- No opportunity for discussion or feedback from the governing board.
- Chastises the voters for their failure to blindly support the district but the district is infallible and full of only the best educators and administrators in the world.
- EXCELLING! IB! AP! Honors! Just like every other district school in the area. Whoopee Doo.
And now we have a new addition to the playbook, tout programs (STEM, K-8 Academy, additional MS programs) that have not proved themselves or MAY materialize.
But the kicker is the final paragraph. Ms. Perkins writes…
“..if the choice is between keeping Desert Arroyo open or saving a number of teacher jobs and programs, the choice is clear. The choice for me will be the one that benefits all students in the district and protects teachers, programs, and our children’s education in the classroom.”Fine Ms. Perkins, but what about this fill in the blank…
“..if the choice is between keeping ____________ or saving a number of teacher jobs and programs, the choice is clear. The choice for me will be the one that benefits all students in the district and protects teachers, programs, and our children’s education in the classroom.”
Where the blank is…
- Administrator car allowances
- Fully paid spousal health care premiums
- Athletic programs
- School associations fees
- A duplicative academy
- All day K
- Desert Sun Elementary
With her publically announcing her "close DAMS" vote at this point, it is painfully obviously that we'll have at least 3 of 5 votes to close. Sad...
ReplyDeleteI disagree with the gist of your article about other cuts that can be made (they are not substantial enough, or require no additional funding, or cannot replace M&O funds, or would make or district uncompetitive for teachers - i.e. the cutting of spousal paid premiums). You missed the real problem with Ms. Perkins article, however, since their actually is one. The real problem is that Ms. Perkins, as a sworn school board representative, is not supposed to make a decision prior to hearing from all sides. Since the closing process has not concluded, there is no way that all sides have been heard from. Yet, Ms. Perkins has clearly already made her decision. That is a problem.
ReplyDeleteOk, back in December 2009 CCUSD administration told us on tape and in the minutes they would have to sacrifice Desert Arroyo to get the prep academies going. Now that it appears the academies are not taking off as well as expected Casey Perkins says we still have to make the sacrifice NOW to save the district. From what? -As I understand it, we will be loosing quite few teachers anyway as a result of this turmoil; and specialty programs like Core and Stem are funded by grants and other "outside" resources including PTO. Given this much ineptitude from our governing board and administration, I say if we must sacrifice a district to save a school so be it!
ReplyDeleteWasn't Perkins on the board of the school district without a school? After their attempt to create a school district without a school failed, her Christopher Verde group decided to be incorporated into CCUSD (I suspect just because we had the lowest taxes of the surrounding districts). They were subsequently given Desert Sun as their "home school" within our district. According to the group she represents we should now keep our hands off of DSES as a possibility for closure. Not only should DSES remain at the sacrifice of a much needed middle school to the north but we should allow them to further muddy the waters by allowing them to turn DSES into a K-8 school. Is this so the Christopher Verde kids can remain in their own little school district within a district? Heaven forbid they should have to associate with the rest of the middle school population of Cave Creek especially when we will have an overcrowded nightmare at STMS next year if she gets her way. Does Perkins behavior really surprise anyone given her track record? She's just merely showing the severe lack of integrity she always has.
ReplyDeleteThat we would let an outsider dismantle and disfigure our district for a very personal agenda leaves me saddened and disheartened. She admitted that she was pro-core knowledge and pro k-6. She also said that she was going to try to represent the interests of the parents from Troon North and Rio Verde who wanted their children to attend the schools of their choice but could not due to lack of open enrollment at the schools closest to them. So because Pinnacle and Grayhawk were no longer an option I guess they decided to manipulate and mold our schools to their liking. If they wanted Core Knowledge why didn't they incorporate into SUSD or PVUSD? Let me guess...higher taxes maybe. I can't believe our community would let them target DAMS for closure again and keep the spotlight off of Desert Sun as a possibility at all. If this goes through, I have lost all hope for the future of CCUSD and all respect for those driving the bus.
ReplyDeleteIt may be too late to save CCUSD. The question with DAMS parents is no longer "what are we going to do to save DAMS" but "to what school outside of CCUSD are you sending your children?" Call Explorer and ask them how many CCUSD students they have enrolled this year...I hear it is close to 40 or 50 and then add to that the older siblings going to Pinnacle or other high schools and it is going to be a HUGE hit.
ReplyDeleteNo one is listening to the parents who are HERE who have committed years to supporting CCUSD. They are too focused on their own agenda and have convinced themselves that is the way to go. Sounds like Congress to me...
So the savings they are "selling" to the public isn't really, after you figure the loss of 40-50 students at $5,000.00 each...What will they have to cut when that happens. YOU might notice they have no plan for that...
ReplyDeleteI am here to set the record straight about the old Christopher Verde school district (i.e. Troon & Rio Verde area that merged into CCUSD a couple of years ago) because it's very obvious that many of the posts are misguided and don't know the TRUTH. I will not draw out all the ugly details but explain the highlights of the history.
ReplyDeleteIn 2005 just the Troon area tried to get annexed into the PVUSD school district but the vote failed. Then legislatively through Senator Linda Gray and Senator Carolyn Allen the law changed for unorganized areas to be merged into a school district. Dr. Dowling merged the Rio Verde area with Troon because she didn't want two separate school districts.
In 2007 Troon & Rio Verde had the opportunity to vote to either form there own district (i.e. Christopher Verde) or merge with CCUSD. Some retirees of the Troon area, including the President of COPP and the Troon Village HOA president formed a PAC under the guise of wanting their own school district so they could keep their taxes low (much lower than even CCUSD's school taxes). It was a 60/40 split vote in favor of creating their own district and this is why Christopher Verde school district ("CV")was formed. Casey Perkins, Gladys Styles-Johnson (Todd Rash quit) were on the CV board. The biggest challenge they had was that they didn't have ANY funding to run this psuedo school district. ADE, the state would not give them a dime. Again, Senator Gray and Senator Allen changed the law so that any school district having OVER 350 students would automatically merge into the school district that provides education to the greatest amount of students: in this case it's CCUSD because over 300 kids were in that district already. By law, the CCUSD governing board had to include three board members to represent Rio Verde & Troon until the next election. Casey Perkins & Gladys Styles-Johnson automatically merged with the board. Petra Cervino was appointed by Dr. Dowling.
Please get your facts straight before you cast stones. This merger was due to a LAW CHANGE and had nothing to do with any former or current board members. If you want to complain then go speak with Senator Gray & Sentator Allen though I'm pretty sure both of them will tell you the merger was the best thing that ever happened to the Rio Verde & Troon area.
Ms. Perkins has plenty of integrity. She and Ms. Cervino wouldn't have fought as hard as she did for the Troon & Rio Verde students to be part of a district. Complain all you want but would the CCUSD residents rather pay to educate the Rio Verde & Troon kids through open enrollment (like they did prior to the merger) and have the Rio Verde & Troon residents just sit back and mooch off of the CCUSD resident? Just something to think about....
Where is the integrity in sacrificing and destroying an established vital school community in Cave Creek to serve the needs of the unkown quantity in Rio Verde and Troon?
ReplyDeleteWhere are the voters going to come from to support future public school initiatives? Rio Verde and Troon? -no track record there -what's happening now to Cave Creek?
Perhaps the PARENTS of Cave Creek USD should vote once in a while so that these bonds & overrides pass. You lose your right to complain if you don't vote. The November election could have passed if the PARENTS voted and counteracted the empty nesters that vote in droves. Don't even go down this road about Rio Verde & Troon. We know they won't vote in favor of any bond or override but neither do many of the residents in CCUSD. SO.....if the parents would actually vote then we wouldn't have have the problems we do. Perhaps if one actually looked at the Nov. election voter information before shooting off on the blog one would see that the many Tatum Ranch parents didn't bother voting. How much easier can it be than mailing it in???
ReplyDeleteI suppose many forgot when we merged how our high valuations in Rio Verde & Troon actually helped LOWER the CCUSD school district taxes.
Anyway, we could go on about this for days.....
Remember 11/09 K-3 overide? Black Mountain AND Desert Arroyo parents voted at a significantly higher rate than Desert Sun parents. What is the incentive to continue voting YES for bonds and overides in a district that encourages and plays off special interests, AND drains away funds and resources to those interests on the southern boundary of the district where the overall population could really care less?
ReplyDeleteCCUSD administration puts out very little effort to simply thank and encourage the voters they've got. Oh yeah, I know I know, by law they cannot get officially involved in elections. -I am really tired of hearing the same old stuff and that whatever we do, its never enough. Sorry, now Ms. Perkins Governing President of CCUSD has to punish those who never do enough by sacrificing DAMS.
Can't help wondering what DAMS closure originator Governing Board Clerk Schaeffer has been doing in the background in recent developments through all of this.
One thing I do know is where to place my "NO" votes...
Why does someone need to be thanked for voting? I thought it was our responsibility as citizens to vote, no one needs to thank me for voting. I've never understood when people get mad and say they are going to vote because of something the district does that they don't like, voting no is like cutting off your nose to spite your face!
ReplyDelete