Wednesday
Tuesday
Sunday
CTA FLEXS IT'S MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR MIGHT! Well sort of... OK, not really.
"MISSION ACCOMPLISHED SIR."
A week or two after I WAS BANNED from CTA'S web site for questioning what in the hell Mr. Sanchez and the CTA have been doing to help the hugh layoffs beginning after Christmas. THERE HE IS! Unfortuneatly all the photos came from one school in a small rural district. Still, his picture is all over the site. However, this is as close to an action pose as we could find. Somewhat representative of the CTA itself. Hold back tiger. Don't hurt yourself working those non-believers. I heard he's a vicious negotiator when he arrives at a district photo opp.
Wednesday
Monday
Many districts have begun to break their contract obligations
Many districts have begun to use the back-door to break their contract obligations in who and why certain members with seniority are not called back.The manner and the subjective reasoning they call back some less senior educators first is a direct slap in the face as our avocations and careers wither on the vine. Even those brought back in order are being brought back on contracts guaranteeing one year at a time.
Inspite of CTA's bloated ineffectual posturing. I will miss knowing that I was protected by the presence of a union. Thanks again David! Where ever the hell you are!
Tuesday
Inland child care agency expanding capacity
By MELISSA EISELEIN
The Press-Enterprise
Family Service Association recently opened a new child development center in Riverside and is expanding services at another Riverside site and in Hemet.
And still, the nonprofit agency based in Moreno Valley can't keep up with the need for no-cost and low-cost child care services.
"It's hard. There's not enough money but the need is still there," said the agency's child development director, May Eslava.
In a three ZIP code area of western Hemet alone, an estimated 150 to 300 children are in need of full-day child care, Eslava said.
That need is mirrored in many other Inland communities, she said.
The association operates 13 child-development centers in Riverside, Rubidoux, Mead Valley, Moreno Valley, Hemet and Cabazon, and hopes to one day expand into San Bernardino County, Eslava said.
Story continues below
Melissa Eiselein / The Press-Enterprise
Sarah Valdez, 4, of Hemet, right, traces as Jasmine Pando, 4, of Hemet, chats with her teacher at Family Service Association's childhood development center in west Hemet.
Family Service Association also provides meals for seniors and mental health services to low-income families.
In June, the association bought a former YWCA building in Riverside and plans to triple the number of children previously served at the site.
The Alvord site in Riverside was recently enlarged from four to six classrooms, Eslava said.
In west Hemet, two new classrooms are under construction, which will provide learning opportunities for an additional 48 children ages 3 to 5. The classrooms are expected to open in October, Eslava said.
The additions are being funded through government grants, she said.
Krystal Morley, of Hemet, said the child development center has been a blessing for her family, including her 4-year-old grandson Jamesyn Hunsucker.
"My son is a single dad and he has three kids. Without this place, Jamesyn would have nowhere to go but with me," Morley said. "I have an illness and it's hard to take care of him by myself."
Day care is not the only reason to enroll a child in one of the centers, Eslava said.
"Teachers are not baby sitters," Eslava said. "Even in the infant classroom we have curriculum. If the baby needs to learn to crawl, we give them an activity to support that."
Hemet hairdresser Maria Corral said the low-cost child care program allows her to go to work, while providing a valuable education for her 4-year-old son, Ernesto.
"I have him here mainly to learn English. I don't speak English to him at home. I don't want him to forget his mother language. I want him to be bilingual," Corral said. "When he comes home, he tells me his colors in English and I tell him what they are in Spanish."
For the full-day program, parents must have a job or be seeking employment. They also must meet state income qualification, which are based on the household size. For the half-day program, parents only need to meet the income guidelines, Eslava said.
Early learning centers
Family Service Association operates 13 child-development centers in Riverside County.
Cabazon
Cabazon Child Development Center, 14580 S. Broadway St., 951-849-7535
Hemet Child Development Center, 41931 E. Florida Ave., 951-925-2160
West Hemet Child Development Center, 790 W. Acacia Ave., 951-925-2160
Mead Valley
Mead Valley Child Development Center, 21091 Rider St., 951-657-2889
Moreno Valley
Alessandro Child Development Center, 23750 Alessandro Blvd., Suite G101, 951-653-6100
Hemlock Child Development Center, 23270 Hemlock Ave., 951-786-3985
Moreno Valley Child Development Center, 21250 Box Springs Road, 951-786-3985
Riverside
Alvord Child Development Center, 8230 Wells Ave., 951-637-5587
Arlanza Child Development Center, 7940 Philbin Ave., 951-352-2810
Highgrove Child Development Center, 459 Center St., 951-369-0979
La Sierra Child Development Center, 4601 Pierce St., 951-343-0979
Magnolia Child Development Center, 8172 Magnolia Ave., 951- 687-9922
Rubidoux Child Development Center, 5765 42nd St., 951-274-7940
Inland child care agency expanding capacity
By MELISSA EISELEIN
The Press-Enterprise
Family Service Association recently opened a new child development center in Riverside and is expanding services at another Riverside site and in Hemet.
And still, the nonprofit agency based in Moreno Valley can't keep up with the need for no-cost and low-cost child care services.
"It's hard. There's not enough money but the need is still there," said the agency's child development director, May Eslava.
In a three ZIP code area of western Hemet alone, an estimated 150 to 300 children are in need of full-day child care, Eslava said.
That need is mirrored in many other Inland communities, she said.
The association operates 13 child-development centers in Riverside, Rubidoux, Mead Valley, Moreno Valley, Hemet and Cabazon, and hopes to one day expand into San Bernardino County, Eslava said.
Story continues below
Melissa Eiselein / The Press-Enterprise
Sarah Valdez, 4, of Hemet, right, traces as Jasmine Pando, 4, of Hemet, chats with her teacher at Family Service Association's childhood development center in west Hemet.
Family Service Association also provides meals for seniors and mental health services to low-income families.
In June, the association bought a former YWCA building in Riverside and plans to triple the number of children previously served at the site.
The Alvord site in Riverside was recently enlarged from four to six classrooms, Eslava said.
In west Hemet, two new classrooms are under construction, which will provide learning opportunities for an additional 48 children ages 3 to 5. The classrooms are expected to open in October, Eslava said.
The additions are being funded through government grants, she said.
Krystal Morley, of Hemet, said the child development center has been a blessing for her family, including her 4-year-old grandson Jamesyn Hunsucker.
"My son is a single dad and he has three kids. Without this place, Jamesyn would have nowhere to go but with me," Morley said. "I have an illness and it's hard to take care of him by myself."
Day care is not the only reason to enroll a child in one of the centers, Eslava said.
"Teachers are not baby sitters," Eslava said. "Even in the infant classroom we have curriculum. If the baby needs to learn to crawl, we give them an activity to support that."
Hemet hairdresser Maria Corral said the low-cost child care program allows her to go to work, while providing a valuable education for her 4-year-old son, Ernesto.
"I have him here mainly to learn English. I don't speak English to him at home. I don't want him to forget his mother language. I want him to be bilingual," Corral said. "When he comes home, he tells me his colors in English and I tell him what they are in Spanish."
For the full-day program, parents must have a job or be seeking employment. They also must meet state income qualification, which are based on the household size. For the half-day program, parents only need to meet the income guidelines, Eslava said.
Early learning centers
Family Service Association operates 13 child-development centers in Riverside County.
Cabazon
Cabazon Child Development Center, 14580 S. Broadway St., 951-849-7535
Hemet Child Development Center, 41931 E. Florida Ave., 951-925-2160
West Hemet Child Development Center, 790 W. Acacia Ave., 951-925-2160
Mead Valley
Mead Valley Child Development Center, 21091 Rider St., 951-657-2889
Moreno Valley
Alessandro Child Development Center, 23750 Alessandro Blvd., Suite G101, 951-653-6100
Hemlock Child Development Center, 23270 Hemlock Ave., 951-786-3985
Moreno Valley Child Development Center, 21250 Box Springs Road, 951-786-3985
Riverside
Alvord Child Development Center, 8230 Wells Ave., 951-637-5587
Arlanza Child Development Center, 7940 Philbin Ave., 951-352-2810
Highgrove Child Development Center, 459 Center St., 951-369-0979
La Sierra Child Development Center, 4601 Pierce St., 951-343-0979
Magnolia Child Development Center, 8172 Magnolia Ave., 951- 687-9922
Rubidoux Child Development Center, 5765 42nd St., 951-274-7940
Inland child care agency expanding capacity including Moreno
02:21 PM PDT on Monday, October 5, 2009
By MELISSA EISELEIN
The Press-Enterprise
Family Service Association recently opened a new child development center in Riverside and is expanding services at another Riverside site and in Hemet.The Press-Enterprise
And still, the nonprofit agency based in Moreno Valley can't keep up with the need for no-cost and low-cost child care services.
"It's hard. There's not enough money but the need is still there," said the agency's child development director, May Eslava. In a three ZIP code area of western Hemet alone, an estimated 150 to 300 children are in need of full-day child care, Eslava said. That need is mirrored in many other Inland communities, she said.
The association operates 13 child-development centers in Riverside, Rubidoux, Mead Valley, Moreno Valley, Hemet and Cabazon, and hopes to one day expand into San Bernardino County, Eslava said.Family Service Association also provides meals for seniors and mental health services to low-income families.
In June, the association bought a former YWCA building in Riverside and plans to triple the number of children previously served at the site.
The Alvord site in Riverside was recently enlarged from four to six classrooms, Eslava said. In west Hemet, two new classrooms are under construction, which will provide learning opportunities for an additional 48 children ages 3 to 5. The classrooms are expected to open in October, Eslava said.
The additions are being funded through government grants, she said.
Krystal Morley, of Hemet, said the child development center has been a blessing for her family, including her 4-year-old grandson Jamesyn Hunsucker. "My son is a single dad and he has three kids. Without this place, Jamesyn would have nowhere to go but with me," Morley said. "I have an illness and it's hard to take care of him by myself."
Day care is not the only reason to enroll a child in one of the centers, Eslava said."Teachers are not baby sitters," Eslava said. "Even in the infant classroom we have curriculum. If the baby needs to learn to crawl, we give them an activity to support that."
Hemet hairdresser Maria Corral said the low-cost child care program allows her to go to work, while providing a valuable education for her 4-year-old son, Ernesto. "I have him here mainly to learn English. I don't speak English to him at home. I don't want him to forget his mother language. I want him to be bilingual," Corral said. "When he comes home, he tells me his colors in English and I tell him what they are in Spanish."
For the full-day program, parents must have a job or be seeking employment. They also must meet state income qualification, which are based on the household size. For the half-day program, parents only need to meet the income guidelines, Eslava said.
Early learning centers
Family Service Association operates 13 child-development centers in Riverside County.
Cabazon
Cabazon Child Development Center, 14580 S. Broadway St., 951-849-7535
Hemet
Hemet Child Development Center, 41931 E. Florida Ave., 951-925-2160
West Hemet Child Development Center, 790 W. Acacia Ave., 951-925-2160
Mead Valley
Mead Valley Child Development Center, 21091 Rider St., 951-657-2889
Moreno Valley
Alessandro Child Development Center, 23750 Alessandro Blvd., Suite G101, 951-653-6100
Hemlock Child Development Center, 23270 Hemlock Ave., 951-786-3985
Moreno Valley Child Development Center, 21250 Box Springs Road, 951-786-3985
Riverside
Alvord Child Development Center, 8230 Wells Ave., 951-637-5587
Arlanza Child Development Center, 7940 Philbin Ave., 951-352-2810
Highgrove Child Development Center, 459 Center St., 951-369-0979
La Sierra Child Development Center, 4601 Pierce St., 951-343-0979
Magnolia Child Development Center, 8172 Magnolia Ave., 951- 687-9922
Rubidoux
Rubidoux Child Development Center, 5765 42nd St., 951-274-7940
Potentially the worst news since the Great Depression
Oil Traders to Ditch the Dollar…
Published by Andy Rowell October 6th, 2009 in China, Middle East, Russia, US foreign policy, oil trading
The dollar is sliding on the currency markets this morning after reports by the Independent newspaper that Arab states are in secret talks with China, Russia and France to stop using the US currency for oil trading.The move – if it happens – would be the most profound financial change in recent Middle East history, argues the paper. It would send shock-waves through the international oil market, and change the geo-political landscape. The story, written by the highly respected Robert Fisk, has already led to a rush of denials that this is about to happen.
According to Fisk, “the Gulf states are planning – along with China, Russia, Japan and France – to end dollar dealings for oil, moving instead to a basket of currencies including the Japanese yen and Chinese yuan, the euro, gold and a new, unified currency planned for nations in the Gulf Co-operation Council, including Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and Qatar.”
Apparently secret meetings have already been held by finance ministers and central bank governors in Russia, China, Japan and Brazil.
Saturday
Wednesday
Welcome to CTA's self-proclamed rally in support of California Educators! These are actually NEA reps at the national conference. But they support last year's "Pretty Pink" unrelentingly effective attack on the State's shredding of education. Last Year. Last time. Almost 30 in a nice comfortable hotel paid in part by our dues. Of which NEA seems to be exempt from opening to public record. I want to wear pink again. Maybe I'LL make the cover of time!Smile for the CTA website. No bunny ears.
Friday
Outside Agencies that Can Help
Emergencyhelp for parents and teens. Each agency listed here should have a viable web page of services at free or reduced rates. Certainly they will give you a good place to start. Please right click your mouse on the title of the agency.
Depart. of Health Services - Free Health Care for children.
Child Protective Services (CPS)
C.H.A.D.D. An organization for parents of children suffering with one of the three types of A.D.D
Free and reduced school meal program - All parents should apply!
Food Stamps
W.I.C
Free Health Care for Your Children
S.A.R.A - Teen suicide prevention ORGANZATION
Foster Youth Guide book - RIGHTS AND AIDE FOR FOSTER KIDS
Medi-Cal - MEDICAL INSURANCE
Homeless shelters -THOSE THAT REMAIN AFTER THE CUTS
Family Care Centers: Dept. of Public Health
Rape Crisis Center - RIVERSIDE & CONFIDEDENTIAL
Loma Linda Medical Center - LOW COST MEDICAL
Operation School Bell- IF FUNDED, A PLACE WHERE CHILDREN CAN GET CLOTHES FOR SCHOOL
Youth Crisis Hotline - YOUNG PEOPLE TALKING TO OTHER YOUTH IN CRISIS
Outside Agencies that Can Help
Emergencyhelp for parents and teens. Each agency listed here should have a viable web page of services at free or reduced rates. Certainly they will give you a good place to start. Please right click your mouse on the title of the agency.
Depart. of Health Services - Free Health Care for children.
Child Protective Services (CPS)
C.H.A.D.D. An organization for parents of children suffering with one of the three types of A.D.D
Free and reduced school meal program - All parents should apply!
Food Stamps
W.I.C
Free Health Care for Your Children
S.A.R.A - Teen suicide prevention ORGANZATION
Foster Youth Guide book - RIGHTS AND AIDE FOR FOSTER KIDS
Medi-Cal - MEDICAL INSURANCE
Homeless shelters -THOSE THAT REMAIN AFTER THE CUTS
Family Care Centers: Dept. of Public Health
Rape Crisis Center - RIVERSIDE & CONFIDEDENTIAL
Loma Linda Medical Center - LOW COST MEDICAL
Operation School Bell- IF FUNDED, A PLACE WHERE CHILDREN CAN GET CLOTHES FOR SCHOOL
Youth Crisis Hotline - YOUNG PEOPLE TALKING TO OTHER YOUTH IN CRISIS
Monday
Friday
Census numbers show Inland poverty, food-stamp use on the rise
10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, September 29, 2009
By DAVID OLSON
The Press-Enterprise
New Census figures on poverty are another grim reminder of the toll the severe recession is taking on Inland lives.
Nearly 21 percent of San Bernardino County's children lived in poverty in 2008, up from just over 16 percent in 2007, according to the Census estimates released Tuesday. The child-poverty rate in Riverside County was 17 percent. Food-stamp enrollment was up 48 percent in Riverside County and 30 percent in San Bernardino County.
Rick Wells is not reflected in those 2008 statistics, which were computed when the Inland area's unemployment rate was still rising. Wells, 20, lost his $15-an-hour construction job in March 2008 but was able to piece together enough work to avoid government assistance -- until Tuesday, when he sat in a crammed state Department of Public Social Services office in Moreno Valley clutching his food-stamp application. It's kind of embarrassing to ask the government for help when I know I'm very capable of working," Wells said. Like countless other Inland residents, Wells has applied for job after job but he says there's nothing. Wells has been homeless for two weeks, after he lost a live-in job helping a woman with household tasks. Her husband returned home from the hospital to assist her. Sometimes Wells sleeps behind a Moreno Valley liquor store. Other times he sleeps on a park bench. He wants to join the Marines.
"It's a place to sleep and get money and food," Wells said.
He knows he might get sent to Iraq or Afghanistan. But it's better than being homeless and jobless. "You can die on the street," Wells said. Wells was waiting with dozens of others. They filled the room's blue plastic chairs and lined much of the wall space.
Javier Gutiérrez, 66, lost his $8.50-an-hour security-guard job in February 2008. The Moreno Valley man was applying Tuesday to renew his food-stamp benefits. Olivia Muñoz makes $8.50 an hour at a bowling-alley snack bar, but she can't get more than 20 hours a week of work. With her $500-a-month rent for a room in a Moreno Valley apartment, it's not enough to buy food. She was in line in front of Gutiérrez, waiting to pick up a food-stamp card she had been approved for.
Muñoz, 24, studied for three years at a Los Angeles vocational school to become a dental-laboratory technician. But she can't find a lab job. She is still paying off $6,000 in school loans.
Last year, 4.3 percent of Riverside County residents and 7 percent of San Bernardino County residents relied on food stamps, according to the estimates from the Census' American Community Survey, which queries 3million people each year. More recent county figures are unavailable (But likely to be much higher).
Statewide, 23 percent more people received food stamps in June 2009 than in June 2008, according to preliminary data from the federal Department of Agriculture, which administers the food-stamp program. The average recipient nationwide gets $133 in monthly food assistance.
That money sometimes runs out before the end of the month, said Beverly Earl, San Bernardino County director for family and community services for Catholic Charities San Bernardino/Riverside. So they come to the organization's food pantries. They ask for toilet paper, deodorant, soap and other nonfood items not covered by food stamps, Earl said.
Census numbers show Inland poverty, food-stamp use on the rise
10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, September 29, 2009
By DAVID OLSON
The Press-Enterprise
New Census figures on poverty are another grim reminder of the toll the severe recession is taking on Inland lives.
Nearly 21 percent of San Bernardino County's children lived in poverty in 2008, up from just over 16 percent in 2007, according to the Census estimates released Tuesday. The child-poverty rate in Riverside County was 17 percent. Food-stamp enrollment was up 48 percent in Riverside County and 30 percent in San Bernardino County.
Rick Wells is not reflected in those 2008 statistics, which were computed when the Inland area's unemployment rate was still rising. Wells, 20, lost his $15-an-hour construction job in March 2008 but was able to piece together enough work to avoid government assistance -- until Tuesday, when he sat in a crammed state Department of Public Social Services office in Moreno Valley clutching his food-stamp application. It's kind of embarrassing to ask the government for help when I know I'm very capable of working," Wells said. Like countless other Inland residents, Wells has applied for job after job but he says there's nothing. Wells has been homeless for two weeks, after he lost a live-in job helping a woman with household tasks. Her husband returned home from the hospital to assist her. Sometimes Wells sleeps behind a Moreno Valley liquor store. Other times he sleeps on a park bench. He wants to join the Marines.
"It's a place to sleep and get money and food," Wells said.
He knows he might get sent to Iraq or Afghanistan. But it's better than being homeless and jobless. "You can die on the street," Wells said. Wells was waiting with dozens of others. They filled the room's blue plastic chairs and lined much of the wall space.
Javier Gutiérrez, 66, lost his $8.50-an-hour security-guard job in February 2008. The Moreno Valley man was applying Tuesday to renew his food-stamp benefits. Olivia Muñoz makes $8.50 an hour at a bowling-alley snack bar, but she can't get more than 20 hours a week of work. With her $500-a-month rent for a room in a Moreno Valley apartment, it's not enough to buy food. She was in line in front of Gutiérrez, waiting to pick up a food-stamp card she had been approved for.
Muñoz, 24, studied for three years at a Los Angeles vocational school to become a dental-laboratory technician. But she can't find a lab job. She is still paying off $6,000 in school loans.
Last year, 4.3 percent of Riverside County residents and 7 percent of San Bernardino County residents relied on food stamps, according to the estimates from the Census' American Community Survey, which queries 3million people each year. More recent county figures are unavailable (But likely to be much higher).
Statewide, 23 percent more people received food stamps in June 2009 than in June 2008, according to preliminary data from the federal Department of Agriculture, which administers the food-stamp program. The average recipient nationwide gets $133 in monthly food assistance.
That money sometimes runs out before the end of the month, said Beverly Earl, San Bernardino County director for family and community services for Catholic Charities San Bernardino/Riverside. So they come to the organization's food pantries. They ask for toilet paper, deodorant, soap and other nonfood items not covered by food stamps, Earl said.
Saturday
Major mood swing at our public schools
Massachusetts Charter Decisions Made to Rescue Governor from “Political Cul de Sac”
It’s a complex story out of Massachusetts with a simple payoff: The state secretary of education wants charter school authorizations to be based on political considerations, and not on their educational merits.It begins with reporter Patrick Anderson of the Gloucester Daily Times using a public records request to find a February 5 e-mail from Secretary of Education Paul Reville, Gov. Deval Patrick’s school adviser, to Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester. Gov. Patrick, like many other governors, found religion in charter schools soon after the Obama administration made them a centerpiece of Race to the Top funding. But which charter school applications would be approved, and which rejected, seems to be less of an academic concern and more of a matter of political pressure. Here’s the full text of the e-mail:
Mitchell,There has been plenty of editorializing about the e-mail itself, so I’ll just add a roundup of links and not add to it myself…
Hope all’s well and warm in AZ. I appreciated our talk today and your openness and flexibility. This situation presents one of those painful dilemmas. In addition to being a no-win situation, it forces us into a political cul de sac where we could be permanently trapped. Our reality is that we have to show some sympathy in this group of charters or we’ll get permanently labeled as hostile and they will cripple us with a number of key moderate allies like the Globe and the Boston Foundation. Frankly, I’d rather fight for the kids in the Waltham situation, but it sounds like you can’t find a solid basis for standing behind that one. I’m not inclined to push Worcester, so that leaves Gloucester. My inclination is to think that you, I and the Governor all need to send at least one positive signal in this batch, and I gather that you think the best candidate is Gloucester. Can you see your way clear to supporting it? Would you want to do the financial trigger even in light of likely stimulus aid?
Thanks for not seeing this as an independence issue. It really is a matter of positioning ourselves so that we can be viable to implement the rest of our agenda. It’s a tough but I think necessary pill to swallow. Let’s discuss some more tomorrow.
Paul
“Editorial: Ed chief’s e-mail kills his, secretary’s and charter’s credibility”
“A political swirl on charter schools”
“Paul Reville must resign”
“Editorial: Charter chess”
…but I’m also intrigued by the press play involved. The story was broken by a small local newspaper, in which the state newspaper of record (the Globe) is mentioned as one of Gov. Patrick’s “key moderate allies” that has to be appeased by approving the Gloucester application. Today, while others are calling for Reville’s head, the Globe published a puff piece headlined, “Seeking calm after charter school storm: Education chief focuses on reform.”
My favorite paragraph was this one:
Ironically, it was Reville who raised the alarm about the politicization of education six years ago, when Governor Mitt Romney proposed restoring the position of education secretary. Placing a gubernatorial appointee in charge of education, as well as other proposed changes, Reville told legislators, could allow political considerations to creep into decisions that should be based on the best interests of children.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Deflation - American Style
In economics, deflation is a decrease in the general price level of goods and services.[1] Deflation occurs when the inflation rate falls below zero percent, resulting in an increase in the real value of money – a negative inflation rate. This should not be confused with disinflation, a slow-down in the inflation rate (i.e. when the inflation decreases, but still remains positive).[2]Inflation reduces the real value of money over time, conversely, deflation increases the real value of money. Money refers to the functional currency (mostly unstable monetary unit of account) in a national or regional economy.
Currently, mainstream economists generally believe that deflation is a problem in a modern economy because of the danger of a deflationary spiral.[3] Deflation is also linked withrecessions and with the Great Depression. Additionally, deflation also prevents monetary policy from stabilizing the economy because of a mechanism called the liquidity trap. However, historically not all episodes of deflation correspond with periods of poor economic growth,[4] while there are many examples of how strong rise in CPI immediately precedes or accompanies an economic downturn, such as Great Depression, the 1970-80's, and the 2008 economic crash.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
"At stake is not only union jurisdiction over hotels and casinos, but control of the only union-owned bank, the Amalgamated Bank, which had $4.47 billion in assets in 2008.[2]
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Three teachers robbed at gunpoint at a Moreno Valley elementary school
10:00 PM PDT on Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Education officials plan to re-evaluate security procedures after a gunman stormed a teacher's lounge at a Moreno Valley elementary school early Wednesday morning and robbed three teachers.
Officials want to enhance security procedures, including adding security patrols and closing certain access points to schools, said Superintendent Rowena Lagrosa, of the Moreno Valley Unified School District.
Box Springs Elementary School Principal Sam Stager said the man entered the open-access campus at 6:50 a.m., before students arrived. The man got into the teacher's lounge from a side or rear entrance where he robbed the teachers at gunpoint, demanding their purses, Stager said.
The women gave him their purses and he ran off the campus carrying a small handgun.
No one was injured and no arrests had been made as of Wednesday evening.
Police are not sure if he ran through the neighborhood or to a waiting car on Athens Drive, which runs past the school and homes, Stager said.
Moreno Valley police officers arrived within minutes after a school custodian called them but the suspect had already fled.
The three teachers were sent home for the day; substitutes took their places. The school district's crisis management counseling team was also called to the campus, Lagrosa said.
Parents were notified of the incident through an automated call system, Lagrosa said. Students were not told of the robbery and continued their normal school day.
"It's terrifying. We're a very close-knit community and school," Lagrosa said. "We're just in disbelief that this could happen. We want this to be a safe haven for our students and staff."
The Moreno Valley Educators Association was unavailable for comment.
Moreno Valley's elementary schools have a private security firm that patrols the area after hours until 6:30 a.m. One school resource officer patrols each of the district's middle schools and each high school has a full-time Moreno Valley police officer on campus.
| Behind the story | |
 • Overview of legal issues for teachers |
Schools, once thought of as the safest place for children, are no longer the impenetrable havens they once were. In an era where school shootings, beatings, rapes and campus riots have become not only reality, but for some the norm, campus safety is no joke.
Some experts say schools have become too vigilant. Others say not enough. And school officials nationwide are erring on the side of caution, taking any and all threats the only way they can seriously.
In San Bernardino, two second-grade boys at North Park Elementary School, the same school where a first-grader brought an unloaded gun to school last month, were disciplined this week for making drive-by threats despite the fact both are too young to drive.
At Victor Valley High School, a 16-year-old girl reported she was jumped by a dozen other girls this week on the way to class.
In the Coachella Valley, a 10-year-old girl was raped in the bathroom of her elementary school, an attack that has rattled school officials and caused major changes in the campus' day-to-day operations.
Security cameras have gone up.
Visitors must sign in and out and wear badges.
Reports of terrorist threats, no matter how seemingly insignificant, are always investigated.
Herb Fischer, superintendent of schools for San Bernardino County, said any and all threats to student safety will be taken seriously by school officials. He also said schools are entering a new era of openness and striving to let parents know whenever dangerous or suspicious incidents occur.
"With heightened awareness of school-safety issues nationwide, I applaud them for that," Fischer said. "They are working to assure parents that our schools are being as open as possible and at the same time as cautious as possible."
A number of school safety summits sponsored by local legislators have been held in the past few months. The county Probation Office has developed a special gang-intervention plan and has made a commitment to work with all county schools, Fischer said.
Gary Underwood, police chief of the San Bernardino City Unified School District, said that since Columbine, the universal police doctrine for responding to a shooter on campus has changed.
In addition to surveillance cameras and controlling who has access to campus, stronger ties to school psychologists have been adopted in order to evaluate kids who may be troubled.
Controlling visitor access can be more difficult in Western states where schools are laid out in an open, sprawling fashion, as opposed to East Coast schools, which are typically built in one building with several levels.
Newer campuses typically have only one entry point, which is easier to police, as opposed to older schools, which may have several, Underwood said.
All threats taken seriously
Two second-grade boys at North Park Elementary School in San Bernardino were disciplined this week for making threats off-campus about a drive-by shooting, district officials said.
District spokeswoman Linda Hill confirmed the students were disciplined but would not elaborate, citing student privacy laws.
"We want our parents to know the district takes any threat to students' safety seriously," Hill said.
School board trustee Tony Dupre, speaking from a conference in Las Vegas, said he was unaware of any incidents at the elementary school but that the district must respond swiftly to threats under the Education Code, even if no weapon is seen.
"We cannot take that lightly, and the student will be ultimately recommended for suspension or possible expulsion," Dupre said.
The district can be held liable if threats are made, it takes no action, and then a student later acts on the threats.
Trustee Elsa Valdez, whose 6-year-old granddaughter attends North Park, said that as a veteran educator, the incident involving the two boys disturbed her.
"We had to look into it," she said. "I was concerned about it. And if there were rumors here like at Beaumont, I would probably keep my granddaughter home as well. As a parent or grandparent, you can't afford to take any chances."
At Victor Valley High, a 16-year-old student claimed she was jumped by a dozen or so other students on her way to class. The school resource officer is investigating the attack, said sheriff's spokeswoman Shelley Williams.
"The girl claimed she was jumped by other girls, and we've investigated," said Principal Elvin Momon. "So far, it looks like two girls fighting and nothing more."
The community's issues sometimes end up on campus and educators don't know what they will get on a daily basis, he said. Administrators and campus security must listen to and look for signs that are out of the ordinary and be prepared to respond to almost anything.
But if someone says they'll bring a gun onto campus, all bets are off, Momon said
"We're gonna react," he said.
Doing things differently
At Palm View Elementary in Coachella, no student goes to the restroom alone. A school employee has been dispatched to monitor the bathrooms full time.
A 10-year-old girl reported that she was sexually assaulted in a bathroom during school hours within the last 10 days, said Principal Maria Grieve. The Riverside County Sheriff's Department, which is investigating the incident, have no suspects yet.
"We have totally changed the way we do things," Grieve said. The school district is providing a full-time security guard for the campus. More yard supervisors have been added, and two will stay throughout the school day.
Parents have also volunteered to monitor the office door to ensure campus visitors sign in. That's in addition to it being monitored by a school secretary.
"There's been a shift in our society and parental responsibility almost to the point of us raising their children for them," Grieve said. "We have some parents who see us as a baby-sitting service. That's why more of them (children) are joining gangs. They want to belong to a family, and gangs become a substitute family."
Widespread campus violence
Violence has plagued the region's school campuses in the last six months, and it is not limited to shootings. Among the incidents was a fight at A.B. Miller High School in January in which 20 students were detained by police. Pacific High School has seen a spate of fighting since the beginning of the school year.
On Jan. 9, rumors kept roughly half of Beaumont High School's 1,500 students from coming to school after Internet-chatroom conversations indicated some students might bring firearms to school. A month later, shots were fired in a Beaumont neighborhood, causing a short lockdown at five nearby schools. Last month, Beaumont High School had its worst fight in recent history when a brawl broke out after a school assembly.
"We've become a society very afraid of violence, and it's hit close to home in this general area," said Karen Poppen, an assistant superintendent for the Beaumont Unified School District. "This is not just a school problem, it's a community problem. The question is how do we come together and how are we going to solve this?"
Last fall, the school district began working with Beaumont police, and training for district security officers has improved along with the level of security as a whole, Poppen said.
Earlier this month, interim Superintendent Nicholas Ferguson began holding community task force meetings to discuss issues like campus safety and student discipline.
Such problems are new for the district, Ferguson said.
"We're not accustomed to that kind of thing," he said.
Jerry Sturmer, director of educational safety and security for the Rialto Unified School District, said he has noticed more physicality between students and an increase in gang activity.
"We must react to violence," he said. " We need more resources, right now they are extremely limited."
Sturmer is frustrated about applying for a competitive five-year $500,000 state grant that would help with campus safety needs. Only 35 grants are being offered.
He is also angry that the federal government is cutting Safe and Drug-free schools money by 21 percent next year, money that pays for school resource officer anti-drug and anti-violence programs.
"Everybody says we need safe schools," he said. "But nobody wants to pay for it." (So District Superintendents feel it necessary to lie and cover up. In the end making it harder to obtain the very financial help they needed in the first place );I, Praetorian
Changing times
Ever since Columbine and 9/11, in some ways school officials have "sometimes overreacted," said Valdez, a professor of race and ethnic relations at Cal State San Bernardino.
"We've all been told all the signs were there, but no one paid attention," she said. "Are these kids going to go and carry out what they say they will? Who knows?"
Children are bombarded every day with violent images on television, movies and video games, and society is becoming desensitized to violence, Valdez said.
Times have changed.
Students in the '60s and '70s would get into trouble, fighting and drinking beer and smoking, but it was different from today, Valdez said.
"You didn't ever hear about the same type of vicious crimes like shootings and rapes," she said. "And there was never anybody getting raped in the bathroom."
Staff Writer Mike Cruz contributed to this report.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)