Board approves budget, ends Edison's role in 2 schools
Edison supporters packed tonight's school board meeting (I had to negotiate with a school police officer to even get into the room because it was over capacity), but to no avail. The board voted 8-1 to approve Dr. Alonso's budget, which included ending Edison's management of Furman L. Templeton and Gilmor elementary schools. Edison will stay on at Montebello under a new contract to be negotiated. George VanHook was the board member who voted no.
The board also followed Alonso's recommendation and gave MATHS a two-year contract extension.
Public comment was quite lively, though shorter than it could have been if not for a new board regulation permitting only one speaker on any given topic. PCAB representatives urged the board to delay its vote on the budget, saying insufficient details had been made public and they hadn't seen an analysis of the first year of Fair Student Funding. Kids from Gilmor urged the board to "please, please, please" keep the company on. The activist Grandma Edna accused the school system of setting its children up for incarceration and murder in railing about her 10-year-old granddaughter allegedly being dragged into a school bathroom by three boys. She said she is seeking federal protection for her family and fears they could be the next Dawsons. And the mother of a boy at Carver Vo-Tech took Brian Morris to task when he tried interrupting her as she demanded private science tutoring for her son, charging that the school is incapable of providing him with a decent science class. She recalled her own experience as a student at Dunbar High years ago being passed on from one math class to another despite not learning anything.
In personnel moves: Lea Smith (Bill Ferguson's fiancee) was named assistant to interim chief of staff Tisha Edwards.
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Comments
You gotta love Grandma Edna....
There was a shark contrast of the few people from MATH cheering at the same time the some from the crowd from Edison schools were crying. What happened to giving the poeple what they want???
Posted by: OverTheTop | March 25, 2009 6:55 AM
Did anyone doubt that Alonso's board would approve his moves? I am, and many others are, counting on him to be on point with his reorg and resource shift. Reform is ugly but usually necessary, sort of like a tummy tuck after having septuplets.
The children of this city deserve an excellent education.
Posted by: Alrighty Then... | March 25, 2009 6:55 AM
PCAB's comments sound like they were spot-on. The budget does not even show how much each school is gettihg, much less the calculations behind it. How can the board could vote on a budget without all the facts on the table and a clear honest assessment of how the first year went?
I believe Dr Alonso is genuinely trying to do the right thing for our kids, but the fact that PCAB's recommendations were ignored tells me that for all the talk about change, it's the same old show at North Ave.
Posted by: parent-of-2 | March 25, 2009 9:32 PM
In reply to PO2 PCAB mention:
The PCAB SY2007 budget outcomes comment was approprite but the request aim was misfired to the wrong school system operations oversight personnel the Board Of School Commissioners (BOSC) much too! too!! late in coming from the PCAB board members.
WHY!! the late PCAB 2007 budget Q&A. Now that we are in another SY2009 and at the end of the (3) third quarter?? at that WHAT!! purpose would be acheived. WERE!! have they been?
In my opinion the school system expert budget director is the appropriate person to address all major BCPSS budget discussions and concerns. Do you agree?
Posted by: My Opinion | March 26, 2009 10:28 AM
@MO - Doesn't the BOSC approve the budget... so a request to not approve it should be directed at the Board...And didn't the chair state that he had PCABs written statement so the BOSC must have had it before the public session.
Also there were five budget workshops that I knew of and AAA gave the presenetation at the one I attended. It was obvios that this is his baby and the Budget Director is there to make the numbers work.
I do agree with AT and Po2 this is AAA's board and they grant him ALOT of leeway. Ingoring PCAB, the Special Ed Group and parents in general is the same old, same old.
Posted by: OverTheTop | March 29, 2009 7:49 AM