State School Board Candidate Joel Wright in District 9 posted these shocking screenshots to Facebook exposing a pretty clear cut case of unethical engagement by ASD board member JoDee Sundberg and a principal who in turn appears to have violated election laws to support JoDee’s campaign.
What you can read below is a textbook case of how the entrenched establishment works. They elect someone like JoDee Sundberg or John Burton who do anything the district asks of them, and then to get re-elected, turn to the establishment to protect them. They are a massive political party that citizens have an extremely difficult time defeating. What you are about to read is yet another major reason for partisan school board elections in Utah so that citizens have an opportunity to run for school board and be vetted by a smaller number of elected delegates who can dig into a candidate and ignore the sound bites and get to the heart of issues.
Read the fear that fills these emails. They are in full panic mode. The game plan never changes…total fearmongering against those who think independently and challenge the status quo. Look at the nonsense that Wendy Hart’s opponent has published about her, causing Wendy to write a full rebuttal (particularly troubling after she had the nerve to walk out before the debate last week).
http://wendy4asd.blogspot.com/2014/10/why-have-school-board-taxation-without.html
Start with JoDee Sundberg’s letter below as she pleads for help to school employees on their school email accounts, endangering numerous ASD employees and unethically asking them to engage their subordinates. Then Principal Keith Conley responds trying to rally the troops using his school email account and engages in extreme statements and instructs his subordinates how to vote. No facts, just fear. The sky is falling if they don’t retain their power.
State law prohibits the activities of the principal. ASD’s policies have also been violated and both JoDee Sundberg (16 years on the board – can’t feign ignorance) and Principal Conley know it.
From ASD’s own policy manual:
Rules and Regulations No. 4100 (http://policy.alpinedistrict.org/policy/4100_Internet-Wide_Area_Network_Acceptable_Use_Rule)
“1.1.3 Internet services provided by the school district are not intended for personal, political or private use. Employees have no expectation of privacy associated with the use of the Internet.”
And No. 4060.1 (http://policy.alpinedistrict.org/policy/4060.1_Association_Rights_Policy)
“1.2.1 While on paid leave, certified employees may not engage in political activity including:
1.2.1.1 Actively campaigning for candidates for public office in partisan and nonpartisan elections.
1.2.1.2 Fundraising for political organizations, political parties, or candidates.”
What’s the punishment for doing so when not on leave?
Take Action – Read below and then call/write
1) Now please call the Lt. Governor’s office since Lt. Gov. Cox is in charge of elections violations. If he fails to take immediate action and waits till after the election, it will embolden the establishment that they are a law unto themselves and can get away with anything. They already have this attitude. This seems like a pretty clear violation of the law and involves a superior pressuring subordinates to take action, and using public taxpayer equipment and resources to campaign for a specific candidate.
Call Lt. Gov. Cox at: 800-995-VOTE
Write him at: http://www.utah.gov/ltgovernor/contact/
2) Then call Governor Herbert and make sure he steps up and enforces the law. The Governor cannot simply brush this off. Tell him to support partisan elections. His office can be reached at 801-538-1000.
3) Finally, if you’re able, attend Alpine School District’s board meeting Tuesday night at Westfield Elementary (380 S. Long Drive, Alpine, Utah) at 6:00 PM. You must sign up prior to the meeting starting to make public comment so be a few minutes early if you’d like to ask how ASD handles infractions of their policies particularly when a school board member and principal are involved.
Here’s the stunning exchange. Summary follows:
What do you think? Is JoDee’s email ethical? Would you vote for her? Here’s a quick bullet list of a sitting board member communicating with ASD principals whose livelihood can be affected by board decisions.
- I need your teachers’ help
- I need them to walk neighborhoods and campaign for me
- They need to share a message about how wonderful the schools are because of my efforts because my opponent will destroy it all if he’s elected
- Also I need our other service personnel and administrators to help
- If our teachers won’t help, I NEED TO KNOW and my campaign is sunk
- My opponent will dismantle ASD because he’s an extremist while I am completely objective and normal
- I am visiting SCHOOL COMMUNITY COUNCILS (another election law violation for SCC’s that don’t give equal time to all opponents)
- I need the teachers to vote and take 5 people with them
- I know I’m begging you but I need your help
- I need your money and John Burton needs your money
- After a meeting where Wendy Hart had the nerve to bring up state laws she’d researched about clubs engaged in sexual topics, we barely passed the motion to support the gay/straight alliance club, and if I’m not re-elected things will get much worse
No summary of Principal Conley’s letter is needed. Unfortunately, this principal has crossed the line.
*******************
Please everyone, get out the vote for Maynard Olsen in Orem, Wendy Hart in Alpine, Highland, and Cedar Hills, and Chris Jolly in American Fork.
How can anyone teach ethics if one has none of their own?
I would be careful. JoDee Sundburg did not use her ASD email, she used a personal hotmail account. She used email addresses that are easily found on the internet. She never asked for anyone to use their ASD accounts to promote her campaign. She asks for teachers to share their feelings, she doesn’t tell them what their feelings are, she asks them to let her know if their feelings are not what she has perceived their feelings to be. To say that this is an election violation may be a stretch. It looks to be a found and used loophole in the law, something that our Legislature and US Congress loves to do!
CC, if you can’t acknowledge the unethical behavior of JoDee Sundberg, you must be a strong supporter of hers. She’s clearly asking them to campaign and fund raise for her. Whether or not JoDee broke the law, I’m not certain, but the principal clearly did. There are election laws against using taxpayer resources to campaign. He crossed the line and JoDee clearly pressured people who know she has the ability to affect their position in the district. JoDee put all these people at risk. Is this who you want on the school board? No need to answer that. I already know your answer. How about Lynne Mower’s accusations of Wendy Hart? Do you agree with those tactics?
The issue CC is pointing out is not a debate if the behavior was unethical. I think she is saying your accusations are just as overboard as you claim her pleas to be.
I don’t know JoDee, and she’s not in my district, so I don’t know much about her.
Regardless, pressuring people that she has influence over for a vote is clearly an ethics violation and a huge conflict of interest. If she were working in the corporate world, it would be considered a clear violation of a typical ethics policy, and she would have been put on probation or dismissed, depending on the extent of the violation.
Additionally, while she may have used her own personal email address, she used the school email addresses of those that she sent the emails to and encouraged them to violate the policy, implicating multiple people for her own gain.
“Davies and fellow trustee Maynard Olsen resigned in May to settle lawsuits challenging their legal residency in the district”
Can you please address this quote I found online from a SD newspaper?
Inasmuch as the same person has been posting challenges to Maynard under different names, I will respond to each of the posts with the real story. I just spoke with Maynard and here’s what happened.
Maynard Olsen moved to Utah in July 1997
At the time he was on a school board in CA.
That school board was comprised of 4 other people and 2 of them hated the other 2 and vice-versa.
They asked Maynard to stay on the board to a certain point so they wouldn’t have to have a special election for a new school board member because that would cost $500,000.
Maynard agreed to and flew down to CA at his own expense at $800/month in order to save the school district half a million dollars.
The teacher’s union asked the state AG if they could sue him as a public official over a residency issue (he owned his former home in CA and stayed there once a month but you could argue his primary residence was in Utah. Washington D.C. legislators do the same thing to maintain residence in their home states)
Their feeling was this may be different so they asked the AG and he said he didn’t know for sure but they had permission to sue him.
So Maynard quit on the spot.
Two weeks later they understood what they’d just done and begged him to stay on the board because a special election was going to cost the district $500,000. So he agreed to stay on and continue serving to save them their money. AT HIS OWN EXPENSE AND AFTER THEY THREATENED TO SUE HIM.
There was nothing illegal done.
Normally a board could choose someone to replace a member but not this board which was in a stalemate.
Maynard did nothing wrong and demonstrated real character and caring about his school district. Anyone promoting lies to malign this story is pathetic.
As most politics go, there is always perspective. One thing people seem to be forgetting is that JoDee has been in this position for 16 years. These principals and teachers are not just people that she is trying to put pressure on, these are people that are her friends, people that she knows well because she is often in the schools getting feedback for the district and finding out the issues and concerns at the local level. These people are large supporters of JoDee whether she contacts them or not. I have two relatives that are teachers here in Orem and both are huge JoDee fans because they are happy with the job she has done and she knows her stuff. Teachers are willing to go out and campaign for her without any feeling of pressure or job risk. So, to answer your question, yes, if our principals and the majority of teachers are supporting her, then that is someone I want on the board because if she wasn’t doing a good job, principals and teachers would be the first ones trying to vote her out.
@ Oak: “She’s clearly asking them to campaign and fund raise for her. Whether or not JoDee broke the law, I’m not certain, but the principal clearly did.”
Well, Oak, if the principal broke the law and JoDee advised him in that, then JoDee has committed a misdemeanor under Utah law. Check it out:
§ 20A-1-610. Abetting violation of chapter – Penalty
In addition to the penalties established in Section 20A-1-609 , any person who aids, abets, or advises a violation of any provision of this title is guilty of a class B misdemeanor, unless another penalty is specifically provided.
Cite as Utah Code § 20A-1-610
I would love to see the debate JoDee and Maynard had. I heard that JoDee approved it being posted. I don’t know about Mr. Olsen, but it isn’t posted so I can only assume it is their camp dragging their legs. Why don’t they want us to be able to see his views?
I have heard that his campaign didn’t want it posted. After attending the debate, it wasn’t really a surprise to me but I think that when you hold a public debate that it should be available online for those that missed it. I have heard that anyone that came undecided left that debate planning on voting for JoDee but it should still be available regardless of how bad one candidate looks after it.
“She used email addresses that are easily found on the internet.”
Does that somehow make those email addresses appropriate to use?
Please tell me if one syllable of the following sentence is incorrect:
“JoDee Sundberg USED Alpine School District email addresses for her political campaign.”
JoDee Sundberg did not use emails that are only know to District employees. She used emails that are available online and either camp could find and use them. I am not saying it is right or wrong, it just is public knowledge. And I don’t have a dog in this fight, I don’t live in the voting district. But, I read the emails and as far as the one from JoDee goes, I believe that she has worded it just right to fall into the loopholes of the election code. I am not saying that is right or wrong, it just is. I am also saying that the Lt. Governor will have a hard time deciding if it is a violation because he probably has used similar loopholes in his elections and if he hasn’t he knows people who have. We all know people who have.
Why am I not surprised?
Desperate times requires desperate measures. I hope not only does she lose to a more educated and refined doctor but she gets a fine to boot. Dr Maynard has not only provided for the sick, he has raised a well educated family, served the community in countless numbers of ways. Not only this, he has reached far beyond our borders to help those in need. His focus has been building not tearing down. Would love to remove the incumbents and give USOE a fresh eyes for the safety of our children who has been very family focused. I don’t want just a “normal” human being but an “extraordinary” representation for Alpine School District. I think Maynard Olsen is this.
I do realize that Dr. Maynard is a good man but I am not sure how his helping the sick makes him a good school board candidate. In fact, the actual school board experience he has had ended in his resignation due to boundary issues. In addition, there are many questionable issues that came up during his time on that school board. He has raised a well educated family, and does serve countless numbers of ways but so do a lot of people. Many citizens raise a well educated family in this city and many serve countless hours but that still doesn’t make a good school board member.
I just spoke with Maynard and here’s what happened.
Maynard Olsen moved to Utah in July 1997
At the time he was on a school board in CA.
That school board was comprised of 4 other people and 2 of them hated the other 2 and vice-versa.
They asked Maynard to stay on the board to a certain point so they wouldn’t have to have a special election for a new school board member because that would cost $500,000.
Maynard agreed to and flew down to CA at his own expense at $800/month in order to save the school district half a million dollars.
The teacher’s union asked the state AG if they could sue him as a public official over a residency issue (he owned his former home in CA and stayed there once a month but you could argue his primary residence was in Utah. Washington D.C. legislators do the same thing to maintain residence in their home states)
Their feeling was this may be different so they asked the AG and he said he didn’t know for sure but they had permission to sue him.
So Maynard quit on the spot.
Two weeks later they understood what they’d just done and begged him to stay on the board because a special election was going to cost the district $500,000. So he agreed to stay on and continue serving to save them their money. AT HIS OWN EXPENSE AND AFTER THEY THREATENED TO SUE HIM.
There was nothing illegal done.
Normally a board could choose someone to replace a member but not this board which was in a stalemate.
Maynard did nothing wrong and demonstrated real character and caring about his school district. Anyone promoting lies to malign this story is pathetic.
There are other issues besides this one and those were all brought up in the debate that the campaign for Maynard won’t allow to be put online. He was questioned about switching the venue for a meeting to a smaller location that many people were left standing out in the rain because of and he was quoted by a reporter stating that it wasn’t his problem and that he wouldn’t lose any sleep over it. His response first talked about how random reporters just show up at meetings and then went into a response of how can anyone remember what they were doing 20 years ago on a Tuesday night. That was a major turning point for the crowd. If he has such trust in himself, he would have known that he never said that. I would never say that so even if I couldn’t remember my conversation, I would know that I didn’t say it. He was questioned on the turmoil on the board and he responded about people not liking each other. That still doesn’t explain the shift in the board and perception of parents during that time. These are all valid issues and things that taxpayers should care about. Also, I want it clear that I know of his reputation, and I know that he is a good man but his behavior as a board member is one that I seriously question.
Cindy,
There is an anonymous group called “Parents for Alpine School District” that is running a smear / fear campaign using blogs and unsolicited emails.
Who is behind this anonymous group? Is it supported by Jodee? Is it supported by you?
Why do supporters of Jodee feel the need to use an anonymous/negative campaign tactics?
This needs to be made public!
JoDee is an great example of someone who should not be on a school board. Check out her grammar and spelling.
From what I understand, no one has prevented Dr Olsen from speaking to any SCC, he has just opted not to do so.
I seriously doubt he turned down an opportunity, particularly if his opponent was going to be there. What isn’t clear is if he was invited and went. That’s only a minor part of this issue though. JoDee’s email should be grounds for her to resign from the board. This is disgusting politics at its worst.
I sit on one of the SCC councils in his area. All he has to do is ask to be added to the agenda and come to any meeting. JoDee has at one time contacted the council and asked to be added to the agenda and came and spoke with us.
Any candidate is welcome to do the same for any School Community Council they wish to address in their campaign area, but it requires their own self-initiative.
I’m not sure about that because what would stop a community council from privately inviting a candidate and the other candidate never finds out?
Obviously you are not sufficiently familiar with the proceedings of an SCC.
Nothing is done in private. They are heavily monitored by the state and district. The councils adhere strictly to the bylaws because any infraction would cost them their funding. All agendas and minutes are required to be readily available upon request at each school. And anyone can attend unannounced – so the conspiracy accusation is ridiculous.
Uhh, I served on an SCC for 2 years and they don’t have funding so they can’t lose funding. They allocate state land trust fund earnings and that doesn’t vaporize if they don’t adhere to bylaws. They don’t even have bylaws. There are some simple state laws that govern SCC’s. SCC’s are very weak with very little power. Your reply seems to indicate that you don’t really understand them all that well yourself.
Please go to: http://www.schoollandtrust.org/
The School Community Council is actually bound by a lot of rules and they MUST be in compliance in order to receive funding from the School Land Trust Program. They have a mission and they have very specific rules they need to follow. That is the funding that Inidgo is referring to.
Oak, your going past my meaning and simply using semantics to your benefit. A school can indeed lose their funding or the allocations or whatever terminology makes you happy if they don’t adhere to the states rules. They can’t take that money and go on a cruise and not have any accountability. And the fact that you said they have very little power contradicts your previous statement that they have power to do all these secrety little things. C’mon spin doctor, give it up.
Right, cruises for the SCC were a BIG topic of discussion when I served on an SCC…
My comment seems to have been lost. I had said the anyone running for school board is offered the opportunity to be added to an SCC agenda and speak. JoDee has done this for the board I sat on, but Maynard did not take the initiative.
All we will hear from the other side is how we ripped into JoDee! Look at the facts, the truth! It speaks for itself!
I live in the boundaries of this board seat and am well aware of JoDee’s previous violation of state electioneering laws. This new information is not one bit surprising.
I do want to draw extra attention to the fact that JoDee is asking school administrators and teachers (the union) to support her campaign. Shouldn’t she be trying to recruit parents instead? Perhaps she is, but again I live within the boundaries of this board seat and I have never been contacted by anyone from her campaign.
I really hope Maynard Olsen wins so we can rid ourselves of a corrupt politician.
You realize Olsen stepped down from his school board position in SD because he was doing so illegally? I mean, if we are going to talk about ethics, why is one candidate’s violations any more inexcusable than another’s?
Inasmuch as the same person has been posting challenges to Maynard under different names, I will respond to each of the posts with the real story. I just spoke with Maynard and here’s what happened.
Maynard Olsen moved to Utah in July 1997
At the time he was on a school board in CA.
That school board was comprised of 4 other people and 2 of them hated the other 2 and vice-versa.
They asked Maynard to stay on the board to a certain point so they wouldn’t have to have a special election for a new school board member because that would cost $500,000.
Maynard agreed to and flew down to CA at his own expense at $800/month in order to save the school district half a million dollars.
The teacher’s union asked the state AG if they could sue him as a public official over a residency issue (he owned his former home in CA and stayed there once a month but you could argue his primary residence was in Utah. Washington D.C. legislators do the same thing to maintain residence in their home states)
Their feeling was this may be different so they asked the AG and he said he didn’t know for sure but they had permission to sue him.
So Maynard quit on the spot.
Two weeks later they understood what they’d just done and begged him to stay on the board because a special election was going to cost the district $500,000. So he agreed to stay on and continue serving to save them their money. AT HIS OWN EXPENSE AND AFTER THEY THREATENED TO SUE HIM.
There was nothing illegal done.
Normally a board could choose someone to replace a member but not this board which was in a stalemate.
Maynard did nothing wrong and demonstrated real character and caring about his school district. Anyone promoting lies to malign this story is pathetic.
Chanda,
You realize your comment is devoid of truth and is instead full of misinformation and lies about Maynard Olsen? Please read Oak’s comment to get the whole truthful story, or you can continue believing the garbage being fed to you by JoDee’s campaign and supporters.
Again, I was an eyewitness to JoDee Sundberg violating electioneering laws, and witnessed Utah County Board of Elections representatives enforce the law and monitor her subsequent behavior. This article also includes evidence of her potentially violating other election laws, including inducing government employees to violate the law. This is clearly unethical behavior, given that much of it is illegal.
As of right now, I have no knowledge of unethical behavior by Maynard Olsen. If you are aware of something unethical, that is ACTUALLY TRUE, that was done by Maynard Olsen, by all means share it.
Just to clarify, I personally know several teachers in the Alpine School District that are NOT members of the union. That is not required and many have opted out. Her request for teachers to walk through neighborhoods is that of her friends and supporters, not necessarily union members so if you want to put “teachers and union”, that is fine but don’t imply that teachers are the union because that is a lie. And please look at JoDee’s supporter lists. You can go to her recent brochure or go to her Facebook page and read the many testimonials of parents in the area. Parents have been the most involved in her campaign. I’m a parent and I got involved because I have so many parent friends involved.
So are you dismissing that what JoDee did was an ethical violation? How about the principal? Lets stay on topic.
I searched and I searched for any documents from the Utah Attorney General accusing JoDee of illegal actions. Can’t find it.
Now that JoDee is no longer on trial from imaginary charges, please help me understand the very real lawsuit against Maynard Olsen.
Are you kidding me? This came out today. This will be your last post as I’m not going to entertain this time of nonsense.
Cindy,
1. Please re-read my comment, and when quoting me, please do so accurately.
2. Please read the email that JoDee sent.
3. Use some critical thinking.
4. Realize that even though not all teachers are members of the union, in her email JoDee does explicitly reference the AEA, which is a subdivision of the UEA, which is the teachers union in Utah, and that she is asking for their help.
Apparently all of those critical thinking skills that common core supporters claim will benefit our children are lost on the supporters themselves.
Spelling and grammar (and the fact that she still uses hotmail) are peccadilloes and can be overlooked. Un-ethical actions must not be overlooked.
Then we must look at both candidate’s ethics. The attorney general in CA had issues with Olsen’s ethics. There is a law suit that can be found online and read and news articles regarding the settlement.
Be careful about the pot calling the kettle black.
Chanda, without trying to distract and work on damage control, just answer these questions:
Was JoDee’s email ethical of her?
Was the Principal’s email illegal?
1. I think that it was completely ethical. Considering all of those emails are publicly available and her opponent could have done the same exact thing, I have no issues with this whatsoever. Also, they are all employees of the same organization, the Alpine School District, and of course if you are concerned about the future demise of that organization you reach out to your co-workers. JoDee is soliciting help just like any candidate can do.
2. As far as the principal, I do not know the legal system well enough to answer that. I do not even understand the policies completely as they have been copied here. I know that in the workplace, if an employee breaks a rule, they don’t go to jail, they get reprimanded in some way from a slap on the hand to a termination depending on the severity of it. I don’t believe the policies of the Alpine School District are “law”.
You mention staying “on topic” which is such an interesting thing. Here we are, discussing a school board candidacy on the “utahsagainstcommoncore” website. There are people campaigning against other people outside of their own district just because they don’t like common core. It is terribly sad that people are campaigning for a school board candidate based on their feels for or against common core. If they knew anything at all about the position, they would know that decisions regarding common core are such a small part of that job and there are really a lot more issues that this board member will be involved in that are critical to the continued success of the district.
Correction: JoDee is not actually an “employee” but she works side by side with the ASD employees like a co-worker would.
Joel Wright, state school board candidate for District 9, just posted this on Facebook:
*****
Here is the official response I got from Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox on my personal Facebook page around 4 PM today: “Joel, we have reached out to the Principal and Superintendent in this matter and made it clear that these types of communications from official accounts are unacceptable. The Principal has told us that he will be issuing an apology to all those that received the email. This is an area of the law that needs to be reevaluated. Under the statute, the only recourse is a criminal prosecution (class B misdemeanor)–and my office does not have any authority in criminal proceedings. For obvious reasons, prosecutors (and victims) have historically shown little appetite to prosecute criminally. We will be meeting with the legislators to discuss possible fixes for this statute. I hope that helps.”
*****
Julie Cash King, candidate for Alpine School Board in Saratoga Springs/Eagle Mountain, posted this in the same thread.
*****
I just got off the phone with the Lt. Governors office. When I told the secretary why I was calling, she said the LG was aware of the situation and that was all she could say. She seemed to be screening phone calls. When I told her I was a candidate in Alpine School District and felt this impacted me, she sent me to Justin. I explained to Justin that while I was not mentioned by name in the e-mail, the underlying emphasis was that all of those who do not like Common Core are involved in destroying the district. He said the LG was looking into it and that they were looking into if public funds had been used to promote politics. He stated that they were not a prosecutor’s office. He also stated that they had been in contact with the district as well as the principal. When I asked if there was any kind of time frame in which action might be taken, he said the best bet was to call back in a couple of days. And just as a side note, JoDee takes the $60 monthly stipend for internet service provided to board members, so even if she sent the e-mail from a private e-mail account, I am guessing she sent it from her home where the taxpayers subsidize her internet service.
Completely ethical. The reasons you use to accuse JoDee aren’t even applicable.
The first policy you used simply says that the district internet is not intended for personal use so there is no guarantee of privacy.
The second one is only applicable to employees who are on paid leave, which JoDee is not.
I do not know enough about school campaign policy to make a judgment on the principal.
You must be careful when using the term ethical. Philosophers can spend a lifetime debating what ethical means. It can quite easily be twisted and manipulated to support one’s agenda and discredit those who are not deserving.
Inasmuch as the same person has been posting challenges to Maynard under different names, I will respond to each of the posts with the real story. I just spoke with Maynard and here’s what happened.
Maynard Olsen moved to Utah in July 1997
At the time he was on a school board in CA.
That school board was comprised of 4 other people and 2 of them hated the other 2 and vice-versa.
They asked Maynard to stay on the board to a certain point so they wouldn’t have to have a special election for a new school board member because that would cost $500,000.
Maynard agreed to and flew down to CA at his own expense at $800/month in order to save the school district half a million dollars.
The teacher’s union asked the state AG if they could sue him as a public official over a residency issue (he owned his former home in CA and stayed there once a month but you could argue his primary residence was in Utah. Washington D.C. legislators do the same thing to maintain residence in their home states)
Their feeling was this may be different so they asked the AG and he said he didn’t know for sure but they had permission to sue him.
So Maynard quit on the spot.
Two weeks later they understood what they’d just done and begged him to stay on the board because a special election was going to cost the district $500,000. So he agreed to stay on and continue serving to save them their money. AT HIS OWN EXPENSE AND AFTER THEY THREATENED TO SUE HIM.
There was nothing illegal done.
Normally a board could choose someone to replace a member but not this board which was in a stalemate.
Maynard did nothing wrong and demonstrated real character and caring about his school district. Anyone promoting lies to malign this story is pathetic.
Cindy,
Why is this sad? “There are people campaigning against other people outside of their own district just because they don’t like common core. It is terribly sad that people are campaigning for a school board candidate based on their feels for or against common core.” Have you researched Common Core? If you had you would be on the same band wagon. You bet I am going to campaign against board members who support this mess. It is mind boggling that people find Common Core acceptable. Wake up Utah!
Educator, Have I researched Common Core? YES! The fact you assume I haven’t because I am not against it is of no surprise to me. I have read through the Common Core in its entirety. I have researched the history on Common Core and how it came to be. I have read up on criticisms and found the flaws in those arguments. Why do I think this is sad? First off, Utah has a core and has for a long time and that covers many subjects. They have only adopted the national common core in Math and English Language Arts yet many “anti’s” don’t mention that. They lead many people to believe the entire Utah core is the Common core. Next, anti-common core candidates running for office tend to make statements about how the Fordham Institute gave Math an A- for old standards and now an A- for common core so no gain there but conveniently don’t mention that English Language Arts was a C before under the old standards and is now a B+ and that overall says its enhancements would benefit Utah’s standards. I could go on and on but the fact is that this is a School Board position and they make MANY important decisions. They make decisions in all areas of the budget, they make decisions regarding growth, they make decisions regarding declining enrollments, they make decisions regarding curriculum, and so on and so on. Supporting a candidate because they align with one area you feel passionate about is sad when that candidate might not be able to make an informed decision in so many other critical areas.
Cindy, what’s pathetic is that Utah adopted a substandard set of standards when we had the opportunity to adopt the best. In 2007 we could have adopted CA’s excellent math standards but the USOE didn’t want to. In 2010 we could have adopted them for math, and MA’s ELA standards which were the best in the country. We still can but we like mediocrity. Why are you satisfied with B+ ELA standards instead of A rated? Why are we working to tweak something that isn’t great instead of starting with something that is great. Please read this post on math and tell me why Utah shouldn’t adopt CA’s math standards:
https://www.utahnsagainstcommoncore.com/solution-utah-should-adopt-californias-math-standards/
Sadly, the emails shown here may include violations of law on the part of a great many public servants.
Look at the “To” section of the principal’s email: genevastaff@alpinedistrict.org, genevateachers@alpinedistrict.org, jsundberg@alpinedistrict.org, John.Burton@UVU.edu, jcbates@alpinedistrict.org, kbird@alpinedistrict.org
ALL of these recipients were put on notice of the principal’s illegal campaigning as of last Friday (the 24th) morning (assuming that they read their emails every 2 hours or so during work hours). What did they do about it? Looks like one became a “whistle blower.” But what about the others? IF they read the email sent to them and IF they knew (or reasonably SHOULD HAVE KNOWN) about the illegality of the email AND if their position would imply that they DO something to stop the illegal conduct but they failed to take any action (yes, I know — a string of “ifs” there), then there is a violation of Utah law:
§ 76-8-101. Definitions
For the purposes of this chapter:
. . .
(5) (a) “Public servant” means any officer or employee of the state or any political subdivision of the state, including judges, legislators, consultants, and persons otherwise performing a governmental function.
§ 76-8-201. Official misconduct – Unauthorized acts or failure of duty
A public servant is guilty of a class B misdemeanor if, with an intent to benefit himself or another or to harm another, he knowingly commits an unauthorized act which purports to be an act of his office, or knowingly refrains from performing a duty imposed on him by law or clearly inherent in the nature of his office.
So: What did John Burton know and when did he know it?
I just want to watch the debate so I can decide for myself. If I can’t watch it, why isn’t a transcript available? It was public, right?
It was public but nobody was there with a camera that I know of.
Here is the link to the debate Paul
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2-P4S4NR6U
I find it appalling that Joel Wright is attacking Jodee Sundberg for emailing district employees on district email addresses and TODAY he did that VERY thing. Jodee did nothing wrong herself by emailing publicly available email addresses from her home account but Joel Wright blasted her and then sent this email today to all the teachers at Deerfield Elementary and is rumored he sent to others but I don’t have confirmation on that yet. Can you say hypocrite?
Dear Friends of Deerfield Elementary,
I am writing today to try and earn your vote for State School Board in District #9, which covers northern Utah County between Pleasant Grove and Eagle Mountain (but not Orem or Lindon).
I have a long history of serving in our public schools, and I understand we must invest in our public schools if we want them to succeed. I have served on the Alpine School District Community Council for three years, where I have worked closely with the Principals and Teachers who are making a difference every day at Deerfield Elementary, as well as Lone Peak High and Cedar Ridge Elementary. Also, the children in my neighborhood attend Deerfield, and I know first hand the awesome things happening at your school every day. If elected, I will do my very best to get you the resources you need to teach our children.
If you have any questions, feel free to call my mobile at 801-368-5385, or email me at joeldwright@gmail.com
And don’t forget to vote on Tuesday, November 4th from 7 AM to 8 PM! You can find out where you are supposed to vote here: http://vote.utah.gov/vote/menu/index
Warm Regards,
Joel Wright
vote.utah.gov: Your Vote, Your Information
vote.utah.gov
Chat Conversation End
Boyce, the difference between what JoDee did, and what Joel did, is JoDee asked Principals to get teachers to help her campaign, and then they did. It’s unethical for someone in a superior position to ask underlings to help her out and ASD policies and state laws are clear about this. Joel, who is not a district employee, emailed teachers and asked them to vote for him but didn’t ask them to be involved. Teachers can receive emails from a variety of sources, but they cannot use taxpayer equipment and be on taxpayer time and campaign for candidates.
I also believe Joel’s email was unethical. It went to nearly every school in our voting district (I have seen the emails to Cedar Ridge, Deerfield and Mountain Ridge myself and have been told it also went to Shelley, Fox Hollow, American Fork Jr High, Freedom and others) and to PTA and SCC members at those schools as well. I don’t appreciate my email being taken from the school’s website for political purposes. Not to mention that his email is not factual. I know that he has not been attending SCC meetings held at two of the three schools that he represented and claims to be “working closely” with (I don’t know about the third). I find it reprehensible that he would publicly complain about others using district email accounts for political purposes and then do the exact same thing himself.
Before we address Joel, Mr. Amber, the first question is are you in agreement that what’s happening in ASD is a violation of the law? Do you agree that there should be a punishment of school employees who violated the law?