| Ed Brand |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| May 18, 2005 By ANNE RILEY-KATZ New San Marcos schools' chief among highest paid ...Edward Brand, who has served as Sweetwater Union High School District superintendent for 11 years, will replace veteran Larry Maw as superintendent of the San Marcos Unified School District on July 1. Maw is retiring after 13 years, and the district's Board of Trustees this week approved a four-year contract with Brand that would pay him $232,000 a year plus health benefits and a $700 monthly expense and car allowance... The San Marcos Unified School District has about 15,300 students enrolled in 16 schools and a budget of $102 million, district officials said. Brand made about $225,000 in Chula Vista's Sweetwater district, which has 40,500 students in grades seven through 12... Ken Noonan, superintendent of the Oceanside Unified School District, makes $237,000 a year plus heath benefits, with no car allowance or stipends. The 21,000-student district has a budget of $165 million. "The most important investment you make as a district is in a superintendent," said Janet Bledsoe Lacy, a longtime Oceanside district school board member. "Sometimes you don't appreciate how much it's worth until you see how things can go wrong in other districts. From test scores to passing bonds, the entire image of the district can rest on the superintendent." Carlsbad Unified Superintendent John Roach earns $165,000 a year, plus health benefits and a $400 monthly car allowance. The yearly budget for the district's 13 schools, with 10,000 students enrolled, is about $70 million. Escondido Union School District Superintendent Mike Caston earns $195,000 out of the district's $138 million budget. The district has about 19,400 elementary and middle school students. Donald Phillips, superintendent of the 32,800-student Poway Unified School District, makes $189,000 a year, plus health benefits and a $1,000 monthly stipend he collects for 10 months out of each year. The district has a budget of $219 million. Vista Unified School District Superintendent Dave Cowles makes $211,000 annually for overseeing the 24,000-student district, which has a budget of $174 million... Steve Lilly, a Vista trustee... also noted that superintendent positions can be high-risk because administrators are held responsible for student performance on tests used to measure school and district performance each year... Bancells said she found it difficult to compare that district's salary structure with other districts. "You really have to compare apples to apples. You can't just compare base salary, since there are a lot of intangibles," Bancells said. "It really depends on what people bring to the table." Sweetwater is the county's second-largest district, and more than two-thirds of the students are Latino, district officials said... Brand also helped raise $2.6 million to help provide scholarships for students who couldn't afford to go to college. "We expect he will meet with Cal State San Marcos to put something similar in place for our students," Bancells said. "It's a wonderful thing for our students and their future, and it's just one of the many things that made him attractive to the district. He really stood out and was the perfect match for our district." |
| Heavy Irony: This is what they were saying when Ed Brand came to San Marcos "The most important investment you make as a district is in a superintendent," said Janet Bledsoe Lacy, a longtime Oceanside district school board member. "... the entire image of the district can rest on the superintendent." |
September 01, 2006
Superintendent Ed Brand is out!
Ed Brand suddenly resigned from San
Marcos Unified School District on August
30, 2006. This is almost as surprising as
the fact that they hired him in the first
place. What were they thinking? He was
connected to well-publicized wrongdoing
during his tenure as superintendent of
Sweetwater Union High School District, and
well-hidden wrongdoing as part of a
committee that advised SDCOE's lawyers.
Speaking of SDCOE, Ed Brand's friend
Tom Hassey claims that SDCOE "board
members" approached Ed Brand and
asked him to apply for the SDCOE
superintendent's job. My guess is that it
was ONE board member who approached
Mr. Brand--Bob Watkins.
But I could be wrong. The rest of the board
keeps disappointing me. I think they know
Ed Brand far too well to want to expand his
power at SDCOE. Nothing says "good old
boys' club" like "Ed Brand." The SDCOE
board seems to want to rein in the wild
boys only slightly.
It seems to me that the SDCOE board is
continuing the illegal and ineffective
policies practiced during the heyday of
good old boys Ed Brand, Rudy Castruita
and their cronies. Now Randy Ward is
rapidly becoming a crony.
--from San Diego Education Report blog
Superintendent Ed Brand is out!
Ed Brand suddenly resigned from San
Marcos Unified School District on August
30, 2006. This is almost as surprising as
the fact that they hired him in the first
place. What were they thinking? He was
connected to well-publicized wrongdoing
during his tenure as superintendent of
Sweetwater Union High School District, and
well-hidden wrongdoing as part of a
committee that advised SDCOE's lawyers.
Speaking of SDCOE, Ed Brand's friend
Tom Hassey claims that SDCOE "board
members" approached Ed Brand and
asked him to apply for the SDCOE
superintendent's job. My guess is that it
was ONE board member who approached
Mr. Brand--Bob Watkins.
But I could be wrong. The rest of the board
keeps disappointing me. I think they know
Ed Brand far too well to want to expand his
power at SDCOE. Nothing says "good old
boys' club" like "Ed Brand." The SDCOE
board seems to want to rein in the wild
boys only slightly.
It seems to me that the SDCOE board is
continuing the illegal and ineffective
policies practiced during the heyday of
good old boys Ed Brand, Rudy Castruita
and their cronies. Now Randy Ward is
rapidly becoming a crony.
--from San Diego Education Report blog
| Ed Brand has held a powerful position in the committee that oversees SDCOE's legal tactics. What exactly is his relationship with Diane Crosier? |
| The lawyer for Sweetwater Union School District and its Superintendent, Ed Brand, was Daniel Shinoff of Stutz, Artiano, Shinoff & Holtz: $678,000 Worth of Wrongful Termination Mary Anne Weegar was the head of categorical programs for the Sweetwater Union High School District until 1999. Categorical programs are programs and money allocated for specific educational purposes by both the state and federal governments. Sweetwater received over $2.5 million in categorical aid from the Federal government and over $4.5 million from the state of California in fiscal year 2001. There are stringent requirements on how categorical money can be used and Weegar attempted to see that the money was spent properly. This was not appreciated by those above her and her authority as watchdog over categorical spending was slowly eroded. A computer whiz student aide who helped Weegar with her computers noticed a form in the Superintendent’s part of the computer network called “Reacquiring of categorical funds” When it was discovered that someone had accessed this part of the network, Weegar was locked out of her office, forced to retire,and the young computer whiz was accosted in the parking lot by a well known Sweetwater sociopath and threatened with denial of graduation. The young man’s father was a cop and soon straightened that out, but Weegar was out of a job and soon filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the District. The main witnesses called from the district were Superintendent Ed Brand and Chief Financial Officer Barry Dragon. Dragon was formerly with Arthur Anderson and when he was asked recently by a concerned citizen what the Superintendent’s annual salary was, ($200,000), since no one else at the District Office knew, he reacted as if the concerned citizen had threatened to crash a plane into the District Office. When reminded that he and the Superintendent were public servants and that their salaries were from public funds, his venom and hostility subsided and he belatedly divulged the evidently little known fact that Brand (at $200,000 per year) makes more than the Governor of California ($175,000 per year). When Brand testified, he stated that he had a vast and thorough knowledge of all of Sweetwater’s policies and regulations, but when asked which policy gave him the authority to lock Weegar out of her office, he sat slack-jawed and speechless for over a minute and never could come up with any legal justification for locking out the 30 year veteran employee. The District was eventually found guilty of wrongful termination and ordered to pay Weegar $678,000. When asked to comment about the Weegar case at the August 26th Board Meeting, Brand stated that he couldn’t since it was under appeal and that they were confident they would prevail.However if they appeal, they will have to pay 10% annual interest on the judgement when they ultimately lose. But its not their money, so what do they care? One can’t help but wonder, how many teachers could have been hired with $678,000? How many classrooms could have been repaired for $678,000 dollars? How many books and supplies could have been bought for $678,000. Evil and injustice always has a price and the Mary Ann Weegar case is a good example. P.S. Sometime in July, a bullet was fired through Weegar’s attorney’s office window. He said the only case that it could have been related to was the Weegar case. http://spiderwebsites.com/SSSTory.htm Note: Patricia Ludi was also involved in the Cozaihr v. CVESD lawsuit. She testified on December 4, 2007. |
| Home Why This Website SDCOE CVESD CTA Stutz Artiano Shinoff Silence is Golden Schools and Violence Office Admin Hearings Larkins OAH Hearing |
mauralarkins.com
SAN DIEGO EDUCATION
REPORT
REPORT