| VOTING AGAINST ALL THE NICE ACRONYMS By Shirlee Smith Pasadena Star-News April 2010 I once belonged to the AARP. I think most seniors find them to be an organization worth joining. Then there's the League of Women Voters. Yes, as so many civic-minded individuals do, I joined their ranks even though my membership was a hefty $75 a year. Unfortunately, a tight budget dictated I not keep my place on the roll-call sheet. And back when my oldest kid first went to kindergarten, I was even a member of the Malabar Street School PTA. These are highly respected organizations, so when they tell the public something is A-OK we tend to take `em at their word. But, hold on, not so fast this time around. My mother passed away many years ago, or she would be agonizing in her room at Altadena's Scripps Home and not going to breakfast because, according to her, the seniors at her table in the dining room would be casting accusatory glances that said, "That daughter of yours is at it again." "Why must you write the things you write?" my mother used to ask, though I sensed an odd sense of pride hidden in the reprimand. My mother would be voting Yes on Measure CC, the parcel tax for the schools in Altadena, Pasadena and Sierra Madre, because she loved children, education, AARP and the LWV. She never talked much about the PTA. The ballots are soon to be in our mailbox. A Yes vote is clear. If you own property, you'll pay an extra $120 per year to go to the local schools. Some might think they are casting a No vote if they just toss the ballot into the trash can. But that will not count as a No - has to be marked and mailed in. My mother believed in a few questionable causes during her lifetime. There was the handsome young man at the bus stop who tried to convince her to go with him to her bank. Of course he was credible, she asserted; he was wearing a white shirt, tie and very nice business suit. Mom wouldn't hear me when I said she was fortunate to not have taken his ride, as it was a scam. She accused me of trusting no one and it wasn't until an officer from the Pasadena Police Department's Crime Resistance Involvement Council came to our home and provided the info that she was willing to accept the truth. But what about trusting this Measure CC scam because the endorsers have been believable and trustworthy in the past? In life, we should all take the responsibility of asking questions and not just taking the word of well-dressed, handsome young men. Here's one for the endorsers: Why did the drafters of this measure cause money to be spent on a separate mail-in election when they could have placed it on the June ballot? Here's another: Which low-income seniors are eligible for the so-called exemption and what is the measure of their poverty status if the parcel tax passes, costing property owners $120 for the next five years? If my mother were still with us, she'd stand tall, be politically correct, not ask questions and vote Yes on this foolish measure and not being a homeowner it wouldn't even matter to her tight budget because she wouldn't be paying. Mom's not coming back, but the young man is still waiting at the bus stop and he's happy to find you. This time around he's wearing an AARP, LWV or PTA lapel pin. Shirlee's website: www.talkaboutparenting.org. |
WHAT NICE YOUNG MEN AT
BUS STOPS HAVE TO DO WITH
INCREASED TAXES (AND HOW
CAN AVERAGE CITIZENS
DEFEAT VENDOR-FUNDED
BOND MEASURES?)
Faced with a $23 million deficit, rather
than cutting spending in a district with a
declining student population, Califor-
nia's Pasadena USD is proposing to
raise $7 million via yet another tax, this
time an annual $120 parcel tax.
Drip, drip, drip. Sound familiar? It
gets even more familiar: The PTA's
already been warned about taking down
the pro-Measure CC signs they'd posted
on PUSD campuses, and the list of
Measure CC supporters, looks typically
potentially self-serving -- might any of
these "Yes on Measure CC" supporters
perhaps possibly benefit from the bond?
$5,000 PBWS Architects of Pasadena
$10,000 Pasadena Education Foundation
$10,000 United Teachers of Pasadena
$10,000 RBC Capital Markets (bond sellers)
$50,000 Berkshire Hathaway's. Chas. Munger
$2,500 Seville Group Int'l (Munger Tolles
law firm ties?)
BUS STOPS HAVE TO DO WITH
INCREASED TAXES (AND HOW
CAN AVERAGE CITIZENS
DEFEAT VENDOR-FUNDED
BOND MEASURES?)
Faced with a $23 million deficit, rather
than cutting spending in a district with a
declining student population, Califor-
nia's Pasadena USD is proposing to
raise $7 million via yet another tax, this
time an annual $120 parcel tax.
Drip, drip, drip. Sound familiar? It
gets even more familiar: The PTA's
already been warned about taking down
the pro-Measure CC signs they'd posted
on PUSD campuses, and the list of
Measure CC supporters, looks typically
potentially self-serving -- might any of
these "Yes on Measure CC" supporters
perhaps possibly benefit from the bond?
$5,000 PBWS Architects of Pasadena
$10,000 Pasadena Education Foundation
$10,000 United Teachers of Pasadena
$10,000 RBC Capital Markets (bond sellers)
$50,000 Berkshire Hathaway's. Chas. Munger
$2,500 Seville Group Int'l (Munger Tolles
law firm ties?)
Los Angeles commercial real estate broker
and Rose Bowl Operating Company board
member Ross S. Selvidge has put together
a list of Measure CC contributors, all of
whom appear to be in a position to
capitalize on their contribution to the bond.
Here's a disputation of the senior citizen
exemption, which his group calls bogus
because the measure calls for citizens to
disclose their income in order to qualify
for a low-income exemption.
Here's the No on CC group's data
comparing PUSD with nearby districts.
Here's the ominous you-have-to-mail-it-
back requirement: Throwing away your
ballot is not an automatic "no" vote --
residents have to mail it back by May 4,
and they've only just been mailed to area
residents.
Bottom line: Spending more &
delivering less. Why is PUSD spending
more money and embarking on a building
program -- at a time of declining enroll-
ment? Who benefits from such a spree?
Until Pasadenans such as "No on CC" can
persuade the district to post its spending
online, we'll have to rely on financial
specifics from the nice young men with
lapel pins -- and listen to taxpayers' tales
of increased penny-pinching:
and Rose Bowl Operating Company board
member Ross S. Selvidge has put together
a list of Measure CC contributors, all of
whom appear to be in a position to
capitalize on their contribution to the bond.
Here's a disputation of the senior citizen
exemption, which his group calls bogus
because the measure calls for citizens to
disclose their income in order to qualify
for a low-income exemption.
Here's the No on CC group's data
comparing PUSD with nearby districts.
Here's the ominous you-have-to-mail-it-
back requirement: Throwing away your
ballot is not an automatic "no" vote --
residents have to mail it back by May 4,
and they've only just been mailed to area
residents.
Bottom line: Spending more &
delivering less. Why is PUSD spending
more money and embarking on a building
program -- at a time of declining enroll-
ment? Who benefits from such a spree?
Until Pasadenans such as "No on CC" can
persuade the district to post its spending
online, we'll have to rely on financial
specifics from the nice young men with
lapel pins -- and listen to taxpayers' tales
of increased penny-pinching:
| Transparency history Llano ISD FOIA conviction Edgewood ISD PD re FOIA Progress by March 2007 1st year ann'y: Oct. 2007 Gov.Perry & Comm.Scott |
| WHO'S ATTENDING YOUR SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS? Follow the money in our vendor-driven schools: 15 vendors & special interests to look for at your next board meeting. |
| P E Y T O N W O L C O T T |
How we take back our children's education: one person, one question, one school at a time. |
| FAIR USE NOTICE: This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of education issues vital to a republic. We believe this constitutes a "fair use" of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C., Chapter 1, Section 107 which states: the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright," the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond "fair use" you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. |
| ATTENTION EDUCATORS AND ADMINISTRATORS: Every attempt possible has been made to verify all sources and information. In the event you feel an error has been made, please contact us immediately. Thank you. NOTICE: All individuals mentioned on this site are presumed innocent unless they have been found guilty in a court of law. |
| Copyright 1999-2010 Peyton Wolcott |
"Walk softly and carry a big stick." -- Teddy Roosevelt "Trust but verify." -- Ronald Reagan |
| Just because you can doesn't mean you should. |
| 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 . |
| AZ CA KS MD MO OH OK KeyWest CreditCards SLAPP TX Senator John Cornyn Edgewood 1 2345 CleburneISD KatyISD BremondISD LlanoISD |
| Check Registers US TX Flyer Ask your district Set goals/organize Ask lots of questions School Board Ethics Pledges Watchdogs: AngryActivist Alert PR |
| PEYTON WOLCOTT'S 6 SIMPLE SUGGESTIONS FOR SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT S: How you can rebuild public trust and save at least $75 per student this next year. 1. End discretionary spending. Set an example for your staff; let them know you mean business about running a tighter ship: No trips, no conferences, no meals, no credit cards. If you want to learn more about something, use Google. Do a webinar. Read a newsletter. No golf games with vendors, ever. No chauffeurs, no rental cars. Stay home, do your work and keep your nose clean. 2. Reduce administrative costs. Go through your administrative staff roster and cut every other job, starting with getting rid of all PR and marketing. No advisors, no consultants. Learn how to really read a budget. Put your check register and all wire transfers online. 3. Ethics. No nepotism. Let your wife and kids earn a living in a field other than education. No board members' spouses working in the district. Conduct all discussions with vendors and potential vendors in the open; invite your public to watch and ask questions. Throw away your contract and work year by year. Move your chair off the dais at board meetings. You're not a team member with your elected trustees. You're not equal to them. They're your boss. 4. No construction. If you're the rare district truly experiencing sufficient growth to justify building new schools, splinter off that population and let them start their own new school district or charter school. They might be able to take over an abandoned church or office building for much less than the Taj Mahal you had in mind. 5. Back-to-basics curriculum. Math table (1st grade: add, 2nd grade: subtract, 3rd grade multiply, 4th grade divide) daily drill. You made sure your own kids learned the basics at home or with tutors; why shouldn't all children have that same opportunity? Ditto for phonics. Classical literature. History, not social studies. No more block scheduling. Daily P.E. for all. Emphasize individual effort and accomplishment. 6. Attitude. You're a public servant, not a Third World dictator. Practice humility and gratitude. Remember when your employees laugh at your jokes or tell you you're cool or vendors marvel at your every utterance that they're all sucking up to you. Remember why you got into education to begin with. Sell your house in the gated community and buy one in the middle of a real subdivision like your average parents and taxpayers can afford. Let yourself be driven not by the latest platitude you picked up at the latest education conference but by the same wonderful noble desire to educate kids that got you into this field. |
| Ethics pledges Corruption Team of 8 Nationalization NCLB/Pearson $1.4 B (TX) Transparency 2006 Lax oversight Lobbyists 1 2 3 PassTheTrash 1 2 |
| Edu-Monopoly EduInc Internal Controls Tech Audits ERDI Financial Exigency Laptops Credit cards Supes travel/meals Edu-Conferences TASA MidWinter GORGE-ous Supes/Golf/Vendors 1 |
| Terms & Conditions: Sorry to have to include this; some groups--God bless them--have copied my research and published it as their own. |
| Robin Hood & 22 'equity' failures: MALDEF's 22 Edgewood districts cost Texans billions in failed academics & extravagance. |
| How to persuade your district: Friendly works best-- take the Golden Rule with you when asking your schools to post checks. Testimonials: issues & concerns solved. |
| Welcome, America -- glad you're finding this no-ads website useful! #1 on Google & Yahoo of 256,000,000! |
| Texas Hill Country - Mesquite and Wildflowers Boerne |
| WELCOME, Washington state! Public school checks now online in 34 states, 600+ school districts, in 3 years! |
05.29.09
Questions reporters
& others ask most:
Q1: When did this grass-
roots check register
project start, and why?
A1: We compiled the first
national roster on October
1, 2009. There were
several precipitating
incidents, including this; it
was clear that
administrators, lobbyists
and vendors didn't like
public records requests.
Q2: How many school
districts are now online in
how many states?
A2: As of March 2010
there are over 800 in 36
states.
Q3: How quickly has this
grown?
A3: When we first started
asking districts to
voluntarily post, there
were only a handful in a
handful of states posting.
Q4: How can I find out if
my district is online? Are
any in my state online?
A4: You can look them up
on these rosters:
o Alabama
o Alaska-Louisiana
o Maine-Tennessee
o Texas
o Texas financials
o Utah-Wyoming
Q5: How do I make my
district put its checks
online?
A5: Unless we're
dictators we can't make
anybody do anything -- but
we can persuade. Here
are some easy to follow
directions based on
treating your schools as
you'd like them to treat
you. (The Golden Rule
really does work.) Just
like in baking or anything
else involving special
skills or plans, the steps
we've found that work are
successful 100% of the
time when followed as
scripted; as with making
pastry, shortcuts lead to
failure.
Q6: Why don't you just
pass a law?
Q6: Have you ever tried
getting a law passed? As
the Texas Public Policy
Foundation and similar
groups elsewhere have
learned, the folks who
stand to benefit the least
from public ed financial
transparency are a very
active lobbying force,
especially in larger states
where more money is
involved in public
education. (With just 17
school districts, only
Delaware has a state law
requiring schools to post
their checks online.)
& others ask most:
Q1: When did this grass-
roots check register
project start, and why?
A1: We compiled the first
national roster on October
1, 2009. There were
several precipitating
incidents, including this; it
was clear that
administrators, lobbyists
and vendors didn't like
public records requests.
Q2: How many school
districts are now online in
how many states?
A2: As of March 2010
there are over 800 in 36
states.
Q3: How quickly has this
grown?
A3: When we first started
asking districts to
voluntarily post, there
were only a handful in a
handful of states posting.
Q4: How can I find out if
my district is online? Are
any in my state online?
A4: You can look them up
on these rosters:
o Alabama
o Alaska-Louisiana
o Maine-Tennessee
o Texas
o Texas financials
o Utah-Wyoming
Q5: How do I make my
district put its checks
online?
A5: Unless we're
dictators we can't make
anybody do anything -- but
we can persuade. Here
are some easy to follow
directions based on
treating your schools as
you'd like them to treat
you. (The Golden Rule
really does work.) Just
like in baking or anything
else involving special
skills or plans, the steps
we've found that work are
successful 100% of the
time when followed as
scripted; as with making
pastry, shortcuts lead to
failure.
Q6: Why don't you just
pass a law?
Q6: Have you ever tried
getting a law passed? As
the Texas Public Policy
Foundation and similar
groups elsewhere have
learned, the folks who
stand to benefit the least
from public ed financial
transparency are a very
active lobbying force,
especially in larger states
where more money is
involved in public
education. (With just 17
school districts, only
Delaware has a state law
requiring schools to post
their checks online.)
| Fox News mention |
| Texas Education Service Centers posting check registers |
Most of Texas' 20
Regional Education
Service Centers are
now posting their
check registers online.
Hats off to the
following for being
among the first:
Regional Education
Service Centers are
now posting their
check registers online.
Hats off to the
following for being
among the first:
Region 10 - Richardson
Choose your month here:
www.region10.org/administrators/C
heckRegisterPosting.html
Choose your month here:
www.region10.org/administrators/C
heckRegisterPosting.html
Region 1 - Edinburg
Pick a month here
www.esc1.net/1293108141351379
20/blank/browse.asp?A=383&BMD
RN=2000&BCOB=0&C=55565&129
3Nav=|&NodeID=1450
Pick a month here
www.esc1.net/1293108141351379
20/blank/browse.asp?A=383&BMD
RN=2000&BCOB=0&C=55565&129
3Nav=|&NodeID=1450
Region 9 - Wichita Falls
Pick a month here:
www.esc9.net/vnews/display.v/SEC/
Public%20Information%3E%3EChe
ck%20Register
Pick a month here:
www.esc9.net/vnews/display.v/SEC/
Public%20Information%3E%3EChe
ck%20Register
Region 8 - Mt. Pleasant
Choose a month here:
www.reg8.net/default.aspx?name=a
dmin.checkregister
Choose a month here:
www.reg8.net/default.aspx?name=a
dmin.checkregister
| HOME BEST PRACTICES * * MARC TUCKER'S 1992 "LETTER TO HILLARY" * * EMAIL ARCHIVES FOLLOW THE MONEY NATIONALIZATION INTERNAL CONTROLS PR FOR THE ANGRY & THE POSITIVE |
Public Ed Commentary - School Construction
Here they are: the
updated US rosters!
updated US rosters!
- Alabama
- Alaska - Louisiana
- Maine - Tennessee
- Texas
- Texas spending data
2007-08 - Texas spending data
2008-09 (Excel) - Utah - Wyoming
- Beyond FOIA: Why it's
more effective to
persuade your local
school district than to
demand; why it's better
for schools to post on
their sites than for you
to FOIA check registers
then put them on your
private or 501c website.
- Is 'equity' equitable?
More about MALDEF &
Robin Hood
- Printable flyer to share
with your board; print at
100%. Testimonials
from school leaders
who have already
successfully posted
their districts' checks
online countering all
usual opposition points
(cost, technology, etc.).
- Special interests in your
district and at your
board meetings: Do
you know who they are
and what they have to
do with spending?
- If there was a major
precipitating incident
behind the check
registers, this was it.
| CHECK REGISTERS |
| ED PHOTO OF THE WEEK: 2 PRESIDENTIAL TELEPROMPTERS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLASSROOM (VA) |
| President Barack Obama, accompanied by Education Secretary Arne Duncan, speaks to the media after a discussion with 6th grade students at Graham Road Elementary School in Falls Church (VA), Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010. (AP) |
| Only Texas -- thanks to Governor Rick Perry, Education Commissioner Robert Scott, and our State Board of Education -- all supported by those who cherish individual freedoms and local control of our school districts -- has had the courage among the 50 states to stand firm against the power grab by the United States Department of Education, the school equivalent of what Mr. Obama's crew is trying to do with healthcare. As with healthcare, Race to the Top's national curriculum standards have less to do with education and more to do with being a vehicle for increasing federal control. |
| Bringing you the information and tools you need in order to improve public education and lower taxes and spending; during the past two decades of the voucher debate an entire generation has grown up in the public school system. If you don't think this is important look at the Nov. 2008 election where folks voted based on emotions and hope rather than facts. Let's put a stop to the school-to-prison pipeline -- and keep our public schools locally run, strong and free.. |
Region 7 - Kilgore
Public Information
www.esc7.net/default.aspx?n
ame=pub_info
Public Information
www.esc7.net/default.aspx?n
ame=pub_info
| Is this a good use of America's resources and tax dollars? For a salaried public school superintendent to play golf on a school day? At a resort hundreds of miles away? With his wife, a no-bid vendor in his district? And her business is a sponsor of the golf weekend? Does this look like "professional development" to you? Which part of this is professional and what's being developed in a setting like this other than a tan? Starting with this photograph, let's begin a meaningful conversation about spending in our public schools. Choose your 9 iron below. |
| Sunday, April 11, 2010 / 9:19 pm |
One way of fighting a bond is to form
an effective group, such as "No on CC"
an effective group, such as "No on CC"
| Ross Selvidge (right) with a familiar face -- Sully Sullenberger |
| Shirlee Smith |
| I too, am voting NO! on the parcel tax. As I have just canceled my cable television (switching to antenna and HULU on my laptop), fight having to let my mow and blow guy go (he has a family to feed, I keep the heater turned down WAY LOW so I can try and keep him), ride my bike and 99 MPG scooter around town to save gas, and clip coupons, Measure CC is asking for money that I don't have to go to people that I don't trust. |
Which brings up the question, do public school districts of
any size really need multi-million dollar administrative
centers? And should they be named after current
employees?
any size really need multi-million dollar administrative
centers? And should they be named after current
employees?
Then-supe James Fleming and his then-school board
approved a new $56 million administration building
(above left) with a Pacific view.
approved a new $56 million administration building
(above left) with a Pacific view.
| This administrative building for then-superintendent Leonard E. Merrell at Katy ISD in the Houston suburbs was built by PBK Architects and named for Merrell, the fellow who awarded PBK the contact, while he was still superintendent; project cost: $18.9 million. |
Down & dirty in California's Capistrano USD: At a time
when many Capistrano USD students were housed in
portable buildings, many with sanitation (below right) and
other serious code issues....
when many Capistrano USD students were housed in
portable buildings, many with sanitation (below right) and
other serious code issues....
| CUSD portables |
What about natatoriums, how necessary are they?
| Flossmoor High School Natatorium in Homewood, Illinois. |
And does your high school really need a new performing
arts center to rival that of any town or city?
arts center to rival that of any town or city?
| Olivet Middle School/High School's new Performing Arts Center. |
| Pasadena USD |