APB Archives

I DID IT AGAIN. TWICE! (Jan 8, 04)

AT THE MODEL SCHOOL MEETING

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I'm one of the two people chiefly responsible for the fact that we even have a model school project. The two of us wanted the project, wanted it badly, and we did what it took to get it. I'm sure you know about the Model School project (click on "THE MODEL SCHOOL" for more), and you know it has members from the city, school district, redevelopment authority, and housing authority. Those agencies assign directors to the Model School board.
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Today the board held its 14th meeting, and two of its directors were absent.
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I had tolerated just about all I intended to tolerate of absent directors. Some months ago I griped to the chairman, hoping he could get the directors to give Model School its proper respect. I don't have a complaint about the chairman, but the situation got no better. Including yesterday's meeting, one director had missed over two-thirds of the meetings, one had missed half, and the other had missed over one-third of the meetings. That's scandalous, and I said so. I said I would ask the City Manager to discuss the issue with me, and I will.
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So everyone is clear about this - I'm NOT criticizing the three directors. They are paid employees, assigned to the model school by their employers, who are the member agencies. It's the employers who haven't given this project the emphasis it needs. The absent directors were merely comparing the urgency of Model School business with the urgency of other business, and Model School came up short. We all understand that. Employees everywhere make decisions that way.
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Changing the employees' emphasis and decision process requires employer action. The school district has replaced one of its directors. I hope the replacement will have a better record of participation than the one they first assigned, and I believe he will. Two others work for the city, so the City Manager must give them the emphasis needed to put Model School ahead of other business. That's why I'll ask the Manager for an appointment, and basically that's what I'll ask him to do. If the Manager tells his staff to attend the Model School meetings, they will.
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MODEL SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION

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I had also HAD it with our administrative apparatus. The Model School board hired the city's Housing Commission staff to be the Model School staff, and did so for all the right reasons. The board cannot be criticized for that decision. From the very beginning, however, the commission staff fumbled badly, missing important requirements, turning work in late, turning in poor quality work, treating City Heights's residents badly. Some of you remember what happened to some of our neighbors in the process of choosing a community representative for the Model School board.
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I had been grumbling to the chairman about administrative deficiencies, hoping for better results, but not much happened. Yesterday I got an e-mailed change to an important Model School meeting document. It was sent barely 21 hours before the meeting (I opened the e-mail about 16 hours before the meeting). The rule for official paperwork in connection with a Brown Act agency is 72 hours. That was the last straw. I was past accepting any more lousy work from the housing commission staff.
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A few months ago, with the chairman's permission, I spoke to several agencies about taking over the Model School's administrative functions. One agency seemed interested; another very interested; and some didn't want the job. I sought the chairman's advice about going public and urging the Model School board to consider issuing a Request For Proposals for a new administrative agency. The chairman suggested not acting. I respect the chairman, so I didn't act. I gritted my teeth and put up with the low quality work, until yesterday's meeting.
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So - yesterday - after I finished talking about poor attendance, I talked about administrative fumbling. I made my complaint, and I asked the chairman to book an agenda item for a future meeting, to consider an RFP asking other agencies to bid on taking over the administrative functions of the Model School project. There was some resistance from other board members, of course. I have a tough case to make, and I understand that. I'm convinced, however, that I can make the case for seeking another agency to do our work.
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I'm convinced that the housing commission staff will benefit from having another agency displace it from a very high-profile activity with national implications for San Diego, for the school district, for K-6 school design, for housing, for neighborhood revitalization, for multi-agency cooperation, for Joint Powers Agreements, etc. Just as some of the Model School member agencies didn't treat the Model School with proper respect, so the housing commission staff also didn't treat it with proper respect, in my opinion. Being dumped might do good things for the housing commission staff's attitude. It might have long range salutary effects on housing, Fair Housing, and affordable housing. It might have a very good effect on the degree of cooperation between the housing commission and our communities. The beneficial possibilities seem endless.
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Of course, maybe I'll get fired. The directors can dump ME by majority vote any time they wish. The directors brought me on; the directors can throw me off, and they don't need a just cause for evicting me either.
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THE STATUS (Jan 8, 04)

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The Model School authority decided in December not to change administrators. In January, it decided to change its bylaws to define excusable absences and to authorize the Chair to notice excessive unexcused absences. The Chair may then write the member agency that sponsors the absent director with a suggestion to change directors. The issue probably didn't need to go that far. The whole idea was to get the member agencies (notably the city) to make the Model School a high priority item, worthy of attendance by the directors.
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