Reform Candidate Joins School Board Race

Issue-driven, and good-looking, too! What a package!

"An independent with Libertarian leanings who harbors little hope of winning."

Thank Goodness for that! A loose cannon who doesn't know what he is talking about.

At least he isn't Kate Smith!!

Although it is true that I want to reform the tenure and seniority rules, this piece oversimplifies my positions on public education. I spoke with the reporter for two hours regarding numerous important issues affecting our schools today.

If anyone took the time to look at the numbers, they would conclude that our schools are in crisis. There are many grades in our SB elementary schools and classes in the high schools where at least 50% of the students are less than proficient in math and/or English. Less than 20% of the kids who graduate our high schools are graduating 4 year colleges. Only around 1/3 of the kids make it as far as 2 years. Almost 90% of the students who attend community colleges require remedial classes in English and/or math.

Many people erroneously conclude that if only the schools had more money, we could solve all these problems. There have been many studies that compared school districts with similar socioeconomic profiles and have concluded that per pupil spending is not correlated to student academic outcomes. Throwing more money at the schools without necessary reforms will not significantly improve the poor performance we are getting.

A student has a three times greater chance of succeeding in school if he/she has a great teacher. Until recently, there had been only one teacher in the Santa Barbara District the last five years who has been dismissed for poor performance. Tenured and credentialed teachers only had to be evaluated once every five years. 100% of all teachers received satisfactory grades. The system is a joke, although as another article in this edition of the paper pointed out, Dr. Cash is beginning to change this.

We need a comprehensive system to recruit, train, evaluate and retain the very best teachers. Although the article suggested I wanted a quantifiable evaluation system, it has to be far more comprehensive than just relying upon test scores. It also needs to take into account frequent unannounced observations of teachers as well as parent and student feedback. Teachers who are not effective should be given a chance to improve, and if that is not successful, they should be dismissed.

Interestingly, most of the research has suggested that hiring the right people is the critical part of a teacher recruitment system. Not everyone is cut out to be a teacher. It requires certain personality characteristics, such has enthusiasm, perseverance, great interpersonal skills, commitment to children, leadership skills and an optimistic, no-excuse can-do attitude. A great teacher can make a child believe in his own ability to succeed in school. Sometimes, it might be the first adult in that child's life that demonstrated a belief in him or her.

Anyway, I could go on but this is not the forum for that. I know some of my positions are not popular with certain constituencies, but nobody can deny that I care very deeply about improving our public schools for all children.

Photo caption: "Hey man, why are you showing up at my door right now? You know this is a private family party, go away and come back tomorrow".

Good for you, you're a brave man Lou! You sound like you know what you are up against and wish you luck. These union goons will stop at nothing to silence people like you so watch your back! The union WILL harass and intimidate you, so be ready, but never back down.

"Less than 20% of the kids who graduate our high schools are graduating 4 year colleges."
-- lousegal

Can I conclude from your crappy English that you are one of them? Did you mean "matriculating" rather than "graduating"? Why did you limit your statistic to "4 year colleges"? (BTW, in that sentence "4" should be "four").

I'm not impressed, Lou.

SezMe, no I mean graduating. I didn't limit it to four year colleges. In the subsequent statement, I said that less than one third of the high school graduates make it as far as two years. I am also including community colleges.

BTW, would you feel better if I used the word "completing" rather than "graduating".

Oh Oh, I forgot to include a question mark in my previous comment.

I hope Lou Segal can unseat any candidate that is endorsed by the teachers union.

To those who are anti-union: The unions gave us limits to how much bosses could make people work in a day, gave us weekends, gave child labor laws, negotiations for fair pay, safety, etc. Working people need unions to stand up for workers' rights. Maybe if you're not a worker, you don't understand that, but your kids may have jobs someday and all people need to be able to negotiate hours, pay, safety, etc. Unions have fought for your rights, even if you're not union members. Thank you unions!

"but your kids may have jobs"

Shira, I don't mean to dismiss your concerns, but my focus is to ensure that all kids that attend our public schools have the requisite skills to get good jobs and become productive members of our society.

All joking aside I hope Segal succeeds. As I have mentioned in previous posts the two school board meetings I attended where essentially pep rallies of extreme Left-wing P.C. politics which clearly were not beneficial for the kids.

Also, we pass bond measure after bond measure for the schools and the schools STILL complain about being broke. Where is all that money going?

Two thirds of K-14 funding comes from Prop 98 funds and property taxes. Both have been in decline during the recession and are not anticipated to recover to pre-recession levels for a few more years.

I also believe some funding mechanisms like Measure I (K-6) are about to expire.

One would also want to consider whether pre-recession funding levels were adequate.

You can see hundreds of Lou Segal's user comments at Noozhawk by typing his name into the search box.

Segal also opposed Measures W & X and summed it up this way:

"... Regarding the schools: no reform, no money."

I wonder if Segal has any kids in school?

EastBeach, let's look at the numbers to decipher the school budget. In 2011-12, the overall revenues for the SB Unified Schools were $117 million. Enrollment for the year was 13,245 students. In 2008-9, revenue was also $117 million, however, enrollment was 13,835, approximately 600 students more than 2011-12. So the per pupil spending actually increased by $377 per student in 2011-12. If you go back another few years, the District had over 1000 fewer students, and the per pupil spending was even less.

Let's look at it another way. The overall educational budget in Ca., including all sources of money, is around $60 billion. There are approximately 6 million students in Ca. Almost $1,300 per student stays in Sacramento and never finds it way to the District.

Have you ever looked at the employee directory of the County Education Office? The County Superintendent has no line authority for any school in the county, and yet this office has over 100 administrators and a couple more hundred employees. Seem a little top heavy?

School financing is very complicated and convoluted, but I can assure you there is more money wasted on bureaucracy, unnecessary programs and ludicrous federal and state mandates.

There have been numerous studies showing that increased spending without reforms has not gotten us all that much. Education spending in Ca. since 1980 has increased by 450%, exceeding the cost of living. However, during that period, student test scores and other academic data indicate that student academic achievement has declined in all the core subjects.

In a previous comment, I meant to say, "a couple hundred more employees".

Obviously Mr. Segal has no new ideas, is a scapegoat herder and so I couldn't even consider this candidate. Now if he'd suggest grandpa and gramma reform, or putting the school districts into some kind of Enterprise District, similar to the Muni golf course/cocktail lounge, then this candidate would have a new idea and something to consider.

with you Don, and Lou is just another tired basher of teachers. He writes about $1300 per student lost in Sacramento, a problem, sure. But what about NY State spending $19,000 per student and Calif spends less than $10,000 a kid...? Corruption, waste, these are minor problems Lou, and need to be rooted out.
But the public schools DO need lots more money and you are an enemy of such increases. Like Romney, you want to starve public education, then show how poor it's become.
Do we need better oversight of the poor teachers, yes, but our students need more teachers, better structures and so on as well.
Vote for Proposition 30 and our local school taxes in November.

The true reform needed is smaller class sizes (thus more teachers and more actual classrooms); that is if you're serious about improving education which first and foremost is about thinking- not memorization.
Everything else is just hot air at best.

yes, smaller classes, better-trained teachers, less tech but more interactive when you have it...yes, it is about critical thinking, but there also has to be some hard-core learning too...you have to have enough info to frame a deeper question...

What DrDan doesn't acknowledge is that California citizens pay more in taxes than citizens in most other states. The fact that we've chosen to spend the money on other things besides education is the root of the problem. As I have proven in previous threads, the problem is not lack of revenue, the problem is the way we have chosen to spend the revenue that we currently have.

Dr. Dan made reference to Prop 30, as if that will somehow prove to be a magic elixir for our public schools. Let's review a couple of facts that some people might not be aware of. Prop 30 does not ensure there will be additional revenues for education. All revenues go into the general fund, where approximately 40% of the money will be used for education. As Botany alluded to, with the passage of Prop 30, Ca will have the highest income and sales taxes for the entire nation. There are many economists who think the revenue projections under Prop 30 are wildly exaggerated. Since the state has missed their revenue projections by a wide margin for the last five years, I would not necessarily assume it won't happen again.

Also, the Calstrs pension fund has a $65 billion unfunded liability. They have already requested the state and the school districts to increase their pension contributions by $3.5 billion for next year. Interestingly, the projected revenue increase from Prop 30 (assuming the revenue projection is accurate) is equal to the additional contributions that must be paid next year.

BTW, in a previous comment I said, "If you go back another few years, the District had over 1000 fewer students". I meant to say, "1000 more students".

I find DrDan more trustworthy and credible on this topic than the actual candidate who writes long rambling posts he doesn't bother to proof read.

Your summary of Prop 30 is not true Mr. Segal, specifically when you say, "All revenues go into the general fund, where approximately 40% of the money will be used for education."

PROP 30: the official title which is: 'Temporary Taxes to Fund Education, Guaranteed Local Public Safety Funding Initiative Consititutional Amendment':

From the Ballot Summary:
- Allocates temporary tax revenues 89% to K–12 schools and 11% to community colleges.
- Bars use of funds for administrative costs, but provides local school governing boards discretion to decide, in open meetings and subject to annual audit, how funds are to be spent.
- Guarantees funding for public safety services realigned from state to local governments.
http://www.voterguide.sos.ca.gov/prop...

From the text of the Proposition, page 80:

"...(h) To ensure these funds go where the voters intend, they are put in special accounts that the Legislature cannot touch. None of these new revenues can be spent on state bureaucracy or administrative costs.

:: (i) These funds will be subject to an independent audit every year to ensure they are spent only for schools and public safety. Elected officials will be subject to prosecution and criminal penalties if they misuse the funds."

[page 82]
:: "(e) (1) To ensure that public education is not harmed in the process of providing critical protection to local Public Safety Services, the Education Protection Account is hereby created in the General Fund to receive and disburse the revenues derived from the incremental increases in taxes imposed by this section, as specified in subdivision (f)."
http://vig.cdn.sos.ca.gov/2012/genera...

Binky, I am correct. Here is the language from the legislative analysis:

New Tax Revenues Available to Fund Schools and Help Balance the Budget. The revenue generated by the measure’s temporary tax increases would be included in the calculations of the Proposition 98 minimum guarantee— raising the guarantee by billions of dollars each year. A portion of the new revenues therefore would be used to support higher school funding, with the remainder helping to balance the state budget. From an accounting perspective, the new revenues would be deposited into a newly created state account called the Education Protection Account (EPA). Of the funds in the account, 89 percent would be provided to schools and 11 percent to community colleges.

To buttress my other point, this was also included in the legislative analysis:

The revenues raised by this measure could be subject to multibillion-dollar swings—either above or below the revenues projected above. This is because the vast majority of the additional revenue from this measure would come from the PIT rate increases on upper-income taxpayers.

Here is the remainder of the text regarding the uncertainty of additional revenues:

Most income reported by upper-income taxpayers is related in some way to their investments and businesses, rather than wages and salaries. While wages and salaries for upper- income taxpayers fluctuate to some extent, their investment income may change significantly from one year to the next depending upon the performance of the stock market, housing prices, and the economy. For example, the current mental health tax on income over $1 million generated about $730 million in 2009–10 but raised more than twice that amount in previous years. Due to these swings in the income of these taxpayers and the uncertainty of their responses to the rate increases, the revenues raised by this measure are difficult to estimate.

And these income "swings" and resulting swings in taxes are the results of nouveau conservative policies resulting in deregulated, corrupt and speculative investment schemes. That won't 'change' by putting stealthy tea party candidates on our school boards, in our city councils and especially in State and Federal offices. It may be that we need to regulate, have some oversight and enforcement. We may need pre-1960s tax structures, a time when we had really good 'conservative' tax policy that led to doors being open, schools being built, economic growth and opportunities created.

thanks Binky for clarification on Prop. 30, MOST of the money will go directly to public schools.
Lousegal has tons of data and quotes numbers forever, but he wants to cut down state expenses and also for public education. He's anti-teacher and pro private education.

Mr. Segal, of the two assertions you made which I take issue with:

:: "All revenues go into the general fund..."

-- and --

:: "...approximately 40% of the money will be used for education."

... in your follow-up you provided much of the same information I did, which still shows you were wrong.

After the guaranteed minimum for education is obtained, as provided in the law, should there be a surplus "[this] remainder helping to balance the state budget."

OMG, Lou Segal is the reincarnation of Bob Noel on the School Board!

I thought crochet-y and belligerence in the face of facts had retired.

I'm beginning to think they should charge him for advertising or give the other candidates the same opportunity to forum with voters.
Anybody who is pro-privatization of public schools has no place anywhere near a public school board. No wonder nobody is taking him seriously.

Binky, the so-called minimum guarantee you refer to is actually the minimum guarantee under Prop 98, which effectively allocates no less than 40% of the general fund to public education.

Chester, I am an admirer of Bob Noel, who had raised the funds for a vocational charter high school which would have primarily served socially and economically disadvantaged students. BTW, he is a registered Democrat.

If this has already been addressed, dismiss my following question: Is it true that public schools depend on the tax base of the neighborhoods in which they are located? If this is true, what is being done to address this iniquity?

Charter schools are just another privatization attempt. To tout one as being for "socially and economically disadvantaged students." ignores the fact that public schools are tuition free. As for socially disadvantaged students, what does this mean? The awkwardness of growing up? Those subjected to bullies (which admin should be taking care of)? Too many holes, too much hot air.

A friendly note, you should be aware that the username "lousegal" reads to most people as "louse gal". You might want to add an underscore.

As a current member of the Santa Barbara School Board and up for re-election in November I do enjoy reading these on-line discussions and often learn a great deal as a result. As a School Board member we must at times rely on advisors who hopefully know much more than we as individuals can possibly know especially when it comes to finances, Three things I can add in the way of clarification based on these professional advisors from unions, government and private industry. 1) We currently receive less than 80% of the funds "mandated" by Prop 98 and this "redirecting away from schools" was just upheld as constitutional in June, 2) If Prop 30 does not pass our staff at all levels will take 7 days of furlough this year resulting in a 4% salary reduction and 5 less school days for our students (similar furloughs or more budget cuts in future years will follow) and 3) If Parcel Tax measures A and B fail to pass we will have an additional $1.7 million to cut in 2013-14 along with reductions of an additional $2.1 million we already know we need to take. I personally don't want to see our staff take salary reductions, our students lose 5 days of school and I don't like seeing the current program enhancements (thanks to H & I which are expiring) in programs such as music, technology, science, performing arts, foreign languages and math potentially on the chopping block. No matter what your views are for the future these decisions deal with today's reality and should not be held "hostage" to demands for long term change. I'm happy to discuss these issues or anyting else at any time. My phone number is 806 687-7639 or by email at edheron.com. You can also visit my website at edheron.com. Thank you for your active participation in this discussion.

Sorry. My phone number is 805 687-7639. Ed Heron

The lack of funding for schools should NOT be dependent of Prop. 30 passing or failing. As Ed said, the politicians in power have decided how to direct the Prop. 98 funds (and can now legally do so). Just because our current leadership is beholden to other interests that supersede the education of our children, it is no reason to allow this current leadership to attempt to blackmail the taxpayers of California into voting another tax increase upon themselves. And even if they did, the current leadership in Sacramento would be scheming to divert those funds to the interests that they are beholden to as well.

Our own County Board of Supes could choose to help fund the schools instead of remodelling North County Offices, as one example to illustrate Botany's comment.

If the money California plans to spend for the high speed rail were diverted to education would that help things?

It's also much easier to blame teachers or the union than the parents who don't encourage reading and educational exploration, and don't teach responsibility and civil behavior.
Even if parents just focused on the latter it would help teacher's do their first job which is supposed to be education, not babysitting.

Bill I think most of the money for the high-speed rail comes from Washington, so that federal money wouldn't divert to California public schools.
Ken is correct that the "waves" of recriminations and criticisms surge through blaming "the schools" generally, to blaming the teachers, to blaming the parents, to blaming the government (s), to blaming the kids.... to blaming this darned society the young find themselves in.
One measure is for sure: public education in USA is in a bad way. Yes, Botany's also right in stating Prop 30's passage alone will hardly solve the problem. It will take a long time.
We can look at Finland's incredible successes [I know, I know, it's a highly homogenous society and we aren't]...one clear issue is the LOW status of public school teachers in US, their relatively low pay for professionals, the way they get blamed for many problems far above THEIR pay grade to solve.
List is pretty long.

Ed, we agree on many things, but we obviously disagree on the necessity on Measures A&B and Prop 30.

"today's reality should not be held "hostage" to demands for long term change."

Ed, I would disagree as to who is holding who hostage. I think it is far more accurate to say that Gov Brown is holding taxpayers and the educational establishment hostage to the passage of Prop 30.

As for relying upon advisors, in my long business career, I have always found it useful to independently fact-check any advise I received from well-intentioned advisors. In the ballot arguments for Measures A&B, it was asserted that without these funds, English, math and foreign language courses would have to be eliminated (not true). I also found it amusing to read that the funds would be subject to independent review subject to independent audit. However, the overseers are appointed by the Board (hardly independent), and I have, as of yet, not been able to identify any reputable outside independent certified accounting firm conducting any such audit of these funds.

As you know, my number one reason for opposing these Measures is that it has never been proven to me that more money without major reforms will improve student outcomes. Every study I have looked at suggests there is no correlation. Everyone connected to the educational monolith is always asking for more money, as if that would solve all the problems with education today.

Instead, we need a comprehensive teacher/administrator evaluation system and an effective and integrated system for hiring, training, evaluating and retaining the very best teachers. As you know, until very recently, the evaluation system we had was a joke. We also need to comprehensively review curriculum, particularly at the elementary schools to ensure our kids are learning the fundamentals of English and math. The bottom line is that we need to change the culture of the schools from always looking for scapegoats (lack of money) to justify the poor results.

Dr. Cash is certainly doing some good things, but the reality is that he will have to deal with the archaic tenure and seniority rules. The real tragedy is that until this past year, our schools had no real evaluation system, and no one including the principals or the superintendent were held accountable. This is not a record to be proud of.

Segal's advocacy of holding the schools hostage until they submit to his definition of "reform" is morally suspect in my humble opinion.

DrDan: You're correct about most of the money being federal money, but several billion still is coming from California alone, and the other $90+billion that comes from the Feds is money better spent in my opinion.

What makes no sense is that the same people who complain about there being no money for the schools have no trouble spending it on other luxury items such as the high speed rail.

We can survive without the rail, we can't survive without education.

Either way, the $$$ being spent on the rail could be spent on the schools whether it's federal or state money.