Board Votes to Keep Cesar Chavez Open for Rest of School Year

» SB Frank wrote on 11.25.09 @ 07:52 AM

Given all the issues involved with the CCCS current status, it looks like both sides have worked very hard to find some common ground.  Both sides want to keep the school open.  As Maricela Marquez of UCSB said at the meeting, there is a moral imperative to do what is right in this regard, and keep the school open.  The letter of the law that might dictate the closure of the school is simply wrong and needs to be changed.  However, the fact that CCCS is in this terrible position now, is the failure of the school and the county school board.  They let someone fall asleep at the wheel for years.  All it would have taken to avoid this situation would have been for the school to provide training for the students on how to take the tests.  We have classes on how to take the SAT tests.  This is nothing new.  Everyone knows that a high school student has to learn how to take the SATs in order to score well.  When both sides did not provide this training, they BETRAYED THE TRUST OF THE CHILDREN.  Pete Relis would not have let this happen.  How tragic is it that the school administration made it impossible for him to stay.  The teachers, children and parents are to be praised - ” A “.  The school administration and school board - ” F “.

» SB Frank wrote on 11.25.09 @ 10:26 AM

In response to HMMM’s comment:

“The kids don’t need to be trained to take tests.  The English learners need to actually learn to read and write well.”

That approach is simplistic and not reflective of reality.  PROOF - try to apply your logic to the students at SBHS or Dos Pueblos or San Marcos.  Just tell them, their parents and academic counselors that they do not have to take SAT prep courses in order to do well in the SATs.  Try telling them that all they have to do is speak English well and that will get them to where they want to go.

» San Roque Resident wrote on 11.25.09 @ 12:09 PM

You can’t help being impressed by the passion for innovative education these diverse parents, students, teachers are bringing forward. Wish we saw more of that all through the school system.

But passion is one thing. Proper management, oversight, basic literacy, basic prep to go on to high school, jobs, families, careers, and not be left behind, or stuck behind a sub-standard skills eight-ball is something else entirely.

The School board and their paid superintendent must make sure that all schools and
all students meet minimum state standards, and have a chance to succeed.

If special terms and conditions, or academic probation, is required, so Cesar Chavez
can demonstrate unambiguous progress toward meeting minimum standards, then
fine. Give them a reprieve or a second chance.

If the families and board of Cesar Chavez think they should be exempt from those
minimum standards of achievement, then fine too. Let them give up public funding
and re-configure as an experimental private school, and jump through all the State
accreditation hoops with Jack O’Connell or something.

» JAX wrote on 11.25.09 @ 01:42 PM

When the rest of the Santa Barbara High School District got rid of the touchy-feely, politically correct, “bi-lingual” - “diversity” means more than anything else- approach, then test scores improved across the board.  It was proof positive that the “bi-lingual” (actually only Spanish language, not other languages) approach they tried was a dismal failure.

Why would any rational public school district want to return to an approach that was proven to be a failure?
Is it just something to placate the Hispanic immigrants, many if not most who have come here illegally?

» Liberal pollitical correctness wrote on 11.25.09 @ 02:38 PM

What a costly mexican joke..

» JAX wrote on 11.27.09 @ 09:43 AM

I don’t think you can lay off responsibilty to the Principal no matter how bad she may have been.  It is the educational approach that is deficient.

It is compounded by the fear that if anyone dares to criticize anything about such a racially charged educational system, that they will immediately be accused of being “racist”, “anti-Mexican”, “insensitive” “politically incorrect”, “mean-spirited”, “prejudice” “a right-wing kook”. “Eurocentric” etc. etc.

These critics are the same “do-gooder” types of liberal (aka “progressive”) people who did not want to call illegal aliens or illegal immigrants by that correct description and accurate classification.  Rather they opted for the more politically correct and “touch-feely” title of “undocumented workers” and other evasive labels.

This is the same politically correct crowd that did not want to issue food stamps anymore for fear of offending the recipient and subjecting them to scrutiny when they used them, so they came up with a “credit card” so that when these welfare recipients checked out at the grocery store you can’t tell they are recieving welfare.

This is the same politically correct crowd that won’t take any steps to see if the students applying for free lunches at school are in fact qualified for them. We have schools in this County and School District where 100 % of the students recieve free lunches. (free, that is, to the recipients and payable by the taxpayers).  It was widely reported that at schools where certain kids recieved “free lunches” that they had plenty of money to by the fast food and “junk foods” or snacks offered at campus kiosks selling those snacks and they often did so.

This is the same politically correct crowd that wants us to donate food to places like “Unity Shop” and “Food Bank” and then close their eyes to those who arrive in their new cars to stock up on free food because there is no mechanism to verify those who are “shopping” there have any need greater than many who would never take improper advantage of such programs.

The “language immersion” education system is just another means of perpetuating Hispanic language and lifestyles here to the detriment of the United States, which is the host country.  Every nationality in the world that immigrated here and did not speak, read or write in English struggled and learned the primary language of this Country.

It is not only necessary to succeeed in school or on tests measuring one’s ability in key subjects, but also is necessary to function on an everyday level here! One can do so without giving up worthwhile cultural customs or preserving a second language but contrary to the liberal crowd’s mantra “English is not a Second Language” (ESL classes) English is the “First Language (EFL classes) Spanish is the Second Language (SSL classes) whether it was the “first language” learned and spoken somewhere else, or not!

» BP wrote on 11.27.09 @ 02:10 PM

This is only the latest in the recent history of the SB school district that shows a district that is plagued by a lack of vision and strategic direction. The Sup is a functional administrator at a time when the district is in desperate need of leadership, in need of a CEO. This problem should never had entered a crisis stage debated at a board meeting. It should have been put into the context of what constitutes success in SBSD and not regulated to a political circus.

» JAX wrote on 11.29.09 @ 07:24 AM

SBFrank;

The increased success experienced by the entire Santa Barbara High School Elementary District when they dropped the failed “bi-lingual educational policies” they had implimented for years, is proof of just how deficient the approach being attempted at Cesar Chavez Charter School is.

How you relate that to my childhood or project your own thoughts about anger, fear and resentment on my part is beyond rational understanding. Your childhood apparently taught you, that when you have no logical argument and are confronted with clear and undisputable facts you cannot intelligently explain, you resort to name calling to divert attention from the issues. This is a phenomena the psychologists call “projection” and is often used in discussion to obfuscate addressing important issues.

The Cesar Chavez school is failing in it’s meaningful educational objectives and it is hiding behind politically correct racism and separatism to justify it’s continued existance!