Ed roundup: KHSD spent $2.3 million on lawsuits in three years, report says
| Wednesday, Aug 18 2010 05:30 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, Aug 18 2010 05:30 PM
Twelve California public school districts have spent nearly $100 million in the last three years on lawsuits, including $2.3 million in the Kern High School District, money that could have gone toward educating students, a lawsuit-abuse awareness group argued in a report released Wednesday.
California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse examined three years worth of verdicts, settlements and costs of counsel at 12 districts that included Fresno Unified and Los Angeles Unified school districts. It found that in 2006-07, KHSD spent $601,362 on outside counsel costs and settlements and jury awards; it was $693,254 in 2007-08 and $712,413 in 2008-09.
Of the $2.3 million spent at KHSD, only $283,700 was on settlements and jury awards, the report said.
"At a time when a record number of our schools are in financial trouble and further education cuts could be looming ahead, we cannot afford to allow these litigation costs to grow unchecked," Tom Scott, executive director of the group, said in a statement. "California continues to rank among the most litigious states in every study yet we rank at the bottom in many measures of student performance. The more dollars our schools have to pay in litigation costs, the less we have to improve our students' performance."
The group claims the $98.7 million spent in three years could have paid the salaries of more than 1,530 teachers, purchased nearly 600 new school buses, bought more than 1.1 million school desks or purchased 246,762 desktop computer packages.
KHSD was asked through a public records request for the information, spokesman John Teves said, and the district responded "in good faith." What the district spends on litigation costs is likely a fraction of what KHSD would have to spend otherwise if lawsuits were not disputed.
"Each case has to be addressed on its merits," Teves said.
In a news release by the Lawsuit Abuse group, KHSD Trustee Ken Mettler said: "We can't even afford to bus our kids to school and yet we're forced to spend more than $2 million in litigation costs in just three years. It seems to me we should be looking at ways to get our money out of the courtroom and back into the classroom where it belongs."
The report references several Californian articles including one from earlier this year highlighting personal injury claims against local schools, districts and employees becoming more common. That story discussed how officials felt most of the cases were frivolous, and that claim filers were more concerned with money than the well-being of the injured. Others viewed the lawsuits as a way to protect those hurt.
The report, however, also misrepresents other Californian stories, such as one on local schools auctioning items and another on district travel policies. The report states KHSD "was forced to auction off and recycle items like buses and student desks to raise money for its general fund," and that "travel for athletic teams and field trips also have been eliminated."
In actuality, school supply auctions -- though more valuable in times of financial hardship -- are routine. And travel in KHSD was not eliminated, but limited.
The group conducting the report is a nonpartisan, grassroots organizations dedicated to educating the public about the negative effects of lawsuit abuse and challenging those who abuse our legal system for personal gain.
For a link to the full report, go to The Californian's education blog, The Grade.
First Book-Bakersfield is accepting applications for a fall book distribution program for eligible pre-kindergarten through second grade classes in Kern County.
Twenty classes will be selected to receive a series of six books (one per month) for each student beginning in late October. Applications are available from Friday to Sept. 24 at the following locations: KGET TV-17, 2120 L St.; Beale Memorial Library, 701 Truxtun Ave.; and Kern County Superintendent of Schools, 1300 17th St.
Applications must be postmarked or received by Sept. 24. Send them to First Book-Bakersfield, P.O. Box 2503, Bakersfield, CA 93303.
Organizations wishing to apply for First Book distributions must meet the following eligibility requirements: incorporate literacy and reading as part of their program activities; serve children and families from low-income households; provide multiple book distributions to each child in the program; and support the child's ongoing education outside the classroom.
First Book-Bakersfield is a local advisory board of First Book, a national nonprofit group dedicated to providing children from low-income families their first new books. The Bakersfield branch was formed in 2001, and has distributed more than 14,000 books to 3,200 pre-kindergarten through second-grade students in Kern County.
From the blogs: Last month, I wrote a story on schools working to make it clear to parents and students that if cell phones continue to distract daily school operations, there will be consequences.
School officials were fed up with students using phones to cheat, make threats and sometimes share pornographic pictures with friends.
Taft Union High School District was one district that made changes: revising its cell phone policy to include a step-system of punishments for students breaking rules: from confiscation to expulsion.
But one high school in Texas apparently has put a notice on campus to students: use a cell phone and you'll face a $15 fine.
Fair? To chime in and read more about cell phone policies in schools, go to The Grade.
-- Jorge Barrientos, Californian staff writer
