California: Bill Introduced to Protect Bond Funds

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1. fishergal says:

   February 15, 2014 at 6:43 pm

   Finally… a voice of reason.

   Reply
2. Ellen Lubic says:

   February 15, 2014 at 6:50 pm

   I have written both of my legislative reps, in the Assembly and in the
   State House, who are both Dems, and other Dem legislators, telling them
   to support this bill offered by a Repub from Chino. Our State reps are
   overwhelmingly Democrats, so I hope every California voter will let
   them know that taxpayers want this bill to pass.

   Reply
   • Susan says:

     February 16, 2014 at 3:11 pm

     Two interesting articles on school bond money.

     http://www.bondbuyer.com/issues/123_31/california-schools-have-37-billion-dollars-in-unissued-bonds-1059849-1.html

     “Though California has exhausted its authorization to issue state bonds for schools, school and community college districts have $37.5 billion in approved but unissued local school construction bonds.

     That figure, from a recent California Debt and Investment Advisory Commission report, begs the question of whether a new state school bond measure is needed…

     But Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan, D-Alamo, plans to introduce legislation the week of Feb. 18 to put a new state school bond on the November ballot.”

     http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2014/01/california-schools.html

     “California needs as much as $12 billion in additional school-building money and almost $5 billion in modernization money, according to estimates in a report to the state board that oversees school-construction dollars…

     The subcommittee included representatives of the Brown administration, schools superintendent Tom Torlakson, Assemblyman Curt Hagman, R-Chino Hills, and Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan, D-Alamo, who leads the Assembly Education Committee.

     Buchanan is crafting school-bond legislation for the November ballot that will reflect some of the report’s recommendations.”

     Reply
3. Mike says:

   February 15, 2014 at 7:48 pm

   I take a contrarian (Cassandra) view with technology. The schools that make their students use paper textbooks and pens and paper will have a great advantage over those who let the kids “click” away their school days. Constant input from these technological gadgets makes it so nothing goes to long term memory. I have tried computer games with my classes to drill certain concepts just to find that they all flunk these tasks on the paper quizzes and tests. It is fun to click around though. The upside for lazy teachers is that you will have “0” discipline problems in class. Kids will read Facebook, text other kids, etc. during class. I know many teacher who don’t care what the kids do on the computers. The teacher will be up there talking to themselves, which they pretty much do already. We are entering a kind of Technological Dark Ages where kids are unable to spell even the simplest words. Kids don’t know whom we fought in WW2 or WW1. It’s just a black hole filled by silly, vapid Hollywood garbage.

   The future will be divided by those who actually know things and read books and those who no nothing and “click around.” We shouldn’t be encouraging this destruction of deep thought and long-term memory by buying into these silly fads.

   Reply
4. Michael Brocoum says:

   February 15, 2014 at 7:57 pm

   Don’t understand why Deasy wasn’t fired. Money raised but spent for a completely different use than the stated purpose! How does he get away with this???

   Reply
   • KrazyTA says:

     February 15, 2014 at 9:34 pm

     Michael Brocoum: even if the legal niceties weren’t violated, the spirit in which the bond measures were passed was.

     I like your questions, and I add one more: in just a few years to come—or much sooner—people will ask “What in the world were they thinking?” I don’t think anyone will be able to come up with a logical, sensible and moral answer.

     Except, of course, one that satisfies the requirements of the worthy few amassing as much $tudent $ucce$$ as possible at the expense of the unworthy many.

     😎

     Reply
     • Michael Brocoum says:

       February 16, 2014 at 12:06 pm

       As I’ve stated before on this blog the real problem is the concentration of income & wealth in our society. The craven reform educational movement is enabled by that extreme wealth to gather even more wealth.

   • Rene Diedrich says:

     February 17, 2014 at 5:11 pm

     He is backed by philanthropists who will pull their money if he is usurped. Since Broad covers the pay of many principles and high ranking officials, that would mean chaos. The Walton’s pay for hundreds of TFA interns and BIC-breakfast in the classroom. The Gates gifts are probably the largest and are spread all over. Frankly, we do not need these philanthropic bullies or their charity. The interns have replaced credentialed teachers who are now out of jobs are forced to sub while rookies fill their positions. Breakfast. In coassrooms is junk food that teachers have to prepare and serve . Most of it is expired crap from Walmart. They clean up bit it is not enough to impede infestations of vermin. This program costs 12 days of instruction time each year. The principle supplied from Broad’s not accredited program are opportunists who crime from private sector to cash in Ob education industrial complex who have very little experience in classrooms , if any. They are mercenaries who are instructed in how to purge teachers with trumped up misconduct allegations, harassment and untenable working conditions, they also are immersed in the school closure process,. The Guide to School Closure is a scary bible of how to mislead parents and undermine teachers . Gates, of course, facilitates common core his big bet in casino capitalism which is being hedged by way of the federal governments Mandates, which are essentially secured by these big three billionaires who are most mixed up in public school reform. United Way, LA ACLU, city politics,NPR, LA TIMES , Daily News, LA SCHOOL REPORT and others are all beholden to the will of these 3 philanthropists—they do not give a damn about schools or poor kids. They have convinced themselves these reformers are beneficial bout I am not sure who benefits. It sure isn’t schools or the community.

     Reply
5. Educator says:

   February 16, 2014 at 12:52 am

   This bill doesn’t even attempt to delve into the costs of infrastructure. LAUSD has already estimated an average cost of 3/4 of a million dollars to wire each school. This is much more than the cost of the devices. And don’t even start to try to figure out all the other costs associated with technology. Wonder if these costs are in line with what other districts are paying?????

   Reply
   • juhlieann says:

     February 16, 2014 at 12:17 pm

     Do you have a link to that information (that LAUSD says it will cost $750,000 to wire each school?) That would be helpful to our cause (Repairs Not IPads)

     Reply
     • Ellen Lubic says:

       February 16, 2014 at 2:03 pm

       Google the LA Times…in the past few weeks they published an article about these costs written, as I remember, by Howard Blume.

     • Educator says:

       February 16, 2014 at 2:55 pm

       http://www.scpr.org/blogs/education/2013/12/19/15437/network-upgrades-to-push-up-cost-of-la-schools-mas/

       KPCC has been doing a masterful job of following the costs. Now they have ballooned to over 800 million for infrastructure. Check out this article:

       http://www.scpr.org/blogs/education/2014/02/11/15811/la-schools-wifi-networks-to-cost-about-800-million/

     • Rene Diedrich says:

       February 17, 2014 at 5:17 pm

       What frightens me is the wifi was being removed when this bond boondoggle was passed. The board banned wifi in 2009 because of the carcinogenic threat it presents to children, many countries are already outlawing it and there is copious evidence to show that it is hardly worth the risk. Deasy is well aware of this as are the BOE members, some who voted to ban it. There are other ways to get connected but they wouldn’t afford Deasy the pretense of brick and mortar expenses as the infrastructure does. Frankly, taking tests with the unreliable wifi is going to be very frustrating and far from fruitful.

6. Ellen Lubic says:

   February 16, 2014 at 2:12 am

   Michael B. and Krazy…Many educators, parents, and citizens in LA have asked the Board of Ed and Deasy the same things you ask. Many of us who are bloggers have put
   our thoughts in print and this is all easily accessible at Google. Certainly my own articles starting early last year when we learned about the iPad fiasco are easily found, and my colleagues and I have commented here so often that we are sick of it ourselves.

   The bottom line seems to be that the Board of Ed members have no interest in their constituents and nobody ever replies to our questions, and it is clear to all that Deasy, who is the puppet of Eli Broad and Bill Gates, and their cohorts, holds free reign now that this intimidated Board renewed his contract even after teachers gave him a 91% NO CONFIDENCE vote, and after the public loudly demanded he not be retained for another 3 years. So much for democratic voting for Board members who should be working for us, and not for Eli Broad and the billionaires.

   We the taxpayers will pay for the worthless iPads and all the adjunt charges for the next 25 years duration of the Bond issue. I for one will never vote for another bond issue of any sort, and I cannot believe that I write this with tears in my eyes, having fought the Howard Jarvis crew since 1979. We cannot trust these people in charge to spend OUR money with even minimal wisdom and political courage. Greed has conquered us…Prop. 13, Prop. 30, phony uses of bond money, insider shady deals, charter schools run by crooks who steal taxpayer funds…and this is the American public school system today…with a Democrat in the White House. What happens when the Murdoch media gets us a Republican…concentration camps for those of us who speak out?

   Yes…i am very angry and very bitter.

   Reply
   • Michael Brocoum says:

     February 16, 2014 at 12:23 pm

     You mentioned a Democrat in the White House. Sorry to tell you this: Obama has succeeded in enabling the attacks on public education that the Republicans could only have dreamed about. I suspect things will calm down and maybe even reverse after Obama’s tenure.

     Reply
     • Rene Diedrich says:

       February 17, 2014 at 5:19 pm

       Briad said the planets came in alignment when obama was elected because he would facilitate the reforms and support whatever these billionaire bullies want. He was right.

7. juhlieann says:

   February 16, 2014 at 12:16 pm

   We’re trying to get traction on this issue. See Facebook page: Repairs Not IPads and new Twitter account: @ RepairsNotIPads. Many news outlets reported on it last week (CBS, KTLA, NBC, L.A. Daily News, L.A. Times, KPCC- search and you’ll find the links).

   Stay tuned for more, but please help spread the word. We’re not against technology; however, this bond was for capital improvements, not short lived gadgets. The construction bond passed in 2008; iPads were introduced in 2010 – clearly iPads weren’t what the voters were thinking about when they voted YES (69%) on Measure Q.

   If iPads are the answer, what’s the question? The question is: What can Supt. Deasy do to promote himself as an innovator and get himself a job with national stature? Ipads aren’t about the students’ needs; it’s about his need to feed his ego & reputation.

   Reply
8. Anne Zerrien-Lee says:

   February 16, 2014 at 1:00 pm

   Instead of using bond money for overpriced, already obsolete iPads, LAUSD should use it to replace lead-contaminated drinking fountains in every school. The District has known since 1988 about the lead problem but said it would take millions of dollars to replace all the dangerous plumbing and fixtures, so they continue to let children drink from the lead-contaminated water fountains. Teachers are told to reduce (not eliminate!) the lead content by flushing the fountains every morning for 30 seconds. But NO amount of lead is good for the human brain. It accumulates in the brain and causes lasting damage including learning disabilities, hearing problems, memory loss, short attention span and other harm. All of this can be verified on the LAUSD and EPA websites. It appears that Superintendent John Deasy and the LAUSD school board have chosen to enrich Deasy’s corporate cronies with these outrageously overpriced technology contracts rather than protect children from permanent brain damage caused by lead ingestion. Obviously their priorities are seriously flawed. The community needs to step up and demand that bond repair funds be used to protect the children.

   Reply
   • Rene Diedrich says:

     February 17, 2014 at 5:24 pm

     Cheese and rice! Between the methane drenched sites, vermin , asbestos, pollution that assures 70% are born with asthma, junk food from free lunch & BIC, exhaust filled busses in disrepair, wifi radio waves and the dysfunction at these schools, LAUSD is toxic in every sense!

     Reply