Monrovia School Link

Monrovia School Link ~ Number 95 ~ October 15, 2004

Well, this issue we're engaging in what might be called - if you are inclined to be picky about it - a "conflict of interest." Yup, we've got Steve Chesley, husband of school board member Claire Chesley, writing the newsletter. Now this says two things: One, we need more people to chip in and write up a meeting (I'm taking my turn this month). The committment is about one meeting per year, and you can sign on for one year. Not too demanding, though you do need to stay for the *whole* meeting, which can be demanding. And two, despite the possibility that he'd have to sleep in the garage, Steve did a great job! Thanks, Steve! If you'd like to volunteer to cover a meeting, just click reply, and I'll have our highly competent organizer, Ann Hodgdon, find a meeting that fits your schedule.

~ brad@sacklunch.net

By Steve Chesley

Well, you know that they're scraping the bottom of the barrel when they're asking the spouse of a school board member to critically report on the board meeting. But I'm not one to let the threat of sleeping in the garage deter me from my responsibilities, so here goes...

Headlines for this week:

1) An unnamed classified employee disciplined. (Apparently not an easy decision.)

2) MHS students excel at model UN competition; next stop New York!

3) No one from the public wishes to address the board. (Really!)

4) Board Reports: Is "feminine loquacity" a redundancy? A surprising admission!

5) Monrovia kids - druggies or model citizens? The survey data is in and we've got the numbers.

6) This just in! No pay increases... last year.

7) The board supports school lunches and appropriate dress. Opposes drug abuse and soda pop.

CLOSED SESSION

The schedule of board activities for the evening started at 5:45, with a 15-minute closed session to consider "Public Employee Discipline/Dismissal/Release." This was to be followed at 6:00 by an hour-long study session to review the results of the California Healthy Kids Survey. I actually planned to attend this, but--between soccer practice, Wendy's drive-thru, and baby-sitter coordination--I arrived around 6:45, expecting to find the study session wrapping up. Instead I found that the closed session was still going, an hour after starting. So I didn't get to see the board being studious, but I'd like to say that the not-so-new-anymore furniture arrangement looks like a great improvement. The study sessions are held in the meeting room at a large conference table and there is plenty of seating for the multitude of concerned citizens wishing to follow the board activities.

Anyway, the study session was canceled or postponed (hopefully the latter, because there is a lot of information that those in charge need to digest fully to understand the state of the Monrovia schools), and the board meeting was convened at 6:59 sharp.

Early in the meeting Board President Betty Sandford gave a terse report on the apparently not-so-terse closed session, revealing that the board voted in closed session to order a three-day suspension for an unnamed classified employee. All members voted for the sanction, except Monina Diaz, who abstained. No other information was provided, but one wonders why it took so long to decide. My inference is that there was a lot of discussion, probably surrounding whether the discipline was either too stiff or too lenient. And, if the board reports give any indication (see below), the fairer sex had a lot to say. [He said it, not me. - Brad] But that's my story. If you prefer a different story then you'll have to make it up yourself, just like I did.

FUTURE DIPLOMATS

The board recognized MHS teacher Yvette Romero and her Pre-AP Geography students for their exceptional performance at a Model United Nations competition, hosted at USC last summer. The group took first place overall in the compettition, which consisted of role-playing different UN member nation positions on various international issues. Maybe we can get them to take over the real UN. (Couldn't hurt.) Speaking of the real UN, Betty Sandford announced after handing out the awards that she (or the board, it wasn't clear) had arranged for a grant that would allow Ms. Romero and one of her students to attend a UN function next month. The teachers wide-eyed response, "You mean the *actual* UN?" was great to see. This is clearly a well-deserved reward for a teacher doing all the right things. Congratulations to Ms. Romero and her student diplomats, Hannah Owens, Irene Guillen, Caitlin Curran, Michael Liu, Sara Rodriguez, Giuliana Forte, Samantha Rogers, Kristen Hayford, William Kirkendall, and Alex Le Cea.

After the awards were handed out, most everyone scurried away in order to avoid the tedium that was sure to come. Soon after, it was down to four: Ms. Deb Rinder (Clifton's principal), a gentleman wearing a tie, a lady with a tape recorder, and a cynical ruffian wearing shorts (me). We four stalwarts lasted to the end of the meeting.

PUBLIC COMMUNICATION

The most astounding thing of the whole meeting was that there was *nobody* from the public who had anything to communicate to the board during so-called Open Communications. This is more than a little disappointing, since there are something like five or six thousand students in the district and probably at least as many parents. Something must be going well somewhere that is worth comment; even more certain is that something somewhere is ripe for improvement and nobody has pointed it out to those in charge.

Getting more parent and community involvement at the school board meetings was a big campaign issue in the last election, and I thought things were improving. If anybody in charge is listening, and I know they are, I offer the idea of a flyer going out to parents in the Wednesday green folders announcing the meeting taking place that night, inviting public comment, and possibly including a condensed agenda. Of course, to be fair, maybe things are improving and this meeting was just anomalous. I haven't attended very many board meetings this year, being the designated babysitter on board meeting nights. And this particular meeting coincided with the third presidential debate, which could have kept a lot of people home.

BOARD REPORTS

After nobody from the public stood up to speak, the board members went on to give their reports. At which point we had a classic "Men are from Mars, women are from Venus" moment. Bryan Wong's report consisted of "I have nothing to report this week," which was followed shortly by Bruce Carter indicating that he too had nothing report. Upon being queried, he said, "We are men of few words." To which Betty Sandford quickly retorted, "Well, we women are not," and then she proceeded to give a very thorough report. And, along the way, the reports of Clare Chesley and Monina Diaz didn't break the tongue-in-cheek stereotypes that Bruce and Betty had expressed.

I have mixed feelings about the board member reports. On the one hand, Bruce and Bryan helped to keep the meeting moving along nicely, but they left the impression that all they do as board members is attend the meetings and vote. I'd like to be reminded that my board members are doing something more than that. On the other hand, the three reports that actually were given grew a bit tedious. A point-by-point listing of the activities undertaken during the week is overmuch, in my opinion, especially when events involve multiple board members and the reports become repetitious. This should be a time to report on *significant* things that have occurred or are planned, and some coordination could eliminate a lot of repetition. This is not just an issue of style; if the school board meetings are god-awful boring then that will scare off attendees, who are ostensibly desired. I think there's a large comfortable middle ground somewhere between no report at all and a listing of all the bake sales attended last week. To steal a quote from Bill O'Reilly, "Keep it pithy. And no bloviating; that's my job." (Garage, here I come!)

With that said, let me consolidate the Board Reports:

Clare: Mayflower Elementary now has an afterschool program, due to the persistence and determination of district staff (especially Susan Hirsch) and the Boys & Girls Club of Monrovia (especially Bob Monk). This is very good news, indeed. Next year, as I understand it, they will be eligible for Village program funds. The current year arrangement is a badly needed stopgap.

Monina: KGEM Telethon is Saturday. Give lots of money if you want to keep watching the meetings on TV.

Betty: Bradoaks, Monroe and Mayflower were recognized at the Monrovia City Council meeting last week for achieving California Distinguished School status. The principals were there to receive certificates of some sort. Also, the new MHS principal, Frank Zepeda, was introduced by Betty at that city council meeting. [Speaking of Zepeda, I did an interview with him that I'll send out shortly. - Brad]

OTHER REPORTS

Ryann Blackshere, the MHS Student Board Representative, announced that homecoming celebrations are Friday, Oct. 22, including a parade starting at 6 pm. She issued a plea for volunteers with convertibles to drive in the parade, effectively cornering Joel Shawn, and maybe Louise Taylor. Clare Chesley offered our minivan, which was politely declined.

Ryann also reported that Pre-SAT testing had taken place and there was some sort of counseling or college fair to help students learn some of the skills that are needed to successfully navigate the harrowing college application process. Or something like that. Anyway, it sounded great. (At this point you may notice that my ability to take notes is in serious conflict with my ability to follow what is going on. Keep that in the back of your mind as we continue.)

Superintendent Louise Taylor reported several things, two random samples:

* Louise and Kris Mariconda, her Administrative Assistant, volunteered at the Monrovia Arts Festival Association (aka MAFA) art festival. MAFA is an important financial supporter of the Monrovia schools.

* Some MHS students were named "Science Students of the Month" and so were subjected to endless teasing by their friends. Oh, wait, that was *my* experience. These students actually got personal congratulations from Superintendent Taylor and Principal Zepeda, as well as a free slice of pizza. One wonders for which of these they were the most grateful.

CALIFORNIA HEALTHY KIDS SURVEY REPORT

Loretta Whitson, the District's Director of Student Support Services, gave an excellent and information-packed report on the raw results from this survey, which was given to about 1200 MUSD students last October. The students, in grades 5, 7, 9 and 11, were asked a hundred or so questions relating to substance abuse, nutrition habits, school safety and school/teacher relationship perceptions. During the presentation there was the occasional lapse into jargon ("assets and resiliency factors"), but I found the presentation well organized and understandable, not an easy thing for such a volume of data.

I managed to secure a copy of the presentation, from which I'll capture some of the more notable results and append to this report. It would be nice if the district would put the presentation up on the website for all to see. Bear in mind that what students *say* may not precisely reflect what students are *really* doing. It seems pretty clear that there are some real issues revealed in these numbers, as well as some things that are most likely reporting problems.

Overall, I didn't find anything too alarming about substance abuse in the report, and many things that might even be hopeful. The most serious problem that I see is the reported lack of caring relationships, high expectations and, especially, meaningful participation opportunities. This is not just a bunch of touchy-feely mumbo jumbo because, as reported by Ms. Whitman, these factors have been demonstrated to reduce or delay many kinds of destructive behavior. If the kids know that adults care about them, if the adults demand top performance, and if the kids feel connected to their school, they are better equipped to say "No" to harmful activities. And that's not just common sense; it's also been shown scientifically.

Elsewhere in the report: 25-40% of older students reported "feeling so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more that [they] stopped doing some usual activities." This seems likely to be a reporting issue, but it does not make me look forward to raising teenagers!

Another thing that came out is that MUSD has a very robust Student Support Services Program, the envy of surrounding districts. In other words, the district has an extraordinary network of programs and services for children at risk or in need. Ms. Whitson listed 14 different district programs and resources. A reasonable concern is whether these programs are advertised widely enough to reach their target audience. I suppose it must be a real challenge to reach those who can benefit most.

On being asked, Ms. Whitson said that the weakest point in the system is a lack of resources to help homeless families. Yes, there are homeless in Monrovia, intermittently living in parks and still sending the kids to school. As usual, one phone call to just about anywhere--the district office, Monrovia Community Services, even the police--is the first step towards getting the right resources mobilized.

The board had several questions for Ms. Whitson, and took great pains to congratulate her on doing such a good job. That's nice, to a point, after which it starts to seem a little patronizing. It was not particularly egregious in this case, although I have seen it get downright embarrassing. Most of the questions were pretty insightful. Clare inquired as to what external resources the district was tapping for student services. [Was Claire's one of the insightful questions, Steve? - Brad] It turns out that there are several. Bryan Wong pointed out that using pre-9/11 statewide comparisons might not be very useful when assessing how safe MUSD students feel while at school. Monina asked a couple of questions, each preceded by a lengthy preamble, none of which I really followed. I think I must have been getting tired by that point, but fortunately the meeting was winding down rapidly.

MISCELLANEOUS

* The board "sunshined" (ya gotta love English!) the finally settled employee contracts for last year. I find it strange that this could be finalized long after the school year is over, but I've learned it is SOP when negotiating with unions. Main point: No pay increases last year. Again.

* The board reappointed Ms. Jeanne Tyler as CSEA's appointee to the Personnel Commission. So who's doing the appointing here? It was not clear, but I presume that CSEA (one of the unions) is contractually permitted to appoint one of the members of this commission, and Ms. Tyler was their choice (again). If so, this is just a pro forma exercise for the board to appoint her to this position, but they must go through this procedure since, formally, all of the commissioners are appointed by the board. Still, Brad's comment about pre-supposing the outcome of the public hearing right there in the agenda seems rather odd. In the end she was appointed and everybody seemed genuinely pleased with the outcome.

* The board adopted a revised dress code policy. No gang attire, nothing obscene, profane, intimidating, prejudicial, or disruptive. Geez, what's left? Well, the one thing that's not covered, and has caused trouble elsewhere in the country, is politically inflammatory clothing, which has generally been ruled as protected speech, even in schools. Let's hope that doesn't crop up in these parts.

* The board had a second reading of a new policy/regulation banning the sale of soda pop at elementary schools and middle schools. I guess they didn't want to start an open rebellion at the high school. Actually, this regulation is required to comply with state law and will probably be passed on the consent agenda at the next go around.

* The board adopted two resolutions: 1) Oct. 11-15 is National School Lunch Week. Not sure what we're supposed to do to observe that. I plan to meditate. 2) Oct. 23-31 is Red Ribbon Week. We *are* told what we are supposed to do for that: "Demonstrate commitment for a DRUG-FREE AMERICA by wearing and displaying Red Ribbons during Red Ribbon Week." One might wonder if this is an effective way to fight drug abuse. One might also wonder whether I'm a long-winded, pessimistic, cynical curmudgeon. One might be right.

The meeting was over at 8:45 pm. Not too long at all. You should contact Brad to volunteer to take a board-watching tour. Yes, you, the one with the mouse in your hand, I'm talking to you! Just click "Reply" and type, "I'll take a meeting." Then press "Send." It's that easy.

APPENDIX: SUMMARY OF DATA FROM REPORT ON MUSD HEALTHY KIDS SURVEY

LEGEND: Everything is in percentages. Two numbers separated by a slash indicates a comparison between 2003 MUSD data and 2001 California State data (the latest available), e.g., 8/12 indicates 8% of MUSD students versus 12% of Californians of the same grade. For the 7th graders, Clifton and Santa Fe are sometimes separated, so you may see, for example, [12,20]/15, which indicates 12% for Clifton, 20% for Santa Fe and 15% state wide.


Percent using cigarettes within last 30 days

   Grade      5        7         9         11
-----------------------------------------------
              -     [4,4]/4    10/11     18/19


Percent using alcohol within last 30 days

   Grade      5        7         9         11
-----------------------------------------------
              3      10/10     26/29     46/41


Drunk or high at school four or more times

   Grade      5        7         9         11
-----------------------------------------------
              -       1/0        4         13


Ever driven while drinking or ridden with friend who was

   Grade      5        7         9         11
-----------------------------------------------
              -        -         5          8


High from drugs four or more times

   Grade      5        7         9         11
-----------------------------------------------
              -       1/2       10         27


Gotten drugs on campus four or more times in last 12 months

   Grade      5        7         9         11
-----------------------------------------------
              -       4/1       10         17


Feel *very* safe at school, as opposed to just "safe"

   Grade      5        7         9         11
-----------------------------------------------
             59      18/22     11/14     12/16


Seen another kid with a gun or knife at school in the last year

   Grade      5        7         9         11
-----------------------------------------------
             16        10        -         -


Carried weapons to school two or more times

   Grade      5        7         9         11
-----------------------------------------------
              -      [3,3]       7         11


Ever belonged to a gang?

   Grade      5        7         9         11
-----------------------------------------------
              -      [5,4]       8         14


Report teachers or staff that care about them

   Grade      5        7         9         11
-----------------------------------------------
             68      34/47     23/53     34/53


Report teachers or staff have high expectations

   Grade      5        7         9         11
-----------------------------------------------
             65      50/51     36/38     41/53


Report opportunities for meaningful participation at school

   Grade      5        7         9         11
-----------------------------------------------
             28      20/40     14/43     12/43


Signs of depression

   Grade      5        7         9         11
-----------------------------------------------
              -      [25,28]    38         40

Well, there's a lot more, but if you're still here you're very persistent. You'd better go to the study session!

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