Wednesday, June 16, 2010

WHAT WE LOST LAST NIGHT...


Last night's School Board meeting was a massive let-down!

The meeting was long and the cuts were painful. Amongst the newest casualties to our community's schools are the following:

- Elimination of 7 Instructional Assistants
- Elimination of 75 Special Ed Assistants
- Reduction in hours (resulting in many eliminations of benefits eligibility) of 102 Instructional and Special Ed Assistants' positions
- Elimination/Reduction of over 25 other specific classified positions including office, cafeteria, media, and tech employees

This was all lumped into one agenda item which wasn't discussed and voted on until 11:30 PM. There were very few of the public still in attendance at this point and there was very little discussion. The lack of public support could have been attributed to the last minute (day of the meeting) attachment of the list of specific job numbers.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

June 15th Board Meeting


Join us and show your support!

We will be rallying at the next Board Meeting to support the MDUSD programs and personnel that serve our students. The agenda is still forthcoming, but as time is running out on the deadlines, votes on cuts to both jobs and services are expected.

The meeting is set for Tuesday, June 15 at 7:30 PM in the MONTE GARDENS MULTI USE ROOM. There is a large turnout of concerned parents, employees, and community members expected. Many of the local bargaining units have asked their members to attend to show support.

UPDATES:
*Board Meeting agenda located in the LINKS section to the left.

*Addressing the Board- Prior to the start of the meeting, persons wishing to speak must complete a Request to Address the Board form. The forms are located at the back of the board room near the doors.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Our Day In Sacramento - Yr 2



Another successful trip to the capitol!

Today a group of 4 teachers, 6 students and 5 parents from El Dorado went to Sacramento to tell the story of our community; one that is facing yet another round of debilitating cuts to staff and programs. We went into Sen. Mark DeSaulnier's office and spoke to him about the concerns we have.

The teachers (Mr. Cuizon, Mrs. Machado, Mrs. Hood, and Mr. Kelly) began by sharing the story of our district's cuts including the effects we are seeing at our site in terms of our library, our computer lab, special education cuts, lack of continuity in personnel, and general observations of deficiencies in the system.

After we spoke, Theresa Dowd, the mother of a current and a future Toro, spoke to the senator about the effects budget cuts are having on teachers and kids. She was able to send a message as a community member who is watching, concerned, as our state fails to provide for our future's ability to compete in a global market.

Finally, and most powerfully, we sat proudly by as our 7th and 8th graders read their thoughts. They not only touched on the things that are affecting them personally and their futures, but were able to offer ideas and constructive solutions to our budget crisis. We were all inspired and impressed by each of them. They showed the senator what it is we are fighting for; they are why we do what we do.

The Senator thanked us for coming and talked about his position. He then brought the whole group onto the Senate Floor and described the process to the students. Our school's name was put onto the marquee and we took pictures before the session started. Mr. Kelly and the 6 students remained on the floor and were announced at the beginning of session then remained for a taste of the lawmaking process.

Our day ended with a visit to Assm. Tom Torlakson's office to drop off letters written by a number of El Dorado's English students and a stop by the Governor's office. Thank you to all of the EDMS teachers who supported this trip by encouraging their students to write letters to our local lawmakers.

Thank you to Mark DeSaulnier and the people in his office who made our second annual trip to the capitol a success. We welcome him and his staff to come visit El Dorado any time.

Our community needs a change and that only happens when people speak up. We will be back next year to bring our story to all who will listen.

Friday, May 14, 2010

LOBBYING FOR EDUCATION- Year 2


This coming Monday, May 17, we will be meeting with Sen. Mark DeSaulnier for a second year in a row. We wanted to thank him in advance for meeting with us. We will post a summary of our visit shortly. Also, thank you to all the teachers and students who participated in writing letters to our law-makers. We will be hand delivering them.

Monday, March 8, 2010

UPCOMING MDUSD SCHOOL BOARD MEETING



A disturbing new chapter is about to begin in the story of MDUSD budget cuts. This Tuesday night at Monte Gardens Elementary School (3841 Larkspur, Concord) at 7:30 pm an ugly scene is set to unfold when our Board of Education meets to vote on over $15 million in budget reductions. On the agenda are cuts to special education, office support staff positions, the lessening of high school graduation requirements, establishment of furlough days, changes in elementary teachers' prep times, and numerous other threats to "Tier 3" categoricals.

The proposals are threatening to eliminate positions, debilitate programs, and have even gone as far as lowering graduation expectations for our students! The district has no choice but to make cuts and our role is to make sure that these cuts will have the least possible negative impact on our kids. These cuts need to be based on student-centered decisions.

The following links will bring you to the meeting's agenda and lists of the proposed budget reductions:

March 9, 2010 Board of Education Agenda

Budget Reductions List

CST Reduction List

If you can, come to the meeting and support our students, our colleagues, and our futures. Stay informed of the impact the decisions being made are having on education.

Monday, March 1, 2010

START THE DAY FOR STUDENTS

Once again, our education system is in a crisis...

WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP?


1. The California Superintendent of Schools has called for a Statewide Activity Day on Thursday, March 4th. We at EDMS will be joining the local community here on the corner of Concord Blvd. and West St. at 7:30 a.m. and on the corner of Treat Blvd. and Clayton Rd. at 3:30 p.m. to show our support. Please come out and join us! If you would like to bring some positive signs to hold up, please do.

2. In addition to the demonstration, we encourage you to join us in emailing our legislators to send a message that the cuts to education need to stop! Below are some links to the email addresses of our state and local lawmakers.

State Senators:
Sen. Mark DeSaulnier (D-7)

State Representatives:
Asm. Tom Torlakson (D-11)

Governor:
Arnold Schwarzenegger (R)

U.S. Senators:
Dianne Feinstein (D)
Barbara Boxer (D)

U.S. Representative:
Rep. George Miller (D-7)


What we all need to do is keep on sending the message to Sacramento that the cuts are hurting our kids and our future!