Coronado Common Sense

Coronado Local Plans To Play Lacrosse For Notre Dame

 

On Friday, March 25th, The San Diego Union-Tribune published an article about a young man from Coronado. If you know Kyle Runyon, or his parents Dan and Sue, I think you'll enjoy this article.

In Coronado lacrosse standout focused on big picture, PK Daniel wrote:

 

"Early on, doctors told Kyle Runyon’s parents their son wouldn’t be able to play sports.

Runyon played anyway, improving his skills as each year passed. Now a senior at Coronado High, Runyon has committed to play lacrosse for Notre Dame.

Sixteen years ago, that didn’t seem possible."

 

Click on the link above to read the story in its entirety.

Coronado Teacher Salaries Range From $29K - Over $100K

 

[Click on image to enlarge for easier readability]

The information above and following came from a site called "Teacher Salary Info." I found this quite interesting but cannot verify its accuracy.

 

General information included the following facts about the Coronado Unified School District:

 

• Staff: 288
• Full time teachers: 141
• Pupil to teacher ratio: 18 to 1
• Instructional Aides: 41
• Kindergarten Teachers: 9
• Elementary Teachers: 80
• High School Teachers: 49
• Pre-K to 12 Students: 3,035

 

Other bits of information on this website included revenue from local sources; expenditures on instruction; teacher salaries and teacher benefits; teacher salaries for regular education, special education and vocational education; student to teacher ratios; number of students in each grade for each school; median family income; income of a renter; income of a homeowner; and the breakdown of households making amounts ranging from $10,000 per year up to over $100,000 per year.

Jerry Brown Wants To Abolish Redevelopment Agencies

 

Columnist Logan Jenkins spoke of Coronado yesterday in his column "Brown's war on redevelopment summons old warrior's ghost" in The San Diego Union-Tribune. He was speaking of our new governor’s—Jerry Brown’s—desire to recall all redevelopment funds. He wrote that the cities were rushing to lay claim to the redevelopment funds ahead of the legislation. In an imagined conversation with Vista ex-councilman and development foe Lloyd von Haden, this is what Mr. Jenkins penned about Coronado:

 

 

 

"Remember in the ‘80s when Coronado declared the whole island ‘blighted’?

 

Yes, my parents were astonished that they lived in a slum with million-dollar houses."

 

His opinion was that public opinion needs to be reshaped and that redevelopment agencies should be looked at as criminal syndicates for all intents and purposes.

 

 

The talk around town is that the credit for the creation of the “blight” angle in Coronado goes to Dave Blumenthal and current councilman Al Ovrom. Mr. Blumenthal passed away early last year. His obituary mentions the redevelopment funds as follows:

 

“By attending a State Superintendent’s meeting, he learned of little known piece of legislation that could replace many of the blighted buildings in our schools and community without raising taxes. With his leadership, the Coronado Unified Schools and the City of Coronado united to form the Community Development Agency. This resulted in the building of most of the new community and school structures that have graced the face of Coronado for the last 20 years.”

 

This blight angle has not given Coronado a sterling reputation to say the least. More than a few cities over the bridge look down their noses at Coronado, believing that the city leaders knew that Coronado has no blight and feel that money is being taken from California cities that actually need the money.  Janine Zúñiga captured this tone in her Union-Tribune article (2005) “Coronado’s blight-fixing funding criticized.”

 

Looks like it might be time to pay the piper.

County Offers Whooping Cough Booster Shots On January Weekends

 

 

A Pertussis  (Whooping Cough) resurgence has caused private and public schools across San Diego County to request proof of a Tdap booster shot before students can attend school this fall. This requirement will be strictly enforced and all students entering seventh through twelfth grade must have the booster.

 

The San Diego Health and Human Services Agency will be offering the booster at the following local Northgate markets on Saturdays and Sundays in January, from 10am to 4pm:

 

• 2909 Coronado Avenue, San Diego 92154

 • 1410 S. 43rd Street, San Diego 92113

• 1058 3rd Avenue, Chula Vista 91911

• 606 N. Escondido Boulevard, Escondido 92025

• 1150 E. Vista Way, Vista 92084

• 1346 S. Mission Road, Fallbrook 92028

 

According to the County of San Diego website:

“Parents can also get the vaccine from their primary care physician. Residents who do not have health care coverage may visit a HHSA Public Health Center.

Last year, there were 1,106 confirmed cases of pertussis in the region, including two infants who died from complications of the disease.  The previous record of 371 confirmed cases was reported in 2005. In 2009, there were 143 confirmed cases of pertussis.”

 

Coronado School Budget Suffers As State Of California Struggles

 

Just two days before Christmas, the San Diego Union-Tribune published a bleak story written by Ashly McGlone about problems in Coronado with the school budget titled "Coronado schools eyeing cuts." Ms. McGlone wrote:

 

"The Coronado Unified School District is projecting a $2.4 million deficit in next year’s $26 million budget, not including potential midyear cuts from the state.

The district saw a budget shortfall of $2.1 million this year, prompting it to cut $1.5 million in spending through furloughs and class size increases. Adult education was cut in half.

Teachers are taking seven furlough days this year, five of them by shortening the academic year. Nonteaching staff are taking 10 furlough days. Class sizes have also increased in an effort to reduce the number of teachers needed.

But the worst may be ahead. The Legislative Analyst Office is projecting a $25 billion state budget shortfall this year and next."

 

A lot of the problem began with financial difficulties across the state of California. As in the past, the educational system often seems the first to pay the price.

 

Recently, I've heard discussion in the media about solutions for California and New York. Most analysts say that another bailout would be risky and it's time for these two states to "pay the piper." Pension payouts across California are often calculated at a hefty percentage of the employees’ total pay their last year in the work force. What was promised in pensions does not exist in the budget at the current time nor is it expected that it will materialize. The option most commonly being tossed around as a way out of this predicament is to allow California to go bankrupt. Bankruptcy would erase the slate and these promised pensions would disappear.

 

Yesterday’s U-T had for its featured article (front page, above the fold) “6 retired educators in county are paid more than U.S. education secretary” written by Maureen Magee and Danielle Cervantes. It listed the top eight educator pensions in San Diego County, ranging from 83% to 113% of original salaries. No Coronado educators appeared in the Top Eight. These top-paid educators were compared to the top five city pensions listed in the 2009 San Diego City Employees’ Retirement System data. The top pensions range from $227,250 to $299,103 a year. You might recognize the #4 spot holder as our own Coronado Police Chief from his years as San Diego assistant police chief.

 

As 2011 quickly approaches, it will be interesting to see how Governor-elect Jerry Brown handles the situation.

Coronado Community—Mark This On Your Calendar Now!

 

SAVE THE DATE 

A Coronado Community Discussion about Education

 

Coronado Schools:

Are We on the Right Path?

Saturday, Jan 22, 2011

 4:30 to 7:30 PM

 

Coronado High School Performing Arts Center

Tickets available in January

 

Watch the movie ‘Race to Nowhere’,

 Hear from a panel of experts

Open dialogue with Panel and Special Guests over coffee

 

 

Watch the movie trailer at……

www.racetonowhere.com

 

 

Brought to the Coronado Community by CSF, CUSD. Elementary, Middle and High School Parent/Teacher groups

"City of Coronado Administrative Procedures on Code of Ethics" Violation?

 

A Common Sense reader  submitted the following observation (photo included) titled as "Getting To Know Our Mayor" for publishing:

 

CORONADO, CA

UNDER THIS WEEK'S

 

TOTALLY TASTELESS, INAPPROPRIATE, AND POSSIBLY ILLEGAL ELECTION SIGN DISPLAYS

 

AT THE RESIDENCE OF MAYOR CASEY TANAKA (CUSD HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER)

 

*  Re-Elect Dave Shepherd (CUSD School Board)

*  Re-Elect Al Ovrom (Father-in-Law to CUSD School Board Member Dawn Ovrom) to City Council

*  Elect Doug Metz (CUSD School Board President) to City Council

 

Current Members of the Coronado Unified School District Board

A Common Sense reader send me some information they found on the Coronado Unified School District website. It is a list of the current school board members. They are:

 

Bruce Shepherd, President

 

Dr. Kevin Lightner, Vice President

 

Dawn Ovrom, Clerk

 

Doug Metz, Member

 

Kathy Vienna, Member

 

 

Dr. Jeffrey P. Felix, Ed. D., Superintendent

 

Marie Johnson, Executive Assistant

Dr. Keven Lightner and Kathy Vienna are leaving the School Board and Doug Metz is running for City Council. Mr. Metz will still be on the School Board if he is not elected as a Councilmember.

Four candidates are running for one of the three available positions on the CUSD Board. They are Scott L. Barr, Ledyard Hakes, Brenda Kracht and Bruce Shepherd.

One board member told me that if Doug Metz is elected to the Coronado City Council and Bruce Shepherd is not re-elected, then Dawn Ovrom will be the only incumbent on the School Board. Ms. Ovrom was elected two years ago. In case you didn't know, she is the daughter-in-law of City Councilmember Al Ovrom.

I asked "In the event that Doug Metz IS elected to City Council, would they then need to hold another election to pick a new School Board member?" The reply was that an election was too costly and that they would just appoint someone.

School Pool Begins Marketing Campaign

Ashly McGlone of the San Diego Union-Tribune recently wrote an article about the Coronado “school pool.” In “Coronado district takes plunge”, Ms. McGlone wrote:

“A full-fledged marketing campaign is underway for a multimillion-dollar, financially challenged pool operated by the Coronado Unified School District.

We hope well be successful and the pool will be something that the Coronado residents will be proud of, said consultant Caryn Hill, who was hired in June.”

She went on to write:

“The $40,000 marketing plan is expected to generate enough money to pay for itself in the first year and help the pool become profitable by 2012, according to Superintendent Jeffrey Felix.

On tap: a new website, logo, several ads in nationally-circulated aquatic magazines, and a push for collegiate, national and club teams that need a home.

The pool was built by the district in 2007 for $9 million, with the contingency that it would be operated thereafter by nonprofits. When two nonprofits failed to raise enough money to cover costs, the school board took over.”

Many California School Districts Struggling With Budgets

To view the budgets of the school districts on this map, go to the original map.

"Many Sacramento-are school districts face money woes, California official says" by Diana Lambert, The Sacramento Bee

Editor's Note: Sources report "Coronado Unified School District is not on this list so it will meet its financial obligations per its self-reporting to the State Department of Education."