Northgate Teachers Getting Out the Vote

Northgate teachers stood on the street in front of Northgate this morning and passed out brochures to passing cars and pedestrians. The brochures support Gary Eberhart and Sherry Whitmarsh for MDUSD school board. A vote for Gary & Sherry is a vote against April Treece. April Treece, the board member who still contends all is well in MDUSD. Go Northgate teachers!

Whitmarsh and Eberhart

In a recent email sent from Walnut Creek Schools Together Now, it appears that the group is recommending their supporters vote Sherry Whitmarsh and Gary Eberhart for the two available MDUSD Board seats in the upcoming election.

Ms. Carver reminds voters, "In 2010, we will be able to vote for 3 candidates, which is a majority of the Board. That must be a referendum on the progress that the Board and superintendent will make in the next 2 years. They must work together for the good of the students. We must hold them to a high standard in that time!"

Northgate Climate Committee

PFC President, Monica Fitzgerald, has recently distributed an email with a link to a survey regarding the state of the school. The survey covers academics, school culture, communication, and a host of other topics.

According to Monica, "We are developing a Northgate Climate Committee to make recommendations and implement long range curriculum and expenditure goals for our school. We want to create a vision for how we want Northgate to grow. "

Please make sure you check your email and complete your survey. This is another step in a positive direction for Northgate High School.

Jeff Adams- Candidate for School Board

In April I started this blog because I was appalled at the rhetoric, accusations, and comments being posted on the MDUSD blog. I wanted students, parents, and community members to have a forum where they could find information and discuss ideas for ways to improve Northgate/MDUSD. Two weeks ago the MDUSD blog once again allowed their site to be host to posts that were reminiscent of a lynching mob rather than a place where people with common issues come together to discuss ideas and viewpoints. I felt the treatment of Mr. Jeff Adams, candidate for School Board, was unfair and embarrassing. I did not know Mr. Adams but believed if we had another candidate in the race I would like to know his positions on issues. I wrote to Mr. Adams, asked him 10 questions I felt were important and offered to post his answers on the Northgate Blog. Mr. Adams was gracious enough to agree. I hope this information will prove helpful in your quest to get to know Mr. Adams. My policy stands with respect to monitoring posts. In addition, I welcome any of the other three candidates to answer any or all of these same questions and I will be happy to post those as well.

Jeff Adams Statement and Q&A

County Committe Denies Walnut Creek Transfer

The County Committee has denied the transfer of the Walnut Creek Schools from the Mt. Diablo School District into the Walnut Creek School District and Acalanes High School District. All three school districts had denied the proposal and claimed the process would be difficult and costly. The County Committee suggested a new 25% petition would be a more appealing alternative. Mr. McHenry and Ms. Treece represented MDUSD at the hearing. They claimed that Mt. Diablo was providing an excellent education to the students of Walnut Creek. Mr. McHenry was quick to point out the he does not measure the success of a district on test scores but on graduation rates. How low has that bar been set? No news on what Walnut Creek Schools Together Now will do next.

Until November... Until November!

Our teachers need a contract, our district needs a strategic plan, our community (whether we all agree or not) needs a parcel tax, and most of all our children need a good education. We have heard this rhetoric non-stop for the past year...even longer.

However...

MDEA won't settle the contract until after November, the very board members who asked for a strategic plan want to delay that strategic plan until after November, and the parcel tax won't move forward until after November. All the while, our children and teachers will continue to be used as pawns in a political process.

I support replacing the Superintendent and, at this point, I support Sherry Whitmarsh. I don't support maneuvers that are designed to accomplish these goals in the future at the expense of our students today.

A letter from teacher Randy Monroe has been making the email circuit due to it's heartfelt relevance. The Misterwriter blog has posted the letter, read it here.

Meet and Greet with McMorris Tonight

New Principal, John McMorris will be the guest of honor at a Meet and Greet hosted by PFC President Monica Fitzgerald tonight. I hope that all of you who attend will take the time to comment on your impression of Mr. McMorris. After years of failed leadership we can only hope that this new Principal will address many of the issues still facing Northgate. Issues like low teacher moral, high teacher turnover, a decline in student standings as compared to students from similar schools, and a lack of high academic and behavioral standards, just to name a few.
In a Contra Costa Times article, Mr. McMorris was quoted as saying, "I believe the challenges that we have at Northgate are not with the district; they are with Northgate."
I hope Mr. McMorris will elaborate on that comment since many of us believe that many of the problems at Northgate are directly related to problems at the District. Mr. McMorris we will ask much of you over the next year, please remember to be our advocate at the District, not their mouthpiece --- please.

Summer Update - Whitmarsh, WCSTNow, McMorris

Summer is here, and with summer we have vacations, camps, BBQ's and fireworks. While we relish in summertime fun, the issues that plague MDUSD and Northgate continue. Here is a quick update:

1. MDUSD has had a very publicly split board for most of the past year. The lines have been drawn with Eberhart and Strange on one side and Treece, Allen and Mayo on the other. This divide is seen, and heard, on blogs, at community meetings, and most importantly in voting records. After the November election the board majority may be very different and may represent a real chance for change in this district.
Sherry Whitmarsh has thrown her hat in the ring and is running for MDUSD School Board. She is backed by board members Paul Strange and Gary Eberhart. Strange and Eberhart have been calling for the Superintendent's resignation and replacement of board member April Treece. Both April Treece and Gary Eberhart are up for reelection in November.
To read more about Sherry Whitmarsh: HERE

2. Many Walnut Creek residents who live within the boundaries of the Mt. Diablo School District believe their concerns are not being heard by the MDUSD school board. In fact, that point was never more clear than last January when the school board dismissed the petition for the Northgate feeder pattern schools to leave the district, as nothing more than the interest of twenty parents. In response, over 100 supporters stood in the cold and rain this past winter to collect signatures from approximately 4,000 Walnut Creek supporters.
Walnut Creek Schools Together Now continues to move forward with the transfer of the Northgate feeder pattern schools out of MDUSD. In addition, their proposal would unite the vast majority of Walnut Creek children, and all of the city's schools, into the same school system. The County Committee has called for a hearing on September 10. Get involved.
To read more about Walnut Creek Schools Together Now: HERE

3. After years of ineffective leadership, Northgate is getting a new principal. During the few short months that interim principal Carl Toliver was at the helm, Northgate students and parents saw improvement in staff friendliness, the reassessment of ridiculous rules, a can-do attitude, and finally more AP classes. Things are far from perfect, we are still faced with low teacher morale, high teacher turnover and a subsequent drop in teaching experience. Test scores are continuing to fall behind when compared to other similar schools and there is still no AP English. Incoming principal, John McMorris will now be charged with addressing these issues, and others. We hope he addresses them aggressively and with the interest of the students in mind.
To read more about John McMorris: HERE

4. Mr. Eric Kapral will not be returning to Northgate, he has taken a job elsewhere. The MDUSD strategic plan process is stalled. The MDUSD parcel tax is still being bantered about.

We Have a New Principal

As sad as many of us are to see Mr. Toliver leave, it appears we are moving on. The new Northgate principal is John McMorris. Mr. McMorris has 23 years of experience in public education and was vice principal at Newark Memorial High School since September 2007. Prior to that time Mr. McMorris served as assistant principal at San Ramon Valley High School. We hope Mr. McMorris will bring his own knowledge and experience to Northgate, while continuing with the changes Mr. Toliver implemented during his short time at Northagte. Welcome Mr. McMorris.

Numbers Still Reflect It's Possible

Per posts below by Paul Strange and Sandra, here are new numbers showing unrestricted funds comparisons only. We have removed average salaries and have included the high and low salaries instead. This Blog post is not intended to show that we do not need a Parcel Tax it is intended to show that the district should be able to make a better offer to our teachers. While we wait to replace April Treece and Mr. McHenry, while we wait to restore confidence in the MDUSD stakeholders and while we wait to launch a Parcel Tax campaign.... we are making our teachers wait.

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How Does MDUSD Compare?

MDUSD made a new offer to MDEA this last week. The blogs are writing about it, the District is explaining, the teachers are angry, and we are curious. Why was this offer so much less than the offer on the table in November? Is it a mismanaged budget combined with state-wide cuts? Is it a revenue problem? This blog has been, and continues to be, a supporter of a parcel tax.... no question. However, there are other districts, with less revenue, paying their teachers more and we want to know why?
Here is the data:

Offer Comparison-

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Revenue, Benefits, and Salary Comparison by District-

Click to Enlarge

Should our teachers be angry.... you bet! Something is not right, they deserve a comprehensive, competitive, compensation package and they deserve to know why other Districts with less revenue can provide their teachers this and MDUSD can't.

Where Were You?

Yesterday was the Day of the Teacher. There was a rally in Civic Park to protest the state budget cuts. Speakers included Mike Noce from MDEA, Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools Joe Ovick, Assemblyman Mark DeSaulnier, Assemblyman Guy Houston, a representative from Senator Tom Torlakson's office and speakers representing local PTAs and teachers. Teachers from all over the area were present as were many parents. Do you know who wasn't there?
I saw one Northgate parent, 2 Northgate teachers, and no Northgate students. Now I can't pretend to know everybody so if I missed you please correct me. This was an opportunity to assemble a large group in front of an elected body and shout for change at the state level. MDUSD is in a crisis mode. We have a split board, a superintendent on the brink of losing his job, teachers with low morale leaving our schools in record numbers and a budget with mistakes that make required cuts even more painful. With all that said, the single greatest issue confronting us right now is the $4 billion cut in state funding and you weren't there to send a message back to Sacramento saying NO MORE CUTS. Why?

Why Is It Okay With You?

I know that you come to this site. I know that people vote on the polls. I don't understand the lack of comments regarding the questions asked of the MDUSD administration and Board of Education. Help me understand, I don't care if you post anonymously. Do you care about the answers to those three questions? Do you want answers to more questions like those, trust me there are plenty more to ask? Do you realize that reading them and not posting sends no message and garners no change? A one sentence comment sends a message. No comment says everything is fine. Misterwriter.com went on this same tirade this last week. Is it apathy? Is it fear? Is this just a form of entertainment to you?
READ Paul Strange's response to the questions. Are those answers okay with you? Is it okay that no other member of the administration or board responded? Do these answers represent April Treece's opinions?
Why are we afraid to demand more from those we elect to represent our interests? Why are so many settling for so little? Our district is in big trouble... we have major financial issues. We have teachers with low morale, leaving at alarming rates, being replaced with less experienced teachers into a system where mentoring and training is stretched thin. How can we allow member of the Board to dodge our questions? Tell me, so I understand why it is okay with you.

MDUSD Parents Seek Signatures to Oust Superintendent McHenry

I have been reading the blogs and for those of you on the fence, I understand. Gary McHenry is a nice man and I think it is human nature to empathize with the reality that this is a very public and very unpleasant end to his time at MDUSD.
It is impossible for the Superintendent to make the kinds of changes needed in this district. We can debate whether he is capable or not, but in reality, in order to make the changes he would have to admit to the things in this district that have been handled incorrectly. His position in the district places the responsibility for mistakes, misjudgments, mismanagement, and a myriad of other shortcomings squarely on his doorstep. The very action needed for change costs him credibility. This paradigm alone makes change an impossible feat.
We can be angry, we can and should take action, after all we have at stake the education of the children in our communities. However, I want to remind you he is a man, he has a family, he gets up and goes to work in the morning... let's get the job done with dignity.
Thanks to MDUSDParents and misterwriter.com, you can download the petition by clicking here

Board Member Replies - Others are Welcome to do the Same

Paul Strange has replied to the April 27 post. His time and effort to do so is greatly appreciated. Please note that this blog will post all responses and hopes that others, including both the MDUSD administration and board members who may have opposing views, will respond as well.
Thank You Mr. Strange!

Response from Paul Strange

Kudos to McHenry, Kudos to Toliver

If we are going to complain about Mr. McHenry and hold him accountable for not addressing years of ineffective leadership at Northgate, then we also have to acknowledge the Superintendent when we see real improvement. The appointment of Carl Toliver as interim Principal, has to date, proven to be a good choice. In fact, there are students and parents who would like to see him stay on permanently. The atmosphere on campus has begun to change, it is more friendly and communication is more open. In addition, Mr. Toliver seems to be assessing the administration, staff and teachers, as well as standard practices and curriculum. Rumor has it he is committed to increasing the number of AP courses immediately. He has attended the classes of all new teachers. He has empowered the student leaders with his "can do" attitude, something Northgate has not seen in a long time.
Kudos to Mr. Toliver for a job well started.
Kudos to Mr. McHenry for appointing the right person for the job.

Still No Answers, We Are Not That Patient

They were complex but not difficult questions. This blogger is disappointed that we still have no answers. The questions again:

1. We heard back from members of the interview panels that there were three excellent Principal candidates for Northgate that were unanimously sent through to the District. Now we hear that the process is starting completely over and that the candidates "did not fit the total picture of what the Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent thought was a good fit for Northgate." When Mr. Young was asked where additional candidates would be found he first responded that the district would go back out to the same publications. When pushed further he admitted, "We are going to rely on our contacts." These panel members include members of our faculty and parent body. Is this panel legitimate? Do they really have an opportunity to represent our school? Is the process a bit of a set-up? Will the District be picking our new Principal from their "contacts"? Do we want that?

2. I would like to know why this district claims to be so data driven and then when confronted with data showing that almost 90% of the district schools are performing below average, when compared to similar schools, they dismiss this data? They claim to not understand the data, to not believe the data and yesterday Ms. Treece suggested it was the fault and responsibility of the school site. Please note that nine years ago all Northgate feeder pattern schools were above average or well above average. Today all of these same schools are below average or well-below average when compared with similar schools.

3. Teacher morale is at an all-time low, MDUSD teacher experience levels are the lowest in the county (they are approaching an average of 6 years), in last three years Northgate has turned over almost half of it's teachers and the new teacher support is just not adequate. What is the District doing to attract the best and the brightest? What is the District doing to insure new teachers are properly mentored? Who is monitoring the progress of these new teachers to make sure they are up to the task? Many teacher issues come down to a lack of a contract and specifically the lack of an adequate compensation package. The district negotiators have only made three offers in the last 18 months, how can a contract get settled when the process moves so slowly? How high of a priority is this? Be careful about making it all about our budget woes when the district recently spent $10,000,000 on new technology and cut $1.8 million of funds set aside for teacher benefits months before it was necessary.

Things Get Heated at Roccos

April Treece and Dick Allen bravely faced a room full of concerned, if not angry, parents and teachers Saturday morning at Roccos. The discussion clearly centered on the Superintendent and what some believe is the blind support placed in him by the majority of the School Board. Andre Gensburger at Misterwriter.com has an excellent article that really gets to the root of the issues facing this school district. In summary, can the Superintendent ever win back the confidence and support of his stakeholders in order to lead us forward and will the majority of the Board be willing to re-examine their position if it is determined that the will of their constituents is that the Superintendent go. Yesterday Ms. Treece referenced letters of support she has received regarding the Superintendent, MAYBE the majority of parents and teachers support him and view him as the leader this district needs.

MDUSD has a divided board, the Superintendent's job is hanging by the vote of just one Board member, new Principal candidates are being interviewed for Northgate, a very large group of parents in the Northgate community want out of this district, there has never been a better opportunity for change then right now.

Do you have an opinion? Do you voice your opinion? If you believe this district needs to change, if you believe Northgate needs to once again be valued as a great high school, if you believe the students in this district deserve better, then you have never had a better opportunity for change or a greater responsibility to speak up.

I will start this discussion with the questions I would like answered:

We heard back from members of the interview panels that there were three excellent Principal candidates for Northgate that were unanimously sent through to the District. Now we hear that the process is starting completely over and that the candidates "did not fit the total picture of what the Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent thought was a good fit for Northgate." When Mr. Young was asked where additional candidates would be found he first responded that the district would go back out to the same publications. When pushed further he admitted, "We are going to rely on our contacts." These panel members include members of our faculty and parent body. Is this panel legitimate? Do they really have an opportunity to represent our school? Is the process a bit of a set-up? Will the District be picking our new Principal from their "contacts"? Do we want that?

I would like to know why this district claims to be so data driven and then when confronted with data showing that almost 90% of the district schools are performing below average, when compared to similar schools, they dismiss this data? They claim to not understand the data, to not believe the data and yesterday Ms. Treece suggested it was the fault and responsibility of the school site. Please note that nine years ago all Northgate feeder pattern schools were above average or well above average. Today all of these same schools are below average or well-below average when compared with similar schools.

Teacher morale is at an all-time low, MDUSD teacher experience levels are the lowest in the county (they are approaching an average of 6 years), in last three years Northgate has turned over almost half of it's teachers and the new teacher support is just not adequate. What is the District doing to attract the best and the brightest? What is the District doing to insure new teachers are properly mentored? Who is monitoring the progress of these new teachers to make sure they are up to the task? Many teacher issues come down to a lack of a contract and specifically the lack of an adequate compensation package. The district negotiators have only made three offers in the last 18 months, how can a contract get settled when the process moves so slowly? How high of a priority is this? Be careful about making it all about our budget woes when the district recently spent $10,000,000 on new technology and cut $1.8 million of funds set aside for teacher benefits months before it was necessary.

These question are derived from questions asked from the first 45 minute tape of the meeting at Roccos, please add your questions to this post. I welcome members of the Superintendent's staff and Board members to address the issues posted here. I hope teachers and parents will voice their opinions. The District will never have a mandate one way or another without hearing from their constituents.

No Accountability! Then No Confidence!

We have seen it over and over again and it is getting old. Superintendent McHenry refuses to accept responsibility once again.
What we have at MDUSD is a Superintendent who is not responsible for the inadequate curriculum being taught in the classroom, a Superintendent who is not responsible for allowing an ineffective Principal to remain in place for years, and now a Superintendent who is not responsible for the accuracy of a $300,000,000 budget.

The MDUSD blog is reporting that when questioned about mistakes on the budget, the Superintendent refused to be held accountable for the mistakes. If you want to be an informed member of this district you NEED to hear the audio of Tuesday night's MDUSD Board Meeting.
Hear the audio and read the blog at the MDUSD Blog.

This writer will not be impartial on this topic. It is time for the Superintendent to go. It is time to flood the in-boxes of the three board members who are holding out from asking for Mr. McHenry's resignation. The students in this district deserve more.

mayolk@aol.com
opuscomm@pacbell.net
dickallen_dallen@yahoo.com

A Parcel Tax - Yes, No, Maybe?

Our recent poll showed the majority of respondents would support a parcel tax in order to provide a competitive and comprehensive compensation package to our district teachers. Do you support a parcel tax as a stop gap to the district's revenue shortfall? If the intent were to add it into the general fund without a specific allocation would you still support the parcel tax? If you do not currently support a parcel tax what do you require in order to support one in the future? Is the June 2009 time frame realistic? What needs to be done between now and June 2009 to insure passage of the parcel tax?

Negotiations - Is the offer on the table good?

Northgate's PFC website has posted a report from the District Negotiation Team regarding the current agreement between the District and MDEA regarding teacher compensation, class-size, and retirement benefits. Are the negotiations going in the right direction? Is the package on the table a good deal? With drastic state budget cuts is the current deal even viable?
Read the report here: http://www.northgatehs-pfc.com/negonews.pdf

Walnut Creek City Council Passes Resolution

The Walnut Creek City Council unanimously passed a resolution last night requesting the County Committee on School District Organization to hear the petition to transfer the Northgate feeder pattern schools out of the Mt. Diablo District. The transfer includes Bancroft, Valle Verde, Walnut Acres, Eagle Peak, Foothill and Northgate. The City Council, as a governing body, has always had the ability to request a hearing from the County Committee. After the petition, which was signed by over 3,200 Walnut Creek residents, was deemed invalid due to a technicality on a county map regarding 7 parcels of land, the City Council decided to step in and have the will of their constituents heard. The next step will be for the County Committee to schedule a hearing date.

WOW - Things might be changing at Northgate

Interim Principal Carl Toliver held a Leadership retreat this month. Staff and parents were represented at the retreat. Mr. Toliver speaks of building a stronger culture at Northgate, increasing Advanced Placement opportunities, and improving communication. I like the way he is tackling these issues and others. This is like a breath of fresh air after years of neglect. Tell us what you think of the job Mr. Toliver is doing. Below is a small portion of the retreat outline.

LEADERSHIP TEAM RETREAT
April 8, 2008

TODAY, I WANT…

· to see communication improve
· communication to improve and know that change is possible
· to keep our word
· to build trust/accountability, honesty, consistency, and create a “we”
· flexibility to accept change and appreciate change
· each person to feel valued
· step away from adversarial position -- students are #1
· to understand how we got here
· get back to a sense of “we”
· to figure out limitations and have compassion and empathy for each other (understand the role/jobs of our peers)
· to honor one another—everyone on the team is important
· to close distance/drain of feeling that we never do enough
· to look at parent/school relationship and to mobilize/utilize parents to be proactive

Teachers - Here's your chance

Teachers have been without a contract for almost a year. Through a previous contract agreement, the line between salary and benefits has become an opportunity for creative accounting in the current negotiations. Will teachers be happy with a new benefits package? What if the stipend is eliminated and used to help pay for a real benefits package, thus lowering the salary for some? How do teachers view working conditions excluding salary and benefits? MDUSD has the least experienced pool of teachers in the County, do new teachers feel they are supported? As a teacher, what kind of changes would cause you to want to stay in MDUSD and what kinds of programs or district philosophy would attract you in the first place? This blog understands a teacher's need to post anonymously. Here is your chance to bypass the district and union negotiators, you tell them what you need to educate the kids in this district. Pass this along to your fellow teachers, the more input the better.

Tell Them!

Do you like the status quo at Northgate? Are there things that can be improved? We have never had such a wonderful opportunity for change. MDUSD has a divided school board, the Superintendent's job is hanging by a thread, after years of no leadership Northgate's ineffective Principal has left, a large group of parents are making a serious effort to secede from the district and everybody is finally talking about change. Don't sit back now, you will never have a better opportunity to be heard. Clearly the board watches this blog and we appreciate that. It would take nothing more than an email with a link for the Superintendent to read it as well. It would be nice, but we can not assume they know what goes on at our schools in MDUSD. Post anonymously. Be heard. Tell your story.

What would you do next?

Today Optimistic (Naive?) in MDUSD wrote, "I think one problem we have as a community is that while many can easily share their perceptions of the problems in MDUSD, there are few planned "next steps" the community can pursue to bring about positive change. Just how do we fix this thing??? Northgate is trying something at least, even though it is getting a mixed response. Hopefully a positive plan will come forth that the entire MDUSD community can and will support."
This post got me thinking, we know what we don't like, we even articulate it well.
In this blog you now have all the power for change - What would you do next?
You are the school board, the superintendent, the principal, the teacher what would you do to make this district/school better?

Is the Meeting on Saturday Best Spent Asking Questions or Telling Our Story

Mr. Strange and Mr. Eberhart are to be applauded for taking the time to meet with parents/students this Saturday. As a community what are our questions for these board members? No doubt the discussion will turn to the need for a Parcel Tax and removal of the Superintendent from his job as the head of this district. I understand those issues but have to ask myself do these board members, or any board member, understand what we see day to day as real concerns at Northgate? Do they acknowledge the fact that many parents and students are not happy with the educational instruction and opportunities at Northgate? Do they understand what it is like inside a school where there has been very little leadership for many years? Mr. McHenry holds in his hands a long list of Northgate student concerns, both of these board members are aware of that list. Will they be able, and willing to bring that list along on Saturday, and if nothing else, acknowledge those concerns and admit there is a problem? Is that what we want them to do? As a community what are our questions?

Are you too busy, too discouraged, too reluctant?

There has been a great deal of discussion about apathy lately. Both the MDUSD blog and the Misterwriter.com blog have written about the poor attendance at the recent community meeting held at Foothill Middle School last Thursday night. They report that out of 68 attendees, only 33 were parents the remainder were administrators from the district. There were no students. If you did not attend tell us why. Were you too busy, were you afraid of retaliation if you spoke out, are you happy with the job MDUSD is doing so there was no need, did you believe the meeting would be a waste of time, did you have a conflict with another school event, etc..

More Ideas for Blog Topics

Please use this post to make blog topic recommendations. I will be adding new topics and polls on a regular basis.

AP/Honors Classes

Does Northgate need more AP and Honors classes? What would you like to see offered at an AP level? If you are a student, have you taken an AP test, did the specific class at Northgate prepare you for the test?

Principal Qualities

MDUSD is in search of a new Principal for Northgate High School. Here is your opportunity to let the district, and those sitting on the interview panel know what kind of qualities you want in a new school principal.