The tally as of 3:18pm this afternoon...

RANDALL T. FREEMAN 5,905 20.12%
RON ULIBARRI 5,621 19.16%
JERRY BOWMAN 5,339 18.19%
VICTOR GIARDINELLI 5,276 17.98%
PHOEBA A. IREY 5,068 17.27%
MANOLITO V. VITUG 2,135 7.28%

That's with 76 out of 76 precints reporting.

Considering the registrar of voters likely has more mail-in ballots and provisional ballots to count, it may take another month to count everything, considering Riverside County had a 50% voter turn out.

But I think it's safe to say that Freeman and Ulibarri have cemented their victories. It's still reasonable that Giardinelli could overcome Bowman depending on what the other ballots come up with. However, after monitoring the updates throughout the day, I've noticed Bowman extending his lead over Giardinelli little-by-little.

And based on your comments below, it sounds like Giardinelli and Irey lost their seats due to their incumbency. The budget problems we've had at Menifee Union was largely the fault of Sacramento, and even of Washington DC with the foreclosure mess. You could also say that Barack Obama's theme of "change" drew out voters that would have otherwise stayed home, and those people could have very well extended that theme against incumbents on the school board.

For those of you who voted for school board, I'd love to hear from you on what motivated you to vote for candidates you chose.

Labels: Menifee-Union-School-District

I got together with the folks from Menifee Live, to produce some video interviews of the candidates running for Menifee Union school board. Five of the six candidates agreed to do the interviews, with Victor Giardinelli declining.

The goal of the video interviews was to let you see the candidates, hear them, and observe their personalities, mannerisms, body language, and anything else you can't get from reading an article. The idea is to help you get a sense of the real person behind the name. And since most of Menifee missed the Candidates Forum last week, this will let you see and hear the candidates on your own time.

Much of the work in arranging the interviews, taping, editing, and producing the videos was done by Menifee Live. I was just the guy reading off the questions.

Click on an image to start a video...

Manolito Vitug

Randall Freeman

Jerry Bowman

Phoeba Irey

Ron Ulibarri

Labels: Menifee-Union-School-District

Five of the six candidates for Menifee Union School District board showed up this evening for the scheduled public forum hosted by the local PTA. Victor Giardinelli couldn't appear due to laryngitis.

The forum was held in a format similar to the "town hall" format, where candidates took turn answering questions from the public. Betti Cadmus, the district's public information officer, moderated the event.

The meeting was sparsely attended. I counted about 30 people in the audience, and of that number about 10-12 were actually parents. Most of those parents were part of the PTA hosting the event. I think I counted only two parents who were not PTA. The other 20 or so people in the audience were employees of the school district.

I wasn't able to find out if all 20 of the employees lived in Menifee or not; it could very well be that some of them don't live in the district and may not even be eligible to vote.

The forum fielded only a total of five questions. I don't know how many of those questions were asked on the standpoint of being a parent, versus the standpoint of being an employee. But considering that much of the audience were district employees, it could very well be that some questions, if not all, were asked on the standpoint of being an employee.

Combine that with the possibility that some of those employees may not be elgible to vote in this district, I'm not really certain this forum allowed candidates to differentiate themselves from each other in the minds of parents.

It also didn't help that this forum coincided with the last Presidential Debate.

Questions and Statements

Below are the questions answers from the forum. Please take care to note that these are not the candidates actual answers, they're just my summaries and paraphrases. The only recording equipment I was able to bring with me was my pen and notepad, and therefore had to abbreviate everything to keep up...

Candidate Opening Statements

Jerry Bowman - Cited his 30 years experience in education, Masters Degree in Arts. Works as a consultant with other school districts helping them facilitate their professional learning communities. Is a US Army Vet. Says he wants to address the "whole student", meaning addressing not just their education, but helping develop their life experiences, future needs. Wants to put students first.

Randall Freeman - Cited his achievements as a leader in the local Masonic Lodge in relation to assisting the local schools. Cited his experience raising four daughters, three of them being triplets. Has taught at Val Verde School District for 20 years, and taught kindergarten for 10 years. Is the only teacher with a National Board Teacher Certification. Is working towards a doctorate towards childhood education.

Pheoba Irey - Cited her experience as a reading teacher in several states. Says she believes we have an excellent school district. Stated during her tenure as school board member, the district saw three of its schools become California Distinguished Schools. Helped the unification effort, campaigned for single track, and continue her goals for excellence in education the next four years.

Ron Ulibarri - Cited his eight years experience as a teacher, and his owning a local real estate business. Says he knows the teachers here and that helps him develop a good sense of what MUSD is. Says he has a willingness to make the district the best district in south west Riverside County. He mentioned that as a real estate broker, his clients always tell him that they're buying a home in Murrieta or Temecula because the schools are so much better there. That made him want to improve Menifee schools. Wants to pay more attention to student needs, focus on the basics, and not be too "test oriented".

Manolito Vitug - Cited his long experience working in the banking industry. Now teaches finance management at Mt San Jacinto College. Also volunteers as a reading tutor through the MUSD "Great" program. He wants to establish a revenue generating center within the school district to bring about financial stability. He wants to put more emphasis on developing the "human qualities" in children, such as Honesty and Duty, through the arts and sciences.

Questions

1. How will you better facilitate communication between board members and parents?

Bowman - Cited more timely updates on the district's website, namely publishing minutes and agenda online. Said board members need to attend more civic meetings. Assured the audience that he's very reachable via phone or e-mail.

Freeman - Says board members should always be reachable via e-mail, and that the district should have a series of recorded messages on the phone system. Members should be out in the community more often, and cited Victor Giardinelli as a good example. Says he thinks the district already does a pretty good of communicating to the public. Can make better use of the district's website.

Irey - Said during her tenure they've made the district website much more informative, and will continue to work hard at improving communication.

Ulibarri - Said the current practice of sending kids home with important communication to parents doesn't seem a sound idea. Board members need to get out into the public more often, and be more "hands on". Mentioned to need to be recognized by students; many students don't even know who the board members are.

Vitug - Cited his experience working in banks, where he would talk to the employees on the front lines, and called for something similar within the school district.

2. Which area of the district's services is untouchable in terms of balancing the school's budget?

Freeman - "The closer to the classroom, the more untouchable". Cited that 85% of a school's budget is related to personnel. Look at what services affect the students the least. Is hesitant to cut class size reduction, though noted that large classrooms are a reality. His current kindergarten class has 30 kids.

Irey - Cited last Spring's budget cuts as being a tough thing to deal with. Said that she fought to save the music program because music is what makes our district very unique. Will not cut music at all. Will not cut class size reduction. Will not cut services that impact test scores the most.

Ulibarri - Agreed with Irey on the music program. Says dealing with budget constraints is very tough. Mentioned that busing will likely be the first to go. Ulibarri largely answered this the opposite way, by citing what he'd cut first, instead of what he would not touch.

Vitug - Admitted to having little experience with school budgets. But said would draw upon the administration and the people on the front lines (teachers, parents), to assist in determining what services to keep and cut. Vitug went on to describe his process of learning, to arrive at solutions.

Bowman - Said he would look at what affects the students the least. The last thing to cut is teacher's salaries. Busing might be the first think to look at. Bowman gave very direct answers, cutting right to the chase.

3. If the California Department of Education does not approve the recently submitted Unification proposal, would you go back to the drawing board and craft a proposal that would include the unification of the Romoland Union School District, the Menifee Union School District, and part of Perris Union High School District to include Paloma Valley High School, Heritage High School, and a future third high school the City of Menifee? Why, or why not?

Irey - "No." Said she would not do this again. Cited her exhaustive efforts to get the current unification proposal to the state. Though she would help lobby for a second attempt, and support one, but would not personally involve herself in a second one. Said, "I'm too old for it".

Ulibarri - Said "yes", claiming we have to be the best we can be; always shoot for the top. Cited the current district administration as being highly skilled and reliable enough that there's no reason we can't submit a second proposal.

Vitug - Said we should look at this on a fiscal and academic standpoint, and determine if a second proposal makes sense. If so, he'll help make it happen.

Bowman - Yes he'll do a second proposal. Said the future population will be about quadruple what it is today. It's not a matter of if unification will happen, but when.

Freeman - Yes, he'd do a second proposal. Said that Fred Twyman asked him to run for school board because Freeman's support for unification is very outspoken.

(Note, none of the candidates really answered the question of unifying the Romoland, Menifee, and Perris High School districts, but only support unification in general).

4. What plans do you have to improve special education, and what specific programs will you implement?

Ulibarri - Said he didn't have experience in special education, so may not be qualified to answer.

Vitug - Said he didn't know, but feels special education is very vital to the community.

Bowman - Said it's hard to discuss specific programs, but described his process of defining the needs of special education students in our community. Also said special education should be part of the district's general program.

Freeman - "Special needs children are still children." "They are still entitled to an education as any other child". Said we must address their education needs.

Irey - "Special needs children have special needs." Described the "full inclusion program", where special needs children are integrated with the rest of the students to make them feel a part of the community.

5. Will you address the need of classified employees. What makes you the best candidate to represent the needs of classified employees?

Vitug - They are part of the overall program. "Sometimes it's the screw or bolt that keeps the wheel from turning".

Bowman - Says the entire education system needs its classified employees.

Freeman - Said classified employees are what makes the school district run. Cited an old saying, "When you go to a new school, make friends with the custodian not the principal".

Irey - Said she's most qualified because she's married to a classified employee. Said she used to sweep floors with him just so that she could be with him. Said she feels like a classified employee because of that.

Ulibarri - Said he used to be a classified employee at the Murrieta district as a campus supervisor. Said the district would fall apart without its classified employees.

Closing Statements

Jerry Bowman - All decisions made by the school board should be made on the "whole student". Wants to work towards future expansion, ensure financial well-being, and unification. Said transportation should be an immediate issue. Wants all students to get an equal and quality education. Will listen to the community.

Randall Freeman - Wants to implement a full time kindergarten in Menifee Union, and went on to cite its need and benefits. Also expressed his admiration for Victor Giardinelli, and recommended voters to make him their first choice.

Phoeba Irey - Said will keep an eye on the public's money, she will look out for you, and fight for what's right.

Ron Ulibarri - Said he's here to serve. "I love Menifee" "I've always served". Want to make Menifee Union the top district in south west Riverside County. Cited the need for unification. Said that many parents tend to reside in Murrieta because the high schools there are so strong in sports, therefore if we get Paloma Valley High, and can improve its sports program, families will want to move here instead.

Vitug - Cited the current economic situation with the mortgage crisis and the $700 billion bailout. Instead of waiting to see what happens, he wants to make Menifee Union economically self-sufficient instead of being subject to the state budget shortfalls. Said he wants to put more focus on "human virtues", turning children into better adults by giving them a sense of honesty and trustworthiness. He said while most of his family are Americans by birth, he's an American by choice. He wants to serve his community as a way of giving back.

Labels: Menifee-Union-School-District

The Menifee Union School District is seeking volunteers to serve on its 2008 Bond Oversight Committee. The committee will oversee the spending of the District's recently passed $31.46 million bond to ensure funds are spent only for purposes set forth in the ballot measure.

A minimum of seven volunteers are needed for the group, which should include at least one person in the following categories:

1. One member active in a business organization representing the business community located within the District



2. One member shall be active in a senior citizens' organization



3. One member shall be active in a bona fide taxpayers organization



4. One member shall be the parent or guardian of a child enrolled in the District



5. One member shall be both a parent or guardian of a child enrolled in the District and active in a PTA organization or school site council

Volunteers (who'll serve without pay) must be 18 years old, serve a minimum of two years, attend quarterly meetings and assist in providing an annual report of expenditures to the school board. No employee, vendor, or contractor of the District is eligible to serve on the Committee.

Interested individuals should submit their letter of interest and a resume of qualifications by December 1, 2008 to:

Mr. Bruce Shaw
Director of Facilities
Menifee Union School District
30205 Menifee Road
Menifee, CA 92584

For more information, please contact the District Office at 951-672-1851.

Labels: Bond-Measures, Menifee-Union-School-District

Tonight was the first night of open house on the proposed middle school boundary changes, this one being held at Bell Mountain Middle School.

There are four proposals being promoted, and the school district allowed parents to come in and look at them, and talk to district staff. Superintendent Linda Callway was there making herself available to any parent with questions. Also there taking questions was Assistant Superintendent Gil Compton.

I met with Compton and asked him the rationale for the four different proposals. That is, I wanted to know the thinking that went into figuring how they drew the proposed boundary lines for each of the four proposals.

Click the link below to see all four proposals (it will open up a separate browser window)...

http://www.menifeeusd.org/fil_files/362.pdf

Basically, proposals #9 and #11 are drawn on existing elementary school lines. This seemed to be popular proposals only because it allows kids to attend the same middle school as their friends. However, they each create an imbalance in student populations at the middle schools.

Proposals #4 and #5 utilize a different philosophy, by drawing the boundaries on physical lines, namely Newport Road and the I-215, but includes the Menifee Hills community and the community behind Stater Bros into Menifee Valley Middle School. The difference being that #4 extends only to Ridgemoor Rd, while #5 goes a little further north than that.

Overall, proposal #4 creates the most equitable balance between all three middle schools.

There will be another open house tomorrow, at Menifee Valley Middle School, beginning at 5:30pm, and running until 7:00pm. Parents are encouraged to attend and speak with district staff.

School board trustees will discuss the proposals again at the next public meeting October 14.

Labels: Menifee-Union-School-District

For those of you who like to attend civic-minded events, here's the itinerary for you...

5:00pm - Target Grand Opening - ribbon cutting - Countryside Marketplace

5:30pm - 7:00pm - Menifee Union School District - middle school boundary map proposals, open house. Bell Mountain Middle School. The public is invited to check out the proposals, and provide feedback. You can also attend tomorrow at Menifee Middle School, same time.

7:00pm - City Council Meeting - see location and agenda here.

I'm going for the trifecta today.

Labels: City-Council, Countryside-Marketplace, Menifee-Union-School-District

The Menifee Union School District has published four proposed boundary change maps for its middle schools on its website...

http://www.menifeeusd.org/fil_files/362.pdf

If anyone has trouble displaying that on their monitor, post a comment and I'll republish them here as JPG images.

The public is invited to provide comments about these proposals at a couple of open houses, the first one October 7th at Bell Mountain Middle School, and October 8th at Menifee Valley Middle School, both running from 5:30pm to 7:00pm.

Labels: Menifee-Union-School-District

The following is a statement from Victor Giardinelli, candidate for Menifee School Board...

Menifee Union School District has a long history of success, built on a legacy of strong leadership, vision and integrity. As a member of the Governing Board for the past twenty-one years, I have been committed to continuing that success for our students, staff and community. During my tenure, The Board has collaboratively initiated and implemented many beneficial programs. Some programs that I have been fortunate to personally and successfully introduce include:

1. A more complete music program including band offerings at all schools


2. Improved health services and education so that at all schools we now have health aides or nurses


3. Instead of only library books we have now established multi-media centers with technology plus books.


4. We now have a liaison community aide to network with our multi ethnic society.


5. Let the efforts to hire a public relations person to communicate with our public


6. "Wellness Program" to fight against obesity in children – over hauled our food program


7. Major supporter for preschool programs and individual campus


8. Introduced the concept of interest based bargaining which resulted in increased harmonious labor relations

My background includes a tour of duty with the United Stated Navy, serving aboard a P.T. boat. Educationally, I have a Bachelor of Science degree from the State University of New York and an Master of Science degree from the University of Southern California. With a strong understanding of science, often my decisions are data based driven. I have also earned the master Boardsmanship and The Advanced Masters in Governance. Also I have thirty-four years in public education, both as a teacher (10 years) and an administrator for twenty-four years.

I am married to a very understanding and wonderful wife, have two fantastic and remarkable daughters and four extraordinary college educated and future thinking grandchildren. Yes, I am proud! Also, proud of the work we have done and appreciative of my other board members and the many parents, community volunteers, faculty and district administrators who have collaboratively made our successes possible.

Future concerns and projects include:

1. Reduce class size in grades 4, 5, and 6 and then progress to grades 7 and 8 when possible


2. Explore same gender classes in some middle school classes


3. Seek ways to better engage the community in the educational enterprise


4. Maintain and up-date present schools and plan for future facilities


5. Modify curriculum as future concerns are identified


6. As a follow up our unification efforts, contact our legislators in Sacramento


7. Immediately implement the new California State Physical Education framework


8. Study the new unfunded mandate 8th grade algebra standards


9. Identify children with food allergies and how to respond to thier needs


10. Increase student awareness regarding environmental issues: water and energy conservation, recycle, THINK GREEN etc.


11. Recruit, hire and retain highly qualified personnel and offer a competitive salary

I ask for your vote on November 4th. In return, I commit to ensuring that our greatest treasure - our children - are provided with world-class educational opportunities designed to further enhance their exceptional achievements.

Everybody is a Somebody!

Victory Giardinelli
Incumbent

Labels: Menifee-Union-School-District

Menifee Union School District held its first public hearing concerning boundary changes for its middle schools today. The change in boundaries is necessitated by the new middle school, located in Sun City, off of McCall Blvd, east of the I-215.

I'd say about 20 families were in attendance, and 15-20 district faculty, including current trustees, former trustees, and prospective trustees.

Assistant Superintendent Gil Compton gave the presentation, which was largely explaining their "guiding principles", which help them decide how to create boundaries. You can download the guiding principles from the district's website here...

http://www.menifeeusd.org/fil_files/355.pdf

While the district doesn't have any idea what boundaries to adopt, Compton did name off a few ideas...

• By elementary school boundaries - Quail Valley, Ridgemoor, Freedom Crest elementaries would attend the new middle school.



• By Newport Rd - Families living north of Newport Rd would attend the new middle school. This actually creates the most balanced student bodies between the three middle schools, according to Compton.



• By Salt Creek - Families living north of Salt Creek would attend the new middle school. This provides an advantage in times when it rains really hard, and causes flooding where it crosses Newport Rd and Murrieta Rd. This boundary will prevent students from having to cross over the creek to get to school.

None of the families in attendance voiced a preference or displeasure for any of the ideas presented, nor did they present their own ideas. Much of the comments dealt with transporting their kids, and most of these comments came from Quail Valley residents. Other comments were actually questions asking if the district took into account various dynamics, such as how travel time to the new middle school might cause parents to be late on transporting their other kids to the elementary or high school. Compton basically nodded yes on everything, indicating they thought of everything.

There were also a few comments about notifying the public about this meeting. A couple of parents complained that they never got notice of this meeting, and only heard about it from some other word of mouth. Betti Cadmus, the district's public information officer, explained that it was published in all the major newspapers and published on the district's website. Compton explained that notices were sent out to parents. A counselor there also commented that he was very disappointed the meeting was so sparsely attended.

My only take on the low attendance is that most families don't care, largely because it won't matter to them.

These boundary changes really only concern the families who live close to Newport Rd. Those are the ones who still don't know which middle school their children will attend. The other families already know. That is, if you live well away from Newport Rd, the details on where the boundary lines are drawn won't be significant enough to affect you. For example, if you live along McCall Blvd, you already know that your child will attend the new middle school, and thus there's little you can say to change that. I think those families don't feel an urgency to attend this meeting.

The other thing is that there's still a second meeting, scheduled for September 2, at 5:00pm, at Bell Mountain Middle School.

The school board trustees will make a final decision on these boundary changes sometime this October.

Download the Comment Form

If you don't have time to attend the next meeting, you can download a comment form here...

http://www.menifeeusd.org/fil_files/354.pdf

You can either mail it to the district, or e-mail it.

Mail it to...

Menifee Union School District
30205 Menifee Road
Menifee, CA 92584

Or e-mail it to: ms3-comments@menifeeusd.org

You basically have the rest of this month, and all of next month, to submit your comments.

Labels: Menifee-Union-School-District

Menifee Union School District is planning to change the attendance boundaries for its middle schools.

The opening of its third middle school in August 2009 is what's driving the need to redefine boundaries.

As of this moment, the district doesn't have any proposed boundaries.

The goal of this meeting is to gather input from the public on what their wishes and concerns are. Betti Cadmus, the district's public information officer says that the school board will be taking all public comments to heart.

If your child is preparing to attend middle school next year, now is your time to speak out on which school you'd like him/her to attend, or forever hold your peace.

The new middle school will be located off of McCall Blvd, east of the I-215, by the corner of Sherman Rd and Chambers Ave.

There will be two meetings...

• August 28, 2008 (Thursday) - Menifee Valley Middle School, 5:00pm to 6:00pm



• September 2, 2008 (Tuesday) - Bell Mountain Middle School, 5:00pm to 6:00pm

It appears to me that if you live in far northern and far southern part of the district, there isn't much discussion on which school you'll attend. It's those students living in the center of district, perhaps along Newport Rd, that could swing either way into one of the three schools.

Below is a map of the existing boundaries for Menifee Valley Middle School (purple), and Bell Mountain Middle School (orange)...


Click map to enlarge

• I-215 Freeway is the boundary separating the two existing middle schools



• It almost looks as if Newport Rd could be a theoretical boundary defining the new middle school. However, much of the community north of Newport Rd, and west of I-215, is 55+, and may not provide enough to students to create a balance between the three schools.



• The new middle school could create a lot of traffic along Lindenberger Rd, and perhaps even Antelope Rd (going over the hill past Ryland Oasis).



• The new City of Menifee needs to complete Menifee Rd, at Simpson Rd, to alleviate traffic along Lindenberger, and prevent traffic from building up along Antelope.

Labels: Menifee-Union-School-District

During the school budget meetings six months ago, declining attendance figures were partly to blame for Menifee Union School District's budget shortfall.

But in the past several weeks, attendance is climbing.

Betti Cadmus, the public information officer for the district, reports that week after week, student enrollment is on the rise...

Jul 17th - 8,442 students
Jul 24th - 8,455
Jul 31st - 8,466
Aug 07th - 8,497
Aug 14th - 8,536

Betti credits new families moving into Menifee as the primary reason.

Each student that attends brings in thousands of dollars each year for the district.

The home foreclosures and short sales have perhaps reached a saturation point where Menifee is looking very attractive to those in higher rent communities in San Diego and Orange Counties. Or at least, that's my take anyways.

All these younger students moving in will make it tougher for unification to become reality. Probably the biggest reason why Menifee Union couldn't bring Paloma Valley High School into its fold is because we couldn't qualify for state financial assistance. In order to qualify, 25% of the total students in the newly unified district had to be Paloma Valley High students. We had something like 23.9% at the last unification meeting in June. Now with more K-8 students coming in, that percentage will likely drop further.

Note: The Californian reported on this same news last week, but said that enrollment is down, when compared to the same time last year.

Labels: Menifee-Union-School-District

The following is a statement from Phoeba Irey, candidate for Menifee School Board...

I have been a public school teacher for nearly 40 years, the last two years were as a Reading Consultant at Menifee Elementary. I was president of the state organization, Reading Specialists of California, from 1993 to 1996. In April, 2008 I earned a Masters in Governance Certificate from the California State School Boards Association.

My husband, John Irey, and I have been married 45 years. We have three children and five grandchildren. Our daughter, Shelly Whelen, teaches first grade at Callie Kirkpatrick Elementary. Three of our grandchildren went through the Menifee school system and have now graduated from Paloma High. All three are currently enrolled in college.

During my four years on the Menifee school board I have been successful in helping to:

1. Get approval to switch to a single track.


2. Get the unification process started.


3. Save and expand the elementary music program.


4. Save most student transportation.


5. Contract with "We Tip" which has resulted in reducing vandalism.


6. Get solar panels installed at MVMS which have produced approximately $11,000 worth of electricity since April, 2008.


7. Get seatbelts installed on all Menifee Union buses.


8. Encouraged best practices in teaching.


9. Support better communication at all levels.


10. Encourage schools to apply to become California Distinguished Schools. (Three Menifee Schools have been honored as California Distinguished Schools in the past four years.)


11. Save the district approximately $8,000 a year by choosing not to use the district's health plan.

If reelected, I will:

1. Keep working for Excellence in Education for all students.


2. Encourage schools to keep websites up to date.


3. Work for a smooth transition to single track.


4. Listen to community concerns.


5. Continue to support the unification process.

Please Vote IREY for Excellence in Education.

Labels: Menifee-Union-School-District

The following is a statement from Jerry Bowman, candidate for Menifee School Board...

I would like to formally use this statement to announce my candidacy for the Menifee Union School Board.

I am proud to say that I have been recently appointed as a Trustee, to fill Mr. Fred Twyman’s remaining term on the Board, necessitated by his resignation. I am currently meeting with the District leadership and visiting all of our outstanding schools in order to quickly get up to speed.

As a parent, a retired educator, and currently an Educational Consultant, I bring over 30 years of experience, along with the understanding and commitment necessary to be a valuable member of the Menifee Union School Board.

I have a Master of Arts in Education and hold a California Standard Life Teaching Credential with specialization in Secondary Education. (Psychology, Sociology, and Mathematics) I also work, as a consultant, with other school districts and schools (Both Elementary and Secondary) to help implement Professional Learning Communities, Improve Student Achievement, address AYP and API concerns, and provide teacher training.

I am a proud resident of the new City of Menifee, a proud U.S. Army Veteran (82nd Airborne Division), and a proud father of three daughters and one granddaughter. I have one daughter (Taylor) who is in middle school, one daughter (Alyssa) who is in high school, and one daughter (Jenna) who is a high school teacher/leader.

My experience has taught me that all decisions made in education must address the "Whole Student" and be based on improving the student's achievement, experiences, and future. If we do not "Put Students First", then we will have missed the mark.

In Menifee we have several issues that need to be addressed:

1. Future expansion, financial well being, and unification.


2. The issue of student transfers and transportation.


3. Future population increases over the next 15 years.


4. Guaranteeing that all students receive an education that is equal to or better than is provided in surrounding districts, regardless of which Menifee school they attend.

In my opinion this is accomplished by continuing to:

1. Hire the most qualified teachers.


2. Work at improving the quality of the education our students receive in Menifee.


3. Listen to the concerns of the community and make decisions accordingly, sometimes case by case.


4. Pursuing the work towards unification.

We need the Menifee Union School District, to be where students want to transfer to, not from!

"Put Students First" on Election Day! Vote for Jerry Bowman.

Jerry@Bowmanconsultinginc.com

Labels: Menifee-Union-School-District

The following is a statement from Randall Freeman, candidate for Menifee School Board...

I have filed papers to seek election to the Governing Board in the November 4th election to fill Mr. Twyman’s seat on the Menifee Union School District Governing Board. I am requesting that you consider supporting me for this very important position.

My wife, Karen, and I have lived in the Menifee area since our marriage in 1993. Our four daughters are attending schools in the MUSD – Daniela will be attending Bell Mountain Middle School and Sarah, Holly, and Megan attend Freedom Crest Elementary School. My desire is to serve the school district in which they are students as a volunteer. This is an excellent way in which to do so.

I am a parent and a veteran educator. I have served as an elementary teacher in a neighboring district for what will soon be my 20th year with them. My particular area of expertise is in the area of early childhood education, expertise that I believe will well serve the Governing Board. I am a National Board Certified Teacher, Early Childhood Generalist (2002) and am well into my fourth year of my doctoral program in early childhood education. I will complete my doctorate in May 2010.

I am a contributing member in the local community. Since 1998, as Public Schools Chairman for the local Masonic Lodge, I have supervised several programs which have benefited our children and our schools in the MUSD. We have a Child ID Program which has identified over 4,000 children free of charge. We have provided backpacks to over 400 kindergarten students in the MUSD and have done cornerstones for several of the Menifee USD schools, including Freedom Crest Elementary School and Oak Meadows Elementary School.

It is my desire to better serve our community, especially our children. I can think of no better way in which to do this than to serve as a member of the Governing Board. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Randall Freeman
951-672-0867
hmsbuzz@verizon.net

If you're a candidate for a school district that serves Menifee, submit your statement, of any length, and I'll publish it here.

Labels: Menifee-Union-School-District

I attended the Menifee Union School District board meeting today.

New School Board Member Wanted

The four board members, minus Fred Tyman who resigned a couple weeks ago, voted to appoint his replacement, rather than hold a special election. Trustee Irey said that it didn't make much sense to hold an election with the November election coming up soon.

How to apply to be on the Board? Submit a resume, with introductory cover letter, to the district offce at...

Office of the Superintendent
Menifee Union School District
30205 Menifee Road, Menifee, CA 92584

The deadline to submit is Friday, August 1, 2008, 12:00pm.

To qualify, you have to be at least 18 years old, a citizen of California, a resident of the school district (see map), and a registered voter, not disqualified by the Constitution or laws of the state from holding civil office, and is eligible to be elected or appointed a member of a governing board of a school district without further qualifications.

Candidates will be interviewed by the school board on Monday, August 11, beginning 9:00am, and will be voted on at a meeting the following day, August 12.

The position will last only until the next election in November, 2008.

Fred Twyman Honored

The school board recognized Past Board President, Fred Twyman for his service with some parting gifts, and one of those glass-award-thingies. Twyman recieved a standing ovation from the audience and everyone.

Fred Twyman (left), about to receive an award from Victor Giardinelli, on behalf of the Menifee Union School District.

Out-of-District Transfer Requests

Yet more parents asking for their kids to transfer out of the district.

Denied - involving a child currently attending Lisa J. Mails Elementary in Murrieta. This family used to live within the Murrieta School District, but recently moved into the Menifee School District. The student will be entering his 6th grade this September at Mails Elementary, and wants to continue there to graduate. Here in Menifee, 6th grade is actually Middle School. So if forced to attend in Menifee, he would not have an elementary school graduation.

Approved - involving a family that had lived in the Val Verde School District, but had lost their house to foreclosure. So, they moved in with some relatives here in Menifee. This relative happens to be a teacher in the Val Verde School District, and has kids that attend that district, instead of attending here in Menifee. The board recognized that the teacher-priviledge of allowing interdistrict transfers also extends to their nieces and nephews, as well as a child's need to attend the same schools as their cousins.

Denied - this involved a mother with two kids who officially live in the Menifee School District. However, the mother has a childcare hardship, and her kids are having to live in Temecula with their grandparents, Monday through Friday, the entire time. Only on weekends, apparently, do they come home to live their mother. The mother wants the kids to transfer to the Temecula School District to make it easier to transport the kids from school to their grandparents house. But the Board noted that the mother has the children's legal residence in Menifee, and that was the deciding factor.

Professional Learning Communities (PLC)

Superintendent Callaway presented a short video about "Professional Learning Communities", a concept which the school district has implemented.

PLC is best described as a process towards changing the working environment amongst teachers into something more beneficial for students.

It seemed to me the best way to understand this is to compare two places of employment. One place is full of employees who don't care about what they're doing, only care about their paychecks, take too much time on breaks, and surf the Internet all day long. The second place has employees totally excited about their work, totally care about their customers, always discussing ways to improve performance, and voluntarily working overtime because they care.

PLC is simply a master plan on how to transform the first work place into the second.

That's not to say that our school district is something like the first example, or the second. Those are just two extremes I came up with. PLC is just a way to improve upon something.

Trustee O'Donnell asked about what results can be seen from the data our district is collecting. Assistant Superintendent Karen Valdes responded that we are just now collecting the data, and that it would take more time to evaluate it.

Trustee Peters asked if the teachers are totally signing on to this PLC plan. Valdes nodded her head in approval and said they were. But countered that PLC is something that takes a long time for measurable results to manifest.

This all reminds me of the time when I used to do collections work for medical clinic in Stanton. The owner of the clinic brought in a consultant to find ways to streamline operations, cut out the bottlenecks, and ultimately improve the patient experience. Those of us who worked in the back office despised having this consultant tell us what we should be doing, particularly since we were all hired for our expertise.

I'm curious to hear from teachers out there how well PLC is doing within their school.

Labels: Menifee-Union-School-District

MUSD Trustees are set to vote this Tuesday to fill the vacancy left by former board member Fred Twyman, which he resigned from on July 10th following a legal opinion that he should not serve on "incompatible" public offices.

The members are expected to vote on whether they should seek a replacement or hold a special election for Twyman's position which was set to end on December 5th.

The open session will start at 4pm at 30205 Menifee Road on Tuesday, July 22nd.

Labels: Menifee-Union-School-District

The Press Enterprise and The Californian report that the Menifee Union School District Board has changed its criteria for allowing transfer requests.

A transfer request is when parents request that their child be allowed to attend a public school outside of the MUSD boundaries.

http://www.pe.com/..../PE_News_Local_S_stransfer11.49fddca.html

http://www.nctimes.com/..../zbdfe873c7aaf63f488257482006deeb4.txt

In short, the criteria no longer includes cases where parents cite the need for childcare as a reason for requesting transfer.

The way I read this, however, doesn't sound like the board will always deny such cases, it only means they will no longer grant them automatic approval.

Labels: Menifee-Union-School-District

I attended the MUSD Board Meeting earlier today.

School Bus Passes

One very angry father addressed the board about the new school bus passes. He said he wasn't notified that bus passes were now required.

His daughter somehow was able to ride the bus to school anyways. But in the middle of class, she was pulled out, and sent to the Multi-purpose room to wait for her parents, and was not allowed to continue her studies for that day.

The father addressed the board by saying it was totally inappropriate to remove his daughter from studies for something that she was totally unaware of. The school should have left her alone, and instead addressed the matter with him.

He did obtain a bus pass since then, but said the action against his daughter left her feeling guilty and is now apprehensive about returning to school.

Board member Twyman said he would have Dr. Callaway handle the matter.

Out of District Transfers

Several more parents are wanting to transfer their kids out of MUSD. Several motions were allowed, but at least one was denied.

There are some cases that mostly involve convenience, such as parents' need to balance commutes, coordinate daycare, and keeping old friends together. Often times these get approved, due to a predefined list of criteria of what constitutes acceptable transfers.

Then there are the tough cases, such as one today where a girl with hearing loss encountered difficulty in maintaining academic pace with other students. Her teacher, not realizing she had hearing problems, even asked her if she was "stupid", and then asked her not to report that to her parents.

The frustration and embarrassment of not measuring up to her fellow students, combined with the demeaning statement from her teacher, has tainted her impression with Callie Kirkpatrick Elementary, and she doesn't want to return.

Her parents pleaded with the school board to let her leave the district to attend Lisa J. Mails Elementary in the Murrieta School District. Mails is a "performing arts" school, meaning that it uses performing arts as a tool towards helping kids learn their reading, writing, and arithmetic. Kids seems to love it, and parents seem satisfied with the outcomes.

I've listened to several other transfer requests, and some of them also involve Mails Elementary. It seems to be a popular choice for kids with learning disabilities.

But the school board denied this request, offering a transfer to Freedom Crest Elementary, which this particular girl actually attended before. The parents found that as disppointing, though they accepted it as a consolation. The father questioned the board making this decision on financial grounds, arguing that they saw his daughter as a sum of money, instead of a girl with special needs.

I guess what I'm saying is that transfers tend to be approved as part of a criteria when they are cases of parental convenience, while cases involving a child's educational needs are not part of a criteria and have to evaluated separately. I can understand that a child's needs will vary from child to child, but I just find it thought-provoking that a school board will give up that sum of money without question when a parent's convenience is at stake.

Labels: Menifee-Union-School-District

There appears to be some question coming from Heritage Lake as to what will happen with Heritage High School, and the other schools in Romoland, with unification efforts underway, and now that Menifee cityhood has passed.

The answer to this question was answered in the comments of an earlier article...

Heritage Lake is under two school districts. Romoland has the elementry(Mesa View), and middle school(Boulder Ridge). Perris Union has the high school, Heritage High. Even though we are now Menifee instead of Romoland that does not change the school district boundaries they will stay the same. I agree with you that Heritage should also be in the unification process and put in the Menifee district but I don't think that will ever happen!

The answer is that nothing will change.

Heritage High School will continue to be in the Perris Union High School District. Mesa View and Boulder Ridge will continue to be in the Romoland School District. Neither of these schools will move to Menifee Union.

Menifee cityhood doesn't affect any of this stuff.

Another question is the following...

Will they (Heritage High, Mesa View, and Boulder Ridge) ever be apart of Menifee School District, or will we be paying city taxes for schools our kids will never be apart of?

City taxes for schools? Any city taxes that residents of Heritage Lake will be paying will not be spent on Menifee Union School District, or any school district. The new City of Menifee is not connected with Menifee Union. They are separate, and independent of each other.

Labels: Menifee-Union-School-District, Perris-Union-High-School-District, Romoland-School-District

Back on May 8th, a story related to the unification efforts of the school district appeared on The Californian’s website. You can read the story here:

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/05/09/news/californian/menifee/z7c398ad81115bfb688257444000212c5.txt

I meant to post an article related to this article when I first read it. For some reason I didn’t get to posting the article and forgot about it until yesterday, when I was reading comments under the Modified Single Track School Year Survey topic.

Basically, the article covered the fact that the Riverside County Committee on School District Organization voted on May 8th to recommend against unification to the California Department of Education. The committee’s recommendation was based on a study conducted by a private consultant.

However, the committee’s recommendation does not mean the unification effort is dead. Unification of the high school with the elementary and middle schools has been a top priority of the school board and it is something the community wants.

A small bit from the article:

One Menifee school board member who has spearheaded the drive to bring Paloma Valley into the Menifee district said he believes the state can be convinced the move is feasible and will not adversely affect the students in either district.

The numbers are close, said Fred Twyman, who also teaches at Paloma Valley High School.

State education laws dictate that high school students should make up at least 25 percent of the students in a unified district, and the report showed that Paloma High students would constitute just shy of 24 percent of the Menifee district's students, Twyman said.

As for the financial aspect, he said Menifee had agreed to compensate the Perris district for the loss of students that now go to the Perris district's Heritage High School. But, he said, the consultant discounted that agreement, arguing that it was premature.

Also, Twyman added, the consultant stated in an earlier meeting that his approach was conservative and that the state has disagreed with his findings in the last.

"This isn't dead," Twyman said. "I still feel OK about it, and I'll still go to the state (to
lobby)."

I like Twyman's optomism in this. But I am a bit confused by his comments regarding compensation to Perris for the loss of students that go to Heritage. Does this mean that students currently attending Heritage would be sent to Paloma when district boundaries are changed, or does it mean that Heritage is would also be included in the unification process?

And of course, a news story just wouldn't be a news story if it didn't have something discouraging to say:

Whatever happens, it will not happen quickly, said Rollin Edmunds, a director with the county Office of Education. Even with the committee's blessing, the state does its own analysis and can take up to seven years to rule on a proposed organizational change in a school district, Edmunds said.

I don’t know what the next step in the process is or when it takes place, but I certainly hope the Department of Education doesn't drag their feet on making decision. And I also hope they can be swayed to find in favor of unification.

There is a joint school board meeting between PUHSD and MUSD on June 19th at Bell Mountain Middle School.

Labels: Menifee-Union-School-District, Perris-Union-High-School-District, Unification

The Menifee Union School District yesterday, at the school board meeting, announced the results of the survey regarding the move towards a modified single track school year.

If you recall last February, the school district adopted new school boundaries in preparation towards migrating away from a multi-track school year, to a single track, and then would later on survey the parents to see if they really wanted a single track.

Well, results are in.

And it shows that over 77% of those surveyed wants a single track.

The district actually surveyed three groups of people: the parents, the teachers, and other classified staff (bus drivers, custodial, etc.). Here's a breakdown of how these groups voted...

Parents (Yes) - 543 votes
Parents (No) - 126

Teachers (Yes) - 267
Teachers (No) - 102

Classified staff (Yes) - 209
Classified staff (No) - 66

Total votes (Yes) - 1019 77.61%
Total votes (No) - 294 22.39%

Dr. Linda Callaway announced that the first modified single track year will begin with the 2009-2010 year.

The board went on to explain that their definition of a modified single track is to mimic as closely as possible the high school year of Perris High School District. That's effectively a year that starts in mid-August and runs through May 31, with a three-week vacation for Christmas, and one-week vacation for Easter.

School Busing

The board of trustees also discussed the return of school busing. I don't have a full understanding of what they discussed yesterday since I missed the last several meetings. But here's the jist of what I got. School busing will continue next year, as opposed to being cancelled due the budget restraints. However, there will be walking-radius of 1.25 miles for elementary students, and 2.0 miles for middle school students. If you live within that radius, you get no busing.

Trustee Irey made the argument that the proposal had called for this radius to cut through several housing tracts. She felt it wasn't fair that the radius would create one house being deprived of busing while the house next door could get it. So the board voted to strike "option B" from the proposal, and I don't really know what option B is.

The point was also made that kids living on the border of this radius could walk as little as across the street to get on the bus, and cheat the system. So the board talked about issuing photo ID cards to bussed kids and having drivers kick out the kids trying to capitalize.

I'll try to make a point to attend more of these meetings.

New California Distinguished Schools

The school board meeting also recognized Menifee Elementary and Callie Kirkpatrick Elementary as achieving the honor of being the newest California Distinguished Schools. The honor comes as bitter-sweet for Menifee Elementary now that's its closing down for a full year due to budget restraints.


Students from from Menifee Elementary School proudly displaying their school's achievement.

Labels: Callie-Kirkpatrick-Elementary, Menifee-Elementary-School, Menifee-Union-School-District

The Californian reports that the Menifee Union School Board will be reinstating school bus service to some students, but not all.

Basically, the district will reinstate bus service, but will likely make it harder for students to qualify, increasing the walking distance from 1.25 miles to 2.0 miles...

Still, it's probable that less elementary school students will qualify for the bus service compared to what has been offered through this year, as the district's staff has proposed increasing the so-called "walking distance" for some students to 2 miles from 1.25 miles, among other revisions. Those suggested modifications are meant to avoid cuts to other services, Wood said.

Since two new elementary schools are opening, Southshore Elementary and Quail Valley Elementary, technically fewer students would require busing anyways. In fact, that was partly the reason why busing became expendable in the first place.

All this came about after Governor Schwarzenegger said that cuts in state spending won't be nearly as bad as he originally stated. However, assistant superintendent Dan Wood warned earlier that the $2 million grant for maintaining a year-round schedule may not happen, so all this may be for naught.

Labels: Menifee-Union-School-District, School-Buses

The Press Enterprise reports that Menifee Union's budget may be in bigger trouble.

While the Governor reports that state spending on public schools won't be cut back nearly as much as he anticipated, by at least $1.3 million anyways, MUSD Assistant Superintendent Dan Wood says that the $2 million state grant they were counting on may not happen...

But should the district not receive the $2 million operational grant, rather than replacing services, the board may be forced to make more cuts, Wood said. A legislator recently proposed eliminating the program that would generate the $2 million grant for the Menifee district, he said.

Read the full article here...

http://www.pe.com/..../PE_News_Local_S_smenifee29.41fae24.html

Meanwhile, the district is losing more students, causing yet more budget shortfalls.

I guess we'll at least have smaller classrooms, assuming teachers are not getting laid off.

And, we'll have more classrooms too, now that the district is building three more schools.

Labels: Menifee-Union-School-District

By CLAUDIA BUSTAMANTE
The Press-Enterprise

RIVERSIDE - The Riverside County Office of Education denied two appeals Wednesday from families wishing to transfer out of the Menifee Union School District to attend a Lake Elsinore school within walking distance.

Menifee recently restricted the number of students it lets leave the district because of financial strains. More students mean more state funds.

One appeal stems from the confusion caused with a territory transfer involving Menifee, Lake Elsinore Unified School District and Perris High School District. New development in Canyon Hills forced a boundary adjustment.

Some homes that used to lie within Lake Elsinore limits were shifted to Menifee and Perris, including the residence of Kenneth Thomas. His son, a first-grade student at Cottonwood Canyon Elementary School in Lake Elsinore, should never have been enrolled there.

to read more go to
"http://www.pe.com/localnews/menifee/stories/PE_News_Local_D_sappeal10.3e6d23b.html"

Labels: Menifee-Union-School-District

General Electric yesterday donated $5,000 to the GREAT Program (Grandparents And graduates, Reading Enriching And Tutoring). The presentation was held at Chester Morrison Elementary.

GREAT works with the Menifee Union School District to provide reading tutors.


Pictured above is Dr. Linda Callaway Superintendent of the Menifee Union School District, John Gates and Bruce Heppenstall from General Electric, Lesa Sobek GREAT Coordinator.

Labels: Menifee-Union-School-District

The Menifee Union School District, this evening, voted to close down Menifee Elementary School for the 2008/09 school year, as well as cutting elementary counseling and elementary busing, in response to the Governor's proposal to reduce public school spending.

The decision came after last week's Board meeting where district staff announced that the reduction of state funds would translate to a $10 million deficit for our district. To make up that $10 million, the district was able to trim $5.68 million from various funds, including the elimination of several unfilled positions. In addition, they found they qualified for a $2 million grant from the State for being a multi-track school.

That still left the district with another $2.32 million to make up.

In last week's meeting (link), the district staff listed several services that could be cut to make up that deficit, but would require discussion from the Board, as well as public input.

This evening, the Board voted to cut the following...

1. Close Menifee Elementary for 2008/09 ($509,557)



2. Elimination of elementary counseling ($310,000)



3. Eliminate elementary school busing ($1,600,000)

This totals up to $2,419,557.

The district also voted to offer limited elementary busing just for those students of Menifee Elementary that would have to be moved to Chester W Morrison. This would add $60,000 back on to the budget, reducing the savings to $2,359,557

Add that to the $5.68 million they already cut, and the $2 million in state grants, that gives us a total of $10,039,557. The exact figure is actually $10,035,293.

The Meeting

The Multi-Purpose Room of Menifee Middle School was about filled to capacity, and many more parents attended. The meeting spent about 90 minutes hearing comments from the public.

Quite a few parents, and children themselves, stepped up the podium, and implored the Board to keep Menifee Elementary School (MES) open. One girl wore a t-shirt with the words, "Save MES" painted in red. Other parents belted out the point that it made no sense to close MES after voters passed Measure B, raising taxes to build three more schools. Other parents pointed out that MES was recently nominated for California Distinguished School, and it would send the wrong message to shut it down.

The Board's decision to close down MES was made possible because of their decision to open up both Quail Valley and Southshore Elementaries. Students living Quail Valley currently attend MES, and therefore opening up Quail Valley would drop MES' enrollment low enough that it didn't warrant keeping it open. Other students now attending MES would be moved to Chester W Morrison Elementary.

Eliminating elementary busing was also made possible by the opening of Quail Valley and Southshore. A large chunk of busing expenses comes from transporting Quail Valley students to MES, and by opening up Quail Valley Elementary it makes a lot easier to eliminate busing altogether.

But because moving other MES students over to Chester W Morrison would create a transportation hardship for some families, the Board decided to offer elementary busing just for these students. Assistant Superintendent Dan Wood said that it would cost $60,000 over the 2008-2010 school years to offer this limited service.

The decision to cut elementary counseling appeared to have been an easy one. Even though the Board decided not to cut it last week, all five Board members were singing a different tune this week. Trustee Giardinelli said he had attended four elementary schools this past week, and spoke to several teachers who said that counseling was not well utilized, and that there's a heavy turn-over of counselors. Elementary counselors are currently provided by a contractor.

The District Administration added that they could delay their salary increases for the 2008/09 year, which would result in a savings of $90,000. However, it wasn't needed. But the Board voted to keep that on the table, for future considerations.

The issue of the reserves was frequently discussed. Trustee Twyman explained to the audience that the 15% reserve figure was something that existed before the District finalized its recent contract negotiations with the Menifee Teachers Association. That cut the reserves down to about 10.5%. That still left the District with 7.5% of reserves above the state minimum of 3%. He explained that the district administration already raided that 7.5% to come up with the $5.68 million of cost cutting. By law, they can't use the 3% to pay for normal operating costs.

Several parents and teachers suggested the "Golden Handshake", which is offering older teachers an early retirement. The district said that they already studied this at length, and that it would not result in cost savings. Assistant Superintendent Gil Compton said that he met with a consultant that offers these types of retirement packages, and they advised it would not make fiscal sense. It short, to encourage older teachers to retire early, they would have to offer large enough sums of money, that it would negate any cost savings.

The June 30 Deadline Factor

Trustee Twyman spoke to the audience to explain that the Governor's recommendation to cut back public school spending by 10% is simply a recommendation. It's ultimately up to the State Legislature to decide if they want to accept that recommendation. The Legislature is required by law to adopt a new budget by July 1, and it could very well be that they'll vote to make no cuts at all.

Trustee Giardinelli addressed the audience by saying that even though the State is required to have a budget in place by July 1, they'll likely not have one in place until months later, perhaps September, or even December. However, the School District does not have the luxury of postponing its budget.

Giardinelli went on to point out that if the State postpones its budget, the District is still required to move forward on its recommended budget cuts, as of July 1.

Trustee Twyman used this fact to argue that any cuts they make ought to be ones that can be quickly and easily reversed, should the State vote to make no school budget cuts. Therefore, he had recommended they keep MES open, on the grounds that once kids are moved over to Chester W Morrison, it would be logistically difficult (and expensive) to move them back over to MES. So he instead voted to cut middle school counseling, arguing that they could quickly reinstate it. Ultimately, he was outvoted.

The Next Step

Last night's meeting was pretty much it. All eyes are now on the State Legislature to see if they'll adopt the Governor's recommendations.

The School District is asking everyone to write or telephone our local state legislators and implore them not to make any cuts in school funding. You can contact them here...

State Senator, 36th District - Dennis Hollingsworth
27555 Ynez Road, Suite 204, Temecula CA 92591
Phone: (951) 676 1020
Fax: (951) 676 1030

State Assemblyman, 66th District - Kevin Jeffries
27555 Ynez Road, Suite 205, Temecula CA 92591
Phone: (951) 699 1113
Fax: (951) 694 1039

Labels: Menifee-Union-School-District

This evening, the Menifee Union School District discussed budget cuts, and talked about which services will be getting axed in the coming years.

Parents are going to want to read this.

It was a well-attended meeting, but mostly attended by teachers and faculty.

Among those services discussed: busing, counseling, music, class size reduction, and even shutting down one of the schools entirely.

Some decisions were made by the Board of Trustees at this meeting, but overall, no final decision will be made until next week's meeting.

Included in the presentation, were recommendations from the district administration on what services could be cut, and how much money could be saved by making those cuts.

Eliminating "class size reduction" for grades K, 1, 2, and 3, could result in savings of $1.7 million during the 2008/09 and 2009/10 school years. Class size reduction refers to attempts made by the district in previous years to reduce class sizes, resulting in better education for kids, and making teachers' jobs more easier. By undoing these attempts, class sizes would grow larger, but would result in cost savings for the district.

Many teachers in the audience walked up to the podium to voice their displeasure for eliminating class size reduction, and urged the Board to not make budget cuts in the classrooms. The Board made a decision not to eliminate class size reduction for all grades K, 1, 2, and 3 combined, but left the possibility to eliminate it for just K or 3, or both.

Also discussed quite seriously was to completely eliminate school busing, either for elementary, middle school, or both. Cutting elementary busing would result in a savings of $1.5 million over the 2008/09 and 2009/10 school years, while cutting middle school busing would result in $1.6 million. Dan Wood, assistant superintendent, said that eliminating both would result in only $1.8 million savings, because buses and staffing are shared between the two school levels.

It's also worth noting that the district administration said that eliminating school busing has the adverse effect of lowering school attendance. This was an interesting point because it would lower the district's "average daily attendance", and would result in lower state contributions.

Trustee Irey asked Dan Wood if they could find more money by raising the school bus fees. Wood answered that he already studied it, and raising the fee from $190 a year to $220 a year would result in extra income of $40,000 a year tops.

Closing down Menifee Elementary School for the 2008/09 school year was also seriously considered, and would result in a savings of $590,557. Students and teachers would be absorbed into other schools. The Board decided they would leave this option open, and won't make a decision until next week.

Another serious budget cutting move was to delay the opening of the new Quail Valley and Southshore Elementary Schools for one year, resulting in a savings of $1.1 million. The teachers in the audience were very supportive of this option, giving applause every time it was mentioned. However, Trustee Giardinelli made a case for taking this option off the table, citing the fact that they already promised the parents new school boundaries for the 2008/09 school year. However, it's still being left open as an option.

Eliminating music from the school curriculum was discussed, and a few teachers voiced their displeasure for cutting it out. Cutting it out would result in a savings of $600,000. However, the Board decided it would not cut music.

It was also decided not to cut counseling at all. A proposal called for cutting out counseling completely from elementary, and reducing it 50% from middle schools, would result in a combined savings of $730,000. However, both teachers and counselors made emotional pleas to leave it alone. The Board agreed.

One teacher addressed the Board by suggesting that they delay the adoption of new text books, and that this could save the district some money. However, assistant superintendent, Karen Valdes responded that the State has certain laws in effect that require school districts to maintain certain standards in textbooks, and that where the district is at right now, there simply is no way they can delay new adoptions.

One parent addressed the Board by saying that the presentation didn't include salary cuts from the school administration, which resulted in a loud applause from the audience.

Gil Compton, another assistant superintendent, pointed out that across the school district, they spend approximately $400,000 a year making photocopies. Compare that to the $590,000 the district would save by shutting down Menifee Elementary for one year.

The Budget Shortfall

Today's budget meeting resulted from last January when the Governor announced a $14.5 billion shortfall of state income, and recommended a 10% cutback on public school spending. The Governor issued guidelines to all school districts on what to expect, so that they could determine how this 10% cutback would translate to each district.

Menifee Union used this guideline, and determined that they would realize a $10 million loss in state contributions over three years, beginning with the current year (2007/08).

To make up for this projected $10 million in losses, the district administration was able to identify $5.68 million in savings by eliminating several teaching positions, most of which are unfilled, as well administrative positions. It also included reduced spending in various places, like safety, operations, technology, furniture, and facilities maintenance.

They also found that they could apply for a special State grant of $2 million just because the district is currently on a multi-track schedule. By obtaining that $2 million, it raises the savings up to $7.68 million.

The district still needs another $2.32 million in cost cutting to nullify the $10 million in projected state losses. To achieve this, the school district suggested cutting some services, but because these services have a direct impact on students, it necessitated discussion by the Board, and public input.

These services I already discussed above, but here they are again (with savings in parentheses)...

1. Elimination of Class Size Reduction for grades K and 3 ($848,000)


2. Elimination of Class Size Reduction for grades K, 1, 2, and 3 ($1,708,856)


3. Elimination of elementary counseling ($310,000)


4. Reduce middle school counseling by 50% ($420,000)


5. Elimination of elementary music ($600,000)


6. Eliminate elementary school busing ($1,500,000)


7. Close Menifee Elementary for 2008/09 ($590,557)


8. Delay opening of Quail Valley and Southshore Elementaries until 2009/10 ($1,106,290)

The Board voted to remove items 2, 3, 4, and 5 from discussion, meaning that they were not an option for cost cutting, but also note that this still leaves item #1 open for discussion.

The Board also discussed another option, to go ahead and open up Quail Valley Elementary, but convert it into a K-8 school, meaning combining both elementary and middle schools into one. The reason for this is because a huge chunk of the school busing costs involves transporting Quail Valley students. So, if the new Quail Valley school could accomodate both elementary and middle school, the district could completely eliminate busing from Quail Valley.

Assistant superintendent Gil Compton remarked that it's not a given there would be any cost savings by combining two school levels into one school, and that any savings from eliminating busing could be negated by the higher school operating costs.

Assistant superintendent Dan Wood remarked that not only are losing money due to the State income shortfall, but we're also getting less per-student spending because student enrollments are down. The foreclosure problem, and the rising unemployment rates have dropped student enrollment by 300 at the beginning of the school year, though the district has recovered much of that since then.

Trustee Giardinelli commented that the district could stop watering and mowing the lawns. But Trustee Irey responded that it would cost them a lot more to restore the lawns once economy gets back into shape.

Next Meeting

The Board of Trustees is expected to make a final decision on eliminating busing, eliminating class size reduction for kindergarten and/or 3rd grade, closing down Menifee Elementary, delaying the opening of Quail Valley and Southshore Elementaries, and the rest of the budget nightmare, next week, on February 26, at Menifee Valley Middle School, 4:00pm.

There will be a public comment session before the Board makes it final decision.

In the meantime, the Board would love to hear comments from the public on cost-cutting ideas and sources for untapped revenue.

Labels: Menifee-Union-School-District

The Menifee Union School District Board of Trustees is holding a public meeting to discuss possible sources for additional revenue as well as budget cuts in response to the Governor's recommendation of making a 10% cutback in State spending.

The district staff will be making a presentation on their proposed cuts and revenue sources. The board will not make a final decision at this meeting.

The meeting will be held this Tuesday, February 19, in the Multi-purpose Room of Menifee Valley Middle School, at 4:00pm.

The public will be allowed make comments. There will be a comment session before the presentation, and another after the presentation.


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Labels: Menifee-Union-School-District

At the MUSD Board Meeting this evening, the board of trustees voted to adopt a modified version of the boundary changes.

Basically, the boundary changes will take effect for all elementary schools except for Ridgemoor Elementary. Ridgemoor's existing boundaries will remain in effect for at least the 2008-2009 school year.

The board chose from a total of four options...

• Proposal 1 - which has Menifee Hills students living south of Honey Run Rd to attend Quail Valley Elementary School



• Proposal 2 - which allows Menifee Hills students to stay at Ridgemoor, but move students living behind Stater Bros to Evans Ranch Elementary



• Proposal 3 - which adopts boundary changes for all schools, except leave Ridgemoor's boundaries unchanged



• Proposal 4 - postpone boundary changes until after they discuss budget changes this March

All five Trustees voiced their favor for Proposal 3, however Trustee Peters noted that Proposal 4 would be best since the upcoming budget changes could result in a loss of school busing for some students. Trustee Giardinelli responded that he has seen the budget proposals and he doesn't see anything that would change his preference for Proposal 3. Trustees Irey and O'Donnell noted that the heavy turnout and high emotions running at the Jan 14 meeting at Ridgemoor, could not be overlooked.

Trustee Twyman asked Assistant Superintendent Wood about the feasibility of the "attrition plan" that Todd Reed suggested here on Menifee 24/7 (link). Mr. Wood responded that it's not clear that an enrollment reduction by attrition would occur because of some unknown factors, primarily student growth in the community. Trustee Giardinelli responded that Ridgemoor's attendance is pretty much grown out with Sun City and Menifee Hills already being fully built. Mr. Wood noted that there's actually more construction on the way in the north-west sector of Sun City.

It's also worth noting that what the Trustees voted on today are the boundaries for the 2008-2009 school year, and that the year after that it'll probably change again.

At the end of the board meeting, Superintendent Linda Callaway announced that Callie Kirkpatrick and Menifee Elementary Schools have been nominated for "California Distinguished School".

Labels: Menifee-Union-School-District, Ridgemoor-Elementary-School

This evening at the Menifee Union School District Board of Trustees meeting, names were chosen for the two new elementary schools.

"Quail Valley Elementary School" was the name chosen for School #8. They noted that in the voting process, another name "Quail Ridge Elementary School" had actually received the same number of votes, but that "Quail Valley" eventually won the tie breaker. The "Quail Ridge" name came about as a cross between Quail Valley and the canyon ridges that dominated the landscape in Quail Valley.

In my opinion, "Quail Valley" is a better choice since Menifee Cityhood will incorporate Quail Valley, and hence the community of Quail Valley will likely lose its namesake as a result. Thus, Quail Valley Elementary School will be one of the few fixtures that the community will have left to remind itself of its origins.

"Southshore Elementary School" is the name for School #11. The name is derived from the street its located on, Southshore Drive. Lynne Hanke, its new Principal, is apparently already busy incorporating a "Mariners" theme.

Labels: Menifee-Union-School-District, Quail-Valley, Quail-Valley-Elementary-School, Southshore-Elementary-School

Measure B passes.

As of 10;41am, Wednesday, 100.00% of the precinct votes have been tallied, and the count for Measure B...

Yes: 7,095 56.90%
No: 5,375 43.10%