Good Leadership is Easy…

… All you need is honesty, integrity, communication, confidence, and a spine. Some of these rules apply to school boards,  some don’t. But I thought this is a good time to share something I’ve had for many years…

Steve Smith’s Rules for Successful Management

Invite input from the lowest levels of your organization. Years ago in a different career, I spent a lot of time with retail buyers and a lot of time in their stores. The most valuable feedback on my products came not from the corporate office but from the people who were on the sales floor selling and assisting customers.

Talk it up. Everyone in your organization should know everything that is going on, except due to obvious restrictions. When people know the plan, they are far more likely to support it. One of my biggest supporters at the ad agency where I worked for nine years was the CFO. Why? Because I was in charge of a big budget and I communicated issues with him frequently.

Hire slow, fire fast. I didn’t make up this rule, but I support it. One of the hardest things for a manager to do is admit that they made a bad hire. But the alternative, keeping the bad hire around, is far worse than a temporary blow to the ego. The upside of this is that when the bad hire leaves, there is an immediate morale boost.

Admit mistakes, and admit them early. By the time you realize you screwed up, others know it, too. Right the wrong and gain respect by owning the problem and fixing it. Denial lowers respect for you and lowers morale. Admitting a mistake is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of strength.

Stay on budget. Be an adult and live within your means.

Stop watching the competition. Every minute you watch the competition is one less minute you spend improving your own business. Let them watch you instead.

Set the example. You cannot possibly expect people to do as you say, not as you do.

Appreciate your team. Contrary to popular belief, money is number four on the list of what most workers want. The first three are:

The belief that their work is making a difference
The belief that their work is appreciated
More time off

When someone does something good, most of the time, all you need to do is acknowledge it.

Share the credit and take the blame. You’re a manager. You get paid extra to lead, not to grandstand when times are good or blame others when mistakes are made.

Make continuous improvement your most important goal. Whether it is improving people, products, services or systems, continuous improvement is the most important thing you have to accomplish each day. Complacency is your enemy and it will destroy your organization.

Think ahead. As a manager, you are supposed to plan weeks, months, or years ahead. If you are not doing this, perhaps you need to:

Learn effective delegating. I’ve seen too many managers who like to wallow in minutia and “to do” lists because it makes them feel useful. When you delegate, you free yourself to start the powerful process of critical thinking.

Communicate professionally. Do not gossip, finger-point, use innuendo, or any of the other amateurish tactics weak managers use to endear themselves to staff. Doing so only fosters more of the same, and if you think you’re immune to staff gossip, think again – they’ll be talking about you, too.

Stop with the meetings, already.

Let your team screw up. This also means stop micromanaging. It’s amazing how much people can accomplish when they don’t have management over their shoulder every minute. Sometimes they’ll make mistakes. But from my experience, I’ll take the liberated team over the oppressed team in a heartbeat.

Spend time with your family. Successful managers also manage their home lives, too. I don’t care who you are, who employs you, or how well you do your job… One day, you’ll be gone. But your family is forever.

Do your best, everyday. If you do your best everyday, you will earn respect, recognition, and admiration and greatly reduce the chances you will ever be unemployed.

I Won’t Engage in Dialog! And You Can’t Make Me!

In his March 27 edition of District Office To Staff (DOTS), out-of-town Superintendent Fred Navarro (he lives in Long Beach), wrote extensively about a recent story in the Daily Pilot “regarding the development of a certificated seniority list in our district” and about “erroneous statements made during public comment at the March 24, Board meeting suggesting that the District is preparing this list for a layoff.” You can read the whole thing below, or you can read my completely unbiased and impartial reaction that follows.  ; )

Here ‘ya go:

Let’s assume for the moment that everything The Out-Of-Town Superintendent (TOOTS) wrote is true. And let’s assume that the passage “We do not anticipate a layoff anytime in the near future” is not meant to contain the “out” should layoffs do happen. (“Hey! I wrote ‘anticipate’ and I wrote ‘near future!'”)

And let’s assume for the moment that TOOTS did not appear to put all the blame for the seniority fiasco on ex-HR chief John Caldecott.

Even if we assume all of this to be true, it does not address the larger issue at stake: TOOTS does not like to engage in meaningful dialog. This divisive, destructive management style has been apparent to me at multiple board meetings and now supported by the information in this newsletter.

TOOTS had a perfect opportunity to engage the public comments speaker at the 3/24 meeting. Instead, that person, an executive with the Newport-Mesa Federation of Teachers was addressed moments before the close of the meeting when it was the time in the agenda for TOOTS to offer his comments. No response was able to be made because, IMO, TOOTS wasn’t interested in hearing one. He wanted the final word and assumed that the whole thing was over because he had spoken

And even though the Daily Pilot has a very liberal comments/reply policy and IMO would gladly have printed a lengthier response as a Commentary column, there was neither a reply nor a column.

“I can’t hear you, I can’t hear you, I can’t hear you la la la la la…”

(image source: thebehaviorsolution.com)

Experienced managers are probably already way ahead of me. They know that had there been some sort of reply at the meeting and in the paper, the way secure, transparent leadership is conducted, the message in the newsletter either may not have been needed, or it would have been dramatically different – more positive and reassuring.

Instead, TOOTS defaulted to a cheap shot with finger-pointing and blame placing, laying, seemingly, all the woes at the feet of a guy who is no longer employed at the district and as such has fewer opportunities to protect his reputation. John Caldecott is no longer there – he was fired shortly after pointing out what he believed were financial improprieties.

That type of leadership does not foster an engaged, motivated team, it supports an atmosphere of gossip, whispers, and innuendo. The folks who work for the N-MUSD are smart and they know if TOOTS will throw an ex-employee under the bus, again, anyone is fair game.

(image source: pinterest.com)

I heard a rumor that the Staff is preparing its own reply via a newsletter that will be called “Staff To Office Personnel,” or, – wait for it – STOP.

Fun AND Educational!

There aren’t a lot of blogs on the Internet where you can get amused and educated at the same time. But humor is an excellent teacher. So good, in fact that the American Psychological Assn. believes that, “… a growing body of research suggests that, when used effectively, classroom comedy can improve student performance by reducing anxiety, boosting participation and increasing students’ motivation to focus on the material.”

So, let’s begin…

Today’s lesson is on Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson, a Civil War Confederate general considered to be one of America’s most brilliant war strategists. His nickname, “Stonewall,” was earned in battle. From Wikipedia: “Jackson rose to prominence and earned his most famous nickname at the First Battle of Bull Run (First Manassas) on July 21, 1861. As the Confederate lines began to crumble under heavy Union assault, Jackson’s brigade provided crucial reinforcements on Henry House Hill, demonstrating the discipline he instilled in his men. Brig. Gen. Barnard Elliott Bee, Jr., exhorted his own troops to re-form by shouting, “There is Jackson standing like a stone wall. Let us determine to die here, and we will conquer. Rally behind the Virginians!”

Since then, “stonewalling” has become such an accepted term, it appears in dictionaries. Its exact definition is “blocking or stalling John Caldecott’s request for transparency, especially intentionally.”

“I will not release those documents!”

(image source: civilwarartist.com)

Stonewalling has been a successful school board tactic for decades. Unable or unwilling to directly face many problems before it, district officials and the board ignore controversies and scandals and hope they go away. As I’ve written many times, I do not blame them for resorting to stonewalling as it has been an extremely successful way of handling tough situations.

But it’s not how we teach our kids to handle problems. Well, more exactly, it’s not how I teach my kids how to handle problems. I didn’t teach them to stonewall, I taught them to run away.

Just kidding.

Now it appears that Caldecott isn’t the only one who is being stonewalled. Last January, in an effort to get some firm data on a nagging and important problem, Trustee Vicki Snell requested a report showing which school fields were being used by youth sports organizations, and when they were being used. An excellent idea.

To date, however, there has been no further public discussion of Snell’s request and as far as I can determine, no report has been created.

The stonewalling continues… Last Tuesday, I requested the name of a district official who appeared for a moment (about four working days, actually) on a job description for yet two more management positions. The person’s title is “Associate Superintendent, Chief Academic Officer.”

So who is this person? I’d love to tell you that my e-mail request to our out-of-town Superintendent Fred Navarro (he lives in Long Beach) and board president Martha Fluor (she lives here) was answered promptly. But I can’t tell you that because it wasn’t.

So, the stonewalling continues. I take solace in the fact that not only is humor a good teacher, so is history: Jackson’s side lost the war.

Miss Me Yet?

Claude Rains is Alive!!!

Some readers may recall that Rains was an excellent actor who had prominent roles in such classics as “Casablanca” and “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.” For many fans, however, Rains is best remembered for his part as “Griffin,” the Invisible Man.

I thought of Griffin recently as I read the job description for the two new and, presumably, high-paying management positions posted on the district’s website. In the “Position Description” for Executive Director Education Services, Elementary, and Executive Director Education Services, Secondary, was an indication of the chain of command for the job, which read, “Under the general direction of the  Associate Superintendent, Chief Academic Officer…”

The problem that I saw was that at this time, the district does not have an Associate Superintendent, Chief Academic Officer.

So, I did what any curious and responsible citizen would do – I e-mailed out-of-town Supt. Navarro (he lives in Long Beach) on Tuesday, about 48 hours ago, and requested the name of this “Griffin” – this invisible person known as the “Associate Superintendent, Chief Academic Officer.” And I copied Trustee Martha Fluor.

I have not yet had a response from Navarro or Fluor.

Transparency is the New Black

According to my records the job postings for the positions of Executive Director Education Services, Elementary, and Executive Director Education Services, Secondary were posted last Friday, March 20. As of today, those job posts are no longer on the district’s website.  These two positions, both of which were available only to internal candidates, were on the website less than one week and less than five full business days. That’s not a lot of time to get the word out that two plum jobs are available.

So, you may wonder, why would the district post these key senior positions for only a few days? I’ve been wondering the same thing.

But wait, there’s more!

In the job description for these two positions, under Duties and Responsibilities, it reads:

“Keeps confidences and presents the truth in an appropriate and helpful manner.”

This reads to me like an attempt to close the barn door that John Caldecott has swung wide open.

And if you are old enough to remember Claude Rains, you’re old enough to remember the classic slogan/question from National Airlines, which I have modified to read, “Is this any way to run a school district?”

What’s Good for Lennox is Good Enough For Newport-Mesa.

Or is it?

Of all the wishes, desires, or goals taxpayers may have for their school district, there are two basics:

1. Spend taxpayer dollars VERY carefully

2. Improve performance

Right now, the Newport-Mesa Unified School District is operating in the red. There is a good chance that this deficit spending will continue into fiscal year 2015-16 and no plan to balance the budget has been publicly announced.

As for performance, keeping the Newport Beach schools performing at a high level is much easier than trying to improve the performance of Costa Mesa’s Westside elementary schools, which I have noted for years have been underperforming to the point where four of them qualified last year for takeover under California’s Parent Empowerment (Trigger) Act.

When ex-Supt. Jeffrey Hubbard was fired after his conviction on two felony counts (his convictions were overturned in Jan., 2014), the district started searching for a new super. I believed then, and still believe that past academic administrative performance success is an excellent indicator of future behavior. This concept is used in many parts of our society, including athletics. I used to know someone close to legendary college basketball coach John Wooden. I was told by this mutual friend that when Wooden sent his recruiting team out each year, he told them to first focus not on height or shooting percentage or the number of rebounds, he told them to look for winners. If a good-playing kid was on a winning team, he had an advantage over a superstar on a losing team. Wooden won more NCAA championships than any coach in history because he recruited players with a track record of success. It’s not rocket surgery.

During the superintendent recruitment process, I used my Daily Pilot column to recommend that the school board hire someone who has expertise in turning around failing schools, arguing that the Newport Beach schools were doing just fine and should not be tinkered with – that it was time to devote more resources to Costa Mesa’s Westside elementary schools. I even recommended someone. In my Daily Pilot Column of January 31, 2012, I recommended, “…Angel Barrett, the principal of Plummer Elementary School in North Hills, a suburb of Los Angeles. Barrett has helped create a culture of learning at Plummer despite the usual excuses of cultural differences and economic hardships.

“Here is what the Los Angeles Daily News wrote about Barrett on July 2, 2009: ‘When Angel Barrett arrived at Plummer Elementary School, the North Hills campus was failing, test scores were sagging and student achievement was low.

“‘A decade later, thanks to Barrett’s hard work, Plummer has turned around. Test scores are soaring above the state and district average, and the school is no longer marked as a program improvement school under No Child Left Behind guidelines.'”

After Hubbard was fired, “Newport-Mesa held an extensive search process and received over 50 applications. After initial screening and background checks, the Board interviewed 6 candidates. The finalists were forwarded for interviews by the 26 member Community Interview Committee. After considerable discussion, the Board selected Dr. Fred Navarro as its top candidate.” (District press release 6/22/12) To the best of my knowledge, Barrett was not contacted, nor has anyone in the district traveled the 60 miles since to see what she is doing right and what we can use here at home.

At the time, Navarro was the super at the Lennox School District. What the board either overlooked or discounted were test results that John Wooden may have used to choose someone else. Here’s how it works…

There are five categories of STAR results: Advanced, Proficient, Basic, Below Basic, and Far Below Basic.  For any parent, Proficient should be the lowest level they would want their child to achieve because Basic is nothing to write (or e-mail) home about. The official definition of Basic is:

“Basic: This level represents a limited performance. Students demonstrate a partial and rudimentary understanding of the knowledge and skills measured by this assessment, at this grade, in this content area.”

“Limited performance.” Yikes. So here is the Reader’s Digest version of the 2012 California Standards Test results for English-Language Arts (ELA) in the Lennox School District – around the time Navarro was being scrutinized. Shown is the grade followed by the percentage of students in that grade who scored Basic or worse. EX: 2/41 = Second grade/41% of the students scored Basic or worse. All data is from the Ca. Dept. of Ed.

Buford:  2/55   3/72   4/37
Felton:     2/59     3/63     4/44
Huerta:     2/54     3/65     4/49     5/51
Jefferson:     2/55     3/63     4/45     5/51
Moffett:     2/61     3/74     4/43     5/55
Lennox M.S.:    6/47     7/52     8/59

These are not winning ELA scores, but Navarro was hired anyway.

Now we have a superintendent who during his brief tenure:

• has a budget that is in the red with no announced plan to balance it
• is being accused by an ex-member of his cabinet of “improper governmental activities”
• is being accused by the same person of creating a “hostile and abusive working environment”
• has not announced the district’s cyber security policy to inform taxpayers how another grade-hacking incident is not likely at CdM or any other school
• is either unable or unwilling to provide sufficient teacher support to turnaround Costa Mesa’s Westside elementary schools
• has failed to properly mediate the use of Costa Mesa’s school fields for youth sports, choosing instead to send a letter to the city’s Fairview Park Citizens Advisory Committee urging them to find a solution. (That’s code for “create fields at Fairview Park.”)
• is overseeing the transition to Common Core, which will be tested against a new test, not the old one, so taxpayers, parents and educators will have no way of knowing whether it is working

Since he was hired, Navarro has been given multiple salary increases.

I’m thinking John Wooden may have looked around a little more.

What I Wrote in 2012

(Note: This is my Daily Pilot column from April 3, 2012 – three years ago. At the time, the school board was searching for a new superintendent. When you read it, you will understand how after all of the screening was completed, we wound up with a super who has us operating in the red with no real effect on the improvement of Costa Mesa’s Westside elementary schools. Oh, and we have a few more scandals and controversies, too.)

City Life: Ten requirements for the next superintendent

 Nine people can judge whether laws passed by Congress are constitutional.

Twelve people on a jury can convict someone of murder and, in some states, give the possibility that he will be sentenced to death.

There are countries in which one person makes the decision to go to war.

But the combined wisdom of the education experts on Bear Street determined that it will take 31 people to screen the candidates for our next school superintendent.

The list of the sections of the community from which the candidates were selected reads more like a team created not because it brings some particular education expertise to the table, but because someone did not want to exclude or offend anyone. This huge committee all but guarantees competing priorities, so to help smooth the process, here is a list of qualities, credentials and experience on which the Newport-Mesa Unified committee should focus.

Eleven Costa Mesa schools are on Program Improvement status, meaning there are specific actions that must be taken because they are not meeting various academic goals. A few of these schools are just flat out failing.

So, first and foremost, the new superintendent should have success in turning around failing schools. It is so important that it is a deal-breaker. Those without turnaround experience need not apply. This requirement isn’t only first, it is second and third as well.

Fourth, the new superintendent must have his or her fiscal priorities in order. If the new superintendent supports an annual travel and conference budget of $221,052 while some teachers are asking for Ticonderoga pencils, the new superintendent had better be able to draw a direct line from the meetings to school improvement.

Fifth, the superintendent should have a higher sense of accountability than his predecessors or the current members of the school board. For instance, every conference or meeting off-site should be followed up by a written report or summary stating whom was there, what was discussed, and most important, what was learned that will help our schools and how and when it will be implemented.

Sixth, the new schools chief should have a thick skin. The candidate should invite criticism, even if those delivering it don’t always provide a solution.

Seventh, the new superintendent should have experience with written travel guidelines to prevent any misuse of public funds. There is no need for a task force to develop the guidelines, as there are hundreds of them in existence.

Eighth, the new superintendent should have experience in long- and short-term goal-setting and developing not only the appropriate strategies and tactics to achieve them, but also the checkpoints along the way to ensure that the proper course is being followed.

Ninth, the new superintendent will understand the importance of developing a lobbying effort in Sacramento to reduce the amount of curriculum required of many courses in our schools. Many teachers have too much to teach. Reducing the curriculum will help ensure that what does get taught will get taught well.

Tenth, we need to find someone who won’t mind if teachers speak out. When teachers at some campuses approach a newspaper columnist with information instead of approaching a principal or district official, they do so because they fear retaliation. This is not the atmosphere we want for the people who have to teach our children.

Finally, the new superintendent will understand that our school district is comprised of two unique education communities and that homogenization of the schools in each should be avoided. Public funds should be fairly distributed among the schools in the district, of course, but any foundation or other additional revenue that is generated should stay in that school unless the foundation or other fundraising entity decides otherwise.

See? Selecting a new superintendent is easy!

What You Did Not See. Or Hear…

At some future school board meeting, I may decide to count the number of times I hear hear the trustees use the words “exciting” or “amazing” when describing something they saw or someone they heard. (Trustee Charlene Metoyer used each word during her comment time.) Regulars at these meetings are used to this gushing, but it may be amusing to those who do not. I may add “fabulous” to that scorekeeping, too.

At last night’s amazing and exciting school board presentation, John Caldecott spoke for more than his allotted three minutes, testing the patience of board president Martha Fluor, who showed ample restraint and respect. Caldecott pushed the envelope because he wanted the trustees to know – again – that they may have not gotten all of the information they needed – and should have requested – before Caldecott was terminated in January.

You can read the Daily Pilot’s summary of his comments by clicking here. What I want you to know is what I saw and what happens next.

Last night he peeled the curtain back just a bit to let the Trustees know that there is more to the story than what they had been told. During his comments, all of the trustees paid very close attention to him. The out-of-town superintendent did not. Supt. Fred Navarro of Long Beach barely looked up at Caldecott and had no comments when Caldecott was done.

And there lies my concern. After Caldecott was done, not one of the trustees asked him anything – not a single question. If asked why, they may tell you that it’s a legal matter, blah, blah, blah, but there are a number of questions they could have asked that would not have directly reflected on the case. But they did not.

After Caldecott spoke, three taxpayers expressed their concerns with Common Core. One of them, Ruth Fant, sent the trustees a link to a video of a prominent teacher describing Common Core’s failings. I will get that link and post it shortly. These speakers were followed by someone requesting more attention to the campus at Early College High School (which is coming), and wrapped up by Nicholas Dix, the Executive Director of the Newport-Mesa Federation of Teachers, who questioned the out-of-town superintendent’s decision to add more upper management at a time when the district is using its reserves to pay its bills. Dix got a response – more on that below.

There were no questions or dialog with the three Common Core speakers, and no questions or comments for Dix – sort of. The out-of-town supt. had a response for Dix and he should have given it to him when Dix was at the podium, but in an attempt to be clever, he waited until the very end of the meeting when it was his turn to talk to tell Dix that, in short, the new hires would not affect the budget. (I’m skeptical of that, but let’s put that on hold.) Once he finished, the meeting was adjourned. No dialog with Dix, end of story.

Except that’s not the end of the story. Not only will there be several sets of eyes watching these new hires and their budget impact, there are now more people who understand that this is not a superintendent who seems to want to engage people. As long-time, successful senior manager, I can tell you that the worst way to resolve any conflict or confusion is to stifle conversation about it. But that’s exactly what Navarro tried to do. The out-of-town superintendent (who, BTW, does not seem to know what a QR code is) waited until the end of the meeting to tell Dix what he should have told him an hour earlier because apparently he was not interested in dialog, he was interested – and is interested – only in advancing whatever is on his agenda. Unfortunately, the trustees, whose string of 7-0 votes continued last night, aren’t challenging him. For Navarro, it’s a perfect arrangement. For taxpayers, eh, not so much.

Last night we also got a summary of a trip to Nashville by Metoyer and fellow Trustee Vicki Snell. Nashville was the location of a meeting of the National School Board Assn. Snell was “impressed” by the workshops and speakers but taxpayers were not told by either attendee how this trip and the resulting expense would directly affect student academic performance. Though I believe in this age of technology that these conferences are dinosaurs, I have no objection to them if a line can be drawn from the attendance to improved academic performance. Otherwise, as far as this taxpayer is concerned, conferences are a waste of money.

So let’s recap the current scandals and controversies:

Budget – The district is operating in the red and no specific plan is yet in place to balance the budget. New programs and hiring continue, and why shouldn’t they? There’s always more taxpayer money to pay for things down the road.

CdM Cheating Scandal – There is no public statement of the district’s cyber security program and until taxpayers are informed otherwise, grade hacking could occur on any campus at any time.

Common Core – This new academic program will be tested using a new test, not the old STAR test, which means that they are testing nothing. Even though the state has eliminated STAR testing, it is still available for use by individual districts, according to my recent conversation with someone from the state Dept. of Ed. So how will parents and taxpayers know if Common Core works? They won’t.

Adams Elementary – A fence will be surrounding the entire school, unlike the fence at a similar school in Newport Beach,  and contrary to what residents/taxpayers were told last year. (When asked about the design flip-flop, Susan Astarita, Assistant Superintendent, Elementary Education, replied, “We changed our minds.”) There’s also the failure to attract more Mesa Verde parents to this school.

Westside Costa Mesa Elementary Schools – Academic performance still suffering from years of neglect, despite a talented, dedicated team of teachers.

Fields – Despite a request from Snell in January, the district has not produced a report showing which youth athletic teams are using (our) school fields, when, and where. They encouraged Costa Mesa’s Fairview Park Citizens Advisory Committee to find a solution.

John Caldecott – Have you ever tried to pull a toy out of a dog’s mouth? That’s how mightily Caldecott is holding on to his case in his pursuit of justice.

Then there are contract negotiations with teachers. That story is just beginning.

In the meantime, the board will continue to hand out feel-good awards at many meetings and act concerned when taxpayers speak. It’s an exciting and amazing time.

 

Gone, But Not Forgotten, Part II

There is this other matter… John Caldecott. Remember him? He’s the district’s ex-human resources guy who dared to raise questions about what he believes are improprieties in the district as well as the creation of a “hostile working environment.”

Caldecot’s not going away, either. Next month, he will have his day in court, at which time taxpayers will either get the transparency they want and need (and which is being provided by the cities of Costa Mesa and Newport Beach, thank you very much), or that day will be delayed a bit longer. Ultimately,  however,  the documents that support Caldecott’s assertions of unethical behavior and his subsequent termination when he asked questions will be revealed.

The whole affair has yet to be fully understood by the out-of-town superintendent (he lives in Long Beach) and the seven school board members. They do not seem to realize the eventuality of the situation and how their hard line on revealing documents is not only damaging their images, but if Caldecott is right, voters are going to have serious questions about their judgment. Coincidentally, there is a prominent national politician who is experiencing a serious fall due to a failure to release documents.

Caldecott is raising important questions about administrative protocols and spending, and about the firing of a possible whistle-blower. If for no other reason than it is the right thing to do, one of the board members has to step up and take the lead in being the responsible person voters expected when they cast their ballots. If Caldecott is wrong, great – we can all move on. But if he is right, well…

It’s easy to lead when there is plenty of money for people and programs. Anyone can look like a hero when times are good. The true test of character is how someone acts when things get rough; when a decision has to be made between protecting someone and fulfilling one’s obligations to the people who elected you.

Those people did not vote for a person as much as they voted for what that person represents. Even a cynic like me wants to believe that when the time comes, fairness, responsibility, and a strong moral compass will drive decision-making. But it’s hard to hold that line when the only side we’re hearing is from a guy who’s not asking for money, he’s asking for truth, accountability, and justice.

Gone, But Not Forgotten

Last Thursday, I called Gerald Rubright down in San Clemente. Rubright is the attorney for Timothy Lai, who has been charged with “one felony charge of second-degree commercial burglary and four felony counts of computer access and fraud.” (OC Register, 3/20/15)

Lai is the tutor who “is accused of breaking into a campus building [at Corona del Mar High] and placing a USB device on a teacher’s computer that was capable of recording keystrokes. Authorities think that by using information gleaned from that device, Lai was able to access the school’s network and change several students’ grades.” (OC Register 3/20/15)

I called Rubright to get an update on the status of Lai’s case as there had been little news since his arrest. Coincidentally, the next day, the story broke that Lai “will face more than a dozen additional felony charges for accessing school computers.” (OC Register 3/20/15)

Lai “is now being charged with 16 other felony counts of computer access and fraud.” (OC Register 3/20/15)

In their attempt to sweep yet another scandal under the rug, the school board bungled the investigation and the disciplinary action against the students. Though only a handful of students were held accountable for their actions, the OC Register story reported that “Some parents claimed that as many as 150 students may have been involved.”

After Lai was arrested last October, the district issued a statement that said, essentially, that because Lai was in custody it was now a criminal case and there would be no more comments. The equivalent of “We’re sweeping this under the rug.” I don’t blame them for doing this – the strategy has worked for years.

But there is one question regarding this case that the district has yet to answer, one that transcends Lai’s alleged crimes or the handling of the discipline. What taxpayers need to know now are the steps that have been taken to prevent this from happening again. And, digging deeper, Lai’s alleged crime was amateurish – no self-respecting hacker would think of breaking into a building to gain access to a computer and have to install a device on it – they would do it from their bedroom in their pajamas.

So what is the district’s cyber security policy? They’re not saying.

Taxpayers don’t need details on the cyber security policy. After all, we wouldn’t want to give away information to potential hackers. But taxpayers do deserve to know whether and how often the district’s academic performance information is protected.

Until we know that, why shouldn’t some folks be skeptical about all of the grades and test scores in all of the schools?

You won’t be hearing any general information about the district’s cyber security policy anytime soon – if ever. That would draw attention to the CdM cheating scandal and that one has already been swept under the rug.