Monrovia School Link ~ Number 126 ~ June 15, 2005
Two more letters. One from a person who wishes to remain anonymous, and a rebutal by Board Member Clare Chesley. I want to keep this an open forum, as I've said, but I wonder if the first correspondent has a point, and that I should chop out parts of items people write that seem to go too far. I'd sure appreciate everybody's thoughts on that since I'm genuinely unsure what to do. I know from experience that some people think some of the best parts are parts that I think go too far, and I wonder if I start chopping if some people will feel I'm stifling them. Thoughts? Also, a big thank you to Clare Chesley. Public officials, in general, seem reluctant to get down with their fellow citizens and debate. I'm glad Clare isn't like that.
~ brad@sacklunch.net
LETTER: A HIGHER LEVEL ~ I, too, was upset by the last newsletter. The point is not that the forum has to be pure news and free from commentary, just that the commentary should maintain a certain level of decorum, a feature that was sorely lacking in Ms. Freeman's report. When the commentary takes such a decidedly derogatory and nasty turn and is so blatantly unbalanced and misinformed, I believe that you, as moderator, should exercise some editorial discretion. There is a difference between advocating and attacking; you should not promulgate the latter. I'm sure you know how easy it is to be hurtful from the shelter of a keyboard, and how quickly an unmoderated forum can turn into a flame war. I, and I'm sure many others, won't hang around if the newsletter degenerates into a place where everything gets published, no matter how snide. It would be disappointing to see the Monrovia School Link go that direction. Please keep the discourse at a higher level. - Anonymous
LETTER: TO REBUT OR NOT ~ A letter from MUSD School Board member Clare Chesley
To rebut or not rebut, that is the question I have been asking myself these past several months. Blame it on the cumulative effect of the unfair criticisms, but I've decided to respond to the ignorant and outrageous (more colorful adjectives are shared with only close friends and family) assertions made about me specifically and the board in general. I've been counseled by many not to respond because it will only make it worse. But I feel like the guy who is about to get stoned at the beginning of "The Life of Brian" and the Roman guard says, You're only making it worse. The guy ignores him anyway and jumps up and down inciting the crowd because really - it can't get any worse.
After this last newsletter, I was asked by a city council member, "If you knew what you know now when you decided to run for school board, would you still run?" And I was asked by my husband, "Are you going to run again?" These two questions have caused me to review my personal goals as a school board member.
I think it's important to go back to why I ran for school board in the first place. My dad taught me that before you criticize someone you should be prepared to walk a mile in their shoes. I had a lot of criticism for the previous board, and so, I decided to walk a mile in their shoes. I invested $3,000 of my own money in my campaign, spent countless hours campaigning and have devoted many more hours away from my law practice and family in various school related activities, including very long board meetings.
I strongly encourage all the folks who are so critical of us to do put their money and time where their mouths are, and I'm being very sincere. I firmly believe in competition and I would LOVE to see another very competitive school board election. That's for you, Meg Walker. I think parental and community involvement in our school district is the best way to improve our schools.
I also firmly believe in the power of education. Education was the ticket for both my parents to escape poverty, (for my mother - extreme poverty). I want to help to continue providing the educational ticket to personal success for all Monrovian students. Having said that, my philosophy about education is very Emersonian, which means that the students and their parents gotta be willing to pull themselves up by their own boot straps.
Many of our problems in the schools stem from the fact that we try to do too much. At our last school board meeting, Ms. Freeman spoke of kids who arrive at school unfed and unclean. She directed her venom at us for cutting health aides who help clean and feed these children. To me, her wrath should be directed at the lazy and indifferent parents. Too often in our society, we expect institutions to fix problems created by individual lassitude. Our job is to provide kids with an education. Just as we should be held accountable for our responsibility, I believe the parents need to be held responsible. And don't give me the excuse that they are too poor to feed and clean their kids, because I know many low income folks who properly care for their children. It's an issue of personal responsibility - see Emerson on self-reliance.
Another big problem for public schools is lack of competition. Why excellent teachers feel the need for the protection of unions and the Holy Trinity are two of life's great mysteries for me. Unions have destroyed or are destroying all of the industries they touch. Just look at the airlines. The ones about to declare bankruptcy and the ones which continuously get bailed out by the Federal Government - all have unions. The profitable ones like Southwest - don't have unions.
If we could pay good teachers well and get rid of the poor teachers (i.e., ax tenure) we could improve our schools dramatically without spending more money on education. It's that simple. But there's little political will for that solution in California. Thus, we see the stand off at "OK Corral" between the unions and the Governor.
The budget crisis in education is largely created by the economic inefficiencies inherent in organizations controlled by unions. Charter schools produce better results at 80% of the cost of traditional public schools. That's why I'm pushing to bring a charter school to Monrovia. It would also offer an alternative for some of our families who are not served by traditional public schools. BTW, I am also a big supporter of school vouchers - not so with most educators in California.
Also, school budgets are a sorry mess because we have little to no local control. Again, Ms. Freeman criticized us for appropriating monies for capital improvements while cutting health aides. That was bond money and we have to spend it on capital improvements unless we want to go to jail. Most of the school district money comes prepackaged and predirected by the state and federal government. That's why I'm supporting a bill by Assemblywoman Lyn Daucher of Orange that would provide more local control. It's called the Home Rule bill and essentially it would allow the citizens of Monrovia, in a local election, to be a "home rule" district giving the school board much more discretion over how money is spent. However, some people don't want that responsibility and others don't want to give it. But to me, I think it's much better to allow local school districts who know their schools best to allocate money vs. central control in Sacramento.
Finally, I'm really tired of people who don't understand the way schools are run, who's in charge and how we get money or don't get money. People have told me, You need to educate the electorate. Why?!? That's not my job. When I moved here 5 years ago, I made it a point to find out who was the mayor, fire chief, police chief, superintendent, and who was on the city council and school board, etc. because I wanted to know who was in charge. It's not hard to do. People have just gotten lazy and I'm not going to enable them. People need to get off their couches and find out who is in charge of their kids and how decisions are made that directly impact their kids.
And since I'm on my soapbox, don't give me the "some people don't speak English" excuse. Before moving to Monrovia, We lived in Italy with our two young children (solo - not knowing anyone) with no support from a foreign national corporation or military organization. I taught myself Italian and how to summon the police (not that it would have done much good) and how to pay bills, drive without traffic signals, etc. So, people who don't speak English need to learn it.
My campaign message was and still is that I encourage everyone to get involved and share their views. I fully expect to be held accountable for my decisions and I accept criticism when it's founded in facts. But when folks spew vitriolic personal attacks and misinformation, then I stop listening.
And, Ms. Freeman, if you would have been impressed by me performing some silly symbolic gesture such as standing up the board meeting to prove I care about kids, I can only say that you will be easily fooled by people who prefer putting up Potemkin Villages instead of standing up for substantive and measurable improvements in our schools.
Clare Chesley, MUSD board member
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