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California Gov. Brown. Patch file photo.
Yeparoo May 20, 2013 at 12:42 pm
Got to give Gov. Brown credit for recognizing that the surplus is a "one off" situation.Read More I wouldn't be surprised if the planned budget will be smaller in FYI 14-15 than it is 13-14. The analysts that answered questions about why next year is anticipated to be lower were hilarious. Japan, workers working less hours, China, North Korea (seriously). It will be lower next year because companies and people were taking profits, accelerating dividend and cap gains and delaying deductions to avoid the 2013 FEDERAL tax increase. With his hands tied with Props 98/111 and needing to spend those funds on ED, CC does make some sense. I can't speak to the strategy and timing of how the the money is being spent. I would have preferred that districts been allowed to retire as much debt as possible to reduce cash flow to debt servicing, and increasing the amount of cash flow that could be spent on ED.
fact checker May 17, 2013 at 05:52 pm
I am not aware that CTA must approve any curriculum implemented in CA. Please cite your source.Read More As for attacking teachers, please read your posts on just this one thread. Here's just one direct quote: "I don't see anything so radical in it that would require our already (presumed) expert teachers to need a billion dollars worth of training." As has been pointed out the billion dollars is targeted for EVERY part of implementation, not just teacher training. You really have trouble seeing past your dislike for teachers to see what this article is really saying. This is often the case.
Capo mom May 17, 2013 at 05:40 pm
fact checker, as you are certainly aware, CTA must approve any curriculum that is implemented in theRead More state of California. That being said, there is no requirement that this be done using categorical funds. This was done to direct money as CTA desired. It offers no benefit students in CUSD. LaAna, please be accurate. I don't attack teachers.
kelly May 14, 2013 at 09:21 pm
Thanks Dave, Eric, Peter and Greg! This will be quite a show! Get your tickets here!Read More http://www.ksbr.org/tickets.html
Greg Vail May 14, 2013 at 08:04 pm
The KSBR BASH is an Orange County Institution! The music has always been amazing, but now the venueRead More is huge and the ticket sales are way out front of last years thus far!! Expect an amazing show that many in the county will be talking about for a long time!! My name is Greg Vail and I have been involved in most of the BASH events over the past 25 years! Don't miss the 2013 BASH - KSBR .net for tickets - HIT THE BASH BUTTON!!
Eric Bergstrom May 14, 2013 at 05:22 pm
:-)
fact checker May 15, 2013 at 08:34 am
Good news for CUSD seems to be bad news for Dawn.
LeAna Bui May 14, 2013 at 06:02 pm
Dawn: From what I can see of what you post, you lay the root of all problems at the foot of CUSD'sRead More door. I do not. Short of spoon feeding this information to voters, how do you propose CUSD "educate" the public?? As Shelly noted, this has been an issued discussed in CUSD for YEARS. In my first one-on-one meeting Jim Fleming (in 1992! before kids!!), he pointed out this disparity then and referred me to the PTA people who were taking the lead then in case I was interested in lending my voice. In my PTA days, the representatives in Sacramento always commented the large and vocal contingent that visited Sacramento from 4th district. As parents and voters, we were trying and CUSD supported our efforts. At some point, voters must take some responsibility for their lack of knowledge and insight and quit pointing at others.
shelly May 14, 2013 at 03:43 pm
Dawn, This issue has been discussed in our district for years!!!!! I remember writing postcards toRead More Sacramento about this issue when my oldest son was in 1st grade! The budget discussions are open to the public. The board meeting agendas are open to the public. Is it always someone else's fault?
Capo Parent May 17, 2013 at 09:14 pm
Shelly Being what I assume you're a female, I am surprised you don't understand the termRead More "whore." Whore definition, a woman who engages in promiscuous sexual intercourse, usually for money; prostitute; harlot; strumpet. So in answer to your question the answer is no. However, notwithstanding my stance, feel free to use the term however you want.
shelly May 11, 2013 at 11:14 pm
Capo parent, Do you call men who are in politics that name?
Capo Parent May 11, 2013 at 09:17 pm
Your post is spot on about the realities of a board meeting, especially when it comes to CUSDRead More bargaining with employee groups. Bryson is a political whore. She's trying to make herself look worthy enough to takeover the seat currently held by Harkey. The only thing Hatton cares about is STEAM. I'm glad at least a couple of trustees thanked you for appearing and commenting.
Panglonymous May 7, 2013 at 11:36 am
There used to be a thing in the misty chalk-art past: Take an [underappreciated professional] toRead More lunch! Next TAD, why not bump it up: Families could invite a teacher to dinner at their homes. Share a meal and at least an hour of human conversation. It would seem interminable, I know, but still. Appreciation don't come cheap. http://www.dartmouth.edu/~upperde/take_faculty_to_lunch.html
Dan Avery May 7, 2013 at 01:43 am
Here see what I really think of this crap. http://bit.ly/16QppkH
Dan Avery May 7, 2013 at 01:23 am
If we EVER became serious about education the last damn thing we'd give teachers is a free burrito.Read More Seriously.
Kara May 12, 2013 at 02:11 am
Fingertip length dresses, thick straps on tank tops, and longer shorts are simply not the styleRead More nowadays. It's unrealistic to expect girls to be able to find this type of clothing - I have yet to see a single store that sells longer shorts for girls as longer clothing is an outdated style. If the weather is warm out, what's wrong with wearing clothing that allows you to be cool and comfortable as long as it isn't hurting anyone else? If a teacher or a male student is "distracted" by the extra four inches of leg or exposed shoulders (both of which are body parts that are completely neutral), perhaps they should reconsider why they feel the need to deem the worth of another person by the amount of skin they're showing. Instead of teaching girls that the solution to being oversexualized by their peers is to cover up and avoid the problem perhaps everyone (teachers, students, and parents of any gender) should be taught to view everyone with respect regardless of what they are wearing.
Dan Avery May 11, 2013 at 06:53 pm
My point, em, which by the way is a screen and not your real name, is that clearly we are focusingRead More on the wrong things. Her comment was far too general for a high school comment and it points to the reason that I had to spend my time teaching how to write a clear thesis in the highest level composition class offered at UCI. California bounces between ranking 46th and 48th nationally when it comes to education. I was educated in Minnesota, which always ranks somewhere in the top five for education. So before you question my high school essays you need to know that. Far from trolling I am pointing to a very serious national problem. California is a very populated state and its people are ill-educated. Were they not, you might have read more into my comment and realized the intent behind it.
Dan Avery May 11, 2013 at 06:44 pm
I outgrew Ayn Rand in the eighth grade when I read "The Catcher in the Rye," and thenRead More moved on to "Nine Stories", "Franny and Zooey", and "Raise High The Roof Beams Carpenters: Seymour An Introduction." I just assumed everyone else did too.
shelly May 11, 2013 at 03:57 am
randy, Can you cite your sources?
randy May 10, 2013 at 09:00 pm
OCDE and other districts gave/will give raises, adding school days, decreasing sizes, and manyRead More districts are hiring in summer as I have recently been told. I may be wrong but you have to see for yourself.
randy May 10, 2013 at 08:52 pm
What deficit? State just announced surplus money.
J. Cook May 2, 2013 at 07:32 pm
$22,000 is a lot of money, hopefully he gets some serious jail time for this, stealing anything isRead More bad enough but from a school... shameful.
Mission Viejo Mom May 8, 2013 at 08:14 pm
Of the nation’s 26,000 high schools, about 2,000 sent data, and of those, 1,000 were named toRead More the list, meaning any school with a little gumption has a 50 percent chance of being a best.
Mission Viejo Mom May 8, 2013 at 08:10 pm
This article really tells the truth about those best high school lists.Read More http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/04/education/in-best-high-schools-lists-numbers-dont-tell-all.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
fact checker May 8, 2013 at 01:17 pm
I'm sure the local Patch will be posting an article similar to that in Newport.Read More http://newportbeach.patch.com/articles/newsweeks-ranks-newport-high-schools-among-america-s-best
Peter Schelden (Editor) April 25, 2013 at 10:40 pm
This story has been updated. A student was arrested following the bomb hoax:Read More http://missionviejo.patch.com/articles/trabuco-student-arrested-for-felony-bomb-threat
PPT Patty April 25, 2013 at 10:34 pm
I have absolutely no confidence in the school and/or disctrict administration from my ownRead More personal/past experience. Maybe someone should tell Tammy Blakely, the spokeswoman for the Saddleback Valley Unified School District that their drill at THHS failed miserably. All I can say is that if someone wants to email a bomb scare to THHS - they better send it with > 24 hours advance notice to give the administration time to read it! Our kids could have been dead by the time they reacted! I'm counting the days until my daughter is out of that school...the count is at 39 (school days) as of today!
M April 25, 2013 at 10:09 pm
Well said So not OC!!
E S May 4, 2013 at 12:37 am
Dawn's on her soapbox again with incorrect information.
fact checker April 26, 2013 at 07:58 pm
William, I think your kids might thank you more for teaching them the value of every human being,Read More whether they speak English or not.
William April 26, 2013 at 07:50 pm
Dawn... you forgot to mention the cost involved to teach English-Learners (illegal-alien children).Read More But that's OK with CUSD. Do your kids a favor and place them in a private school where they will receive a quality education... where lousy teachers are fired and no teacher union exists. Your kids will thank you some day.
Lauren May 14, 2013 at 09:00 pm
agree you with TR. Zoe and K and M why don't you have a little respect for both families. You haveRead More no right talking about Kaelyn like that.
Lauren May 14, 2013 at 08:55 pm
I think that both families are still hurting. All of these hateful comments are sickening. Why don'tRead More you all have a little respect for both families at this time? Thank you.
Lauren May 14, 2013 at 08:50 pm
wow. rot in hell? that's a little insensitive don't you think? both of these families are hurting atRead More this time. why don't you just step back and think about that.
Peter Schelden (Editor) April 12, 2013 at 11:09 pm
That's a nice distinction, Mark. I've changed the wording out of courtesy to the driver. Thanks forRead More the careful read.
W.T.H. April 12, 2013 at 03:36 pm
The driver of the Dodge is often spotted driving at very high speeds through our neighborhood. ItRead More doesn't surprise me that he finally hit someone. He needs to SLOW DOWN. I witnessed the accident and he was traveling VERY fast. He continued at a rate of speed so high that AFTER the initial point of contact he had enough inertia to travel more than 60 feet and hit the parked SUV AND push it up another car. Sickening. I am very thankful the the young lady is okay. She was very scared and shaken up. Teens: Please use this as a lesson to slow down and be cautious. Mustang Run is not a 1/4 mile track. Have some sense.
Mark Jordan April 12, 2013 at 02:37 pm
The driver of the Dodge did not "refuse" to answer questions, he "declined." TheRead More difference is significant.
MayMom March 26, 2013 at 01:03 pm
As for the safety in schools, our gates are locked at all times. The only way into the building isRead More through the front door, or the fence along the school that's three feet high and easily jumped allowing them in through any unlocked door in the back of the school. Our classrooms were locked for awhile after Sandy Hook. Now they aren't (from inside the building - still locked on outside) Realistically, the volunteers need to have access to the rooms in order to get their work done. Having to wait for a student/teacher to open the door is more disruptive. As tragic as Sandy Hook was, we need to focus on education and making the classrooms safer with basic repairs.
Jim Reardon March 26, 2013 at 11:30 am
Inspection is an excellent and low-cost suggestion. Mike's comments about the internal doors ArroyoRead More Visita are troubling and worth inquiry.
M March 26, 2013 at 10:36 am
@jim Reardon .....I think the district should "inspect" all the schools doors to make sureRead More they shut properly as well as lock correctly.
Capo Parent April 1, 2013 at 04:22 pm
Robert The issue with Mello Roos is not just how the Mello Roos funds are spent, but how the MelloRead More Roos are interprested, how they are collected, how they are extended, and how they are terminated/allowed to expire (if at all). Take for example CFD 87-1. It is my understanding that CUSD has collected enough monies to pay off the bond for this CFD and retire the CFD. Instead, CUSD has continued 87-1 until 2017. It appears that for a number of years, if not from the inception, CUSD has collected roughly $2.3 million more than it needed to service the bond.
Capo Parent April 1, 2013 at 04:11 pm
RC Try doing some fact finding before making general statements. First off, you assume the writtenRead More disclosure provided to homeowners for a Mello Roos aka CFD matches what is contained in the origination documents for the Mello Roos. Second, CUSD can manipulate how the Mello Roos will be collected and extended. For example, CUSD could charge the full amount for one Mello Roos from the inception before any bonds are sold, but not do the samething for another Mello Roos. This would be an example of "unfair taxation." What has changed is that the dirty secrets of Mello Roos and how Mello Roos are manipulated are now coming to light.
Robert Reidel March 29, 2013 at 03:19 am
It appears to me that nobody is contesting the paying of Mello-Roos fees. Rather, I think the issueRead More is how the CUSD has/does allocate the funds it receives from those various communities. When one looks at the Table, in raw numbers, it certainly does appear to clearly lack equity. Should Mission Viejo and Aliso Viejo really be funding the overwhelming lions share of the district office, that the entire CUSD community benefits from? The significance of hammering the funds obtained from some communities so heavily for the administration building, is that then those funds are unavailable for facility improvements to schools in those communities. Conversely, by the district not applying funds (or negligibly) from some of the funds, those communities retain those funds for dedicated use on their community schools. The district has the legal latitude to do this, however, it is good for the communities whose funds are onerously tapped for the funds to be aware of why there are no funds available to be spent on maintenance/improvement of their schools. With the passage of measure M by the voters, the stage is better set to pit area against area, and leave the constituents in a given area with little recourse. Also, recall that the district office was pitched to the CUSD constituents under the auspice that the funds to pay for it could be used on nothing else, and that no funds would be diverted from schools. So much for that assurance.
Homer March 18, 2013 at 07:43 pm
But you left a comment. So, technically, you said something; even though it was typed. Your thoughtsRead More were expressed. Therefore, your "no comment" is a comment. The question now is - was your "no comment comment" was meant to be mean or nice?
jenny March 18, 2013 at 12:11 pm
no comment. my mom used to say if you don't have something nice to say don't say anything at all.Read More no comment.
imcjl March 15, 2013 at 02:38 pm
It is tragic that he was not able, for whatever reason, to get the help he obviously needed. UntilRead More our society requires, by law, stronger enforcement on patient care for troubled folks like this, and also REMOVE the stigma of having psych issues, nothing will change. From coast to coast, be it Saddleback College or Virginia Tech, organizations need to be able to act on concerns like this vs. legally being forced out of the loop when truly sick people need help. Prayers to the victims, their families and Syed's family. Just awful.
McGruff SafeGuard March 14, 2013 at 08:28 am
If you want full parental control for the iPhone or iPad, check out FREE McGruff SafeGuard. YouRead More probably remember McGruff “The Crime Dog” - Take A Bite Out of Crime - from your own childhood. They also have have a Windows Parental Control system: (http://www.GoMcGruff.com). McGruff SafeGuard provides a Child Safe Browser app that is a look-alike for Safari, but provides parents with full control of the categories of websites that a child can visit. The browser app also sends a summary of activity to the parent via email. Check out http://www.GoMcGruff.com/browser
friend March 12, 2013 at 06:24 pm
thanks for following up and finding out what was going on Peter! Seeing all the police presence inRead More my neighborhood can be upsetting if we don't know what is going on. I knew you could get to the bottom of it! And also nice to hear that a felon is off the streets. I really appreciate the patch.com for keeping us up to date on all the little things that go on in our city.
Lawrence (Larry) McCook March 12, 2013 at 12:29 pm
IMO, Children under 16 should not be any farther than the front of their house at night withoutRead More parental supervision excepting for being transported to movies, chaperoned parties, etc. Though it is not always easy, parents have a job responsibility in raising children.
M March 12, 2013 at 10:56 am
Av parent can you elaborate?
AV PARENT March 9, 2013 at 11:58 pm
I AM SPEECHLESS
Dawn Smith March 9, 2013 at 02:08 pm
Awesome and congrats. Thankful for the impact you had on Kyle and the other boys in small group.Read More Your influence both in and outside the classroom speaks volumes. Thanks you. The Smith Family