From the lofty perches of the power players, in their skyboxes and bank towers, the public may look very small, almost antlike. Deal and decision makers are elevated and segregated from the little people, whose lives they influence. On Thursday, October 29, Mayor Kevin Johnson announced his "Rules of the Game" plan to build an arena and entertainment complex in Sacramento. The press conference was held 25 floors up, with a hazy overview of the city, extending from the historic rail yards to C... RaisedByTheRiver Susie Shields comment-17107 2009-11-03T06:31:26Z 2009-11-03T06:31:26Z Marion, thanks for mentioning the teachers. Though I am not a teacher, a few of my close childhood friends went to work at St. HOPE. They are some of the best people I have ever known. They were Sac High alums who wanted to help "reinvent" Sac High. Their minds were open and their hearts were hopeful and they were just stunned at what they encountered. It was nothing like they thought it would be. They left, in droves, along with many studentsbecause they felt they were lied to. The school was not what it promised it would be. It was an incredible opportunity squandered by a narrow-minded narcissist. Susie Shields 2009-11-03T06:31:26Z Marion Millin comment-17105 2009-11-03T05:14:19Z 2009-11-03T05:14:19Z I have just reread this piece. It's pretty good. With one glaring omission: ""It requires a charter organization willing to withstand withering criticism in its sensitive startup years by those tethered to the status quo" -- the "status quo" being pesky, boring stuff like: the will of the parents, voters and taxpayers (who were forced to become litigants and WON), the history, traditions and needs of the whole community and -- oh yeah -- the law." This particular Johnson related "can o' worms" is so wriggly, so squirmy, so mind bogglingly messed up, getting a grasp of the big picture can be difficult. "The will of the parents, voters and taxpayers" ought to include the TEACHERS. The oversight is lack of mention of teachers and thanks to Susie Shields and others, they are not forgotten. The legion of dedicated (the real) Sac High teachers who gave up their union jobs to follow Kevin Johnson, the Pied Piper of St. NOPE, down a very dark path until they couldn't stand it any more. Marion Millin 2009-11-03T05:14:19Z Marion Millin comment-17071 2009-11-02T22:09:25Z 2009-11-02T22:09:25Z Susie, it's a Win Win! Marion Millin 2009-11-02T22:09:25Z bbbbmer comment-17048 2009-11-02T18:17:43Z 2009-11-02T18:17:43Z Yes, I saw that in the Bee over the weekend -- let's hope this little bit of revolving-door incestuousness is revealed through a query into internal communications to see just how much work Smira or anybody else in KJ's kitch-in kabinet did on behalf of Nestle -- that is, if they already haven't somehow been 'lost'.... bbbbmer 2009-11-02T18:17:43Z Marion Millin comment-17012 2009-11-02T13:06:49Z 2009-11-02T13:06:49Z One of the suckophantlings resigned as KJ's "volunteer" on Oct. 22 and was hired by Nestle before the Oct. 25 Piatorial ink was dry. http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/17021/Top_Johnson_Advisor_Resigns_To_Work_For_Nestle Yes, at the event, Duncan appeared to be another former athlete, appointed with no experience to lead Chicago schools, cheerleader for the national movement to privatize public education. Marion Millin 2009-11-02T13:06:49Z bbbbmer comment-16998 2009-11-02T07:39:03Z 2009-11-02T07:39:03Z This is an EXCELLENT editorial piece!!! And the comments that follow it are also VERY important as well! I wonder if this whole St. Hope takeover of SacHigh was just another in a long line of ploys by Republicans and DINO's on the District board to run a test program to disenfranchise unionized teachers. And just look what a disaster they've created! There are so many objections to the continuation of St. Hope as an educational entity, and they've all been voiced far more articulately than I could ever hope to, but one that bears repeating is that St. Hope's fiscal difficulties merit a thorough investigation, for the organization has operated in the red all years save one, is very casual about the timeliness and quality of their required end of year audits (failing to report out both the emergency loans and rent forebearance on the part of the District are findable conditions), and now the Americorps findings and settlement debt, and all those pesky allegations of child sexual abuse that just won't go away.... There's been some serious harm done by this school, in addition to all of the foregoing, that all just reeks of a 'People's Temple' degree of group-think among KJ's tribe of suckups, sycophants, and siblings....and this now must be dealt with... I especially enjoyed references to the Bee's attempt last weekend, at once holding Johnson 'accountable' for his misplaced outrage at the leakage of the Teichert memo in re: the Natomas scandal, followed the next day by Pia Lopez's ridiculous and skin-deep treatment extolling the virtues of St. Hope... indicating a rather schizophrenic ed board and ed policy at Das Bee -- wouldn't you like to have transcripts of THOSE meetings!!! Also, beware of Arne Duncan -- he's a charterization freak, and a member of the 'Democrats For Education Reform', which is nothing more than a group of DINO's seeking to gut public education and what's left of teachers' unions... Let's hope he offers KJ an ineffectual foppish job in WashDC to get him out of our hair!!! bbbbmer 2009-11-02T07:39:03Z Marion Millin comment-16988 2009-11-02T03:05:15Z 2009-11-02T03:05:15Z Thanks for your work on this, Jeanne. Did you write here on SacPress to the Bee? The reason for bringing this up is the bizarre pretense that this is normal -- that there is no public high school for half the central city students and life goes on around the 800 pound gorilla in the room. I attended the Arnie Duncan education spectacle at the Tsakapoulos Galleria in August -- it was truly surreal to watch Kevin host and pretend to be all about education. It's not good it causes stomach pains but it's an indication of how disruptive, offensive and CRIMINAL this occupation of our community high school is. Marion Millin 2009-11-02T03:05:15Z Jeanne comment-16987 2009-11-02T02:37:00Z 2009-11-02T02:37:00Z Thank you for the article, Marion. I, too, wrote before the charter editorial after I saw the editorial in the Bee on Jonas Salk Middle School in the San Juan District, when they said the next installment would be on Sac High. I still literally have stomach pains when I see the illegal use of the name, the school colors, mascot, etc. by those who have NO IDEA what we had at Sac High. Then the powers that be are looking to "improve the arts" in Sacramento schools! REALLY???? They ruined VAPAC in one fell swoop by closing Sac High then not letting VAPAC continue on the site - even as a charter. Seriously. Sacramento has no high school. Jeanne 2009-11-02T02:37:00Z Susie Shields comment-16985 2009-11-02T01:16:09Z 2009-11-02T01:16:09Z I think the perfect fit for Sac Charter would be the Genesis site at the Serna Center. That way, the district could keep an eye on the shenanigans that go on at Sac Charter. The site is more suitable for their size as well. Susie Shields 2009-11-02T01:16:09Z Marion Millin comment-16984 2009-11-02T01:11:50Z 2009-11-02T01:11:50Z Well put. "If the District is not going to fulfill the court order, we should at least get Sac High back." Marion Millin 2009-11-02T01:11:50Z izzy comment-16979 2009-11-02T00:23:27Z 2009-11-02T00:23:27Z For the life of me, I cannot figure out why this school continues to exist. The charter states that the school should represent the demographics of the surrounding areas. They have failed to do that, even with the significant amount of outreach, they can't get the enrollment numbers above 950. It's a reasonable statement to suggest that they have segregated themselves. Look at the schools demographics. Additionally, according to their charter, they should be financially solvent. They are not. I really don't care about the charter itself. What I do care about is the "occupation" of that school that all of us are paying for. If the District is not going to fulfill the court order, we should at least get Sac High back. izzy 2009-11-02T00:23:27Z Marion Millin comment-16965 2009-11-01T21:22:19Z 2009-11-01T21:22:19Z Maybe the SCUSD will answer that question of "why?" and also answer the question on the status of the consent decree replacement high school. Maybe the answer to both is: give the public back their Sacramento High School and provide St. HOPE a campus more suitable for its size, perhaps the Marian Andersen campus. Marion Millin 2009-11-01T21:22:19Z Marion Millin comment-16964 2009-11-01T21:17:13Z 2009-11-01T21:17:13Z Thanks for the info Susie. How nice of you to do the Bee's job for them. "How Smoke and Mirrors Trump Red Flags," Will we ever see an informed Bee St. HOPE article or editorial based on facts? Marion Millin 2009-11-01T21:17:13Z Marion Millin comment-16963 2009-11-01T21:16:29Z 2009-11-01T21:16:29Z You're right Rhonda, there's big bucks involved. And it is part of the trend of privatization: privatizing education, maintaining privatized health care, privatizing our water (Hi Nestle!). Backing for the takeover of Sac High provided by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Marion Millin 2009-11-01T21:16:29Z Marion Millin comment-16962 2009-11-01T21:03:29Z 2009-11-01T21:03:29Z Thanks Geoff! Whatever computer gremlins were busy Halloween night chose an interesting point to clip the piece. It is the pivot point of the whole matter for me and many others, why Sac High matters and why the whole community must be aware of what has been (nearly) abandoned: "This is a school that was paid for by the taxpayers, supported by the whole community for 147 years and valued for its diverse community-building aspect. " In this most diverse of cities, the real Sac High had a unique role in bringing the community together. The continuing privatization and specialization of education has the opposite effect, segregating students and balkanizing communities. This is one of the reasons that public education was fought for and supported in the pre-Reagan era (while some chose to bail on public or urban schools), by people who considered it good common sense, good for the whole community, good for the learning experience of the students. Marion Millin 2009-11-01T21:03:29Z Susie Shields comment-16935 2009-11-01T19:15:09Z 2009-11-01T19:15:09Z This is an excellent editorial. It's refreshing to see the truth finally in print. The Bee has misinformed the public for years regarding St. HOPE. As someone who has researched this school inside and out, the complete omission of facts in the Bee's editorials is stunning. Below is the text of an email I sent them prior to the "glowing" editorial on St. HOPE. Please take the time to copy and paste the links and compare. It's shocking to see what the editors ignored. Like the SCUSD observer noted above, WHY? Dear Editors, I have been following your education pieces for some time. I appreciate you trying to take on the issues our local schools are facing. I am concerned, however, about your continued under-reporting on Sac Charter High School. For several years now, your paper has praised this school repeatedly often citing many of their "self-reported" accomplishments or their increasing test scores without looking at the problems the school has. While all may look well on the surface, if you dig deeper, all is not well. I have included several links from the CDE. The reason I have done this is I want you to compare the old public Sac High with the current charter school. I want you to see that while the school is helping some children, it fails many others - usually those who need the most help like English Language Learners. PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO REVIEW THESE LINKS. THEY ARE EYE-OPENING AND THEY ARE FACT. Below is a link to show the trend of ELL students at the former Sacramento High School the last years it was open. This is a time-series graph so it may be helpful to print it so you can compare it to the other graph below this one. http://data1.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/lc/NumberElSchool.asp?Level=School&cName=SACRAMENTO^HIGH&cCode=3437555&cDName=SACRAMENTO%20CITY&cDCode=3467439&TheYear=2002-03 Now, please compare the numbers at the charter school today by clicking the link below. http://data1.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/lc/NumberElSchool.asp?Level=School&cName=SACRAMENTO^CHARTER^H&cCode=0102038&cDName=SACRAMENTO%20CITY&cDCode=3467439&TheYear=2008-09 The decrease is astonishing. I don't think any inner city school has such a low ELL group. Oak Park is filled with ELL families. Is this school really serving the neediest students? Below is the link for the enrollment for the original public high school http://data1.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/DQ/EnrTimeRptSch.aspx?cYear=2002-03&Level=School&cName=SACRAMENTO+HIGH&cCode=3437555&dCode=3467439 Below is the link for the enrollment for the charter school http://data1.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/DQ/EnrTimeRptSch.aspx?cYear=2002-03&Level=School&cName=SACRAMENTO+CHARTER+H&cCode=0102038&dCode=3467439 Where has everyone gone? They leave in large numbers every year. It's a trend. Below is a link that shows dropouts by exit code. More students transferred out of the charter than graduated. That's unbelievable. http://data1.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/DropoutReporting/ExitsByCode.aspx?cDistrictName=SACRAMENTO%20CHARTER%20H&cCountyCode=34&cDistrictCode=3467439&cSchoolCode=0102038&Level=School&cYear=2007-08&cAggSum=Random Next, the school has resegregated itself by design. In Sept of 2007, their website specifically stated they were focused on minority students. Now, the school lacks diversity. It doesn't reflect the community it promised to serve. Ethnic breakdown at the old Sac High 2002/03. Please print and compare with the ethnic breakdown today. http://data1.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/SchEnr.asp?TheName=sacr&cSelect=SACRAMENTO%5EHIGH--SACRAMENTO%5ECITY--3467439-3437555&cChoice=SchEnrEth&cYear=2002-03&cLevel=School&cTopic=Enrollment&myTimeFrame=S&submit1=Submit Today http://data1.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/SchEnr.asp?TheName=sacr&cSelect=SACRAMENTO%5ECHARTER%5EH--SACRAMENTO%5ECITY--3467439-0102038&cChoice=SchEnrEth&cYear=2008-09&cLevel=School&cTopic=Enrollment&myTimeFrame=S&submit1=Submit Lastly, I would like you to note the truancy rate. It's way HIGHER compared to the rest of the district. http://data1.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/Expulsion/ExpReports/SchoolExp.aspx?cYear=2008-09&cChoice=SchExp1&cCounty=34&cDistrict=3467439--Sacramento+City&cNumber=0102038&cName=Sacramento+Charter+H These are all red flags in my opinion. No one, not even your researchers, ackowledge the red flags. I would appreciate it if you would take the time to review these facts before your write an editorial based on smoke and mirrors. Your readers deserve to be informed, truly, with all the facts. Thank you for your time. Susie Shields Susie Shields 2009-11-01T19:15:09Z Rhonda Erwin comment-16932 2009-11-01T18:47:34Z 2009-11-01T18:47:34Z very informative/ excellent article. Charter schools = money and if the students achieve well that's just a perk not an objective. Where their is money their appears Mayor Johnson. It was never about the education of our children. It was always about money. We have a mayor so busy looking at money AND NOT LOOKING AT PEOPLE. Let's look at his task force, let's look at his special assistants, advisors...they are their to find the money. Our little leprechaun-Johnson so busy looking for the pot of gold failing to see everyday people. Heck, if I want mayor Johnson's attention I need to trick or treat covering myself with money and attend city hall sessions- or come dressed like a grant writer. Just like with the homeland secuirty dollars for cameras-- it' ALL ABOUT MONEY for him NOT people. He rushed in with the arts iniatiative because their was money to be had. Mayor Johnson is simply following the money and NOT the people. Mayor Johnson takes the money and then lets the people fix the mess it created. If their were no money in charter schools WE'D have less charter schools and sac high would never became a charter school. Thank you for the article I am interested in learning more on this issue. We put corporations in schools, corporations in government.... this is one nation under God but perhaps we should have the words, "In corporations we trust" on our money....with so many worshiping corporations and dismissing the people... I JUST LOVE THE TITLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rhonda Erwin 2009-11-01T18:47:34Z SCUSDObserver comment-16928 2009-11-01T16:39:29Z 2009-11-01T16:39:29Z To add to this excellent editorial...St. Hope Corporation has been given carte blanche to house elementary school students with middle school students with high school students with adult ed. students and the enrollment at this facility is STILL no where near it's capacity. Combine this uncomfortable truth with the fact that St. Hope Corporation owes the district at least a million dollars in back rent and the logical question is WHY? The school board has still not answered that question. Why? With open enrollment right around the corner, many parents of central city high school students will be scrambling to find a place in the public system. There is plenty of space at the facility that used to be Sacramento High School which is now a charter school run by a corporation. The logical solution is to offer a facilities use agreement to St. Hope to operate at another SCUSD facility -- one that more suitably matches their enrollment numbers. http://scusdobserver.blogspot.com/ SCUSDObserver 2009-11-01T16:39:29Z Geoff Samek comment-16897 2009-11-01T09:15:23Z 2009-11-01T09:15:23Z Fixed. Geoff Samek 2009-11-01T09:15:23Z Marion Millin comment-16893 2009-11-01T06:45:26Z 2009-11-01T06:45:26Z Continued: Article cut off, maybe SacPress will edit? This is a school that was paid for by the taxpayers, supported by the whole community for 147 years and valued for its diverse community-building aspect. This is a school that Sacramentans previously voted to approve bond funds, for renovations intended to serve the whole community, that ended up providing Johnson's boutique charter a $27 million renovation. This is a campus that belongs to the whole community, which is owed a consent decree high school after parents sued over the St. HOPE takeover. This is a school that cannot justify its presence on the community's historic, upgraded, public high school campus without fudging the statistics, without cherry picking its student body, without the enabling of the local media and without excluding thousands of SCUSD students every year (including student families in Oak Park, who prefer a comprehensive, traditional public school to the St. HOPE charter). This is a school that owes the SCUSD $1,000,000 because it can't pay its bills. So, who is really getting the "dismissive brush-off from influential parts of the community"? The highly insular, media fortified, privatized outpost of St. HOPE, squatting on the Sac High campus and the mayor with his lofty sky box view? Or is it that vast, diverse Tent City of displaced high school students, spread out as far as the eye can see, spelling out the words, "Where's my High School"? The bank tower skybox elites care about the bottom line. They are not accountable to -- or even aware of -- the community experience on the ground level. It is up to the community to make sure that this mayor is not so blinded by the haze of powerful influence and the sport of politics, that he overlooks his duty to the the families and future of Sacramento. Marion Millin 2009-11-01T06:45:26Z