Hiring consultant presentations tomorrow night

Item 9.1 on the agenda for tomorrow's meeting of the SOCCCD board of trustees concerns the hiring of consultants to assist in the Chancellor hire:

RE: SOCCCD: Hiring Consultant Presentations
ACTION: Discussion

BACKGROUND

At the February 22, 2010 Board of Trustees meeting, the Board voted to move forward with the Chancellor hiring process per BP 4011.6. The Board appointed a board designee to coordinate the recruitment process. The Board approved a Special Meeting, which was held on March 11, 2010. At this meeting, the Board of Trustees approved the hiring of a consultant to assist with the Chancellor hiring process. The Board approved three consultants to present to the Board at its regular March meeting, as well as any additional consultants the Board felt it appropriate to consider.

STATUS

The Board of Trustees has directed that there be presentations by two consultants in addition to the three previously approved; further, the Board has directed that proposals and possible presentations be sought from four other hiring consultants recommended by Board members.

"One Classroom, from Sea to Shining Sea"

Last week in the New York Times Susan Jacoby made a case for real national educational reform in her essay, "One Classroom, From Sea to Shining Sea."

It's a provocative piece that zeros in on local and state control as the root causes that promote inequality of instruction and achievement across the country - along with a "lack of a national curriculum, national teacher training standards and federal financial support to attract smart young people to the teaching profession."

She points out the recent case in Texas:

...the Texas board’s social studies revision forms a blueprint for bad educational decision-making. Chosen in partisan elections, the board members — most lacking any expertise in the academic subjects upon which they are passing judgment — had already watered down the teaching of evolution in science classes when they turned their attention to American and world history. Thus was Jefferson cut from a list of those whose writings inspired 18th- and 19th-century revolutions, and replaced by Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin and William Blackstone. This is certainly the first time I’ve ever heard the “Summa Theologica” described as a spur to any revolution.

No Frenchman could conceive of a situation in which school officials in Marseille decide they don’t like France’s secular government and are going to use textbooks that ignore the Napoleonic code (and perhaps attribute the principles of French law to Aquinas).

Here are her solutions to a problem that is so obvious to all of us who work in higher education:

First, even though a national curriculum cannot be imposed, serious public intellectuals of varying political views need to step up and develop voluntary guides, in every academic subject, for use by educators who do not disdain expert opinion. The historians Diane Ravitch and Arthur Schlesinger Jr., who disagreed politically on many issues, advocated for just such a set of national history standards in the late 1990s. These guidelines met with approval from just about everyone but the extreme fringes of the left and right.

Second, the federal government must invest more in training and identifying excellent teaching candidates. France, faced with a teacher shortage in the early 1990s, revamped its training system so that aspiring teachers would receive a partial salary in the last year of their studies. Prestigious institutes for teacher training were also set up to replace less rigorous programs, with admission based on competitive national examinations. Which makes more sense — investing resources upfront in attracting the brightest young people to teaching, or penalizing teachers who fail further down the road, as No Child Left Behind attempts to do?

Finally, the idea that educational innovation is best encouraged by promoting competition between schools and pouring public money into quasi-private charter schools should be re-examined by both the left and the right. One of the worst provisions in the Obama administration’s $4.3 billion “Race to the Top” program strongly encourages states to remove restrictions on the number of privately managed charter schools. Here again, we have the worst of both worlds: a federal carrot that can lead only to a further balkanizing of a public education system already hampered by a legacy of extreme decentralization.

Yes, now that the reform of our health care system has begun, let's take on the classroom.

To read Jacoby's essay in its entirety, click here.

What’s with South County trustees and the Brown Act?

Capo district violates open-meeting laws for 5th time (OC Reg)

An Orange County judge has ruled that Capistrano Unified's school board violated the state's open-meeting laws in August 2008 when it held a closed-door evaluation of its then-superintendent, the fifth time the governing body had been reprimanded in the past three years for Brown Act violations.

Superior Court Judge David McEachen ... said last week that CUSD did not properly prepare the agenda for the closed-door meeting and thus failed to inform the public that it was holding a discussion about whether to put then-Superintendent A. Woodrow Carter on paid administrative leave. The agenda referred only to a "performance evaluation," not disciplinary action.
. . .
McEachen also ruled that trustees should have provided notice they were bringing in a non-district employee for the evaluation session – school-law attorney Spencer Covert – who served as a one-time, pro-bono consultant during the meeting.

Capistrano Unified's school board has been sternly reprimanded five times for repeated Brown Act violations, the first four by the Orange County District Attorney's Office.

The board was reconstituted entirely between the first four violations and the most recent one, with the new "reform" trustees pledging a new era of accountability and transparency.
. . .
Trustee Mike Winsten stressed that the most recent Brown Act violation was not of the same magnitude as in the past, when the D.A.'s office issued four consecutive stinging reports, the last of which said some former trustees had exhibited "disturbing disdain, if not outright contempt" for constituents when meeting behind closed doors. (Continued)

About a dozen years ago, the SOCCCD board engaged in "persistent and defiant" misconduct re the Brown Act--the anti-secrecy in government law. Or so said the judge.

Their lawyer? That would be CUSD's attorney: Spencer Covert.

CUSD's attorney these days? Phil Greer. Yep. Mathur and Williams' recent advocate.

BTW: The Capo district's current board is dominated by trustees affiliated with Education Alliance. Our own Don Wagner sits on EA's board.

A Greer is a Greer, oh dear, oh dear

$25K for sleazy lawyer.

This story concerns the agenda for Thursday's board meeting, which is available at the district website home page; find the blue box at right (on the home page); click on the link to the agenda.

Back in early February, I reported that the district was paying ethically-challenged attorney Phil Greer (see at left) $25,000 for his recent efforts on behalf of Raghu P. Mathur.

Naturally, I explained who Greer is:

A big fat card on [Tom Fuentes’] Rolodex is dedicated to one Phil Greer, attorney to the right-wing OC stars, such as the ethically challenged OC Treasurer, Chriss Street, the junket-loving and incompetent OC Guardian/Administrator, John Williams, all but one of the brainless OC Supes, and—well, Raghu P. Mathur.

Greer is the OC Republican mafia's consigliere. He's a total creep.

I’ve been assured by a reliable source that the SOCCCD recently paid the fellow $25,000. What for? Well, for participating in that heart-warming endeavor called the “Mathur settlement,” aka the Twilight Zonean saga of Mathur playing every desperate card up his sleeve (and one or two cards that he only imagines) while determined former admirers hustle him forcefully out the door, and for good.

I went on to ask, “Now, what manner of ethics do you suppose [Phil Greer] has?”

The answer: none. I directed readers to a Times article about Greer’s ethical lapses: Rebuked O.C. lawyer keeps busy (H.G. Reza)

Well, anyway, I just glanced over the agenda for the March meeting of the South Orange County Community College District board of trustees (Thursday night). Item 5.12 is the usual “purchase orders/confirming requisitions”:

Well, the $25,000 "Greer" item has finally appeared! Here’s how it appears on the agenda:

I think it's odd, to say the least, to have this particular attorney working for the district.

Beyond that, it is scandalous that the district is paying a lawyer $25,000 just to help Raghu Mathur negotiate his exit.

Too bad they can't just drop him off somewhere on the San Diego Freeway.



Pictured: Greer, Supervisor Moorlach, Treasurer Chriss Street (from OC Reg)

Take a Letter, Maria

Rebel Girl can no longer remember just how it came up but in the days immediately preceding Spring break, talk in the A-200 building turned to letters of recommendation.

To be more specific, letters of recommendation for the IVC Foundation Scholarship program.

You know, those handy email notifications that arrive in our virtual mailboxes with cheerful hot links and helpful reminders as the the deadline approaches. She likes the system. It works.

Rebel Girl writes about a dozen letters a year. She's happy to do so. She was a scholarship student herself and knows what kind of difference a few bucks can make. She's happy to advocate for those who may not be able to make their best case themselves -and perhaps add a bit of sobering assessment of others who might, ahem, exaggerate their own charms and abilities. You know.

She attends the scholarship program so she can see her students get big checks and meet their families and congratulate them. (Though no, for the record, she does not bow her head and pray. Never has.)

This year, she had no requests.

She thought it might be due to the fact she was on sabbatical in the fall and perhaps all her former students simply forgot about her. She is pretty forgettable. Out of sight, out of mind. Not like some.

But then she asked around. An informal survey revealed that no one she spoke to in the halls in A-200 had been asked to write a single letter. Not a one. (Check out our poll on the sidebar.)

Maybe all our students are losers, someone quipped.

We groaned. Not likely.

Something else then.

But what?

A change in policy? Letters of Rec no longer required? Or needed?

But wouldn't that undermine the integrity of the process that facilitates the dispersal of thousands of dollars to deserving students? But wouldn't we be informed of such a change in policy?

Or???

Who knows?

We certainly don't.

Stay tuned.

*

Lucky Canada

Canadian University Warns Ann Coulter (Inside Higher Ed)

Ann Coulter, whose past statements have offended a wide range of groups, has been warned by a Canadian university where she will appear today that Canada has different views about free speech and hate speech than does the United States. Francois Houle, vice-president academic and provost at the University of Ottawa, sent an e-mail to Coulter that was obtained by The National Post. "Our domestic laws, both provincial and federal, delineate freedom of expression (or "free speech") in a manner that is somewhat different than the approach taken in the United States. I therefore encourage you to educate yourself, if need be, as to what is acceptable in Canada and to do so before your planned visit here.... Promoting hatred against any identifiable group would not only be considered inappropriate, but could in fact lead to criminal charges.... I therefore ask you, while you are a guest on our campus, to weigh your words with respect and civility in mind." Coulter was not available for comment. But the Post noted that her targets have – in addition to Muslims – included Canadians. She once said that "they'd better hope the United States doesn't roll over one night and crush them. They are lucky we allow them to exist on the same continent."

Adjuncts Are Committed to Teaching, Despite Work Conditions, Survey Finds (Chronicle of Higher Education)

A national survey released today by the American Federation of Teachers reveals that a majority of adjunct professors hold their jobs mainly because they like teaching, not for the money, a finding that echoes the results of a similar survey conducted last year byThe Chronicle. Yet responses from the 500 adjuncts who participated in the federation's survey confirm that their working conditions leave much to be desired. For instance, about 41 percent said their job security did not meet their expectations, while just 28 percent said they received health insurance on the job. The federation will discuss adjunct-faculty issues and more in a joint meeting with the National Education Foundation in San Jose this week.

Who you callin' an "assh*le"?!!

In my last post, I presented a small portion of my deposition last week in connection with the “Westphal v. Wagner” prayer case.

At one point, the district’s attorney, Mr. V, seemed to want to say that, in DtB, I tend to call people “assholes” and “idiots.” In response, I noted, first, that my occasional use of these terms was mitigated by the satirical nature of the blog. Second, I noted that I only call assholes “assholes.” Third, I noted that, insofar as I “call” people the a-word, the frequency of the phenomenon has decreased over the years.

I decided to look at the bare-assed facts. I searched for appearances of the word “assh*le” in the blog posts since the beginning of 2009 (that's a period of about fifteen months). Here’s what I found: the DtB posts in which the word "asshole" appears.

In each case, I present, in red, my assessment of whether the given occurrence of the a-word constitutes my calling my opponents assholes. Feel free to disagree!

• Another beer ~NO.
• The Stupid People revolt ~NO.
• Dissent gift ideas ~NO.
• It is what it is ~NO.
• Chapman U: from selflessness to selfishness ~NO. 
• Loutish self-celebration: the annual A**hole Parade ~NO. 
• "A-Hole" at the Radisson ~MAYBE or "YES, but."
• So Damn Happy ~NO.
• Americans: counting our losses with a super-multiplier ~NO and MAYBE. 
• Embarrassing perversitudinal dissonance. ~NO. 
• The Chancellor’s opening session: "dead, completely dead, and dead forever" ~MAYBE. 
• The boy who cried "wolf!"—and then got et ~NO.  
• Russian roulette, American Style ~NO. 
• We'll "prosper through doors"—and experience the Fall of Peevitude ~PLAIN YES. 
• Dick's grandson, Cox ~YES, BUT 
• Tuesday's board meeting—Roy's report ~NO.