We’re about to hold an election that will fill the majority of seats in the Cabrillo Unified School District.  As we prepare to cover the election for Coastsider, I’m interested in what we think the most important issues will be.  Let’s not talk about candidates at this stage, and instead focus on the issues and why they matter.

* Is the failure of Measure S an issue in this campaign?

* Are test scores an issue, and what could the school board realistically do to improve them?

* What about the test scores of English language learners? Do the voters even care?  I’ve never seen this raised as an issue.

* The failure of Highway 1 at Devil’s Slide made is clear how big a factor the schools play in our morning traffic.  Is this going to be an issue, or will we have forgotten it?

I know there are more issues. What do we think they are?

Quiet topic; maybe that’s as much answer as you’re going to get. My sense is that the electorate is ready to let the school board recede into obscurity, with a sigh of relief. That’s too bad, if true.

Measure S. Ken Johnson thinks it’s an issue, and he’s a candidate (and we should be talking about candidates; absentee ballots start showing up in a week). I’ve been back and forth on the question, but ultimately I don’t think school districts should be relying on parcel taxes.

Test scores and ELLs. This would be an issue if the state of California were not blowing off the school-imrpovement requirements of NCLB. But those requirements are a mess, and there’s really no choice in the matter. You’re right, though, that ELL scores don’t have much traction with voters. I give the administration credit for trying, though.

Traffic. I don’t think that traffic is the most important reason for having school busing, but it’s one that should resonate with many community members who aren’t necessarily parents. Unfortunately, the district’s budget and staff contracts work together to pit the administration and teachers against such non-classroom “frills” as busing. This is something that needs to be mandated and funded at the state level.

Town Hall. I’d like to be able to see the message I’m responding to.

Kindergarten. The recent district decision to institute all-day kindergarten classes is controversial, at least among kindergarten teachers. I’m inclined to support it on general principles, but I’d like to hear more about the arguments against.

Cunha. The lack of a competitive bid process for the Cunha architecture was an issue for outgoing board member Roy Salume, who to my mind has yet to be adequately answered by the rest of the board. My impression is that the current architect is doing a good job, but that’s not a justification for a closed process. There’s some accountability due.

Long-range facilities planning. Yes, me again, harping on the Facilities Master Plan. The old plan remains a joke, as district enrollment drops yet another year. The Cunha construction project will exhaust our facilities fund. Then what? We’ve got a long wish list, and no money to fund it with.

Did you know you can use Fast Reply to see the other messages (without benefit of the bells/whistles)?
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It is disappointing that people do not want to hold elected officials accountable and let them be obscure.

We should be talking candidates, and perhaps Barry can get something posted which starts asking more questions.  I think your post actually belongs as a letter to the editor that deserves more exposure.  For instance, your take on busing here seems different from what I thought it was coming out of Measure S discussions.  I think some level of busing is absolutely necessary, but how much?

I wonder how quickly candidates can get their spiel incorporated into these listings.

http://smartvoter.org/2006/11/07/ca/sm/race/02/

Many Coastsider readers know what Ken Johnson feels is important but the others are virtually unknown to readers and the general public (also not good).

I wish a parcel tax were not the answer to solving problems but how else does the revenue side change?  Accountability can really only affect the expense side, right?

I’ll definitely set up candidate forums.  I thought this would be a good place to talk about the issues before launching into how each candidate is or is not dealing with them.

Two years ago, I set up a story in the main Coastsider page for each candidates where comments could be added and the candidates could ask questions.  I think this time, it might make sense to do this inside of Town Hall, with a topic for each candidate.  Does anybody have any other suggestions?

Busing seems like a no-brainer, with its benefits to students, parents, commuters, and the environment. I might want to make an exception to a policy against parcel taxes.

With respect to parcel taxes, though, it seems to me that nobody runs for state office without bloviating about how they’re the one who’s really going to make education a priority. Why not some real accountability? If Sacramento isn’t going to do something about the sorry state of public education funding in California (and I do *not* mean Prop 88), then throw the bums out and start over, starting with the governor and working our way through the whole list.

And Serrano III, while we’re at it.

Jonathan Lundell, who I voted for a couple of times, always has approaches and ideas worth considering; but I wish other interested people would jump in and help define what this school board election is about. As it is, I see one candidate who I might vote for because I know something about the person. But only through specific issues can one get beyond the usual candidate blather and make up one’s mind based on where candidates stand on salient issues. Too often our midcoast elections, and especially CUSD elections, resemble middle school student body elections, with the winners decided by popularity rather than approach to matters they will have to deal with and ability.

Carl May

I agree with Jonathan that busing is a big issue, and
clearly played a role in the failure of the most
recent parcel tax.  A few specific questions:

1 - Busing was originally on the parcel tax and was
taken off at the nth hour because, as I understand it,
political consultants suggested that it was more
important to keep the tax under a specific dollar
amount.  Why, with what I consider to be compelling
reasons to make busing the number one public benefit
of the tax, was it pulled at the last minute? 

2 - Since we already pay for limited busing to evenly
distribute esl kids though-out the district (hatch,
farallone view, etc) why do we send those buses back
south to CUSD headquarters empty every day.  I’ve been
told that there is no way to move the schedules to
accomidate transporting the middle/high school kids
back down south.  Is this true?  Is there no way at
all to get creative around this opportunity?  The
buses are paid for, as is the insurance, drivers, gas,
etc.  If indeed there are only 39 kids that need
transportation, can one of our candidates find a way
to make it work?

Cheri,

1. The school board didn’t want to break a perfect record - five parcel tax measures - five defeated parcel tax measures.

CUSD Board President Jolanda Schreurs and Board Member Dwight Wilson spent a year attempting to ‘shape’ the discussion and refusing to listen to anyone who disagreed with them. Their own survey told them how the public felt and it predicted the end result.

Or maybe the answer is even simpler - neither wants nor understands the need for school bussing!

You might find Dwight Wilson’s response to my questions about school bussing at the CUSD Board Meeting entertaining. It will air Monday on MCTV at 1900. Look for the same tired “SOON” from Dwight, although it has been five years that he has been ‘working’ on it.

2. I proposed utilizing the existing ‘ESL’ bus, starting 45 minutes earlier in the morning. Provide a tutoring class for them at Farallone View for those children who so clearly need it. By arriving earlier, the bus could return full to Cunha with those who need transport. A win win proposition.

To make this work, it requires people who are willing to actually speak with, not just to, parents. It also would require working WITH the teachers in a co-operative manner seeking out those who might want to start their day earlier. I believe the parents would welcome a dialogue that would result in a better education for their children.

From the teachers I have spoken to recently, they are dedicated professionals who would like to be treated like valuable professionals with relevant opinions. Neither they nor I like nor respect autocrats. I am enough of an optimist to believe that flexibility in recognizing the staff needs and opinions can solve the staffing problems.  In other words, do the opposite that the School Board and the District Superintend did with the implementation of full day kindergarten!

Of course, the real solution is to restore the prior district bussing plan—prior to the current board incumbents!

Barry,
OK, I gave it a month + “not talk about candidates”.
There may be a majority being elected which you didn’t consider in your first post. Leonard Waren and Kevin Lansing picked it up immediately pointing to the link between Kirt Riemer, Charley Gardner and Jolanda Schreurs which would constitute a new voting majority. 

“What about the test scores of English language learners? Do the voters even care?  I’ve never seen this raised as an issue.”
I have been harping about this for four years - and by you asking the question; it seems to answer the question if anyone cares<sigh>

The School Board doesn’t seem interested either: 42% of the ELL students who have been in the district 10+ years never become ‘English proficient’.  None of the Board were interested!

It appears that this is the year that Anglo drops below 50% in CUSD.

Test Scores: watch the Board meeting ‘discussion’. For Cunha I recommended workshops to include students, teachers, parents and the public discussion as Cunha is now designated for “Corrective Action” status!

Jonathan,
Cunha. Did you forget that the Board has yet to make a commitment to BUILD there! Read the actual School Board action.
The question of Competitive Bids was addressed by me and Pam Fisher at the MCC ‘Debate’ absent the ‘three peas in the pod’. Weird that ALL THREE had a conflict!

Brian,
I do strongly agree with you about “hold elected officials accountable”.
I would very much like to see your opinion to: “I think some level of busing is absolutely
necessary, but how much?”

“I wish a parcel tax were not the answer to solving problems but how else does the revenue side change?”

In a way, the School Board has directly affected the revenue side already. CUSD funding is based on attendance and there has been a precipitous decline in ‘white’ enrolment over the past decade - roughly 500 students over each of the two past four year terms. (97-98 2729 (70.2% White), 2001-02 2249 (59.9% White), 2005-06 1796 (51.2% White))

The District suppressed the release of the enrolment numbers for this year to the public at the 12 Oct meeting. It shows the greatest decline in the history of the district in absolute and percentage - approximately 6.5% total in just the prior year.

Back to writing my “spiel” for smartvoter.org—Thanks for the reminder.
Ken Johnson

I have to say I’m impressed with your idea about combining a solution for the busing situation and a boost in tutoring for the ESL students.  By scheduling the ESL class early in the day, you may even attract some volunteer tutors.

Thanks Cheri,

“It takes a village to raise a child”!

Ken Johnson

Ken Johnson wrote:
“I proposed utilizing the existing ‘ESL’ bus, starting 45 minutes earlier in the morning. Provide a tutoring class for them at Farallone View for those children who so clearly need it. By arriving earlier, the bus could return full to Cunha with those who need transport. A win win proposition.”

Hold on there Ken—-you must know that if there were any new ideas out there regarding busing, the current school board majority would have already thought of it and done it. After all, they do have somebody with a Ph.D. on the board. They surely know what is best. Since they didn’t suggest this idea, there must be something wrong with it. The same goes for anybody else’s new ideas for change in the school district. We should all be thinking along the lines of candidate Kirk Reimer (another guy with a Ph.D): The current school board knows best. Their track record in academic acheivement proves it. If ain’t broke don’t fix it. Don’t worry be happy.

Kevin Lansing

Walll gol-leeee gee whiz Kevin,

I looked at:
http://ayp.cde.ca.gov/reports/APIBase2006/2006AYP_Dst.aspx?cYear=2005-06&allCds=4168890&cChoice=PI5a
2006 Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) Report

and instead of looking at that long list of “No"s; looked at the one regular school that had a “Yes” for making the minimum requirements.

El Granada Elementary
http://ayp.cde.ca.gov/reports/APIBase2006/2006APR_Sch_AYP_Report.aspx?allcds=41688906043624
The minimum English-Language Arts Target is 24.4 % and they hit it right on the button. If just one more student missed a D—they wouldn’t have gotten that “Yes”.
Who else, without a Ph.D, could have been that efficient?

Ken Johnson

My issues:
1.  Put CUSD students back on CUSD busses
2.  Accountability to the Coastside community
3.  What’s up with the Cunha renovation?

The busses
I served on the District Advisory Council (DAC) of the CUSD with Kirk Riemer back in the late ‘90s at the time when the district first bought the busses.  They spent a considerable amount of money on them; I suspect that they are still paying them off.

We KNOW those busses ARE still, every single schoolday, being driven by paid bus drivers; they ARE still transporting a select few of CUSD students & using the same amt. of gas that they WOULD BE using if ALL CUSD students were permitted to ride them.

Not to mention the waste of time, fuel, & congestion caused by the hundreds of additional cars on the roads transporting students to/from school.

SO: Get public school kids back on the public school busses that we paid/are paying for!  Not using the busses we already have to transport students is an aggression against the environment, students, and our community.

My question is:  Exactly how much can CUSD possibly be saving by selectively transporting students to school on the busses that ARE running NOW every single school day?  And if they say that it’s a lot, I want to see proof. 

Accountability to the Coastside community

In fact, I have been trying to get good answers to several financial accountability questions such as this one since I served on the DAC.

Potential school board members should address whether they feel any responsibility for clearly & honestly communicating with the Coastside community, unlike the members of the current & recently departed CUSD boards. 

As someone who has had two school-age children in the district for nearly 11 years, I spent YEARS trying to help improve the schools, both academically & financially but gave up. 

I’ve voted against the Parcel Tax many times now, & I think it’s simply ironic that those who advocate FOR the Parcel Tax label those of us whose children were driven out of CUSD at “child haters”.  Not so.  We are simply weary of supporting a public school system that considers itself beholden only to developers & not to local citizens/ land-owners.

What ARE they doing with the money they already have from the previous parcel tax?

Whatever DID happen to the renovation of Cunha Middle School?  Last I heard, just after they announced the latest Parcel Tax, they threw a shovel of dirt on the property. That dirt blew away long ago & no other work was ever done on at Cunha, which is falling to pieces, still.

My take on the Parcel Tax time before last, or was it the time before that? http://www.armadillosoft.com/school/index.php?thePage=Parcel

http://www.armadillosoft.com/CUSD/ is from 2000.  Nothing’s changed.  Throw the bums out.  And don’t ask for more Parcel Tax $ until Cunha is renovated.

We’re less than a week out to elections and I highly recommend that voters watch the CUSD video of the candidates forum provided by Darin Boville on the Coastsider.com homepage, as well as read the comments from the various threads on this topic.  I’ll start a new topic for comments specifically on the candidates forum.

Hi Cheri,

I can’t seem to find a “candidates forum” - oh well, it would be lonely as I can’t find any evidence that the “Incumbent Slate” wants to ‘chat’! They really don’t like to answer questions about: bussing, secret contracts, suppressed public information, where/when is our new school, etc.

Emily Berk,

I can’t say it better than your:  “Throw the bums out.”

“Stay the Course?” Or “Change The Course!”

Ken Johnson

FLASH
There seems to be the usual disinformation campaign underway from the ‘usual’ source.

Enrolment CUSD last year 3,507
Enrolment CUSD this year 3,288

You can confirm my statement:
“we started this September with just fewer than 3,300 students.”
http://hmbreview.com/articles/2006/10/19/news/editorial/story2.txt
Roy Salume serves as a trustee for the Cabrillo Unified School District.

Surprise, usual disinformation campaign source, is the same one who suppressed the public release of the information!

I’ll trust Mr. Salume, who is retiring from the School Board with his honour intact!
.
“Stay the Course?” Or “Change The Course!”
Ken Johnson