PUSD: July 2007 Archives

Purloined this pic from what I believe to be Jeremiah Small's blog, Stonehill News. (Turns out it's a Star-News photo by the equally inimitable Walt Mancini which Jeremiah lifted from us.)

Whether you embrace Rene Amy as dedicated reformer or busybody muckraker, his commitment to overturning every stone - and pebble - is consistent.

If we write a story about misdeeds in the Pasadena Unified School District that hasn't already come up in his PUSDGreatschools discussion group, such as spending abuse by employees in the LEARNS program, you can bet he'll be down at Hudson Avenue the next day demanding receipts.

If it gets out that the recently unemployed, previous president of the school board appears mixed up in a barely legal business, Rene is - and was - going down to City Hall bright and early to see if that business is properly licensed. Apparently city staff were unable to find such a license for PDD Consulting: "Deadrick Operating Illegal Business?"

One can dispute the conclusions and criticisms extrapolated from the vigorous dialogue in his PUSDGreatschools discussion group on a subjective basis -- where everything is conclusive evidence of the school district's collective mendacity, villainy, incompetence, greed, cowardice, languor and/or stupidity.

But what infuriates the critic's critics is that he's often right. And that people pay attention -- from City Council and Board of Ed members to parents and reporters. For a school district long operating with a siege mentality, the fact that Rene has a place in our Rolodex is adequate proof of our mission to Destroy Public Education.

If you consider the alternative, where no one aggressively pursues transparency ... I just wish Patrick Leier-era Pomona Unified would have benefitted from 1/10 of a Rene.

You know it's Rene on the phone because the laughter on the other end of the line which begins before you get to "Hello" and continues after you've said "Goodbye." And you know he's likely not laughing at himself.

Word comes that as of Friday, Executive Director Prentice Deadrick of the Center for Community and Family Services has left the building. Not that there's any indication of such at www.ccafs.org beyond listing Gwen White as "Interim Executive Director" on the executive team roster.

A former Pasadena assistant city manager and school board member, Prentice announced in November he wouldn't seek another term after a wild ride on the Board of Education Express. His departure from CCAFS is only interesting because Prentice talked about that job every chance he got at school board meetings and it was one of his principal motives for stepping down. From his e-mailed announcement then:

I have no desire to run again, I have done just about all I can do and my priorities for the Pasadena school district and other school districts in LA County is to produce kindergartners ready to learn and not in an achievement gap. My leadership over the Center for Community and Family Services is far more critical in making a difference for poor and low income families that look to public education to break the cycle of poverty. It has been a challenge for me to be the CEO of an agency that serves 10 thousand children and families in 37 different locations in Los Angeles County while also participating as part of the governance body of PUSD. I look forward to working one full time job, not two.

I dropped a note to Prentice asking him what happened; will update when there's word.