Recall Successful -

Quote from mymotherlode.com

"Sonora, CA -- The five members of the Big Oak Flat-Groveland Unified School Board have been recalled by the voters.

70 percent were in favor of recalling Mary Kelly, 71 percent for Bryan Berger, 73 percent for Lillian Cravens, 69 percent for Dave Gookin, 70 percent for Charles Day

The five residents voted in are Ian Morcott, Paul X. Spring, Lori West, Mike Malloy and Gloria Marler. Tuolumne County Clerk and Auditor-Controller Debi Russell says voter turnout was just over fifty percent for the Big Oak Flat-Groveland district. "

New York Times covers the recall success

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/21/education/21school.html?_r=2&partner=rss&emc=rss

LA Times - first coverage of recall success: Entire Groveland, Calif., school board recalled

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-school-board-recall20-2009may20,0,2406523.story - first coverage of the complete recall of the Groveland Big Oak Flat School Board.

"...But recall opponents, among them ousted board member Dave Gookin, argued that the student effort was a front for angry adults with designs on school board seats and reflected long-standing tensions between the growing Lake Don Pedro area and the town of Groveland."

Seems Dave forgot that the Teacher's Association voted No Confidence in the Superintendent, Mari Brabbin, and the School Board. The Classified Staff also voted to support the teachers in their slate of new candidates. Of course, no one from the Teachers Association or Classified Staff ran for the Board. The Civics teacher who helped the students discover laws and rules about boards and study lawful protest also did not run for the Board.

Top 11 Reasons for Recall - Short Version

(email us for the full version)

Top Eleven Recall Reasons: Fact Sheet – April/May 2009
Ballots will be mailed the week of April 20. THIS IS AN ALL-MAIL ELECTION.

1. “No Confidence” vote in the Board and Superintendent by Big Oak Flat-Groveland Teachers Association. Source: Wynette Hilton and Emily Hanchett, BOFG TA
2. BOFG Classified Staff voted to support the recall. Source: BOFG Classified Staff
3. Public support: approximately 1200 signatures were obtained to recall each Board member. Source: County Clerk, Debi Russell
4. Controversial renewal of the Superintendent’s contract for 3 years by board members facing a recall election. Source: Feb. 11 Board meeting video
5. Taxpayers foot the bill for excessive District legal fees (see #5 and #6). District budget increased to cover. Source: Tonya Midget, Chief Business Official, BOFGUSD.
6. Legal Action Example #1: Tioga HS Principal’s pay was lowered to “part-time Principal” when she volunteered to teach a few classes in addition to full-time Principal duties to save the District money. However, Superintendent Brabbin’s salary was not lowered to part-time Superintendent duties as Principal at DPHS. Source: Mrs. Bradley, records
7. Litigation Example #2: Ryan Dutton Case: The only charge made against Ryan Dutton was unequivocally rejected and he is fully exonerated by Cal State Fresno. Brabbin and the Board refuse to reinstate him. Mariposa County approved Mr. Dutton for the classroom. Source: Head Credential Analyst, Cal State Fresno; FSU hearing
8. Critical classes and other programs cut at Tioga and Tenaya. Source: Principals
9. Contrary to promises to voters, overspending of 1 to 2 million dollars of Measure M at Don Pedro, resulting in cut projects at Tioga and Tenaya. Source: Measure M Oversight Committee, Caldwell Flores Winter report deleted from BOFGUSD web site; Vavrinek, Trine and Day &Co. LLP report sent Feb. 3, 2009.
10. Hundreds of thousands of dollars lost for 71 interdistrict transfers due to a missed deadline for application to a program. Source: School of Choice rules
11. 38% of eligible Don Pedro High School students not tested on required California test. 100% of eligible Tioga students and 99% in County overall were tested. Source: California Department of Education

View the always interesting, sometimes shocking, Board meeting videos

Thanks to Frog for posting on youtube

View the board's hasty renewal of Superintendent's contract even though they had 3 months to do so, and the entire board is undergoing a recall election in May. Listen to the end when the board chairman is asked "for how long?" [the contract term].
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ym2Vu_bjBJs&feature=channel_page

Watch Mrs. Berger, the wife of a Board member, lambast Ryan Dutton, and demonstrate a complete misunderstanding of how credentialing works in California. Too bad she didn't check her facts first before raking the guy's reputation over the coals.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUp7GrzJp9k&feature=channel

Superintentendent to Students - "I can't respond unless it's agendized"

In the video below, protesting Tioga High School students, who made extensive public comments during a school board meeting about their dissatisfaction with recent actions by the Board and Superintendent, ask Superintendent Brabbin why she provided no comments. Seems that Superintendent Brabbin was misinformed or did not understand the law when she told students she could not respond unless the item were agendized.

Here is the law:

California Government Code
54954.2. (2) No action or discussion shall be undertaken on any item not appearing on the posted agenda, except that members of a legislative body or its staff may briefly respond to statements made or questions posed by persons exercising their public testimony rights under Section 54954.3. In addition, on their own initiative or in response to questions posed by the public, a member of a legislative body or its staff may ask a question for clarification, make a brief announcement, or make a brief report on his or her own activities.

What is the "Star Testing' incident?

At the September 10, 2009 Board meeting, the BOFG School District Superintendent, also Principal of Don Pedro HS, stated, re recent STAR testing results, "Tioga went up 32 points. Don Pedro increased by 80 points." The Superintendent stated an in-depth report of test score results would be provided in an upcoming Board meeting. As of February, that report has not been given. Requests from the public to add an in-depth report of Star Testing results to future Board agendas have not been honored.

Note in the chart below, the 2008 row for Don Pedro and "Brabbin", Superintendent/Principal for that year, and the number "29" representing the number of test submitted to the State of California.

Title 5, Education, Division 1, Chapter 2. Pupils, Subchapter 3.75. Standardized Testing and Reporting Program, Article 1 General (re STAR testing) states:
§ 851. Pupil Testing.
(a) School districts shall administer the designated achievement test, and standards-based achievement tests ... to each eligible pupil, enrolled in a school district on the date testing begins in the pupil´s school or school district.
(b) School districts shall make whatever arrangements are necessary to test all eligible pupils in alternative education programs or programs conducted off campus, including, but not limited to, continuation schools, independent study, community day schools, county community schools, or nonpublic schools.

The shortfall seemed to stem from not testing independent study students and several others. Lynda Martinez, a teacher at Don Pedro, claims that Brabbin was not at the school during the testing but knew that all eligible students needed to be tested.