Tuesday, August 25, 2015

[San Diego County] It’s Strike Three for San Diego Unified’s School Board President, But She’s Not Out


San Diego Unified President Marne Foster was in the news over the past few days, and not in a positive light.
The State Attorney General’s office, according to a story in the Union-Tribune, is asking pointed questions about a fundraiser held last month to help pay off debt and college costs for her sons.
On August 19th, the San Diego Unified School District issued a response to a grand jury report on ethics questions concerning Foster, essentially telling the panel to “shove it.”
Mario Koran at Voice of San Diego posted a piece today on Foster, filling in the blanks on long standing allegations about her role in the firing of a highly ranked school principal who refused to go along with special privileges for the School Board Trustee’s son.
An Opportunity Drawing
This weekend’s UT story concerns a letter sent by Kamala Harris’ office concerning a benefit held on July 25th by the C. Anthony Cole Repertory Dance Theatre. Approximately $4000 was raised at the event, which attendees paid $25 at the door or $20 in advance to attend.
Tickets were sold at the event for a “opportunity drawing” featuring framed art and other prizes.  
The letter includes a summary of state legal requirements for holding raffles, including the code provision that authorizes eligible organizations to conduct raffles provided they are registered with the California Attorney General Registry of Trusts.
“Prior to conducting a raffle, an eligible organization must be registered with, and receive confirmation of registration, from the Registry,” the letter states.
Registration requires the filing of an application form, a copy of the organization’s Franchise Tax Board exemption letter and a check for $20 to be submitted no later than Sept. 1 for any raffles to be held in the coming year.
An earlier Union-Tribune story brought to light questions about whether Foster was using her position on the school board for personal gain.
A brochure promoting the “Brothers 2 College” event included a logo for the San Diego Unified School District. The event was also featured on a Facebook page for Foster’s school board district.
A link promoting the event was embedded in Foster’s board member page on the San Diego Unified website until it was noticed by staff and removed following the July 25 event, district spokeswoman Ursula Kroemer said.
Organizers of a the fundraiser for Foster’s have been given until Sept. 9 to show that a raffle-like drawing held at the event was conducted legally.
Was SDUSD Saying “We’re Number One?”
There was some kind of finger waved in the district’s response to the recent report of the San Diego County Grand Jury concerning the ethics of an unnamed board trustee who’s actions replicate those reported about Foster.
Knowing that the charges leveled against Foster involved her son, who was a minor during some of the reported incidents, the grand jury went out of their way to respect his privacy.
Names weren’t used in the report and neither was much in the way of identifying information about locations and titles.
The SDUSD board’s response to the report took advantage of the Grand Jury’s privacy concerns, by essentially stating “since you didn’t get specific, we have no idea what you were talking about.”
Recommendations about steps the school board could take to prevent future ethical conflicts were flat-out rejected, “because it is neither reasonable nor warranted.”
It was a shameful response, signed off on by Superintendent Cindy Marten, who’s claims about putting children first certainly look hollow in the wake of these incidents.
The Icing on the Cake
The story at Voice of San Diego provides details on Foster’s (and the district’s) actions concerning the School for the Creative Performing Arts. This is the story the grand jury was trying to be so polite about.
Here’s the lede from the story I wrote about Foster’s intervention in July, 2014:
Mitzi Lizarraga ran San Diego Unified’s School for the Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA)  for seven years. Test scores improved, the school was named one of the best in the country repeatedly over the past 4 years and students were sought after by prestigious colleges and universities.
On Tuesday, June 10th, two days before graduation this year, she was gone. Students and staff were told Ms. Lizarraga was attending to an urgent and personal matter. “Interim” Principal Dr. Jenna Pesavento would be tasked with handing out diplomas to departing seniors.
I had some skin in this game. My daughter attended the School for Creative and Performing Arts. My family was shocked when we didn’t see the school principal at the graduation ceremonies.
Numerous parents appealed to the Board of Trustees and the Superintendent as it became clear Lizarraga was gone for good. I was told off-the-record that justice would be served in the long run.
VOSD reporter Mario Koran interviewed Lizarraga for his profile on Marne Foster. She told the reporter “I’m 100 percent sure Marne Foster is the reason I’m not at SCPA.”
Lizarraga said as the 2013-2014 school year drew to a close, Foster’s son had unresolved behavioral issues. Students have to meet with a school committee to review the issues before they’re allowed to participate in end-of-the-year activities. Foster’s son did not appear for the review, Lizarraga said. For that, he couldn’t go to prom – the same consequences students in similar situations face.
Not long after, Lamont Jackson, the area superintendent responsible for the school, requested a meeting with Lizarraga. He was there to tell her Foster’s son would be attending the dance, she said.
“At that point, I just threw my hands up and said, ‘Fine. I’m so sick of Marne Foster. I’m tired of her throwing her weight around and her thinking the rules don’t apply to her,’” Lizarraga said.
She said she was shocked by what came next.
“He said, ‘Good. Now that that’s resolved, let’s talk about where you’re going to be next year. We have some questions about your leadership at this school,’ ” Lizarraga said.
Students at SCPA told me last year that Foster’s son bragged about his mother getting the principal fired during an senior trip to Disneyland. During a subsequent meeting with Superintendent Martin, they refused to identify those who actually heard this statement, fearing retribution in light of the decision to to yank Lizarraga on the eve on graduation.
What is infuriating to those students is that they saw firsthand the “behavioral issues.” Foster and her defenders repeatedly dropped not-so-subtle hints in the VOSD story that various charges arising are somehow connected to the fact she’s African-American.
It’s just shameful. Marne Foster has no opposition for reelection next year.
August 24, 2015
San Diego Free Press
By Doug Porter

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