WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.120 --> 00:00:02.879 Voters this November locally are going to be asked to 2 00:00:02.919 --> 00:00:07.719 approve something in the area. Between all the different school 3 00:00:07.759 --> 00:00:12.000 districts and the State Center Community College District, about two 4 00:00:12.640 --> 00:00:21.760 billion combined dollars worth of bond measure money. This is 5 00:00:21.879 --> 00:00:26.199 on top of Proposition two, which is a statewide ten 6 00:00:26.280 --> 00:00:34.280 billion dollar bond measure. All of this to fund public 7 00:00:34.359 --> 00:00:37.960 K through twelve school districts and community college is all 8 00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:39.840 up down California. And kind of the way that this 9 00:00:40.039 --> 00:00:46.600 works is if your local school district does a bond 10 00:00:46.679 --> 00:00:49.880 measure and raises money, then they can get some form 11 00:00:49.920 --> 00:00:53.880 of some degree of matching bond funding from the state. 12 00:00:54.119 --> 00:00:57.479 So as a result, all of these different local school districts, 13 00:00:57.520 --> 00:00:59.240 all of a sudden, all at the same time, are 14 00:00:59.280 --> 00:01:02.200 all having a bond measure pop up. And again, let's 15 00:01:02.200 --> 00:01:04.480 remember what a bond is. A bond is a loan 16 00:01:05.120 --> 00:01:10.439 made to some municipal entity like a school district. The 17 00:01:10.480 --> 00:01:14.000 school district gets all the money and then you, the taxpayers, 18 00:01:14.000 --> 00:01:20.719 have to pay the loan back with interest, usually within 19 00:01:21.040 --> 00:01:25.040 your property taxes. And the terms of these loans are 20 00:01:25.079 --> 00:01:29.000 something like thirty years. My wife and I for our 21 00:01:29.040 --> 00:01:33.959 house in Clovis we're still paying property taxes for bond 22 00:01:34.040 --> 00:01:36.920 measures that were passed for Close Unified in two thousand, 23 00:01:36.959 --> 00:01:42.560 two thousand and four, twenty twelve, twenty twenty, and now 24 00:01:42.599 --> 00:01:47.920 we're staring down the barrel of twenty twenty four. So 25 00:01:48.319 --> 00:01:51.079 with all of that being said, President Unified has got 26 00:01:51.079 --> 00:01:54.480 a massive, like almost five hundred million dollars bond measure, 27 00:01:55.120 --> 00:01:57.680 Clovis Unified as a four hundred million dollar bond measure, 28 00:01:57.719 --> 00:02:00.480 State Center Community College District has almost set one hundred 29 00:02:00.519 --> 00:02:03.400 million dollars bond measure. All these local school districts and 30 00:02:03.480 --> 00:02:07.159 the community colleges are asking voters in the San Joaquin 31 00:02:07.239 --> 00:02:10.840 Valley saying or Unified Central Unified to vote for bond 32 00:02:10.919 --> 00:02:18.759 measures to give them money, to give them money that frankly, 33 00:02:18.800 --> 00:02:21.280 I don't think are tied to need. And I think 34 00:02:21.360 --> 00:02:25.080 we should ask ourselves some hard questions about how well 35 00:02:25.360 --> 00:02:29.879 is this district really being run such that we should 36 00:02:29.919 --> 00:02:33.680 be giving them more money for physical investment when they 37 00:02:33.719 --> 00:02:40.199 don't have their normal educational house in order. And this 38 00:02:40.360 --> 00:02:43.560 leads me to a fascinating story about something I did 39 00:02:43.560 --> 00:02:50.159 not know about. An opinion piece in GV Wire written 40 00:02:50.159 --> 00:02:56.080 by Stephen resh Mister Resh is an a retired President 41 00:02:56.199 --> 00:02:59.360 Unified teacher. He taught English and German for thirty years 42 00:02:59.360 --> 00:03:07.319 within Fresney, and he highlights this program called Ingenuity, which 43 00:03:07.360 --> 00:03:09.479 I see Fresne Unified makes a lot of use of. 44 00:03:09.560 --> 00:03:13.479 But also I'm doing a little digging Close Unified does too, 45 00:03:13.520 --> 00:03:15.560 so I don't think this is just a pure Fresney 46 00:03:15.639 --> 00:03:19.840 Unified thing. Presny Unified's bad. Close Unified is good. Seemingly 47 00:03:19.879 --> 00:03:25.560 this is a widespread program. What is ingenuity? Let's get started, 48 00:03:27.240 --> 00:03:30.439 mister Resh writes, when students get their high school diplomas, 49 00:03:30.479 --> 00:03:33.680 you assume that they've all met key standards in all 50 00:03:33.719 --> 00:03:37.719 requisite areas. You suppose that they've all met the grade. 51 00:03:38.000 --> 00:03:39.080 They've all made the grade. 52 00:03:39.159 --> 00:03:39.639 Excuse me. 53 00:03:40.199 --> 00:03:42.719 Unfortunately that hasn't always been the case during the past 54 00:03:42.840 --> 00:03:45.479 decade or so. In Fresne Unified. It all ties in 55 00:03:45.520 --> 00:03:50.319 with a program called Credit Recovery and a set of courses. 56 00:03:49.919 --> 00:03:52.639 Which he puts in scare quotes, courses produced. 57 00:03:52.280 --> 00:03:58.639 By a company called Imagine Ingenuity. Yes, it's ingenuity, but 58 00:03:58.680 --> 00:04:03.319 it's on the edge. As previously reported in Gvwire and elsewhere, 59 00:04:03.360 --> 00:04:05.400 credit Recovery is a way for high school students in 60 00:04:05.439 --> 00:04:07.639 the district to dodge a failing grade in many of 61 00:04:07.680 --> 00:04:10.360 their classes, they don't wind up with a passing mark 62 00:04:10.439 --> 00:04:14.280 through traditional means, retaking tests, turning an extra credit, doing 63 00:04:14.319 --> 00:04:19.279 well on a final exam. Instead, they attend ingenuity sessions 64 00:04:20.240 --> 00:04:23.120 where they sit in front of computer screens and complete 65 00:04:23.279 --> 00:04:27.560 watered down versions of the courses they're failing, and so 66 00:04:28.360 --> 00:04:31.800 even though they might otherwise fail several important classes, they 67 00:04:31.800 --> 00:04:36.000 subsequently get enough credits to attend commencement and receive diplomas. 68 00:04:37.920 --> 00:04:41.879 Sometimes students are able to complete such putative courses in 69 00:04:41.920 --> 00:04:46.000 record time, occasionally in a matter of days. Clearly, the 70 00:04:46.079 --> 00:04:50.040 curriculum of an entire semester in biology, say where in 71 00:04:50.079 --> 00:04:54.199 American history can hardly be covered, much less mastered under 72 00:04:54.199 --> 00:04:58.199 such conditions. Now this is the astonishing thing. Okay, so 73 00:04:58.240 --> 00:05:01.319 this is some remedial thing. Kids like failing the class. 74 00:05:01.360 --> 00:05:04.199 So instead of the harder work of making him retake 75 00:05:04.240 --> 00:05:08.240 all the tests and or just making him retake the 76 00:05:08.240 --> 00:05:14.360 whole course, they do these ingenuity sessions where he kind 77 00:05:14.360 --> 00:05:17.199 of blitzes through the material, takes sort of an easier 78 00:05:17.279 --> 00:05:20.879 version of it, and then can get some credits enough 79 00:05:20.920 --> 00:05:25.319 to graduate enough to advance a grade level, so we're 80 00:05:26.040 --> 00:05:33.680 further watering down our standards of achievement. Now you might think, okay, well, 81 00:05:33.680 --> 00:05:35.920 this is for the you know, five percent of kids 82 00:05:35.920 --> 00:05:38.800 who are kind of flunking out or you know ten 83 00:05:38.839 --> 00:05:42.399 percent of kids who are flunking out. Fifty three percent 84 00:05:43.240 --> 00:05:50.000 of district seniors in Fresdent Unified earn ingenuity credits. A 85 00:05:50.000 --> 00:05:53.839 few months ago, the Office of the Interim Superintendent issued 86 00:05:53.879 --> 00:05:56.759 a memo that shed some light on Fresendent Unified's use 87 00:05:56.879 --> 00:06:01.199 of credit recovery through this ingenuity program. According to the 88 00:06:01.279 --> 00:06:04.560 June twenty first memo, President Unified paid five hundred and 89 00:06:04.639 --> 00:06:08.279 fifty one, one hundred and fifty dollars for edgenuity materials 90 00:06:08.680 --> 00:06:10.959 and support in the twenty twenty two to twenty twenty 91 00:06:10.959 --> 00:06:13.839 three term. In the twenty three to twenty four term, 92 00:06:13.879 --> 00:06:16.079 that price tag shot up to five hundred and ninety 93 00:06:16.160 --> 00:06:19.240 one thousand, eight hundred and fifty dollars. The memo also 94 00:06:19.279 --> 00:06:24.120 indicated how many students have recently participated in ingenuity sessions. 95 00:06:25.000 --> 00:06:29.000 It turns out that fifty three percent of the district's 96 00:06:29.160 --> 00:06:34.199 seniors earned at least one credit through the online ingenuity 97 00:06:34.199 --> 00:06:36.839 curriculum doing the during the twenty twenty two to twenty 98 00:06:36.879 --> 00:06:40.519 twenty three term. In the twenty twenty two to twenty 99 00:06:40.560 --> 00:06:45.360 twenty three academic year, students received on average eighteen credits 100 00:06:45.399 --> 00:06:48.800 this way. That average went down a bit last year 101 00:06:48.839 --> 00:06:51.160 to an average of sixteen credits. At present, there's no 102 00:06:51.360 --> 00:06:54.079 upper limit to the number of credits that students can 103 00:06:54.160 --> 00:06:59.560 rack up using this method. So most of the seniors 104 00:06:59.680 --> 00:07:04.360 at Front Unified, just over a majority fifty three percent, 105 00:07:06.480 --> 00:07:10.600 are getting some of their credits through this ingenuity system, 106 00:07:11.439 --> 00:07:15.759 not by clearly they're getting a failing grade, a non 107 00:07:15.800 --> 00:07:20.560 passing grade, so they're not being made to retake tests, 108 00:07:20.839 --> 00:07:26.240 not being made to retake a course. No, Instead they're 109 00:07:26.279 --> 00:07:30.959 doing this water down sort of ingenuity thing where they 110 00:07:30.959 --> 00:07:32.680 can kind of blitz through a whole course in a 111 00:07:32.720 --> 00:07:37.000 couple of days and still get these credits enough to graduate. 112 00:07:40.600 --> 00:07:43.800 The negative impact on learning culture. So mister Resh again, 113 00:07:43.920 --> 00:07:49.000 this is uh. This is Stephen Resh, thirty years teacher 114 00:07:49.040 --> 00:07:52.560 within Frostening Unified, writing about credit recovery. 115 00:07:52.639 --> 00:07:54.439 The credit recovery. 116 00:07:53.839 --> 00:07:57.120 Scheme of basically, you take a little online course for 117 00:07:57.160 --> 00:07:58.600 like three days to make up for the fact that 118 00:07:58.639 --> 00:08:02.279 you fail to pass a semester lung. Using credit recovery 119 00:08:02.319 --> 00:08:07.199 has certainly streamlined many students acquisition of course credits and 120 00:08:07.240 --> 00:08:10.519 thus generated a significant rise in local high school graduate rates. 121 00:08:11.399 --> 00:08:14.959 In addition, however, it's impacted school culture in significant and 122 00:08:15.000 --> 00:08:21.959 disturbing ways. Doing edge doing the Ingenuity program has become 123 00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:25.120 a learned behavior. As one district instructor put it to me, 124 00:08:25.360 --> 00:08:28.800 a significant number of students, known in some teacher circles 125 00:08:28.839 --> 00:08:32.279 as quote frequent flyers, often use credit recovery to obtain 126 00:08:32.320 --> 00:08:35.440 passing grades with minimum effort. As a result, they tend 127 00:08:35.440 --> 00:08:40.000 to regard traditional classroom instruction as being somewhat irrelevant. One 128 00:08:40.039 --> 00:08:42.919 district teacher, Jeremy Wright, addressed the school board last year 129 00:08:42.919 --> 00:08:45.159 and shared his concerns about this system. In his view, 130 00:08:45.799 --> 00:08:49.879 the Ingenuity program has seriously impaired classroom instruction. Now that 131 00:08:49.960 --> 00:08:52.440 credit recovery is available, a number of students no longer 132 00:08:52.480 --> 00:09:00.919 see much point in paying attention in classes. So basically, 133 00:09:00.960 --> 00:09:04.240 these kids all realize, well, these kids don't care about 134 00:09:04.440 --> 00:09:08.080 the quality of the grades they get. They know that 135 00:09:08.159 --> 00:09:11.000 they can do this much easier version of the course 136 00:09:11.120 --> 00:09:14.279 at the end of the semester, so they're all just 137 00:09:14.399 --> 00:09:21.639 tuning out during the year, so, and it'll only take 138 00:09:21.679 --> 00:09:23.440 a couple of days as opposed to studying over the 139 00:09:23.440 --> 00:09:26.039 course of a whole semester. They'll just come in at 140 00:09:26.039 --> 00:09:30.360 the end and just do their enginuity. Oh yeah, as 141 00:09:30.480 --> 00:09:33.279 right put it. Jeremy Wright and teacher in president unified 142 00:09:33.279 --> 00:09:36.279 to testified about this to the school board. As Right 143 00:09:36.320 --> 00:09:40.039 put it, quote, it's insulting to us as teachers. It's 144 00:09:40.080 --> 00:09:42.519 also insulting to the kids that did hard work and 145 00:09:42.559 --> 00:09:44.679 pulled their grade up and got the B or C. 146 00:09:46.559 --> 00:09:49.159 He argued that this also weakens the quality of schools, 147 00:09:49.279 --> 00:09:53.519 no kidding. Despite the appearance of student success, the product 148 00:09:53.600 --> 00:09:56.799 we're putting out there is more important than a graduation rate. 149 00:09:58.519 --> 00:10:01.919 Also questionable a or some additional costs linked to the 150 00:10:01.919 --> 00:10:04.639 way that ingenuity has been implemented. Consider that some teachers 151 00:10:04.679 --> 00:10:08.879 are paid to oversee credit recovery sessions during summer school. 152 00:10:09.360 --> 00:10:11.960 Students in such sessions, however, only have to report to 153 00:10:12.000 --> 00:10:17.960 class once they've finished their ingenuity assignments. After reaching that milestone, 154 00:10:17.960 --> 00:10:21.200 they don't have to attend anymore. Why some have wondered 155 00:10:21.200 --> 00:10:23.480 should the district pay teachers for so many weeks of 156 00:10:23.519 --> 00:10:26.360 instruction and not require the students to attend the sessions. 157 00:10:27.720 --> 00:10:31.440 The district has a different attitude toward credit recovery. One 158 00:10:31.480 --> 00:10:34.759 district spokesperson told me, quote, the use of ingenuity software 159 00:10:34.799 --> 00:10:38.080 has provided our students with valuable opportunities to attain credits 160 00:10:38.120 --> 00:10:42.200 toward graduation. Her comments mirror the district's narrative that programs 161 00:10:42.200 --> 00:10:45.159 like Credit Recovery serve students' interests and provide them with 162 00:10:45.200 --> 00:10:47.679 a wide range of opportunities that they otherwise wouldn't have. 163 00:10:50.000 --> 00:10:53.279 This is unbelievable. I had no idea about any of this. 164 00:10:54.720 --> 00:10:58.559 I'm curious how many of you knew about this. So 165 00:11:00.039 --> 00:11:03.639 the district is defending this, and here's this teacher in 166 00:11:03.720 --> 00:11:06.639 the trenches knows other teachers in the trenches, who is 167 00:11:06.720 --> 00:11:12.919 telling us the kids understand that they don't really have 168 00:11:13.000 --> 00:11:21.440 to work hard all year. They take this remedial summer 169 00:11:21.559 --> 00:11:25.399 school online class where they can complete the whole thing 170 00:11:25.440 --> 00:11:29.759 in two or three days in some cases, get the 171 00:11:29.799 --> 00:11:33.440 credits and then not have to show up for the 172 00:11:33.480 --> 00:11:36.240 rest of the allotted summer school time when they're supposed 173 00:11:36.279 --> 00:11:40.679 to be doing this. Meanwhile, I'm sure a union negotiated 174 00:11:40.720 --> 00:11:45.919 contract some teachers are getting paid over summer school to 175 00:11:46.039 --> 00:11:48.879 sit there when not all the students are even required 176 00:11:48.919 --> 00:11:52.480 to be there. So what the heck are we even 177 00:11:52.519 --> 00:11:54.799 talking about. 178 00:11:56.600 --> 00:11:57.440 And all of this. 179 00:11:59.360 --> 00:12:03.480 Is clearly in the service of making Fresno Unified look 180 00:12:03.679 --> 00:12:08.480 better than it is by artificially inflating graduation rates. But 181 00:12:08.519 --> 00:12:12.519 these kids are graduating not on the strength of what 182 00:12:12.559 --> 00:12:13.960 you would imagine to be. 183 00:12:14.519 --> 00:12:16.240 You know, why would someone. 184 00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:19.120 Graduate high school because they've done the required coursework, because 185 00:12:19.159 --> 00:12:22.399 they've attained the necessary credits, they've got enough passing grades, 186 00:12:22.600 --> 00:12:23.399 they did what they were. 187 00:12:23.320 --> 00:12:23.919 Supposed to do. 188 00:12:24.159 --> 00:12:28.480 No, they're not doing the normal coursework. They're blowing off. 189 00:12:28.720 --> 00:12:31.399 Some of these kids are blowing off the normal coursework 190 00:12:31.480 --> 00:12:34.960 for the whole semester and then just showing up in 191 00:12:35.080 --> 00:12:40.120 summer to do a rigorous week of school and then 192 00:12:40.200 --> 00:12:45.960 bon voyage. Ah well, yes, feel free to advance along 193 00:12:45.960 --> 00:12:51.399 to eleventh grade. Feel free to walk at your graduation. 194 00:12:56.240 --> 00:12:58.399 Now. Rash the author of this piece. 195 00:12:58.200 --> 00:13:00.360 In GV wire, and I'll retweet for my twins account 196 00:13:00.360 --> 00:13:04.559 Twitter dot com slash president Johnny at Fresne Johnny He's 197 00:13:05.360 --> 00:13:09.440 He then proceeds to give the standardized test scores within 198 00:13:09.559 --> 00:13:14.519 Fresney Unified to demonstrate just how unbelievably poorly Fresenent Unified 199 00:13:14.519 --> 00:13:17.559 students are doing. In twenty twenty three to thirty three 200 00:13:17.600 --> 00:13:22.279 percent of the PRESNE Unified eleventh graders tested met or 201 00:13:22.360 --> 00:13:26.240 exceeded standards. In English, only a third of them met 202 00:13:26.440 --> 00:13:31.639 the standards, meaning sixty six percent of them did not 203 00:13:31.879 --> 00:13:37.120 meet grade level standards in English, only twenty three percent 204 00:13:37.200 --> 00:13:44.440 of them met or exceeded math standards, meaning seventy six 205 00:13:44.480 --> 00:13:47.159 percent of them seventy six seventy seven percent of them 206 00:13:47.519 --> 00:13:51.039 failed to meet math standards. Good enough at math, I 207 00:13:51.080 --> 00:13:52.799 can I can now that up those twenty three point 208 00:13:52.879 --> 00:13:58.000 three one percent metare exceeded, or go seventy six point 209 00:13:59.200 --> 00:14:03.840 six percent of them did not meet. So you've got 210 00:14:03.879 --> 00:14:06.279 three quarters of these kids are not at grade level 211 00:14:06.320 --> 00:14:08.879 for math, two thirds of these kids are not at 212 00:14:08.960 --> 00:14:15.120 grade level for reading. Such results resh writes just don't 213 00:14:15.159 --> 00:14:19.440 square with fresnew Unified's high graduation rates, and they suggest 214 00:14:19.480 --> 00:14:24.679 a gaping disconnect between credits earned and educational benchmarks that 215 00:14:24.720 --> 00:14:28.159 were actually achieved. It's hard to square the ongoing use 216 00:14:28.200 --> 00:14:31.200 of credit recovery with the district's purported goal of boosting 217 00:14:31.440 --> 00:14:35.000 student achievement. The interim superintendent's memo reflects a solid commitment 218 00:14:35.000 --> 00:14:38.279 to continuing credit recovery in this new school year. Fresne 219 00:14:38.399 --> 00:14:41.840 Unified plans to continue partnering with Ingenuity in twenty twenty 220 00:14:41.879 --> 00:14:44.639 four to twenty twenty five to maximize opportunities for students 221 00:14:44.679 --> 00:14:48.600 to earn a high school diploma and access post secondary options. 222 00:14:49.000 --> 00:14:51.879 It's hard to see how diminishing the worth of high 223 00:14:51.919 --> 00:14:56.360 school diplomas in this fashion serves student's interests. Such individuals 224 00:14:56.440 --> 00:14:58.799 might indeed get into college programs, but will they be 225 00:14:58.840 --> 00:15:00.720 prepared for the challenges that how to wait them there. 226 00:15:01.799 --> 00:15:04.279 A cross functional team has also been meeting each month, 227 00:15:04.279 --> 00:15:07.639 according to a district spokesperson quote, to determine next steps, trends, 228 00:15:07.679 --> 00:15:11.679 system recommendations, and best practices. Given the bogus nature of 229 00:15:11.720 --> 00:15:14.960 credit recovery. When wonders what the phrase best practices could 230 00:15:15.000 --> 00:15:18.559 possibly mean in this context, this is the district that 231 00:15:18.639 --> 00:15:24.120 wants you to give them a almost a billion dollars 232 00:15:24.240 --> 00:15:26.960 of your taxpayer money so that they can get five 233 00:15:27.039 --> 00:15:32.039 hundred million dollars. That's what this bond measure coming up 234 00:15:32.799 --> 00:15:36.919 is going to be for fres New Unified. And by 235 00:15:36.919 --> 00:15:39.480 the way, it looks like close Unified uses this program too. 236 00:15:39.759 --> 00:15:41.320 I don't have the numbers for how many kids within 237 00:15:41.360 --> 00:15:43.919 Clothes Unified use this program, but they're using it also. 238 00:15:47.720 --> 00:15:50.440 When we return, we'll talk a little bit more about 239 00:15:50.440 --> 00:15:52.879 the funding side of all this with the bond measures. 240 00:15:54.200 --> 00:15:57.000 This was a dynamite article, Jesuis. We'll be back with 241 00:15:57.039 --> 00:16:01.240 more on the John Girardi Show. An incredible piece in 242 00:16:01.320 --> 00:16:04.080 GV wire. You got to check it out. I've retweeted 243 00:16:04.080 --> 00:16:06.080 it from my Twitter account Twitter dot com slash president 244 00:16:06.120 --> 00:16:10.000 Johnny at Fresno Johnny, this is about the credit recovery 245 00:16:10.559 --> 00:16:15.320 program that Presney Unified has through a company called Edgeenuity, 246 00:16:16.440 --> 00:16:19.080 where basically, a kid fails a course over the course 247 00:16:19.120 --> 00:16:22.039 of a whole semester can goof off, not pay attention, 248 00:16:22.200 --> 00:16:26.600 not participate for a whole semester, and then after the 249 00:16:26.639 --> 00:16:28.919 semester's over, can participate in. 250 00:16:28.919 --> 00:16:30.919 A several days long. 251 00:16:32.720 --> 00:16:38.279 Credit recovery class. Where As this teacher, Stephen Resh who 252 00:16:38.360 --> 00:16:42.879 is a longtime German and English professor at teacher within 253 00:16:42.919 --> 00:16:46.320 Presney Unified, Basically they can sit around in front of 254 00:16:46.360 --> 00:16:50.960 a computer for a couple of days, take an extremely 255 00:16:51.159 --> 00:16:55.320 watered down version of the course. You know, a whole 256 00:16:55.360 --> 00:16:58.200 semester's worth in just a couple of days and still 257 00:16:58.240 --> 00:17:05.200 get the necessary credits from that class. And again I 258 00:17:05.799 --> 00:17:10.480 think this needs to factor in. Stuff like this needs 259 00:17:10.519 --> 00:17:17.039 to factor into the local discussions about school bond measures. Okay, 260 00:17:20.079 --> 00:17:24.880 because clearly, if school districts are using this thing, this program, 261 00:17:26.400 --> 00:17:28.359 it's making a mockery of the whole system. 262 00:17:28.839 --> 00:17:33.720 This is just a. 263 00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:35.400 As Resh pointed out, this is insulting to the teachers, 264 00:17:35.559 --> 00:17:39.119 like why on earth should a teacher try hard all 265 00:17:39.200 --> 00:17:43.920 year if the kid is just gonna blow it off 266 00:17:44.000 --> 00:17:47.279 and do an ingenuity class in the summer. But as 267 00:17:47.359 --> 00:17:52.200 Resh also points out, maybe teachers' unions that maybe the 268 00:17:52.240 --> 00:17:54.920 teacher's union within President Unified doesn't mind it. 269 00:17:55.200 --> 00:17:56.920 Why because. 270 00:17:58.160 --> 00:18:03.119 You can pay some teacher for summer school just to 271 00:18:03.200 --> 00:18:07.480 sit there while kids sit on their computers doing their 272 00:18:07.599 --> 00:18:12.079 credit recovery ingenuity class for a couple of days, and 273 00:18:12.079 --> 00:18:14.359 then the student leaves, but the teacher still sits there 274 00:18:14.359 --> 00:18:18.519 for whatever is the allotted time frame. The kid doesn't 275 00:18:18.519 --> 00:18:20.400 have to stay the whole time, but the teacher sits 276 00:18:20.400 --> 00:18:30.200 there the full time, earning their union negotiated I'm sure money. 277 00:18:31.359 --> 00:18:34.599 And this is the frustrating thing about this is that 278 00:18:34.640 --> 00:18:38.279 the interests that so many of these people have, the 279 00:18:38.319 --> 00:18:43.319 interests of the various parties don't really seem to be 280 00:18:43.440 --> 00:18:53.400 aligned that much towards students succeeding. The teacher's interest so 281 00:18:53.559 --> 00:18:57.440 much is in schools as a jobs program for them. 282 00:18:57.759 --> 00:19:01.039 That's the Here's the teachers' union, one of the massive 283 00:19:01.079 --> 00:19:04.839 negotiating partners in all this, within Fresney Unified. Who again, 284 00:19:04.880 --> 00:19:06.559 what is the point of a union. The point of 285 00:19:06.559 --> 00:19:09.359 a union is to get more money, more jobs, better hours, 286 00:19:09.359 --> 00:19:12.319 better working additions, better benefits, et cetera for its members. 287 00:19:13.519 --> 00:19:18.440 It's looking at this that the union exists for the members. 288 00:19:20.640 --> 00:19:23.359 That is how you judge the effectiveness ineffectiveness of a 289 00:19:23.400 --> 00:19:28.119 teacher's union, of any union. It's not so much focused 290 00:19:28.160 --> 00:19:30.799 on the work product. Okay, if kids get educated, I 291 00:19:30.799 --> 00:19:34.799 mean that's maybe that's a happy buy product. But fundamentally 292 00:19:35.000 --> 00:19:39.680 educating kids is not the job of the union. Meanwhile, 293 00:19:41.519 --> 00:19:48.319 administrators within Fresney Unified are not so much interested in 294 00:19:48.920 --> 00:19:57.160 kids learning as much as they are interested in giving 295 00:19:57.640 --> 00:20:03.680 off the public perception and that kids are learning. Because 296 00:20:03.759 --> 00:20:10.079 if the public thinks kids are learning, then the superintendent, 297 00:20:10.519 --> 00:20:15.240 the school board members overseeing at the administrators get to 298 00:20:15.319 --> 00:20:21.599 keep their jobs, so of course they're going to be 299 00:20:22.440 --> 00:20:25.240 they're going to look at, oh my gosh, we're going 300 00:20:25.319 --> 00:20:28.160 to have such a huge dropout rate. What are we 301 00:20:28.160 --> 00:20:30.960 going to how are we gonna get these kids to 302 00:20:31.039 --> 00:20:34.720 actually graduate? And then along comes a program like Ingenuity, 303 00:20:34.799 --> 00:20:39.480 this credit recovery scheme where basically, well, well the kid 304 00:20:39.480 --> 00:20:41.519 can just kind of take a water down version of 305 00:20:41.519 --> 00:20:43.599 the class for a couple of days after the semester's over, 306 00:20:43.799 --> 00:20:47.519 after they've blown off the whole semester and uh, and 307 00:20:47.759 --> 00:20:50.920 then they get the credits. 308 00:20:51.200 --> 00:20:52.680 And then that'll allow them to graduate. 309 00:20:52.720 --> 00:20:57.000 And fifty three percent a President Unified seniors apparently are 310 00:20:57.039 --> 00:20:59.400 doing this credit recovery scheme for at least some credits. 311 00:21:02.119 --> 00:21:06.039 So this is massively overinflating, Like why do the state 312 00:21:06.160 --> 00:21:09.400 standardized test scores show that two thirds of kids in 313 00:21:09.400 --> 00:21:13.000 Presdey Unified can't read at grade level, three quarters of 314 00:21:13.039 --> 00:21:15.680 them can't do math at grade level, and yet their 315 00:21:15.720 --> 00:21:19.640 graduation rates are still quite high. Well, it's because of 316 00:21:19.680 --> 00:21:23.400 stuff like this. They are advancing these kids who have 317 00:21:23.519 --> 00:21:31.559 not actually achieved. And then they ask you for five 318 00:21:31.640 --> 00:21:34.680 hundred million dollars in a bond measure, which really means 319 00:21:34.720 --> 00:21:37.720 you have to pay almost a billion dollars in taxes. 320 00:21:38.319 --> 00:21:41.640 Clovis Unified is asking you for four hundred million dollars 321 00:21:42.799 --> 00:21:44.400 for a bond measure, meaning that you have to pay 322 00:21:44.440 --> 00:21:47.000 almost eight hundred million dollars in your taxes. 323 00:21:50.880 --> 00:21:51.720 It's ridiculous. 324 00:21:52.119 --> 00:21:57.920 Why do we want to keep financially and physically investing 325 00:21:59.680 --> 00:22:07.559 in schools that are committed to just fundamentally flawed visions. 326 00:22:08.319 --> 00:22:10.880 I've said it once, I have said it a million times. 327 00:22:11.200 --> 00:22:16.960 These schools take it as their goal. Universal college. Everyone 328 00:22:17.599 --> 00:22:20.599 who if you graduate, it means you're ready for college. 329 00:22:20.640 --> 00:22:24.240 Everyone should go to college, every universal college. Refusing to 330 00:22:24.279 --> 00:22:29.240 acknowledge that most people in America will not get a 331 00:22:29.279 --> 00:22:33.400 four year college degree, and that those people need jobs 332 00:22:33.440 --> 00:22:36.680 to those people need gainful employment. Those people need some 333 00:22:36.839 --> 00:22:41.599 opportunity to find the work for themselves, to give them 334 00:22:41.640 --> 00:22:47.880 purpose and a meaningful life. And with President Unified, with 335 00:22:48.359 --> 00:22:51.319 so many public high school, public schools in California, we're 336 00:22:51.359 --> 00:22:55.119 preparing kids for nothing. We are preparing they're not adequately 337 00:22:55.119 --> 00:22:58.000 prepared for college. We keep graduating them as if they are, 338 00:22:58.000 --> 00:23:02.440 but they're not, and they're not prepared to get a 339 00:23:02.440 --> 00:23:03.519 normal job in the real world. 340 00:23:03.599 --> 00:23:04.559 You know what, they're prepared for. It. 341 00:23:04.599 --> 00:23:10.400 They're prepared for a liminal flim flam three or four 342 00:23:10.480 --> 00:23:13.640 years of maybe taking some classes at city, not sure, 343 00:23:13.759 --> 00:23:16.240 getting into debt, maybe going to State, getting a couple 344 00:23:16.240 --> 00:23:19.240 of credits. Maybe maybe they get some Mickey master degree. 345 00:23:19.279 --> 00:23:19.960 Maybe they don't. 346 00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:23.240 Maybe they waste through four or five years flim flamming 347 00:23:23.279 --> 00:23:26.839 around between president, city, president, State and don't even wind 348 00:23:26.920 --> 00:23:33.079 up with a degree. And they want you to give 349 00:23:33.119 --> 00:23:40.720 them five hundred million dollars for reasons that seem to 350 00:23:40.799 --> 00:23:44.680 have nothing to do necessarily with imminent need of the 351 00:23:44.680 --> 00:23:48.880 physical spaces in their buildings, but just because well there's 352 00:23:48.880 --> 00:23:51.400 a state bond measure, so and we want to get 353 00:23:51.440 --> 00:23:52.920 the money, we want to get the matching money. 354 00:23:52.920 --> 00:23:54.799 So all we got to do with bond measure. 355 00:23:55.480 --> 00:23:59.680 Just this reflexive, unthinking instinct that you need to pay 356 00:23:59.680 --> 00:24:04.000 them more money when we return. How housing issues get 357 00:24:04.000 --> 00:24:06.960 distorted by California law. That's next on the John Gerrardy Show. 358 00:24:09.039 --> 00:24:11.279 One of the many things I hate about how California 359 00:24:11.359 --> 00:24:13.759 kind of regulates housing. 360 00:24:15.240 --> 00:24:16.720 Is how it turns. 361 00:24:17.319 --> 00:24:23.039 It makes everything like so ramped up and critical and important. 362 00:24:23.039 --> 00:24:27.000 It leaves you with so few options that any objection 363 00:24:27.160 --> 00:24:31.200 whatsoever to some kind of lower income housing development or 364 00:24:31.240 --> 00:24:34.960 a homeless housing development, any kind of objection to it, 365 00:24:35.480 --> 00:24:39.359 you get labeled as a nimby a not in my 366 00:24:39.559 --> 00:24:46.680 backyard person. Which this is a problem up and down 367 00:24:46.680 --> 00:24:48.880 the state in a lot of different contexts. Basically, there 368 00:24:48.920 --> 00:24:51.559 is a dearth of housing in California. We have way 369 00:24:51.599 --> 00:24:54.880 more people seeking homes than we have homes available. This 370 00:24:54.960 --> 00:25:00.400 artificially inflates the prices of homes, and one of the 371 00:25:00.480 --> 00:25:03.400 many factors that contributes to it is the attitude within 372 00:25:03.480 --> 00:25:07.920 a lot of local governments called nimbiism not in my backyardism. Basically, 373 00:25:07.960 --> 00:25:12.440 if you're you know, some bougie city in Marin County 374 00:25:13.799 --> 00:25:17.160 and someone says, hey, I'd love to build a one 375 00:25:17.240 --> 00:25:25.039 hundred unit apartment complex for middle income people to live in, well, 376 00:25:25.599 --> 00:25:30.319 the bougie residents of this bougie Marine County town will 377 00:25:30.359 --> 00:25:32.799 probably go to their city councils we don't want that. 378 00:25:33.000 --> 00:25:36.960 Why it'll lower our property values, and then that shuts 379 00:25:37.000 --> 00:25:40.160 it down, and that's why Marine County gets sort of 380 00:25:41.119 --> 00:25:45.039 it's this vicious cycle of if you never allow more 381 00:25:46.039 --> 00:25:49.160 housing for middle class people, then no middle class people 382 00:25:49.200 --> 00:25:53.119 can afford to live in Marin County, and anyone who 383 00:25:53.119 --> 00:25:56.039 wants to work in San Francisco has to live further 384 00:25:56.079 --> 00:25:58.880 and further and further away, unless they already own the 385 00:25:58.920 --> 00:26:01.079 home or have been there, or. 386 00:26:01.200 --> 00:26:06.119 Et gazillionaires, or they're just homeless, so. 387 00:26:07.759 --> 00:26:13.519 Not in my Backyardism is a kind of attitude that 388 00:26:13.680 --> 00:26:17.480 results in local governments blocking the establishment of various kinds 389 00:26:17.519 --> 00:26:22.880 of housing. But you also have that in confluence with 390 00:26:23.039 --> 00:26:29.920 California environmental laws and California labor laws that make the 391 00:26:30.079 --> 00:26:39.200 cost of construction so much higher. SEQUA, the California Environmental 392 00:26:39.240 --> 00:26:45.200 Quality Act requires all kinds of environmental impact plans and 393 00:26:45.279 --> 00:26:48.440 studies to be drawn up in advance before the development 394 00:26:48.480 --> 00:26:52.480 of some new house or housing complex or multi unit dwelling. 395 00:26:52.720 --> 00:26:55.599 The City of Fresno had done one, an extensive one 396 00:26:56.319 --> 00:26:59.400 for the city, which the courts are now saying is inadequate, 397 00:26:59.440 --> 00:27:02.079 which could be putting a halt to like a dozen 398 00:27:02.160 --> 00:27:09.559 projects in the Fresno area. You have the threat with 399 00:27:09.880 --> 00:27:16.319 SEQUA of some outside group coming in to sue to 400 00:27:16.519 --> 00:27:21.599 stop construction of some housing projects, and sometimes so they're 401 00:27:21.680 --> 00:27:27.640