March 2, 2010 (La Mesa) – The La Mesa Spring Valley School Board's agenda this evening includes a public hearing on a tentative agreement between the LMSV Teachers Association and the Board of Education. The proposal includes early retirement incentives and pontentially, layoffs if 43 certified staffers opt for the early retirement.  Other agenda items include a financial report and budget updates, human resource recommendations, and a proposal to reduce programs and services by 98 positions in fields ranging from music to physical education to language services.

 
3 BOARD MEMBERS APOLOGIZE, BUT TAPED SPEECH STILL NOT SHOWN TO MANY STUDENTS
 
“If you were students in my class, you would not pass.”—Maureen Paolini, teacher and graduate of the LMSV district
 
“My father marched with Dr. King…I do not appreciate that you told my child that the President, because he had a black face, was not as important to listen to as all the other presidents that came before.” – Sheryl Mullins, teacher and parent

by Gayle Early

La Mesa (September 17, 2009)—La Mesa-Spring Valley (LMSV) School District Board members endured over two hours of scathing public criticism Tuesday night, including frequent chants from the crowd urging three Board members to resign. After what amounted to public shaming before several hundred riled parents, teachers, students, and community members, three Board members issued a formal apology to students and families for their majority decision to delay airing President Barack Obama’s national back-to-school address on September 8. Yet even a taped version of the speech has still not been shown to many students in the district.

 
 As Controversy Grows, Ex-First Lady Laura Bush Defends Presidential Address to Students

by Gayle Early

A special Board meeting convened on Labor Day to debate airing the President’s live broadcast. In a 3-2 vote, the majority voted to censor today's speech, citing concerns that it was “unconstitutional,” “indoctrination,” and “inappropriate.” The move sparked outrage and a call to oust school board members from some parents and students, who interrupted their holiday weekend to urge that the Board air the President's speech, which they they view as inspirational to students across America. WATCH LIVE HERE  at 9 a.m. or READ THE FULL TEXT:

La Mesa (September 8, 2009)—President Obama, in a live broadcast, will address school children across America today at 9:00 a.m. about the importance of working hard, setting goals, and taking responsibility for their learning. In the words of Dr. Cyndi Sutton, Principal of Parkway Middle School in a letter sent to parents Friday, September 4th,  “He will also call for a shared responsibility and commitment on the part of students, parents, and educators to ensure that every child in every school receives the best education possible, so they can compete in the global economy for good jobs and live rewarding and productive lives as American citizens.”

Obama’s “back-to-school” pep talk encourages kids to persist and succeed in school, but students at Parkway Middle and many other local schools will not get the message, at least today.