Elves (Trolls) Support Charters

So, I looked up a synonym for Troll, as many people believe someone with the initials of DR might be, and I found out that the top synonym was Elf. Is it just a coincidence that the acronym for the new group in Los Altos with the apparent goal of spreading FUD prior to the upcoming elections is Each Student Counts (http://www.eachstudentcounts.org/, aka Elves (or Trolls) Supporting Charters?

The leadership group of this "non-partisan team", is comprised of:
Rob Fagen - spent many years at Netflix, home of the influential charter magnate, Reed Hastings
David Roode - a name of infamy to those folks on Facebook who hope to have honest conversations about options, only to be continually undermined by Mr Roode
Jill Jene - a very vocal antagonist of the LASD school board who speaks about the unfair treatment of BCS at most LASD board meetings (funnily enough, I've never heard her speak at a BCS board meeting?!?)

One of the first pieces of FUD released by this esteemed group is the following:

This ALMOST seems compelling, except that it is incredibly thin analysis, and leaves out certain important information, which makes things look a little bit more like this:

In a nutshell, LASD antagonists often complain that LASD is taxing (hence spending) more than comparable, neighboring districts.  When little variables like business taxes, etc are normalized, or accounted for, the picture shows the fabulous job that the LASD team (board, staff, students, etc) are doing with similar or less funding.
Perhaps "Elves Supporting Charters" just mistakenly sent the wrong graph to the town crier?!?

Confusing board meeting tonight

I feel like I have been a little out of the loop, but tonight's LASD board meeting was a little confusing to me.  On the positive side, the consultants who are helping with the bond surveys seemed to indicate that the polling is trending up, and is looking quite positive for the ability to pass the bond in the upcoming election.  BUT, I was very confused when the discussion of the bond indicated that we are looking at one new school (rather than two).  When I was last following along, I thought that the bond would be able to fund TWO schools (a new LASD school to help alleviate growth and overcrowding concerns - i.e. keep small school model, and a new school for BCS - so they won't have to be on shared grounds at Egan/Blach in portables).  Tonight, my takeaway is that the bond would be used to fund ONE new school, but we didn't get into the specifics of "for whom", or "how would the logistics work"?  For example, if this is a new school for LASD, would be BCS be getting an existing LASD school, or still be split between Blach/Egan (something that I don't think would go over very well)?  Or, if the new school is for BCS, does that mean that BCS would get new facilities, while LASD would still be overcrowded in the existing facilities?
Also, no one has ever been able to explain to me how BCS can claim that they need to have an integrated K-8 program collocated on one site when:
1. they didn't start out that way
2. LASD (i.e. the school district to which they claim to be related) doesn't have any schools like that

Many questions to be answered in the coming months, before the election, but it sounds like the polling is trending up...

Criticality of upcoming elections...

I've been feeling really good the past few months, which have meant that I haven't made any posts :)  Given the 5 year peace agreement between LASD and BCS, I was cautiously hopeful that my "posting days" may be over - and no, I'm not Joan Strong.

But now, with the upcoming elections, my peace has been interrupted, and my "concern antennae" have been piqued.  I've attempted to send "Letters to the Editor" of the Town Crier, but to date, nothing has been printed.  Hopefully, I will be able to get the word out before the election, so that the vast majority of the Los Altos voters who are not as aware of the details, are more informed voters.

Concern #1:
So, we are coming up to the election period for 3 LASD board seats, and I think that it is very important that the electorate is educated about the candidates. While parents of school-age children are probably aware, a majority of the voters in Los Altos do not fall into this category. With that being said, there are 5 candidates for three positions:
- Vladimir Ivanovich - current Gardner Bullis parent
- Tammy Logan - incumbent and former Loyola parent
- Martha McClatchie - current Bullis Charter School parent
- Sangeeth Peruri - current Covington parent
- John Swan - former Bullis Charter School founding family

I believe that it is important that all voters are aware of this, given the past 10 years of litigation by Bullis Charter School against LASD. I believe that Martha and John could be great members of the Bullis Charter board, but unfortunately the public does not have any say or vote in the BCS board's composition.  Fortunately, we do for the public LASD schools, so please make your voice heard by voting.

Concern #2:
The upcoming vote for Measure N, which I loosely describe as a $150 million bond with the intended purpose of providing a 10th site for the 10 schools for which LASD is responsible for facilities as well as a prioritized upgrading of the facilities across the district, many of which are quite outdated despite the wealth in the area, and the great results of the schools.  

LASD currently has seven elementary schools and two middle schools, but for the past 10 years has also been forced by the courts to house a charter school (BCS) chartered by Santa Clara County.  LASD has done the best that they can to house them, and have now provided facilities at both middle schools, which have more space than any of the elementary schools (for bigger kids).  Despite the fact the BCS is not chartered by LASD and LASD has only one configuration which has worked for ALL of their schools (K-6  elementary and 7-8 middle), Santa Clara and the courts have allowed BCS to create a different configuration (K-8) and fight for facilities to which no other K-6 kids in LASD have access.

There is still some serious doubt as to whether or not Measure N will pass, and the most common reason for voting 'No' has been called out as "I don't want to pay for a shiny new school for the charter.  Can't they just pay for their own, like many other charters do".

But, unfortunately, I believe that this is a classic example of "cutting off our noses to spite our faces".  The little detail that many voters are missing is the the current configuration of splitting BCS across the two middle schools isn't working.  You know, that old idea that we like to call "sharing".  So, LASD may be forced to hand over an existing elementary school site to BCS if they are not able to find/buy a new one.

Let me make this perfectly clear - BCS will probably be getting their own site within the next 5 years, whether we pass the bond, or not.  The difference will be, if we don't pass the bond, the remaining 8 LASD schools (those that do not lose their site to BCS) will most likely all be affected - i.e. 
6th graders moving up to middle school for Logistical/Space reasons, despite the fact that the district has specifically avoided this over the years for educational reasons
AND/OR
fitting 7 elementary schools' worth of kids into 6 schools - aka, many kids will be reshuffled for logistical reasons, not educational reasons

In conclusion, regarding Concern #1, I see no reason why a school that has been suing LASD for the past 10 years should have representation on the board, and many reasons why they should not.  Unfortunately, you'll notice very little information (signage, marketing, etc) which will educate the non school-age public as to Mrs McClatchie's and Mr Swan's affiliation with BCS, so I can only hope that the Los Altos voters make an informed decision.  And, regarding Measure N, the answer to "I don't want to support the charter" is NOT to not vote for the bond.  With the bond, all LASD schools AND BCS will benefit.  Without the bond, only BCS will likely benefit, and the other schools will suffer.
Please be an informed voter.

Whac a mole

I used to love playing this game at the arcade, and now I can apparently play it online.  Just today, I happened to receive an email from NextDoor -

School Board candidate Sangeeth Peruri22 Oct

Dave Yost from Heritage Oaks Park

Sangeeth just stopped by to get my vote. He succeeded. He filled me in on the innovative curriculum development happening in Los Altos K-8. Talk with him if you get a chance. He's brilliant, he's up on the latest good ideas, and he is working full time on making our district the best possible. And I gather from him that we have a wonderful superintendent in Jeffrey Baier and a lot of very engaged teachers developing a great STEM program. 

Soon thereafter, the fun and frivolity began...

School Board candidate Sangeeth Peruri22 Oct

Dave Yost from Heritage Oaks Park

Sangeeth just stopped by to get my vote. He succeeded. He filled me in on the innovative curriculum development happening in Los Altos K-8. Talk with him if you get a chance. He's brilliant, he's up on the latest good ideas, and he is working full time on making our district the best possible. And I gather from him that we have a wonderful superintendent in Jeffrey Baier and a lot of very engaged teachers developing a great STEM program.

http://SangeethPeruri.com

Sangeeth Peruri for LASD School Board

Sangeeth Peruri for LASD School Board - Why I Am Running

SANGEETHPERURI.COM

Shared with Heritage Oaks Park + 17 neighborhoods in General

THANK 1 REPLY 7

Mary thanked Dave

Rob Fagen from West Mora Drive/Zones 47-482h ago

I thought I saw some comments in the Crier website that he had some kind of FINRA filing against him and that he no longer had either his financial industry job or his license. Fiscal accountability would be important with $150 million bond at stake.

Thank Flag

Tom Fenstermacher from Heritage Oaks Park1h ago

Since Rob was so "nice" to try to share with the community, I wanted to share with you that he is founder of a radical anti-LASD group called EACH (http://www.eachstudentcounts.org).
Take his message with a grain of salt.

Edit Delete

Rob Fagen from West Mora Drive/Zones 47-481h ago

Thanks, Tom. I do believe in transparency and increasing the volume of information that we all have at our disposal in order to make decisions. Each Student Counts was founded to elevate the conversation about education in our district. The primary focus is on the efficiency and effectiveness of our elected representatives and the administration they oversee. I suppose I should also mention that I'm a BCS parent, but my interest is in making sure that each student in our district is provided with the best possible educational opportunities that are right for them.

Thank Flag

Dave Yost from Heritage Oaks Park1h ago

1. He didn't say he was currently in the financial industry, and yes there is this: http://brokercheck.finra.org/Individual/...
2. There was nothing radical or weird at all about how his views on curriculum. I'll see if I can get him to reply here.

Thank Flag

Tom Fenstermacher from Heritage Oaks Park49m ago

Rob - thanks for clarifying that you attend BCS, which is chartered by the county, not LASD.
Dave - I apologize for the confusion caused by my response, but I was referring to Rob, not Sangeeth. I believe that Sangeeth will make a great board member of LASD, and shepherd for our children.

Edit Delete

Rob Fagen from West Mora Drive/Zones 47-4837m ago

Tom, a bit of a non-sequitur on who granted the charter, since we are all taxpayers providing resources to the district. We are all in schools reliant on the trustees being efficient, effective and reliable in how those resources are distributed. We all want that distribution to be in a fair and equitable manner for all students served by the district.

Thank Flag

Tom Fenstermacher from Heritage Oaks ParkJust now

Rob - the "sequitur" is that there are 5 candidates for 3 positions on the LASD board. 3 of the candidates have children who attend, or have recently graduated from LASD schools - Sangeeth, Vladimir, and Tammy, and 2 of the candidates have children who attend, or founded, BCS - Martha, and John. Since the LASD board has no visibility into, or say about the program at BCS, I don't see how people affiliated with BCS would make good LASD board candidates.
I appreciate your concern about how the LASD board spends our tax funds, and I too hope that they continue to be as good of shepherds as they have historically, in our award winning district. Of course, the fact that BCS agreed to a 5 year hiatus on their constant barrage of lawsuits will help too :)

Looking back at your original post, I like your the subtlety of your wording. You could have said: "I co-founded a group that funds negative ads against LASD, so I am very aware of the details that we have dug up on every candidate", but you said "I thought I saw some comments in the Crier website...". Very sneaky :)

Then, after I returned from taking my visiting cousin back to the city, I looked at the thread, and poof, like the Usual Suspect, he was gone...

School Board candidate Sangeeth Peruri22 Oct

Dave Yost from Heritage Oaks Park

Sangeeth just stopped by to get my vote. He succeeded. He filled me in on the innovative curriculum development happening in Los Altos K-8. Talk with him if you get a chance. He's brilliant, he's up on the latest good ideas, and he is working full time on making our district the best possible. And I gather from him that we have a wonderful superintendent in Jeffrey Baier and a lot of very engaged teachers developing a great STEM program.

http://SangeethPeruri.com

Sangeeth Peruri for LASD School Board

Sangeeth Peruri for LASD School Board - Why I Am Running

SANGEETHPERURI.COM

Shared with Heritage Oaks Park + 17 neighborhoods in General

THANKED! 4 REPLY 5

You, Mary, Kristine and 1 other thanked Dave

Tom Fenstermacher from Heritage Oaks Park5h ago

Since Rob was so "nice" to try to share with the community, I wanted to share with you that Rob is founder of a radical anti-LASD group called EACH (http://www.eachstudentcounts.org).
Take Rob's message with a grain of salt.

Edited 38m ago

Edit Delete

Dave Yost from Heritage Oaks Park4h ago

Sanjeeth till be replying to this thread shortly, I think.

Edited 1h ago

Thank Flag

Tom Fenstermacher from Heritage Oaks Park4h ago

Rob - thanks for clarifying that you attend BCS, which is chartered by the county, not LASD.
Dave - I apologize for the confusion caused by my response, but I was referring to Rob, not Sangeeth. I believe that Sangeeth will make a great board member of LASD, and shepherd for our children.

Edit Delete

Deb and Dave thanked you

Tom Fenstermacher from Heritage Oaks Park3h ago

Rob - the "sequitur" is that there are 5 candidates for 3 positions on the LASD board. 3 of the candidates have children who attend, or have recently graduated from LASD schools - Sangeeth, Vladimir, and Tammy, and 2 of the candidates have children who attend, or founded, BCS - Martha, and John. Since the LASD board has no visibility into, or say about the program at BCS, I don't see how people affiliated with BCS would make good LASD board candidates.
I appreciate your concern about how the LASD board spends our tax funds, and I too hope that they continue to be as good of shepherds as they have historically, in our award winning district. Of course, the fact that BCS agreed to a 5 year hiatus on their constant barrage of lawsuits will help too :)

Looking back at your original post, I like your the subtlety of your wording. You could have said: "I co-founded a group that funds negative ads against LASD, so I am very aware of the details that we have dug up on every candidate", but you said "I thought I saw some comments in the Crier website...". Very sneaky :)

Edit Delete

Deb, Dave and Kitty thanked you

Dave Yost from Heritage Oaks Park1h ago

Thanks, Tom. Now I know that Vladimir, and Tammy are the other two candidates I will vote for.

Thank Flag

Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened

It's been awhile since I have posted because:
1. Fortunately the lawsuits, slander, animosity, etc has died down due to the 5 year peace accord AND
2. We've moved out of the area
At first, I was hoping that the move was a temporary year-long life experience with the family, and that we would return "home". But you know what?  I realized that living without the stresses (financial, keeping up with the joneses, seeing people with so much looking for more rather than helping others in need) of the Valley really does have its merits.
There are too many names to name (you know who you are), but I am forever thankful to the friends we made over the course of our marriage, our 2 children (who still miss the area), 9 brain surgeries, and my subsequent inability to work.
I do hope that people in the Bay Area will use their considerable talents to continue to focus on making the world a better place, and helping those in need versus making political stands and attempting to justify public subsidization of a private school under the auspices of "helping those in need".
Some laws or propositions are passed with the right intent, but lead to undesirable/unforeseen consequences.
I hope that the community can heal, and good luck.
Signed,
ForFruLasPar