BSD: Where's Johnny today?

Things are a mess in our education system nationwide.  Today's WSJ has a Stanfoo economist estimating that missed learning in K-12 from lockdowns will cost the typical kid $70K in lifetime earnings.  Yikes.  Closer to home the story is not much better.  The Daily Journal has a piece that compares absenteeism rates around the County and while Burlingame is "better than average", things are still not good.

A higher number of San Mateo County students were chronically absent from school in the 2021-22 school year compared to years prior, according to newly released state data, revealing the sustained effects of the pandemic on public education.  At the state level, about 30% of students were chronically absent, meaning they missed more than 10% of the school year. Students from most ethnic and challenging socioeconomic backgrounds experienced even higher rates of absenteeism.

The new interim B'game superintendent, on the job for two weeks as noted here, has some comments

Burlingame and San Carlos school districts fell into the medium category, San Carlos with an absentee rate of 5.7% and Burlingame with a rate of 9.2%.  Recognizing the challenges of providing a robust education to students who are under more pressure to stay home when sick, Marla Silversmith, Burlingame School District interim superintendent, said her staff worked hard to connect students with their classwork while remote, whether through paper packages or online platforms.

Students who did complete the work were given attendance credit, helping to reduce the district’s absentee rate. Just more than 9% of students were chronically absent during the 2021-22 school year, about 4% greater than the 2018-2019 figures.

I put "better than average" in quotes because having about 10% of all kids miss 10+% of school seems like a dire situation to me.  In a 180-school-day year, that's missing three and a half weeks or more!  San Mateo-Foster City, San Bruno Park, South San Francisco Unified and Redwood City were all above 20% -- or missing at least seven weeks of school!  Maybe instead of 87,000 new IRS agents, we should hire 87,000 new truant officers?

Comments

[Mom]

Speaking of rotations here is the new batting order for the schools

San Mateo Union High School held its rotation on Dec. 15 and named Greg Land president, Ligia Andrade Zúñiga vice president and former President Rob Griffin as clerk.

Lisa Mudd is now president of the Burlingame School District Board of Trustees with Elizabeth Kendall replacing her as vice president and Doug Brown named clerk, as of Dec. 13.

[HMB]

I'm hearing from faculty friends at a local private university and from a UC PhD student who TAs that student quality of work has dropped steadily since COVID. Though a couple of them have quipped that they'll be able to tell by the improved writing who is cheating by turning in essays written by ChatGPT.

[Peter Garrison]

In a recent WSJ article, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger noted that America lacks leaders with vision because there is no deep reading anymore.

Folks are more and more limited by their flirtations with quick electronic opinions and subjective venting I guess. Looking at polls and being re-elected is the concern, not the Constitution or defense of the American experiment.

[MBGA]

Even a high school kid is going to be able to dismiss Henry Kissinger's opinions.

https://imgur.com/a/muNJm19

[Peter Garrison]

Watching the holiday news about Christmas and Hanukkah and flight delays I am happy to see that worshiped is regularly spelled with only one P. Now if we could just get canceled to be spelled regularly with one L then I’d be happy.

[Mom]

Thanks, HMB and MBGA. That is pretty cool.

[Joe]

From today's Merc:

Bay Area school enrollment plummets for the sixth year in a row
Experts say dropping student enrollment in California is likely “our new reality.”

In a sign that California’s public schools are still struggling to bounce back from the pandemic, enrollment dropped for the sixth consecutive year, with a loss of nearly 40,000 students between this school year and last. The situation was especially dire in the six-county Bay Area, which lost students at nearly double the rate of the state.

(Statewide) The decline this year was less than half of what schools saw during the 2021-22 academic year. But in the Bay Area — a region with some of the highest cost of living in the state — decreases in student population were much sharper.
--------------
San Mateo County is down a full 10% from the '18/'19 school year...............

[LockedNLanded]

This announcement is vert interesting

Dear BIS Community,

We are excited to welcome our new Trojan Leader, Greg Land! Mr. Land continued to rise to the top in every layer of the interview process, from the paper screening to the two 13-person first-level interview panels and finally finishing with a site visit consisting of a BIS staff member, a 7th-grade student, a BIS parent, an elementary principal, and myself. Mr. Land will finish his year at Blach Intermediate School and join us in the fall. However, we will plan a meet and greet sometime soon or in early August with him and the Trojan staff and families.

Please see Mr. Land’s message below,

Dr. Marla Silversmith
Interim Superintendent

Dear BIS Community,

My family has been part of the Burlingame Community since 1999. Our daughter, Alex, was a Washington Wildcat, a BIS Trojan, a BHS Panther, and is now a UCLA Bruin like her mom and dad. The Burlingame Community has been such an important part of our family that I am excited to take on the position of Principal of BIS.

Some of you may be familiar with my name. I was a School Board Member for BSD from 2005 to 2015. As such, I spent years making sure that our district was the best that it could be for our students as a trustee. Now, I will be able to utilize my career talents in education to continue to help our district at BIS.

Currently, I am the Principal of Blach Intermediate School in Los Altos. As an educator for many years, I have had a variety of experiences that include teaching in East Los Angeles, teaching in Redwood City, and in the Emerald Hills. I have been a principal for two K-8 schools in Redwood City (Hoover Community School and Roy Cloud School) and the principal of Santa Rita School in Los Altos.

In Finding the Magic in Middle School, Chris Balme writes, “Middle school is nothing less than discovering who you are, and what you can do, in a social world.” Middle school is a transformative time. My drive is to foster an environment that allows our students to feel safe and connected, so they can explore who they want to be! I look forward to creating that environment for our students at BIS with our teachers, staff, students, and parents. I look forward to connecting with each of you.

In Service,

Greg Land

very very interesting that both Dr. Marla Silversmith and Mr. Land did not mention that he is the President of the San Mateo High School Board especially as it is related to education. Seems like it was left out on purpose.

[MM]

That WAS the first thing that came to mind when I read the announcement. So will he still continue to serve in the high school board in the fall?

[Spike Lee- Landed-but not Locked]

"Seems like it (SMUHSD Board President) was left out on purpose."

Yes- The environment of fraud and scandal may not be a value added item.

President Land and the Board have a job to do.

The Board knows what it knows.

The Board knows WHAT it must to do.

The Board knows WHAT it has not done.

The Board is embarrassed by WHAT it failed to do and it has been defrauded by its former employee and his staff.

If the President of the Board Trustees cannot take proper and necessary actions, when prompted, in dealing with adults, then how is he to lead a group of middle schoolers?

The high school Board has wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars, lost the legitimacy or leadership and was "defrauded" by those they defended and trusted.

Sounds like an easy decision- Do the Right Thing-

[Joe]

Let's vector over to the educational results for a moment. From today's WSJ:

The federal Department of Education’s mission is supposed to be . . . what exactly? Apparently Education Secretary Miguel Cardona thinks it’s something other than improving educational results. New national test results this week showed eighth-grade U.S. history scores at an all-time low, and Mr. Cardona’s response was to attack the GOP.

The data released is from 2022 tests on U.S. history and civics under the National Assessment of Educational Progress, sometimes called the “nation’s report card.” The average eighth-grade history score is down five points from 2018 and nine points from 2014. It’s the lowest on record, going back to 1994. Scores dropped the most among the lower performers. Only 13% of students were deemed NAEP proficient. The civics results are similarly depressing.

This is a damning record for the educational establishment, on top of last year’s news that NAEP math scores for eighth-graders in 2022 fell to a 20-year low. For all the money the U.S. keeps pumping into education, surely somebody in authority ought to be embarrassed by these pitiful outcomes, working to reverse them, and explaining to the citizenry what is being done. Maybe that person is supposed to be the U.S. Education Secretary?
-------------------
Maybe someone can get on this with a "back to basics" approach that ignores whatever Cardona thinks is important?

[Joe]

A month and a half later the news just gets worse. From Wednesday's WSJ:

National test results released Wednesday show reading and math scores for 13-year-olds have continued to worsen since the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, setting up more roadblocks to their success in high school and beyond.

Average scores on the 2023 National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the Nation’s Report Card, show 13-year-olds declined four points in reading and nine points in mathematics, compared with 2020. For mathematics, it was the largest drop for 13-year-olds seen in 50 years.

The average score in math fell to 271 out of a possible 500, reaching its lowest point since 1990. For reading, the average score fell to 256, falling to its lowest point since 2004.

[Paloma Ave]

But, if they received participation trophies, everything will be okay. (Yes, I know.)

[MBGA]

chatgbt is stupid.

[Joe]

There is some movement on absenteeism in BSD per the DJ:

Burlingame School District trustees have adopted plans to address chronic absenteeism and low test scores at three campuses with solutions including improved communication with parents about resources and strong interventions both during school hours and after.

Starting this new school year, Lincoln, McKinley and Roosevelt elementary schools will have new student achievement plans in place meant to provide support and improve outcomes for specific student groups.

At Lincoln, more students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds experienced greater chronic absenteeism than in the past. And chronic absenteeism was also identified as an issue for students with disabilities at McKinley and Roosevelt’s students with disabilities and Latino students.

Staff at Lincoln Elementary plan to monitor the 11 students who are known to be chronically absent while also expanding communication with parents earlier on about health resources and independent study opportunities for students who know they’ll be absent for long periods of time.

Additional staff have been hired at McKinley Elementary to help support students with disabilities, Wong said. General education and special education staff also plan to collaborate more closely to ensure students are receiving the attention they need, Wong said.

And Roosevelt Elementary staff plan to focus on encouraging students to attend more before-and after-school programming and instruction as well as increasing targeting smaller group interventions during school hours and improving communication with parents.

https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/burlingame-schools-set-to-address-absenteeism/article_972fbfb4-38bf-11ee-b71f-8f84bd3be0d8.html?utm_source=smdailyjournal.com&utm_campaign=%2Fnewsletters%2Fheadlines%2F%3F-dc%3D1691848816&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline

[YIM-GATE-2016-Skelly names BHS teachers responsible for the lies- Nelson Transfer from BHS was a Fraud-]

YIM-GATE-2016 Mr. Nelson's Involuntary Transfer from BHS was a fraud-

Superintendent Skelly identified the BHS Teachers who made the false claims-

In March 2016, a request was made to the SM County Grand Jury to investigate the SMUHSD... that investigation would have save taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal and investigation expenses the SMUHSD leadership "used" to help cover up these (and other) incidents.

Skelly named BHS teachers responsible for the lie-

In February 2019 and again in October 2021, SMUHSD Superintendent Kevin Skelly acknowledged that the Involuntary Transfer of Mr. Nelson from Burlingame High School was a fraud.

According to Superintendent Skelly, after the resignation announcement by Principal YIm on January 22, 2016 , "he was contacted by two Burlingame High School Teachers who wanted to arrange a SECRET MEETINGS with him, off campus, not at the district office, and not using email (as it was subject to public record) so that they would not be seen or detected."

Superintendent Kevin Skelly stated that these two BHS teachers, "persuaded" him to continue with the Involuntary Transfer of Mr. Nelson removing him BHS.

It is believed that these two teachers had coordinated their efforts with the failed Principal Yim (and a district office leader) for personal reasons and benefits.

Dr. Skelly stated that "he knew SHE was telling the truth because SHE was sobbing..."

Superintendent Skelly NAMED the teachers whose motivations for their actions are well documented.

This Teacher Conspiracy statement was stated to the Board in March 2016, the night Mr. Nelson was transferred.

At the March 2016 Board meeting, Superintendent Skelly denied the Teacher Conspiracy Theory, only to validate it (under legal questioning) in 2019 and 2021.

During the 2021 school year, the SMUHSD Board of Trustees interviewed Superintendent Skelly over SEVEN closed session meetings where the Superintendent misled, deceived, and withheld critical information and facts in order to secure his August 2021 two-year contract extension at $329,000 per year.

Skelly resigned six months later in January 2022 after getting -"caught."

The Trustees had an obligation to investigate these events, but allowed Skelly to avoid the embarrassment of a public investigation.

The SMUHSD Board of Trustees is well aware of these facts, (and many more) but has refused to take action to remedy this and other acts of negligence attributed to Yim-GATE and Skelly-GATE.

[Peter Garrison]

Dear Poster,

Over the years I have become confused about the issues, both legal and personal, this situation has spawned.

Could you define what form justice would take in this case?

Thank you and your perseverance.

[Audio- Statements- Skelly confirms the "Teacher Conspiracy"- Trustees are compromised.]

As factually stated to the SMUHSD Trustees by Glenn Mendelson, Chair of the 2015-16 Citizens for Mr. Nelson and a Better Burlingame, a“teacher conspiracy” working with disgraced administrators fabricated the“story” communicated to the Board by Skelly.   Meldelson had inside information from the Trustees based on what Skelly had reported to them. Superintendent Skelly subsequently (and unwittingly)NAMED these BHS teachers and their actions.

Superintendent Skelly confirmed that these two BHS teachers intentionally lied to, misled, and intentionally withheld information from the board during an investigation.

Mendelson- Teacher Conspiracy- SMUHSD Public Meeting March 2016

https://drive.google.com/file/d/19tXJ7PlivhtThZadnbKdJoNsPUBQ06JE/view?usp=drive_link

Superintendent Kevin Skelly acknowledged the Teacher Conspiracy argument in March 2016 Board Meeting, but stated he did not believe it was true. Ironic that Skelly acknowledged the statement (if it was fiction, then why comment?) because he KNEW it was true... as the facts later would prove.

(In February 2019 -Superintendent Skelly acknowledges the "Secret Meetings" with the BHS teachers, which he strategically withheld form the Board in March 2016- Why the lies?)

Superintendent Skelly- Teacher Conspiracy- SMUHSD Public Meeting March 2016

https://drive.google.com/file/d/15vKKYR2aqPQc1P1EVsXjOJ9UQVIqLX38/view?usp=drive_link

Trustee Mark Friedman confirms the  BHS Teacher Conspiracy-  (4 second mark)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Cb3cqPloX5VTqXAunqsohiWtz7gmS3dZ/view?usp=drive_link

The Teacher Conspiracy was created AFTER the  January 22, 2016 resignation of Principal YIm.  Trustee Friedman is commenting on the investigations by the United States Office of Civil Rights that took place at BHS.  According to Federal, State, and Local Law, retaliation against a civil rights complainant is an action punishable by law. 

Trustee Friedman  was provided this information as evidence when the actual nature of the information in his speech is retaliation... but Friedman has NO IDEA what he is stating.

The Teacher Conspiracy was suppressed by Dr. Skelly and Dr. Black for three years, until April 2018 when a contractual right to return to BHS was advanced by Mr. Nelson.

Dr. Skelly and Dr. Black forgot that they suppressed the Teacher Conspiracy issue in March 2016 and "trotted it out" in February 2019 as a defense of THEIR actions.---

In February 2019, these superintendents lied to, misled, and withheld information from the Board of Trustees and the San Mateo County Counsel representing the Trustees.

In return, the Trustees were rude, arrogant, and condescending to the public. As it turns out(today, the public had the FACTS and the Trustees were facilitating and advancing the lies. (documented)