Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Silverado's Principal is Willing to Sacrifice

In this challenging time of economic downturn and public outcry over the financial scandals, especially the AIG bailout and "bonuses," we are proud to have a role model at Silverado Elementary School, someone willing to make personal sacrifices in order to ensure that the education and safety of our children are not compromised.

In an unprecedented gesture from a civil servant, longtime Silverado Elementary School principal Ms. Pat Evans has volunteered to essentially forgo part of her compensation for administrating the school, (a portion of her salary as Evans is a split appointment employee) for the 2009-2010 school year in order to preserve the century-old school.

In addition to making her own sacrifice as a gesture of support for the school, Principal Evans has helpfully pointed out that a certain percentage of the school's secretarial and custodial services can be paid out of the Kindergarten Readiness Program.

Instead of ignoring her offer, the OUSD board should recognize for what it is: a selfless act that puts children first.

The board has in Ms. Evans an employee who more than fulfills her job description.

In Pat Evans, they have the beginnings of a solution to the crisis facing the district.

While not every administrator is in the position to make the kind of sacrifice Pat Evans is willing to make, the district leadership should be looking at what can be chopped from the top in order to serve the students.

The OUSD budget approved at the last board meeting totaled $244,597,788.00.

We believe that the budget can be and should be reconfigured to address Silverado Elementary's estimated negative impact of $151,000.

The proposal of Principal Pat Evans should be part of that plan.

We can make this work.

3 comments:

  1. "In addition to making her own sacrifice as a gesture of support for the school, Principal Evans has helpfully pointed out that a certain percentage of the school's secretarial and custodial services can be paid out of the Kindergarten Readiness Program."


    To: Ms. Pat Evans,

    Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

    Finally, someone actually doing something with clarity & foresight... noble & selfless...in addition to the x3 Trustee's (John Ortega,Kathryn Moffat, Alexia L. Deligianni) who voted with wisdom & understanding & courage...now that's "LEADERSHIP" our children & students can hope to someday emulate.

    Day by Day, the misguided and misused discretion of the x4 Trustee's vote to close Silverado Elementary school over what now amounts to a smaller & smaller dwindling sum of money in light of a $244,597,788.00 district budget.

    There is little standing in the validity of the Trustee's assertion that closing the school will help with their budget reduction. If, as it appears, more & more of the Canyon community residents are likely to transfer their students state ADA monies $$$$$$$$$$$$ to adjacent Saddleback USD by enrolling their children at Trabuco.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey, SNAP OUT OF IT! ;-)

    FIGHT!

    Please be at the OUSD meeting this Thursday, 3/26

    An open reminder/plea to the parents thinking of sending their children to Chapman Hills.

    My feeling is that within two weeks, the kids will be mentioning how getting up early in AM and returning late in the afternoon via bus to Chapman Hills... kinda, sorta, really is a total drag! Or, they might just say it sucks! Anyways, please reconsider you poll vote. The OUSD is misguided, they need to be reminded of that...yes,again!

    Silence and resignation are not what our kids deserve, nor is it something we (as parents) should gift to the x4 OUSD Trustee's for their efforts to impose this wrongheaded decision on the Canyon communities!

    The vote was 4-3...not 7-0

    Fight! Don't Despair!

    Captain Greybeard

    ReplyDelete
  3. Bravo, Greybeard!
    Important to remember is that the per-child ADA money that goes to a school when that child attends, does not belong to the district. It belongs to the CHILD, to be spent wherever the family of the child would like. We families of Silverado Elementary want to spend our childrens' money where it belongs, at Silverado Elementary. The Orange Unified School Board either has not understood our plan, or is choosing to ignore it because of another agenda that has nothing to do with saving taxpayer dollars. By recognizing their mistake and keeping Silverado open for one more year, the School Board will reap a profit for Orange Unified District come year two. And it will only get better after that. Our plan to build an Environmental Science and Technology Charter or Magnet School will draw students from within the Orange District, and will also draw students from outside the district, bringing new money into Orange District. By year two, our program will be in place and profitable, by year three it will flourish and bring extra money to the district, aas well as environmental education opportunities to every child in Orange Unified. This is the way to confront a challenge, to turn it into a positive endeavor that is win/win. The nay-voting members of the Orange Unified board are either missing the point, or are ignoring it due to their own personal agenda(s). Why Are They Doing This? Why are they thumbing their noses at us, denigrating the sincere efforts of Silverado families to improve our school and help out the Orange District?

    I was speaking today to the father of a child in a school in thousand Oaks where they have set up an Art and Technology Charter School after their district was going to close their school. This year's enrollment was about 200 students, deemed too small by their district. With the plan for their Charter School in place, they have over 400 students signed up to attend next year, 41 of which came from private schools in their desire to partake of the public Art and Technology focus, bringing their all-important ADA money with them. This is the power of a Charter School devoted to a focused and popular theme. Our plan will do something similar. But the Orange Unified Board nay-voters want nothing to do with it. WHY ARE THEY DOING THIS? If it is not going to save taxpayer dollars past one year, then why? We are asking the Board to reconsider their position and rectify the mistake they have made. KEEP SILVERADO ELEMENTARY OPEN! Give us just one more year, and we will make you proud of us. And yes, Fight For What Is Right!
    Silverado Dad

    ReplyDelete