Here is a report from Tuesday night's governing board meeting from ICANOPEN...
I was one of the three that spoke on behalf of the HSPC, last night. We gave the board our option which was #4, Minus all the K-6, 7-8 and K-8 Academy. That should be discussed by the New Committee being created EMSPC. What we where asking for was to move forward using 12.5m of SFB money, Don Brubaker (architect) Confirmed with SFB that the district could use money in that way, and the money was still available.
We had support from Member’s Clancy (whole Heartedly I might add) and Ledesma to move forward with the design phase, Dr. Johnston threw a fit saying that the Christopher Verde District needed to be advised of this and we should hold off until the start of the new school year, and input could be provided from that district.
My Opinion (same as Clancy’s) No one really needs to be informed of a decision involving the use of SFB money to Expand the High School. Nor do we need to use a Survey Monkey or get any input, Even from me and other Community members Beyond: Building Style (One or Two story ) and placement. (Placement was actually worked out by the LRPC.) So here I sit stagnate again, also in hope’s we wont lose more members of the HSPC.
I asked Mr. Frison if we could some how Reconstitute the Planning Committee and he does not see the need.Also when speaking to the Board I requested that The Options be reviewed and 3,5 be replaced with Viable options or Thrown out all together and let the EMSPC start with fresh ideas.
There was something a Little Fishy in the Air also last night. When Member Clancy brought up Paying back the Bond (Part of Option 4) and what it would show this Community, on behalf of the Board, Ashby and Reese had a whispering session and came up with paying back 3.5 or 4.5M (Sorry that was hard to Hear).
So here is some Basic Math
Current Bond 14.9m Minus an STMS Expansion 10% = 4.1m
Leaving 10.8M that should be used to pay back the Bond Only
Unless the Administration tries to pull a Fast one over on the Community. That is the K-6, 7-8 plan, And some how they figure on using more then the 10%. Per Documentation handed out to the HSPC it reads like this 7.25M expand STMS, 4.25 Expand K-6 Campuses. Leaving a 4.?? Surplus.
Is this Legal I really Doubt It.
Can somebody here answer a question for me: How long is boe given to post their minutes?
ReplyDeleteHSPC - Are those the existing members of the hspc group that was once sanctioned by the boe, or are you independent of the original group? Was what you presented authorized by the entire group? Were you an official agenda item, or were you speaking during public time?
honeymom
I don’t know if there is an exact rule as to how long they are given on average this board takes Approximately two Months just to Approve the Meeting Minutes. And don’t believe they are Legally obligated to post it on there web site. You may want to contact Nedda Shafir nshafir@ccusd93.org
ReplyDeleteI’m not sure if they will release the Minutes until after they are approved.
Yes we are the Original Members of the HSPC, Yes the group as a whole came to the Conclusion that Option 4 was the Best for the District. And yes as we discussed at our meeting the K-6, 7-8 option really has no effect on the High school moving forward.
I did not get authorization (Mr. Frison was supposed to contact us by E-mail but never contacted me) As far as throwing out options 3 and 5, that was my own thoughts and Member Clancy agreed that the K-6 Committee should not be restricted by those options.
But when we did discuss and we all felt as though Option 3 and Option 5 are not Viable Options due to money Restrictions
And yes this was an Agenda Item
38-431.01. Meetings shall be open to the public
ReplyDeleteA. All meetings of any public body shall be public meetings and all persons so desiring shall be permitted to attend and listen to the deliberations and proceedings. All legal action of public bodies shall occur during a public meeting.
B. All public bodies shall provide for the taking of written minutes or a recording of all their meetings, including executive sessions. For meetings other than executive sessions, such minutes or recording shall include, but not be limited to:
1. The date, time and place of the meeting.
2. The members of the public body recorded as either present or absent.
3. A general description of the matters considered.
4. An accurate description of all legal actions proposed, discussed or taken, and the names of members who propose each motion. The minutes shall also include the names of the persons, as given, making statements or presenting material to the public body and a reference to the legal action about which they made statements or presented material.
C. Minutes of executive sessions shall include items set forth in subsection B, paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 of this section, an accurate description of all instructions given pursuant to section 38-431.03, subsection A, paragraphs 4, 5 and 7 and such other matters as may be deemed appropriate by the public body.
D. The minutes or a recording of a meeting shall be available for public inspection three working days after the meeting except as otherwise specifically provided by this article.
E. A public body of a city or town with a population of more than two thousand five hundred persons shall:
1. Within three working days after a meeting, except for subcommittees and advisory committees, post on its internet website, if applicable, either:
(a) A statement describing the legal actions taken by the public body of the city or town during the meeting.
(b) Any recording of the meeting.
2. Within two working days following approval of the minutes, post approved minutes of city or town council meetings on its internet website, if applicable, except as otherwise specifically provided by this article.
3. Within ten working days after a subcommittee or advisory committee meeting, post on its internet website, if applicable, either:
(a) A statement describing legal action, if any.
(b) A recording of the meeting.
F. All or any part of a public meeting of a public body may be recorded by any person in attendance by means of a tape recorder or camera or any other means of sonic reproduction, provided that there is no active interference with the conduct of the meeting.
G. The secretary of state for state public bodies, the city or town clerk for municipal public bodies and the county clerk for all other local public bodies shall distribute open meeting law materials prepared and approved by the attorney general to a person elected or appointed to a public body prior to the day that person takes office.
H. A public body may make an open call to the public during a public meeting, subject to reasonable time, place and manner restrictions, to allow individuals to address the public body on any issue within the jurisdiction of the public body. At the conclusion of an open call to the public, individual members of the public body may respond to criticism made by those who have addressed the public body, may ask staff to review a matter or may ask that a matter be put on a future agenda. However, members of the public body shall not discuss or take legal action on matters raised during an open call to the public unless the matters are properly noticed for discussion and legal action.
I. A member of a public body shall not knowingly direct any staff member to communicate in violation of this article.
Arizona statute re:meetings/minutes. The CC BOE policy is based on this (must follow the rules). What I don't know is whether "A public body of a city or town with a population of more than two thousand five hundred persons" applies.
Are they referring to only a town/city body, or any public body of a city or town? If any public body of a city or town applies, than I would think that BOE is supposed to put something up on its website sooner than it is.
Anybody understand this stuff and have an opinion?
honeymom
Also please understand I do not have a personal Vendetta against the board.
ReplyDeleteI do have a Problem with Member Gladys Styles Johnston constantly attacking other board members and there opinions, and Dragging agenda Items out way to long.
And our Superintendent for trying to build herself a Legacy at the Expense of this Community.
I was upset to see so many staff leave the District this year.
And come August 11 we will see what we have left as far as students.
I was very upset to see that Monica Barrett’s Position. as Assistant Principal/ Director of Operations/Athletics & Activities was eliminated. This person was a Very Giving to this District and gave whole Heartedly, Some times to the tune of 16+ hours a day and weekends.
Her Position was eliminated to keep her quite on speaking out for our Children.
I don’t know how you can run a High School without an Operations/Athletics Director
But for some reason the District needed a Director of Secondary Education.
(can someone tell me what this title entales, Beyond the Pay, Car, Cell phone and Other Perks.
Its crap like this that is Pissing me off.
Monica Barrett's position was not cut...what are you talking about??? This is what I mean, you post stuff here and it's not true, everyone gets their panties in a bunch and you start bashing the district on incorrect infomation...when I say "you" icanopen - I'm referring to CCUSD Watch and other bloggers (like yourself) who don't have correct information.
ReplyDeleteThis is Straight out of the CCUSD Governing Board Policy Manual
ReplyDeleteK-1011 © KDB-R
REGULATION REGULATION
PUBLIC'S RIGHT TO KNOW /
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION
Public records of the District will be open for inspection by any person as provided by law.
Public record means any recorded information that is made, maintained, or kept by, or is in the possession of, the District. Such records include minutes of the Governing Board, agendas, financial records, contracts, and statistical summaries.
The office of the Superintendent will be open to receive requests for records inspection or copying during normal business hours on Monday through Friday.
Requests for access to records shall be made in writing and directed to the office of the Superintendent.
All persons requesting inspection and/or copying of public records must attest that they have not requested the public records of the District for a commercial purpose. If the records are requested for a commercial purpose, the requester must provide a statement, verified by the requester, setting forth the commercial purpose for which the materials will be used.
The above declaration will be made and signed on the official form provided by the District for requesting inspection and/or copying of public records.
The Superintendent may permit access to, or provide for the copying of, the records requested within a reasonable period of time following receipt of the signed request or will provide an explanation of a cause for further delay and will give notification of the time the records will be available, or, if access is denied, the Superintendent will provide a written statement of the grounds for denial.
Requirements of access and inspection apply only to existing records and do not require creation of new records. Public inspection of a document that otherwise would be a public record may be denied by the Superintendent if (1) the record is made confidential by statute, (2) the record involves the privacy interests of persons, or (3) disclosure would be detrimental to the best interests of the District. If a public record contains material that is not subject to disclosure, the District will delete such material and make available to the requester such material in the record as is subject to disclosure.
Records contained on a computer will be provided only in the form in which the information can be made available using existing computer programs.
Copies of radio or recording tapes of discs, video or films, pictures, slides, graphics, illustrations, or similar audio or visual items or devices will not be furnished unless such items or devices have been shown or played at a public meeting of the Governing Board.
A fee shall be levied on each request to cover the cost of making copies, staff time, computer time, etc. Fees will be collected prior to releasing material.
The fees will be based upon the following:
10¢ per copy for materials indicated as Board minutes, agendas, financial records, contracts, courses of study, or statistical summaries.
35¢ per copy for materials not listed above that require additional clerical and/or professional staff time to make available.
Actual cost, if available, will be assessed.
Free copies shall be furnished if they are to be used in claims against the United States.
Honeymom, We hope you are starting to see the games that CCUSD is playing. Taking 2 months to post minutes is clearly an affront to their supposed increased communtiy engagement.
ReplyDeleteSUSD not only posts their minutes in a timely fashion, they strive to post any presentations shown at the meetings and they always post a summary of events the occurred at the meeting within a day or two.
Apparently our PIO staff is too overworked to do a summary (we only have Board Bits for 3 of 14 meetings this year).
And try and call the district tomorrow to view the minutes from Tuesday. Oh, that's right, they do not work in the summer.
They don't work in the summer??? I had an appointment there today and was told they work Monday - Thursday from 7 am to 5 pm in the summer...
ReplyDeleteSorry, let me be corrected, I meant to say Fridays.
ReplyDelete"I'm referring to CCUSD Watch and other bloggers (like yourself) who don't have correct information."
ReplyDeleteAre there other bloggers like us? Where are they? Can't wait to meet them.
As far as incorrect information, point it out and we will be happy to correct it. See above.
And as you have taken advantage of, post your comments unrestriced, unfiltered, and anonymous. If you have something you would like to see up front, go ahead and email us. CCUSDWATCH@HOTMAIL.COM
I am not sure why there are issues with communication. I do know that SUSD is a much bigger district than ours and probably better staffed. I don't think that our district is playing games. I do think that there are some holes that need to be brought to their attention and fixed.
ReplyDeleteThat last post would be me. I also meant to mention that I think that the most productive first step is to determine what areas of written policy aren't being followed and bring to boe attention. I am not sure that they violate communication policy and would probably need to contact the azboe for further clarification before addressing it with them.
ReplyDeleteI think that ultimately you will be more comfortable with this boe if communication were improved.
forgot to sign again,
ReplyDeletehoneymom
Anonymous June 26, 2008 4:52 PM
ReplyDeleteI was told her position was cut and I was just informed at 5:32pm that a New Athletics Director will be Appointed at the July 8th Board Meeting, If I'm incorrect on any of my statements feel free to correct me you don’t have to BASH,
I go with what Read, See and Hear from people I believe to be Credible in this District.
It seem's to me that you have information regarding Monica's
Relocation, Postion change whatever you may call it. feel Free to share.
She was removed from a position that she Really cared about.
I seen a broken woman 2.5 weeks cleaning out her stuff, and then taking an unscheduled week off.
Also I do not know CCUSD Watch, and do not always agree with their opions, nor Do they agree with mine
ReplyDeleteI was pointed to this blog by a friend if there is a More Positive Blog, Fourm or way of Sharing information with the Community, Im willing to Jump ship.
You can click on my Profile my E-mail is right there (more then I can say about the rest of the Posters Here.)
This is a Guess this is only a guess don’t get you panties in a bunch. I have not heard from any of my district informants, nor word of mouth. This comes straight out of my Blogger mind.
ReplyDeleteChad DeGrenier will be the New Athletics Director
Dear Icanopen:
ReplyDeletePlease lose the testosterone - your panties in a bunch statement is offensive!
Also, I hope that you are not a CSHS student or graduate. If you are, I will be sending my kids elsewhere. Your spelling and grammar are atrocious.
honeymom
Hi ICANOPEN,
ReplyDeleteJust ignore those drive by comments.
They claim us\we put out misinformation or lies or personal attacks, yet they rarely take the time to correct us.
We appreciate the information you are sharing.
That is too bad about Ms. Barrett. Unfortunately, the superintendent could not find time during the Summer to thank Ms. Barrett for her 19 years of service in her recent letter, no matter the circumstances surrounding her leaving.
To I can Open:
ReplyDeleteI am sorry about my last comment. I went back and reread posts and saw that you were referring to a statement that an earlier poster made regarding panties. It is sometimes hard to remember what has been said.
But, it is too bad that there is no grammar/spelling check option on here.
honeymom
honeymom,
ReplyDeleteWhy not just register for a Google\Blogger account. The eaisest way is to get a free Gmail account. No personal information necessary. You could get CCUSDWATCHFAN@GMAIL.COM or CCUSDWATCHRULES@GMAIL.COM or CCUSDDISTRICTAPOLOGISTS@GMAIL.COM. :)
Just go to http://gmail.com
This will allow you to delete your comments when you have posted them in error.
As far as posting options, the webmaster is looking into switching away from Blogger to a board style format. This will allow for better posting options and more visibility of comments that occur on older posts.
We will keep you updated.
As an observer Tuesday night it was apparent that the majority of the board agreed with Member Clancy's decision to use SFB money for the high school. Actually wasn't it decided to put it on the next board meeting agenda? As far as Dr. Johnson and the Christopher Verde area, wasn't there discussion and agreement from other board members how these residents should be only educated without having another survey just for that area? I believe Mr. Warren even spoke publicly about that.
ReplyDeleteWhere did the idea to reconfig for grades come from? Was it survey produced, BOE brainstormed, superintendant motivated?
ReplyDeleteI remember a conversation back in my old district when somebody suggested reconfig schools (to help ease a transportation issue). The school superintendant back there said "You don't want to go there unless you absolutely have to. It is not an easy task."
I think this district has noble intentions. But, I think it needs to focus more on prioritizing. I think that the prioritys should be easing overcrowding at the hs level, obtaining money for necessary repairs to older campuses, making sure there are enough funds to keep schools operating with reasonable class sizes (overides). Reconfiguring grade spans is too ambitious for now. It won't get through our electorate.
honeymom
Dear. Observer Tuesday night June 27, 2008 10:50 AM
ReplyDeleteThere was no Motion to go forward with the use of SFB money, There is no question as to how the money will be used it can only be used at the high school, the HSPC was put on hold as far as designing any addition to the High School, from what I heard and understood it will be on hold until the start of the school year. So some where around the end of August, after the residents have been educated.
How they would be notified was not discussed. Beyond using Survey Monkey to get feedback. For the Options portion of all this
Honeymom, the idea for grade reconfiguration came from Administration which would include our Superintendent.
MY OPION: Administration needed a way to spend the left over bond money 14.9m. I do not see a Noble intention in overcrowding some of our Elementary schools and in two plus years have overcrowding at the Middle school level,
I understand projections could be wrong.
Also note when we approved this bond it was to build, Two New Elementary, One Middle, and One High School. So far we have One Elementary and One Middle.
I’m just wondering is this Board Liable for not fulfilling this Bond.
Re: liability - I would think it would depend on what was in the bond and since I can't find it posted anywhere, who knows?
ReplyDeleteWith the amount that the lawyer is involved in advising them (meeting minutes from a May meeting are now posted) I doubt they are at a point of liability.
Besides, are we really at that point where we want to go down that road? It seems like there has just been changeover of board members, the integration of Christopher Verde, runup in construction costs since 2000, unclear enrollment projections (even the State of Arizona is now admitting that their growth projections were skewed incorrectly by the numbers of investors in the market in 2004/5. Chances are our demographers used some of the same bad data.)
While it may not have pleased some on the boe to hear you the other night, it does sound like overall you got a pretty good response. Let's see where things go at the next meeting.
honeymom
Hi guys. I got back from a bit of a vacation and I must say that I'm really sad to hear about Monica Barrett if it is in fact true that she's leaving. She always brought a wonderful enthusiasm to every one of her roles and for her to be shuffled around from position to position was she was, was in my opinion, rather cruel.
ReplyDeleteI really, honestly hope that icanopen was exaggerating when it was said that "Her Position was eliminated to keep her quiet on speaking out for our Children."
If it has gotten to the point where dissenters or activists are being silenced by the administration then we all have a very serious problem.
Honeymom,
ReplyDeleteYou post a lot on here. When do you take care of your children? Are they watching SPONEGBOB repeatedly on your DVD while you prattle your inane comments on this website?
Good morning 10pm.
ReplyDeleteAt least I use a pseudonym so people know how much I post.
I suspect this isn't the first mean comment you have posted. It is nice to hide behind complete anonymity, isn't it?
Also, perhaps you should go back to school and learn to spell SPONGEBOB.
honeymom
Play nice children....
ReplyDeletesorry Watch.
ReplyDeletehoneymom
Honeymom,
ReplyDeleteYou're the most antagonistic member on this site! Yu don't provide anything to the other side of this debate. What do you do to make this district better?
Dear 5:50pm,
ReplyDeleteThis note is just to let you know that I will be ignoring you from now on in deference to CCUSD Watch. I will not respond to you again.
Have a good night!
Honeymom
Come on CCUSD Board let's just get on with it! I think that this survey monkey business is for the monkeys....CSHS needs space...why do we need a survey for that? Whose idea was that?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteSorry, but we deleted the previous post due to a duplication of a personal attack.
ReplyDeleteThank you Watch. I had seen the post and as promised ignored it.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with you on everything, but I have grown to respect you.
honeymom