THRESHOLD OF INCONVENIENCE
Can you identify the hurdles in your life making tasks greater... enough to make you give up? Post-pandemic "prying" parents and/or city citizens should push through.
Every week, we check upcoming public meeting agendas to see what kind of change is ahead.
Monday night, June 19, 2023, is the monthly Governing Board Meeting for Buckeye Union High School District.
What we don’t see on the agenda is discussion for naming valedictorians and salutatorians or reviewing the fairness of GPA ranking.
What we DO see are two measures making access to view its decision-making process a little more difficult. Not impossible. Just inconvenient.
BUHSD Agenda Item 6.13: Discussion and Consideration of Current Practice of Video Streaming and Posting Written Meeting Minutes
The District has live streamed its board meetings for quite some time. But unlike neighboring districts, the live streams disappear as soon as the meetings conclude. They’re not published to a YouTube Channel nor filed away and searchable on the BUHSD website. They’re just… gone from convenient access.
“Administration believes that this practice has sufficiently met the needs of the district.” - BUHSD Governing Board Agenda Item 6.13 | June 19, 2023
*DOES* this practice meet the needs of the district?
The public must rely on meeting minutes to accurately reflect discussions between administration and governing board members.
It’s not like the Buckeye Union High School District can’t or doesn’t have access to YouTube. In fact, the district DOES have a YouTube Channel. Dr. Steve Bebee has one video on the channel promoting his Aspiring Administrator Academy.
Here are a few YouTube Channels for surrounding school districts:
Tomorrow night’s agenda notes BUHSD *admin* made the decision to not make meeting videos available after recordings. *Admin* also made a decision regarding it’s records request policy.
BUHSD AGENDA ITEM 6.12: Discussion and Consideration of Policy KDB-R Public's Right To Know / Freedom Of Information
“Although regulations do not require board approval, administration is requesting review and approval.” - BUHSD Governing Board Agenda Item 6.12 | June 19, 2023
Commercial FOIA requests at Buckeye Union High School District require a “commercial purpose for which the copies, printouts, or photographs (electronic or paper) will be used.“
The policy gives power to Superintendent Dr. Bebee to, “determine that the intended commercial use is a misuse of the requested public records or is an abuse of the right to receive public records, the Superintendent may apply to the Governor requesting that the Governor, by executive order, prohibit the furnishing of copies, printouts or photographs (electronic or paper) for such commercial purpose.”
The hurdles to get the information aren’t impossible… nor difficult. But you do have to keep at it.
THE PUBLIC’S RIGHT TO KNOW
This happened after I filed a Freedom of Information request last fall.
The Buckeye Union High School District’s Twitter account blocked West Valley Families in October 2022 as we continued investigating its spending on a literacy program called “Educational Epiphany.”
HOW MUCH DOES EQUITY IN EDUCATION COST?
Dr. Donyall Dickey is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of a company called “Educational Epiphany.” I’ve contacted his business number numerous times, (leaving messages with ‘Jerry’), and even sent over another request through his website for an interview this week. But my requests have not been returned. I have not stopped trying.
“Educational Epiphany is a highly sought-after consulting and publishing company with a proven track record.”
We’ve discovered through workshops and educational materials, that K-12 school districts across the country pay thousands - even MILLIONS - of dollars for Dr. Dickey’s education equity program.
In a scroll through social media, Dr. Dickey appears to be a very well-liked professional who brings a well-received message of instructional performance to teachers and staffs.
Here is a social media post by Dr. Donyall Dickey during his SECOND trip to Estrella Foothills High School in 2022. He brought a film crew with him.
According to his SHOP link, Educational Epiphany Professional Development Workshops and Services start at $3,500. But taxpayers in the BUHS district pay twice as much.
The Buckeye Union High School District paid Dr. Dickey $7,000 for his first speaker fee in 2021.
Dr. Dickey’s speaker fees have gone up to $7,500 - a day - in 2023.
Last fall, I delivered a cashier’s check for 4-dollars and 90-cents to the District office for the records. After discussion with Dr. Bebee, the District unblocked my Twitter account that day, too.
My next request this spring was much easier. Superintendent Bebee had the records available at the closest school and I was able to pay by credit card. The process IS much more convenient.
While filing records requests isn’t a new concept for me… many concerned parents across the country are using the tool of transparency to find out what’s happening in their children’s classrooms.
“The pandemic opened the eyes of many parents as they finally got a front-row seat to their child’s education. Unfortunately, it exposed the inequities in their school’s curriculum and instructional methods, prompting some families to enroll their children in private schools or even homeschool. Now, parents are digging even deeper, right down to the discussions being held in the classroom, in their quest to determine whether teachers are teaching “appropriate” material.” -’Prying Parents or Informed Citizens?’ LINK
MAKING THE EFFORT TO UNRAVEL THE COST OF EQUITY
We’ve been investigating Dr. Dickey’s success in the Buckeye Union High School District because the BIGGEST cost is to STUDENTS.
SY2021-22 State Wide Assessment Results show the district may in fact need a better way to help our kids.
An average of 22% of students are proficient in English Language Arts. More than half of BUHSD students could be considered struggling in ELA.
It’s important to us at West Valley Families to have all the facts.
We want to see the 2nd year of state testing results under Educational Epiphany. So be sure to subscribe to find out more once state testing results are released in the fall.
BREAKING DOWN THE BARRIERS
The reason we’re willing to follow the district dollars… is because taxpayers are forking out hundreds of thousands of dollars on this one program. Hear what Dr. Dickey says about the money to be made on the backs of students.
“A whole lot of folks make a whole lot of money on the underperformance of our children. I came to shut it down.”
At the tune of $335,000+ for this one program in the west Valley… a program of literacy flashcards and posters… it would be helpful if the Buckeye Union High School District could make its meeting videos available on its YouTube Channel or website.
Afterall, Dr. Bebee realizes the importantance of the people who make up governing boards. Here he is speaking on the topic from 2022.
What do our governing board members have to say about these expenditures for Educational Epiphany? Well. You may not know if you don’t attend or watch the meetings live online.
Take a look at how much each item costs.
JEN’S TWO CENTS
Teachers across the Buckeye Union High School District have offered postitive feedback of Dr. Dickey… and not-so-postive feedback. I’ll continue to try to connect with him. He’ll be speaking August 25th & 26th at the next BUHSD professional development session. According to the records, Dr. Dickey’s already been paid for those two days.
What is the Threshold of Inconvenience?
Mind for Life describes it this way…
“Here’s the principle in its most basic form: the first obstacle to overcome in almost every situation has to do with inconvenience.“
“We must adapt to our environment because we don’t usually have the power to force our environment to adapt to us.”
Never let inconvenience stop you from seeking truth.