School Board Members Embezzle Money

What do school board members do? They embezzle money. That's what they do.

From the Mercury News

A 30-year-old Sunnyvale woman was arrested last week on charges of embezzling PTO funds from Ellis Elementary after PTO board members discovered she was using the group's funds for personal use.

Deanna Lynch was arrested Jan. 4 after police were contacted by the PTO group, Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety Capt. David Verbrugge said.

According to a letter sent to parents on Jan. 6, the board members notified the bank holding the PTO account and reviewed recent transactions. The school then notified Sunnyvale Police to launch an investigation to address the misuse of funds.

According to the Sunnyvale DPS, Lynch was in control of the account since September 2011.
An audit of the account revealed irregularities in account activities, according to the letter.
The embezzled amount was upward of $16,000, police said.

"The PTO board is cooperating with the authorities to ensure that a proper investigation is conducted of this matter," stated the letter, signed by PTO president Lesley Taylor, vice president Julie Wester and Ellis Elementary principal Pepper Butler.

The letter also stated that "new protocols are being developed for adoption by the PTO members and will be put into place in the very near future."

"The PTO board wants every member of the Ellis community to know that we are deeply disturbed by these events and will work actively to rebuild the trust of the community that has been breached by this
incident and to rebuild the resources of the PTO," the letter stated. "The board remains committed to supporting all students, staff, and families of Ellis School."


It was unclear Wednesday whether Lynch was still in custody. The case is being filed with the district attorney's office.

David Sanchez, President of the CTA, Should Resign

David Sanchez, President of the CTA should resign. Why? Because of this quote:

"The Republican's [sic] proposal from today shows they are clearly out of touch with what California students need, and is built of the same gimmicky principals [sic] that have plagued California's budget process for years." -- David Sanchez, President, California Teachers Association

If he doesn't know how to use an apostrophe and can't spell "principles," he shouldn't be anywhere near our children.

Details of the misspelled press release are in this San Jose Mercury News article.

We have been conned!

We have been hoodwinked by a con man's charm. Swindled out of millions.

Vote here or our children will starve and our neighborhoods will turn into slums!

It turns out our deficit wasn't as bad as it seemed:

SACRAMENTO — After months of doomsday scenarios and apocalyptic warnings about cuts to California schools, parks and the police, the news from Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday was nothing short of startling: California is now expected to see $6.6 billion more in revenue over the next two years than had been expected.

Gov. Jerry Brown with a member of his team after outlining his revised budget proposal.

But Mr. Brown was careful not to make the news sound too good. The added revenue will eat into the budget deficit, but it is not nearly enough to erase it. So the state will still need to extend some taxes that were set to expire, he said, in order to deal with its “wall of debt,” and close a budget gap now estimated at $10.8 billion.

However, the new revenue projections allowed the governor, in his revised budget proposal, to ease the state’s tax bite and to restore some spending for public education, rather than present what many had expected: a draconian proposal for deeper and harsher budget cuts to close the state’s huge budget gap.

 See the full story.

 The Governor will be able to restore some of the school funding. This was cited as the reason for the extra taxes.

Do you think we'll get a refund? HA! The money will be used to raise teacher's salaries and gold-plate their pensions.

Shame on all of you who voted yes.

Where's Teacher? She's Marching in Sacramento.

Teachers, exploiting their generous vacation and sick time, are marching in Sacramento today.

The Washington Post reports

California teachers begin weeklong series of protests against possible cuts to public schools

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Thousands of California teachers began gathering Monday for a weeklong series of protests over the threat of deep budget cuts to public education, starting with an early morning rally in downtown San Francisco.Rallies and teach-ins were planned throughout California as schools face mass layoffs, program cuts and shorter school years. The protests will culminate Friday with a sit-in at the state Capitol.

Read the story here.


If these marchers succeed in getting more money for schools, do you think they'll return the parcel tax? Not a chance!

This Blog is Retiring!

This Blog is retiring.

But unlike a retired schoolteacher, the Blog won't get a big, fat pension.

We've learned a lot about the Parcel Tax pushers, and we'll be prepared next time. 

Believe me: there will be a next time. The School Districts will keep returning to the well until it runs dry.

Schoolteachers Have No Idea What Work Is.

I got this curious note from a schoolteacher:

To inform the ignorant -- the teachers in this district voted to take a paycut [sic] in order to save jobs and support staff. Have you ever done that? How many of you have a job that [sic] you continue to lose pay and benefits, yet your boss increases your workload year after year after year? I have window blinds that literally fall off the window and on to students, and no money to replace so I must tape paper to my windows so kids won't be blinded. I have no AC and have sat teaching in a class that read over 100 degrees on my thermometer. During rain storms [sic], I have water coming through my walls and light fixtures. I have books I am using from 1989 and one from 1960, and we have no money to get more current issues. I am still using a VCR to show documentaries and the only way anyone can get modern equipment in their [sic] room is to buy it or get a much coveted grant. I had a manageable load of students at around 125-130, now you discuss giving me 200. I welcome any of you to come and do my job for one day, one day. After you have done that, then you can tell me your reasons for voting against the parcel tax.

Do teachers think they're the only ones who work hard? Here's my reply:

Dear Disgusted Teacher:

I own a small corporation. I've taken pay cuts in bad years. But unlike you, I have to save every penny to make sure I can retire someday.  I don't have a guaranteed benefit retirement;  with interest rates held artificially low, it's unclear if I can every retire.

At times, I've not paid myself so my staff can get paid.

A teacher in our district earns about $125,000/year in total wages and benefits (what it costs the school to support one teacher), more if you estimate the value of a defined benefit pension. If two people as a self-employed couple were to each earn that amount, that couple would be branded "rich." (Our President defines "rich" as above $250,000/year.) Somehow schoolteachers have managed to convince the world they're poor when they're not.

I have to pay all my "benefits" myself. I know where each penny comes and goes. I pay all sorts of taxes: corporate taxes, use taxes, even property taxes on furniture in my office. Unlike teachers, who don't pay a penny in Social Security tax, I pay 15%/year. I've been paying the maximum into Social Security since 1984.

Let's talk about hard work.  As the owner of a small business I get to do everything. I clean toilets and patch leaks. I repair and paint. Sometimes I solder and weld. Though I am a mathematician running a technical consulting company, I do what I need to do. I wake up at 6:00 a.m. to be on the phone with east-coast clients. I don't complain. It's what I like to do. It's a shame you no longer have passion for your job.

I work 60+ hours/week, 6 days/week, 52 weeks a year. Sometimes we have to work all night to meet contractual obligations.

Even though I have a CPA, a bookkeeper, and a Tax Attorney,  I personally have to spend about 4 hours/week just on tax compliance issues and related paperwork. Taxes are so complicated that I cannot do them myself.

I'm sure you work hard. I don't doubt that. But don't be so arrogant to presume that others don't. You're welcome to contact me and try to work one day in my office.

Sincerely,

Reuven

You have been duped! Measure C may not be necessary.

Governor Brown, who I admire and support, is working to solve the budget problems with the schools:

Last week at the California State PTA convention, Governor Jerry Brown promised to protect public education even as he works to close a daunting $15 billion budget deficit and negotiate with Republican legislators opposed to any form of tax increases to help close the gap.

According to Business Week, Brown told the audience of teachers and parents that he was the one on their side as the budget battle looms stating:

     "It's going to have to be the voice of the parents and teachers and yes, even the school students themselves to awaken the conscience of California to our true path forward, which is to invest in the future and not steal from it. That's really what's at stake here."

Read the article.

If the Governor succeeds, as I'm confident he will, then the rationale for Measure C goes out the window. Do you think we'll get our money back? Of course not. We'll be taxed twice, in state tax increases and parcel taxes.

We will establish a dangerous precedent: once the school teachers get extra money, above and beyond, that becomes the new norm. They won't be able to make do with less after the windfall ends.

Measure C was passed too early. We still don't know for sure if there's a budget crisis.