Saturday, February 25, 2017

Weak oversight from area school boards

From the Inbox:
Take a look at this somewhat recent article on John Collins, the former fired Poway superintendent, being the subject of a criminal investigation: link.

Voice of San Diego has documented Collins' downfall well: link. This whole story is eerily similar to the path EUSD seems to be going down now:

A strong, charismatic superintendent who has a loyalist packed board that fawns all over him, pisses off enough parents over time resulting in non-loyalists getting elected to the board. Once enough dissident board members got elected in Poway, they hired a firm to conduct a forensic audit of the superintendent which revealed extensive financial improprieties (which may lead to a criminal prosecution). EUSD has had the same situation as Poway, with a charming superintendent and a board whose unquestioned devotion seemed to have no limits. However, like in Poway, a non-loyalist has been elected and question are now being asked that were not asked before. Wonder what an audit of EUSD's superintendent would find?

Of course, public school superintendent corruption and criminal prosecution seems to be a pattern in San Diego County (Sweetwater High super Jesus Gandara and Southwestern super Raj Chopra, for example).

33 comments:

  1. All levels of govt are corrupt. Corruption to such an extreme that Trillions of dollars are stolen every year. That's TRILLIONS with a T.

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    1. Sounds like Alternative Trump Truth. Is Democracy corrupt or does it start from the top?

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    2. In democracy, the "top" is the people, we the people.

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  2. By this logic, any "charismatic" superintendent should be a criminal suspect.

    Personally, I need a little more evidence than that.

    Maybe we should rewrite the old adage: "where there's air there's fire."

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    1. There's plenty of evidence of past Brown Act violations, and failures to disclose conflicts of interests, including Baird's not being forthcoming about his financial ties.

      Also, EUSD received poor grades on disclosing expenditures related to bond monies.

      Baird knowingly and stubbornly ignored the Naylor Act's applicability when trying to manipulate expenditures of public funds, when he sold Pacific View, at a highly inflated price, for a piece of donated land (donated for and by the early settlers, here, in Encinitas).

      By wrongfully inflating the sale price, Baird conspired to cheat Encinitas citizens, and taxpayers.

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    2. BS = Baird's Subterfuge

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    3. Baird has been given all expenses paid junkets to Turkey and Venice, Italy (which also included a 7 day Mediterranean cruise) by USD's Mobile Technology Learning Center (MTLC). Where does the MTLC get its funding? From tech companies that have a very strong financial interest in selling tech to schools (iPads, etc.). Baird spends massive amounts of $ on iPads and the tech companies, through the MLTC, repay him with fancy trips. Pretty simple actually.

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    4. Last year you had the same story, only USD's efforts were funded by Big Yoga.

      One of the hallmarks of a fib is when the story keeps changing.

      Sounds like somebody lost in court, and changed the story.

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    5. 11:57 AM - Is it a fib that USD paid for Baird's travel to Turkey and Venice, and for the Mediterranean cruise?

      Is it a fib that USD's Mobile Technology Learning Center receives funding from the tech industry?

      Is it a fib that EUSD under Baird's leadership has spent over $5 million on iPads?

      You seem to be very loyal to Baird. Surely you'll be able to confirm, with facts, if these are fibs.

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  3. YogaGate unfolds....

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    1. It's about much more than Baird's failure to give parents the opportunity to opt in to the Yoga program, instead of, only belatedly, allowing an (embarrassing to some) option of opting out.

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    2. Baird was chummy with the wealthy proponents of this program that gave the district the initial grant. He liked their lavish lifestyle and who knows what he may have been "offered" for cooperating?

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  4. I love our teachers, but their part of this mess too!

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    1. Totally agree. They caused this mess (^^) by failing to teach the difference between a contraction and a possessive pronoun.

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    2. Two funny. It's definitely the iPads as to why are kids suck at grammar.

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  5. Carlsbad wants to lower train tracks through out their city in 6 years, Encinitas sits on their hands ...

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  6. 1:14pm Encinitas waste's millions $ on self-gratifying, piecemeal feel good, small minded projects, that will only serve to prevent ever lowering the tracks for the whole community's benefit.

    Stop the waste and devote every dollar to the one solution that will serve the whole community.

    Demand that SANDAG help, and kick that dog , figuratively speaking only, while it is down after the recent failure of their half cent tax scheme. They are vulnerable now.

    BTW, I would never kick a dog, literally.

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    1. The half cent tax and BS housing allocation numbers. No way should we be legally beholden to them. That is where any housing update should start. In court with SANDAG. No more allowing coruption to decide how we live. The developers who have corrupted SANDAG and our city will see prison.

      #notmysandag.

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    2. ditto, 4:54. Right on.

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  7. put half cent sales tax dedicated to lowering the costs with a maximum 10% soft cost limit.

    That would get it it done and I would support that tax.

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  8. I thought electing Leslie Schnieder would call out those problems. Is she now becoming one of them - going along to get along. If that's the case, what a waste of a vote. Mr. Schnieder step up and call them out, that's what you promised us you would do!

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    1. A fish rots from the head first.....

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  9. Leslie is calling them out, and even Rimga is asking questions (props to her for showing some independence despite being endorsed by the current power structure in the election). So this is real progress. I think the point of the original post is that things are starting to change in the EUSD like the did in Poway a few years ago. If a school board is completely in the tank for a superintendent, he/she can pretty much get away with anything. EUSD's has shown zero independence during Baird's term. Now questions are being asked by board members (Leslie and Rimga) and that will help keep him in check.

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    1. Grateful for Leslie, and glad to know that Rigma is asking hard questions, showing some objectivity.

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  10. How about that COE, nearly 10pm before they brought the pump to Leucadia Roadside Park. Atta way to go public works, right on top of all the city problems....

    Keep it Crappy Stupids

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    1. 9:04- You spoke to soon, COE has removed the pump , but what's most important is that staff got to put in some overtime, yaaa staff.

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  11. New York Teamsters pension fund runs out of money. State takes over and slashes pensions by 50%. Lololollll. Calif is in worse shape than all others...
    What's that?? COE retirees holding up cars at intersections demanding ca$h?? But every council says we are in great shape financially..

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  12. Note to Rigma and Leslie: If the superintendent and rest of the board is not responding to your suggested changes and you feel it's important, call a PRESS CONFERENCE! Being a leader is not simply asking questions. If you fail to properly address these issues in a larger forum, you're no better then them. Just asking questions is a cop-out!

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    1. A press conference every time the majority of the board does not agree with Leslie and Rimga is feasible. The most effective way to end the waste in EUSD is to continue to replace the unquestioning Baird fan club board members with independent ones. We'll have another chance in 2018. With a majority of independent board members making decisions based on logic, commons sense, and without an irrational devotion to the superintendent, our kids can get a much better education while spending $ wisely.

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  13. Force Baird to retire - he's entrenched.

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  14. investigate Baird. He's a crook and the board are idiots to waste so much money on fake farm land. Our kids don't learn anything from the fake farm. If they don't get a real education they will learn to pick weeds and crops as they should.

    Fire Baird.

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