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It takes a Village card room…
When we have been talking about Bayfront revitalization, I for one have NOT been envisioning a card club. Is this expansion possibly related to the possibility that casinos might be operating on land outside of the stipulated Native American lands? If Mayor Cox isn't happy with the strip club at the gateway to the Bayfront, why would she like the idea of a card club, unless the financial backing is the difference? Moreover, if Mayor Cox is really in the running for superintendent of Sweetwater schools, why on earth would the parents want someone who supports expansion of gambling to be the leader of the public secondary schools in this area? I suppose she would be able to speak out in favor of kids taking Probability and Statistics, to be able to calculate odds a bit better... But speaking of odds, this whole story seems greatly at odds with the sort of image Mayor Cox has been creating for herself. Not that wholesome, is it?— October 31, 2014 10 a.m.
Why He Was There
Thanks for these interludes of poetry. They express so much that otherwise would be unrecognized. And even those of us who appreciate poetry often don't read as much as we could.— October 30, 2014 8:53 a.m.
Good ol' boys' and girls' club
I am wondering how the "war" for students between CVESD and SUHSD is going. If I remember correctly, this started when some parts of the community were unhappy with Sweetwater's middle schools, and so one or more elementary schools in CVESD decided to include grades 7 & 8. Ed Brand did not want to take that sitting down, so he decided to try to expand Sweetwater to a K - 16 (yes, inclusive of a 4 year college of some sort) program. With Brand's departure, does anyone know what the status of his expansionist schemes would be? The charter schools are a part of all this--have they been evaluated in any way? Are student populations growing in the charter schools? Remaining about the same? Declining? Brand kept saying that the charter schools weren't costing the district anything, but I don't know anyone who believed him (on that, or on much else). Will the forensic audit be addressing any of these issues, or would these issues be outside the scope? I would think that the forensic audit would call attention to the wrongful expenditure of funds: Mello-Roos, other Bond funds, any funds which came from the state or federal authorities and were earmarked for specific purposes. So is this competition for students still active, or have Sweetwater and Chula Vista Elementary School District settled any differences they had in the past?— October 30, 2014 7:36 a.m.
Good ol' boys' and girls' club
The interconnections found among the city of Chula Vista, CVESD and SUHSD are more than coincidental. It is beginning to look more and more as if things have been run for the benefit of everyone except the taxpayers, the schoolchildren and the teachers. School administrators, board members, city council members, mayors, ex-mayors, local developers, members of all sorts of planning boards, utility boards, etc.--things have been very nice for all of them, as all of us humble, work-a-day people get the rugs pulled out from under us. All of a sudden we are supporting all kinds of charter schools while the financing is being lied about. All of a sudden the city plan keeps getting changed in ways that certainly do not benefit the neighborhoods. All of a sudden we learn of long-standing real estate speculation on the part of the school board--while games are being played with funding. All of a sudden it seems the multiple decks in play have been stacked against those of us who just wanted a nice neighborhood with good schools. Yes, I know that Ed Brand should at this time be only getting his retirement pay, and not his salary. Why is he not being investigated? Surely these financial "packages" that were drawn up, giving developers enormous profits (1/3 of proceeds here, $5 million dollars there) cannot be considered reasonable, ethical and in line with best practices? What about all the legal fees for all of this? What about the real estate entities associated with these schemes. For the most part, no names have been mentioned. Why is that? Will those of us who are trying to "unravel" all the schemes get the satisfaction of learning the truth? I certainly hope so. As it is getting close to Halloween, I'd like to throw in something else. NO MORE TRICKS! NO MORE TREATS FOR ALL THE PLAYERS! Let us clean things up from start to finish. Let's get some real answers. No more protection for the Status Quo Brigade. They have made an enormous mess of things.— October 26, 2014 12:37 p.m.
Enough nepotism and cronyism
Well, that, too! The corporate mentality is really going to have to shift away from all that. It will take real effort from on top, and there will need to be training and retraining for those in Human Resources, and all sorts of admin people. Ethics. What a concept.— October 26, 2014 12:39 a.m.
Good ol' boys' and girls' club
Before I started to pay attention to local politics and issues, I was always amazed that what passed for political discussion was merely a glossy brochure with a photo of a smiling family--and not much of substance. Now I know why--because the people who have been in charge really don't want people to know the issues, or think things through, or ask questions, or realize that much of what passes for educational leadership in this area has been closer to taking everything that isn't nailed down and/or giving it away. Thanks, Susan, for shedding more light on all of this. When people talk about education being a legacy, this type of coziness isn't supposed to be what they are talking about. What would happen if those who really care about education and helping kids would run things? I sure hope we get a chance to find out.— October 25, 2014 4:17 p.m.
Enough nepotism and cronyism
That is fascinating. So much for the public's right to know!— October 23, 2014 5:33 p.m.
Enough nepotism and cronyism
Good questions, oskidoll. Perhaps Mayor Cox agrees with some candidates that it is much easier if the public remains uninformed regarding many of these details. The public isn't quite as docile these days as they used to be. So odd to me that someone with a strong background in education would be a quiet proponent of the information pipeline's strangulation.— October 23, 2014 12:58 p.m.
Enough nepotism and cronyism
Hear, hear!! Huzzah!! Hip, hip, hurray!!! Well said!!— October 22, 2014 5:10 p.m.
McCann's plan a sham?
As I haven't seen this, I am trying to figure it out. Are you saying that the flyer with the family photo besmirched with mud was from the McCann side, attempting to show how he and his family have been treated? Because I haven't heard anything about his family. If my understanding is correct, that would mean that once again, McCann is overreacting and overreaching, making claims against his opponents for damages not done. My mother used to tell me, "Don't jump to conclusions!" Apparently McCann hasn't ever heard that advice, because if he had, his behavior might have been slightly more sane.— October 20, 2014 9:20 a.m.