BCS is once again dragging its feet in court by filing and refusing to withdraw a clearly illegal appeal. Seems like they *really* want to put off the cross-complaint hearing. It makes me more and more curious what might actually come to light during the discovery that BCS does not... Continue reading

There was some very interesting dialog at the SCCOE meeting on Wed April 3. You can listen for yourself here. A few key quotes: Michael Chang: "we would like to see more ethnic and income diversity in your student population and that we made the point that we were looking... Continue reading

I couldn't make the meeting, but it sounds like many on the board echoed my sentiments below. BCS needs to be doing a much better job in reaching these under-served demographics. From: Dave Cortright <davecortright@yahoo.com> To: Joseph Di Salvo <josephsds1@aol.com>; Michael Chang <michael_chang@sccoe.org>; Anna Song <anna_song@sccoe.org>; Grace Mah <grace_mah@sccoe.org>; Julia... Continue reading

So Bullis took out a full page ad in the Town Crier and also sent mailers to all of the households within the school district (see the picture at the bottom of this post). In it they claim a compromise with LASD to accept facilities split between Egan and Blach.... Continue reading

Doug Smith's latest blog post just goes to show how BCS isn't really focused on facilities or education. Information on an anonymous internet author is not germane to the case yet they are afraid of any sort of dissent and they are doing everything in their power to control and... Continue reading

I'm in the Bay Choral Guild this winter, and we're putting on an ambitious program for our winter concert coming up in mid-march. We're doing a bunch of Renaissance pieces by Bach, Brahms, and others, and also a very recent piece by composer Gabriel Jackson. If you like choral music... Continue reading

Today's BCS story on NPR was nearly 8 months in the making. Yet for all of that time invested, it takes on an anemic "view from nowhere" stance that presents any opinion on a particular issue as equally valid and thus adding no value to actually interpreting the situation. If... Continue reading

Your central issue is a life fully worth living. The test is how you feel each day as you anticipate that day's experience. The same test is the best predictor of health and longevity. It is simple. If it's simple, why doesn't everyone know it? The answer to that question... Continue reading

In a recent letter to the BCS community, BCS board president Ken Moore asserted that LASD is challenging the very existence of BCS. Doug's response is long, but well worth reading. http://lasdobserver.blogspot.com/2012/11/open-letter-to-bcs-parents.html Continue reading

While the results still are not final and certified until Dec 4, the current numbers show me getting 24,905 votes, which represents 33.24% of the vote. This is an amazing result, given all of the challenges I faced as a politcal newcomer without name recognition up against a cadre of... Continue reading

Dear David, I have received your email and considered the points you raise very carefully. With all due respect, David, the questions/issues and accusations you raised have all been asked and answered, not just once but literally over and over and over again. It is not reasonable or fair to... Continue reading

From: Dave Cortright <davecortright@yahoo.com> To: Joseph Di Salvo <josephsds1@aol.com>; Michael Chang <michael_chang@sccoe.org>; Anna Song <anna_song@sccoe.org>; Grace Mah <grace_mah@sccoe.org>; Julia Hover-Smoot <julia_hover-smoot@sccoe.org>; Leon Beauchman <leon_beauchman@sccoe.org>; Carmen Aminzadeh <Carmen_Aminzadeh@sccoe.org>; Xavier De La Torre <Xavier_DeLaTorre@sccoe.org>; Lucretia Peebles <Lucretia_Peebles@sccoe.org> Sent: Saturday, November 10, 2012 2:51 PM Subject: Please put BCS growth plans on your... Continue reading

I'm glad my campaign has helped raised awareness of this issue. But recently the board has attracted attention for its approval of charter schools -- about three dozen so far, including those turned down by local school districts and then appealed to the county board. Among the most controversial of... Continue reading

Given all of the challenges I faced as a political newcomer, I am extremely happy and humbled by the election result. Over 17,000 people believed in me and my platform. And just being in the race raised public awareness of the issue of charter schools in the county. I hope... Continue reading

This is a very insightful analysis on the relative impact on improving educational outcomes of various charter schools in Santa Clara County. Rocketship Mateo Sheedy is doing an excellent job improving educational outcomes for some of the most underserved students. Bullis Charter School is on the exact opposite end of... Continue reading

Friends and neighbors have forwarded me copies of an email they received promoting Grace Mah for county school board. None of these people signed up to receive email from Grace. Clicking through on the link to the permission policy at the bottom of the message leads to this page: VerticalResponse... Continue reading

Bullis charter school decided to ramp up enrollment for next year as reported in both Patch and the Town Crier. They plan to add 6 new classes of 20-25 students each: K, 1, 2, 3, 6, and 8. It seems as if they are giving up on a smaller, more... Continue reading

An audit by the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Education found lax monitoring of what charter schools do with the funds and whether their expenditures comply with federal regulations. In California, which has received nearly $182 million in federal charter grants from 2008 to 2011,... Continue reading

The recent focus on an old post I made to Google+ reminded me I was no longer using that social networking platform. The 3 attacks in the Daily Post have taken an emotional toll, and I didn't want old posts taken out of context to continue to distract from my... Continue reading

Yesterday I received many emails from people throughout the community affirming their support for me and what I've been doing, despite the smear campaign. It was extremely moving and exactly what I needed. Thank you all for your support. With permission, I'm including one of the messages I received from... Continue reading

The personal attacks by the Daily Post continue. What that tells me is that there are some influential charter school proponents who are really concerned that I might actually win this election, and they aren't afraid to show the whole world to what extent they will go to ensure that... Continue reading

I wrote this post 6 months ago, and it is apt in explaining why I am running for the county board of education. State Senator Joe Simitian was on the Palo Alto School Board for 8 years before moving onto higher office. He also has no children. I want to... Continue reading

The Bullis Charter School board has discussed significantly increasing enrollment at their school from about 500 now to 900-1200. Sadly, they have been acting as if the decision is theirs alone to make. And what makes things worse is that county board trustee Grace Mah—who was in attendance at the... Continue reading

I received my yard signs last week and we're getting them distributed around the community. I'd really appreciate it if you would take one (or several!) and put them up around your neighborhood. Contact me via my email address is in the right column. Thanks! Continue reading

Carol Dweck—professor of psychology at Stanford University—wrote a great book called Mindset. It is centered around a simple yet very powerful idea: how people perceive their own intelligence and abilities greatly influences their ability to learn and grow. In a fixed mindset, people believe that intelligence and abilities are innate.... Continue reading