Schools
News and information from Patch and your neighbors about schools in your towns. Flag as Inappropriate
Posts awaiting your approval 0
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 the…Read 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.
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's…Read 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 to…Read 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?
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 to…Read 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
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.
Kara May 12, 2013 at 02:11 am
Fingertip length dresses, thick straps on tank tops, and longer shorts are simply not the style…Read 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 focusing…Read 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.
Donna Fleming April 22, 2013 at 04:39 am
The kids need to be in school. California's kids are falling behind, The administrators who came up…Read More with this scam to apply for state funds from California related to the Sandy Hook school tragedy should be fired. If administrators cannot find a way to close the financial gap, they need to look for another job. CUSD needs to become self sufficient. Organize a fund raiser, cut corners, No state handouts.
Gina April 22, 2013 at 04:02 am
Everyone knows that Christmas Recess came very late in 2012. Christmas Eve was the start of the 2…Read More week vacation. As such, ALL SCHOOLS, yes even the BLESSED Private Schools had a drop in attendance. My kids have been in this school district for 2 decades and the Friday before the Recess ALWAYS has a lot of kids gone.
All the State has to do is compare the absentee rate for the prior years when the Christmas break started on Christmas Eve and they will see that this is a scam.
The administrators who know this fact and thought up this scam should be ashamed and FIRED!!!! especially for using this tradegy to line their pockets
Michael Huntley March 29, 2013 at 08:07 pm
I played for Coach Bucher at Aliso. Great coach and great man. Excited for him.
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 Mello…Read 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 written…Read 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 issue…Read 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.
Penny Arévalo (Editor) March 14, 2013 at 10:11 pm
Well, if they threw them all away at the end of the semester. But they'll serve many classes to…Read More come. Dr. Hatchel said they expect to have 2-3 classes (in a given year) taking Spanish World History in the future.
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 without…Read 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.
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
fact checker March 4, 2013 at 08:11 pm
There is no evidence that private schools offer a better education than public schools in general.
CUSD Parents Are Selfish @55h0|35 March 4, 2013 at 07:10 pm
@Penny Quotation marks can also be made in the air with your fingers, but just like your comment…Read More it's neither here nor there.
Come on people, let's stay on topic.
fact checker March 4, 2013 at 06:34 pm
Yes, but the start quotation mark before "Big education... has no end quotation mark. It…Read More looks like she started to quote someone without a citation.
Pam Ragland March 4, 2013 at 08:43 pm
Several issues here.
1) The schools SHOULD take responsibility for helping ID issues with kids,…Read More which parents are otherwise not trained to ID or understand. It sounds like someone knew that with Saddleback's policy--yet was it followed?
2) Schools are woefully inept at ID'ing issues with kids. It took YEARS to ID my son as Autistic, after a major trauma brought on symptoms. Since I've become an expert, developed an innovative & effective new treatment to help Autistic kids be more normal. Yet I've offered to TRAIN OUR SCHOOL FREE & they haven't done it. Schools need to be open to help to solve issues, not ignore them.
3) Few parents realize how dangerous video games are. They are literally conditioning the child's habits to automatically repeat what is in the "game". Parents think because other kids do it & it's called a game, it's safe. Instead it has become a coping mechanism to help kids get through life. (Next stop, drugs.)
Gameboy supressed a study that showed video games damage the emotional center of a child's brain, causing a lack of empathy. It was released in Germany & I learned about it from a child development professor at Stanford & verified it.
The issue is complex. Blaming the boy only means we'll repeat it, as we have not solved the real problems.
Panglonymous February 28, 2013 at 05:14 pm
What's the use of being boss if you can't declare yourself the winner?
Peter Schelden (Editor) February 28, 2013 at 03:03 pm
It's an interesting idea, Pan. ;-) But then, I'm sure I couldn't give the prize to myself, could I?
Hayley Rose February 27, 2013 at 04:47 am
(Continued.)
Readers Favorite:
"We receive submissions from independent authors, small…Read More publishers, and publishing giants like HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster, with contestants that range from the first-time, self-published author to New York Times best-selling authors like J.A. Jance, James Rollins, and #1 best-selling author Daniel Silva. We also receive entries from celebrity authors like actor Paul Michael Glaser from "Starsky & Hutch," actor Eriq La Salle from "E.R.," three-time Emmy award-winner Michael Brown, and actress Mary McDonough from "Will and Grace," "ER," "Boston Legal," and the "West Wing."
International Book Awards:
Best New Business Book
Making Yourself Indispensable: The Power of Personal Accountability
by Mark Samuel
Portfolio/Penguin
978-1591844693
Fiction: Mystery/Suspense & Thriller/Adventure
Darkroom
by Joshua Graham
Howard Books, a division of Simon & Schuster
978-1-451654691
The purpose of Read Across America is to get excited and motivated to read. I truly believe the events in San Juan Capistrano this week accomplished that.
Hayley Rose February 27, 2013 at 04:45 am
Dear Concerened Parent: (Continued.)
Contrary to what you may believe, I am a professional. I…Read More speak across the country at schools, festivals and other various book events. I have been doing this for over ten years and I take my work very seriously. The Events at Del Obispo and Ambuehl were planned out months in advance though the PTA. I am sure they would have listened to any objections you might have had. The teachers, students and even the school district superintendent seemed to have enjoyed the presentation.
You say you have no issue with me as an author, but then you have no problem discrediting me.
As far as the awards go, again, you may believe they are “trumped up”, however, the big publishing houses would probably disagree as their authors have also placed in many of these award programs. Here are just a few:
Readers Favorite Awards:
“Readers' Favorite is the fastest growing book review and award contest site on the Internet. We have earned the respect of renowned publishers like Random House, Penguin and Harper Collins.”
Hayley Rose February 27, 2013 at 04:43 am
Dear Concerned Parent,
First let me say that I do appreciate your comments and concerns, however,…Read More I thought I would just chime in and set the record straight. First of all, I believe your facts are wrong. Fifo the Bear books are not self published. Although they are not published by one of the “big six” publishing houses they are published though Inkwell, a small press. I did not “pay” to have my books published, and therefore they were traditionally published. I am not sure if you have seen or read my books but they are of top quality and rival those put out by mainstream houses. I am also sorry that you feel only talented authors come from major publishing houses. I have been very fortunate to come across some fabulous self published authors that offer high quality books.
Parents United February 22, 2013 at 01:50 am
This is exactly the point I am making. When I see politicians who only use public safety as a…Read More political chess piece, it makes me sick. If our representatives cared, or showed any concern beyond the ballot box, they would not only show up, but participate and engage with the community.
Kathleen K February 22, 2013 at 12:19 am
This was a very informative meeting with the Sheriff's department. It's a wonder no one from the…Read More city of Aliso Viejo, such as those responsible for public safety, or even the city council, bothered to attend. I would like to see these entities work together to keep the city safe for our children.
Uncle of Many February 20, 2013 at 04:26 pm
It's comforting to see more awareness around this ever growing and discerning issue called 'Online…Read More Kids Safety'. This is truly an important topic to engage and be apart of. Parents need to get on board and explore the online world with their kids not just for their safety, but so they don't get left behind.
Take a look at this blog posting "5 Online Safety Tips to Teach Your Child" ~ http://goo.gl/YoWri
Silence Dogood February 23, 2013 at 07:18 pm
OMG, OMG, I just figured it out! It's so obvious! The incredibly thin-skinned bully JustUs is…Read More actually the incredibly thin-skinned bully Sarah Palin! Welcome to the Patch Governor!
Black Jesuscom February 24, 2013 at 10:21 pm
The omission of Frederick Douglas is just a
portion of the convenient oversights in this
film. To…Read More get the real truth about Lincoln
and slavery you must listen to noted historian
Lerone Bennett. http://bit.ly/VgwcLN
ms.sc. February 12, 2013 at 06:41 pm
Thanks Patch! Us readers needed this innocent smile-of-the-day! Precious!! :)
Penny Arévalo (Editor) February 12, 2013 at 05:29 pm
BTW, for those interested in the Mandarin immersion program (open to Capo Unified students entering…Read More kindergarten in September), open enrollment is for another two weeks, through Feb 22.
Dusty W Otero February 12, 2013 at 12:40 pm
Lunar new year is not only for Chinese ,, Vietnamese celebrate in Westminster folks,,,I…Read More call it Lunar year ,,for all asians ,,but not Japanese,,,they do not ,,
School Kids Plant Trees for Bluebirds, Wildlife
0 Recommend Adam Townsend (Editor)