Here are some interesting articles we received and discovered this past week…

ENJOY!

Governor’s Special Ed. Funding May Not Help Early Learners

Quote from Article:

The governor’s plan to spend $576 million next year to support special education services—particularly those aimed at young learners—is unlikely to improve early intervention, the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst said in a new report.

Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed adding the money to existing state resources to help pay the growing cost of educating students with disabilities but also those for preschool children with special needs. Although Congress has long promised to provide 40 percent of the cost of special education, last year California received only about 10 percent from the federal government.

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, schools are required to begin providing educational services to children in their infancy if identified as disabled.

And…

Indeed, a key factor in the high number of California school districts receiving mandatory help from their county offices of education are poor academic scores of SWDs both last year and in 2017.

And…

The LAO noted, however, that the administration’s funding plan gives districts discretion over how to use the money—it can go toward early intervention or for overall expenses. As a result, the LAO said, most districts probably will use the money to cover the overall cost of special education.

“Because special education costs have far outpaced special education funding in recent years, most schools receiving funding under the governor’s proposal likely would use the funds to help them cover their existing special education costs,” the LAO said.

District Deeds Synopsis:

A very interesting article.

The key phrase in the article to us was:

most districts probably will use the money to cover the overall cost of special education

Based on the typical gross mismanagement of funds by Elementary School Superintendent (ESS) Cindy Marten and her Board of Education Trustee cronies lead by “Tricky Dick” Barrera, we are sure they will try to use the additional money to plug another financial gap cause by their incompetence.

Then we realized that we were not familiar with Special Education services provided to families with infants and toddlers with special needs.  We checked the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) website and found that there are services provided in an “Infant Toddler Program“.

According to the webpage:

The Infant-Toddler Program serves children birth to three years of age who reside within the San Diego Unified School District area boundaries and demonstrate a significant delay in at least one area of development or have a condition that might lead to a developmental delay. Eligibility is determined by professionals who review records, talk with families and identify developmental skills by playing with the child. When a child is eligible, an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) is developed and a teacher is assigned.

This may be the best kept secret on the SDUSD website!  Despite attending literally HUNDREDS of SDUSD meetings, this is the first time we have heard of this program.

Even though we are sure that many families in the “San Diego Unified School District area boundaries” are eligible for this program, we doubt very many of those families have heard of this valuable program either.

Our only conclusion is that the SDUSD does not widely advertise it since it is costly and does not add any federal or state funds to the SDUSD coffers.

Well now they know!

If any of our readers know a family in the SDUSD area boundaries that has a special needs infant or toddler, please forward them this post or send them the link to the SDUSD Infant Toddler Program:

https://www.sandiegounified.org/infant-toddler-program

We can’t let the SDUSD keep this a secret!

San Francisco Gives Kindergartners Free Money for College. Could It Work Statewide?

Quote from Article:

Newsom launched Kindergarten to College as mayor of San Francisco in 2010, and last week proposed spending $50 million on similar pilot projects around the state as part of what he’s calling a cradle-to-career education strategy.

“You want to address the stresses, the costs of education?” Newsom said at a press conference unveiling his 2019-20 budget. “Let’s start funding those costs when people enter into kindergarten.”

Fans of so-called child savings accounts say they help children envision themselves attending college from a young age. Families of San Francisco public school students, many of whom are low-income, have saved a total of $3.4 million of their own money in the Kindergarten to College accounts, according to city Treasurer José Cisneros.

Only about one in five students have contributed money beyond what the city supplies. That still outpaces the percentage of U.S. families contributing to 529 plans, tax-deferred accounts that provide another option for college savings—as Cisneros is quick to point out.

And…

While individual 529 accounts can require savers to fill out complex paperwork, pay fees, or navigate online management tools, parents learn about the Kindergarten to College accounts through a letter from their children’s school. They can make deposits in cash at bank branches or school campuses, and because the program is universal, don’t have to provide proof of income or citizenship status to participate.

And…

Getting parents to trust the process can pose a challenge. Jerónimo’s mother, Erika Sierra—an immigrant from Oaxaca, Mexico—was unnerved when a bank teller in her Mission District neighborhood asked for her Social Security number in order to deposit money in her daughter’s account. For months, she stopped saving, only resuming when an outreach worker from a local non-profit, Mission Graduates, explained that she could use a different form of identification.

Now, she and her two daughters gather up cash from birthday presents and bring it to the bank—her daughters filling up the envelopes themselves.

District Deeds Synopsis:

What a great idea…a Kindergarten to College savings account promoted and partially subsidized by the school district!

Could it be that this exciting program that has been implemented at innovative school districts from San Francisco to Lansing, Michigan is being deployed in the SDUSD?

Despite our scepticism, we decided to search the SDUSD website for “college savings account”

Here is what we got:

That’s right…our search “yielded no results”…AGAIN!

How can this be?

Does SDUSD leadership think that Students who apply and are accepted to college will be able to pay for it with scholarships alone?  Don’t they realize how many college graduates are crippled financially by massive college debt?

It must be since when we searched “scholarships” on the district website we got SEVENTEEN links.

Then again, this IS the standard ESS Cindy and Tricky Dick 3 step strategy for SDUSD fiscal management.

Step 1:  Poor Planning

Step 2:   Create multi million dollar debts

Step 3:  Blame the debt on everything else…the state, the federal government, decreased enrollment and unfunded pensions…and take NO responsibility for their HORRIBLE fiscal planning and mismanagement.

Unfortunately Students have no access to “Step 3”.  They have no property to sell and they cannot lie to the public about multi-million dollar funding propositions to escape from their financial planning errors.

On second thought, it is also NO WONDER that “college savings accounts” have no links…the incompetent SDUSD senior leadership hey have no concept of PLANNING or a funding SURPLUS!

What a lie by omission…and a disservice…to ALL SDUSD Families with Students.

Here Is What the Right Tools for Mixed Reality in the Classroom Look Like

Quote from Article:

In K–12, educators have found ways to use augmented and virtual reality to enhance and support deeper learning in the classroom. However, evaluating the best immersive technology resources requires an understanding of current technology limitations and offerings. 

The future looks promising as educational technology companies rapidly build new immersive tools for the classroom. 

Conversely, some educators may find that the massive influx of resources makes the selection process confusing. For those teachers, understanding the beneficial characteristics can be a good place to start. 

And…

• Mixed Reality Classroom Tools Should Capture the ‘Wow’
• Ensure K–12 Immersive Lessons Are Device-Agnostic
• Increase Student Interest Through Content Creation
• Provide An Opportunity to Develop Students’ Creativity
• Find Applications That Encourage Collaboration

District Deeds Synopsis:

This article provides many great points on how to plan and deploy augmented and virtual reality into classrooms.  Very enlightening…and very disappointing for ALL SDUSD Stakeholders.

As we described in “1 IT Tech for 2,300 Classrooms – MILLIONS of Prop Z/S IT Investment Dollars at Risk Through Severe Layoffs in San Diego Unified Technology Support!!!“, ESS Marten financial blunders have reduced Technology Support.

With 1 IT tech for 2,300 classrooms there is more than a 90 day backlog for tech support.

All this means that a robust augmented and virtual reality program is “virtually” a dream in the near future for SDUSD Students.  Just another casualty of poor fiscal planning by incompetent ESS Marten.

Now for our Quote of the Week:

“To pay out millions upon millions of dollars in bonuses for incomplete work, poor performance, and unacceptable products is the height of government waste and mismanagement.
– Jim Gibbons

Have a great week!!!

__________________________________________________________

IF

• Your family has been injured by the San Diego Unified School District, go to the District Deeds Complaint Forms page to find instructions to fight for your Civil Rights!

• YOU ARE TIRED OF THE COVER UPS AND LIES BY SUPT. CINDY MARTEN…

Please Click the Link Below and sign the Petition Today and READ the COMMENTS to Support the REMOVAL of Marten by SDUSD Stakeholders!

FIRE San Diego Unified School District Superintendent Cindy Marten Immediately!

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