Apparently the San Diego Unified School District Senior Leadership has gotten Criminal Amnesia.

District Deeds is honored to post the following Open Letter to the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) District E by Mr. Roosevelt Blackmon:

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Dear Neighbors, Allies Friends and Families of SDUSD District E:

My name is Roosevelt Blackmon.

For the  last 3 years I have proudly served as the Lincoln Cluster Chair. Our Cluster has come a long way and set many standards in achievement.

The achievements I am most proud of include:

1. Code of conduct. I’m most proud that the Cluster community is well organized and has served as a model of compliance and participation. The request by Area Superintendent Bruce Bivens for a “Safe Space” implies an inaccurate and systemic racist position.   The Lincoln Cluster has risen above that!
2. The Lincoln  Cluster  has been mentioned many times at board meetings for the hard work we have accomplished!! I want to say thank you to the Lincoln Cluster Community for your support!!

Now for the heart of this call to action.

The Lincoln Cluster Committee still hasn’t received a response for the following $400,000 budget misappropriation concerns and the documentation we asked for 1½ years ago:

Concerns:

I want to be clear that the budgeting processes connected with the 19-20 school year at Lincoln High School were in violation of the expected standards set by the San Diego Unified School District in the following ways:

(1) The items approved by the SSC as strategies for increasing student achievement in the 19-20 school year as reflected in the meeting minutes were not the strategies funded in the 19-20 SBB process.(2) The items approved by the SSC as strategies for increasing student achievement were not changed in a separate minuting during the semester—and if they had been it would have been reflected in the minutes taken under the Greene Act.

(3) Although the administration was removed from Lincoln High School, the district still had a responsibility to act on the information that I brought forward regarding the 19-20 budget process. It was not enough to simply remove the admin team—the budget needed to be revised to reflect the decisions of the SSC committee.

(4) In addition, positions associated with this budget were not posted—instead the new administrators were allowed to bring staff from their prior schools to fill positions that were not known to the SSC or the community.

Requests:

(1) I am requesting a copy of the 19-20 Lincoln budget funded for the 19-20 school year and I expect that the budget for categorical funds matches the meeting minutes associated with the SSC budgeting process.

(2) I am requesting all SSC related paperwork submitted to the finance, monitoring or accountability departments (budget transfers, formal SSC documents, etc.) by Lincoln High School during the 18-19 school year (which could be associated with the 18-19 or 19-20 categorical budgeting processes)

(3) I am requesting a copy of any Title I budget transfers that were made in the 18-19 budget process—these transfers should include SSC approval signatures

(4) I am requesting the post and bid descriptions and dates posted for any positions purchased by categorical funds associated with 19-20 funds.

(5) I am requesting the funding sources and titles of the positions filled by people brought to Lincoln from Clairemont and Montgomery this summer.

Area Superintendent Bruce Bivens, instead sent a list of unrelated responses to distract while completely forgetting the the documents we originally requested 1½ years ago from the SDUSD Senior Leadership and the Quality Assurance Department.

Here is the request we made regarding the $400,000 misappropriation:

“How will the district address previously expressed concerns regarding misappropriation of education money involving several area 1 schools?”

Here is the Marten/Payne/Bivens SDUSD response to the request for the list of documents:

“Which schools specifically, and what misappropriation of funds specifically?  In order to address any concerns regarding these matters, I will need specifics.”

REALLY?!?

The SDUSD, despite over 7 formal requests. multiple emails, a 2 hour Cluster meeting, a Voice of San Diego “The Learning Curve” article and our previous District Deeds article STILL “need specifics”?!?

That’s not all.

For the last 1½ years the SDUSD Quality Assurance Department, who actually report directly to the Legal Department to undermine any and all valid Community and Parent complaints, have been trying to manipulate the Lincoln High School SSC minutes.  They came to Lincoln High School to talk to teachers who were serving on the SSC during 18/19 -19/20 school year to try and manipulate the minutes with no success…but never attempted to talk to the SSC chair…myself!!

What they did do was hire an outside Legal Council group to try to isolate me to meet with them on more than 1 occasion.

What they were really were trying to do was set up a fake investigation to pretend they were looking into the misappropriation of $400k. They soon discovered that it was a  waste of time when they received my answer.

I declined those requests unless I could bring my lawyer.  They haven’t said a word since!!

We ask 10 questions to the SDUSD from the Lincoln Cluster Community:

1. Can you accurately and honestly refute the Lincoln Cluster Chair allegations of misappropriation of $400k of Title 1 funds from Lincoln High School Children ?
2. If you cannot refute the $400k misappropriation…

• Where is our money Sharon Whitehurst-Payne District E Trustee?
• Where is our money Cindy Marten, SDUSD Superintendent?
• Where is our money Andrew Sharp, Chief Public Information Officer?
• Where is our money Debbie Foster, Executive Director, Financial Planning and Development?
• Where is our money Acacia Thede, Chief Human Resources Officer?
• Where is our money Sofia Friere Chief, Leadership and Learning and  High Schools Area Superintendent?
• Where is our money Bruce Bivins, Area 1 Superintendent?
• Where is our money Jose E. Sotoramos, Former Lincoln High School Principal?
• Where is our money Stephanie Brown. Current Lincoln High School Principal?

The final, and most important question for ALL the SDUSD Senior Leadership individuals listed above is the following:

After returning the $400k you stole from the Lincoln Students…what is your plan to repay them for the full year of missed educational opportunity?

SDUSD: Get back to us ASAP with ALL your REAL answers….no more lies or cover ups allowed!!!

SDUSD…one more thing –

To have Supt. Marten, Trustee Payne and the rest of the oppressive SDUSD utter the words of Rep. John Lewis while allowing racist policies that have inflicted pain and contributed greatly to the school to prison pipeline is disgusting.

You are not qualified to even utter his name.

District E Community: If it can happen at Lincoln High School under all our oversight, it is happening at YOUR SCHOOL!

Now is the time for the SDUSD to get…AND UNDERSTAND…the memo!

Now is the time to DEMAND not ask…talking is over…who will join me?

To join me, please send an email with your thoughts to: lincolnclustersd@gmail.com

Roosevelt Blackmon

Single father of two children attending two SDUSD District E Schools, Lincoln Cluster Chair, Gompers Preparatory Charter SSC Chair

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District Deeds says: THANK YOU MR. BLACKMON!!!

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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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