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Expect a long, loud trustee meeting tonight. Bring a pillow and a snack.
11:34 AM Thu, Jan 31, 2008 | Permalink
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April 2008
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About 40 parents and supporters from Skyline High are slated to speak about the district’s decision to move some high-caliber academic programs to Conrad High School. They feel like the district has turned a deaf ear to their pleas to keep the programs at Skyline. But that's not even close to being everything ... Teachers from Roosevelt, meanwhile, will make their second trip to the board. They’re up in arms over their new principal, who they say is bending the rules when it comes to student grades. In addition to yesterday’s public allegation that teachers are pressured to fix the grades of flunking athletes, 35 teachers have signed a petition against a new school rule that, they say, prevents them from giving students any grade lower than 60. District policy says that minimum grade should be a 50 – which is another subject bound to get lots of debate tonight. A policy cementing the district’s long-standing “no-grades-lower-than-a-50” policy is also on the agenda. Earlier this month, teachers asked board members to zap that one from the books. They want the power to give kids the grades they earn, even if that grade is a 20. As if all that weren’t enough, the board is also expected to approve a slew of new policies that some teachers say forces them to lower their classroom standards at a time when the district is talking about ratcheting up its academic rigor. But before any of that even gets started at 5:30 this eve at board HQ on Ross Avenue, the board will meet this afternoon to hear another report from its community-based bond task force. That’s the group that is advising the board on whether it should ask voters to approve a new district-wide construction program that could cost more than $2 billion. The board needs to decide what it’s going to do in the next few weeks. |
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Comments
Posted by Concerned @ 10:43 PM Thu, Jan 31, 2008
Will they talk about the hiring freeze of Teachers, while our poor kids are suffering?
Posted by Skyline Raider @ 12:24 AM Fri, Feb 01, 2008
Well it did seem as though the board was trying to filibuster with their long discussions and comments at the meeting tonight, but in the end the parents, students, and teachers of Skyline were allowed to speak. I hope the board heard what was said. I guess time will tell.
I do have other comments to offer. Carla Ranger is a dynamo and keeps on slogging even against resistance, hostility, and even open mocking from fellow Board Members (particularly Edwin Flores who should really mind his nonverbal language when he's sitting at the horseshoe. Does he always come across so arrogant and rude?) Fight on Carla!! I think you really do have the children's best interest at heart.
Secondly, kudos to the Skyline Center students who got up to speak tonight!! You all did a great job! You made your families and your school proud!! Go Skyline!!
Posted by Joshua B. Perry (SHS '07) @ 8:13 AM Fri, Feb 01, 2008
The board meeting was a joke from the beginning until when Skyline people started speaking. What was really sad is that the Board is trying to be a private foundation. There were 2 or 3 topics that would've have lifted the restrictions on the number of people speaking & the amount of time that they had if there was many people wanting to speak about the same topic. Kudos to Trustee Ranger, Trustee Blackburn & Trustee Price for supporting these measures when their colleagues shot it down. Board President Jack Lowe, who according to Superintendent Hinojosa couldn't stay to listen because he was "sick". Which is a bunch of BULL!