Kathy Carroll, Recognized as a Champion for School Children's Safety

Yesterday was a day of vindication for Whistle Blower Kathy Carroll. The California Joint Legislative Audit Committee (JLAC) met yesterday in a hearing to review the audit of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC), which by several accounts is one of the state's worst managed agencies. Opening comments came from Senate Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg lauding Carroll's willingness to embrace her duty to protect children despite placing her job at risk. His comments can be heard at the link provided. Carroll was actually fired for her whistle blowing and has a Personnel Board hearing later this summer regarding that action, but the JLAC hearing was what made it all worthwhile for her.

Before discussing the worst in government, lets take a moment to appreciate an example of good governance. JLAC Chair Assemblymember Lara's candor in expressing his dedication to school children's safety was genuine setting a tone for the committee. All of our legislators at the hearing were well prepared asking penetrating questions and demonstrated a commitment to quickly solving the problem. Their concern about this dysfunctional board united them so that no political partisanship or posturing was in evidence during the two hour hearing.

Senator LaMalfa and Assemblymember Alejo both asked questions driving to the heart of the issues, while Senator Dutton and Assemblymember Huber both immediately grasped the "empire-building" motivation of the CTC leadership. Assemblymember Norby jumped forward asking questions about ways to restructure the teacher credentialing function within the state and how other states handle their credentialing. In fact the entire legislative panel attending instilled confidence that our state's leadership is in control and working well together on behalf of the safety of our children. Credit is certainly due to all of them and their staff.

Credit is also due to State Auditor Elaine Howle and her experienced team whose characteristically thorough audit revealed inexcusable delays in revoking teacher credentials from convicted felons, more than 12,000 cases backlogged, and a commission employee work force stacked with relatives and friends of the Executive Staff and attorneys. The audit results indicated that nearly half of the staff feared retaliation for whistle blowing. Carroll felt that as an attorney she had a duty to report the actions up her supervisory chain, but knew that they would not be welcome.

The auditors also expressed concern about unlawful delegation of authority when the backlog when about 8,000 cases were cleared in a matter of months. Student assistants apparently were sorting through the cases and making a first determination about whether the CTC's subcommittee should even review the cases. Something rang false about the CTC's responses when questioned by the legislators about the appropriateness of the reviews and legitimacy of the backlog.

Apparently, the credential revocation case information that goes before the commission is merely a name, address, and encoding number without any fact-finding or even a summary of the incident involved. The case reviews are fully delegated to staff. So why have a commission? This type of deliberative body is said to operate under symbolic theory of governance. This means that the commissioners offer little benefit of a board system of governance. Decisions are made prior to meetings, behind the scenes, driven by staff, and with little or no input from the public.

The state audit also addressed concerns over state employee's working environment saying that more than 33% of the staff did not know the proper grievance procedures or about whistle blower and EEOC protection laws. The findings also stated that 43% of the employees thought that filing a grievance would result in retaliation. The biggest chuckle from the audience came when Executive Director Dale Janssen responded saying that his own internal survey of fear of retaliation by him or his executive staff had the percentage closer to 25% and dropping each year.

CTC Chair Ting Sun was in the hot seat with questions about when she knew what about the dysfunction of the commission and why she did not respond at the time with appropriate outrage. Her nearly dead pan response was that she was outraged that her dedication to transparency and child safety was being called into question. She stated at the beginning of her comments that the performance of the CTC was unacceptable. However, she provided no indication that she felt any responsibility for allowing the conditions at the commission to become so dysfunctional.

An overarching issue emerged during the hearing about the California whistle blower laws. The attention to this case is promising for the future overhaul of the system to encourage other state employees to come forward and to ensure that they will not be subject to retaliation. Apparently, under Senator Steinberg's leadership, we can look forward to rooting out state government waste and corruption.

The full CTC Audit Report

Is California Governor Brown the Real Terminator?

The May Revision of Governor Brown's proposed budget is out on the street, listing more than 30 boards and commissions slated for termination. An additional handful are due for realignment and 15 programs within agencies are slated for closure or at least reduction. Reduction in state government promises to be significant with Senate Pro Tem Steinberg on the same page going after dysfunctional boards and commissions and Chairpersons Lara (Joint Legislative Audits Committee) and Huber (Joint Legislative Sunset Review Committee) focused on reviewing effectiveness of state agencies.

So far, those on the opposite side of the aisle appear receptive to these reductions and if so, the long polarized California State Legislature may have found a pivotal point for cooperation. Of course, proposals must translate to action, but if accomplished, look for approval ratings for the government to be on the rise.

These proposed realignments and closures may be only the first steps in an incremental and systematic process where the closure or realignment of one function, obviates the closure and realignment of others.

For example, the elimination of the Mining and Geology Board, one of the oldest boards in the state, and  realignment of the Recycling Division two years ago have significantly diminished the role of the Department of Conservation. Governor Schwarzenegger sought proposals to eliminate the department eight years ago. Now, with piecemeal dismantling, the entire Department of Conservation stands in line for termination. Moving the Williamson Act program into a realigned State Lands function will leave the remaining Conservation divisions more sensibly under the purview of the State Geologist. This will require that the management of state mining, geothermal, oil and gas, seismic and geohazards analysis, and mineral resources all be led by someone with significant expertise in these fields and not by the completely unqualified and inexperienced wife or son of political favorites as during the past eight years.

As long as we catch the government in a terminating mood, they can collapse the State Seismic safety Commission under the State Geologist and move the Seismic Engineering Branch of the Department of Water Resources and the Division of Earthquake Engineering From Caltrans over, too. Then (as novel as this idea in California may be) the different departments can work collaboratively together. Right now, they don't and duplication in just the area of seismic safety and engineering is so fractured in the state that it takes major agreements and pushing funding around just to use each other's data. That is the state using the state's information.

California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board Targeted for Closure

Governor Brown is revealing himself as a more active terminator of government deadwood than his action hero predecessor. A recent announcement that the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Boards (CUIAB) is in his cross hairs may signal a move towards placing all the administrative judge functions of boards under a single authority.

Many of the professional licensing boards and appeals boards in the state do not themselves hold hearings to make findings or decisions with regard to resolving cases. This work is done by hired consultants and administrative judges. These boards, more than most, cross the check and balance boundaries of the three branches of government that we all learned about in high school.

Like many of the highly-paid boards, the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board has turned into an Ex-Legislator private membership club with termed-out or voter-rejected legislators receiving appointments and receiving upwards of $128,000 to accomplish very little. The public portion of the meetings last only a few hours once or twice a month and board members do little more than listen to staff reports. The board rarely votes, rarely directs the staff, rarely commits to anything while administrative judges do all their heavy lifting.

These CUIAB members do not actually hear unemployment insurance appeals, that is accomplished by administrative judges. After brief reports, the board recesses into closed session, rarely reporting out of the closed session as to the results per the Bagley-Keene Act. It is nice work, if you can get it! The JLSRC has an organizing meeting this Wednesday at the Capitol. As the JLSRC advances ideas for board and commission realignment, it appears there will be a governor at the ready to follow through.

AGENDA 21

Coming from Melody Lane of the Compass Group: 

Patriots, Watchmen & Watchdogs:

Event: River Valley Tea Party Patriots http://www.ranchomurieta.com/rvtpp

Date - Time:  Wednesday, May 18, 2011 @ 7:00 PM

Location: Cosumnes River Elementary School, 13580 Jackson Rd., Rancho Murietta

Subject:  (See attached) Agenda 21/Sustainable Development - Our May meeting will include a panel of five local citizens giving personal testimony on the loss of freedom and personal property rights they have begun to experience due to Agenda 21 implementation by the State of California and County government officials. 

Our Property Rights in Peril

            Liberty was the foundation on which the greatest country in human history was built.  “Property must be secured, or liberty cannot exist.” - John Adams.  “Private property and freedom are inseparable.” - George Washington.  Our founding fathers knew the importance of liberty and its connection to the private property ownership. Liberty was the essential issue on which we fought our War of Independence - “To secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our prosperity.”

            Today we face an insidious encroachment on our liberty through an assault on the private ownership of property.  In 1992 our government willingly ‘signed on’  to Agenda 21 as a result of the United Nations Rio Earth Summit.  President H. W. Bush was the signatory for the United States.  As with any new program that might be controversial a new term was coined to cloak the intended consequences of the resulting changes, thus - “Sustainable Development” became a politically correct buzz word for ‘forward thinking‘ liberal politicians. The momentum behind this insidious movement revolves around the triad of - Environmentalism, Equity of justice and Economic redistribution of wealth.

            Environmentalism is at the core of this UN led movement.  We have all heard of the litany of ‘environmental’ evils committed by humans, and especially the United States.  Our disproportionate use of fossil fuels has been declared (but never proven) to cause global warming.  At the center of this over usage is, of course, the use of the automobile.  Besides the obvious use of fossil fuels the other less talked about problem with the automobile is the freedom it affords the user.  Under Agenda 21 the automobile will be made virtually unnecessary since you will be living either next to where you work or have easy access to mass transit.  Where you live, after the full implementation of Agenda 21, will be restricted to approved “Human Settlement” areas.

            The second leg of this triad is Equity within the justice system.  In order to enact the complete transformation of our system to accommodate the tenets of this movement our legal system will by necessity be reconfigured from our current equal justice under the law to a ‘social justice’ system.  This ‘reconfiguring’ of our justice system will provide for a society based on equal outcomes and not equal opportunities.  To make this huge leap will require the current on going indoctrination of our youth in public schools to accept a new environmental centered legal system.

            The last leg of this triad is the Economic redistribution of wealth.  The misguided understanding by many in the UN is that wealthy countries became wealthy on the backs of the poor countries.  The net result of implementing this erroneous notion will be a drastic reduction in the living standards of the wealthy nations.  The only thing ‘sustainable’ in this Orwellian movement is sustainable poverty on a worldwide basis.

            Only recently did I learn of Agenda 21 and the nefarious ‘under the radar’ movement taking place right here and right now in the Sacramento area.  Please do not take my word on this movement.  Go on the internet to reliable sites and read about Agenda 21.  Better yet, come to the next River Valley Tea Party Patriot meeting on May 18 (Wednesday).   As always our meetings start at 7:00PM.  Please take note: Our new meeting location is Cosumnes River Elementary School, 13580 Jackson Rd.  Bring a friend.

            Our May meeting will include a panel of five local citizens giving personal testimony on the loss of freedom and personal property rights they have begun to experience due to Agenda 21 implementation by the State of California and County government officials.  This usurpation of our property rights requires a call to action to stop this government sponsored movement.

           

           

            

California Joint Legislative Audit Committee Hearing Today

May 10, 2011 is a meeting of the California Joint Legislative Audit Committee Hearing. 
It will begin at 10 am in Room 127 at the Capitol Building. I will make a report on all the
proceedings, but many of you may like to listen to a live streaming of the hearings. 


Also on the docket today
today is a review of the audit and hearing of the Teachers Credentialing Commission. No room number or time is noted in the record.


SUBJECT: 2010-119: Commission on Teacher Credentialing: Despite De-

lays in Discipline of Teacher Misconduct, the Division of Profes-
 sional Practices Has Not Developed an Adequate Strategy or Im-
 plemented Processes That Will Safeguard Against Future Back-
 logs

Cheryl Bly-Chester Speaking in Chico on Boards and Commissions

Dr. Cheryl Bly-Chester, Director of AJAR, will be a featured speaker at the Leadership Convention for the Northern California Republican Women Federated at the Holiday Inn in Chico, California on April 30, 2011 at 2:00 pm. The topic will be "Participative Government: Citizen Watch Groups over Boards and Commissions" 

Dr. Bly-Chester served as the Vice-Chair of both the State Reclamation Board (Flood Protection) and the State Mining and Geology Board and as a Placer County Parks Commissioner. Her doctoral dissertation research focuses on the influences exerted on California regulatory board decision-making. She will be bringing her experiences and the results of her research to bear on the discussion about the effectiveness of public involvement in bringing about better transparency and accountability in government.

Dr. Bly-Chester is also the founder and owner of Rosewood Environmental Engineering serving the private sector  and local government in complying with state and federal environmental regulation. She is a Licensed Professional Engineer, Registered Environmental Assessor, Certified California Disaster Service Worker and trainer, and holds a certificate in Nuclear Reactor Safety from MIT. In addition to her Doctorate in Management and Organizational Leadership, she holds an MBA in International Management in global resources and a BS in Civil Engineering from UC Davis. 

Hearings to be held on the California Commission on Teachers Credentialing

What is the Commission on Teachers Credentialing and Why Do We Care??

We care because the commission is the subject of a California legislative oversight hearing called by Senate Pro Tem, Darrel Steinberg for Tuesday, May 10, 2011, at the capitol. The hearing will inquire into complaints of gross mishandling of enforcement actions against teachers. Is Senator Steinberg emerging as the champion who will right the whistleblower program?

The Teachers Credentialing Commission is the regulatory body over one of the most powerful unions in the state. If the results of the hearing indicate corruption, then how was it allowed to fester without the California Teachers Association knowing about it?

To be specific, How did even one incident of mishandling of a complaint hearing against a teacher get passed the CTA, never mind the years of abuse alleged? So, are union leaders so concentrated on politics that they ignored their own regulatory body's misdeeds? OR, Are they colluding with their own regulators to control the outcomes?

Most eyes will go immediately to suspecting the politically appointed commissioners are at fault, with the public perception of appointees owing their positions to quid pro quo political transactions. However, research indicates that the perception usually does not track reality for credentialed professionals accepting only $100 per meeting. Probably the most they will be culpable of is studiously ignoring an obvious problem, which would be negligence.

The primary fault likely will be found somewhere in the state employee full-time management. We call on AJAR board watchers to do your homework, look into the background and actions of those involved and then attend the hearing and report back on the proceedings and your insights. The following are the names of the management staff and the members of the commission taken from the State of California link listed above:

 Executive Office
Dale Janssen, Executive Director
Email: djanssen@ctc.ca.gov
Certification, Assignment and Waivers
Patty Wohl, Director
Email: pwohl@ctc.ca.gov

Division of Professional Practices
Mary Armstrong, Director

Office of Governmental Relations
Marilyn Errett, Administrator
Email: merrett@ctc.ca.gov

The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing was created in 1970 by the Ryan Act. The major purpose of the agency is to serve as a state standards board for educator preparation for the public schools of California, the licensing and credentialing of professional educators in the State, the enforcement of professional practices of educators, and the discipline of credential holders in the State of California.
The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing consists of nineteen Members, fifteen voting Members and four ex-officio, non-voting Members. Governor appointed Commissioners are typically appointed to four-year terms, and serve as volunteers in unpaid positions.What did they get themselves into?

Ting Sun — Chair  Position: Public Representative Appointed: December 2007 Term Expires: November 2011 Ting Lan Sun has more than 23 years in the field of education and has been actively involved in the charter schools movement for over 18 years as a teacher, administrator, and schooloperator. The co-founder and Educational Programs Director of the Sacramento -based Natomas Charter School, Ting directed curriculum, instruction, staff development, and professional growth. From 1997-2000, she was an Educational Programs Consultant in  the California Department of Education's Charter Schools Unit where she participated in the development of charter school administrative policies and regulations, and the administration of the federal public charter schools grant program. She has also served as a  senior consultant for Cambridge Education, an international school quality review and educational consulting firm. Ting was Vice President of Leadership and Quality for the California Charter Schools Association from 2003-2006 where she developed and implemented the Association's quality assurance strategy and initiatives, including standards articulation, quality site visits  and program reviews. Ting was also responsible for technical assistance publications, knowledge briefs, reports and articles commissioned, issued and published by the organization. In addition she has created, directed and implemented effective leadership training programs in all aspects of charter school administration and served as a mentor for the Leadership for Educational Entrepreneur (LEE) Program at Arizona State University. In addition to her current role as Chair of California's Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC), Ting also serves on the Public Schools Accountability Act (PSAA) Advisory Committee and is on the Alternative Schools Accountability Model (ASAM) sub-committee. She also serves as a board member of the Golden 1 Credit Union. Ting received her bachelor's degree in Latin and English from Austin College, a master's degree in education from Stanford University, and a doctorate of education from the University of California at Davis.

Charles Gahagan — Vice-Chair  Position: Teacher Representative -- Appointed: March 2009 Term Expires: November 2012 Charles Gahagan has taught high school English since 1969, with the exception of 1971 to 1974, when he served in the U. S. Army Security Agency as a Russian interpreter. He earned his B.A. from Michigan State University and his M.A. from Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, both in English literature. He holds a single subject credential in English, as well as CLAD and GATE certificates. He moved to California from Michigan in 1986 to help open Moreno Valley Canyon Springs High School, where he still teaches  AP English literature. An English department co-chair and co-chair of the school's WASC  Leadership Team, he has taught most courses found in a high school English department, including newspaper, yearbook, film studies and humanities. Currently a workshop presenter for the SB472 teacher training program, he has also taught education classes and conducted other teacher workshops. He has been active in new-teacher support since 1992, first as a mentor teacher, then as a BTSA Support Provider. Since 1999, he has been  the spelling master for the Riverside County Spelling Bee.

Constance Baumgardt Blackburn  Position: Teacher Representative Appointed: November 2008 Term Expires: November 2012 Connie Blackburn has been a Kindergarten teacher at Central Elementary School in the Escondido Union School District in San Diego County for 23 years. She holds a Multiple Subjects teaching credential from California State University, Dominguez Hills and a specialist credential for Communication Handicapped from California State University, Los Angeles. Her area of expertise is in early literacy and cross curricular integration. An eighth generation Californian, she comes from a family of educators. Previously, she has taught the Deaf in Los Angeles County, Louisville, Kentucky and Houston, Texas. Educated in the Torrance Unified School District in Los Angeles County, she holds a B.A. in Liberal Studies from California State University, Dominguez Hills and an M.A from California State University, Los Angeles. She was selected as a California Teacher of the  Year in 2003 and currently serves on the executive board of the California Teachers of the Year Foundation. She believes passionately in supporting the teaching profession and has  served as a master teacher for teacher candidates since 1989. In addition, she has served  as a Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) support provider.

Marlon Evans  Position: Public Representative Appointed: March 2009 Term Expires: November 2012 Marlon Evans received his BA in Political Science and a MA in Sociology from Stanford  University, where he competed on the football and track and field teams. After graduating from Stanford in 1997, he spent one year pursuing a career in the NFL, signing as a free agent with the Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts. Marlon then spent three years working at Stanford University in the Office of Undergraduate Admission. Following his tenure at Stanford, Marlon served as the Director of Partnerships at the Knowledge Is Power  Program (KIPP) Foundation. Currently he serves as the Executive Director of All Stars Helping Kids, a nonprofit in Redwood City, CA dedicated to promoting a safe, healthy and  rigorous learning environment for disadvantaged children. Marlon is a member of the Board  of Directors of Sports4Kids.

Steven Dean  Position: Teacher Representative Appointed: November 2008 Term Expires: November 2011

Steven Dean was born and raised in Southern California in the San Fernando and Santa  Clarita Valleys. He attended California State University Northridge where he received his Bachelor's degree in Spanish in 1994. Mr. Dean holds a Single Subject Teaching Credential in Spanish with a CLAD Emphasis. He taught and was Foreign Language Department Chairman at his former high school, Hart High School, for six years and is now  teaching his ninth year at Calabasas High School in the Las Virgenes Unified School District.

Mark Freathy  Position: Teacher Representative Appointed: January 2011 Term Expires: November 2013

Mark Freathy is in his 34th year in education. He received his B.A. from Michigan State University in Special Education and his M.Ed. in Administration and Instructional  Leadership from the University of Utah. He has a variety of teaching experience starting  in Michigan in 1977, followed by 7 years in Utah, 3 years in Chino, California and the last 22 years in Elk Grove Unified School District. The first 17 years of his career were spent in special education as a special day class teacher, resource specialist and program director. The past 17 years he has spent as a math teacher and currently serves as the math Curriculum Specialist in Elk Grove. He holds a credential in special education, a multiple  subject credential, a mathematics supplemental authorization as well as CLAD certification.  He has been highly involved in providing professional development throughout his career  serving as a mentor teacher, department chair in both special education and mathematics, and workshop presenter for the California League of Middle Schools and the California Mathematics Council. He was named the Elk Grove Teacher of the Year in 2008. He was appointed by the Governor to serve on the California Academic Content Standards Commission in June 2010.

James Hines  Position: Teacher Representative Appointed: January 2011 Term Expires: November 2013

In 1987, James Hines earned an Associates of Science degree in Electronics Technology and immediately began a career in the field of electronics. He worked as a Computer Technician and later as a Lighting Consultant before deciding that teaching would be a more fulfilling career for him. He went on to earn his Bachelors in Liberal Studies from California State University, Fresno and began teaching after earning his Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and CLAD Certificate. He is now pursuing a Masters Degree in Educational Administration. Mr. Hines has been teaching at Wilson Elementary in Fresno, California since 1999. Currently he teaches fifth grade, but he has also taught third, fourth, and sixth grade. Besides teaching, Mr. Hines has assumed many additional duties. As a master teacher, he guided teacher candidates as they completed fieldwork requirements. He has also served as a mentor, collaborating with and advising beginning teachers. For several years he served as grade level chairperson for his fourth and sixth grade teams. From 2007 to 2009 he was a member of Fresno Unified's Instructional Leadership Team. Since 2008 Mr. Hines has been a member of the Superintendent's Teacher Council for FUSD, while also acting as school site representative for Fresno Teachers Association.

Leslie LittmanPosition: Designee, Superintendent of Public Instruction Appointed: September 2003 Term Expires: Ongoing

Ms. Leslie Littman is currently a High School Teacher at Hart High School in Newhall California. She has been there since 1994 and is currently teaching Social Studies. She has also taught other subjects at Hart High School such as Economics, Honors Economics, US Government, US History, US History Sheltered, Modern Civilizations, Sociology, and Sheltered Government. She has also been a Long-Term Substitute Teacher of Social Studies at Schurr High School in Montebello California. Ms. Littman earned her Bachelor of Arts in History and Economics in 1991. She then proceeded to obtain her Master's of Education in 1992, along with a Single Subject Professional Clear Credential of Social Studies, all from the University of California, Los Angeles. Ms. Leslie Littman has also served as a member of several prominent Associations including the NCATE Board of Examiners, California Teacher Association Liaison to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, and the Credentials and Professional Development Committee of the State Council of Education.

Shane P. Martin  Position: Ex-Officio Representative of the  Association of Independent California Colleges  and Universities Appointed: June 2008 Term Expires: Ongoing Shane P. Martin, an educational anthropologist by training and expert in the areas of intercultural education, cultural diversity, and Catholic schools, was appointed the second dean of the LMU School of Education in February 2005. Dean Martin is visible in the education community as a member of Green Dot Public Schools Board of Directors, Loyola High School of Los Angeles Board of Regents, and Teach For America, Los Angeles Board. He is a speaker in a variety of arenas -civic, business, and education - and keynotes conferences in the United States and internationally. Professional activities include serving as President of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities Education Council and regular invitations to review articles and manuscripts. In addition to honors in "Who's Who in the World and in America," Shane received the National Catholic Educational Association's (NCEA) Michael J. Guerra Leadership Award in 2005. He is a member of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education Board of Examiners and of the California Committee on Accreditation, Board of Institutional Reviewers. Martin earned his Ph.D. in International and Intercultural Education at the University of Southern California, a Master of Theology degree at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley (JSTB) with a specialization in Hispanic Ministry, and his Master of Divinity degree also from JSTB. An LMU alumnus, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History in 1980 and holds his California State Clear Secondary Teaching Credential. Before returning to LMU as a faculty member, Martin's classroom teaching experience included six years in middle and secondary school settings and work in 17 Latin American countries. Dean Martin believes the key to school success is the network of relationships and partnerships that support the whole child.

Carolyn McInerney Position: School Board Member Appointed: November 2008 Term Expires: November 2012 Carolyn McInerney is currently serving in her third term on the Irvine Unified School District Board. She is the Manager of Special Projects in the CEO's office at the County of Orange and is a Certified HIPAA Professional, serving as the County of Orange Privacy Officer. Ms McInerney serves on the Orange County Committee for School Reorganization and the statewide Association of Low Wealth Schools. She has an extensive background in community service, having served as founder and President of the Irvine Public Schools Foundation, the Family Violence Project, and as President of the Junior League of Orange County. She was appointed to the Orange County Housing Commission, and has served as a Community Services Commissioner for the City of Irvine. An organ recipient, she is active in advocacy for organ donation, and serves as an Ambassador for OneLegacy. Ms. McInerney was honored as California Woman of the Year in 2003 for the 73rd Assembly  District. She has a degree in Economics from the University of Denver.

Irene Oropeza-Enriquez  Position: Administrative Services Representative Appointed: February 2008 Term Expires: November 2011

Irene Oropeza-Enriquez has over 20 years in the educational field. She currently works as an Elementary school principal in the Woodland Joint Unified School District. Prior to this position she served as a vice-principal for three years. She holds a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential with a BCLAD Emphasis and an Administrative Services Credential from California State University, Sacramento. Ms. Oropeza-Enriquez has an extensive background in bilingual education. In addition to her service as an administrator, she was a bilingual resource teacher from 1997 to 2002 and a fifth grade bilingual teacher from 1996 to 1997. She also served in the Washington Unified School District as a structured English immersion and a bilingual kindergarten teacher from 1986 to 1996.

Janis Perry  Position: Ex-Officio Representative of the California  Postsecondary Education Commission Appointed: October 2009 Term Expires: Ongoing

Janis Perry has been a Professor at Santiago Canyon College/Santa Ana College for 25 years. She is a professor of Teacher Education and Counseling. Ms. Perry founded the Santiago Canyon College "Pathways to Teaching" program in 2000, and continues to work closely with the local CSU and UC on curriculum/program development and articulation creating a "pipeline" of future teachers transferring from the community college to the university. In 2007, Ms. Perry designed one of the first state-approved Associate of Arts Degree in Elementary Education. Currently Ms. Perry serves on the Board of Directors for the Association of California Community College Teacher Education Programs (ACCCTEP) and is an active member of the Regional Teacher Education Consortium (RTEC) made up of California State University Fullerton's Center for Teachers and regional community colleges. Ms. Perry has held numerous leadership positions at the postsecondary level such as President of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges ('95-'97), Chair of the Intersegmental Committee of Academic Senates - ICAS ('95-'96), and Project Director for the California Education Round Table K-12 Math and English Standards Task Force ('97-'99). Active in her local education community, Ms. Perry serves as President of the Board for Nova Academy Charter School in Santa Ana, an early college high school serving "at-risk" youth, and President of the Board for Therapeutic Education Centers, non-public special education schools in Santa Ana and Orange. Previously, Ms. Perry served as an elementary school teacher for six years with Saddleback Valley Unified School District, teaching grades 1, 2, and 6 including serving as a Reading Specialist and GATE teacher. Educated in the Long Beach Unified School District, Ms. Perry holds a B.S. in General Studies-Education, from the University of Southern California and an M.S. in Education Administration, also from the University of Southern California.

Tine Sloan  Position: Ex-Officio Representative of  University of California Appointed: May 2007 Term Expires: Ongoing Tine Sloan is the Acting Director of the Teacher Education Program in the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education at UC Santa Barbara. She has taught courses in the Ph.D. and Teacher Education Programs focused on issues in human development, educational psychology, teacher education, and assessment. Her primary research interests revolve around teacher education, particularly with respect to teacher and teacher educator learning,  as well as to the role that policy and context play in this learning and in program development. Related to this is her interest in understanding, developing and using valid and reliable assessments of teacher and student learning. All of her work is framed by her primary interest in understanding and advocating for the well being of children in educational contexts. Prior to coming to UCSB, she spent 3 years in Singapore and was a member of the faculty at the National Institute of Education in Nanyang Technological University. Dr. Sloan completed her teacher certification at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in 1988, and her master's and doctoral work at the University of California, Los Angeles in 1996.

Hilda Villarreal Wright  Position: Teacher Representative Appointed: January 2011 Term Expires: November 2012 Hilda Villarreal Wright started her career path with Bakersfield City School District 17 years ago. She worked as a bilingual aide for 8 years and became interested in teaching during her experience assisting K-6 bilingual teachers. Hilda was accepted into the Bilingual Education for Career Advancement Program, a grant specifically for bilingual aides who wished to become teachers, at California State University Bakersfield. She received a bachelor's degree in Liberal Studies with a Supplementary Authorization in Mathematics and earned her Multiple Subjects Credential with a Bilingual Cross Cultural Language and Academic Development emphasis. She graduated Magna Cum Laude, a member of the National Honor Society and recipient of the Hispanic Excellence Award. In 2002, Villarreal Wright became a Math and ELD teacher at Washington Middle School. After 4 years as a full time teacher, Wright became the Academic Math Coach at her school site and continues to teach 8th grade Algebra. In addition, she is a tutor and anchor for "Do the Math," which is a local math tutoring television show for the Kern County Superintendent  of Schools. Hilda Villarreal Wright is passionate about teaching English Learners and Mathematics. She  is a member of the California Mathematics Council and TODOS- Mathematics for All. She is  a presenter for TODOS and recently presented at the National Council of Teachers of  Mathematics in San Diego how to effectively teach English Learners math through  Technology. She provided SB472-English Learner Professional Development training  in Math through Action Learning Systems for her district. Villarreal Wright also served on the 21 member California Academic Content Standards Commission whose recommendations were approved by the State Board of Education and served on the Math Curriculum Commission for her district, Bakersfield City School District.

Dr. Beverly Young  Position: Ex-Officio Representative of  California State University Appointed: May 2005 Term Expires: Ongoing Dr. Beverly Young is currently the Assistant Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs, Teacher Education and Public School Programs for the California State University System. She works with the campus Presidents, Vice Presidents, and Deans of Education in order to facilitate changes in teacher preparation within the 23-campus system. She earned her Master's degree in Diagnosis and Improvement of Reading and earned her Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction. Prior to coming to the Chancellor's Office, Dr. Young has served as teacher education faculty at CSU Fullerton and as an elementary school teacher. She has also been involved with the Commission's SB 2042 Panel, the SB 1422 Panel, and the Accreditation Study Work Group.

Director Bly-Chester Speaking in Carmichael, California

Dr. Cheryl Bly-Chester, Director of AJAR, will be speaking to the Sacramento Area Conservative Women's Book Club in Carmichael, California on April 26, 2011 at 7:00 pm. The topic will be The Power of Citizen Watch Groups in Regulatory Board Oversight. 

Dr. Bly-Chester served as the Vice-Chair of both the State Reclamation Board (Flood Protection) and the State Mining and Geology Board and as a Placer County Parks Commissioner. Her doctoral dissertation research focuses on the influences exerted on California regulatory board decision-making. She will be bringing her experiences and the results of her research to bear on the discussion about the effectiveness of public involvement in bringing about better transparency and accountability in government.

Dr. Bly-Chester is also the founder and owner of Rosewood Environmental Engineering serving the private sector  and local government in complying with state and federal environmental regulation. She is a Licensed Professional Engineer, Registered Environmental Assessor, Certified California Disaster Service Worker and trainer, and holds a certificate in Nuclear Reactor Safety from MIT. In addition to her Doctorate in Management and Organizational Leadership, she holds an MBA in International Management in global resources and a BS in Civil Engineering from UC Davis. 

Will Governor Brown Fix California's Whistleblower Program? (corrected)

With California's former Attorney General as the new Governor, perhaps whistleblowers will stand a chance of being protected under the law. Illegal retaliation for whistleblowing under Governor Schwarzenegger's Administration was commonplace. The California Whistleblower Protection Act was placed into law in 2000, but for the past 7 years of the Arnold reign, it was largely ignored unless it resulted in finding multi-millions of dollars worth of waste or fraud.

Far from acting on the revelations, attorneys and department directors refused to protect whistleblowers stating that they represented the State and often took action to squelch the concerned employee. The retaliation is what has prevented state employees, appointees, and contractors from coming forward.

A common practice for retaliation against appointees who quietly reported misconduct to top level Schwarzenegger officials was to require they pre-sign letters of resignation. The Governor's Office would threaten to put a date on the resignation letter if the appointee pursued the complaint.

Reports of UC professors being defunded or losing classes for whistleblowing came to light in 2008. Kathy Carroll, an attorney with the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, was fired for reporting gross mishandling of complaints against teachers. As an attorney, she would have an ethics violation if she allowed the misconduct of the commission to continue without reporting it.

In another incident, a California Department of Education employee reported corrupt practices involving community outreach programs designed to teach English and citizenship topics to immigrants. Instead of being rewarded for  integrity, the Department transferred him to a position without any responsibilities. 

Under Schwarzenegger, when a whistleblower approached their reporting chain under the office of the director in their department, they were often faced with attorneys who believed that they owed their duty to protect the state from the whistleblower and were not responsible for upholding the law. Several consecutive Chief Counsels in the Department of Water Resources held this view, based on reports by whistleblowers in that department.

A particular area where whistleblowers face grave consequences to their careers is complaining about the CEA selection process. The Career Executive Assignment (CEA) selection is supposed to reward our best state employees with promotions to levels of upper management. Have you ever wondered how somebody with so few qualifications could rise in state government? The system is rife with favoritism and corruption. So much so that for most state employees it is the brunt of jokes. 

If California is ever to straighten up the regulatory process to help the economy recover and to bring the budget under control, it will have to begin with cleaning house of corruption. No one will trust a corrupt system.

One corrupt act, no matter how small, undermines faith in government. It is not only the multi-million dollar corruption cases that affect the State’s credibility, and therefore its ability to govern. Ignoring abuses of position also hurts the state.

For example, when state employees are caught repeatedly purjurering themselves at public board meetings, testifying against citizens seeking due process, the entire regulatory system is in jeopardy. This is particularly egregious when the employee is responsible for enforcement and gets away with the lies with no consequences.

With the Rule of Law as the core belief upon which he has built his career, perhaps Governor Brown will take action to build the state's whistleblower program into the powerful anti-corruption mechanism is is intended to be.