The Desert IndependentTM

Serving Blythe, California & the Desert Regions of the Southwest

Richardson’s Legacy

A Report from the Palo Verde USD Board of Trustee’s Meeting

By Robert E. Jensen
The Desert Independent

August 27, 2010

BLYTHE, Calif – Upon the departure of Budget Valkyrie/Tsarina Dr. Michelle Richardson, she sang a “Swan Song” with a budget forecast of $100,000 in the black for 2010-11 and a shortfall of $1.7 million for 2011-12 – prior to  flying off to Val Verde USD to join with all father Dr. Alan Jensen.

Members of Dr. Whitney’s “Inner Sanctum” have been meeting constantly this past week and it was announced at the Board meeting last night that there will be Budget Advisory meetings on Sept., 7th, 8th, 9th, and the 20th. All one hour in duration beginning at 5:00 at the District Office.

Why the flurry of activity? Members of Dr. Whitney’s circle of confidants have reported that the new Budget Director, Kim Bishoff, has come to the conclusion that the district will actually experience a shortfall of $2.5 to $3 Million this year. The Third Interim forecast of $100,000 in the black has gone by the wayside and ideas are going to have to be gleaned fast from all stakeholders.

Now the school board has yet another opportunity to shutter the Blythe Middle School, send the 7th and 8th graders packing to the elementary schools and lay off the BMS staff, teachers and administrators. This has been main focus of his efforts to reduce the budget for the past two years. This year may well see it happen as the Classified Staff won an MOU guaranteeing no layoffs this year and next in return for a 3% pay cut. The Teachers accepted five furlough days but only one year of no layoffs. No doubt the idea of a BMS closure will rear its ugly head again in the coming weeks. In-year layoffs may well occur if new teachers accepted temporary contracts or are working as long-term substitutes.

Willie Krebbers, PVTA President, addressed the Board and derided the new method of “mainstreaming” all Resource and Special Day Class students into the regular core classrooms without any conversations with the teaching staffs, the community or – for that matter – the individual School Site Councils. Trustee Ulmer made note of his concerns and asked that the current “mainstreaming” practices by presented for the Board’s edification at the next meeting.

The Student Representative to the Board announced that the rise in scores at one of the elementary schools of 43 points was “without precedent and historic” in the Palo Verde USD. To those truly acquainted with the history of local test scores, this “historic” misnomer was hysterical. A rise in 43 points, while laudable, hardly compares to the 77 points achieved by the High School under Principal Mike Gilmore in 2005 or the 53 points earned by Blythe Middle School under Francis “Ted” Arneson in 2002.

In fact, the California High School Exit Exam test scores came out on August 24th and the Secondary students that took this exam in 2009-10 dropped from 63% passing last year on both English/Language Arts and Math to 60% this year. In contrast, the passing rate for the entire state rose from 79% to 81% in the same time.

To view the scores, please click HERE.

While the Distract may well be extricating itself from one quagmire – that of PI status if scores are repeated next year – it is now entering two others. 

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