KPAO by Dave Cortright

A single site for BCS would violate CA Ed Code Section 11969.2(d)

CA Ed Code Section 11969.2(d) states in part:

...the charter school's in-district students must be given the same consideration as students in the district-run schools, subject to the requirement that the facilities provided to the charter school must be contiguous.

Students in district-run schools are given a single, contiguous site for their elementary school, and then a second contiguous site that is physcially separated from the first for middle school. In order for charter school students to receive the same consideration, they must be given the same configuration.

If the LASD board were to give BCS a single site for all their students K-8, then charter students wouldn't be given the same consideration as in-district students. This would expose LASD to another lawsuit brought by BCS. Thus, I commend the LASD board on following the letter of the law in their facilities offer to BCS to minimize their legal exposure.

In praise of your preliminary facilities offer to Bullis charter school

From: Dave Cortright
To: Los Altos School Board 
Sent: Sunday, January 29, 2012 6:44 PM
Subject: In praise of your preliminary facilities offer to Bullis charter school

Members of the Los Alto School District Board,

Unfortunately I won't be able to attend your special meeting tomorrow evening. But I did want to send you my praise on your preliminary facilities offer to Bullis charter school.

While it's likely the amount of influence I had on your decision was negligible, I am still delighted that you came to the same conclusion I did: splitting the BCS elementary and middle schools across two camp sites grants BCS the space required while minimizing disruption to all public school students in the district. Yes, this includes BCS students as well; Moving their elementary from its existing location would be disruptive to those students and families.

I've no doubt you will get negative feedback from BCS supporters on your decision, perhaps even in the form of a lawsuit. I encourage you to stand firm on your offer. Closing a school to give to BCS is a provably worse course of action.

The Santa Clara Office of Education and Bullis Charter School (and the Sixth Court of Appeals, for that matter) have certainly made your work challenging. Please know that I think you are doing a fantastic job managing this situation. And for every resident such as myself who takes the time and effort to tell you this explicitly, scores of others stand behind in silent agreement. 

Respectfully,
·Dave Cortright

Lucky people tend to be more open to opportunities

I generally consider myself a fairly lucky person. This article that describes the mechanism behind "luck" resonated with me.

Unlucky people miss chance opportunities because they are too focused on looking for something else. They go to parties intent on finding their perfect partner, and so miss opportunities to make good friends. They look through the newspaper determined to find certain job advertisements and, as a result, miss other types of jobs. Lucky people are more relaxed and open, and therefore see what is there, rather than just what they are looking for.

That's not saying you should live an undirected life. But it does suggest that one should be more open to new experiences rather than being single-mindedly focused on a particular path.

When I came to Stanford for graduate school, it was with the intent that I would get my degree in computer music, studying at CCRMA. I enjoyed both music and technology, and thought the combination of the two would be a perfect career for me. But that's not how it worked out.

The first semester there I realized that I had little in common with the people at CCRMA. There seemed to be two types: avant-garde musicians making what sounded to me more like random noise than music, and hard-core engineering types who were more fascinated with algorithms like fast Fourier transforms than what they allowed the musicians to accomplish.

When I realized this path wouldn't work out for me, I was pretty down. But then I took CS147: an introduction to human-computer interaction. And it just clicked with me. It made so much sense that software was only powerful if the average user could use it. This was something I had struggled with all my life with computer music interfaces, but I had never envisioned how it could be different.

And actually the decision to attend Stanford was another case of being open. I had already accepted at UC San Diego because it was a lot cheaper. My girlfriend at the time asked why I was making education decisions based on money. I should go to Stanford since it's the better school and worry about paying off the student loans later. She was right, so that's what I did. And I paid off my loans within 3 years of graduation.

I have lived a lucky life. For starters, I won the ovarian lottery. But I'm convinced much of the luck in my life comes from recognizing new opportunities that come along and embracing them.

A fair and reasonably equivalent Prop 39 facilities offer

LASD posted the preliminary documentation for their Prop 39 facilities offer to Bullis today.

http://www.losaltos.k12.ca.us/District/News-Section/4439-Special-Board-Meeting.html

While it's likely the amount of influence I had on their decision was negligible, I am still delighted that they came to the same conclusion I did: splitting the BCS elementary and middle schools across two sites grants BCS the space required while minimizing disruption to all public school students in the district.

I am sure BCS isn't happy about this. Once again they did not get their coveted home in the Hills. I wouldn't be surprised if they've already engaged with Arturo and the rest of the MoFos on a legal response. I do hope I'm wrong here. I'd hate to see time, effort and resources wasted in another protracted legal battle that could otherwise be spent on more positive endeavors, such as educating children.

Diane Ravitch, professor of education at New York University, speaks out against Bullis Charter School

From: Dave Cortright 
To: Santa Clara County Board of Education
Cc: Santa Clara County Superintendent and Staff
Sent: Friday, January 27, 2012 2:35 PM
Subject: Diane Ravitch, professor of education at New York University, speaks out against Bullis Charter School

Members of the Santa Clara County Office of Education,

I'd like to draw your attention to this recent news article in the Mountain View Voice. In it, Diane Ravitch—a professor of education at New York University and author of many books on the education system in America—has looked at the Bullis Charter School and called it a private school created with public money. She also say that the Bullis profile does not fit the original purpose of the charter school movement, which is to help the neediest kids in a community.

I am embarrassed to be a member of a community where an unbiased education expert calls out our local charter school out in this way. The BCS mission statement claims they are "a model of educational excellence". Do you really believe this to be true? Are you trying to get all of the other charters in Santa Clara County to follow BCS' model? How would someone like Professor Ravitch respond if an entire county of charter schools followed the Bullis model of (as she puts it) a private school education funded with public school money?

I truly hope the MOU you are working on with BCS will rectify all of these issues and mold BCS into a charter school that follows both the spirit and the letter of California charter school law. I would love to have Professor Ravitch look at BCS a year or two from now and remark at how it has turned into a true model for the charter school system.

Excerpts from the article:

The California Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from the Los Altos School District on Jan. 18, effectively ending the years-long battle between the district and Bullis Charter School over equitable sharing of the district's facilities and funds.

The court's decision was celebrated by officials at Bullis Charter School who said the ruling was a precedent-setting victory for charter schools across the state.

...

"I hope it's not a precedent," said Diane Ravitch, an author of numerous books on education in America. Ravitch, once in favor of the charter school movement, has changed her mind on the matter. "The original purpose of the charter school was to help the neediest kids in a community. This is not the profile of Bullis. What you have is a group of wealthy parents who have created a private school with public school money."

As always, thank you for your attention and consideration.

Respectfully,
·Dave Cortright

Another great quote from Scott Adams

...the bottom line is that whoever has the most kids—regardless of income—benefits the most from the government. If fairness were a real thing, taxes would be based on your number of offspring, not your income.

R'amen to that.

I speak for myself

Just to be clear, my opinions on this blog are mine and mine alone. I speak for myself. I am not part of some cabal. I do not work for LASD, LAEF, SCCOE, BCS (that one should be obvious), BPESF, or any other organization. I am not in any way associated with the Bullis Charter Scam web site. I have never posted content anonymously nor under any psyedonym on the topic of charter schools in general or BCS in particular, nor have I given or received remuneration for anything I've done on this topic.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I am going to happily contribute to Anna Song for her next campaign, regardless of what office it is. I am inspired that she held one viewpoint, then after receiving new information changed her opinion based on sound reasoning. Skills such as these are so essential in any leadership position (and sadly so rare). It's all too easy for people to entrench their beliefs and hold tight despite opposing evidence (a.k.a. the backfire effect). I absolutely want to encourage her to continue using her skills to benefit the public.

I can understand why BCS supporters would like to think that there is really only one small yet vocal group of dissenters, and that I am somehow linked in to them all. I have made a conscious decision to be open with both my opinions and my identity, which makes me an obvious target. However, the inconvenient truth is that I am just one of many independent people that have looked at the BCS charter school situation and have taken issue with it. Nancy Gill (independent education consultant), Diane Ravitch (Professor of Education at New York University), Business Week, Michelle Sturiale from LASDVoices, Bullis Charter Scam, and a profusion of parents and community members have each independently come to the same conclusion: there are many valid concerns with BCS and those concerns must be voiced.

Yes, I have communicated with many of the people involved. And many of those communications I post to my blog. But in the end I am speaking my own opinions for myself. I have no more power in this situation than any other citizen with the time, drive, and resolve to invest in making their voice heard. For those of you who doubt me, I suggest you consult Occam.

Anna Eshoo opposes SOPA, supports OPEN act

January 22, 2012

Dear Mr. Cortright,

Because of your interest in communications and technology issues, I wanted you to know that I recently led a bipartisan letter to leaders of the House Judiciary Committee expressing opposition to H.R. 3261, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). I'm proud to support a bipartisan, bicameral legislative alternative to SOPA: H.R. 3782, the Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade (OPEN) Act.

As you may know, SOPA is intended to target "rogue" foreign websites engaging in copyright infringement. While I fully support efforts to combat piracy and counterfeiting, this legislation is far too broad, giving the government new authority to order Internet Service Providers to implement various filtering technologies on their networks and create new forms of private legal action against websites. I have serious concerns that SOPA as written would have an array of unintended consequences on cybersecurity, freedom of speech ,and the growth of the Internet. 

I believe the OPEN Act is a better alternative to fighting online piracy, while allowing American startups and Internet entrepreneurs to flourish. This legislation would combat infringing websites by expanding the U.S. International Trade Commission's existing authority to enforce copyright and trademark laws online. This is similar to how the Commission already governs the import of physical goods.

SOPA is currently being marked-up by the House Judiciary Committee. The OPEN Act was introduced on January 18, 2012. Should SOPA come before me on the floor of the House as written, I will oppose it. I remain committed to protecting innovation and business growth in Silicon Valley, and also finding targeted rem edies against online infringers. I hope Congress will give the OPEN Act the swift, favorable consideration it deserves.

If you have any other questions or comments, let me hear from you. I value what my constituents say to me, and always need your thoughts and benefit from your ideas.

I've created an ongoing e-newsletter to keep constituents informed on a variety of congressional issues and legislation. Many constituents tell me how much they value reading it, and if you would like to as well, you can go to my website at http://eshoo.house.gov and click on Sign Up for ENews. Your email address will never be used by anyone except my office to communicate with you, and your tax dollars will be conserved by using electronic communications rather than traditional mailings.

Sincerely,
 
Anna G. Eshoo
Member of Congress

Issues that should be addressed in the Bullis charter memo of understanding

The Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) is crafting a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Bullis Charter School (BCS) to address the biggest issues regarding their operation. LASD voices will represent the view of the LASD community during this process. Here are the points that I passed along to the group that I believe need to be reflected in the MOU:

1. SCCOE must be more proactive in managing BCS and holding them accountable to charter law.
2. To aid in execution of #1, SCCOE must appoint a member of their staff to the BCS board.
3. BCS must place special emphasis on academically low achieving students as required by California Education Code Section 47601(b). This includes special needs kids such as autistic, ADD, ELLs, etc.
4. BCS must drop the geographic preference for admissions as required by California Education Code Section 47605(d)(1)
5. BCS must not only recruit but also must admit more latino students to bring their racial and ethnic balance in line with LASD as required by California Education Code Section 47605(b)(5)(G)
6. BCS must provide all information requested regarding the details of their operations—such as how someone becomes a board member, and how the admissions lottery is run and audited to ensure it is fair—as required by the California Public Records Act (California Government Code Section 6250)
7. SCCOE and BCS must put a program in place to ensure that parents understand BCS is a public school and no tuition or "suggested donation" is required. One suggestion: send a letter to all BCS parents twice a year emphasizing this point, and create anonymous tip lines (phone number where one can leave a voice message and/or an anonymous web form submission) where BCS parents or other members of the community can report violations.
8. BCS must agree to mediation and/or arbitration with SCCOE and LASD as a first step in resolving any issue before getting lawyers involved. It'd be even better if BCS agreed to binding arbitration rather than litigation.
9. Any information that BCS makes available regarding the money and resources that they receive for their students compared to LASD must be vetted and approved by all three parties: SCCOE, LASD, and BCS.
10. BCS claimed at the Jan 11 SCCOE board meeting that they are not asking LASD to close a school. If this is true, they must revise their 2012-13 Prop 39 request to make this clear by removing the language that says that the Gardner Bullis site would best serve BCS' needs.
11. BCS should accept LASD's proposal that they become a proper district charter which would take SCCOE out of the equation and would greatly simplify this whole matter.

Update

 I originally forgot to include 3 of the most important points that must be part of the MOU:

1. It must be a legally binding agreement.
2. The language must be clear and unambiguous when it comes to saying exactly what the various parties must do, when the must do them by, and the metrics that will be used to evaluate whether or not each item has been successfully achieved.
3. Similarly, the language must be clear and unambiguous when it comes to saying exactly what the consequences will be if a particular item is not successfully achieved: what will be done, who will do it, and when it will be done by.

I highly recommend using SMART criteria for both the goals and the consequences.

Sunlight is the best of disinfectants

This phrase was coined by Louis Brandeis, a justice of the US Supreme Court. He was one of the great defenders of both freedom of speech an privacy that this country has ever seen. His successor to his place on the court—William O. Douglas—said of him, "Brandeis was a militant crusader for social justice whoever his opponent might be. He was dangerous not only because of his brilliance, his arithmetic, his courage. He was dangerous because he was incorruptible." He sounds like a strong candidate for my short list of personal heroes.

Thus, I will continue my blogging about issues important to me, whether it be freedom of speech, privacy, technology, or even education. To allow threats of physical violence or legal action to censor my thoughts would be ceding to the darkness. As difficult, or uncomfortable, or intimidating as it may be, I feel obliged to shine my own bit of disinfecting sunshine on the darkness.

I do think it's telling that rather than responding to the clear, rational, and resoned evidence I present, some of those who disagree resort to personal attacks and lies. Sadly I don't believe there is any consructive way for me to directly interact with the Bullis board. So I reaffirm my commitment here to no longer do so. They are the scorpion; it's in their nature. But neither will I allow the fear of being stung prevent me from doing what I feel is right.

A wise man once told me that it is better to be courageous than fearless. Fearless people are emotionless people; They are living in a fantasy world by suppressing their emotions. Courageous people fully feel the fear (and other emotions), but they don't let their emotions control them. This is who I aspire to be.