Illinois Preschool Funding Cuts: Sheriffs, Police Chiefs Say Early Education Prevents Crime

We need our early childhood education and all day kindergarten!!!! PLEASE don't cut our kids' education short!!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/30/early-childhood-education_n_1464153.html

Remember to appreciate your teachers this week and every week!!!

Nuevo Parents....Please sign this petition asking the Nuview Union School Board to Value Parents' Concerns

From: concerned parents of nuevo <concernedparentsofnuevo@hotmail.com>

Subject: Mr. Linzey resigns and petition to Nuview Union school board

Date: May 5, 2012 8:42:34 PM PDT

Good evening,
 
As you may know, two weeks ago the school board gave Mr. Linzey a satisfactory review and extended his contract for three more years.  What you may or may not know is this past Monday, Mr. Linzey resigned and now has been appointed Executive Director for a charter school in Concord, Ca.
 
http://claytonvalley.org/blog/2012/05/01/press-release-cvchs-announces-inaugural-executive-director/
 
http://claycord.com/2012/05/02/clayton-valley-charter-high-school-announces-inaugural-executive-director/#more-37144
 
Throughout the past year a few board members have said that "the same people are speaking up with concerns within our district, so if no one else is saying anything they must be okay with it (the decisions being made)."  Through many, many conversations we know this is NOT the case, but instead families feel unsure about what to do or are very busy with every day life (eg. work, children involved in extra curricular activities).
 
The voice of the parents is a powerful one and is useful in helping the board members make the best decisions on our behalf. 
 
A petition has been created to give parents an opportunity to show the board that it is not just five parents asking to be heard, but instead a community worried about the effect the board's decisions have on their families now and into the future.  If you are a family member of a student in this district, this petition will take one minute of your time to fill out and is a simple way to voice your concerns. Please only sign if you are related to a student in Nuview Union School District.

http://www.change.org/petitions/the-school-board-of-the-nuview-union-school-district-our-school-board-needs-to-hear-our-concerns-and-value-our-input

*if the link does not work when you click on it, please copy and paste it in the address bar of your browser

Thank you!

Concerned Parents of Nuevo Updates (compiled repost)

Here are the recent communications related to parent concerns and meetings in our local district. I am happy to have parents taking interest and acting on behalf of our children. Please take the time to read them and begin asking your own questions. We need everyone to participate in the discussions that form our community schools. Be sure to save time to come to our next School Board Meeting, held Thursday night, May 10th, at 7 PM in the Nuview Multipurpose Room. Here is the schedule of board meetings for the remainder of the year:  http://www.nuview.k12.ca.us/domain/364.

From: concerned parents of nuevo <concernedparentsofnuevo@hotmail.com>
To:
Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2012 3:17 PM
Subject: Community Awareness Event and Forum

Good Afternoon,

You may have received the survey a few months ago asking for your input regarding our district's budget situation.  Although receiving feedback, Nuview Union School District and it's board members have given 17.3 teachers pink slips, are going to increase our classroom sizes and still cut back on transportation.  As you know it is a terrible time for our economy and many families are feeling the impact daily, but cutting nearly 20% of our teaching staff and making it difficult for families to get their children to school to sit in a very crowded classroom is a little extreme and harsh at this time.

A meeting will be held in the Valley View Auditorium this Thursday, March 22nd from 5:30-6:30 to explore and understand the state budget and the effect on our school district and our students.  You are invited to attend to hear the information and other possibilities in order to form your opinion regarding your child's educational future.  Please bring any questions or concerns you would like to have answered by the representative.



Thank you

From: concerned parents of nuevo <concernedparentsofnuevo@hotmail.com>

Subject: Frightening Incident on March 28th outside of Nuview's district office

Date: April 6, 2012 3:43:53 PM PDT

Hello,

     On Wednesday, March 28th, a stuffed animal was found by our district office with a wire sticking out from under a Nuview Elementary t-shirt which caused "great alarm" and "had a frightening impact on the district staff." The police or bomb squad was never called to investigate the situation, but instead Mr. Linzey "noticed the wire only attached to a push-pin and moved it as everyone cleared away from it." 

     With Nuview Elementary, Nuview's Preschool, the bus yard, drivers on the road and residences being nearby, all precautions should have been taken to ensure the safety of those around.  Considering the bomb squad was called to destroy a suspicious device in Riverside during the first week of March and our district office was burglarized that same week, this scary incident should not have been taken lightly. 

     In the email, Mr. Linzey says, "Seeing that negotiations occurred yesterday and our NDTA negotiating team is unhappy with not getting their way as they use intimidation tactics and defamation tactics, it is highly probable that this bear incident stems from the negotiations process." Instead of considering all other possibilities, the finger was pointed at our teachers for this cause for "great alarm" and the "frightening impact upon the district office staff."  This email directly accused Nuview District teachers without any supporting evidence and becomes a very serious matter when terroristic allegations are made against people who work with our children on a daily basis.  What direction is our district going in if our superintendent is accusing our teachers of possibly attempting to harm staff and those in close proximity? Regarding the email, Mr. Linzey has been legally served by CaliforniaTeachers Association on behalf of the Nuview District Teachers Association. The email is now a legal matter and cannot be dispersed amongst the parents or community. The Nuview Union board members have read and are aware of this email.

      As you may know our district has pink slipped 17.3 teachers, almost 20% of our district's teachers. But what you may not know is that our administration is the top paid in our county (7.87% while the county average is 5.5%) and our teachers are the lowest paid (42.25% while the county average is 45.66%). You will find a powerpoint presentation using the actual numbers our district submitted to the county also attached for your review.  

     The cuts within the district have happened at the classroom level.  Not only have teachers been taken away, classroom sizes are being increased to 30 students with one teacher, kindergarten will be a half day with 30 students for each teacher and education furlough days are being discussed. Teachers are not asking for raises, but instead asking for the consideration of other options to keep cuts away from the classroom. 

Did you know- 

Mr. Patrick Leier publicly resigned, but continues to work as a consultant for our district making $55,000 for approximately 9 months of work?

This year Nuview Union School District became one of three school districts (Los Angeles Unified and San Francisco Unified) in the state of California to hire an outside negotiator?  

     Our district pays our outside negotiator, Mr. Eric Hall, $680 per day for his time spent in  the district, research, preparation, planning and travel (not to exceed $10,000).

A position paying $85,767 was created, at the district office, to oversee child welfare/special programs (example spelling bee and science fairs) for 215 days of work and includes benefits?

     It has been said the position is partially funded out of the ASES grant, but is her entire salary provided from outside funds? Is this a position needed at this time? 

The current contract, held by NDTA teachers and approved by the school board to keep class sizes low has not been honored by our district (along with other violations) and because of this, it has gone to arbitration which incur lawyer fees. 

On March 19th a memo stated the Management Team unanimously decided to take nine furlough days during the 2012-2013 school year if the sales tax initiative does not pass. 

     Would they be willing to take the furlough days if the initiative does pass?

     Mr. Linzey is the highest paid superintendent (per pupil) in Riverside County, making $102 per pupil per day and works 215 days per year.  Not only will Mr. Linzey receive a 3.5% raise on July 1st, he will also receive a $5,000 bonus for moving Nuview Elementary School out of Program Improvement status if this year's state test scores continue to have shown improvement.  Let's not forget the increase in test scores is due to our ability to maintain our low class sizes which provide individual attention to our children. It will be unlikely, we will continue to see an increase in state test scores next year not only because of our increase in class size, but also due to our intervention programs being cut.

                       

           

     This frightening occurrence with the bear and the way it was handled, including accusing our teachers, complied with actions within the past year are alarming.   One can begin to wonder if "Students First!' continues to be our motto.

     We understand that many parents are upset about several issues within our district, but unless parents and community members come forward to voice their concerns to the board members, we will continue down this path we are traveling.  If your child's education is important to you, please take an hour or so to come to the school board meetings on the second Thursday of every month to ask questions and become informed.   The school board was elected to make decisions on our behalf that will continue to affect our families for years to come, so it is extremely important to let them know what your concerns are.  

     If you are unable to attend our next board meeting held April 12th at 7:00 in Nuview Elementary's multipurpose room, we urge you to email Nuview's board members at the following email addresses-

Tommy Thompson, Board President    tommythompson11@hotmail.com

Shari Lauda, Board Vice President      spasl55@gmail.com

Christine Upton, Clerk of the Board      d.thomasupton@yahoo.com     

Bob McGinty, Member                         rmcginty@nuview.k12.ca.us

David McCabe, Member                      dmccabe@nuview.k12.ca.us

     A parent meeting to discuss the issues within our district will be held at the beginning of next week, so if you would like to attend please reply with contact information so you can be given the time and location of the meeting when it is determined.  If you are only able to attend one meeting please attend the board meeting to ask your questions, see things for yourself and become informed.

 

     Please share this information with other families that have children on the district, so they too have the opportunity to ask questions and become informed. The voice of the parents and community is very a powerful one and very effective. Let's use our voice to protect our future!

Thank you

From: concerned parents of nuevo <concernedparentsofnuevo@hotmail.com>

Subject: Urgent! Extremely important update!

Date: April 11, 2012 12:44:02 PM PDT

Hello,
 
We are sorry to bother you once again, but we were just given an extremely important update.
 
At the board meeting tomorrow night, one of our classified staff will have a ballot to sign that will put a revised educational inititative on the voting ballot in November.  Governor Brown contacted the California School Employees Association (CSEA) regarding this initiative and said this "was much better written than his was" and "if we can get the signatures, he will pull his and put this one on the voting ballot in November."
 
This initative completely funds education with a portion going to First Responders services. We need to collect at least 100 signatures by Monday, so if you are a registered voter in Riverside County please stop by to add your signature.
 
Also, part of the 59 classified to be pink slipped will be to transportation and preschool. It looks like at least half of our preschool staff and all of our entire transportation department will be cut after these pink slips are handed out. What does that mean for the new students coming in to a half day kindergarten class the following year? What does this mean for our sports teams or for our field trips?
 
Please stop by to sign this educational reform tax initative. 
 
You can make a difference!    

From: concerned parents of nuevo <concernedparentsofnuevo@hotmail.com>

Subject: Voting to pink slip 59 classified staff

Date: April 11, 2012 11:13:01 AM PDT

Hello,

This is a reminder that Nuview Union's board meeting will be held tomorrow in Nuview Elementary's mulitpurpose room at 7:00 p.m. 
 
On the agenda, district employees (teachers, classified employees and administrators) will be recognized for their outstanding work during 2012 and the board will vote on giving 59 pink slips to classified staff. Classified positions are held by school office staff, cafeteria staff, classroom aides, school custodians, playground monitors etc.  Once again, a cut at the level with whom our children come into contact with on a daily basis.
 
We understand time is valuable and it is difficult to attend each meeting, but these are important times within our district. The board members elected on our behalf, need to know your input and concerns in order to make the best decisions for your child/children.  Please attend tomorrow evening or send the board an email expressing your views. 
 
tommythompson11@hotmail.com
d.thomasupton@yahoo.com
dmccabe@nuview.k12.ca.us
spasl55@gmail.com
rmcginty@nuview.k12.ca.us
 
 
Thank you once again.  

From: concerned parents of nuevo <concernedparentsofnuevo@hotmail.com>

Subject: Regarding the proposed elimination of transportation, the Vote of No Confidence and the renewal of the superintendent's contract

Date: April 25, 2012 5:42:48 PM PDT

Good evening,
 
This is a reminder about the Community Transportation Meeting being held tomorrow at 5:30 p.m in Simpson Hall.  The proposed elimination of transportation will be the topic of discussion.  
 
What does this mean for school field trips next year? Will the sports programs be affected? Will this affect Bridge High School? With the attempted kidnapping a few months ago and numerous sex offenders in our area, what can be done to ensure our students walking to or from school will be safe? 
 
Are you aware that because Nuevo is considered rural, if the speed limit is not posted the legal speed limit is 55 mph? 
 
Please attend to become informed about these proposed transportation changes.
 
In other news, Nuview Union's teachers held a preliminary Vote of No Confidence in regards to the superintendent with 96% of teachers voting YES.  Although know this, the school board called a special board meeting yesterday morning at 8:00 a.m and renewed Mr. Linzey's contract for another 3 years.
 
Thank you

Education Update: Nuview Union School District

      In the last month the Superintendent and board in our district has voted to layoff 17 teachers (20%), 59 classified staff (including all of our busing department), they are considering increasing the no busing radius from 3/4 mi to 1.5 mi for elementary and 1 mi to 2 mi for middle school, considering 9 furlough days for teachers, and only considering furlough days/cuts for administration IF the tax initiative does not go through in November. 

     We are a small district with 2000 students (4 schools K-12). We have no sidewalks, and recent checks on the the Megan's Law website indicated that we have 11 REGISTERED sex offenders within a 1 mi radius of one of our schools. With a recent attempted abduction of a young girl within 1block of her school, SAFE TRANSPORTATION should be a concern for all of us.

      At the last board meeting we called for our board of education and administration to unify us as a community, that includes parents, teachers and classified staff, by making cuts across all departments equally, including administration. We suggested that we eliminate all outside consultants and use the expertise of our own employees for such areas as financial/budget planning and contract negotiations. We asked that the board and the superintendent put together a resolution in support of the November Tax Initiative so that the community can be well informed of their options for supporting education. We asked that they also rectify any top heavy salaries since we devote 7.87% of our budget to administrative salaries as compared to the 5.5% average that other Riverside County districts have (per CTA data submitted to the county). And finally, as we are a public entity that should spend every cent entrusted to us for kids on education in the classroom, we requested that the district spend down our reserves to the 3% mandated by law.

     With all the cuts it is hard to keep spirits high, especially regarding the support of administration. Many in our community are unhappy with the actions of both the administration and the board. We must go on….and beyond. That means that though we are small, we are not too small to have an impact on a larger level. If you have not already done so, I encourage you to contact your legislator in person, by phone, or letter. Our state leaders are:

Governor Jerry Brown

c/o State Capitol, Suite 1173
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 445-2841

Senator Bill Emmerson
5225 Canyon Crest Drive
Riverside, CA 92507
(951) 680-6750

Assemblyman Paul Cook
34932 Yucaipa Boulevard
Yucaipa, CA 92399
(909) 790-4196

  While many of my fellow parents are working hard to equalize the situation locally, we can all do our part to influence the support of education. I know that we are not alone. So many parents are out there in other districts facing similar problems. It is up to us to make a difference. A few brave souls are good, but thousands are much more difficult to ignore. We need everyone to tell their story and make their local needs known. Talk to your family, friends and neighbors. Tell them the dire situation our kids are faced with now and for the future, as cuts are projected to continue on for the next 3-4 years at minimum and are in the billions of dollars. We are already at bare bottom and now we are cutting essential functions of the schools and classrooms. Further cuts will harm the potential of our children to hold meaningful employment, attend college, and pursue dreams. Who will carry our country forward if not them? Who will stand up for them if not us?

      

Opting Out of the State Tests ..... Here's How: Send this letter to school

Give this letter to your Principal: 

Dear Mr. ________________________________(Principal) 

Please accept this letter as my request to excuse my child, __________________________, from participation in all state testing. This is my right under §60615 of the California Education Code.
I understand that it is an educator’s professional duty to assess the learning of students and I fully support our teachers, our principal and our staff in doing so. This request is not intended to restrict professional assessment by the classroom teacher to which my child is assigned. I am exercising my right to opt out of the state assessments because the continued budget cuts to education demonstrate a lack of support for student learning in the classroom. This must change, children's learning must be supported with proper funding, safe transportation, adequate and updated materials and smaller class sizes. If it is not, I will not support state testing. 

Sincerely,

Say No to School Testing Madness Article

Dear friends, this is a great article about testing in our public schools that calls on parents, teachers and administrators to stop the testing madness. The Standardized Testing Industry is a Multi-Billion Dollar business that has not lost one cent during this recession, while we watch teachers lose their jobs, class sizes increase and supply budgets shrink. Please read the article, and if you are angry over the cuts to our schools, ask your superintendent, your school board and your school principal what they are doing about it? Then take a stand, and tell them that you will not support testing until you see that learning in the classroom is supported. Exercise your right as a parent and OPT OUT OF THE STATE TESTS!http://www.ajc.com/opinion/say-no-to-school-1017302.html

Say no to school testing madness | ajc.com

www.ajc.com

The Multi-Billion Dollar Testing Industry has done it again. The industry continues to usurp precious resources out of local schools when districts are forced to lay off teachers, discontinue programs for children and eliminate field trips.

Look at this link....No Child Left Behind Mandates

Take a look at this....even our federal government doesn't think it is possible to reach NCLB mandates of 100% students at grade level or higher in reading and math by 2013-2014! 
http://capitolbeatok.com/reports/schools-approach-no-child-left-behind-deadline-feds-say-nations-schools-cannot-meet-it