Monrovia School Link ~ Number 105 ~ February 11, 2005
Whoo-ee! Perhaps I'm reading too much into this, since I wasn't at the meeting, but looking below, I see a battle between unpleasant reality and wishful thinking. Clare Chesley and Bryan Wong on one side seem to be saying that the district ain't gonna get much money from the state, so it needs to plan accordingly. On the other side, it appears Betty Sandford is saying the district should focus on pushing the state for the money it owes. Yup. I think the money is owed and you oughta push for it, Betty. But nope. I don't think you're gonna get it. Thanks so much to Missy Weber for writing up this report on the February 9 board meeting! Also, I've added a little interview I just had this morning with Clarence Shaw, who is planning to run for the board of education next election.
~ brad@sacklunch.net
By Missy Weber
First they honored two MHS students with the Automotive Service Excellence award, in conjunction with Sierra Autocars. Students Parker Rounds and Michael Morrill, who with teacher Phil Jellinick, competed against eight other high school seniors in automotive competition tests. They were trained in auto shop classes at the high school and at the dealership.
The Seaver Award for Outstanding Monrovia High School Teacher was given to Norman Franz, an English teacher at MHS. He had once been in administration, but went back to teaching for the love of it. Retiring this year. His master teacher came to see him receive the award, which included a check. Current SB prez Monina Diaz said she remembered him when she was an MHS student 10 years ago.
Ed Gililland spoke to the board to let them know the Big M Booster Club is still collecting funds to build the concession stand/restrooms for the high school. He has collected $36,000 so far and has plans in hand. The groundbreaking ceremony will take place April 23, and the facility should be constructed in time for the fall sport season of 2005.
Board member reports - this was interesting! Bryan Wong and Clare Chesley recently attended the Education Summit in Sacremento. Clare reported that she found herself to be the minority opinion up there in favoring merit pay for teachers. She believes, and Bryan agreed, that there is no further money to be coming from the state. She said we need to make the money we do receive go farther, by increasing the hours teachers are in the classroom, and that one reason revenue is decreasing is because of decreasing enrollment. She also thought tenure rules were unrealistic. Most of the other board members were firmly behind trying to get more money from the state, despite her reasoning.
Linda Dempsey reported that the revenue per pupil will decrease as enrollment decreases and that this is what the coming years revenue is then based upon. When we looked at the chart of class size averages, they are down in elementary schools, to around 18.5, and less than 30 for grades 4 and 5. At Clifton, they hover right around 30, as at Santa Fe.
The school board spent a while trying to agree on how best to advocate for the students of the district. It was agreed that they would return to the next meeting with 2 or 3 ideas they personally wished to see happen. They would be able to work towards their own ideas as well as try to reach a consensus about a few to get behind as a group.
Clare Chesley said she would like to see the Home Rule Bill pass (I'm sorry not to have a definition or explanation of this). She said the No Child Left Behind legislation requirements have less emphasis on teacher reporting and paperwork, which reduces the amount of time teachers spend in the classroom. She and Bryan Wong agreed that there are items that can be pushed for that do not add more spending.
Betty Sandford wishes to push for more state funding as number one priority, as did others. Many said they wished to see "the promise of Prop 98" be fulfilled by the state. One thing Linda Dempsey (Chief Business officer) reported was that because the state deficit has been reduced by one percent, the schools will benefit. But basically California education is owed "1.1 billion dollars" due to increased state revenue and Prop 98. No one thought we would get this but it was hoped we could.
Bruce Carter wants to push for IDEA, which emphasizes special education. He also encouraged the board members to email the legislators and so gain insight as to which of "300 bills" might be up for the vote at any given time in Sacramento. Get involved in the Legislative Action Committees so MUSD needs are heard.
CLARENCE SHAW ~ Clarence Shaw has taken out papers to run for the school board during the next election, so he and I got together for a cup of coffee at "0800 hours" (he's a captain in the Army Reserve and spent 15 months in Iraq) at the Starbucks in the Pavilions market.
Clarence is fairly new to Monrovia. He and his wife and two children have been here since September 2004, having moved to town from Pasadena because it's more affordable, there's less crime, and the school district is "fairly good." He works for the Department of Health Services for LA County.
His children do not yet attend Monrovia schools. He said his daughter is just 2-1/2 and is in preschool near his wife's work in Los Angeles, but he said his son will be starting at Monroe School in the fall.
In going to the meeting, I was expecting a buzz-cut, no-nonsense military type, and was somewhat surprised to find Shaw to be a friendly, easy-going guy. But what struck me almost immediately as we started talking is that he's a joiner. He's only been in town since September and he's on the board of the Boys and Girls Club - Foothill Branch, he's a life member of the Friends of the Monrovia Library, he's a member of the Monroe Elementary School PTA, and the Big M Booster Club. He's also involved in the NAACP, and various professional organizations. That, and he said he attends all the school board meetings, has met a lot of the influential people in town and has even met with the local Service Employees International Union to seek its endorsement.
Why is he so involved?
Well, he said he's always been that way (and his bio tends to bear that out, citing several administrative offices he's held). He just believes in giving back to the community. Also, he said his children will soon be in the school district, and he has been interested in politics for a long time.
He said he ran the successful campaign of Tommy McMullins for the Pasadena Unified School District, he helped on Diana Peterson's bid for the Assembly, and on Sid Tyler's race for the Pasadena City Council.
Okay, so what does Shaw think needs improving in the Monrovia School District?
Well, he thinks the current board members and past board members have set a good foundation, but now he wants to take the district to a higher level.
Details?
He said it is time to "roll up our sleeves" and come up with more concrete goals. He said he doesn't feel the board's current goals are specific enough.
He said he thinks reading and math scores need to be higher and the board should set the the goal that "x number of students should perform at grade level by such and such a date."
Also, he said he'd set a goal to have the API scores increase to some specific amount by some date, and would like the district to be even more responsive to parents.
He added that he doesn't want to release a lot of ideas too early, since he is in a election, after all. But, he said, he does have ideas for increasing funding for the district.
You know... I hate to say this since he's a nice buy, but this last comment bothers me. It strikes me that if ever there was a time to share ideas for how to increase funding for the district, now's the time. The district's in a tight spot with money, and if any of us have ideas on how to ease that problem, it doesn't seem right to keep those ideas quiet, even for someone who's running for office. Or maybe, especially for someone who's running for office.
Share those good ideas at the next board meeting, Clarence. You'll win a lot of respect.
In summary, I think Shaw is a nice guy who seems to enjoy being out and involved in the community; good qualities for a school board member. It seems a bit odd, though, that he's planning to run for the school board almost immediately upon moving to town. I kinda wish he'd hold off until the following election so he'll have more experience as a parent with the schools, and so people can see how he does in the many community organizations he's a part of. But still, having more candidates is generally a good thing. As I told him, if nothing else, it keeps the incumbents on their toes.
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