The North County Times is to be appreciated for its coverage of school issues in north county that the San Diego Union Tribune doesn't cover. I'm not sure if the SDUT is simply not interested in the issues, or if it wants to protect school officials from embarrassment.
But the NCT article about last Thursday's Vista Unified School District (VUSD) board meeting doesn't mention that school attorney Daniel Shinoff made a rare appearance at the open session, sitting with the board until late at night (about 11:30 p.m.). Perhaps Mr. Shinoff and his supporters wanted to prove that he's not cowering in shame after the recent Voice of San Diego article about him. (It's too bad the taxpayers have to pay so much for his time if it was just a publicity stunt.) On the other hand, perhaps the board wanted him to be there to defend them from angry parents.
The article below fails to mention the fact that a large number of parents were at the meeting to voice their concern about an issue other than class size: the Lindamood-Bell program.
Many parents want the Lindamood-Bell program to continue, but the teachers union and parents of advanced students want to get rid of it. It seems that teachers don't want to do the training for the program, and neither do they want people who have done the training--but do not have teaching credentials--operating the program. Many parents object to the district's turning down a large federal grant for Lindamood-Bell, particularly since the program is designed to help students with problems in reading and English learners.
VISTA: Complaint alleges 3 school board trustees held secret meeting
Trio says they didn't violate state law
North County Times
By STACY BRANDT
March 6, 2009
VISTA ---- A complaint filed Friday accuses three Vista Unified School District trustees of violating state open meetings laws, then voting to reverse an earlier board decision to increase class sizes.
The accusation came to light Thursday when Trustee Jim Gibson questioned whether three of his fellow board members ---- Carol Herrera, Elizabeth Jaka and Angela Chunka ---- met privately a week earlier with teachers union leaders to discuss the issue.
Gibson said the private meeting took place just after the Vista school board held its public meeting Feb. 26 and voted the first time on the class-size proposal. The board's approval of the plan meant that as many as 120 teachers would be laid off.
The three trustees said they were at Herrera's home after the meeting, but did not discuss the vote. Herrera said that she left the room when the other two arrived, realizing it would be a violation of state law to talk about district business.
"I knew that it was inappropriate, if only by perception and appearance," she said Friday.
Silvia Peters, a community activist who frequents Vista Unified meetings, filed the complaint Friday with the district board. She threatened to take the matter to court if the board didn't resolve it within 30 days.
"This kind of stuff has got to stop," Peters said Friday. "What they're doing is limiting public participation."
Peter Scheer, executive director of the California First Amendment Coalition, said the get-together wouldn't violate the state's open meeting law, known as the Ralph M. Brown Act, unless the three trustees discussed district matters...
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