[CALIBK12] a pale reflection

[Stephanie Hall]

Dear Mr. Krashen,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write an editorial to the Press Enterprise on the possible elimination of the five Teacher Librarians in the Corona-Norco Unified School District.  The five of us attended our Board Meeting Tuesday evening and spoke on our behalf, and on the behalf of the students we serve.  Nonetheless, our Board voted to keep our positions on the list of possible eliminations and we will receive our RIF's within the next few days.

The article in the Press Enterprise Wednesday morning discussed the reduction of the band teachers in our middle schools and the counselors at secondary schools, but failed to mention the elimination of Teacher Librarians and the library programs in the district.  You can read the article at: http://www.pe.com/localnews/rivcounty/stories/PE_News_Local_W_wcnusd04.4853a1d.html

We have been assured that nothing is final and that the Board is examining all avenues to preserve jobs in our district.  But we are asking others to please send letters of support to our Board Members and Superintendent.
We also appreciate any advice from others who have faced similar situations.

Kent Bechler, Superintendent, kbechler at cnusd.k12.ca.us
Bill Hedrick, Board President, bhedrick at cnusd.k12.ca.us
Sharon Martinez, Board Vice-President, smartinez at cnusd.k12.ca.us
Jose Lalas, Board Member, jlalas at cnusd.k12.ca.us
Cathy Sciortino, Board Member, csciortino at cnusd.k12.ca.us
Michell Skipworth, Board Member, mskipworth at cnusd.k12.ca.us

Thanks to all,
Stephanie Hall, Norco High
David Chavira, Centennial High
Christine Jacobson, Roosevelt High
Norma St. Clair, Corona High
Nathan Theune, Santiago High


--- On Tue, 3/3/09, Stephen Krashen <skrashen at yahoo.com> wrote:

> From: Stephen Krashen <skrashen at yahoo.com>
> Subject: [CALIBK12] a pale reflection
> To: "calibk12 at listproc.sjsu.edu" <calibk12 at listproc.sjsu.edu>
> Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2009, 2:27 PM
> One of my letters got in, but of course they changed it.
> What was published was a pale reflection of what I wrote.
> This is why it is a good idea to keep letters very short,
> whenever possible, so they won't cut anything.
> 
> The original:
> 
> Sent to the Press-Enterprise, March 1, 2009
> 
> I was sad to read about the proposed cuts at Corona-Norco
> ("Corona-Norco to consider cutting 165 certificated
> positions," Feb. 28). 
> 
> Local districts throughout the state are being forced to
> cut positions and reduce services in areas known to help
> children. For example, Corona-Norco is considering dropping
> five school librarians; there is strong evidence that
> library quality, library staffing and the presence of a
> credentialed school are related to reading scores. 
> California has among the lowest reading scores and the
> fewest school librarians per student in the nation.
> 
>  At the same time, the state continues to fund budget items
> that are at best useless and may be harmful. Right now,
> California taxpayers pay for a High School Exit Exam,
> high-stakes standardized tests for second graders (No Child
> Left Behind only requires tests starting at third grade),
> and a fancy computerized PE test (the
> "Fitnessgram"). Research has so far failed to find
> any benefit for these tests.
> 
> Dumping these useless (and painful) tests would save a
> billion dollars every few years, and take some of the
> financial pressure off school districts. 
> 
> Stephen Krashen
> 
> 
> 
> What appeared:
> 
> Dumps tests; save money
> 
> I was sad to read about the proposed cuts in the
> Corona-Norco Unified School District ("District finds
> 165 jobs to cut," March 1).
> 
> Local districts throughout the state are being forced to
> cut positions and reduce services in areas known to help
> children. For example, Corona-Norco is considering dropping
> five school librarians. I believe that library quality,
> including sufficient library staffing, is related to reading
> scores.
> 
> At the same time, the state continues to fund budget items
> that are at best useless and may be harmful to students.
> 
> Right now, California taxpayers pay for a high school exit
> exam and other testing beyond that required by No Child Left
> Behind. I know of no benefit from these tests.
> 
> Dumping these useless (and painful) tests would take some
> of the financial pressure off of school districts.
> 
> STEPHEN KRASHEN
> 
> Los Angeles
> 
> 
> 
>       
> 
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