I received an email below announcing a new blog in Sacramento, California known as SAC Chartergate . It seems this blog was created by a group of Sacramento citizens who are interested in shining the light on Kevin Johnson, St Hope and the takeover of Sacramento High School.
Who is SAC Chartergate: According to their blog they value the public trust and true accountability from their elected and appointed leaders. They represent parents, neighbors and community members who still believe in Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis’ words about governance and public policy making: “sunlight is the best disinfectant ." Well who better to shine the light on the Kevin Johnson/Michelle Rhee story then citizens from Sacramento. Here is their email as well as Sac Chartergate’s first entry titled: Making The Grades With Kevin Johnson.
Hi Candi:
"Just a quick note to send you this link to our new blog in Sacramento: http://sacchartergate.blogspot.com/ The point of this is to get out there any and all information we can find regarding the sad saga of the Sacramento High School give away in the service of Kevin Johnson’s (and Michelle Rhee’s) rise to power. Take a look and spread the link around your neck of the woods. More to come from us. "- L. Jablonski and all the outraged citizens here in Sac Town
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2009
Making the Grades with Kevin Johnson
New allegations that mayor Kevin Johnson offered hush money to a young Hood Corps volunteer who complained of his unwanted sexual advances splashed across media outlets around the country last week. The story has national legs given the zeal of congressional Republicans to underscore the involvement of Obama Administration officials in the dismissal of Inspector General Gerald Walpin, whose findings related to the illegal use of federal funds by St. Hope included the revelations.
Michelle Rhee, Chancellor of Washington DC schools and Kevin Johnson's fiance, also has a role in the latest saga due to allegations she mishandled the Hood Corps volunteer's complaint while serving as a St. Hope official and also intervened with Inspector General Walpin on behalf of Johnson. We will have questions about Rhee in a later post.
All of this plays out in the broader context of Johnson's controversial "strong mayor" proposal to change the city charter. The bloggers at BossMayor.com believe this latest revelation underscores Mayor Johnson's lack of judgment and "outright creepiness," given that reports of inappropriate sexual contact with girls date back to Johnson's basketball days in Phoenix in the mid-1990s.
While we certainly agree with the creepiness factor, we can't just stop there. The willingness of so many people in Sacramento to ignore or explain away for so long this alleged pattern of behavior is supremely troubling, especially since Johnson was handed over a public high school with young girls in his charge. More on this later too.
For now, we would like to take this in a different direction. Walpin's investigation into the alleged sexual misconduct includes the following:
"One Member, (redacted) reported that, in the February/March 2007 time frame, she was entering grades into the SAC High database system per Mr. Johnson's instructions at the St. Hope office at night, purportedly as part of her Americorps service. (Redacted) contacted Mr. Johnson to inform him that she had completed the grades and wanted him to review them. About 11:00 pm, Mr. Johnson arrived at St. Hope and instructed (redacted) to gather her things and come with him. Mr. Johnson drove to (redacted) apartment, in which another Americorps Member had a separate bedroom, Mr. Johnson laid down on (redacted) bed. (Redacted) sat on the edge of the bed to show him the grades..."
Our Questions:
Why was an Americorps (Hoodcorps) volunteer entering grades into the Sac High database alone late at night, without oversight by teachers or registrar?*
Whose grades? And for what class or classes?
Why would Mr. Johnson, who does not have a teaching or administrative credential, be instructing an Americorps volunteer to enter grades and then be reviewing the grades the volunteer entered?
Did Mr. Johnson regularly "touch" the grades at Sacramento Charter High School?
Who, other than teachers and the registrar, are able to "touch" the grades at Sacramento Charter High School?
*State Education Code Regarding Grades
49066. (a) When grades are given for any course of instruction taught in a school district, the grade given to each pupil shall be the grade determined by the teacher of the course and the determination of the pupil's grade by the teacher, in the absence of clerical or mechanical mistake, fraud, bad faith, or incompetency, shall be final.
(b) The governing board of the school district and the superintendent of such district shall not order a pupil's grade to be changed unless the teacher who determined such grade is, to the extent practicable, given an opportunity to state orally, in writing, or both, the reasons for which such grade was given and is, to the extent practicable, included in all discussions relating to the changing of such grade.
Posted by The Washington Teacher, featuring Candi Peterson, Blogger in residence, story courtesy of SAC CHARTERGATE blog
Maybe these same people are working for MR. She loves to outsource work. Doesn't this schedule look familiar?
ReplyDeleteLet the task force know what you think before they take their final vote November.
The Town Halls will all be held from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Here’s the schedule:
Wednesday, September 23rd
Natomas High School - 3301 Fong Ranch Road
Thursday, September 24th
Ben Ali Shrine Temple – 3262 Marysville Blvd.
Wednesday, September 30th
Elks Lodge – 6446 Riverside Blvd.
Thursday, October 1st
Christian Brothers High School – 4315 Martin Luther King Jr.
Blvd.
Monday, October 5th
Tahoe Park Elementary School – 3110 60th Street
Wednesday, October 7th
Sam Brannan Middle School – 5301 Elmer Way
Thursday, October 8th
Caleb Greenwood – 5457 Carlson Dr.
Wednesday, October 14th
Sam Pannell Community Center – 2450 Meadowview Rd.
Thursday, October 15th
Sierra II – 2791 24th Street
I am confused by your post. It would be helpful if you explain in detail what you are referring to specifically ? I am unclear what schedule this represents and which people you are talking about. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I did not copy the entire article.
ReplyDeleteTaken from BossMayor.com
KJ tactics look familiar: Strong Mayor
to MR: Strong Chancellor
The company used by KJ to move is Strong Mayor agenda forward may be the same company MR uses to forward her agenda.
I am posing a question. Look at the document below.
No Strong Mayor, Say Charter Revisers
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2009
The citizen committee tasked with studying the city’s governance has come to consensus: A strong-mayor system isn’t right for Sacramento. The group comes from a broad cross-section of the community, including a firefighter, college professor, publisher and an official from a local good-government organization – some of whom supported Kevin Johnson is his mayoral bid. Their draft report recommends: Mayor remains a member of the City council; Mayor continues to chair the City Council meetings and deliberate and vote with the City Council. Mayor has no veto power.
The City Charter Review Committee’s vote in favor was nine to one.
Here’s what committee Chair Bill Edgar told the Sacramento Bee’s Ryan Lillis: “If people are dissatisfied with how things are going, it's not about the framework, it's more about the people (in charge). The bottom line is the city charter will not guarantee you have a good, active and strong elected leader or city manager.”
Now the Charter Review Committee wants to hear from you. The draft report and the tentative findings will be discussed at nine Town Hall meetings – the aim is to get feedback from Sacramento citizens. It’s important to read the report and then head over to one of the meetings.
Let the task force know what you think before they take their final vote November.
The Town Halls will all be held from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Here’s the schedule:
Wednesday, September 23rd
Natomas High School - 3301 Fong Ranch Road
Thursday, September 24th
Ben Ali Shrine Temple – 3262 Marysville Blvd.
Wednesday, September 30th
Elks Lodge – 6446 Riverside Blvd.
Thursday, October 1st
Christian Brothers High School – 4315 Martin Luther King Jr.
Blvd.
Monday, October 5th
Tahoe Park Elementary School – 3110 60th Street
Wednesday, October 7th
Sam Brannan Middle School – 5301 Elmer Way
Thursday, October 8th
Caleb Greenwood – 5457 Carlson Dr.
Wednesday, October 14th
Sam Pannell Community Center – 2450 Meadowview Rd.
Thursday, October 15th
Sierra II – 2791 24th Street
I want to thank the community of Sac City for forwarding this information. Let's keep the pressure people. Where there is smoke there is fire.
ReplyDeleteI try to be optimistic about teaching in DCPS. The brainwashing occuring now is that the Impact will make us better teachers. Maybe it will, but I feel as though I am in the military being stripped of everything I know. I am now being indoctrinated in the Rhee way. Any move I make is wrong.
ReplyDeleteWITH THAT BEING SAID. How can Rhee continuously do wrong. Ignore the law, break the law, circumnavigate the law. Cover up wrong doing, etc. and still come out right.
I am sooo confused. If I join the Rhee army, will I now be able to do wrong and STILL be right?
My Mom always said two wrongs don't make it right.
If my name is Michelle Rhee two wrongs DO make a right.
First:
ReplyDeleteSAC Chartergate, you better work it! Keep up the expose -- Johnson and his bride-to-be deserve it!!
Second:
They do indeed appear to be the same tactics: let's just have a meeting to say we did but we're going to do what we want to do!
Third:
Keep the information flowing between DC and SAC-town. Those two are the Bonnie and Clyde of education!!
Right about now, I'd like to to over hear a conversation among Rhee's army of Master Educators.
ReplyDeleteHow are they faring? What's it like going into schools and evaluating teachers using the IMPACT scheme that only TFA and DCTF teachers have actually been schooled in? How do they feel when they realize they've given a 1.4 to a teacher whom the kids love and parents fight to get their kids into their class?
What do the master educators have to do to keep their jobs for next year? Do they have a quota of teachers to flunk? They are at will employees, remember. Do they even want to come back?
I'd love to get some inside info on the Master educators.
DC and Sacramento need to work together. We all need to track when Rhee is there and when Johnson is here. We need to track their travel schedules because time on the road for them equals time NOT EARNING their posh salaries and benefits. People in Sacramento should support the young girls whom he allegedly sexually victimized by persuading legal accountability for Johnson through civil court. Staying relentless on both coasts will help us all. The Bonnie and Clyde of education and "mayoring" can and must be stopped.
ReplyDeleteLeave no stone unturned. As they say in the city streets, MAKE THE BLOCK HOT. Take pictures, make tapes, keep tabs. They are only human.
OMG! MR and AF are out to destroy Hardy MS. It is to be seen as a neighborhood school which means the 70 % of African America students will have to return to their neighborhood schools.
ReplyDeleteJesus Acquire (who remains unqualified) will now become the director of parks and recreation.
AF will continue to select people who have no soul to carryout his agenda.
Jesus's wife is not qualified to be a principal (Adams-Oyster E.S). He not qualified to walk my dog. How in the world can these people gets jobs when people who have more experience and credentials cannot?
Teachers watch yourself. Now that MR has won in court, unlawfully dismissed employees, misappropriate funds, you can expect more to happen to you. MR is like a theft. They get cocky after stealing the first time, the second time and so on without being caught. So they continue the behavior with the thought of I got this, nothings going to happen to me.
MR will get hers, the question is when? These things take time to resolve. There is hope!
OMG!
Mayor Kevin Johnson
ReplyDeleteIn March of this year, the mayor’s office reported a trip to Washington, D.C., that cost $555 in airfare, $15 in bag charges, and $143 for an overnight stay at the William Lewis House. The William Lewis House which bills itself on its Web site as “Washington DC’s premier gay bed and breakfast.” It’s an interesting choice for the mayor, given, well, everything.
But don’t get any queer ideas about the mayor; we know now that he’s engaged to be married to D.C. schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee. In fact, Rhee had traveled to Sacramento just before this junket to speak at the mayor’s education summit. And he’s made several trips between Sacramento and D.C. since getting elected. So was this particular trip, on the city’s dime, business or pleasure?
While reporting this item, SN&R learned that, unlike his predecessor, Johnson has decided to pay for all of his own travel out of his own pocket. Sounds good, right? But when we asked just how many trips the mayor had made to D.C. since getting elected, we were told, “Our office does not track the mayor’s private travel.”
Johnson dramatically increased spending on “intern parking” compared to his predecessor, sticking taxpayers with a $6,000 bill. And the mayor spent $831 on “flat panel TV floor stands,” for use in the mayor’s third-floor bullpen. Because nothing says “world-class city” and “world-class mayor” like a big-ass TV.
Source: http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/content?oid=1323476
Mayor Kevin Johnson opened up a bit more about his engagement to Washington, D.C., schools chief Michelle Rhee on Tuesday. But not much.
ReplyDeleteHe said their long- distance relationship "could be worse" but works because he travels to the East Coast once a month and she's in California about as often. He said their engagement "will probably be a longer engagement than typical."
When asked how he proposed, the mayor responded, "no way." He would say only that it "was effective" and that Rhee "shed a tear."
"This is all new to me," said the never-before-married Johnson. "I'm way out of my element."
Well, I didn't know witches cried.
Source: http://www.sacbee.com/ourregion/story/2318259.html?mi_rss=Our%2520Region