Cyrus Javaheri, seduced students into multiple- partner sex - and did so in a way that made the LA DA use them for a cautionary tale http://da.co.la.ca.us/pok/realcases.htm . The DA says that she is required to register as a sex offender for life. But it appears that that little setback hasn't held Ms. Dezerne back. Heck, even cancer couldn't slow her down (she claimed, a year after her conviction) - as long as she constantly chanted "nam-myoho-renge-kyo" http://www.sgi-usa.org/publications/archives/cdro m/file/pubcd_2002/Archives/issues/wt021115.pdf She formed a Pasadena-based consulting firm a few years back to support teachers accused of sexual misconduct http://www.volunteermatch.org/orgs/org27357.htm l . She's written a couple of printed-on-demand (POD) http://publishing.booklocker.com/ books: "mathematics for the Graphic Artist" http://www.booklocker.com/books/1662.html , and "Teacher 101: Survival Tactics for New Teachers "http://www.booklocker.com/books/2147.html , which includes suggestions as to what to do if accused of a crime. She also claims to have been "the lead instructor at Platt College, Ontario." Platt College http://www.plattcollege.edu/english_site/locations/ locations_ontario_eng.html is located in a shopping mall called Plaza Continental Factory Stores. It's no surprise, perhaps, that all of its students "live off campus," or that "the majority of students commute by car." As an active member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, she has a simple solution to lure folks to teaching - more money http://www.nctm.org/meetings/philadelphia/daily2. pdf . "Her dream is to become an educational correspondent for a major news network within the next five years." http://www.edutainu.com/future.htm . Uh-huh. Rene |
How we take back our children's education: one person, one question, one school at a time. |
AASA - American Association of School Administrators ASA - Association of School Administrators CSD - Consolidated School District DOE - Department of Education ES - Elementary School HS - High School ISD - Independent School District JHS - Junior High School MS - Middle School MSM - Mainstream media NSBA - National School Boards Association NSPRA - National School Public Relations Association PS - Public School(s) SBEC - State Board for Educator Certification SD - School District Sup't - Superintendent TAKS - Texas Assessment of Knowledge & Skills TASA - Texas Association of School Administrators TASB - Texas Association of School Boards TASBO - Texas Association of School Business Officials TEA - Texas Education Agency TEKS - Texas Essential Knowledge & Skills USD - UnifiedUnited School District |
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| QUOTES |
Separatists in India's north-eastern state of Manipur have shot six male teachers in the leg for allegedly helping students cheat in exams. Two women teachers were beaten with sticks for the same offence, the rebels of the Kanglei Yana Kan Lup group said. The teachers were abducted from their homes after an exam on Thursday. The rebels said the teachers took up to 5,000 rupees ($110) for helping students cheat and warned of further punishment if the cheating continued. The Kanglei Yana Kan Lup (KYKL) is one of many separatist groups fighting Indian administration in Manipur. It said it abducted the eight teachers from their homes in and around the state capital, Imphal, because of reports they had taken bribes. --By Subir Bhaumik - BBC |
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| Copyright 1999-2006 Peyton Wolcott |
| POP QUIZ: How do you yourself know for a fact that your state or local supe is actually using the funds entrusted to them for the correct purposes? |
David v. Goliath: How America's Moms & Dads are taking on Education, Inc. PEYTON WOLCOTT |
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