Thursday, June 29, 2006
Monrovia School Link ~ Number 176 ~ June 29, 2006
Kind of a mixed bag for the schools in the API Base Report that was presented at this Wednesday's meeting. Also, the board got a bit tangled up in parliamentary procedure; it was kind of interesting to watch, but it finally worked its way out. By the way, Maritza is on vacation, so Brad (that's me) is covering the meeting.
~ brad@sacklunch.net
API RANKS AND GOALS ~ The board got a copy of the API Base Report, which sets the goals for the schools to meet for the 2006 school year and shows how the schools rank among similar schools.
In the 1-10 ranking of similar schools Monrovia's performance was kind of a mixed bag.
Awesome work by Plymouth school and good work by Mayflower and Santa Fe, but something went wrong at Bradoaks and not much of anything seems to be happening at Monrovia High. Here are the stats for 2004 to 2005:
Bradoaks - from rank 9 in 2004 to rank 6 in 2005
Mayflower - 8 to 10
Monroe - 7 to 6
Plymouth - 6 to 10
Wild Rose - 7 to 6
Clifton - 9 to 9
Santa Fe - 7 to 9
MHS - 4 to 4
As you can see Bradoaks took a tumble, Monroe and Wild Rose slipped and MHS is just in the doldrums - the low doldrums.
Board President Clare Chesley called the Bradoaks and Monroe results "pretty disappointing" and asked Superintendent Louise Taylor for an analysis for why the numbers went the wrong way.
Note, however, that these are *relative* scores. The schools can be improving in absolute terms, but still slip (as here) when compared to other, similar schools.
On the goals front, two schools, Mayflower and Plymouth, have met their final API goals of 800, so they have no official goals, but the goals for the rest of the regular schools are:
Bradoaks - from 756 now to 758 next year
Monroe - 764 to 766
Wild Rose - 761 to 763
Clifton - 747 to 750
Santa Fe - 727 to 731
MHS - 685 to 691
Superintendent Taylor said she "expects the schools will exceed their goals."
SMILE ~ The board and Chamber of Commerce honored several employees. Charlotte Schamadan, who presented the awards for the Chamber, was in rare form, cracking jokes about loooong educational titles and acronyms (well worth poking fun at, in my view) and asking an honoree who was supposed to have a "welcoming smile" to display it - she did. Anyway, congratulations to the honorees, who are Linda Jones, senior account clerk payroll, district office; Sara Arce, outreach consultant, Healthy Start; Ursula Monteblanco, playground aide, Plymouth Elementary School; and Lisa Dols, teacher, Plymouth Elementary School.
BOND MONEY ~ A few people who were concerned about Measure M money and money from the previous bond issue spoke during the public comment time. They suggested that there may already be a shortfall in the amount of money necessary to complete the high school project, they thought some of the work done using the money from the previous bond was "shoddy" and one man asked for an accounting for the money spent from the previous bond issue. Board Member Bryan Wong said none of the Measure M money has been spent yet, so there can't be a shortfall, and Superintendent Louise Taylor said that the staff at the schools that were upgraded with the earlier bond money feel the work was not at all shoddy.
BUDGET SURPRISE ~ Board Member Chris Rich kind of jolted the other board members when it came time vote on a budget. Instead of making a motion to approve the budget, he made a motion that all the board members get a copy of the "line-item budget" by the close of business next Friday. Board Member Clarence Shaw seconded the motion and then there was this sort of stunned silence from the other board members.
Why? Well it wasn't an item on the agenda, and legally, unless there is some "urgency" to a matter, you can't just vote on it; it has to be put on the agenda first so people can know about it and show up to give their views. But, be that as it may, there it was, Rich's motion, on the floor.
And why did Rich make the motion? Because, he said, he had requested a line-item budget a long time ago from Superintendent Louise Taylor, but never received it. He did not look happy. Taylor said she thought she gave all the board members budgets. No, Rich said, what they got was a summary of the budget. He wanted the whole shebang - all six thick inches of it. He said he couldn't imagine voting on a budget he hadn't seen.
Ah! I see the potential for confusion. What exactly is a budget? I suppose you can have budgets at all sorts of levels, from a lump sum for the whole district to a budget that shows the number of crayons the district buys. I think when Rich asked for a line-item budget he was thinking of something a lot closer to the "number of crayons" type budget, and I gotta say I admire him for being willing to wade through that.
And it's not just the thickness that will make it tough to go through. Chief Business Officer Linda Dempsey said that kind of budget is organized not by department, but by "key code." Oh yuck! But, you know, what Rich is doing might well be a good exercise. If he wades through that thing he oughta have a very good idea of where every dime is going and maybe his fresh eyes will spot a few places to save some bucks.
But anyway, back to the process. Someone suggested tabling the motion, but Board Member Bryan Wong asked, "How do you table something that is not valid?" Then Clare Chesley tried to make a motion to bring up Rich's concern at an upcoming board meeting, but Board Member Clarence Shaw pointed out that there was already a motion on the floor - Rich's.
Anyway, with the assurance that he and Shaw (who also wanted a copy) would get the line-item budget, Rich rescinded his motion and everything got untangled again.
Then, when it came to a vote on approving the actual budget, Rich and Shaw - apparently feeling they did not have adequate insight into it - voted against adopting it.
NOT YET ~ One item on the agenda, to hire an architect for the Monrovia High School project, was postponed to another meeting. If I heard correctly, I believe Superintendent Taylor said that the board wants to hire the WLC Architects firm, but the contract has not yet been completed. I also heard that it could take 18 to 24 months for the state Department of Architecture (or whatever it's called) to give it's approval for the high school construction. That strikes me as idiotic. I'll bet the plans could be drawn up in about six months. Then for the state to take three to four times as long just to *check* the plans seems disgraceful.
USEFUL DISCIPLINE ~ Board President Clare Chesley suggested that at a future meeting the board discuss having the high school use students who are being disciplined to pick up trash around the school grounds. Sounds like a good idea to me!
CONFLICT? ~ Community member Dennis Jones questioned the district's membership in an organization called Foothills Educational Technology Partnership, apparently on the grounds that Superintendent Taylor's husband runs it. Taylor replied that the organization is a consortium of local districts that helps provide its members with technology, like broadband Internet access. She said it has been around for about 15 years and that her husband (an ex school superintendent) was recently asked to run it. She said an attorney (I'm guessing the district's attorney) said that the district's membership in the organization does not constitute a conflict of interest since it predates Taylor's husband running the organization. After the meeting, Jones showed me legal filings that suggest that the organization is only a few years old. Interesting, but I checked Internic and the organization's Web domain was purchased by someone in the Alhambra School District in 1999, well before the dates on the legal filings, so I suspect the documents Jones showed me might simply mean the organization changed its governance structure in the past few years.
NEXT MEETING ~ The next meeting (and I can't guarantee it'll be as interesting as this one - you gotta come see for yourself) will be on July 26 at 7 p.m. Come check it out! Best show in town... except for maybe "Cars," which I thought was a really fun little movie.
Also on the Web at www.monroviaschoollink.com
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Kind of a mixed bag for the schools in the API Base Report that was presented at this Wednesday's meeting. Also, the board got a bit tangled up in parliamentary procedure; it was kind of interesting to watch, but it finally worked its way out. By the way, Maritza is on vacation, so Brad (that's me) is covering the meeting.
~ brad@sacklunch.net
API RANKS AND GOALS ~ The board got a copy of the API Base Report, which sets the goals for the schools to meet for the 2006 school year and shows how the schools rank among similar schools.
In the 1-10 ranking of similar schools Monrovia's performance was kind of a mixed bag.
Awesome work by Plymouth school and good work by Mayflower and Santa Fe, but something went wrong at Bradoaks and not much of anything seems to be happening at Monrovia High. Here are the stats for 2004 to 2005:
Bradoaks - from rank 9 in 2004 to rank 6 in 2005
Mayflower - 8 to 10
Monroe - 7 to 6
Plymouth - 6 to 10
Wild Rose - 7 to 6
Clifton - 9 to 9
Santa Fe - 7 to 9
MHS - 4 to 4
As you can see Bradoaks took a tumble, Monroe and Wild Rose slipped and MHS is just in the doldrums - the low doldrums.
Board President Clare Chesley called the Bradoaks and Monroe results "pretty disappointing" and asked Superintendent Louise Taylor for an analysis for why the numbers went the wrong way.
Note, however, that these are *relative* scores. The schools can be improving in absolute terms, but still slip (as here) when compared to other, similar schools.
On the goals front, two schools, Mayflower and Plymouth, have met their final API goals of 800, so they have no official goals, but the goals for the rest of the regular schools are:
Bradoaks - from 756 now to 758 next year
Monroe - 764 to 766
Wild Rose - 761 to 763
Clifton - 747 to 750
Santa Fe - 727 to 731
MHS - 685 to 691
Superintendent Taylor said she "expects the schools will exceed their goals."
SMILE ~ The board and Chamber of Commerce honored several employees. Charlotte Schamadan, who presented the awards for the Chamber, was in rare form, cracking jokes about loooong educational titles and acronyms (well worth poking fun at, in my view) and asking an honoree who was supposed to have a "welcoming smile" to display it - she did. Anyway, congratulations to the honorees, who are Linda Jones, senior account clerk payroll, district office; Sara Arce, outreach consultant, Healthy Start; Ursula Monteblanco, playground aide, Plymouth Elementary School; and Lisa Dols, teacher, Plymouth Elementary School.
BOND MONEY ~ A few people who were concerned about Measure M money and money from the previous bond issue spoke during the public comment time. They suggested that there may already be a shortfall in the amount of money necessary to complete the high school project, they thought some of the work done using the money from the previous bond was "shoddy" and one man asked for an accounting for the money spent from the previous bond issue. Board Member Bryan Wong said none of the Measure M money has been spent yet, so there can't be a shortfall, and Superintendent Louise Taylor said that the staff at the schools that were upgraded with the earlier bond money feel the work was not at all shoddy.
BUDGET SURPRISE ~ Board Member Chris Rich kind of jolted the other board members when it came time vote on a budget. Instead of making a motion to approve the budget, he made a motion that all the board members get a copy of the "line-item budget" by the close of business next Friday. Board Member Clarence Shaw seconded the motion and then there was this sort of stunned silence from the other board members.
Why? Well it wasn't an item on the agenda, and legally, unless there is some "urgency" to a matter, you can't just vote on it; it has to be put on the agenda first so people can know about it and show up to give their views. But, be that as it may, there it was, Rich's motion, on the floor.
And why did Rich make the motion? Because, he said, he had requested a line-item budget a long time ago from Superintendent Louise Taylor, but never received it. He did not look happy. Taylor said she thought she gave all the board members budgets. No, Rich said, what they got was a summary of the budget. He wanted the whole shebang - all six thick inches of it. He said he couldn't imagine voting on a budget he hadn't seen.
Ah! I see the potential for confusion. What exactly is a budget? I suppose you can have budgets at all sorts of levels, from a lump sum for the whole district to a budget that shows the number of crayons the district buys. I think when Rich asked for a line-item budget he was thinking of something a lot closer to the "number of crayons" type budget, and I gotta say I admire him for being willing to wade through that.
And it's not just the thickness that will make it tough to go through. Chief Business Officer Linda Dempsey said that kind of budget is organized not by department, but by "key code." Oh yuck! But, you know, what Rich is doing might well be a good exercise. If he wades through that thing he oughta have a very good idea of where every dime is going and maybe his fresh eyes will spot a few places to save some bucks.
But anyway, back to the process. Someone suggested tabling the motion, but Board Member Bryan Wong asked, "How do you table something that is not valid?" Then Clare Chesley tried to make a motion to bring up Rich's concern at an upcoming board meeting, but Board Member Clarence Shaw pointed out that there was already a motion on the floor - Rich's.
Anyway, with the assurance that he and Shaw (who also wanted a copy) would get the line-item budget, Rich rescinded his motion and everything got untangled again.
Then, when it came to a vote on approving the actual budget, Rich and Shaw - apparently feeling they did not have adequate insight into it - voted against adopting it.
NOT YET ~ One item on the agenda, to hire an architect for the Monrovia High School project, was postponed to another meeting. If I heard correctly, I believe Superintendent Taylor said that the board wants to hire the WLC Architects firm, but the contract has not yet been completed. I also heard that it could take 18 to 24 months for the state Department of Architecture (or whatever it's called) to give it's approval for the high school construction. That strikes me as idiotic. I'll bet the plans could be drawn up in about six months. Then for the state to take three to four times as long just to *check* the plans seems disgraceful.
USEFUL DISCIPLINE ~ Board President Clare Chesley suggested that at a future meeting the board discuss having the high school use students who are being disciplined to pick up trash around the school grounds. Sounds like a good idea to me!
CONFLICT? ~ Community member Dennis Jones questioned the district's membership in an organization called Foothills Educational Technology Partnership, apparently on the grounds that Superintendent Taylor's husband runs it. Taylor replied that the organization is a consortium of local districts that helps provide its members with technology, like broadband Internet access. She said it has been around for about 15 years and that her husband (an ex school superintendent) was recently asked to run it. She said an attorney (I'm guessing the district's attorney) said that the district's membership in the organization does not constitute a conflict of interest since it predates Taylor's husband running the organization. After the meeting, Jones showed me legal filings that suggest that the organization is only a few years old. Interesting, but I checked Internic and the organization's Web domain was purchased by someone in the Alhambra School District in 1999, well before the dates on the legal filings, so I suspect the documents Jones showed me might simply mean the organization changed its governance structure in the past few years.
NEXT MEETING ~ The next meeting (and I can't guarantee it'll be as interesting as this one - you gotta come see for yourself) will be on July 26 at 7 p.m. Come check it out! Best show in town... except for maybe "Cars," which I thought was a really fun little movie.
Also on the Web at www.monroviaschoollink.com
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Monrovia School Link ~ Number 175 ~ June 25, 2006
Okay, here are a few items that'll be on the school borad agenda for this Wednesday, June 28. If I'm reading this correctly, it looks like we may be about to get final approval to hire an architect for the big Monrovia High project
~ brad@sacklunch.net
At 5 p.m. there will be a study session about Special Education and some board by-laws.
The regular board meeting will be at 7 p.m. Here are a few items from the agenda:
The Chamber of Commerce and Board of Education will honor the following district employees for their outstanding service: Linda Jones, Senior Account Clerk Payroll, District Office; Sara Arce, Outreach Consultant, Healthy Start; Ursula Monteblanco, Playground Aide, Plymouth Elementary School; Lisa Dols, Teacher, Plymouth Elementary School.
We'll hear about the 2005 Academic Performance Index (API) Base Report.
The board will vote on:
- approving the adopted budget for the 2006-07 fiscal year.
- awarding a construction contract to Koenig Construction for roofing projects at Monroe Elementary, Monrovia High, and "Soffit Repair Projects." [I don't know what a "Soffit" is.]
- awarding a lease of surplus classrooms at Canyon Early Learning Center.
- ratifyng the Architect Agreement with WLC Architects for construction at Monrovia High School. I think this is for the buildings mandated by the Measure M bond.
- approving health benefits for employees for the 2006-2007 school year.
Also on the Web at www.monroviaschoollink.com
(0) comments
Okay, here are a few items that'll be on the school borad agenda for this Wednesday, June 28. If I'm reading this correctly, it looks like we may be about to get final approval to hire an architect for the big Monrovia High project
~ brad@sacklunch.net
At 5 p.m. there will be a study session about Special Education and some board by-laws.
The regular board meeting will be at 7 p.m. Here are a few items from the agenda:
The Chamber of Commerce and Board of Education will honor the following district employees for their outstanding service: Linda Jones, Senior Account Clerk Payroll, District Office; Sara Arce, Outreach Consultant, Healthy Start; Ursula Monteblanco, Playground Aide, Plymouth Elementary School; Lisa Dols, Teacher, Plymouth Elementary School.
We'll hear about the 2005 Academic Performance Index (API) Base Report.
The board will vote on:
- approving the adopted budget for the 2006-07 fiscal year.
- awarding a construction contract to Koenig Construction for roofing projects at Monroe Elementary, Monrovia High, and "Soffit Repair Projects." [I don't know what a "Soffit" is.]
- awarding a lease of surplus classrooms at Canyon Early Learning Center.
- ratifyng the Architect Agreement with WLC Architects for construction at Monrovia High School. I think this is for the buildings mandated by the Measure M bond.
- approving health benefits for employees for the 2006-2007 school year.
Also on the Web at www.monroviaschoollink.com
Friday, June 16, 2006
This year the highest percentage of high school students are heading off to college. Sweet! Thanks to Maritza for this report.
~ brad@sacklunch.net
By Maritza Diaz
This meeting was pretty much just one big party to celebrate the accomplishments of many (seriously, there were a lot) of Monrovia students and employees. In between all the celebrating, the board did manage to do some regular board business. Not quite as fun, but it had to be done.
GOOD TIMES ~ Just naming all the guests of honor would take up a few pages, so here's a small rundown.
The board honored:
* The gifted and talented students from Bradoaks Elementary School.
* Monrovia High School senior Stephanie Horak as the 2006 recipient of the Youth Volunteer of the Year for her efforts to raise money for victims of the 2004 tsunami and for other charities.
* Monrovia High School Boys Track Team - 2006 Rio Hondo League Champions.
* Monrovia High School Girls Softball Team - 2006 Rio Hondo League Champions and CIF Semi-finalists.
* Monrovia High School Baseball Team - 2006 Rio Hondo League Champions and CIF Southern Section Champions.
* 2006 SkillsUSA medal winners - Max Ateaga (TV production, bronze medal), Steve Komlos (TV production, bronze medal) and Sarah Pfau (ad design, gold medal).
* The Monrovia Schools Foundation (for funding) and Schamadan, Inc (design) for providing the banners hanging at the front of the board room.
* Many Monrovia employees who have decided it was time to retire, some who have been with the district for 25 years or more.
* Student representative Roberta Smith, for her participation and contributions the board meetings this past year. Also, the next student representative was announced. Sandra Salazar will be sitting in Smith's spot next time around.
COLLEGE ~ According the report on Monrovia High School Class of 2006, this year has the highest percentage (86%) of students going on to a post-secondary education (2-year or 4-year college, trade school, military school or other). The news received a loud round of applause, as it should.
FINALLY ~ Fourth time's the charm. Remember way back in the day when the policy regarding the use of school facilities was first introduced? After a few revisions and clarifications (who gets to use the facility, what to charge, clarifications on titles) the policy was finally adopted. The board even teased Chief Bureau Officer Linda Dempsey about the long (really long) process to get an adoption. She was a good sport.
WHOPPEE! ~ Both Superintendent Louise Taylor and President Clare Chesley let out a literal "Whoppee!" about the passage of Measure M. They thanked its supporters and said that this is a gift that will last for years to come.
Expulsion ~ Yet again the board voted to expel two students. This time from Santa Fe Middle School.
LAYOFFS ~ The board passed a resolution for the layoffs of classified employees, due to lack of work and/or funds, effective July 1, 2006 to July 13, 2006. The board identified two services that can now be discontinued or reduced:
- Special Education Instructional Aide, Clifton, reduction of hours.
- Bus Driver, elimination of two positions.
HELP ~ Members and supporters of the high school band pleaded with the board (and the public) to help keep the high school band going. So please reach in your hearts (and pockets) and give a little.
Patrick Garcia from the English First program announced that they also need a little help. The program needs about 10 host families to show some American hospitality to various foreign exchange students coming to Monrovia this summer. Anyone who is interested is encouraged to contact Board President Chesley.
Teachers and parents spoke up about the lack of a playground for the kindergarten kids over at Wild Rose. Thousands of dollars have already been raised but that hasn't been enough. The kids still don't have a place to play. If you can help, please do.
APPLY ~ The board approved the application for a $50,000 planning grant for Mountain Park School. The grant is designed to improve student learning and academic performance. Since this is just the approval of the application, this issue will no doubt come up again.
June 28 is the last board meeting for a while. Come by and visit before heading out on your summer vacation.
Also on the Web at www.monroviaschoollink.com
Saturday, June 10, 2006
~ brad@sacklunch.net
