From: Julie Adams To: effectiveteaching@sbcglobal.

net Sent: Thursday, December 15, 2011 6:32 AM Subject: A Parent's Perspective Parents and Community members:

I am very pleased to have my children in Coast Unified School District as it is an innovative district teeming with excellent educators, who endeavor to provide the best education to all students. Coast Unified has some of the smallest class sizes in California and technology, art, foreign language and other creative opportunities are being added to the curriculum annually, thus providing ideal conditions for an excellent educational environment.

However, I am writing this as a concerned parent. When I moved to Cambria 3 years ago, many told me that we would love living here but to be careful in my dealings with a few people. This small group of people are involved in PTA, Site Council, Boosters, etc. and gossip and criticism are their primary form of entertainment. They often attend CUSD Board Meetings to make slanderous and time-consuming accusations. The unnecessary criticism and gossip emanating from this group is becoming increasingly detrimental to our students, district and community.

I understand that Chris, as the Superintendent of CUSD, will have some who do not agree with the tough decisions he has to make; however, as the lies and accusations about our family pervade our district and community and affect my daughters, I wish to clarify those that continue to be discussed at Book Fairs, Facebook (really?), Board Meetings, etc. These accusations made against me and my family are made at events in which I am not in attendance, in The Cambrian or during public comment time at a Board Meeting, where the Superintendent and School Board are not allowed to respond, per Brown Act guidelines.

My question is: What is their intent if they are making false claims in settings that do not allow for a response?

Many have asked me to state the facts about given situations, because they too are tired of the negativity. So without further delay...

First, I want to thank the many who expressed their support in recent weeks while my husband and I were investigated on charges of fraud. This investigation was conducted in regards to me completing the optional Free and Reduced Lunch form and our children mistakenly being placed on a list identifying students who qualify for the meal program. I want to clarify to all why I complete the optional form and explain the situation in question.

I completed the "Application for Free and Reduced-Priced Meals" and sent it back to the schools with the rest of the various forms on August 23. I truthfully stated our combined monthly gross income and I supplied my social security number, as requested. On September 8, I received a letter from the Coast Unified Food Services Department, stating that our daughters had qualified for free and reduced lunch. That same day, my husband received a phone call from a community member who shared that he had been handed a copy of our Free and Reduced Lunch form at Pinedorado and that it had my social security number on it. The community member was concerned that this form was in the community and wanted us to know. Chris immediately called Steve Archuleta, the Director of Coast Unified Food Services, to notify him that we had mistakenly received a "qualifying" letter from his department and that copies of my form were in the community. Simply stated, as soon as we were aware that we had been wrongly qualified for the program, we contacted Food Services to correct it. Mr. Archuleta acknowledged that three other families, in addition to ours, had been mistakenly categorized and the error had already been corrected. Mr. Archuleta expressed his apologies regarding the mistake and echoed concern that the form was in the community, as it is a confidential federal document.

As is required by law when any federal confidential information is violated, an investigation ensued. The School Board is responsible for protecting the confidential information of a district's employees, students and families and therefore contacted Kronick & Moskovitz to conduct an investigation into: *whether I committed a crime by submitting the form *how the district's confidential information was stolen and distributed in the community *why the Superintendent's family was qualified for a free lunch program

The law firm has offices in both San Luis Obispo and Sacramento, serves other districts in this area and has provided services to Coast Unified since 2007, before Chris was the Superintendent.

The results of the investigation reported at the October Board Meeting were the following: *I did not commit fraud by honestly answering questions on the optional form *the California Department of Education stated that it encourages ALL families to fill out the form to accurately determine what percentage of families qualify for the program *an employee in the Coast Food Services Department mistakenly identified four families incorrectly and that is why our family appeared on the qualifying list *there is an on-going investigation into who obtained the form & distributed it to the public

The School Board would also have conducted an investigation if your form had been the one stolen and distributed, as they should.

Some understandably want to know why I complete an optional form for something that does not apply to us. Good question. I have always completed the form because as a former public school teacher, the previous districts in which I was employed asked that all families complete and return the form and the former district my children attended also asks all families to return it completed. Also, as a teacher, I am aware that these statistics, specifically, the percentage of students who do and do not qualify for free and reduced lunch, are used in several mandated reports made by a

school district to both state and federal entities. These figures are necessary for the Con Application, the Academic Performance Index , the School Accountability Report Card and the Title 1 program, to name just a few. This federal form is the principle method districts use to determine these percentages and, as the Department of Ed. stated, " The most accurate way to determine the percentage of families who qualify is to have all families complete and return it, as the form requests." I also, when asked, mark the (optional) boxes identifying our native language, ethnicity and education level, as those figures are often collected as well.

Secondly, Chris and I have never once had a conversation about completing the form; I complete our daughters' first day of school forms every year and I take FULL responsibility in doing so. Chris was not even aware that I submitted the form in question annually, until the day I received the letter in the mail stating we had qualified and I called him to report the error.

My submission of the form clearly stating our income is above the level required for my children to participate in the meal program does not pad the number of children who do qualify for the program. Therefore, when I complete the form every year, (and every year I receive a letter of denial, as I should) I am not trying to qualify my children for the program, I am clarifying that they DO NOT qualify and by honestly stating my income, the district can collect accurate statistics for their mandated reports.

CUSD undergoes two independent annual audits, one conducted by the County Schools Office, another by an independent firm, Moss Levy Hartzheim. Both entities look for many types of fraud and they dissect all data to ensure there is no padding of such numbers. These annual audits can be accessed at coastusd.org.

Though stated in previous articles printed in The Cambrian, I want to make this point clear. My daughters usually bring lunch from home; however, one of my children has purchased lunch five times this school year and that money was deducted from the on-line PayPal account I deposited

money into during the first week of school, right after I completed the form stating my income was above the level to qualify for free and reduced lunch. My children have NEVER received a free or reduced school lunch.

Though some may not agree with the idea of me completing the form, please know that I did not commit any crime nor did my husband and I conspire to defraud the federal government. If my explanation here still leaves you with questions-address them to me.

As mentioned before, all of this was reported at the October Board Meeting and in The Cambrian, yet Jude Basile and Steve Kniffen now question the Superintendent's leadership and our integrity by continuing to imply at Board Meetings that Chris and/or I acted illicitly and continue to do so. Why?

My thoughts are that Mr. Basile, as a personal injury attorney, is in the business of portraying some people and organizations in a negative manner and he may even try to distract others from the truth. Yes, it is true that Jude and his client, Steve Kniffen, admitted at November's Board Meeting to having my confidential form at Pinedorado. They also both claim to have done nothing wrong in having the form but refuse to answer questions as to why and how they acquired it. Since this information was made public, by their own admissions, they have launched a smear campaign against me, the Superintendent and the district to distract from the fact that they were involved in this situation. They also continue to question our integrity and make false accusations about bullying to justify why they were involved in having my form in the first place.

If you have questions regarding Jude's claims, made at the November Board Meeting, that Chris and I recruited others to coach the middle school boys basketball team and then tried to bully Jude out of getting the position, please talk to Karl Dearie, the Assistant Superintendent who was in charge of the interviewing and hiring process for the position. Cary Paige, the coach we supposedly "recruited" to deny Jude the position, is also "...more than happy to discuss why he

applied for the position, it having nothing to do with the Superintendent or his wife."

Many have also asked me, "Why is Lee Chamberlain so negative toward the district?" It is unfortunate that he has been so critical of the Superintendent, teachers and School Board, and as in Mr. Chamberlain's Viewpoint printed last week in the Cambrian, inaccurate and inflammatory...at best.

In 2009, the Superintendent and the current School Board approved to pay for a summer school program for one of the Chamberlain's children ($3,318 for the program) and the month long housing expenses ($2,422) the family incurred as a result of attending the program out of town. These expenses, totaling $5,740.83, were outside the responsibility of the school district; however, the Superintendent and the Board graciously agreed to pay the costs (a portion of the $3,318 was later reimbursed to the district by another agency, but not any of the other expenses). Shortly thereafter, Mr. Chamberlain wrote a letter in The Cambrian questioning the Superintendent's and Board's ability to lead the district and make judicious decisions regarding student and families needs and he continues to do so.

To correct just a few of the inaccuracies made in Mr. Chamberlain's most recent Cambrian Viewpoint: *CUSD does have ELAC/DELAC (second language parent advocacy meetings) and therefore, is not in violation of Ed Code 52176 *second language learners scores are improving every year in this district *the achievement gap between CUSD Anglo and Hispanic students is decreasing *the district has met all three of its Title 3 AMAO targets

I am not sure if Mr. Chamberlain's source of data or his analysis of the data is faulty, either way...it's incorrect...and damaging.

Mr. Chamberlain, I am willing to bet that I have spent far more hours training, collaborating, brainstorming and analyzing data with our Coast teachers and leaders, than you ever have or will. From experience, not just speculation, I can tell you that they truly are advocates for not only the ELL population but also for every other student in this district and they work tirelessly to adapt their curriculum to provide the remediation that some need and the challenge that others need.

An educational program is one that is constantly evolving to meet the changing needs of the students, and of course, there is always a need for increase in certain areas. However, it is unprofessional to question the integrity, intentions and abilities of those associated with our district.

Another misconception I would like to address is that I am on the district's payroll and that my firm, Adams Educational Consulting, has made over $100,000 in consulting fees over the past 3 years from Coast Unified. Not true. I have gladly donated over $40,000 to CUSD in teacher trainings, materials, instructional coaching, and curriculum development and taught a portion of summer school for free. All of the teacher trainings I have provided have been voluntary for teachers to attend and teachers who attended the trainings offered in the summer, have received stipends totaling $1500 per teacher.

My trainings are research-based and focus on boosting student comprehension and engagement and emphasize a variety of topics such as: PDP Cornell Notes, Content and Academic Vocabulary Acquisition, Fluency, Structured Engagement & Academic Language methods, Pre-During-Post Content Literacy strategies and Content Area Writing (effective topic sentences, audience, brainstorming, "scaffolded" paragraph structures, peer-editing, MLA citation, revision, rubric development and the 6 forms of non-fiction writing). All of the trainings have emphasized how to remediate the strategies for those who need it or accelerate them for the advanced.

Student achievement has increased as a result of the trainings I have provided. For example, Mr.

May's 9th grade English students improved their proficiency rates by 25% in one year. At the beginning of last year, 46% of his incoming freshmen scored "proficient/advanced proficient" on standardized exams, but by year's end, 71% of his students earned "proficient/advanced proficient". When I asked him why/how his students improved so much in one year, he stated that he had implemented EVERYTHING he had learned from my trainings and implemented all of the curricula we had developed and student achievement drastically improved.

I continue to donate my trainings and consulting to CUSD teachers who need/want my help and willingly turn down paid jobs to do so. Please understand--I am not fishing for a compliment-just clarifying another accusation.

Though I find it distasteful to discuss personal income in public, in recent weeks our family's has been printed in the paper many times, so I would like to address another myth being circulated concerning Chris' salary and "raise." Chris did not receive a 7-10% pay raise this year, while the teachers received nothing. Here are the facts: Chris makes $159,000 per year ($13,000 monthly gross, $9,100 take home) for his 248 work day annual contract. He receives a 5% COLA increase to his salary each year (it is referred to as a 'step' in the education world); he declined his COLA increase last year.

School Boards often use a California School Board Association (CSBA) formula to determine a superintendent's salary, as it takes into account several factors: location, demographics, number of students, housing expenses, similar salaries of nearby districts, etc. The salaries of K-12 Superintendents in SLO County range from $141,135-$186,344. The Carmel Unified Superintendent earns $224,869.

The Coast teachers also receive a 2.3-4.2% COLA increase annually depending on how many years of service they have had in the district. In addition to the annual COLA increase, teachers can also earn an additional $2-8,000 annually by taking more units. So a Coast teacher, who

works a 184 day contract, with 10 years of teaching experience and 30 units beyond his BA earns $59,996, compared to a teacher with 10 years experience and 75 units beyond his BA who earns $67,268. Teachers also receive an annual benefits package worth $8,986. The certificated salary schedule can be found on the district website--this "step and column" salary ladder is standard procedure in most districts.

Why am I explaining this? Because some have asked me (or my children) how the superintendent's salary compares to a teacher's and why the superintendent received a raise when the teachers didn't. Coast teachers are the highest paid in the county (salary + benefits), as they should be, and they receive a 'step' increase annually, as does the Superintendent.

If you have a comment or question, instead of making vitriolic claims in a public arena, schedule a private meeting with those involved, where facts and ideas can be shared professionally.

If there is an area of concern regarding what is or isn't being taught to your student, contact the teacher first. I am not speaking on behalf of Coast teachers, but personally, as a school teacher, it is frustrating and embarrassing to have an unhappy parent talk about an issue with everyone else but the teacher. If after speaking with the teacher (and maybe observing in the class), you still have a concern, talk to the site administrator, then the superintendent, then a board member.

A small group of people who have nothing better to do on Thursday evenings, at least until karaoke starts, have made it their entertainment fodder to attend Board Meetings and make timeconsuming claims and then perpetuate the falsities at school events or elsewhere. I hold no malice toward the people mentioned in this letter; my daughters often play on sports teams with their children and I respect what these parents have contributed to our kids and community. I simply wish to clarify the false allegations they have stated in public forums that do not allow for an immediate response such as the newspaper or public comment time at a Board Meeting.

Blanket statements attacking the leadership or quality of education in this district are counterproductive. As a parent, I am concerned that these allegations absorb precious energy and resources that should be devoted to our children, and they are detrimental to our students, teachers, district and community. They also detract from the fantastic accomplishments Coast has achieved in providing a well-rounded and cutting-edge educational experience that prepares our students for the 21st Century.

Believe it or not, we ALL have the same goal...we want the best education and opportunities for our kids. Attending Coast has FAR more advantages than disadvantages and it would behoove our children to quit playing the blame game or "gotcha" and focus our energies on professionally working together to provide the education our children deserve.

Respectfully,

Julie Adams, Coast Parent

*I conducted my own investigation into finding this information. A school district is a public entity, community members have the right to request information regarding test scores, budget, special programs, etc.

Also, the Superintendent and the Board Members are receiving this at the same time as everyone else; they were notaware of or involved in providing the information contained in this message, in any way. Any comments or questions to the contents of this email should be directed to me.

Board Meeting audio recordings are available at coastusd.org.

Please feel free to pass this email on.