Alt Ed, part three

Continued from parts one and two

And so it continues, and now yet another charter school is circling the not-yet-dead body of AUSD, from the Alameda Sun:

…According to AUSD trustee Mike McMahon, the district received a charter application Friday seeking to set up the Renaissance Leadership Academy, a new Kindergarten to 8th grade school.

…

According to district officials, Alameda Unified receives roughly $5,777 per student annually from the state. If both schools open and all 150 students at Nea and all 105 students from Renaissance would otherwise have attended an ordinary AUSD school, AUSD will see it’s state funding plummet by nearly $1.5 million per year.

Charter school supporters say the state funding, which is tied to where a student is attending classes, should go to whatever institution the student is attending. If the district gets less money, it’s because they are educating fewer students. Opponents retort that it isn’t that simple. State regulations and various fixed costs associated with running an entire district mean authorities can’t painlessly find $1 worth of cuts for each dollar in lost funding…

Alt Ed, part two

Continued from Part one 

Another comment that sparked my interest was made by Alex B. sort of buried, but one that was addressed by SDR was the notion that somehow charter schools have “exceptional” students as compared to the regular public schools:

3. It would seem that some people disagree that the programs available for exceptional students should MIRROR the scope and funding for programs designed for students with weaker than average abilites. At either end of the spectrum there are students with “special needs”, both deserve to be supported equally.

To that end: I resent Barbara Mooney’s comment that it’s a special program on “her” dime. Many of the parents who are on the waiting list for ACLC pay a LOT of dimes into the public education system and their right to have the school of their choice shouldn’t be driven by one person who feels that it isn’t the best option for their children’s special needs.

I don’t think that anyone is disagreeing that an equal amount of money should be spent on “exceptional” students and programs that serve them.  Which is why it is important to have money to fund Advanced Placement classes and other programs that serve to educate kids who come in brighter than the average bear.  After all, those of us that are parents probably all collectively agree that our child(ren) is(are) THE smartest kid(s) we’ve ever met.   No one is so much of a martyr to actively support a proposition that will make their “exceptional” child lose out in the end.  No one.  

Alt Ed, part one

So, the snarky side of me wanted to name this post: “Another Bob bites the dust,” not because I was going to smack him down or anything, but because I was in a snarky mood when I read his comment, this post title sprung to mind, and I have been unable to shake it from my head since it planted its seed.   But see, in the spirit of the holiday season, I went with a more benign post heading, but I digress before I have even had a chance to get started.

I wanted to make a quick (okay, maybe not so quick) response to Another Bob’s comment on why charters were so compelling, although the question I had asked was why was the proposed charter so compelling.  And by proposed charter I specifically meant the K-5 portion of the ACLC/NCLC/Nea/whathaveyou charter school.   So, Another Bob wants his kid to try something that will eventually “fit” for his/her style of learning.  Based on his experience having moved place to place he liked the experience of trying out new educational experiences.  

Ancedotal story ahead, you’ve been warned… 

For Peet’s Sake

According to the Alameda Journal, both Peets and Citizens League for Airport Safety and Serenity (CLASS) have filed a lawsuit to nullify the settlement agreement that would technically have allowed Harbor Bay Isle Developers to build additional homes on a site zoned for industrial and commerical property.   I say “technically” because the settlement doesn’t get the developer through the planning process, but I don’t really blame Peet’s or CLASS for going forward with this action.  Highlights:

…”It’s a writ of mandate,” city attorney Teresa Highsmith said. “They’re seeking to have that settlement agreement set aside. They are alleging the settlement agreement improperly amends the 1989 development agreement. Of course we disagree with that.”

…

An environmental report issued earlier this year says that airplane noise from nearby Oakland International Airport would pose an “unavoidable, significant” impact on the new homes.

Airing out

As Samuel L. Jackson once posited, you gotta “ride it ’til the motherfuckin’ wheels come off.” For some reason I recall this being said as part of an interview with James Lipton on Inside the Actor’s Studio, but my memory is a little faulty.  

Yes I could have written about any numerous things before my very own “holiday hiatus”, such as the Bay Area Water Transit Authority’s purchase of two new ferries to be used as “backup.”   I suppose this will be part of the new improved ”emergency” arm.   Or I could have written about the capacity issues for schools.   Or even commented on the beautiful photo in the Sun of the Alameda Theater renovation.  (Did anyone catch the part about the tobacco stains, yet another reason why smoking is bad.)

But instead, I am going to start my Festivus a little early and air my grievance:

Hello big media corporations, I am so disappointed in your attempts at settling the writers strike.   Don’t you understand that the next season of Lost is coming up?   I need my 30 Rock fixes dammit!

Happy Festivus and insert your seasonal holiday here!

Great tests, less filler! Now with 20% more math!

For Alameda parents, there is a new Google Group for those interested in sharing information about Alameda Schools and school related issues.   Alameda School Connection has a pretty good list of participating parents right now, you have to join to view and participate.   There is a very interesting conversation about, what else, charter schools on one of the threads.

One of the arguments that I find fascinating about the creation of the Charter Schools is to offer parents a level of choice in what schools their child attends.   It’s a fair argument, but on the other hand it seems like there are parents using the “choice” reasoning as a veil for “I don’t want to send my kid to a West End school if it’s not a charter.”   So here is my confusion, particularly for Elementary school aged kids and even more precisely for Kindergarten aged children. 

What is it about the proposed charter school that makes sending your kid to it so compelling?

Bad Moon Rising

While generally I would opt to talk about all things Alameda, most noteably the East Bay Express’ article on Alameda Development, but rather I have been fascinated with what has been going on in Half Moon Bay.   For those not up to speed, it’s basically this:  developer buys land many years ago in Half Moon Bay where there were already tentatively approved plans to develop housing by the previous owner.   Developer is unable to develop due to City saying that the property now contains protected wetland.  Developer says City caused the wetlands.   Developer sues and wins a $38 million award.  City freaks out because that is nearly three times their annual budget.

And of course, the City of Half Moon Bay is left with a few options: appeal, begin settlement talks with the developer, or do nothing and let Half Moon Bay lapse to become an unincorporated portion of San Mateo County putting it under the jurisdiction of the county.

What would you do?

Under new management

 Notwithstanding the ridiculousness of the perceived “scooping” of the Alameda Journal by Alameda Daily News.   (Really, I didn’t know you could journalistically “scoop” based on a press release published on the City’s website, or even one that was faxed to you.)  The news about the number of companies interested in running Chuck Corica Golf Course is promising for the future of the golf course.   From the Alameda Journal:

…Ten companies have expressed some interest in taking over the management of the Chuck Corica Golf Complex, in response to the city’s notice last month.

…

It’s estimated that a new operator could begin managing the complex as early as January, 2009.

The complex would be operated under a long-term lease agreement with the city, under the direction of the parks and recreation department.

…

The world is as it’s meant to be

With the City Council seriously considering the ban on stryofoam, it’s as good as a time as any to consider what being “green” means.   An opinion writer from Long Island University felt as though it was time for the suburbs to step up its game toward becoming more sustainable positing that the change will come from more than just insultated windows and attics, but from public policy shifts and a recognization that our individual decisions have an impact that resonates worldwide.   Interestingly enough he calls it “greening the suburbs,” but this ain’t your Action Alameda “greening,” excerpts:

…Greening the suburbs is about recalibrating philosophy, technology and public policy so we champion interdependence rather than individualism. The suburbs were born out of an ideology of separation from the city, but the 21st century requires new regional and global partnerships.

Green suburbs will need a new generation of regional plans that are far more visionary than current offerings. The challenge is to reduce total energy consumption dramatically, yet create more enjoyable and healthier communities that reconnect us to nature…The green suburb won’t be an assemblage of individual homesteaders; it will be a mixed-income, ecologically integrated community that promotes natural and cultural diversity.

Salt Seller

Sounds like I missed a good meeting last night, but I have to say that the meeting I went to was equally fruitful, for those parents concerned about the quality of education that will be afforded their children at Ruby Bridges, after the meeting it was clear that Ruby Bridges is offering a great education for our kids.   But I digress.   

Stop, Drop and Roll has a nice summary of the meeting, excerpt:

…The groups were charged with listing pros and cons of two concepts presented by SunCal. One, a Measure A compliant plan that had about 1400 homes, no retail, lots of open space, etc. and a second, non-measure A compliant plan (total numbers of housing units were not discussed, but it was hinted that it would be at least double the measure A compliant plan). This plan had retail, increased open space, a restored wetlands area in the bird sanctuary, some sort of major transportation solution serving Fruitvale BART and possibly downtown Oakland.

A key difference was the significant decrease in environmental impact in the second plan. Also, schools would be built in plan B, but not A…

And to make sure that you and I know that even though a large majority of folks seemed to come to a consensus on liking Plan B (the non Measure A compliant one), Alameda Daily News fixture David Howard tells us that the fix was in from the start with the small breakout groups:

…After the initial presentation by SunCal and Calthorpe, the format moved to a break-out discussion across 20 or so tables. A classic divide-and-conquer technique. As confirmed by talking to other people after the meeting broke, HOMES and their sympathizers were sure to salt every table with someone from their side to influence the final presentations from each table…

So, it’s not that random folks from the community self selected their were randomly assigned to their groups and managed to come to a consensus in the groups by themselves, it’s that “HOMES and their sympathizers” planted or rather “salted” each table with Svengalis  or even Svenjollysthat managed to entrance or bully (or both) all members of the small groups into blindly agreeing to go along with whatever they wanted.   All critical and independent thinking flies out of the window in the presence of these hypnotic individuals and everyone is helpless under their influence. 

Neat.