Monrovia School Link

Monrovia School Link Preview ~ Number 155 ~ February 22, 2006

I do not envy those school board members their jobs. My oh my, no! They looked so unhappy. And to think how much they all wanted the job. I'll get to that in a moment, but I wanted to mention that I went to the meeting tonight because regular reporter Maritza Diaz couldn't make it. I'm so swamped with work this week that I wasn't looking forward to it, but it was really very interesting. I'm glad I went.
~ brad@sacklunch.net


NO BOND ~ Well, the long and the short of tonight's board meeting was that the board decided not to put a $37 million bond to refurbish Monrovia High School on the June 6, 2006 ballot.

As I mentioned, I saw five miserable people tonight. Two of them were miserable because their fellow board members voted down their hope to put a bond measure before Monrovia voters, and the other three miserable because they were torn between the bond - which they appeared to believe was necessary - and objections to the measure from some influential members of the community.

Board President Clare Chesley was passionate. She spoke of how education was her mother's ticket out of poverty in Louisiana and how America (and Monrovia) are failing at science, how hard it is to attract science and math teachers - especially to poor facilities - about how the poor facilities make it harder for students to get into good colleges, and how even Communist China is outpacing the United States in science.

Board Member Bryan Wong took a list of all the objections he'd heard from speakers and grilled a representative of the bond underwriter, asking him about each one.

It was easy to tell they were both in favor of the bond.

But with the remaining three board members, Clarence Shaw, Chris Rich and Ed Gililland, I flat out couldn't tell from their comments how they were going to vote until they did. In fact, when it came time to vote, Ed Gililland paused for probably six or seven seconds before responding, as if he still wasn't sure what to do.

Leading up to the vote, Shaw commented that there may have been a "gentleman's agreement" (between - I've heard - the district and the city; the agreement being that the district would wait until the city has its library bond election before the district puts up another bond issue; the logic being to avoid putting two bond measures on the same ballot, which might annoy the voters), but he said, he was not a party of any such agreement. However, he said - reflecting on his own campaign for the school board - it is important to have the community solidly behind you. Also, he said, maybe the few months between now and June is short notice to let the community know why the bond is important.

Gililland said he "agonized" about how to vote and over the hard feelings the proposal has caused in the community. The students come first, he said, but the community is a close second. But then he said that every year the district waits will probably mean the cost goes up another $6 or $7 million.

Rich said there is "no question that if we don't invest we're going to fail our kids," but, he added, "the only way to do it is if we're together as a community." He said civilizations fail when they fail to work together. I understand the thought, Rich, but methinks the "civilization failing" theme is a tad over the top.

Anyway, Shaw, Rich and Gililland voted against the measure, and down it went.

And while my sympathies at the time of the vote were for the bond, I could see the difficulty of getting it passed by the voters, because during the time for public comment, several influential Monrovians, including Mayor Bob Hammond, spoke against the bond measure. Hammond called it "ill advised" and suggested the board "slow down this train" and "please, please, please don't go forward on this for the June date." If the mayor is against it, I wonder how much of a chance would it have?

Other speakers suggested the proposed financing for the bond was "very creative" (at Wong's questioning, the underwriter's representative said he didn't think the financing method was out of the ordinary); that for many years the bond would have "negative amortization," meaning - I think - that the principal would actually grow; that it would ultimately cost about $126-127 million; that housing prices might slump (which somehow affects things, though I didn't really understand how); and that the time between now and the election wouldn't be long enough to inform voters about why it is necessary.

Taking the other side, former School Board member Bruce Carter said the science labs (a lot of the discussion focused on science education) date from 1928 and are inadequate. Carter said he rejects the notion that if there are two bond measures on the Monrovia ballot (for a library and for the high school) that people will pick one or the other, but not both. He said he supports both a library bond and the high school bond.


HARASSMENT ~ During the public comment period, a parent told the board that her daughter at Bradoaks Elementary had been "sexually harassed" by - if I understood - some fellow classmates. She said she was unhappy that the solution the school settled upon was to move her daughter rather than to move the other students. She said she was also disappointed that the school only called the other students' parents on the phone, and did not meet with them in person.

READING ~ Superintendent Louise Taylor said that March 2 is Read Across Monrovia day, in which members of the community read to a classroom of students. I guess you could call the district office to sign up.

DIRECTION ~ Deputy Superintendent Dean Conklin gave a rather fast-paced report on the state's Academic Performance Index (API) and the Fed's Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) programs. He said that for the API the district is doing very well at the elementary level, fairly well in the middle schools, and okay at the high school level, though, he said, Monrovia High "has a ways to go." For the AYP, he said the schools are doing well, except for the "English Learners" subgroup. The problem with measuring this group, he said, is that as soon as students in the group speak English well, they move out of the group, leaving behind those who haven't mastered the language. So it's hard to show progress when your successful students are not included in the measurement.

Also on the Web at www.monroviaschoollink.com

Monrovia School Link Preview ~ Number 154 ~ February 19, 2006

Apprently bond measures are in the works. The district wants to renovate Monrovia High and the City wants to redo the library. Read below and see how many items you can count that relate to bonds. Also, there's a bit of bond-history from John Pentecost, a local realtor.
~ brad@sacklunch.net


As I'm sure you know, the board meets at the school district office at 325 E. Huntington Drive, across from Smart & Final. Okay, on the agenda for this Wednesday, Feb. 22:

At 5 p.m. there'll be a study session in the Board Room involving "Further Board discussion with bond underwriters and bond counsel about potential bond options for improving facilities at Monrovia High School."

Then, at the regular meeting, starting at 7 p.m.

- There will be a report on the City/Board Joint Meeting on February 9, 2006, the Study Session of February 15, 2006, and the Study Session earlier in the evening.

- The Monrovia Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Education will honor district employees for their outstanding service: Sonia Cabrera, Child Development Center Instructional Aide at Canyon Early Learning Center, and Leticia Gosewisch, Preschool Teacher at Canyon Early Learning Center.

- The Board will honor Monrovia High School teacher Marc Segal as the Seaver Award recipient for 2005-06.

- The Board will hear reports on the development of the Wellness Policy and on "MHS - Building for the Future."

- The Board will vote on whether to "approve an extended field trip to Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 10-12, 2006, of the Monrovia High School band members, Band Director, MHS instructors and parents for the Winter Guard International Western Regional Drum Competition." Remember parents, you're chaparones. No sneaking off to the Bellagio while you're on duty.

- The Board will vote on the revised 2005-2006 bus schedule for home-to-school transportation.

- The Board will receive the annual Enrollment and Certificated Staff Report.

- The Board will vote on whether to authorize a facilities bond election on June 6, 2006, and establishing the specifications of the election order. [What are specifications of the election order?]

- The Board will receive a Position Control Report for 2005-2006. [And what's a position control report?]

- In closed session, the board will do a "performance Evaluation Review for Superintendent/District Administrators" and will consider readmitting some students who were expelled. After reconvening in public, the board will report on what it did in private.



BOND MEASURES ~ Because the city and school district may both want to have voters adopt bond measures this June, reader John Pentecost, a real estate agent, sent in a bit of history about recent bonds in Monrovia:

1. In 1982, The Monrovia Redevelopment Agency sold $1,475,000 in Certificates of Participation (COP) to finance the construction of the MUSD Administration Building on Huntington Drive.

2. In 1997 the School Board floated a bond for $35 million to renovate, update and build new classrooms. Cost per parcel: $40.65 per 100,000 assessed value.

3. July 11, 2000. Ballot Measures A passed with 85% approval and Measure B passed with 77.2% approval. (Hillside and Wilderness Preservation). Cost per parcel: $39 (single family residence) ($29 per rental unit).

4. In 2004 the City of Monrovia attempted to obtain State of California funding for renovation and expansion of the city library. The grant was not awarded.

5. Measure G approved by voters for Citrus Community College. Cost per parcel: $17.63 per $100,00 assessed value.

6. In 2005 the School Board determined that it had underestimated the cost of completing the reconstruction and updating the schools with measure GO money, so the board made a decision to defer renovation and updating of Monrovia High School.

7. In 2006 the City of Monrovia may decide to float a bond for the renovation and expansion of the City Library. Cost per parcel: To be determined.

8. In 2006 the School Board decided to investigate floating a bond for the reconstruction and remodeling of the Monrovia High School. Cost per parcel: To be determined.

- John Pentecost



Also on the Web at www.monroviaschoollink.com

Monrovia School Link ~ Number 153 ~ February 11, 2006

Is Monrovia ready to support a school bond measure? Apparently so. Also, a bit brighter outlook on school finances. That and more...
~ brad@sacklunch.net

By Maritza Diaz

This was a pretty light meeting. No one received any awards, which is a shame because those mini ceremonies inject the meeting with a little excitement. This time around we found out Monrovia has community support, a counsel is approved and more expulsions take place.

Good Work ~ Let's start off by recognizing the good work of student representative Roberta Smith. She has sat as part of the board for the last few meetings providing updates on the latest happenings at Monrovia High School. Every night at 7 on the dot, Roberta is there. Roberta also, along with other Monrovia students, was recently inducted into the National Honors Society. Congratulations!

Denied ~ The board put its symbolic foot down and denied the readmission of four expelled students and expelled another. Unanimously.

Report ~ Would you vote for a bond to help fix a Monrovia schools? Would you vote for the bond if you had to pay more taxes? Anne Nock, from George K Baum and Company, presented the board with the results of a community survey asking those questions. Survey says...

Monrovia has the support.

The purpose of this survey, conducted in January, was to assess the district's ability to pass a bond in the June '06 election to repair and upgrade Monrovia High School. The survey polled 400 registered Monrovia voters most likely to vote in the upcoming election. Which should be everyone, but that's not the reality. But that's another matter.

Nock said Monrovia had high numbers when compared to other surveys conducted in the past weeks. More impressive is that this support comes from 59% of the people that were surveyed who do not have a child under the age of 19 living at home. What, no kids? Remember, this survey involved "voters most likely to vote." Hmm, interesting.

Bond? ~ The board decided to use Stradling Yoca Carlson & Rauth Counsel to assist with a potential bond measure. Shaw asked good question. Why approve getting counsel before deciding to go for the bond? Well, Board member Bryan Wong shed some light on that question. Since it is a tight time frame to get on the ballot, by approving the counsel the board is privy to advice and has a guarantee that the counsel will be available. Wong gave his thumbs up on this firm and says he feels comfortable with the choice.

Revenue ~ The first financial projection for 06-07, based on the governor's budget proposal, looks pretty good. In fact, it is better for school districts in general. However the governor's budget does not address the lawsuit filed against the governor and the state for money owed in the districts for the 2004-05 and 2005-06 fiscal years. That's about $3.2 billion. Wow.

So what does this mean for Monrovia? Monrovia's cost of living allowance is going up 5.18% and there was a projected decrease of the deficit to 2.99%. All these numbers translate into a good monetary outlook. It's the greatest revenue increase in more than 10 years. But decreased enrollment (the district gets paid per student) put a damper on that increase. There was a recommendation to set aside some reserves in case additional staff needs to be hired or enrollment keeps declining. Save a little something for a rainy day. Not a bad idea. And remember, things will no doubt change and that will affect the budget, but no one knows how.

Another Task ~ The board decided to expand the duties of the district facilities advisory committee. The committee will try to find out how to best use vacant classrooms in the schools.

Good Luck ~ Superintendent Louise Taylor asked everyone in Monrovia to send positive thoughts to Plymouth Elementary and Wild Rose Elementary. You know, just because. Actually, this month they will receive the news of whether they are finalist to get the Distinguished School Award.

Read Something ~ Monrovia Reads is back and you still have plenty of time to sign up. Clear March 2 on your calendar and get ready to read in classrooms all across Monrovia. Show the kids that it's fun to pick up a book. Some applications were left at the district offices and you can also call Joanne Spring at 626-358-1952. Fill out an application! Read today!

Everyone will get together on February 22. Stop by, wont' you?

Also on the Web at www.monroviaschoollink.com

Monrovia School Link Preview ~ Number 152 ~ February 5, 2006

At this Wednesday's meeting, the school board will - among other things - get a budget update and talk about expanding the duties of the District Facilities Advisory Committee.
~ brad@sacklunch.net


At its closed session at 5 p.m. this Wednesday (Feb. 8), to which - by the way - you are not invited, the board will discuss readmitting five students who were chucked out of school earlier. Later in the evening, during the open session segment of the meeting, it will vote on whether to let the students (one from Clifton and two each from MHS and Santa Fe) back into school. Also in closed session, the board will consider "Employee Discipline/Dismissal/Release" and will conduct a "Performance Evaluation Review for District Administrators."

For the 7 p.m. regular session (to which you are cordially invited), I culled a few items that look kinda interesting:

~ Item 7.6 The board will "receive the projected revenue report for the combined general fund for the 2006-07 fiscal year."

~ Item 7.7 Consider whether to "expand the duties of the District Facilities Advisory Committee."

~ Item 7.8 "Receive a report on the Community Survey."

~ Item 9.6 I think this item is a catch-all. "The Board will continue its discussion and prioritization of issues of interest for future attention."

And, of course, the board will vote on whether to let those five students back into school.

By the way, in the last newsletter we said that "Someone anonymously gave $10,000 the district." To clarify, that was not $10,000 in cold hard cash, it was for "miscellaneous office and school supplies." Sorry for the confusion.

Also on the Web at www.monroviaschoollink.com