Changes Afoot at School Boards

The Daily Journal did a nice survey of the candidate filings for the upcoming election.  B'game is in an off-year for Council, but the all important school board trustee ranks look like change is in the wind.  First, the caveat on timing

The filing deadline for local candidates was 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7, but will be extended until Wednesday, Aug. 12 if an incumbent declines to file for re-election. There may be a delay in getting information from city clerks to the Elections Office so the information on the roster posted Friday night may be incomplete.

So for each body, there is still the possibility of new candidates since:

In the Burlingame Elementary School District, incumbent Elizabeth Kendall has qualified for the ballot with Deepak Sarpangal and Lisa A. Mudd for three seats. Incumbents Davina Drabkin and Kay Coskey have not filed for re-election.

In the San Mateo Union High School District, finance executive Neal Kaufman, incumbent Greg Land and disability rights advocate Ligia Andrade Zuniga have qualifed for three seats. Incumbent Marc Friedman did not file for re-election.

I also don't want to lose this comment from a week ago on the other school post:

A member of the SMUHSD Board has their email account set up to automatically forward communications to the Superintendent.  (How do I know, the individual member (or the IT Department) failed in the set up and did not use the entire email address on the forward and it bounced back.  When sending a communication to the Board, the following should not be the response from the mailer-daemon.

"Your message wasn't delivered to skelly@smuhsd.org because the address couldn't be found, or is unable to receive mail."

Isn't the Board elected to represent the students, parents, and community? The Superintendent is an employee of the Board. So if a citizen sends a communication to the Board, then the item is automatically forwarded to the Superintendent with all of the writer's contact information?

This assertion really needs to be addressed--probably after the election.

Comments

[Peter Garrison]

Come the revolution, the educated, educators and clergy are shot first.

Then, agrarian reform! Wheeee!

[TitleIX-Sexual Assault-DoNothingAdministration-Superintendent Gary Chalmers]

Title IX, Cyberbullying, and Sexual Assault.

Why have our children been pushed to have to take these actions?

Four female teens had enough of the "Do-nothing BS" and came to the Board to lecture the Administration on the damage of its negligence.

Teens --"We are deeply disappointed and disturbed... by a lack of action"

Teens-- "This is not our job and its not our responsibility..."

The four teens from Mills, Aragon, and Burlingame artfully coordinated their (3 minute time limit) message into a 12 minute lecture to the adults on the legal and ethical violations taking place on the SMUHSD sites.

The teens cited violations of law and policy that are continually being ignored by the District Administration.

This isn't new.

These reports have been made over the past years against both students and teachers. The SMUHSD continues to do nothing.

These "kids" are bettor organized than the adults running the organization but they are also the one's suffering.

When the administration does nothing, these teens will also become the targets of retaliation.

The Board continues to wait for the Administration to "do something...anything" yet there is no change in the district's response.

To the SMUHSD Board- Its time to start letting Admin know to "get their resumes in order."

Enough is enough. It's time to bring in outside independent counsel to investigate and review this continual pattern of negligence by adults that is damaging our children.

Teens presentation:
Starts at to 7:10 on the video.

Go to 13:30 to see the teen "put the charges in the face of the Administration." (Pretty Bold)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CYOA-vcwZ4

The Title IX Officer has a legal obligation to do more than sit there and do nothing.

Titile IX Violations
"Conduct too often dismissed as
just “boys being boys” or “mean girls,” when severe, persistent, or pervasive,
can actually be prohibited harassment.

https://equity.siu.edu/_common/documents/resources/cyberbulling-sexual-harassment.pdf

https://nwlc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/nwlcharassbullying_titleixfactsheet.pdf

San Mateo Union High School District Title IX Coordinator:
Kirk Black, Deputy Superintendent of Human Resources & Student Services
650-558-2209
kblack@smuhsd.org

[BHS - lies damn lies and statistics-KRN]

When your student lies to the teacher, the student gets in trouble.

What happens when the teacher(s) lies?
What happens when the principal lies?
(and then runs off to Las Vegas!)

What happens when those lies costs the SMUHSD over $200,000 in legal and investigation fees? (cover up expenses)

Why was information key withheld from the Superintendent and the Board?

Why is the SMUHSD refusing to process Public Record requests for documents and expenses?

Board members need to ask HARD questions and expect answers. If you won't ask the HARD questions, then we need to get someone who will.

More Hard Questions are coming...

"The wheels of justice turn slowly, but grind exceedingly fine."

Asking for a Friend

[SMUHSD.Board-Fiscal Responsibility and Experience-KRN]

Neal Kaufman has the academic and business experience to properly manage the district's financial future and ask the hard questions of the Leadership.

Three candidates running for two seats.

https://www.nealkaufman.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fw6scNMXjSA&t=5s

[The SMUHSD's "Dirty Little Secret"-KRN-Taxpayer and Citizen]

Disability Rights Advocate Ligia Andrade Zuniga states her top three concerns of the SMUHSD- see clip

Disability Right is the SMUHSD's "Dirty Little Secret" for years. Many Burlingame Parents have feared (known) retaliation if they spoke up for their children.

I know... I'm the one they attacked. When I was being "thrown out" of BHS, the local parents who came together to protest the action advanced a "BHS Teacher Conspiracy" to the new Dr. Skelly, while he rejected the idea, those parents were 100% on target and the current Board holds the evidence to support it.

If Ligia is elected, there should be a "house-cleaning" of a small group of teachers at BHS who have been abusing disability rights for years.

The current "head in the sand" mentality has been extremely ignorant and expensive (lawsuits)-the cover up of the negligence has also come at an extreme cost.

https://www.vote-ligia.org/campaign-interview.html

[Libertarian]

Thanks for linking the videos of Ligia.
I watched several and would not vote for her to be a dog walker.
She seems very strange with very poor communication skills and not focused on the most important education issues and challenges.
Thank you for helping to inform my vote.

[Threats-Free Speech-Elections-KRN]

At a meeting with the SMUHSD Superintendent and his legal counsel last year, I was being issued my third employment reprimand for non-employment actions.

The district does not like Free Speech on issues they do not want in the public.

I calmly raised the question of running for the Board to engage the public in the some of the REAL issues of the district.

Our Board elections are infrequent as there are only enough candidates for the open seats, so there is no real public discourse of the issues.

Teachers (employees) cannot hold a Board seat in that district, but they can run for election.

I stated that if I won the seat, I would resign and allow the next highest vote recipient to be seated. Candidates across the country run in elections to raise issues and awareness all the time.

The response I received was a threat that if I did file for the election, run, and win, I would be required to resign my position as a teacher in the SMUHSD.

I was told that the option of stepping aside to allow another candidate to be seated was not an option for a district employee. (Separate treatment for different classes of people)

There are some serious issues the administration does not want to be discussed among the public.

We have an election… it's time to discuss the FACTS.

It's time for an SMUHSD Candidate Forum.

The SMUHSD has paid for and owns the rights to a Zoom Channel with Webinar capabilities which it uses for Board meetings.

The public or its organization should have access to the Zoom Webinar for an open public discussion by the candidates.

This is no different from using our school gyms and auditoriums to hold public debates. The Zoom channel is the property of the public.

[HMB]

Teachers cannot hold a board seat in their own district because that would be a conflict of interest (for example, in negotiating contract with union). As for running and then resigning, it's not up to the board member who resigns to choose who takes his/her place -- it's up to the board whether to appoint someone to the vacant position or to hold a new election, isn't it? (Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's what I've seen happen in other districts where board members have resigned for one reason or another.)

[HMB]

According to Ed100.org: "You may be an employee of the district when you run, but if elected, you will need to resign before being sworn in." So the district was not making a "threat" in this case. I agree that there is a lot of shady stuff going at SMUHSD that needs to be brought to light and discussed but calling this a "threat" is specious.

[resident]

Where's the League of Women Voters when we need a debate?

[Threats-"Super Citizen" - Speech Rights- KRN]

Point of clarification:
In this meeting, I was being threatened with termination for non-employment public speech as a private citizen (on a three day weekend) for issues not related to my employment but directly related to my personal life.

Among other orders, I was told I could not talk to my neighbors. -yes, its in writing.

“cease making unprofessional, derogatory, bullying, and hostile posts regarding any of your past or present colleagues employed by the District to students, staff, parents and community members.”

Its not like I was performing some sex charged dance on the BHS field in front of the student body to the song, “Dick in the Box.”

I live in Burlingame. I pay taxes in the district and I was parent at BHS. Parents have rights to participate in the education of their children and comment on the use of their tax dollars.

The Free Speech issues in question were documents collected and produced by the District that they do not in the hands of the public.

I was told that I was a “Special Citizen” whose speech could be limited because "you live in Burlingame and people believe you.”

Threatened for telling the truth?

I was previosly issues a written employment warning for "allegedly sending an email" during class time. The email was a communication to the United States Office of Civil Rights informing them that fraudulent information had been provided in one of their investigations. The email from a non-SMUHSD account, sent via an email scheduler (app) that was pre-programmed by another individual.

Another one stating that as a private citizen, I was banned from sending communications to the members of the Board.

Hence my statement regarding the threat as the election information was on the heals of these employment reprimands.

Back to the Board Election:
"You may be an employee of the district when you run, but if elected, you will need to resign before being sworn in."

I know and understand the rule about employees and sitting on the Board.
I stated that I knew I would need to resign if I took the seat.

Any elected candidate can choose to not be seated.

I clearly stated that I would step aside before being sworn into office, hence being consistent with the rule.

Response:
I was told I had to resign my job if I won,(we already clarified the issue of being seated) because I had filed papers and engaged in the election.

This may be because I’m a “Super Citizen” and people believe me.

The only thing that should have been said is, “Great, we look forward to your participation in the election!-Best of Luck!”

Who would run to raise issues?

Ross Perot
Ralph Nadar
Jill Stein

Footnote:
HMB- Did you happen to see me get cut off as a public speaker a few SMUHSD Board meetings back?
The Zoom system worked just fine for 59/60 speakers that evening (actual count!) Somehow it would not function when it was my turn to speak.

Zoom worked for the speakers ahead of me and Zoom worked for the speakers after me.. it just wasn't allowed to work for me. (It worked great for meeting earlier that day and the next morning!)

Funny how these things happen...especially since the meetings are now recorded and posted on YouTube.

So if you miss some really good comments, you can just stream it or re-post it to another site.

I hear there is a clause in the First Amendment that the speech of “Super Citizens” can be limited, because people will believe you…

I could not make this up if I tried.

Its time for a Debate!

[Special Citizen-Legal Theory-KRN]

Special Citizen-Legal Theory

CTA requested the SMUHSD’s legal counsel (who was present) to present the legal theory that would connect private, off worksite, non-employment related speech to the legitimate control of the employer.

The response was that they had a theory, just not at the moment. They would “send it over later.”

CTA made at least five (5) more requests for the linking Legal Theory to be produced. It was never produced.

[Libertarian]

Public education in Burlingame, and most of CA, has become more indoctrination than education.

I am very happy that I provided private education to my children and, soon, to my grandchildren.

The CA Teachers Union is the most corrupt, and pathetic, organization in the country. They do not care about the students they allegedly serve. They only care about protecting their salaries and excessive pensions.

[TLewis]

I just watched the Sept 10 board meeting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CYOA-vcwZ4

Who are these people and why are they in these roles? Just look at them, at the start of the meeting they look tired and disengaged.

After watching it made me wonder why would someone want to be in a role on the board?

It seemed like most of them had no interest in education. So why? Are they using this as a step to some other opportunity?

I Googled the Superintendent and found this

‘Then fire me,’ superintendent tells Mountain View school board

https://www.mercurynews.com/2015/07/01/then-fire-me-superintendent-tells-mountain-view-school-board/

[TLewis]

I saw this on Nextdoor and it seems related:

SMUHSD and BHS needs to request a FULLY INDEPENDENT Investigation of HATE@ School. The San Mateo Grand Jury released its initial findings regarding the extreme and unmitigated impact of HATE on our children. The report "Urges educators to stamp out racism and bigotry, intolerance on campuses."

The intervention of the SM Grand Jury illustrates that the SMUHSD has failed to properly address this vital issue,, as the ongoing failures of BHS to control the damage of HATE was cited as the SPECIFIC reason why the Grand Jury took up this issue.

Despite being well informed of the causes of these actions, the SMUHSD Administration and Board has ignored the issue and failed to properly respond. Students who feel they do not have support from responsible adults. have turned to posting their grievances on an Instagram account created to draw attention to the dysfunctional environment (https://www.instagram.com/smuhsd.awareness/) in hopes of rallying a solution.

As a professional adult, I have the resources to "respond" to the SMUHSD regarding my grievances. As an adult, I have been met with EXTREME retaliation, lies, and outright anger for reporting the negligence of the district.

Can you imagine how a 15 or 16 year old with no parental support can navigate this system?

The Board (representing the people and NOT the Administration) needs to appoint a 100% Independent (NOT the district's law firm Lozano-Smith who will sweep it under the table) law firm to FULLY investigate the past and current practices of the SMUHSD in handling ALL issues of HATE.

Our children deserve to be protected at school. If they were protected, then the Grand Jury would not be involved.

HATE@School
http://www.sanmateocourt.org/documents/grand_jury/2019/hate_at_schools.pdf

[Grand Jury-Swastikas-BHS-CoverUp-KRN]

The Board cannot take action if the information they need is blocked from them.

The Grand Jury reads the Burlingame Voice. The posts on the BV helped the Grand Jury find the "missing" $80 million the SMUHSD "lost" in 2007.

Here we go again.

It took the painting of Swastikas on the BHS campus to get the Board to respond…

September 25, 2020- SM County Grand Jury Report- HATE@Schools-

http://www.sanmateocourt.org/documents/grand_jury/2019/hate_at_schools.pdf

Documentation of Civil Rights Violations were covered up from the Board.

During the March 2016 Board Meeting where I was being Involuntarily Transferred from BHS, Trustee Marc Friedman stated,

“If this comes out in a Grand Jury Report, that's a real embarrassment for everyone involved.”
(Jump to 3:30:00 on the soundcloud link below)

Well, now its Grand Jury time.

Trustee Friedman and Land also cited the “need to clean up” BHS. Removing Kevin Nelson was supposed to be a step forward to “bringing peace” to the campus…the school is now THEY reason for the investigation on on HATE.

Dr. Skelly and the Board are unaware of the facts as those responsible to them have delivered information that was false, withheld or delivered with the intent to mislead.

When district leaders build a “firewall” between themselves and the facts, then the Board is cut off from the truth, unless they take action to find it themselves.

One former BHS student from the Principal Di Yim era wrote: "I’ve personally had some experiences at BHS where I was left thinking, “why doesn’t administration actually DO something and focus on true solutions to help/make students feel more comfortable at school?” It’s unfortunate since I (in addition to some of my fellow classmates) were left feeling rather uncomfortable and even unsafe at times on campus."

In the March 2016 Meeting Trustee Friedman (unknowingly) continues (on the record) to outline “Four Years of Uniform Complaints.” These are evidence-based discrimination claims filed against BHS teachers and administration for actions taken against students. (Link below)

Uniform Complaints are signed statements reporting violation of state or federal law. These were filed as the SMUHSD was negligent in protecting students from Civil Rights violations.

Trustee Friedman and the Board were intentionally misled to believe these “Uniform Complaints” were “conflicts among teachers” on the campus instead of serious Civil Rights violations.

These are serious issues and could cost the SMUHSD thousands more than the over $200,000 that has been wasted on the cover up.

The Board was misled as critical facts and evidence were withheld from them.

The actions Trustee Friedman was outlining in his Board comments were actually evidence and legal documents that were transferred to a claim and investigation by the United States Department of Education - Office of Civil Rights (OCR) against BHS and the SMUHSD.

The actions at BHS were Civil Rights violations and the Board knew NOTHING about them.

The Board is ONLY informed of issues by the Administration.
If members of the Administration are being investigated, the Board does not know!

Who lied to the Board members?
How has the Board remained unaware of the FACTS?

Easy-Silence the Whistleblower-

The Grand Jury is requesting the FACTS.

SMUHSD Audio Recording (linked) of the March 24, 2015 meeting. Jump to 3:19:00 to hear about Principal Yim's "Dick in the Box." Jump to 3:30:00 for Trustee Friedman's remarks.

https://soundcloud.com/kevin-nelson-58744597/board-meeting-3-24-16

[Witholding Evidence]

Trustee Friedman at 3:30:00

The Civil Rights complaints were filed as a parent against a small set of individual teachers, Principal Di Yim, and the Deputy Superintendent.

The United Stated Department of Education Civil Rights Division accepted the case, investigated the claims, and found them to be factual and "protected actions" as a parent.

This information (and much more) was withheld from the Board.

SMUHSD Audio Recording (linked) of the March 24, 2015 meeting. Jump to 3:19:00 to hear about Principal Yim's "Dick in the Box." Jump to 3:30:00 for Trustee Friedman's remarks.

https://soundcloud.com/kevin-nelson-58744597/board-meeting-3-24-16

[Board Members-Children-KRN]

The BHS situations...

We've gone from the principal shaking her money-maker to SNL's "Dick in the Box" to Swastikas painted on campus.

What do the candidates think?

All three candidates (have or) had children at BHS.

The candidates won't dispute what has transpired, some may even running because of it.

Who is going to fix the problem and who is going to support the status quo?

A change mandate is not coming from the current Board, so a new perspective is needed.

If BHS were a publicly traded company, the shareholders would be demanding change or selling their stock.

Principal Belzer inherited this problem and is not empowered to solve it.

Who is?

A Candidate Forum is being planned

Special Citizen

[Board Candidate takes a position AGAINST HATE-KRN]

SMUHSD Board Candidate Neal Kaufman speaking out on the HATE@Schools Grand Jury Report- Why is a candidate speaking out on this issue as the Board remains silent?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrYc00gmngM

[Joe]

There will be a virtual candidates' forum on Monday, Oct 19th at 7pm. The link to the YouTube stream is:

tinyurl.com/oct19smuhsd (not sure if the o needs to be capitalized or if it matters)

You can send in questions at

tinyurl.com/questionsOct19

[Lies at the Board?- Hate is breaking out]

Trustee Land acknowledge the lies that have been flowing to the Board for years.

At Thursday's SMUHSD Board Meeting, multiple speakers arose to address the "willful negligence" of the current administrators's inability to provide "truthful" information to the Board.

This included the fact that no administrator contacted the parents of the student who had his locker defaced with a Swastika?

Trustee Greg Land's response about information flowing from the administration to the Board,

" I have some doubts about statements that have been made to me."

The translation of that statement "I think I've been lied to about these issues."

Trustee Land is the only sitting Board member running for re-election. Mr. Land, that means its up to you to get this our in the open or the voters may hold you responsible.

I've already produced volumes of evidence, but up until today, you believed the liars.

Some of us know how deep this runs and just how much information has been withheld from the Board, especially concerning the event at BHS.

Lees-Dwyer, Land, and Friedman voted to open up an internal study on HATE.

Its going to take more than one meeting to cover the negligence that has transpired

YouTube of SMUHSD Meeting- comments are at the start. Use 2x speed to get to parent and student comments.

The comments start at 16:30

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTuaG1JD1ns

[MBGA]

I have my ballot in front of me.

I know who I am voting for for President to Make America Great Again, again.

And my disgust with Speier with how she treated Brett Kavanaugh will mean I am voting for her opponent.

There's a republican on the ballot for state senator so he has my vote, even though with me knowing nothing about him I'd say he's probably a RINO. But still.

Same for the member of the assembly, Republican.

I was taking a walk and saw a BLM sign on someone's front lawn and a sign for Chelsea Bonini on that same lawn, so her opponent has my vote for SM county board of education, whoever that person is.

The Props are all No except 20 and 22.

??? Having stated my politics directly above and knowing nothing about Goodman or Mandelkern, which candidate should I vote for ???

??? Same thing for Zunga, Land and Kaufman. I can pick two. Which one is the most left leaning, so I'll feel good about not choosing that one.???

[resident]

Based on what you have said, you want Kaufman and Land in that order. Zunga is a one-issue candidate (disabled students) with little expertise in the main workings of the district.

[MBGA]

My brother taught disabled students in the SF school district and we used to spend weekends with him describing the stunning amount of money that is poorly spent at the disadvantage of the other students. BTW, he has left the state.

[Barking Dog]

My ballot is a clone of yours on the Props.

Kaufmann is the only one getting a check mark next to hisname on my ballot.

Toss up with Goodman or Mandelkern, IMO. Both not good IMO.