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Only a fence between them
Well said.— February 23, 2015 6:02 p.m.
Tale of two sleazes
So true!! We could use a good half-dozen of Judge Percy Anderson!!— February 23, 2015 3:44 p.m.
Only a fence between them
Schools should not be revenue streams for outside interests, and I fear that has been happening here in south San Diego county, and is still happening. That is a big part of the problem with Common Core, and it is also a problem with some charter schools. I have even heard that some after school programs could use some oversight...people in the educational field used to go into it because they felt a need to foster learning and opportunities for young people. There is a reason we pay taxes and fees to support schools, and that reason is NOT to hand over funds to greedy administrators and their best buddies. We all want Truth In Lending Laws. We should also have Truth in Public Spending Laws. (We have heard many times that Mello-Roos fees have been badly exploited by Sweetwater. Apparently there is an effort to clean up 27 years of files, but how could things be so out of control for 27 years? Because of back-scratching, complicity and "understandings". What would it look like if every student who did not get what they should have from their "educational dollar" at Sweetwater would show up and ask why? What about all of us parents and taxpayers who were so understanding through all the years of budget cuts--meanwhile, are students were not getting the benefit of the money we were paying into Mello-Roos. Isn't it wonderful. I would like to have a full explanation from Sweetwater on this. Somehow I am pretty sure that Ed Brand and Dianne Russo would be mentioned, along with a few names who are still employed by the district.) And now we see that Chula Vista Elementary School District appears to be boarding that runaway train. Let us hope that the three new CVESD board members can contain and control those who would like to run that school district like a private fund-raising entity, benefitting persons unknown. We have seen this pattern, and it does not bode well.— February 23, 2015 12:04 p.m.
Tale of two sleazes
I believe it has also been reported that the property on which this stadium is to be built was a former landfill site, and has been declared toxic. So--one can see why Carson would be very pleased that anyone was interested in it at all. Even if it is 'dirt-cheap' to begin with, it won't be for long.— February 23, 2015 10:54 a.m.
Sempra among "most admired" companies?
And here I thought it would be something from The Onion.— February 23, 2015 10:50 a.m.
Only a fence between them
So there may be tie-ins with South Bay in all this? I have heard that there are some charter schools in South Bay that have taken over neighborhood schools. Makes me wonder just a bit.— February 22, 2015 11:14 p.m.
Only a fence between them
Some really great insights here. Yes, it is looking like there is something of a cabal who would like to keep control of things. Could be connected to some other deep-seated problems in this part of the county?— February 22, 2015 6:32 p.m.
Only a fence between them
I would still love to know how Ed Brand and pals can avoid being investigated for their iPAD purchase of several years ago when LA launched a very strong investigation. I hope that all the Brandian schemes (charter schools begun merely to take students from Chula Vista Elementary School District; shutting down ROP so that students could be forced into paying for similar programs; real estate deals put together in such a complicated way that Brand's pals seem to be guaranteed vast payouts any way things go; and on and on and on) can be halted. I hope that all the crooked administrators who helped Brand and Russo along the way will be called out and forced to hear exactly what taxpayers, students, parents and teachers think of them. I hope that they do not get away with the 'only following orders' defense. I hope that selling out public schools will be seen as deeply shameful--and those who would sell out our public schools will be publicly shamed.— February 21, 2015 10:19 a.m.
The garbage man challenged
oskidoll--I think that it is important for all of us who want to live in a functional, reasonable city with functional, reasonable schools, police department, fire department, etc. that we find out just who is the prime mover around here. Or there may be more than one "mover". Whatever is going on needs to go on in the light of day, and we need to hear the particulars. We end up paying for things one way or the other--or both ways, or every way from Sunday. We pay in Mello-Roos fees that are never-ending, although it is quite possible the fund should have capped out years ago when the initial required goal was reached for CFD #1. We pay in inept leadership that never calls these behind-the-scenes types on their influence--because the inept leadership continues to make decisions that are not in the best interests of community members. We pay, pay and pay as funds that should be used only for structural things, or items that will last five years or longer are used for very temporary, breakable things. We pay when our Mello-Roos funds are wrongly given/applied to schools and students not in any CFD. This needs to stop now. We need to get a grasp on things, sort things out and use funding sources in a legal and forthright manner. No more sleaze, tricks, schemes and dishonest maneuvers. We have had more than enough of that. Yes, Ed Brand and Dianne Russo are being called on their misuse of pensions. Let us hope that someone will look into all the other things they managed to do that they shouldn't have done. That complicit board of McCann, Cartmill and Ricasa might just have to 'reconvene' for a few more depositions. Corruption spreads unless everything is done in the light of day, is reported to the public, and the public watches what is going on. Personally, I think we here in the communities that make up south San Diego county are rather fed up with self-appointed honchos who think they can rob us blind and leave us with nothing but poor business decisions and the bills that go on for decades. Yes, thank goodness for Susan Luzzaro, and that small band of community-minded people who started looking into all of these inter-related messes. Let's hope we can hack away at the corruption until those who are corrupt finally realize that they are not welcome here.— February 21, 2015 6:53 a.m.
Only a fence between them
So can anyone tell me why Chula Vista Elementary School District is n the business of creating a high school? Shouldn't things be worked out between Sweetwater Union High School District and CVESD, so that no one needs to "poach" anyone's students? Isn't it time for reasonable people to prevail? Why should the elementary school have to give up anything to a high school? None of this makes sense. If these parents really want a charter school for their high school students, why should an elementary school district be running it?— February 21, 2015 6:34 a.m.