No Comment From School Board
I was working on a story out of the Montebello Unified School District last week and I wanted a comment from one of the districts board members.
It was a story on how the district is not reaching the goals of No Child Left Behind. Upon calling one member I discovered the school board has a “protocol” they must follow. He said, comments made by board members have to come from the Board President Marcella Calderon.
Who am I to criticize protocols but if you are going to have such a rule, don't you think the president should be available for comment? Instead of calling me back Calderon gave a statement to the district's PIO to give to me.
When I asked the board member why they had such a protocol in place, he didn't have an answer and told me how much he would really like to comment.
Have you heard of any “protocols” at other districts?
sounds illegal - isn't the Brown Act speaking on access to board members?
As a reporter for a Sierra Madre newspaper, I agree with your frustration regarding timely comments from school board members. Originally, I was going to respond that the Pasadena Unified School District board members were extremely accesible regarding current issues. But of late, it seems that the PUSD board members are too "quote accessible" in a situation that may affect the mentality of young students. The newspapers that are delivered to the homes of the student's family can have detrimental effects. Case in point, when the Pasadena Star News ran the headline stating, in a sense, "Muir Mustangs Lose Pride", the motivation behind student sucess was deflated. Currently, Rhythms of the Villages is under the same scrutiny. Here you have a motivated group of students facing uncertainty of their future. I am going to give you an example of PUSD quotes, which in my opinion is too much information.
From Pasadena Now:
"President Esteban Lizardo said this was "not specific." Vice President Tom Selinske, looking for proof that Rhythms will have additional students, said, "That's not commitments. I don't see commitments. That's what I'm looking for."
Member Renatta Cooper, who during Tuesday's meeting warned the gathering that Rhythms had better have a detailed plan in its letter, said that she doesn't hear of any new enrollment numbers.
Member Ed Honowitz, who with Selinske opposed delaying the decision, said, "We need to have viable expectations based on some documentation. I don't know what that is until we see what they deliver."
Member Scott Phelps said, "What will be received and analyzed by staff will not be sufficient to determine, and here's the key word, the claim of having at least 80."
From my insight, I have to ask what deemed these students unworthy of significance? I also have to ask what is viable from the quotes of PUSD board members.
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