Fullerton Stories Gets A Close Look at Chris Thompson
Take a look at this new FullertonStories.com article on Fullerton School Board Trustee Chris Thompson.
In the article, Thompson (the top overall Fullerton vote-getter in 2010) outlines his battle to improve the value and quality of public education by making a portion of teacher compensation based on performance, rather than just seniority and certificates.
Thompson is an avowed conservative in a conservative town, but he frequently finds himself voting against the other school board members on financial issues. He blames the power of the public employee unions for much of the financial challenges that our school districts face today.
So what about that “challenging the status quo” label? Chris doesn’t seem to accept furlough days and class size increases as a good deal for kids OR taxpayers. If that makes him an anomaly on the school board, then our kids really are getting swindled.
I think you killed the blog Travis
They can’t all be hits.
I’m hearing crickets over here.
Why not talk about how you boycotted the school laptop program by refusing to participate in the paid program, but you took a subsidized notebook instead? Did I pay for your children to use a notebook instead of you picking up the tab?
Let me give you the thumbnail anonymous. Out of the gate, your question is strange, because if you pay taxes, you absolutely contribute to my children’s education as I do to yours. California’s Constitution guarantees a free education to all children.
The laptop program as written was unconstitutional. In fact, in my opinion it is still unconstitutional…although less onerously so.
The Fullerton School District made the decision to mandate that parents buy laptops to the tune of over $1,200 at the time, or be subjected to a shakedown by District staff as to whether or not they felt that a parent deserved financial aid. All of this is illegal and I have this quirky behavior in which I don’t allow government to force me into illegal behaviors. To be honest, In ’04, I can’t recall exactly what the scenario was with my son at Fisler in 7th grade. We didn’t buy it. They may have just loaned it to my son as was a part of the ultimate settlement on the matter.
Ultimately, there was a lawsuit in which the resolution effectively acknowledged the constitutional reality that no public school program can be contingent upon a fee and any parent without respect to financial ability can buy, borrow or receive financial aid to buy a laptop. We chose to borrow with my daughter at Hermosa.
So, if you believe that school districts should be able to capriciously charge for programs because they simply want to, I guess you’ll have to call me a moocher. If you are a pure Libertarian and don’t support public education, I think the whole issue is just part of the mess that is public education finance. If you subscribe to Jefferson’s principal that some degree of free public education is necessary in order that we remain free and vibrant in a democratic and capitalist society, then you should probably be thanking me…but mostly a very brave woman named Sandy Dingess.
My question was simple. The original statement seems to be true. To summarize again, you had two ideological issues to tend with… You chose to participate in the program at tax payers expense rather than not participate at all. Now you are taking a stipend, health insurance and a pension all at tax payers expense and you have all the reasons in the world for doing so. Your actions seem to be counter to your talking points. By the way.. by your definition, you still participated in an illegal program. Your decision making process seems clouded with contradictions.
That Fullerton Stories site seems to be a decent news source. Anything is better than the Observer. I won’t even talk about the Register since they have abandoned Fullerton almost completely.
johnny donut, the OCR hasn’t abandoned fullerton. whenever a car breaks down on a freeway that runs through fullerton, OCR reports it or when a clown comes to our library, they report it
Chris, so commitment to the teaching profession has no impact on students. A teacher furthering his or her education and experience to better teach students is a waste of time because the real indicator of success is the score on an annual state mandated test designed by persons who have never stepped inside his or her classroom? Using your logic, Chris, next time I take my car in to be repaired by a mechanic, I wont care how much training or years of experience the mechanic has working on cars. Instead I will just watch how well the cars the mechanic fixed drives off his lot. You know quantifying quality only requires a snapshot photo
I’m not following you here van. Are you inferring that at some point I have said that commitment has no impact on students? Are you referring to the fact that I would bring an end to compensation being based SOLELY on a step and column matrixes of time served X education achieved by the teacher? Are you substituting the word commitment for time spent in the profession?
Chris, allot of parrints an evin afuw teechirs ar glad to hav yuo on the sckooll bord. Dont lus site of wyh we votid for yuo…
Seriously, though- Don’t quit fighting the good fight!
That’s $1200 for an Apple laptop, correct?
Any way you look at it, the school district’s insistence on using Apple products needs to be stopped.
Roughly 85-90% of the world uses Windows-based PC’s. When these kids grow up and go to college and/or enter the business world, they won’t have the requisite skills to use Windows PC’s.
Furthermore, the cost of these Apple laptops is obscene. You can buy Windows-based laptops and netbooks for $400 or less these days.
Thanks Anon. I will do my best.
Van, here are any number of previous posts and articles on the history of the situation if you care to look. Note that at the inception of this program, it was the District’s intention to force this purchase of a laptop upon every student at every school. Pay $1,500 or subject yourself to their financial scrutiny. It was literally insane. The actions of some very good people (I was one small part of that) put a stop to it.
http://www.fullertonsfuture.org/2009/fullerton-school-laptop-program/
http://www2.ocregister.com/articles/fullerton-laptop-program-901698-stalling?orderby=TimeStampDescending&oncommentsPage=1&showRecommendedOnly=0
http://articles.ocregister.com/2006-04-27/cities/24750516_1_laptops-school-s-funding-hector-villagra
I like the Cop Log on the Fullerton stories site. You should post it on this site
Police Log: March 27 – April 2, 2011
April 4, 2011
Compiled by Jeanne Hoffa, with confirmations by Fullerton Police Sergeant Andrew Goodrich. Not a complete list of all police activity.
3/27 Department Assist – 400 block King Place. A 72-year-old woman was found dead on the kitchen floor. The fire department thought it looked suspicious.
3/27 Robbery – Alberto’s Mexican Food. 1317 E. Chapman Ave. There were between five and seven suspects, Hispanic males with shaved heads. 2:45 p.m.
3/27 Burglary – 3400 block Rose Hedge Drive.
3/28 Assault with a Deadly Weapon – Albertsons. 120 N. Raymond Ave. The manager was hit over the head with a glass bottle by a man trying to steal the alcohol. 7:45 p.m.
3/28 Burglary – 2100 block West Cherry Drive. A 35-year-old man entered his grandmother’s house, took checks and forged them. She is now missing several thousand dollars. The crime occurred on March 1st.
3/28 Burglary – Highland Pinetree Apartments. 4:55 a.m.
3/28 Unknown Trouble – 400 block Gilbert Street. Man was holding another man down in a yard, and asked for police. 11:04 a.m.
3/28 Vandalism – Woodcrest School. 455 W. Baker Ave. Graffiti on the therapy wing and on the east inside wall. “Red” and “Scum” were written. 7:25 a.m.
3/28 Vandalism – 200 block Basque Avenue. 7:30 a.m.
3/28 ID Theft – 1200 block Veranda Court. 1:55 p.m.
3/28 Grand Theft – 1800 block East Orangethorpe Avenue. The manager caught an employee stealing. He was putting items in the customer’s bag that were not purchased. Manager detained the employee in the office. The loss was more than $1,000. 10:51 a.m.
3/29 Fraud – Chase Bank. 3334 Yorba Linda Blvd. 1:33 p.m.
3/29 Vandalism – Beechwood Elementary. 780 Beechwood Ave. Graffiti on the 2200 building, the 600 building, the cement, the school quad and a lunch bench. The vandalism consisted of drawings of penises and boobs. The repair cost is more than $300. 1:33 p.m.
3/29 Welfare Check – 2600 block West Olive Avenue. Caller from the Franchise Tax Board in Sacramento said a 38-year-old Fullerton woman called the center and said she was going to end her life by taking seven pills of unknown prescription drugs. 1:43 p.m.
3/29 Burglary – 1100 block East Walnut Avenue. 12:35 p.m.
3/29 Forgery – Albertsons. 10:24 a.m.
3/30 Fraud – Chase Bank. 3334 Yorba Linda Blvd. 10:03 a.m.
3/30 Burglary – 800 block North Adlena Drive. 10:03 p.m.
3/31 Burglary – Sturbridge Village Apartments. 3000 block Yorba Linda Boulevard. RP came home and found a man inside his apartment. He was wearing a white and red shirt and khaki pants. He stole a laptop and left the scene running toward Placentia Avenue at 11:52 p.m.
3/31 Robbery – Alvaro’s Mexican Food. 1201 S. Gilbert St. A bike was stolen. 11:52 p.m.
3/31 Robbery – Sandalwood Apartments – 100 block West Union Avenue. Caller said suspect said “Give me your phone or I will shoot you.” 11:35 p.m.
3/31 Traffic Collision with Injury – 312 N. Euclid St. An elderly man drove his Ford Taurus into a wall.
4/1 Grand Theft – St. Jude Hospital. 101 E. Valencia Mesa. 10:43 p.m.
4/1 Burglary – Ambassador Inn. 2100 W. Commonwealth Ave. 4:36 p.m.
4/1 Battery – Arco Station. A drunken suspect hit the clerk. 2:55 a.m.
4/1 Burglary – 1800 block Las Lanas Lane. 12:50 p.m.
4/1 Burglary – Incahoots. 1401 S. Lemon St. Suspects were trying to break into a white 4-door Nissan Sentra. They got inside the car and tried to take the speakers out. Arnel Lobert Lawton, 25, Hemet; Tiffany Sadamae Love, 22, Moreno Valley; and Jecory Jamall Jones, 25, Dessert Hot springs, were arrested for conspiracy and taken to Orange County Jail.
4/2 Stabbing – 2010 W. Ash Ave. A Fullerton man stabbed an 33-year-old acquaintance with a switchblade in the shoulder. The suspect, 37-year-old Anthony William Millonzi, ran to his mother’s house to hide, but police found him and arrested him for assault with a deadly weapon. The victim’s wounds were not life threatening, Sgt. Andrew Goodrich said. 11:06 p.m.
4/2 Burglary – South Tamarack Drive/ West Hill Avenue. Burglary attempt. A Hispanic man in a black sweater and blue jeans tried to break into a white van parked on Tamarack Drive. Victor Cortex, 25, Fullerton, arrested for being drunk in public and was taken to Orange County Jail. 11:03 p.m.
4/2 Suspicious Circumstances – 800 block West Houston Avenue. The house should have been vacant. The caller said there was a large group of about 30 people inside. They went through the back of the house, through a gate on the side. Agent Jimenez from Prudential Reality later advised that his nephew was using the property. Everything checked out okay.
What about the stolen campaign signs? What’s the status?
I hope that elderly man who drove into the wall wasn’t hurt too bad.
I’m not sure I want Agent Jimenez selling my property.
I heard they found that stolen bicycle. Whew!
“The vandalism consisted of drawings of penises and boobs.”
A Mango press release?
Sorry Folks, I know that most of those crimes were committed by my tenants but hey, a buck a buck!
You gotta admit Tony, that’s pretty funny.
Yeah it’s funny.. because he bitches and moans about the drunken issues downtown.. where his tenants contribute 90+% of the problem.