Dear WSSDA President Kevin Laverty, 7-06-2010
I was shocked to see that WSSDA was filing an amicus brief in support of the Seattle School District's appeal of the 2-04-2010 Spector decision.
Such a filing would be a support for a Superintendent and Four directors who operate as oligarchs in a republic. I urge you and the WSSDA directors to look at all the facts surrounding the Spector decision and the SPS's appeal. {Decision and appeal briefs attached}
As a member of the public I believe that the public is entitled to the protections of State Law. If WSSDA files an amicus brief supporting the SPS in its Washington Appeals Court action, this brief will be supporting:
(1) a School Board's original exclusion of evidence and
(2) defiance of a court order requiring Seattle to include all the evidence, from an administrative transcript of evidence agreed upon by both parties , in remaking the decision.
As I say I am shocked that WSSDA has so little regard for the rights of the public.
The WSSDA amicus summary on the WSSDA website
Summary of Issues to be Appealed misses enormously important information:
#1 On May 6, 2009 the school directors made a decision based on evidence provided to the board by Holly Fergusen of approximately 1100 pages. The evidence considered did not include at least 300 pages sent to the board by the public, which was clearly excluded from the making of the 5-06-2009 decision.
#2 The District's attorney Shannon McMinimee in the original Superior Court action agreed with Porter et al. attorney Keith Scully that a supplemental transcript of evidence consisting of evidence provided by the public be added to the administrative record. The entire administrative record then consisted of more than 1400 pages.
#3 The Judge on 2-04-2010 issued an order of remand that stated:
The Board's decision to adopt the Discovering Series is remanded for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
#4 The Seattle School Board has consistently failed to satisfy the requirements of RCW 28A 645.020
Within twenty days of service of the notice of appeal, the school board, at its expense, or the school official, at such official's expense, shall file the complete transcript of the evidence and the papers and exhibits relating to the decision for which a complaint has been filed. Such filings shall be certified to be correct.
#5 WSSDA support of the SPS, a district that has yet to be able to file a "Certified Correct Transcript" on which any school board decision appealed in the last 18 months has been based, is extremely shocking. A much fuller explanation than that currently provided on the WSSDA website is definitely in order if WSSDA chooses to support a District that continually fails to follow state law in decision-making.
#6 It would be much more appropriate if WSSDA recommended to the SPS that they install a system that creates a proper transcript of the evidence and the papers and exhibits relating to the decision for which a complaint has been filed. This is a problem of significant size that WSSDA should address.
Sincerely,
Danaher M. Dempsey, Jr.
SBE Math Advisory Panelist
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Spector Decision 2-4-10
District's Brief 5-21-10
Porter et al Brief 6-21-10
Key Markers Relating to Organizational Health
12 years ago
8 comments:
Curiouser and curiouser...Laverty also commended Gregoire's decision to vetoe the bill that would have forced school district consolidations.
There's a lot of administrative overhead in your state. What your state needs too are better regulations that oversee the committees that govern their capital projects. That's where the textbook selection and curriculum and instruction committees got out of hand with public money.
...and if you don't think there's hi-jinx afoot...this is from WSSDA's own website! haha,
After a full day of interviews and deliberations, the WSSDA Board of Directors has identified Dr. Jonelle Adams as the preferred candidate for the position of WSSDA Executive Director.
Saturday evening, the board voted to offer the position to Adams and authorized WSSDA President Kevin Laverty to enter into contract negotiations. The board’s timeline calls for a new executive director to be hired and in place by the end of June.
Adams is currently Executive Director of the Washington Alliance for Better Schools, where she has served since 1998. In this position she is responsible for leading and managing a non-profit consortium of 12 member school districts from Marysville to Federal Way to support school reform and professional development for principals and teachers. Adams’ previous experience includes 12 years of organizational and educational leadership and management positions with the Boeing Company where she was responsible for supporting school reform through effective business partnerships and providing leadership training and effective team building skills to more than 150 school principals.
Member districts for the alliance footed legal fees for a lawsuit against the state over state funding formula for special education funding - they were remimbursed by OSPI. Gates is their attorney. The case was thrown out of court. That's one way that your tax money is getting spent - frivolous lawsuits. haha
There's more bad news coming...Washington education stakeholders are ripping off taxpayers and they have no recourse. Teachers are being made into scapegoats. What a sorry can of worms.
Dark days for educators are ahead.
Dark days for educators are ahead.
"The ways in which we can master the curriculum of the Third Dimension, which ultimately prepares us for entry into the Fifth" - definitely Crossroaders running a fool's game. Eugenics for the 21st Century.
Here's how the WSSDA planned to derail public record requests - from their own newsletter - notice how the language is couched, as districts attempt to negotiate through the costs of frivolous lawsuits and unfunded mandates?
Most parent groups are so offended and incensed by distrivct officials, they can only walk away.
Imagine getting a web link in an email for a document or worse having to formally meet with the administrators prior to receiving any public documents.
"Collectively, we successfully requested and advocated for legislation which provides an additional response option
for use by public agencies, including school districts, that receive a public records request.
SSB 6367 allows agencies to comply with a public records
request by providing a requester with an Internet address and link on the agency’s website to the specific records requested. This should be more cost effective, timely and efficient for both requesters and agencies.
A second bill (HB 2583/SB 6368) would have established a procedure for requesters of public records and a public agency, including school districts, to confer on
disputes prior to filing court action. If adopted, this would have helped sidetrack
frivolous public records lawsuits, while still maintaining the integrity of the law.
This legislation was unsuccessful; however, we already have commitments from sponsors to pursue the change in law again next year."
Self-serving, litigious, gutless wonders. Reform is about structurally changing the ways schools are financed. Curriculum is a budget idem on an expense account. I reckon we spend more on testing, then we do on curriculum. Hardly a formula for raising student achievement.
Your state also punishes public state employees for whistle-blowing by placing them on an unpaid leave of absence during an investigation which could last from 6 - 10 years. That's a fairly recent law.
Between blue-dog democrats and cross-roads republicans, you won't see any front-line activism in the US until the majority of people have been either disenfranchised or living on the streets beside a shopping cart. We're too dang comfortable for our own good.
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