When a group of citizens in Chula Vista tried not long ago to divide the district into geographic areas, the Chula Vista Elementary school board actually paid tax dollars to hire a lawyer to fight the plan. This startled me because I didn't think elected officials were allowed to use public resources for political purposes. Then the San Diego County Office of Education stepped in and nixed the idea. Apparently SDCOE is now worried (as well it should be) that it might have made CVESD and Sweetwater districts vulnerable to lawsuits.
See all posts on CVESD trustee areas.
The Face of Local School Boards Could Be Remade
Voice of San Diego
May 5, 2010
By EMILY ALPERT
School districts in San Diego County are eyeing legal threats across the state as cautionary tales that could prompt big changes in the way school boards are elected, spurring them to pick leaders from specific areas rather than the district as a whole.
The threats have already generated buzz at the San Diego County Office of Education, which hosted a meeting in April with school district officials from across the region to talk about whether local school systems could be vulnerable to similar, potentially costly suits.
A case last year in Madera, a small city northwest of Fresno, argued that Latino voters were drowned out and disadvantaged by citywide elections there, which put all candidates up before all voters. Such elections can put governments in hot water under the California Voting Rights Act if challengers can prove that there are clear racial patterns in voting that drown out distinct groups.
Advocates say that if more school boards follow Madera and change their ways, they have a better chance of becoming as racially diverse as the cities they cover.
"You're going to see the face of school boards literally changed," said Robert Rubin, an attorney whose San Francisco firm brought the case...
Showing posts with label CVESD trustee areas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CVESD trustee areas. Show all posts
Thursday, May 06, 2010
Monday, January 21, 2008
Three school boards stilled the public's voice
San Diego Union Tribune SOUTH EDITION
January 19, 2008
Three school boards stilled the public's voice
[Chula Vista Elementary, Sweetwater Union High, San Diego County Office of Education]
EDITORIAL
Click HERE to see original editorial.
It is quite disappointing when citizens are thwarted from participating in the democratic process.
That was the case when the county Board of Education, in a 3-2 vote, blocked the public's voice from being heard. The entrenched bureaucracies and officeholders of the Sweetwater Union High and Chula Vista Elementary school districts were guilty as well. They threatened legal action to block citizens from having a say.
At issue was a proposal to change the way school board elections are held in the two districts. Currently, candidates must run for a specific seat number, which has no relationship to anything.
Under the proposed change, candidates would run for a seat representing a specific neighborhood, a portion of the district, but would be voted upon districtwide.
The change was proposed to encourage geographic diversity. Each neighborhood would be guaranteed a representative on the board. Chula Vista Elementary is the largest elementary district in the state yet all five trustees live in the same Bonita neighborhood. Sweetwater's situation is similar.
Change proponents presented petitions asking the county board to put the issue on the November ballot. There are three ways to qualify such measures for the ballot, and this proposal met all conditions for doing so at the discretion of the county board.
Instead, school district attorneys Bonifacio Garcia and Jack Parham, who don't even live in the San Diego region, threatened legal action against the county. Even if Garcia and Parham acted pro bono, the implication was clear: Taxpayer resources could be used to keep taxpayers from having a voice.
County trustee Susan Hartley voted against the proposal, finding fault with neighborhood maps attached to the petitions (a non-issue since the county would be tasked with drawing the actual maps). The number of petitions submitted met the standard for this option, yet board President Robert Watkins voted against, saying he preferred signatures of 10 percent of the registered voters. (What, to make the process even more costly?)
There are a number of ways to conduct school board elections. Most common is the open election, with say the top two vote-getters of seven candidates elected. This can pit incumbent against incumbent, something that never happens in the imaginary seat-number system used by Sweetwater and Chula Vista. San Diego Unified has a primary to select the top two vote-getters in a neighborhood. They run system-wide in the general.
County trustee Nick Aguilar, who voted for the proposed change, said there was no compelling reason not to put it on the November ballot. He called the rejection “abhorrent” and “undemocratic.”
Fitting adjectives, those. And why are two school districts so afraid of allowing the public to speak?
We hope the proponents don't give up. If they recirculate new petitions without maps, trustee Hartley, if she is a person of her word, would be honor bound to vote for the proposal. Obtain signatures of 10 percent of the registered voters and forget about trustee Watkins – he will simply be an irrelevant obstacle to the democratic process.
This issue is really about community empowerment. Sadly, neither South Bay jurisdiction has it.
Would it be acceptable for all five county supervisors to reside in Rancho Santa Fe? Or for eight La Jolla residents to comprise the San Diego City Council? Hardly. Neither should geographic isolation be acceptable in the Sweetwater and Chula Vista districts.
January 19, 2008
Three school boards stilled the public's voice
[Chula Vista Elementary, Sweetwater Union High, San Diego County Office of Education]
EDITORIAL
Click HERE to see original editorial.
It is quite disappointing when citizens are thwarted from participating in the democratic process.
That was the case when the county Board of Education, in a 3-2 vote, blocked the public's voice from being heard. The entrenched bureaucracies and officeholders of the Sweetwater Union High and Chula Vista Elementary school districts were guilty as well. They threatened legal action to block citizens from having a say.
At issue was a proposal to change the way school board elections are held in the two districts. Currently, candidates must run for a specific seat number, which has no relationship to anything.
Under the proposed change, candidates would run for a seat representing a specific neighborhood, a portion of the district, but would be voted upon districtwide.
The change was proposed to encourage geographic diversity. Each neighborhood would be guaranteed a representative on the board. Chula Vista Elementary is the largest elementary district in the state yet all five trustees live in the same Bonita neighborhood. Sweetwater's situation is similar.
Change proponents presented petitions asking the county board to put the issue on the November ballot. There are three ways to qualify such measures for the ballot, and this proposal met all conditions for doing so at the discretion of the county board.
Instead, school district attorneys Bonifacio Garcia and Jack Parham, who don't even live in the San Diego region, threatened legal action against the county. Even if Garcia and Parham acted pro bono, the implication was clear: Taxpayer resources could be used to keep taxpayers from having a voice.
County trustee Susan Hartley voted against the proposal, finding fault with neighborhood maps attached to the petitions (a non-issue since the county would be tasked with drawing the actual maps). The number of petitions submitted met the standard for this option, yet board President Robert Watkins voted against, saying he preferred signatures of 10 percent of the registered voters. (What, to make the process even more costly?)
There are a number of ways to conduct school board elections. Most common is the open election, with say the top two vote-getters of seven candidates elected. This can pit incumbent against incumbent, something that never happens in the imaginary seat-number system used by Sweetwater and Chula Vista. San Diego Unified has a primary to select the top two vote-getters in a neighborhood. They run system-wide in the general.
County trustee Nick Aguilar, who voted for the proposed change, said there was no compelling reason not to put it on the November ballot. He called the rejection “abhorrent” and “undemocratic.”
Fitting adjectives, those. And why are two school districts so afraid of allowing the public to speak?
We hope the proponents don't give up. If they recirculate new petitions without maps, trustee Hartley, if she is a person of her word, would be honor bound to vote for the proposal. Obtain signatures of 10 percent of the registered voters and forget about trustee Watkins – he will simply be an irrelevant obstacle to the democratic process.
This issue is really about community empowerment. Sadly, neither South Bay jurisdiction has it.
Would it be acceptable for all five county supervisors to reside in Rancho Santa Fe? Or for eight La Jolla residents to comprise the San Diego City Council? Hardly. Neither should geographic isolation be acceptable in the Sweetwater and Chula Vista districts.
Monday, December 24, 2007
CVESD board members use public funds to fight grassroots "trustee area" campaign
Is this legal? Are school board members allowed to use public resources to affect elections?
Is Pamela Dempsey of Parham & Rajcic the lawyer who is being paid to do this?
Here is a quote from the minutes of a recent CVESD board meeting:
CHULA VISTA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT
MINUTES
BOARD OF EDUCATION
Regular Meeting
November 13, 2007
7 P.M.
"...President López recessed to public session at 8:47 p.m and reported the following: The Board directed Legal Counsel to take all steps necessary to avoid litigation while educating the County Committee of the negative repercussion of the political actions related to the Petition for Trustee Areas..."
http://www.cvesd.k12.ca.us/cvesd/schoolboard/boarddocs/pdf/minutes11132007.pdf
Is Pamela Dempsey of Parham & Rajcic the lawyer who is being paid to do this?
Here is a quote from the minutes of a recent CVESD board meeting:
CHULA VISTA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT
MINUTES
BOARD OF EDUCATION
Regular Meeting
November 13, 2007
7 P.M.
"...President López recessed to public session at 8:47 p.m and reported the following: The Board directed Legal Counsel to take all steps necessary to avoid litigation while educating the County Committee of the negative repercussion of the political actions related to the Petition for Trustee Areas..."
http://www.cvesd.k12.ca.us/cvesd/schoolboard/boarddocs/pdf/minutes11132007.pdf
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Russell and Alice Coronado's message regarding "trustee areas" in Chula Vista Elementary (CVESD) and Sweetwater Union High School Districts (SUHSD)
MARK YOUR CALENDARS: January 9th (4:00pm) at 6401 Linda Vista Road, San Diego, CA, 92111 (County Office of Education Board Room)!
Click here for more information.
The San Diego County Board of Education (Committee on School District Organization) will hold a special meeting at 4:00 PM on Wednesday, January 9, 2008, to consider the grassroots proposals for geographic "Trustee Areas" for the school boards of Chula Vista Elementary School District and Sweetwater Union High School District. The Board MAY VOTE AT THIS MEETING WHETHER OR NOT TO PLACE THE PROPOSALS ON THE NOVEMBER 2008 BALLOT!
IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO SHARE YOUR OPINION WITH THE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION! You may send a letter of support (instructions below) or ATTEND THE JANUARY 9 MEETING TO SPEAK TO THE BOARD!
As you know, our two school boards currently have 8 of their 10 members residing in the Bonita area! If "trustee areas" are adopted by South County voters at a future election, the Western, Southern and Central areas of these 2 HUGE Districts would be guaranteed to ALSO have a school board member residing in their communities, in addition to the Northern and Eastern areas of the Districts where ALL 10 of the school board members currently reside!
NOTE: The County Office of Education would be responsible for officially mapping each school district into 5 equally proportionate population-based "trustee areas" prior to placing the items on the ballot for a public vote. Voters from the entire school district would still vote for the candidate of their choice from each trustee area (as required by Education Code). A candidate seeking election to the school board would compete against residents of their same general community, allowing for a more FAIR COMPETITION than the current system allows.
THE COUNTY BOARD NEEDS TO KNOW IF YOU WANT TO SEE THIS PROPOSAL PLACED ON THE BALLOT!
You can E-MAIL the County Board of Education Members ("Committee on School District Organization") directly at the listed emails:
Nick Aguilar, Board Member, Second District
phone: (858) 292-3609 email: naguilar@sdcoe.net
Sharon C. Jones, Board Member, Third District
Phone: (858) 292-3609 Email: shrnjones@sdcoe.net
Susan Hartley, Board Member, Fifth District
phone: (858) 292-3609 email: shartley@sdcoe.net
Robert J. Watkins, Board Member, Fourth District
phone: (858) 292-3609 email: bwatkins@rjwatkins.com
John Witt, Board Member, First District
phone: (858) 292-3609 email: jwitt@sdcoe.net
- OR -
MAIL the County Committee (County Board of Education)...see attached word document.
(One signed letter with all board member names listed is fine; you can put a little note asking the secretary to copy the letter for each board member.)
ADDRESS THE ENVELOPE AS FOLLOWS:
Marcia Buompensiero, Executive Assistant
San Diego County Board of Education
6401 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111-7399
- OR -
If you wish to CALL and leave a message for the Board members, contact:
Marcia Buompensiero, Executive Assistant to the Board, Phone: (858) 292-3515, mbuompensiero@sdcoe.net
WWW.SCCFEA.COM
(South County Community for Educational Accountability)
akcoronado@cox.net
Click here for more information.
The San Diego County Board of Education (Committee on School District Organization) will hold a special meeting at 4:00 PM on Wednesday, January 9, 2008, to consider the grassroots proposals for geographic "Trustee Areas" for the school boards of Chula Vista Elementary School District and Sweetwater Union High School District. The Board MAY VOTE AT THIS MEETING WHETHER OR NOT TO PLACE THE PROPOSALS ON THE NOVEMBER 2008 BALLOT!IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO SHARE YOUR OPINION WITH THE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION! You may send a letter of support (instructions below) or ATTEND THE JANUARY 9 MEETING TO SPEAK TO THE BOARD!
As you know, our two school boards currently have 8 of their 10 members residing in the Bonita area! If "trustee areas" are adopted by South County voters at a future election, the Western, Southern and Central areas of these 2 HUGE Districts would be guaranteed to ALSO have a school board member residing in their communities, in addition to the Northern and Eastern areas of the Districts where ALL 10 of the school board members currently reside!
NOTE: The County Office of Education would be responsible for officially mapping each school district into 5 equally proportionate population-based "trustee areas" prior to placing the items on the ballot for a public vote. Voters from the entire school district would still vote for the candidate of their choice from each trustee area (as required by Education Code). A candidate seeking election to the school board would compete against residents of their same general community, allowing for a more FAIR COMPETITION than the current system allows.
THE COUNTY BOARD NEEDS TO KNOW IF YOU WANT TO SEE THIS PROPOSAL PLACED ON THE BALLOT!
You can E-MAIL the County Board of Education Members ("Committee on School District Organization") directly at the listed emails:
Nick Aguilar, Board Member, Second District
phone: (858) 292-3609 email: naguilar@sdcoe.net
Sharon C. Jones, Board Member, Third District
Phone: (858) 292-3609 Email: shrnjones@sdcoe.net
Susan Hartley, Board Member, Fifth District
phone: (858) 292-3609 email: shartley@sdcoe.net
Robert J. Watkins, Board Member, Fourth District
phone: (858) 292-3609 email: bwatkins@rjwatkins.com
John Witt, Board Member, First District
phone: (858) 292-3609 email: jwitt@sdcoe.net
- OR -
MAIL the County Committee (County Board of Education)...see attached word document.
(One signed letter with all board member names listed is fine; you can put a little note asking the secretary to copy the letter for each board member.)
ADDRESS THE ENVELOPE AS FOLLOWS:
Marcia Buompensiero, Executive Assistant
San Diego County Board of Education
6401 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111-7399
- OR -
If you wish to CALL and leave a message for the Board members, contact:
Marcia Buompensiero, Executive Assistant to the Board, Phone: (858) 292-3515, mbuompensiero@sdcoe.net
WWW.SCCFEA.COM
(South County Community for Educational Accountability)
akcoronado@cox.net
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