For the March 2010 The Concordian has a special HEALTH AND WELLNESS ISSUE – a great place to learn about getting in shape, staying healthy and happy. We are also a great place to advertise.
Here is a flyer for the next issue – just wanted to share…
MisterWriter
Celebrating romance in the area and beyond, the February issue of The Concordian offers many places to go and things to do, great romantic moments from our readers, romance themed articles from our writers including ABC-7’s Dan Ashley, as well as a winning entry for our $100 Gift Certificate from Toscana Ristorante in the Todos Santos Plaza. For those of you not so proficient in a kitchen we offer an easy to make romantic recipe designed to impress your partner or spouse. There is even an article from the Mayor of Claycord.
We’ve had lots of people outside Concord asking about getting our paper and we have good news – we have EXPANDED our distribution into Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek and Benicia, with additional growth planned for our April issue to Martinez and more. We have LOTS of surprises planned – The Concordian is here to stay.
And we have a REFERRAL PROGRAM you might like – tell a friend – If you refer a business to us who advertises for two issues, we will give you $50 CASH referral fee*. If they only stick around for one run issue, you get $25 CASH referral fee*. We get a lot of business by word of mouth and want to thank those people getting us business. Here’s how it works: We all work for someone or we own a business. Our spouses or partners work for someone. In short we all know businesses. You can contact us for an e-media kit that you can pass on to your boss, friend or businesses person not yet advertising. Then let us know you did so (along with your contact information). We’ll follow up from there. There is no limit to how many businesses you can refer, but you must send us a list of those you have and the dates you contacted them. In the event someone else contacted them before you, the first person on the list with the earlier contact date will get the referral. Fair is fair.
*If you are interested in being a part of the referral program, send me an email at andre@myconcordian.com and I’ll get you an e-kit you can use that details all the rules (Not many rules).
In the meantime, enjoy this issue and remember Valentine’s Day is just a few days after the groundhog. Click HERE or the Cover above to read it.
MisterWriter
Need a good laugh then check out what bad spelling and tattoos can produce (click the pic to see the whole series). Need I say more…
–MisterWriter
The advent of technology through the Internet has meant, for adults, that their children, like the little net ferrets they are, have far surpassed the ability of their parents to know what they are up to.
So it was that a University of Alberta study found that 90 percent of males and 70 percent of females aged 13 and 14 had viewed pornographic content, while one in three boys admitted that it was “too many times to count” compared to 8 percent of girls.
I tell you those darned Canadians are just too sexually active for their own good. You’d never see that kind of stuff in the U.S.A. would ya? Hmmmm….
Finding porn online is so easy that it can be done virtually anywhere. Students, blocked by school filtering software have figured out how to use third party anonymous web surfing sites that are not pron linked, to be able to operate a virtual PC from within that site, this free from the filter’s controls. It’s a little like the whole Matrix concept of a world within a world. If you build it they will find a way around it.
Read the study here, then go wash your hands.
MisterWriter
Before you deluge me with emails about onion versus union, I am making an analogy between the two words as evidenced by the picture below. The union is like an onion, layers upon layers that are pressed together for better or for worse, affected by each layer, pungent at the best of times and if left unattended, rots from the inside out. But with a good dipping sauce can be quite tasty albeit totally bad for you.
The President’s speech is expected to reflect on how the middle class is teetering on the edge of collapse, like worker ants frantically tending to a hive, we are running faster and faster with les and less in the way of options.
Case in point, school districts having to cut millions more yet unable to find the funds to do so, delaying the inevitable actions such as closing schools and laying off many workers. Or the state raiding the funding of local cities creating huge budget deficits that cities are left struggling to close while the Governor goes to visit Richmond touting green business and proposing to alleviate sales tax for businesses investing in green technology. How very kind of him. I’m sure the cash plagued city of Richmond is delighting in the prospect of less city revenue from the sales tax.
Then again, do you know how much money the city gets from that 9.25% sales tax you play? Go on…guess. For every 9.25 cents paid Concord gets 0.75 cents. That is three quarters of one penny, folks. For property tax Concord gets $8.90 for every $100 of property tax paid. The state gets the bulk of it. Granted the state is supposed to fund education and what a FINE job they are doing.
Here is where we are with the state – You pay a contractor to come and paint your house. His fee includes paint, labor and laborers, workers compensation and other insurances and his equipment. When he arrives you learn that you will have to spend money for the paint. You will also have to fund his insurances. He wants to use your paint brushes. And insists that you feed his crew. They tell you this after the job has started. He also amends the contract by pointing out the confusing legal jargon does not require him to paint the entire house, just the lower floor that people can see. It also does not require him to clean up. And to try and balance the cost of doing the job he is adding a surcharge. But he still wants a good reference when the job is done and if you give him a bad one he will sue you for violating his civil rights by claiming discrimination.
Feels the same doesn’t it? For the pleasure of being a part of the great state of California, the cities are heavily financing the poor choices of the state government. The counties are likewise hit and also going after the cities. And now the cities are considering fighting back with legislation designed to stop the government equivalent of theft and get back some of the money. At that point the state, with the power to increase sales tax, will be forced to do so. Ta-da. The state of the onion is greasy with a chance of severe indigestion.
One a Federal level things are equally screwed up. How does a president, any president, effect change when the government is run by a bunch of overpaid, complacent, self-congratulatory senators and congressmen who spend more time trying to find problems than solve them? Party politics serves against this country right now rather than balancing opinions.
And then there are the money people who after being bailed out still do not get the fact that they owe us, that we should have let them fail and dealt with the consequences, and that the message they have sent us since being bailed out is “Thanks, sucker.”
So watch the State of the Onion tonight – Obama starts talking at
6 p.m.. You can likely skip all that pre-speech analysis that starts earlier – everyone is an expert; they all know how to fix it – that’s why none of them are. And bring the Alka-Seltzer – you will likely need it for the heartburn.
MisterWriter
A Northern Ireland teen sealed her way into money for college by auctioning off her virginity on a Website. You’ll have to read the details from the newspaper that reported on it, but some of the story reads: “Her barrage of messages included the lines: “I’m 17 at the end of the month, but I look way older. I’m tallish, size 14-ish, size 36D breasts, long browny-blonde hair. I actually have three piercings.” The teen added: “I can basically do this any Saturday. Do you want me all night? What exactly is it you wish to do? “And by the way, I need cash in hand before the actual sex. I’m not up for getting conned. And probably gonna drink a lot before or I’ll be shy, ok?”
A newspaper decided to see just how far she would go – all the way to the night before the actual meeting when they revealed that they were writing a story.
Maybe California government could try that. It would be refreshing to see them getting screwed for a change.
MisterWriter
No comment other than the image which you can click to read the sordid details. Sad that this kind of stuff seems more commonplace.
MisterWriter
The Cal State East Bay Campus has a mammoth parking lot and worse, parking spaces designed for midget vehicles – try parking a Honda Pilot in one and you’ll be glad of that rubber door guard. There are hundreds of spaces across three or four layers of lot and yet they stick the students $7 for a parking permit (good for the day or any portion thereof.)
Now I don’t go there, don’t teach there and really have no vested interest in caring about this other than the fact that tuition fees for students are crazy high already, so why not build a parking permit into the tuition fee instead of making the students get screwed out of another $7? Well, I know the school can stand to make a good $5K a day if the lot is full, but I go back to the point about encouraging students not discouraging. And I think the administration should feel embarrassed about this fee.
MisterWriter
This is sappy but cute, and certainly clever – watch the video. And remember, they invited you… – MisterWriter
Looking at the store displays I have to wonder what is wrong with women today?
MisterWriter
A tip from Chuck reminding us that the new MOVE OVER law comes with a steep penalty. As shared in the email from a friend of his… “The cost of the ticket is $754, with 3 points on your license and a mandatory court appearance. Important Law to Share: My son got a ticket on Pleasant Hill coming back from the store. A police car (turned out it was 2 police cars) was on the side of the road giving a ticket to someone else. My son slowed down to pass but did not move into the other lane. The second police car immediately pulled him over and gave him a ticket. My son and I had never heard of the law. It is a fairly new law that states if any emergency vehicle is on the side of the road, if you are able, you are to move into the far lane.” Watch the video… and watch your wallet!
It seems that the above is not accurate. While the Move Over law does carry a penalty it is $50 not $754 and applies to freeways not roadways. It is, however a good idea to move over – far too many emergency service workers are injured or killed by idiot drivers.
MisterWriter
http://www.moveoveramerica.com/
This is a story I am writing for The Concordian’s February issue due out next week, but due to the deadline on these dogs’ lives I wanted to get this out as soon as possible.
Saving beagles from certain death is the call of local rescuer
Sherrie Henderson of TLC Pet Grooming in Clayton has been on a unique mission. Unlike animal rights activists who break into labs to save dogs from scientific testing, Henderson found herself the recipient of many beagles that were done with lab work and were slated for euthanasia. Her contact from within the lab, Debbie – she does not even know where the lab is – let Henderson know of 18 dogs, ranging from 1 to 5 years old, all pure bred beagles used for testing everything from pharmaceuticals to dog food, that are now at the end of their use for the lab and are slated to be put to sleep at the end of January.
“I’ve been asking for more time,” Henderson said, hoping that readers of this paper might jump on the chance to adopt the dogs. One of her groomers took in two of the dogs a few months earlier and wanted to do more. “You just can’t save everyone,” she added.
Henderson noted that the only thing wrong with these dogs is that they have never known life outside of a cage. “They’re not toilet trained,” she explained, adding that the process does not take too long to accomplish. “They’re beautiful dogs. So many people go and pay thousands of dollars to buy designer dogs and here are some wonderful dogs that need to be saved.”
Time is of the essence. If you are interested in learning more or adopting some of these dogs, please contact Debbie directly at (925) 698-2976 or call Sherrie at TLC Pet Grooming, 6078 Main Street in Clayton, (925) 672-2547
And let me know if you do. I’d love to hear about your experiences. Beagles are great dogs.
MisterWriter
PS: I also received this email…
Hello,
I saw your post about the former research beagles in need. I am the director of Kindness Ranch: American Sanctuary for Research Animals. Check out our web page:www.kindnessranch.org. We were also featured recently on Denver news:
http://www.9news.com/video/default.aspx#/Kindness%20Ranch/60300259001
We have excellent facilities and the means to transport dogs. We can help these beagles. I left messages for both of the women. If you have an email address for them, perhaps you would also let them know. Thank you! We would like to help.
Warm regards,
Karen
Dr. Karen Straight
Co-Director
Kindness Ranch
www.kindnessranch.org
(307) 735-4177
So I came across this website and a poem written by a young girl…
By: Sarah J, grade 10
My dad is dead,
My mom is on Drugs.
I am sitting in a corner somewhere
and boy, do i need a hug.
I scream and shout but no one seems to listen,
maybe it's just me in the inside?
But I just cant help feeling like I am in a prison.
and I thought to myself, whenever you believe that life can get to you, there is no shortage of people who have it worse. I have always maintained that adults are capable of sorting their lives out – have a saying that goes: ‘You can change anything in your life but death and taxes; and you can always cheat on your taxes.’ I do believe that short of a dire illness, the determination to effect change will make change happen, no matter the journey or the difficulty. When you look back over history the major changes always seem to be “impossible” that arte effected by people refusing to accept that they could not make it happen.
For kids, however, I always feel a sadness when I read a poem like this. As the surviving child of two born to my parents (my sister died of cancer at age 10 after a 2 year struggle) I always feel for the kids that have no choice. Kids should not have to endure a tragic childhood, although of course the reality is that many do. But to read “my dad is dead and my mom is on drugs” just pulls at the heartstrings. How can it not?
And then another with which I can identify…
By: FaMiLy, grade 7
Family is people you count on people you trust and will always be their for you, ALWAYS! so don’t let your family down.
These poems were part of a project by the Multnomah County Library. Multnomah County Library is the oldest public library west of the Mississippi, with a history that reaches back to 1864. You can read the poems HERE then tell me your thoughts.
MisterWriter
PS: The picture is not either poet.
I remember the day, the speech and the hostages being released. As we can see has Iran improved over time? I was in my final year in college, Carson had the Tonight Show in hand and Reagan still had his marbles – although many people wondered about the actor taking public office after his time as Governor. But that was another life ago.
MisterWriter
At least that is the message my oldest son (18) shared with my parents yesterday. Restrictive, non-permissive, I have all but ruined his formative years because I “do not trust him” and he has no car, gets to go nowhere and do nothing, what my parents described to me as his being “absolutely miserable.”
My parents don’t live in California, you see, and this conversation was on the phone after they had received a series of pitiful emails detailing the terrible life my son had along with the request for money to buy a car, one of the few times he has bothered to communicate with them voluntarily.
And so when I phoned them and learned of my terrible track record as a parent, it came moments after a text message from my son informing me that he was moving to his mother’s house. Needless to say I was shocked. What had I done to deserve such a response?
For one thing our house rule that the 18 year old could get a car the day he got a job and could pay for his car insurance was apparently a lie to cover up the fact that when he had a job for a few weeks at a discount department store a few years back and had some money in the bank that he did not get the car, wound up spending the money and that was all my fault. Since then, any attempt to get a job was rebutted by the same excuse of how I ruined it the last time so why should he bother? Neglected was the drop in grades that resulted from the job and the fact that following that the grades were even worse resulting in summer school and night class. But that is all my fault.
It seems that eighteen is the age when all the switches change making the most formative and impressionable physically immobile of teens into an adult. It happens that fast. He is responsible. He is… an adult.
The fact that he cannot do his laundry or bring dirty dishes from his cave without a major international incident is irrelevant to the whole responsibility thing. I am mean and cruel and expect way to much. And with just a little luck, hoping that senility has set in for my parents, there could well be a car payoff at the end of the sad tale. Not.
Grandpa heard that it was all but impossible for him to get a job without a car. The fact that there is a bus stop right around the corner is meaningless. What respectable teen rides the bus? That’s the wrong story to tell someone who had a job when he was 13 years sold and supporting his own parents. He had no car either.
The story digresses with pieces that I will not repeat out of respect for the 18 year old adult. I love the kid – he is a good kid with a good heart even if he is stubborn as the day is long and I recognize that burning need to be independent. And I know that fathers and sons will dance this head butting dance until the latter burns out the stupidity and realize that maybe the old goat knew a thing or two after all. And despite the words and the disagreement and the fact that he has moved to his mother’s house, for now, that only the rules change, those things that his father can’t stand but his mother would allow, those things that will still grate at him even when he has the freedom because he has so much of me inside of him that he cannot escape that disappointment until the thrill of freedom is replaced by loss and a yearning for those restrictive rules he so hated. Or so I would like to think despite the sting.
I guess time will tell.
MisterWriter
I’m not a fan of body piercings but it seems to me that the trend towards punching holes in any part of the body has gone from the extreme to the ridiculous. Call me old fashioned – oh thank you so much – because I just do not understand the fascination with the pins everywhere. Appearance aside, just having anything hanging there would irritate the heck out of me.
At first it was the gawdy fake gemstone nose piercing with the stem sticking visibly inside the nostril and acting as a snot catcher.
Then came the tongue, eyebrows and other parts. Now I see cheek piercings and in many cases extreme cheek piercings with multiple studs that resemble bad acne when you look at it from a distance.
Is it just me or does anyone else feel like they woke up in circus world? Or is this just advertising for office supplies gone bad.
MisterWriter
Light the candles, quick. Go empty the toilet bucket. Open the little Brown Reader and get your chalk ready. It’s time to learn stuff.
When you cut enough money out of the education system what you have done is kill off all the reforms that have taken place, all those millions of dollars spent on studies to try and improve the system, trying to rework programs, rewrite textbooks, inspire students to want to learn and turned it all back to the way it was.
Some will argue that perhaps it is a better system, cramming 28 kids in a class and offering the core basics only, free of the trappings of technology, testing, and extra-curricular activities that only complicate life. Why do you need sports teams when kick the can worked fine. And those old, deflated pigskin balls that kids used to make work just fine. And marbles was a great recess activity. And kids were not overweight like they are now because no one gave them crap to eat and did not need a handful of committees to come up with policy. After all, education survived the Great Depression, and things are still cruising along.
So what are we to do? While I may be critical of the politics of education, my view is that it is time to fix the problems that exist beyond the budgetary issues and come out with a system that while underfunded, may be a better system by getting rid of the bullshit that plagues schools. Primarily I am referring to a ridiculous system of discipline at school that serves no one, is ineffective, punishes the kids that do nothing wrong and allows those windbag parents of obnoxious little brats to blame the system for their own failing as a parent.
Sadly there are quite a number of those parents. And we all know who they are because they are the ones who come to the schools demanding reforms, special treatment and blaming everyone but themselves. They never hold their children accountable, never expect their child to rise to a challenge; rather they expect their kid to be rewarded for crap and be made to feel special for doing little or nothing.
Every teacher reading this will know of at least one such parent each year of their career and the many countless hours wasted bending over for administration trying to cajole the parent into compliance rather than acting as an authoritarian body that has a board set of rules of conduct that are legal, approved but barely enforced. This notion that we cannot force behavior is absolutely ridiculous because in every other aspect of society it is both a condition and comes with consequences.
When I watch the rabble at high schools more intent on text messaging throughout class, trashing their campus and the staff and ultimately displaying a level of ignorance that can only be called appalling, I wonder how anyone would consider the American system of education to be admirable. It is a joke. And the statistics support that fact. When colleges have to offer remedial math and English just so students can learn, somewhere the system has failed.
So while the budget cuts will further decimate the system we have in place, I propose that the Board of Education consider a new approach. Make the cuts that you need because there is no easy way to avoid any of them. Close the schools that need closing. And then focus your attention on making EACH school a community centered school where a quorum of parents, teachers and even the administrators are on equal footing in the development of enforcement of the rules that already exist. Hold parents accountable for the conduct of their children by requiring them to stand before a quorum of their peers and explain why their child should be allowed to break the rules. And if they will not change, remove their child to a school designated specifically for behavior issues. If you legally have to educate these kids of those parents, you should be able to do so at a school designed to “support” them, “scaffolding” their learning in the “least restrictive environment” given their circumstance.
Call that discriminatory if you will, but look at society. We have a special school called PRISON for adults who fail to follow the rules that our society has approved. We should be able to have schools designed for those kids with behavior problems. A behavior problem is NOT a learning disability, even though the latter may inspire such problems. Problems cease with involved parents who instill rules of respect and an expectation that at school their child is to learn, not clown around.
And folks…it USED to be that way. Back in the day when RESPECT was a norm and not a social oddity. It needs to be that way again.
So while there may be no money for a lot of things, we have the power to take back the school and make it a community centered place where learning is fostered with respect and where conduct does not interfere with learning and is not tolerated at all. No more excuses. All those lawsuit grabbing parents who validate their sad existences by abusing the system can just go away.
Part of the problem also lies with school principals. Bound by the expectations of the former Superintendent, now long gone,endless legislation about the rights of everyone to defy school rules, and bound by a need to avoid conflict at all costs so as not to sully the image of the school, principals have become an obstacle to smooth running schools and certainly an obstacle to discipline issues by their powerlessness to enforce anything on anyone but the teachers. This needs to change.
Crappy principals need to be dismissed from duty. Now more than ever schools need strong leaders who are able to enforce school rules and not just offer tyrannical brats candy from their secret stash, or pacify them with warnings after warnings. We should not have to wait for assault and weapons or school drug use to suspend these kids. They have no place at a school of learning. No place. If I asked for a list of crappy school principals in the MDUSD I already know the list that would be emailed to me – sadly it is no secret who these people are. And worse, they tarnish the reputation of the principals that are good leaders and who do make a difference. And yes, there are good principals out there equally frustrated by the issues I am writing about.
Take a look at your child’s school. What would make it work better? Learning and a quality education is not about money because just as children delight more in the cardboard box their Christmas present came in than the toy itself, children or all ages revel in the opportunity to be creative, inventive and are the most resourceful at finding ways to apply this gift. When they cannot, then comes behavior issues, especially when there is no tangible enforcement.
I would like to see the Board of Education begin to set a new precedent by reforming the policies that are already in existence and developing stronger schools as a result. It is time to stop letting money be the issue when the real issue is about learning.
Let me know your thoughts. I’ll be sure to share them with the MDUSD Board of Education.
MisterWriter
[Update on Board of Ed cuts: “
Special School Board Meeting
As a result of the Governor’s budget proposal, the projected deficit in the school district ending balance as of June 2012 has grown from $17 million to $35 million. In consequence, we will need to make additional reductions to our expenditure budget.
The Board of Education has scheduled a special meeting on Wednesday, January 20, at 7pm at the Dent Education Center, 1936 Carlotta Drive in Concord.
The purpose of the meeting is to solicit public input on the additional cuts that will need to be made. Staff will present a brief review of the budget, but the majority of the meeting will be spent listening to parents and community members regarding budget reductions.
This is a very important meeting, and I hope you will be able to attend.
Dick Nicoll
Interim Superintendent”
As predicted the devastation left by the budget cuts both past and present have left the district facing a HUGE need for MASSIVE cuts that are virtually impossible.
At the 1/12/10 board meeting, the following information was shared. The chart below showing the proposed cuts come from a powerpoint presentation.
“We must decrease ongoing annual spending by a minimum of $25.85M by 7/1/2010 for the 2010/11 school year OR, Cut at least $35,506,323 over two years by 2nd interim and plan for even deeper cuts later to solve the rest of the structural deficit. However, the amount of backlog will grow at over $9M per year.
We must plan an additional contingency if the State doesn’t fund the COLA when it returns to a positive number in 2011-12 (an additional $3,020,000 ongoing cut)
Cutting $35,506,000 across 2 years is only the start to fixing the real problem.”
Below is a chart from a PowerPoint presentation that was shown at the Board Meeting showing the proposed cuts. Look at the total at the end.
| 1 | Eliminate 4 FTE remaining middle and high school librarian positions | $255,236 | $255,236 | MDEA | Libraries would close. | |||
| 2 | * | Eliminate 3.6 librarian FTE associated with Elementary Reduced Class Size | $229,712 | $229,712 | $459,425 | MDEA | Supplemental elementary library staffing for teacher preparation was previously needed for teachers needed for the Reduced Class Size program. After this program was reduced, there were fewer elementary teachers, but librarian positions could not be reduced accordingly. The librarian time this year was allocated to secondary schools. | |
| 3 | Use a parcel tax to pay for student programs and/or critical services. | A majority of voters supported Measure D, but if failed the 2/3 requirement. Passage of another measure and extent to which current expenditures would be funded are uncertain | ||||||
| 4 | * | Reduce all Special Education services that are not mandated by state or federal law or included in the student's Individual Education Plan (IEP). | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $2,000,000 | MDEA CSEA DMA CST | Study of Special Education program is in progress. Recommendations due February | |
| 5 | * | Close schools. Cost savings would result from the consolidation of administrative and classified positions and in utility savings if the campus is not used. At Elementary Schools, following positions would be reduced: Principal, Office Manager, Elementary Head Custodian, PM Custodians, Elementary School Secretary. | $1,500,000 | $1,500,000 | DMA CST M&O | Anticipate opposition from parents and community members. Recommend creation of committee to study current asset use and potential for consolidation, cost-savings and increased efficiency. Community input encouraged. | ||
| 6 | * | Transfer additional Tier 3 categorical program allocations to the unrestricted general fund | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $2,000,000 | Will require program reduction. | ||
| 6a | Transfer funding for Cal Safe Support Program | $150,498 | $150,498 | Will be available for January 26 meeting | ||||
| 6b | Transfer funding for Cal Safe Child Care Program | $356,452 | $356,452 | Will be available for January 26 meeting | ||||
| 6c | Transfer funding for National Board Certified Teachers | $8,016 | $8,016 | Will be available for January 26 meeting | ||||
| 6d | Transfer funding for Community Based English Tutoring Program | $178,572 | $178,572 | Will be available for January 26 meeting | ||||
| 6e | Transfer funding for the Peer Assistance and Review Program | $100,876 | $100,876 | Will be available for January 26 meeting | ||||
| 6f | Transfer funding for the CAHSEE intervention program | $255,778 | $255,778 | Will be available for January 26 meeting | ||||
| 6g | Transfer funding for Supplemental School Counseling | $954,282 | $954,282 | Will be available for January 26 meeting | ||||
| 6h | Transfer funding for Gifted And Talented Education program | $114,584 | $114,584 | Will be available for January 26 meeting | ||||
| 6i | Transfer funding from the Instructional Materials Fund | $1,453,611 | Same as # 10. | |||||
| 6j | Transfer funding for the School Safety Grant | $542,513 | $542,513 | Will be available for January 26 meeting | ||||
| 6k | Transfer funding for the Specialized Secondary program | $29,610 | $29,610 | Will be available for January 26 meeting | ||||
| 6l | Transfer funding for the Pupil Retention Block Grant | $716,238 | $716,238 | Will be available for January 26 meeting | ||||
| 6m | Transfer funding for the TCBG (Beginning Teacher Support and Assistance) program | $645,689 | $645,689 | Will be available for January 26 meeting | ||||
| 6n | Transfer funding for the Targeted Instructional Improvement program | $1,148,449 | $1,148,449 | Will be available for January 26 meeting | ||||
| 6o | Transfer funding for School & Library Improvement Block Grant (SLBIG) | $1,579,736 | $1,579,736 | For some schools, sole discretionary revenue | ||||
| 6p | Transfer funding for Adult Education | $3,845,389 | $3,845,389 | Would impact summer school and other K-12 programs | ||||
| 7 | * | Eliminate Parent Subsidized Busing Program | $405,486 | $405,486 | $810,972 | M&O | Busing to Mt. Diablo High School and Delta View Elementary would continue, all other home to school busing would cease. | |
| 8 | * | Reduce Custodial Substitute Policy from "First Day Out" to "Second Day Out" threshold | $39,000 | $39,000 | $78,000 | M&O | Some basic classroom cleaning would not be completed | |
| 9 | * | Reduce unrestricted material and supply budgets (object code 4300) by 10% | $266,804 | $266,804 | $533,608 | Reduced funding for paper products, landscaping supplies, and instructional supplies | ||
| 10 | * | Delay purchase of textbooks and materials for language arts adoption for one year. Transfer funds to unrestricted fund balance. | $1,453,611 | $1,453,611 | Same as 6i. May have budget impact in later years. | |||
| 11 | * | Increase minimum class size to 28 students or 80% of contractual maximum. | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $2,000,000 | MDEA | May eliminate AP or other low enrollment courses | |
| 12 | * | Transfer additional State funding for Deferred Maintenance to the Unrestricted General Fund | $500,000 | $500,000 | $500,000 | $1,500,000 | District has already eliminated 100% of district match and 200,000 of State funding. Would leave about 500,000 total for major maintenance projects. Installation of Columbine style locks in district classrooms would be delayed. | |
| 13 | * | Eliminate remaining funding for FCMAT recommen-dations | $78,965 | $78,965 | Would limit ability to address additional problems with Personnel/Payroll system. In addition, will be needed to fund conversion to newer IFAS release. | |||
| 14 | Designate remaining lottery balance to the unrestricted general fund | Unrestricted lottery proceeds are already included in the ending funding balance | ||||||
| 15 | Eliminate the Student Information System | It is not possible for a California school district to function without a student information system. Every district must provide a variety of student, teacher, testing, course, and other data to the State and Federal governments. Reporting student attendance accurately is critical to receipt of state appportionments. These district systems also rely on our student information system: School Messenger (phone/email messaging), Destiny (libraries & textbooks), HomeLink (grades, homework), Encore (special education data base). | ||||||
| 16 | * | Restrict Meals for Needy fund transfer to Food Services to current levels | $100,000 | $200,000 | $300,000 | Currently, the district transfers 600,000 of Meals for Needy funds to the Food Service program, which projects a 600,000 operating deficit and a 2 million ending balance. | ||
| 17 | * | Eliminate Textbook and Instructional Materials Coordinator Position | $89,582 | $89,582 | $179,164 | CST | Purchasing Department would be solely responsible for textbook ordering. Reduction could impact the district's ability to comply with the textbook requirements of the Williams Settlement. This postions orders workbooks and consumable materials for all schools. Ordering centrally has saved MDUSD a significant amount. Additonal job responsbilities include providing support for private schools participating in Federal Title II NCLB program and coordinating district wide music festivals. | |
| 18 | * | Eliminate 2.43 vocal music FTE associated with elementary reduced class size program | $192,342 | $192,342 | $384,684 | Supplemental elementary vocal music staffing for teacher preparation was previously needed for teachers needed for the Reduced Class Size program. After this program was reduced, there were fewer elementary teachers, but vocal music positions could not be reduced accordingly. The vocal music time this year was needed for 5th grade instrumental music this year. | ||
| Total Without Negotiations | $13,278,429 | |||||||
| Following Items Require Negotiations | ||||||||
| N1 | Implement retirement incentive program for certificated employees. | MDEA | Economic viability of proposal is under study | |||||
| N2 | Eliminate employee assistance program | $109,000 | $109,000 | All | Uncertain. The utilization of this program is around 2% of employees who are eligible. Most employees seek services through their primary health carrier or professional association. | |||
| N3 | Increase payment in lieu of medical benefits for all employee groups and members who have dual coverage. | Non MDEA | This would have to be negotiated. We would have to comply with CalPERS rules and regulations regarding implementation. About 70 employees would have to give up benefits and accept higher cash in lieu to break even. | |||||
| N4 | Limit non MDEA health care costs to current level of funding. | $891,754 | $2,698,052 | All except MDEA | Currently, District pays the cost of all health care increases for employees who are not teachers. Benefit increases occur in January. | |||
| N5 | Require employees to certify that they do not already receive health benefits. | All | Unknown whether possible, and if so, potential savings. | |||||
| N6 | Reduce teacher calendar by 7 days (five teaching days and 2 staff development days). Corresponding reduction in all other department work years of 3.825% | $6,189,391 | $6,189,391 | All | Student instructional time would be reduced by 5 days. There would be no paid time for staff development prior to the start of school. | |||
| N7 | Reduce employee compensation by 3% | $5,279,946 | $5,279,946 | All | ||||
| N8 | Reduce one (1) elementary P.E. prep team consisting of one (1) teacher and two (2) senior instructional assistants. ($54,429 teacher; $67,849 sr. inst. assts.) | $122,278 | $122,278 | MDEA | The remaining teams would have to cover more schools. | |||
| N9 | Reduce library prep staffing | $627,000 | $627,000 | MDEA | Move prep time to after school. | |||
| N10 | Reduce post retirement health benefits | $500,000 | $500,000 | All | Cost was 3,882,275 in 08-09 and increasing | |||
| N11 | Eliminate elementary prep | $1,105,981 | $1,105,981 | MDEA | 19.1 FTE | |||
| N12 | Staff to State maximum class size | $2,597,977 | $2,597,977 | MDEA | Estimated 45 FTE | |||
| N13 | 2 work furlough days for all staff | $1,650,958 | $1,650,958 | All | ||||
| N14 | * | Negotiate restructuring of employee contracts including but not limited to sharing of the increased costs of health benefits, work furloughs, post retirement benefits, and/or salary reductions. | $1,000,754 | $2,807,052 | $3,807,806 | All | Direct staff to negotiate savings with employee units | |
| Total Negotiations | $3,807,806 | |||||||
| Grand Total | $17,086,235 |
AFTER ALL THIS THE GRAND TOTAL IS ONLY $17,086,235, far short of the $35,506,000 needed.
So you tell me how this will be solved? Things are at a point where students will be sitting on dirt floors using sticks to write in the dirt, while overpaid politicians in Sacramento who have allowed this mess to exist waste even more time trying to remedy the situation. Meantime, funding to state prisoners comes in at $50,000 per prisoner per year.
If you go through this list you will see that every gain made over the last ten to fifteen years is now history. Every single change that had been fought for, voted for, demanded, politically charging everyone during elections is now moot. All those special interest groups, special programs, computer systems, efforts to make the district stronger in this century are now all thrown back to the dark ages.
“It was with a saddened heart that I listened to the catastrophic news presented at the board meeting,” said trustee Sherry Whitmarsh. “If you have any thoughts that would not apply to negotiations I would love to hear from you by Monday, January 18. Example of items that apply to negotiations are salary reductions, furlough days, benefit reductions. For the sake of our children, please contact your elected state officials. Please have everyone you know contact the state officials. Public education is at a severe risk.”
Watch the meeting if you dare. The battle is just beginning…
Trustee Dick Allen added at the end of the meeting: “I will not be running for reelection in November. I'm not getting any younger.” Allen has worked over 53 years for the district. “I have worked with every superintendent and looking forward to working with Superintendent Lawrence.” More on Dick Allen’s term in another post.
MisterWriter
Despite the reprieve of additional cuts by the governor, the MDUSD Trustees meet tonight to start discussions on how to handle the $17 million in cuts over he next three years due to the state budget issues earlier as well as declining enrollment.
Included in the discussions will be the possibility of four to six schools closing, although some may be abridged to neighboring elementary schools to form a K-8 school thereby releasing administration at one location while still retaining the school site itself.
There will be a lot of discussions where to make the needed cuts and none of it will be positive. The teacher union is still hoping for the board to accept the three year freeze on raises or cuts for teachers which would insulate the teachers to some degree from the budget onslaught, although the reality of the cuts may not make that a feasible proposal.
However it takes shape, the meetings are likely to cause a furor until such time as the district can at least show some positive signs of normalizing operations or at least improving district/stakeholder relationships in the formation of some community schooling practices that involved the community as partners rather than the current adversarial sentiments that seem prevalent.
Tonights meeting starts will be at Monte Gardens Elem. 3841 Larkspur, Concord and will start at 7:30 p.m. YOU CAN READ THE AGENDA HERE.
MisterWriter
If you really need an excuse to stuff fast food in your mouth then the latest advertising for the lame – the Taco Bell Drive Thru Diet is right for you. Latching onto the Subway claims of successful weight loss some years back, that turned out to be a huge business tactic designed to separate the suckers from their cash in the name of a healthy lifestyle, this one offers the truth in the disclaimers that it just ain’t a low calorie food. No kidding! Just like the $1 menu at McDonalds, weight loss will not come your way if you step anywhere near the place.
You know that you can eat one French fry and you will be fine. You can eat one Taco and not upset your diet. But if you are really on a diet then fast food is just not on your radar anywhere. It is a little like smoking. “I’ll just have one cigarette” quickly becomes a pack a day habit. Just one of those little Taco’s will soon be upsold into a value meal. You will be Supersized.
Click pic for original image
In this case the Crunchy Taco Supreme is 200 calories; the diet version cuts that to 150. The diet burrito supreme with steak is 330 calories, down from the regular version at 380 calories. The ad claims that “Christine” cut 500 calories a day this way in order to lose weight. Bad math. And while your daily sodium intake should be between $1500 and 2000 mg/day, many of these “diet” items have as much as 1410 mg of sodium in one food item. Are you crazy?
Want to count calories, try this ONLINE JOURNAL HERE.
I find advertising to be insulting with the most obvious message that I am a stupid idiot who needs a little coaxing to make a stupid decision, whether that be buying one of those infomercial products, finding God in Las Vegas or in prison, or kick starting my fast food dieting program. I’ll just wait for the Corona Light diet to start losing my holiday pounds.
MisterWriter
Romance is in the air as February approaches and The Concordian has a little contest for you. In case you missed the animated block ad on Claycord.com, or in case you missed the write-up in last months newspaper, we are holding a contest to launch our February Romance Issue.
It’s simple to enter – send us an email with your most romantic moment whether it be a date, a proposal, Valentine’s Day or something else. Tell us about it. We’ll publish the most interesting ones and the winning entry wins a $100 gift certificate to Toscana Ristorante in Todos Santos Plaza, a romantic spot for an excellent dinner. Easy right? Click HERE to enter, but HURRY – the contest ends this Friday, January 15th at midnight.
The February issue will be packed with romantic tips, places to go and even an emergency romantic dinner designed for those of us who are kitchen impaired.
If you are a business and would like to advertise in our Romance Issue, or in our 4-page Pullout Section, send an email to info@myconcordian.com .
MisterWriter
A truly interesting look at one year compressed into 2 minutes. Norwegian Eirik Solheim recorded 30-second videos from his balcony in Norway over 2009 to produce this result.
If you don’t have 2 minutes to spare you can watch another year shot in 90 seconds – below. There, don’t you feel better now?
Click HERE to visit his Website.
MisterWriter
“We are not amused!” – Queen Victoria 1858
A little side note that I meant to highlight in my posting on the Governor’s speech Jan. 6, according to Schwarzenegger it costs $50,000 per prisoner per year as opposed to what I see in the teacher pay scale, especially at the MDUSD where a teacher must work for about 5 years to be at the $50K annual salary level. If you consider that they also pay their health insurance (about $9600 per family per year) and union dues ($935 per year FTE) neither of which prisoners must pay for. Therefore the equivalent income needs of teachers would be the $50K plus 9600 plus $935 for a total of $60,535 which on the pay scale would take 13 years of teaching and a whole lot of extra course study to advance along the scale. In short, a California State prisoner gets a better deal financially. Makes you feel good about your education job, doesn’t it?
Click image for the full page
Click image for the full speech
Now changing gears…
Can you say “bullshit”. This sounds like the same double-talk that educators and politicians love to dish out. Let’s summarize… “We’ll do something, talk about doing something, drag as many people into the discussion as we can, including parents and others who may only be marginally involved, and try to come up with a plan. When it does not work we will “regroup” and “rethink” and repeat the process until the end of time. Why? Because “Students do not fail, but plans can fail.”
Bullshit. Students can and do fail. Humans learn by failing. Life is not supposed to be clean and easy. And psychology-inclined education para-professionals fail more than anyone else because they have to come up with this stuff to (a) keep their job (b) try to look like they know what the hell they are doing (c) avoid being sued and helping their employer avoid being sued (d) maybe by the grace of God they might find something that might actually work even though it cost millions of dollars to try, try, try and try again.
Ugh, I hate this crap. It complicates what should be a simple approach. I am in favor of finding solutions, just stop giving things these ridiculous names to make it seem more scientific and complicated that it is.
As for failing…
“If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.” ~ William E. Hickson quotes
“If you haven’t failed, you’re not trying hard enough.” ~ Unknown quote
“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable on persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” ~ George Bernard Shaw quotes
“Our schools are much like our prisons: they disappoint us because they only do what they're designed to do, and it annoys us that they don't do something else!” -Daniel Quinn
Albert Einstein, Sign hanging in Einstein's office at Princeton
”Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.”
Deep breath! Have a nice Friday, even if prisoners are pulling in more money than you.
MisterWriter
With the governator announcing his intention to protect education from further cuts (because what he has done since taking office has really been preventative medicine and not just arbitrary slashing - right?) it may seem that the pressure is off the MDUSD. Not so. Already suffering with the prior cuts - athletic programs have survived by the grace of the parents and a city worth of fundraising efforts - the illusion of safety is just that - an illusion.
The music programs that are dying on the vine are hoping to score a bit of the ole athletic fundraising magic. Hosting a 24-hour music-athon on Saturday, January 16 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., The Mount Diablo Music Education Foundation is hoping to raise enough to save their programs. Previous attempts to raise money have been frustrated by timing and clashing with the athletic fundraising, and this is a solid opportunity to have the limelight to themselves. They hope to raise $500,000 by March and restore the programs already cut as well as preventing the cuts to fifth grade music slated for the 2010-2011 school year.
To be held at the Concord High School Multi-Use Room, and with a $5 admission for adults $3 for students, it is a great opportunity to see the many talents that go into music in the district. Other fundraising events are scheduled and you can find these on their website at www.mdmusicfoundation.org.
So where does that leave the support for a Parcel Tax? Last year's attempt resulted in a majority approval although shy of the 2/3 majority required for it to pass. With the economy still on shaky ground, despite the protection of education by the governor, cities will be hit hard in their needs to further cut services. The recession is not over and any glossy wishful thinking to the contrary will face the stark reality of the impact California's bad financial management will create.
Is the pulse of the voters strong enough to pass the PT this time around? Would it make sense to rely on a ballot by mail to grab a wider audience rather than hoping that, a generally apathetic public, will emerge at the polls to alter the tide of dismay? With only 20% of the voters in the district as parents it is equally important to appeal to those without children to support any PT. Property values are higher in communities with music and sports programs that can be restored by the revenue from a parcel tax.
A survey by EMC Research and presented to the board in December 2009 showed that of 602 telephone interviews conducted between November and December that support for the parcel tax was about the same as in May 2009, below the two-thirds needed to pass.
You can download that presentation at http://esbpublic.mdusd.k12.ca.us/ select Dec 8th and it is agenda Item #15.1 . There is a PowerPoint attached.
With a new superintendent coming on board at the end of the month, the board of education could use a facelift in the perceptions faced by the public. There are no easy answers and given the economy and the contentious public opinion resulting from the cuts, regardless where the fault lay, it seems now more than ever to be important for the stakeholders in this district to learn more of the trustee's plans, to have the opportunity to get questions answered as concretely as possible, without the appearance of any emotional rhetoric or backlash from the board when faced with idiotic blog comments or accusations.
This community and this board of education have been through a lot together over the past few years. From my view this district has emerged from a lot of ugliness created under a regime of mistrust and duplicity that has all since been brought out into the open and dealt with. The district's legal problems have been or are well into resolution, as are the IRS issues that bit hard during the last election. With Steven Lawrence coming on board as the new super, one hopes that opportunity will not be lost by the public because of old suspicions. Remember that three of the trustees are parents of younger MDUSD children. For them it is a personal struggle. When you take the time to see how much of their personal time has been invested in trying to deal with the ongoing crisis it is easier to appreciate that this is not a conspiracy or a chorus of fools engaged in mutual back patting. I would not want their job. It is an ungrateful position to be in. And I commend them for standing resolute.
Again it is an election year biting at our heels. Trustees Strange, Allen and Mayo whose terms are up will have to decide whether to endure further flogging or allow someone else to step up to the plate. And with all the activity still stands the question of whether the public will support $99/year as a parcel tax.
The last election was about change and change swept through the land from the local to the national levels. This time the focus is on repair, making the best of what is the ugliest times we will hopefully have faced in our lives. Whether you are in support of the PT or opposed to it, I urge you to get involved, ask questions, engage neighbors and friends because regardless of how the end result turns out, a community that becomes active in the politics that affects it will surely win by the strength that comes as a result.
Some links below for you to look at. Voice a comment. Say...something.
MisterWriter
http://www.contracostatimes.com/contra-costa-county-elections/ci_14003482 CCT on the PT
http://esbpublic.mdusd.k12.ca.us/ Electronic School Board - follow the meetings
http://mdusd.blogspot.com/ Trustees Strange, Eberhart and Whitmarsh's blog
http://www.mdusd.org MDUSD District site
http://www.cde.ca.gov CA. Dept. of Education
http://www.claycord.com Claycord. com - popular local blog
http://mdusdparents.blogspot.com/ MDUSD Parents Blog
http://www.mdmusicfoundation.org MD Music Foundation
