The Pasadena Star News should have done its homework before they endorsed La Canada school board candidates
Posted on 30. Oct, 2009 by kchristieh in education, local news, politics, things that bug me
Today’s Pasadena Star News endorses the wrong school board candidates for the wrong reasons. They endorse the three incumbents: Scott Tracy, Joel Peterson, and Susan Boyd. While I agree with their assessment that the incumbents have done a good job in difficult financial times, they also support them because of the following:
The incumbents have fought drug and alcohol use at the high school, developed a new concentration on average teens as well as AP students and have kept class sizes low.
Did the Star-News actually get statistics that support this assertion? Because my impression, and that of the kids and local youth leaders I know, is that they’re wrong on all three counts.
Don’t get me wrong: I love the La Canada schools. I’m happy (and grateful) to send my kids to them, and I’ve put lots of energy and resources into them over the years. But they’re not perfect. And these three points are definitely weak ones. I’ve never heard of as many kids getting busted on and off campus for drug possession as I have this year, and some of the stories I’m hearing about local parties this year would give even the most liberal parent an ulcer. I don’t see much extra effort put into “average” teens, and am not even sure what this effort is supposed to be. This year’s class sizes appear to be either the same or bigger than in past years at the high school level.
The next time the Star-News makes an endorsement, they should do their homework and get the facts from the source instead of taking a candidate’s campaign claims at face value. For democracy to work, we need accurate information.
And yes, for the record, I’m the campaign manager they refer to. I strongly support Neal Millard, and believe that he’ll not only be a good steward of the district’s financial resources, but he’ll tap into his experience with charter and private schools to bring the best ideas from those worlds to our schools. I worked with Neal on the educational foundation board, and found him to be sharp, reliable, creative and diplomatic. Those qualities will allow him to work with teachers, parents and administrators to improve academics, explore new funding avenues, and improve existing programs. You can read more at www.nealmillard.com.
I like all three incumbents: they’re good, hard-working people. I applaud anyone who’s willing to do this tough job, especially these days. I think there’s room for improvement in our schools, however, and believe that Neal Millard brings our best chance for taking our schools to a higher level.
Kathy,
You are on target — very frustrating when a newspaper doesn’t do their homework. I join you in endorsing Neal Millard. He will bring much needed expertise, insight and improvement strategies to the School Board.
Cindy Wilcox
Kathy,
The only candidate that I am decided upon at the moment is Neal Millard. After hearing all the candidates at the League of Women Voters forum, I came away feeling that at least two of the incumbents were rubber stamps for whatever the superintendent wants. And not that I have anything against the superintendent, I want someone on the board who can bring some new ideas and who can think critically in order to move us forward. I want someone who can say no, and challenge the status quo, and think creatively.
I found Neal to be articulate, and to know what can be done, to enhance the already great district we have.
I also have difficulty with incumbants who take pride in being “good business people” and yet approve a budget without seeing it. What?
So, I am undecided as to who I will vote for besides Neal Millard. I know all of them have their strong points. But I may be casting my vote for one.
Unfortunately the editorials are often written by “suits” in West Covina who know absolutely nothing about the communities in the far west end of the valley.
Blanket statements without facts always make me cringe, but this is common with all levels of campaign rhetoric. PSN should have included figures with their assertions. As far as class size goes, K-3 numbers are state mandated. As far as Board members fighting the drug challenge, has it really been them, or has the high school itself been in the vanguard? I do think validated stats are very important with the ongoing drug challenge at our high school. When we first entered the LCUSD 20 years ago(where we continue today, even beginning at the junior high level, there was quite a challenge with drug abuse and parental absentia partying, as well as the \I’d rather they did it at home\ attitude (alcohol, of course, being included as a drug). There definitely were kids getting busted back in those days. Anecdotal evidence can have quite an emotional impact, but, IMHO, to accurately identify the degree of this problem and the level of LCUSD board intervention, we need to be able to compare its history with today’s problem. It’s my understanding that the Sherrif Department hasn’t kept a record of these arrests over the years, which,if this is the case, makes it impossible to make a legitmate comparison. As to addressing needs of the student population, it is my \anecdotal\ experience that the schools have alway focused on the middle of the bell-shaped curve, with the left end being addressed more than the right. Furthermore, if, indeed, the \average\ students’ needs are being more effectively met due to incumbent influence, as this is the largest group, would that emphasis have been inspired by the school board, or by the individual schools’ needs to increase standardized test scores each year to qualify for state funding? Meanwhile, I’m quite enjoying the increasingly heated race, in which, dare I say, only deep scrutiny of the candidates’ personal lives remains.
It’s a day after the elections. As I predicted, we are bracing for more of the same.
Don’t despair. La Canada parents do not let the schools and the administration be in charge of their children’s destiny. We know how to kill to eat when we have to. Our community is blessed with great parents, talented kids, a wide variety of afternoon schools, and an army of tutors. La Canada parents know exactly what to do, regardless of where the schools are going.
In the end these kids and their families will bring home the kill, and LCUSD will take the credit for it. This is how it has always been, and this is how it will continue.
i don’t often — just once or twice a year — respond to comments about me or my newspaper, even when they, as they so often are, are wackily off base. people — or, as in the case of the anonys, non-people — will say what they will, and i don’t much care, especially about those without the guts to associate their names with their own opinions.
but i will occasionally make simple corrections of fact. i doubt somehow that the person who signed herself “ann erdman” above is the real ann. even if it was, she is allowed one demerit in life. but “the suits” in west covina write precisely none of the editorials in the pasadena star-news. slimmed down, there are no suits left! i write, or i edit, or i approve, every editorial in the paper that runs the 48 weeks of the year i am at my desk. every. that’s my job.
as for our la canada school board endorsements, looks like the people of la canada agree with us to a candidate. so who did their homework, and who’s out of touch with the voters and the schools of lcf? cheers, larry
Thanks for your comment, Larry. I’ll email Ann to make sure she knows about the comments on this post.
As you well know, newspaper endorsements can affect election outcomes. La Canada candidates who were endorsed realized that too, and made sure to spread the word that you’d endorsed them.
Did your editorial board independently verify candidate claims that “The incumbents have fought drug and alcohol use at the high school, developed a new concentration on average teens as well as AP students and have kept class sizes low.”? The point of this blog post wasn’t whether your views aligned with those of La Canada voters, but whether your assessment of candidate worthiness was based on accurate information.
Larry, I wouldn’t jump so quick to say that the La Canada voters agreed with the Pasadena Star News. It is a well known fact that it is far more difficult for a challenger to be victorious over an incumbent, unless the incumbents are absolutely incompetent. Most voters, unfortunately, will take the easy way out, and vote for the incumbents. If a newspaper endorses then incumbents, and the voters haven’t done their homework to verify the claims in the newspaper, they will vote for who the paper endorses. It doesn’t mean the endorsement or the facts that were identified were accurate.
So I too, am curious to see what your response is to Kathy’s question. How did you verify the claims of the board fighting drug and alcohol use at the high school, the concentration on average teens, as well as AP students, and kept the class size low? As a parent, I have not seen the class sizes change hardly at all in the last 5 years, we have been in the district. My child reports that it is pretty common knowledge among the students as to where drugs can be attained, if they so choose, so even if some programs were begun, I think the bigger question is how effective have they really been?
So how did you verify your claims of our incumbents? Inquiring minds want to know!