Below are links to our 10 day condemnation on the usage of Everyday Mathematics in Cave Creek Unified School district and suggested solutions to the tackling this train wreck of a program.

Day 1: Its time to say goodbye to Everyday Math...
Day 2: What's Wrong with Everyday Mathematics and the gifted
Day 3: Core Knowledge frowns on Everyday Math

Now that the school year is over it looks like the curriculum department has finally got around to tackling the State of Arizona new math standards.  You can find the details here.  The state standards were released in June of 2008, and school year 08-09 was to be a transition year, with implementation in 09-10, and AIMS testing on the new standards in spring 2010. Unfortunately instead of the district using this year to transition to the new math standards, it focused on writing.

Grade 1
M = missing from Everyday Math text
F = missing from EM text, but capacity is covered in Foss MatterUnit
Grade 2
Items in bold (7 performance objectives) are lacking or do not appear in the text (EM) and will need supplementation.
Grade 3
Grade level teachers will need to check EM text for areas needing supplementation. We know that EM may not include all of the above standards for each grade level.
Grade 4
We know that EM may not include all of the above standards for each grade level.
Grade 5
We know that EM may not include all of the above standards for each grade level.

So we find our first admission that the EM version (EM 2^nd edition we believe) the district is using does not even support the new minimal state standards.  Well, one could argue that we are using an older version of the product.  You could, but EM 3^rd edition doesn’t even support these standards.   And of course why are we still stuck on an older and outdated version of EM?

Take for instance multiplication and division.  Let’s compare the new state and CCUSD standards to Everyday Math 3^rd Edition…

The Scottsdale City Council made news today for turning down $244,000 in stimulus funds.  Despite a $65 million budget hole, the reasoning the used was that adding to the government wouldn’t really help boost the economy.  This was great to see our elected officials taking a principled stand.

Well, Cave Creek Unified School District should take a similar stand.  According to the North Scottsdale Independent,  Superintendent Dr. Burdick said…

“It can only be used for new programs,” she said. “It can’t be used to backfill and (personnel) cuts made and the new programs must be sustained within two years by the district.”

If this is the case, than the district should absolutely refuse these funds, especially if any new program requires hiring new staff.

Our reasoning is straightforward.  Hiring employees with no guarantee of employment is unfair to that employee and the students they deal with. Look at the pain we are going through now with the potential loss of some great staff.

These funds are for special education and Title I students, but these areas and programs have already had tremendous funding and resource increases over the past five years.  Implementing a short term program could have an even bigger impact on these at risk children if it has to be yanked when funding runs out.

Finally, the district does not have the staff and resources to properly manage any new programs.  The district can barely keep up with the work and issues in front of it at this time.  Adding more programs will only distract the district and make it less effective in accomplishing its number one task: academic achievement.  Implementing new and soon to be unfunded programs in light of all that is happening would be unfair and distracting.

It remains to be seen what the requirements for these funds will be but of course we have zero expectation that the district would refuse these funds.  That would take leadership.

We figured some district in the state would beg the parents for money, but we never figured it would be ours.  Apparently yesterday some parents (not identified) in Cave Creek Unified School District kicked off a three week direct donation campaign asking for...

$200 per student, $350 per family, or any amount you can give by April 10th

1. Asking for donations when (as far as we can tell) not one cent has yet to have been cut from the budget is premature.
2. We find this plea hypocritical when proposed cuts to the staff salaries have only been quoted at 1 to 2%. Same goes for the smallish proposed administrative cuts.  Let's see some commitment from the district (skin in the game as our President likes to say) in actually resolving this before asking for donations.
3. The district refuses to close a school which could save $700,000 to $1,000,000, instead choosing buildings over teachers and now this plea has the nerve to ask us the parents to save those positions.
4.  Where are the guarantees and assurances from the district that the money will be spent where they say it will?
5.  The flyer uses threats of cutting sports to try and convince people to donate, when tax credits already surpass the district’s costs for sports. Instead of our tax dollars going to Disneyland and for trips to Catalina, we should use them more effectively.
6. The legislature is considering the expansion of the school tax credit to allow for uses such as technology and classroom expenses.  Why not wait to see how this plays out first.
7. The impact this will have on the future CCUSD Foundation and future bond elections.  Begging is going to leave a bad taste in many people’s mouth, especially if it is not effective or if their hot button issue is not resolved after they donate.  For example, let’s say a parent donates to save their favorite PE teacher, but then the board still decides to RIF this teacher. This parent will not be pleased. You now have a parent who may show their displeasure at the ballot box or when the foundation comes calling for contributions.
8. The use of district resources in this campaign when they should be focused on teaching the students and coming up with budget solutions.  Just because the superintendent says 'parents' are driving this doesn't mean that the district is not involved or has its approval.

This plea should be a plea of last resort.  All the state and district budget issues should first be resolved.  Then allow the PTOs to coordinate this campaign at each school.  This will allow for some assurance that there is oversight and the dollars are going to get to where the parents want them.

As it stands the timing on this campaign is impulsive and the execution and foresight are severely wanting. We want to say that we wish it well and hope it does indeed save some teacher positions and programs, but given the district's track record, the current lack of progress on the budget, and the myriad of uncertainties surrounding state and federal funds, at this time we cannot.

We have published all of our budget solutions in one document.  You can find it here...

 http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dcmnnx7d_12hf2jrpd9

Verina Palmer Martin has started a blog focusing on CCUSD called "CCUSD Community".  We welcome Ms. Martin to the blogging community and look forward to the expanded debate and discussion of issues in our district.

You can find the blog here...

http://ccusdcommunity.wordpress.com

Ok, now that we have your attention let us look at the current school utilization in CCUSD and our proposed solution.

Current School K-5 Utilization

So looking at these numbers we can see that CCUSD has between 500 and 1742 empty seats in K-5.  Now we realize the SFB numbers are probably high and the  'CCUSD Desired' is likely low and the actual empty seats fall somewhere in the middle, but either way there are currently a great deal of empty seats.  If the district closed DSES and distributed those students the schools would look like this...

Close Desert Sun, Even Distribution of Students

Doing this sends every school to +100% CCUSD Desired occupancy but still nowhere appraoches the SFB occupancy. Some adjustment would likely be needed get the DWES numbers lower. Times are tight and the money we could save by closing DSES could help us avoid laying off teachers (or reduce layoffs).  If in concert with this the district would implement our GARP program, than we could help mitigate class size problems and allow for a rigoruous program to challenge our students and improve academic acheivement.  Of course there will be a huge parent backlash, but the only other alternative is larger class sizes and less teachers.

(We choose Desert Sun as not only is it the smallest school, it has the lowest enrollment, and it has no special programs.)

Our letter to the editor posted in the Sonoran News...

http://www.sonorannews.com/archives/2009/090204/letters2e.html

(We have disabled comments for this as we have nothing further to say on this topic)

---

In the middle of May, Dr. Marvin Christensen resigned immediately from the CCUSD governing board. In his letter of resignation he wrote that the "board has failed the children, failed the community and created conditions for further failure.”

Despite the hope and promise of leadership, our newly seated governing board continues this fine tradition. One of the board’s foremost responsibilities is to hire a superintendent. By not conducting a comprehensive search for a new superintendent, the board has abdicated its responsibility and catered to the vocal minority, while ignoring the lessons of 2008 when a mass exodus of leadership took place.

Dr Burdick has done a fantastic job of helping the district to recover from this calamity, but this is not enough to blindly reward her the job without considering other candidates. With superintendent searches going on in adjacent Scottsdale and Paradise Valley, the district could have capitalized on trying to recruit the excellent candidates who will no doubt apply for those positions, without paying for a national search. With the looming budget cuts, the district could have found a candidate who had the expertise in doing more with less, which is what the district is facing for the foreseeable future. With the tremendous turnover in leadership, this was the chance to transition the superintendent to an outsider who could bring fresh ideas and perspectives; something the district needs desperately after the disaster that was 2008.

The new board has failed its first test. Promoting Dr Burdick was the easy choice and they made it for all the wrong reasons. The governing board has condemned the district to the continued status quo of mediocrity, when a district of our size and demographics should be the best performing district in the Southwest.

Cave Creek Unified School District #93: Inspire Excellence. But never demand it, or achieve it, or hold anyone accountable.

From: ccusdwatch@hotmail.com
To: jwaring@azleg.gov; nbarto@azleg.gov; rbarnes@azleg.gov
CC: susancavecreek@aol.com; cperkins@ccusd93.org; dschaefer@ccusd93.org; mewarren@cox.net; janetcbc@aol.com
Subject: Proposed cuts to education...
Date: Sat, 17 Jan 2009 15:53:26 -0700

Dear Senator Waring,
Dear Representative Barnes,
and Dear Representative Barto,
 
Our group was reviewing the state proposed budget cut proposal and came across this.  The proposal reads...
 

Proposal:  State Aid Reduction for School Districts with Above Average
Administrative Costs
 
This option would require ADE to reduce Basic State Aid in FY 2010 for school districts
with above average administrative costs.  The amount of the reduction would equal $50
per Average Daily Membership (ADM) pupil multiplied by the difference between
statewide average administrative costs, as reported by the Auditor General (9.5% for
FY 2007), and actual percentage reported for a given district.

Using the example given the Cave Creek Unified School Distirct is our area would lose...

5,600 ADM X $50 X (10.1 - 9.5) = $168,000
 
based on the 2007 Auditor Generals report.  This is an asinine proposal because...
 

• Larger schools have lower administrative costs
• Larger schools will skew the average towards the lower end of the distribution
• Administrative costs do not directly correlate with either school performance or classroom dollars
• Schools can be excessive in areas outside of administrative costs
• If there was a normal distribution of costs, half the schools in Arizona will be punished.  Larger schools will skew that to likely make it more than half.

CCUSD is a smaller district with only one high school and not unreasonable administrative costs.  This penalty is unfair.  If the state wants to punish schools that are excessive with spending, they should penalize schools that are 1 or .75 standard deviations below the mean of classroom dollars or use a weighted average of classroom dollars and penalitize schools that are some amount below this this. Using classroom dollars as the benchmark as opposed to administrative costs will ensure that spending gets to the teachers and the students, where it belongs.

If you'd like, you can join our communtiy discussion of this issue here...

http://tatumcentral.com/CS/forums/t/326.aspx
 
Thank you.

Here are the Top 10 comments posted to our blog or here at the forums, presented in chronogical order.  Thank you to all of your comments and feedback, both positive and negative.  We are looking forward to a productive and constructive 2009.

1 through 5...

It would be interesting to note that the district will spend $15,000 to evaluate election results while there are more than 12 non-functioning heaters at DAAMS...Hows about fix the heater and not pay to evaluate the election.

Anonymous, January 18, 2008 7:55 PM

What kind of school district holds a board meeting on a Sunday night that lasts until midnight? The schools may be excelling but this district is failing in leadership from the board to the district office administrators to the administrators at the schools!

Anonymous, April 14, 2008 8:25 PM

The most progressive thing the current Board can do, in regard to a solution, would be to resign.

MoosieAZ, May 23, 2008 2:16 PM

I'll do my part toward balancing the budget and give two form letters the district can use so Ms. Shafir can be hired on a consultant basis for her other duties.

1. Dear Parent/Teacher/Student/Advocate/Newspaper:
CCUSD/BMES/DAMS/LMES/DWES/STMS/CSHS is an Excellent/High Testing/Really Neat School/District based on these entirely Reliable Test Scores/Eye Witness Accounts/Arbitrary Benchmarks/Football team record and due to the implementation of Everyday Math/Smartboards/SI/IB/AP/Finger paints.

Sincerely, Nedda Shafir

2.Dear Parent/Teacher/Student/Advocate/Newspaper:

Unfortunately the district cannot talk/reveal/discuss/address/comment on the resignations/sexual abuse at DAMS questions/low test scores/high school teacher plagiarism/political infighting/anonymous bloggers due to reasons of privacy/security/reluctance
/inconvenience. Please further all additional questions to Ms. Shafir/Dr. Ashby/The board where they may/or may not be addressed/skimmed/ignored.
Sincerely,
Nedda Shafir

Jeff Tully, June 12, 2008 7:21 PM

What you fail to mention is how some of the agendas got forced upon the committees. Board members had ideas of their dream schools and plans for pools,fine arts centers and equine centers. Some Board members went so far as to attending the meetings and forcing discussions about topics they wanted heard. When the idea of building a second HS on the South campus was proposed certain board members(especially the one that left)pushed for a super campus, they didn't care where or how; but they wouldn't agree to a plan for anything but that' yet there was no plan for the other schools. Just build a big school.

TDBR, June 17, 2008 11:34 PM

6 through 10

Nice pic with your post Watch - you are an unbelievable, sarcastic, unfocused, hateful, do nothing "group". Your blog does nothing but drag me down and I'm done - not like you care. You are not good for the district, you are not good for the employees, you are not good for the community. Happy negativity Watch - I hope one day you'll clean up your post for the good of this district and the community that should rally and support it.

- Anonymous, July 8, 2008 5:37 PM

 Yesterday, my daughter told me that the teacher used a whistle to try to get everybody to be quiet, but that the kids still wouldn't calm down. While I'm not too into the Captain Von Trapp whistle technique, my sympathy does go out to this teacher. At least she is creative. It is too bad that the learning that needs to happen in her class is being hampered by crowd control.

- fslavin, 10-01-2008 10:37 AM

I've met some "Creekers" who flat out tell me that I don't belong up here since I live in a subdivision south of Carefree Highway.  Maybe they're hoping that declining property values will get people to move out of the area, since no one else should be allowed up here.

- mom22, 10-22-2008 8:05 PM

We shall not sleep...

Though lost elections grow in Cave Creek fields!

We will live to fight for our schools another day.

We simply will not just go away.

- Kupa, 11-08-2008 9:09 AM

It will take a variety of tactics to be successful. No single communication strategy will work by itself. My belief is that we need to approach this with a coordinated, systematic, and well organized playbook centered on the facts (answers to objections, effects on the grades/schools/kids, exactly how the money is used, etc).

Chris Marsh, an AP English teacher, blogs about teachers in the Scottsdale Unified School District charging students for letters of recommendations.

Teachers charging for "extra" services...

This is completely inappropriate and smacks of bribery.  We feel for teachers who must often take personal time from their lives to work on these letters but this is part of the job, especially when teaching the honors students like Ms. Marsh does.  Ms. Marsh claims that the school has put a stop to it. Teachers needs to have a clear policy about how they will do letters and communicate this policy to the students, but charging for them is beyond the pale.

On a related note, we were recently down at the Arizona Department of Education.  While waiting in line we were speaking to a young lady who had moved here from Michigan and was a second year PE teacher at Copper Ridge in SUSD.  She was telling us how decimated her town was in Michigan from the economic slow down and how lucky she was to have a job, even though the pay was low (think low 20's).  She went on to tell us though that the Christmas and teacher appreciation gifts she receives at the end of the year from SUSD parents more than made up for the low salary.

The below message was sent to the parents of a charter school just this week.

Attention 6th Grade Parents

A parent information session on the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Program will be held on November 4th, 7:00 to 7:30, just prior to the PTA Meeting. Please come and hear what Vista Verde has to offer your 6th grade graduating student.  Ms. Elaine Jacobs, Principal of Vista Verde, will provide you with information on the core components if the IB program.

Vista Verde is a PVUSD school that offers International Baccalaureate Middle Years and its princiapl is going to make a presentation to the parents at this charter school about how VV can meet their children's academic needs.  This is just one example of how PVUSD is working to attract students to its district.  They are not doing it with swimming pools or laptops. They realize that strong curriculum offerings not only serve their students, but it will also help them complete for open enrollment, charter, private, and home school students.

Here is a list of the curriculum offerings that PVUSD has or is working on:

• Sonoran Sky Elementary - Self contained gifted program
• Arrowhead Elementary - NASA Explorer School
• Whispering Wind Academy - STEMG Program (science, technology, engineering, math, global geography) and Mandarin Chinese 
• Grayhawk - Official Core Knowledge School
• Boulder Creek Elementary, Campo Bello Elementary School, Eagle Ridge Elementary School, Pinnacle Peak Elementary School, Sunset Canyon Elementary School, and Wildfire Elementary School - Core Knowledge Elementary
• Mountain Trail Middle School - Core Knowledge Middle School
• Quail Run Elementary - International Baccalaureate Primary Years (2009)
• Vista Verde Middle School - International Baccalaureate Middle Years
• North Canyon High School - International Baccalaureate Diploma Program
  

(Yes, that is correct, PVUSD will soon be offering IB from K all the way to 12.)

PVUSD also recently received a grant from the City of Phoenix in excess of $3 million to build a small high school that will be dedicated to a rigorous curriculum focused on nursing, biotechnology, and engineering.

Our district is never going to compete with the offerings of SUSD and PVUSD in terms of facilities and the multitude of programs. CCUSD should focus on making the district the top performing academic district in the state. Make this happen and everything else will follow.

And the best part of all.  It doesn't really take that much more money above current spending to do it.