Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Category Archives: SAUSD

Santa Ana Political Chismes: Will Michele Martinez take a job in Sacramento?

Posted on by Posted in Al Mijares, Angelica Amezcua, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Education, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Orange County, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Vince Sarmiento 11 Comments

Michele Martinez whining

Adios Martinez?

Inside sources tell me that Santa Ana Council Woman Michele Martinez, who lost badly last June in her bid for the 69th Assembly District, is considering a job in Sacramento, so she might end up there after all.  I am told that she will resign from the City Council if she gets this unknown job.

Martinez is actively involved in SCAG, the Southern California Association of Governments, and NALEO, the National Association of Latino Elected Officials.  It is as such feasible that she might be leaving our city for a job in the state capitol. Continue reading→

The SAUSD suspends spending and hiring including all textbook orders

Posted on by Posted in california, Education, Santa Ana, SAUSD 1 Comment

SAUSD School Board 2013

UPDATE: My source sent me another SAUSD budget freeze document.  Click here to read it.

The Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) has apparently instituted a hiring and spending freeze. An inside source emailed several documents to me today, including this one, about the freeze.  The same source indicated that the SAUSD has a $16 million dollar budget deficit.

The SAUSD stated in one document that the budgets are not being cut, they are just freezing spending until legislators in Sacramento can pass a new budget.  The district even mentioned the Federal Sequester in this document.

There are some exemptions as noted here, including cafeteria items.  You may recall that the district got busted recently for misspending their cafeteria money.

Items that are being affected by the suspension include: Continue reading→

SAUSD children at Carr to shave their heads to conquer childhood cancers!

Posted on by Posted in Charities, Education, Health and Medical, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Youth Activities 15 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 7, 2013
Deidra Powell, Chief Communications Officer, (714) 558-5555 Office, (714) 673-4995 Mobile

Media Advisory: Santa Ana USD children to shave their heads to conquer childhood cancers!

March 28, 2013 at Carr Intermediate School

Event: Students and teachers will BRAVE the SHAVE and go BALD during their Fourth Annual St. Baldrick’s Foundation Fundraising event.

The St. Baldrick’s Foundation sponsors head-shaving events around the world by asking the simple question: How much money would you donate to conquer kids’ cancers to see me shave my head? Volunteer barbers donate their time and participants raise funds and then sit back and have their heads shaved in solidarity with kids who have been diagnosed with cancer. The money raised goes towards grants given to doctors and scientists who are dedicated to finding cures and treatments for infants, children, and young adults who have been diagnosed with cancer. Continue reading→

Costa Mesa man convicted for exposing himself to girls at S.A. High Schools

Posted on by Posted in Costa Mesa, Courts, Crime, Public Safety, Santa Ana, SAUSD Leave a comment

Alfredo Landaverde

Orange County District Attorney, Press Release
For Immediate Release, Case # 13CM00344: March 11, 2013

MAN CONVICTED OF EXPOSING HIMSELF TO YOUNG GIRLS NEAR HIGH SCHOOLS ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS

SANTA ANA – A man was convicted and sentenced today for exposing himself to young girls in public on multiple occasions near two high schools. Alfredo Landaverde, 48, Costa Mesa, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of indecent exposure and five misdemeanor counts of child annoyance. Landaverde was sentenced to one year in jail, five years formal probation, and mandatory lifetime sex offender registration. Continue reading→

Free Spring Literacy & Resource Fair at the Heritage Museum of O.C. today

Posted on by Posted in Education, Entertainment, Family, Literacy, Literature, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Youth Activities Leave a comment

The Heritage Museum of Orange County is hosting a free Spring Literacy & Resource Fair today, Saturday, Mar 9, 2013, from 11:00am – 2:00pm.  Again this is FREE & Open to the Public!

This event is Presented By:

  • Santa Ana Unified School District
  • Jumpstart
  • Heritage Museum of Orange County

Services and Information for: Continue reading→

1,000 SAUSD kindergarteners to march on Santa Ana College on March 8

Posted on by Posted in Education, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Youth Activities 3 Comments

MEDIA ALERT: March 5, 2013
Contact: Judy Iannaccone, Chief Communications Officer, Rancho Santiago Community College District, (714) 480-7503
Contact: Deidra Powell, Director, Communications SAUSD, (714) 558-5555

One Thousand SAUSD Kindergarteners to March on Santa Ana College on March 8
*KinderCaminata Introduces Youngsters to Santa Ana College*

WHAT: More than 1,000 Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) kindergartners will visit Santa Ana College as part of the District’s mission to prepare all students to be college and career ready. The annual event, “KinderCaminata”, hosted by Santa Ana College provides an opportunity for students to experience being on a college campus. “We are thrilled to partner with Santa Ana College for this annual event and to instill in our students during their early years the importance of receiving a college education,” said SAUSD Superintendent Thelma Meléndez de Santa Ana, Ph.D. Continue reading→

SAUSD Parent Conference to provide valuable resources for student success

Posted on by Posted in Education, Entertainment, Family, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Youth Activities Leave a comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Deidra Powell Williams, (714) 558-5555

Media Advisory: SAUSD Parent Conference to Provide Valuable Resources for Student Success

SANTA ANA CA- February 15, 2013 – Parents of the Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) are invited to attend the 19th Annual Parent Conference on Saturday, March 2, 2013 at Valley High School, located at 1801 S. Greenville St., Santa Ana, CA 92704. “It takes a collective effort of everyone in our community to ensure our students are college and career ready and prepared to assume their roles as part of the global citizenry. This conference is one avenue for parents to become engaged in a dialogue on how best to support their children to achieve academic excellence and to be productive in reaching their life-long goals,” said Superintendent Thelma Meléndez de Santa Ana, Ph.D. Continue reading→

The SAUSD has reached a tentative agreement with their teachers’ union

Posted on by Posted in Education, Labor, Santa Ana, SAUSD 2 Comments

saea

The Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) has apparently negotiated a “signed tentative agreement” with their teachers’ union, the Santa Ana Educators Association (SAEA), according to an email sent by SAEA President Susan Mercer to her members.  The deal is pending ratification by the SAUSD School Board and the SAEA’s members.

The SAEA has been endorsing the SAUSD Trustee incumbents for years.  So this new deal really was a forgone conclusion however it should be noted that the new deal does NOT include any furlough days or pay cuts.

Here is Mercer’s email to her members about the tentative agreement with the SAUSD: Continue reading→

SAPD seeks public assistance in indentifying a kidnapping suspect

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Public Safety, Santa Ana, SAUSD Leave a comment

Kidnapping suspect

Santa Ana Police Department Advisory: Seeking public’s assistance in identifying a subject wanted in a child kidnaping and soliciting a child for lewd acts

The Santa Ana Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a subject wanted for questioning in a child kidnaping and soliciting a child for lewd acts investigation. Please direct the public to call Sex Crimes Detectives at (714) 245-8357 if they witnessed the crime or can provide information about the suspect. Continue reading→

SAUSD School Police investigating pellet gun incident at Muir Elementary

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Education, Santa Ana, SAUSD 20 Comments

John Muir Fundamental Elementary

UPDATE: My son reports that many of the fifth graders in the classroom that included the pellet gun shooter knew the attack was coming – including the victim – but no one knew who the target was, and none of the students reported this to their teacher…

A sad story is developing at John Muir Fundamental Elementary School – one of the top schools in the Santa Ana Unified School District.

Apparently a fifth grader brought a pellet gun to school and waited for his victim to come his way.  The shooter is now suspended, for five days, while the Santa Ana School Police investigate the matter to determine what happened and if “criminal intent can be alleged and/or proven or whether this matter will be resolved administratively by the on site Administration along with concurrence by our Student Support Services division to address the behavior of the student(s) involved,” according to the SAUSD School Police Chief, David Valentin, who responded tonight to my queries, via email. Continue reading→

Governor Brown sending more funds to help the SAUSD’s neediest students

Posted on by Posted in california, Cecilia Iglesias, Claudia Alvarez, Education, Jerry Brown, Jose Solorio, Orange County, Santa Ana, SAUSD 2 Comments

Jerry Brown at the OC Labor Day event in Santa Ana

“Schools will be the big winner in the governor’s new spending plan, receiving $56.2 billion in state funds, an increase by $2.7 billion over the last year. That funding is set to jump to more than $66 billion by 2016,” according to the Los Angeles Times.

“School districts would receive a 35 percent increase in per-student funding for each of their English language learners and economically disadvantaged students, and districts where more than half of students fall into those categories would automatically receive an a second 35 percent bump in per-student funding, according to the governor’s plan,” according to the O.C. Register. Continue reading→

E-waste recycling event fundraiser set for Feb. 2, at Heroes Elementary

Posted on by Posted in Charities, Education, Entertainment, Environment, Recycling, Santa Ana, SAUSD Leave a comment

ewaste

On February 2, 2013, Heroes Elementary will be having an Electronic Waste Recycling Event as a fundraiser for the school. Those who wish to help can bring by old computers, printers, monitors, cell phones, televisions, small appliances, or other electronics. Anything that plugs into a wall or runs on batteries will be accepted, and the more is collected, the more the school makes.

Those who wish to drop off material only need to load it into their car and drive through the school parking lot. All Green Recycling employees will remove the material from the car for them and get them quickly on their way. Continue reading→

Shocking video – Santa Ana school police caught red-handed

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Civil Rights, Crime, Latinos, Public Safety, Santa Ana, SAUSD 17 Comments

A brave young man named Ángel Juárez, of CopWatch Santa Ana, showed up near a Santa Ana school on Dec. 18, with a video camera after reports had come his way that a local Santa Ana school policeman was harassing young Latinos.  Sure enough the police officer pulled over a car and the cameraman began filming the action.

The police officer quickly called in backup and it got ugly.  The other police officers kept asking why the young man was in front of a school with a camera when it was pretty obvious he was there to catch a harassing cop in action.

There were five cops at the scene before long and they were all very intimidating as you will see in the video above.  The cameraman and his friends were ultimately detained for “suspicious activity” and searched, over their objections. Continue reading→

The SAUSD’s reaction to the Connecticut school shooting

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Education, Public Safety, Santa Ana, SAUSD Leave a comment

Santa Ana Unified School Police

SAUSD’s Reaction to Connecticut School Shooting

We would like to express our thoughts and prayers for the families that have been impacted by the senseless crime that occurred today at an elementary school in Connecticut. We, along with the nation, are saddened that something of this magnitude could happen to our young, vulnerable children, those that serve them, and the entire school community.

As we mourn, it gives us pause to reflect on our own practices of how we ensure the safety and security of our students and learning environment. We are fortunate in Santa Ana that our Board of Education is committed to ensuring that safety is our top priority. Continue reading→

Santa Ana’s School Police flew to CT to support the police and community

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Education, Public Safety, Santa Ana, SAUSD 3 Comments

Acting Chief Carlos Rojas

Santa Ana School Police Personnel have traveled to Connecticut as part of a State of Connecticut approved police delegation, along with police personnel from the LAUSD PD and LAPD for a two-fold mission: Support local law enforcement and the immediate community of Sandy Hook Elementary, according to the Santa Ana School Police Facebook page.

The Santa Ana School Police hope to obtain timely information for lessons learned from this tragedy, to provide their specialty school policing community amid the larger context of west coast law enforcement vital intelligence. Continue reading→