Thursday, February 21, 2013

K8 CONVERSION BUDGET SURPLUS v. DISTRICT DEFICiT

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These are the worksheets for the proposed Charter Conversion Budget of the K8 Center as presented by Harold Maready of McKeel Academies of Polk County who was  our guest Speaker at Vote Yes Parent Forum on February 20th 2013

SEE FOR YOURSELF: $1,083,022.00 in budget surplus that can be reinvested back into the school every academic year!! Imagine all the educational tools that can be purchased and still have plenty of reserves to increase salaries directly to teachers? What excellent teacher would not want to teach here, some leave? 


Tuesday, February 12, 2013

VOTE YES PARENT FORUM FEB. 20

THE VOTE YES PARENT FORUM 

FEBRUARY 20TH (WED) 7PM AT KB BEACH CLUB

GUEST SPEAKER: HAROLD MAREADY PREEMINENT SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR FOR CONVERSION SCHOOLS IN POLK COUNTY FLORIDA

PARENTS AND TEACHERS ARE INVITED TO HEAR AN ANALYSIS ON THE PRESENT K8 CENTER BUDGET THAT ENJOYS A SURPLUS THAT HAS NEVER BEEN REVEALED UNTIL NOW. 

Ó

Please see the Surplus budget for K8 Center we disclosed this night.More than Million dollars that is being siphoned to other schools that could be staying here if we convert-to- charter. Vote YES.. read all the posts. It answers all your questions and debunks all the MDPS Misinformation. 

RESPONSE TO MALISCIOUS EMAIL BY LAILA'S OUT THERE

Subject: Save our school. Charter meeting

Ladies and gentlemen

I want to remind you all
that although mr. Cambo is no longer our PTA president.

We are still battling the initiative he has Proposed, lets not loose momentum and don't forget to come to the
Feb 11 meeting and find out about whAt charter school is all about.

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE
END of FEBRUARY!


We need to save our school and teachers
Lets get involved and not let this man ruin the school

Thank you
Laila



Response to Laila: The Portables are coming!! This will ruin our school!!

Dear Parents and Teachers,
In attempt to get Laila to understand what is at stake in the vote for conversion of our K8, please remove yourself from your prejudices for moment. Turn your mirror into a window so you can see parents all over South Florida, those without the resources we have in Key Biscayne, looking at us; seeking intelligent leadership to show good manners, vision, clarity and to offer an alternative to eliminate overcrowding, replacing old unsafe buildings for our kids safety, in exchange for new expanded schools, with the most advanced security for their neighborhood.

This is much more important than any PTA or title. I learned that the PTA's represents the status quo; an arm of the School District and its manipulated efforts to get loving parents to subsidize purchasing paper and pencils, surge protectors and art supplies, as MDPS continues to mismanage the operating budget in every district run school countywide. This policy is paradigm and is taken as kindness for weakness approach to Parents. Parents will continue to approve bonds for schools on Election Day and which raises everyone's school taxes to boot, while we are feeling benevolent.

Meanwhile PTA Executive Boards will fail to apply the very primary purpose of the PTA to bring families together to educate our youth as Clause D clearly states in the KBCS-PTA bylaws: (verbatim)

KBCS PTA BYLAWS ARTICLE III:

D. "To bring closer relation the home and the school, that parents and teachers may cooperate intelligently in the education of our children and youth."

What can be the most perfect, most pure way to finally accomplish this Central Purpose of the PTA? We believe its obvious; a charter application that mandates a Governing Board of Parents acting as guardians, of the school’s budget to create surpluses, available for pay increases to our teachers as professionals not as assembly line workers. Plus to furnish them all the advanced teaching tools to better educate our children and our youth going forward. Does our proposal effectively

Bring “The Home” to “The School” ….I mean, literally?

Still Doubt? Here are the ABC's or 1-2-3:

1A. How can a new school building for 1800 which invites and welcomes 400 more students not buses them off the key, diminish our 'A' school?

2B. How long can we remain an 'A' school at the present rate of 3-4% overcrowding?

3C. How can we remain an 'A' school if the students with highest GPA and FCAT scores in (6) sixth thru (8) eighth grade leave for the Cambridge Program at MAST@Virginia Key?

As to my resignation: (Please read the official letter on this blog.)

Mrs. Sharon Watson President of MDPTA clearly states, “At no time did the PTA discuss or vote on taking a position on this issue” in article in the Islander News Thursday February 07thShe recognizes the fact Hector and I, submitted our Trigger Letter to Mrs. Tarafa as parents only*; ALL THE LEGAL DOCUMENTS addressed to the school board SINCE OCTOBER 4TH 2012 STATE THE SAME FACT. We were very well advised that using the PTA Executive Board's support was a liability for our effort. Wednesday night was a perfect example why> Most executive board members to not have the character or resolve to handle the intimidation from The District or its misinformation campaign and certainly cannot handle the mistreatment of their kids like my daughter has been treated.<

I stated Wednesday night this motion to rescind my election, was illegal vote contrary to the Bylaws and as chair of special meetings as president as per these bylaws, the motion had failed because nothing in the bylaws allows for a removal of any officer of the KBCS-PTA. This is why I refused to resign. Wednesday night was underhanded approach by FLPTA and MDPTA to defeat the YES vote and/or another trumped up reason for all the Laila’s out there to call for my resignation to imply that “Manuel Cambó is bad he will ruin the school so vote No! You Decided:

89-3 to rescind my election as President for misusing my title in conflict of interest in support of Yes Vote while MD-PTA uses its title to host a Parent Forum on February the 11th in the middle school cafeteria slanted towards the No Vote. 

Get it? Please come. Ask yourself the A, B or C questions mentioned above and then come to Feb 20th Vote YES Parent Forum with Harold Maready School Adminstrator for McKeels Academies all Conversion-to-charter schools in Polk County, Florida.

 Expect Success. O'


(*Please Note: We identified ourselves as contact info with our elected titles and cell numbers on postcard in fine print at the bottom. It was reprinted for record upon receipt of the cease + desist order without titles. If you see through all of this shenanigans call me to hand out more postcards I have a 500 hundred more. Fortunately the reprinting allowed us to include the actual date of the vote in February 21-22 25,26,27,28th.  

We will holding our VOTE YES Parents Forum on Feb 20th at the KB Biscayne Beach Club at 7pm. (one day before the Vote commences.)

Stay inform return to this site regularly and tell others.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

My Resignation Letter as President of KBCS PTA


From: MANUEL CAMBO <maccambo@comcast.net>
Date: Wednesday, February 6, 2013 11:17 PM
To: Heidi Brito <heidibrito@gmail.com>, "Tarafa, Silvia" <starafa@dadeschools.net>
Cc: Suli Olavarria Email <suliolavarria@gmail.com>, Nicole Marley <nmarley6@yahoo.com>, marina ventura <chu.ventura@gmail.com>, hector ceballos <ceballosfamily@bellsouth.net>
Subject: Resignation Letter effective immediately

Dear KBPTA, 

What could have been KBCSPTA finest hour, celebrating 60 years anniversary,  by rebuilding and expanding our school to make it available to more children, it turn out to be in so many ways it's saddest hour of human spirit.
For you all witnessed an illegal vote contrary to the by-laws of the KBPTA, initiated it and partake in it. In a community of intelligent people casting so much doubt, the ignorant have so much confidence.

Mrs.Tarafa I am particularly disappointed in you because this was your underhanded way undermine my effort; my school.

I hereby formally submit my resignation as KBCS PTA President effective immediately. 

I do not know what to accept but Expect Success..ó

Manuel A. Cambó 
305-244-6947 cel.

Monday, February 4, 2013

K8 Advisory Board suggested Demolition in 2011

Proponents note: As you can see after reading this entire article from 2011, the only funding alternative to rebuild the K8 Center and eliminate the overcrowding is charter conversion. Plus, the added benefit to reinvest the surplus from the operating budget back into the school every year. 

As such, two years have passed since this article was written, history has showed both Village and County governments had the sufficient amount of money back then and could have given it a higher priority in the Capital Improvement Plan [CIP]. The evidence shows that the majority of register voter without children in the K8 Center  no interest see a  "big school building in the middle of the key." The end result was the exorbitant amount of funding (over $20 Million) for MAST 6-12 expansion at the expense of of the old overcrowded  K8 Center. The only participant in this public comments who kept his word, as a parent and alumni, with his own resources, has been yours truly. You decide . ó


Friday, February 1, 2013

FACTS TO GUIDE YOUR VOTE


A yes vote does not automatically result in a conversion. 

An application to convert must be submitted by August 1.  Between the day of the vote and August 1, we will raise the money needed to rebuild the school.  If we do not raise the money, we will not submit the application.  

At the time of the application (i.e. new school year of 2013-2014) the school will still remain a public operated school with its overcrowding.  The application will include the "capacity of the program" of 1330 plus an estimated growth of 3 to 4 percent as well as the request to rebuild the school for 1800 students to solve the overcrowding. I find it amusing that opponents of the vote say "education is more than just a building."  Tell that to the Superintendent who went out and campaigned for $1.2 billion dollar bond for new buildings - for which Key Biscayne will not get any of that money as a public operated school.  I will assume that opponents of a yes vote here also voted against the bond referendum. Back to our story.

The School Board can accept our application - in which case all Village parents will have complete confidence that their children will not be removed from the school. 

If on the other hand the School Board were to arbitrarily modify the application to limit the children to 981 (despite the fact that the District Superintendent completely ignores this alleged capacity limit) then this decision will be appealed to the Florida Department of Education.  I am confident that the Department of Education will overrule the School Board and allow the school to operate at its current capacity.  At this point in time, during the application process and appeal, once again the school will remain a public operated school.  

As an aside, the number of 981 used by the District is limited to 3 buildings not the entire school. The three buildings include kindergarten through fourth grade - when you add the total number of children in those 3 buildings - only - it is less than 981.  Back to our story.

Once the application is approved, then the school is deemed converted to a charter operated school which would commence in the 2014-2015
School Year.  Once approved, all parents will have definitive answers that the school can operate at its current 1330 capacity, that there is a simple registration, that there will be no lottery, that the teachers will retain their same health benefits and most importantly shall remain in the Florida Retirement System.

If there is a yes vote that means that more than half of the teachers supported the conversion.  They will remain to continue the same academic program.  With a new state of the art building and smaller class sizes you would expect the remaining teachers and Principal to stay and put the children first - instead of placing the political agenda of the District and teacher's union ahead of the children.  We will see at that time whether the children will come first.

What I find even more astounding is the complete silence of the District's outrageous conduct when it demoted the Principal and Assistant Principal at Neva King Cooper last year. They were both demoted for simply asking for a vote.  The Florida Department of Education has confirmed this unlawful retaliation in a report issued in November 2012.  

I hope this information is helpful in guiding your decision.  

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Jorge L. Cruz-Bustillo