| Overheard: "You don't expect me to believe that corruption is widespread in school districts, do you?" "Unethical people never even think of applying for jobs in school districts." "Just because millions of dollars are available in schools with very little oversight and institutionalized secrecy, does not mean that anyone is taking advantage of the situation." "If an unethical person did get hired by a school district, and then committed a crime, SDCOE JPA lawyers would recommend that the district fire that person. They wouldn't try to cover up wrongdoing." |
Note to SDCOE board: How about some basic training for superintendents to help them understand the principles of American justice! It would save the taxpayers millions of dollars, and it would give our children better role models! And stop the training sessions by insurance company lawyers! |
| SDCOE Board: Bob Watkins, Susan Hartley, Nick Aguilar, John Witt Sharon Jones |
| "The system is indeed dysfunctional." |
| It appears that public employees such as Diane Crosier, Rick Rinear, Rodger Hartnett and Lisa Adriance-Jensen, who act as insurance company gents, are usurping the responsibilities of elected officials in San Diego County Schools. And elected officials are shirking their responsibilities. |
| Does SDCOE engage in lawsuit abuse? Ironically, since SDCOE JPA director Diane Croiser loves to accuse her victims of lawsuit abuse, the answer to this question is clearly YES. |
| When schools prevent problems, and when they resolve problems that have already occurred, they stop the flow of money to school attorneys." |
| Stutz, Artiano Shinoff & Holtz Loses Grossmont Cuyamaca College case The jury in this case couldn’t see its way clear to condoning the school’s actions. www.bullyinginstitute.org |
| December 2007 SDCOE-JPA and Diane Crosier have made clear once again that they think their job is to help school districts violate the law: |
| Should school superintendents like Ed Brand and Tom Anthony direct SDCOE lawyers? |
| As seen in the examples above, these individuals do not understand the concept of conflict of interest, or the fact that public entities and private insurance companies have different purposes. |
| Ed Brand notoriously mishandled the Mary Anne Weegar case at SUHSD (Sweetwater) |
| ILLEGAL ACTS? |
| Like the California Penal System (probably the most corrupt public entity in the state), many school districts encourage a system of using feared inmates (powerful teachers and administrators) as enforcers. In Grossmont Union High School District, a coach used bully students as enforcers. The district defended him instead of firing him. A school band leader from the San Diego area assaulted a student for wearing the wrong color socks at the Rose Bowl. The district defended him instead of firing him. |
| Judge Disagrees with Sheffield Link: Fogle Returns to Classroom |
| School Bullies are often adults |
| What are the hidden costs of bad lawyers like Dan Shinoff? Why did school administrators in the Coach Carter case allow a coach to harm a child's health? Why did they fire a good employee who blew the whistle? Why did school board members in Escondido prefer to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to Shinoff and Morris when James Carter would almost certainly have been willing to settle for an amount similar to, or, more likely, less than what the lawyers were paid in this case? Because school administrators and school board are influenced by the unethical lawyers who work for insurance companies and joint powers authorities. When the Carter verdict came out, Shinoff should have said to the Escondido school board: “Look. You’ve spent lots of money on my services, which just got you bad publicity. Don’t spend more on me. Use the money to settle with Carter. This is very bad for schools to treat good employees like this, and to spend huge amounts of money to defend bad employees like Carberry.” Instead, Shinoff recommended an appeal. Shame on you, Dan. Your advice is not only bad for schools, it doesn’t even pass the human decency test. |
| Joint Powers Authority (JPA) Executive Committee |
| Home Why This Website SDCOE CVESD Castle Park Elem Law Enforcement CTA CVE Stutz Artiano Shinoff Silence is Golden Schools and Violence Office Admin Hearings Larkins OAH Hearing |
| Now the taxpayers pay the full cost of Crosier's salary, but the private insurance companies still seem to get all the advantages they used to pay for. Could a new director lower SDCOE JPA's costs and increase student safety? One can hope. Diane Crosier chooses the attorneys that will handle cases covered by SDCOE-JPA. The usual question school districts use when hiring lawyers is, "Which one is cheapest?" Sometimes you save money in the long run by investing more in the short run. If a public entity pays half price, but its lawyers take more than twice as long to do a job, then the public entity has wasted taxpayer money. If the cheap lawyer violates the law in the process, taxpayers may lose huge amounts of money. Public officials who pay lawyers to violate laws should be thrown out of office. In the public interest, a new director should be chosen to take Diane Crosier's place! The SDCOE JPA needs a new director who will not hire lawyers like Daniel Shinoff who intimidate victims and witnesses, make false statements to the court during litigation, and teach clients how to get away with wrongdoing. Instead, he or she would contract with lawyers who would advise districts on how to prevent wrongdoing. (Contd. below) |
| "Sweetwater's superintendent at the time of the suspected criminal activity was Ed Brand, who has since left and is now superintendent of the San Marcos Unified School District. Brand could not be reached for comment. Link: Voice of San Diego Feb 21, 2006 "Something Went Sour in Sweetwater" "The extent of the fraud is unknown as yet, but damage control is in full swing at the Sweetwater Union High School District. "...Also familiar with the case is Lora Duzyk, SDCOE's assistant superintendent for business services, who also denied knowing the extent of the loss." (Ed Brand is a current member of the SDCOE Legal Services Council. Are you the right man for the job, Mr. Brand?) |
| Escondido's Coach Carter and illegal district / SDCOE JPA actions against him |
| SDCOE-JPA San Diego County Office of Education--Joint Powers Authority |
| An Insurance Company Funded by the Public |
| Bullies Thrive because "schools are largely insulated from lawsuits..." Schools should make school safe for children by teaching students and adults better ways to deal with problems. Instead, they give away taxpayer dollars--mostly to lawyers. "More families are taking school bullies to court" Feb. 17, 2006 San Diego Union Tribune |
| "If individuals persist, refer them to Diane Crosier." San Diego County Office of Education policy is not to allow parents to see accident reports about their own children! Diane Crosier says the document is attorney work product, and so the original description of a child's accident at school is hidden from parents and doctors. Link: JPA Loss Control Newsletter The above link was broken by SDCOE, but I saved a copy of the file. Click HERE to see it. |
| The Education Intelligence Agency reports: "Fallbrook Union High School District Superintendent Tom Anthony didn’t know what the local teachers’ union affiliate was up to. He was concerned that they planned to strike. "So he ordered a search of the district voice mail of union President Alan Saltamachio, Vice President Jeff Ropes, and union member Peter Fellios, and is in deep legal doo-doo. "Anthony claims board policy gives him oversight of the voice mail (by the way, no strike was planned)." |
| SDCOE JPA lawyer Daniel Shinoff keeps important documents locked up in his files, and presents perjured testimony. Does he do it to benefit children? Or to promote a system that keeps dollars flowing to school attorneys without solving school problems? Diane Crosier refuses to produce public records as required by the California Public Records Act. |
| Check the Facts! Facts cited can be checked at the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) website: |
| The SDCOE Joint Powers Authority (JPA) is run much like any other insurance company, which is to say, with very little concern for those who pay premiums, and for those who are injured by unlawful actions of those who pay premiums. The Joint Powers Authority appears to be run for the benefit of lawyers. Diane Crosier, who is a lawyer, provides a steady flow of tax dollars to her lawyer associates. How much? The public has a right to know this. Diane Crosier tries to make sure that little or nothing is provided to employees who teach children or serve children in classified or administrative positions. In fact, she goes around campaigning for limits on payments to those injured when school districts break the law--but no limits on amounts paid to lawyers! > > > In 2005, a federal judge reprimanded Lozano, Smith, a big California education law firm, for their illegal tactics, but most education lawyers have continued to play from the same (illegal) playbook. As can be seen from the recent revelations regarding the enormous--and, in some cases, illegal--pension promises and payouts at the City and County of San Diego, many San Diego officials are happy to give away outrageous amounts of public money in order to accomplish personal goals. Yet these same individuals refuse to pay up when a court tells them that the law requires it. Apparently, they hate to waste money on people who haven't done them favors, or causes that won't benefit them personally in some way. |
| A culture of secrecy is not appropriate for a public entity Superintendents like Ed Brand should not oversee SDCOE lawyers, since they are the very individuals for whose wrongdoing SDCOE must pay! We are putting the fox in charge of the hen house at SDCOE. The taxpayers have to keep paying and paying, while Ed Brand Tom Anthony violate the law. Ed Brand's secret strategies for avoiding compliance with legal requirements for spending taxpayer dollars were revealed in the Mary Anne Weegar Case. Ed Brand obviously directs SDCOE lawyers to assist him and other school district leaders in illegal actions. |
| January 4, 2008 San Diego Education Report called up Diane Crosier today and asked her what insurance company handled Maura Larkins' April 21, 2005 tort claim against SDCOE and CVESD. Crosier looked on her computer and found Maura Larkins' tort claims for 2001, 2002, and May 2004, but nothing for 2005. Crosier asked if the claim was about continuing incidents. I said, no, they were about specific, single events on November 4 and 10, 2004. She said it might be in the May 2004 file, but the file is in storage. At the bottom of this page is the claim that either no one ever entered properly into the SDCOE-JPA computer, or someone removed from the computer. It regards SDCOE-JPA lawyers who suborned perjury. |
| Shinoff's "Gentlemen's Agreement" Jim Kelly and Terry Ryan kept urging the board to hire lawyers approved by the San Diego County Office of Education Legal Services Council. Well, that doesn’t seem to include Daniel Shinoff. Why? Because SDCOE has a "gentlemen's agreement" with Shinoff. SDCOE’s website lists only the following approved firms: 1. Atkinson, Andelson, Loya 2. Best, Best & Krieger 3. Lozano Smith (A federal judge ordered all 80 lawyers in this firm to take an ethics course!) 4. Parham & Rajcic |
| BAD LAWYERS COST MORE THAN THEIR HOURLY RATES INDICATE How much do bad lawyers cost? They cost a lot more than their hourly rate would indicate. To make more money, they prolong problems. They end up charging millions of dollars for cases that would never have arisen if schools were given good legal advice, or had been advised to settle early. Instead of agreeing to do the right thing for students and teachers who have been damaged, bad lawyers cover-up documents and witnesses, clog up the courts with cases that should have been settled, and clog up schools with bad employees. |
| SDCOE-JPA instructions to schools Q. What should a school district do every time someone submits a claim? A. "...the claim should be...returned as insufficient, late or rejected." "If a claim is submitted in letter format and is sufficient (in compliance), per the Government Code, the claim should be handled as if submitted on the district’s Claim Form; i.e., returned as insufficient, late or rejected...... "Please continue to forward claims when received to San Diego County Schools Risk Management JPA... Attention: Rodger Hartnett, Property & Liability JPA Claims Coordinator. Rodger or Lisa Adriance-Jensen will recommend what action to take." Source: January 22, 2004 To: JPA Representatives From: Rick Rinear, JPA Risk Management Link to SDCOE memo http://www.sdcoe. net/business2/risk/claim- district.pdf If SDCOE breaks the link, here is my backup copy of the document: Subject: Tort Claim Reporting Form – Revised |
| Lawsuits |
| "Several publicly owned insurance companies have since reported receiving subpoenas from San Diego investigators..." --San Diego Union Tribune, June 25, 2008 |
| Tort Claim and complaint of Rodger Hartnett v. SDCOE, Diane Crosier, et al |
| Recent news: |
| Department |
| Dan Puplava--self-admitted annuity gamer |
| "Several publicly-owned insurance companies have since reported receiving subpoenas from San Diego investigators." Insurer fined in San Diego By Jonathan Sidener San Diego Union Tribune June 25, 2008 ...Unum Group will pay a $5.5 million fine as a result of a federal investigation of kickbacks paid to a San Diego insurance broker, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office... In 2004, New York prosecutors alleged that Universal Life received undisclosed contingent commissions, which are akin to kickbacks, for steering business to certain insurers. A New York lawsuit alleged that Universal Life collected about $11.5 million of its $25 million in revenue in 2003 from these secret commissions... Several publicly-owned insurance companies have since reported receiving subpoenas from San Diego investigators. |
| Tort claim missing from SDCOE-JPA computer |
| Who benefits from SDCOE JPA policies? The answer is not students, nor is it taxpayers. It is school board members (particularly at election time), their lawyers, school administrators and insurance companies. |
| SECRECY |
| ILLEGAL ACTIONS? |
| Attorney Diane Crosier, Director of SDCOE-JPA, collected pay from a private insurance company at the same time she directed SDCOE-JPA |
| INSURANCE COMPANY LAWYERS AND SDCOE-JPA |
| BULLIES PROTECTED |
| JPA to schools: Don't let parents see accident reports |
| WHO BENEFITS? |
| (contd from above) INSURANCE COMPANY LAWYERS AND SDCOE-JPA |
| (contd from above) CORRUPT OFFICIALS / |
| Additional Secrecy Policies of SDCOE |
| (Contd. below) |
| Guajome Park Academy sues student and bloggers Conflict of Interest SIA tech Shirk case Peters v. GPA VUSD v. Dr. B.J. Freeman GPA is finally investigated |
| SDCOE-JPA This program offers protection against both property and liability losses. Liability claims are investigated and adjusted by in house staff. It provides members with one of the broadest excess coverage forms available in California. Sub-programs include: Auto Physical Damage, Boiler & Machinery, and Main Frame Computer. Loss prevention/control services are funded and made available to members via JPA staff and contract vendors. Claim Reporting Forms Surveys & Misc Forms CLAIMS CONTACTS: San Diego County Schools Risk Management JPA 6401 Linda Vista Rd. Suite 505, San Diego, CA 92111 Phone (858) 292-3776, Fax (858) 279-6236 CLAIMS ADJUSTERS: Rodger Hartnett, Claims Coordinator - (858) 569-5428 Lisa Adriance-Jensen, Senior Adjuster - (858) 569-5453 John Vincent, Senior Investigator - (858) 569-4521 BROKER: JOHN BURNHAM INSURANCE SERVICES 750 B St, Suite 2400, San Diego, CA 92101-2476 Corporate Phone (619) 231-1010 Toll Free (800) 421-6744, Fax (619) 236-9134 Insurance Broker: John Starich, ARM, CIC, Senior Vice President Direct Dial: (619) 525-2803, FAX: (619) 525-1870 Service Contacts: Terrie Carney, CPIW, CISR, AAI, Account Manager Direct Dial: (619) 525-2836, FAX: (619) 525-1863 |




| Conflict of interest? SDCOE contract atty. Dan Shinoff takes SDCOE employees to this restaurant for lunch. |
| SDCOE asks for restraining order against the author of this website * Lora Duzyk swears--but judge doesn't believe her Kristie Mann declaration Sandy Thompson declaration Diane Crosier and Supt. Randall Ward use SDCOE resources to advance a private lawsuit by their contract lawyers at Stutz, Artiano Shinoff & Holtz |
| SDCOE and AIG AIG getting tax dollars from schools as well as from congress * * * SDCOE chose AIG to work with teachers on retirement Edwina Seiss The Hunter Group ... In 2001 she joined a boutique office of Sentra Securites that would later be purchased by SunAmerica to become what is now AIG Financial Advisors. For the last three years the La Jolla office was sanctioned by The San Diego County Office of Education in assisting local teachers to save in their 403(b), Roth 403(b), and 457 Plans. Edwina held weekly educational seminars and assisted in navigating the red tape of their retirement programs. Edwina graduated from the University of California San Diego with a BA in Chemistry. She holds FINRA Series 7 and 66 securities registrations and a California Insurance license... |
| Rodger Hartnett wins v. SDCOE March 27, 2009 |
| San Diego County School Districts Alpine Union Bonsall Union Borrego Springs Unified Cajon Valley Union Cardiff Elementary Carlsbad Unified Chula Vista Elementary Coronado Unified Dehesa Del Mar Union Encinitas Union Escondido Union Escondido Union High Fallbrook Union Elementary Fallbrook Union High Grossmont Union High Jamul-Dulzura Union Julian Union Julian Union High La Mesa-Spring Valley Lakeside Union Lemon Grove Mountain Empire Unified National Oceanside Unified Poway Unified Ramona Unified Rancho Santa Fe San Diego Unified San Dieguito Union High San Marcos Unified San Pasqual Union San Ysidro Santee Solana Beach South Bay Union Spencer Valley Sweetwater Union High Vallecitos Valley Center-Pauma Unified Vista Unified Warner Unified |
| Ernie Dronenburg (left in 2006) Bob Watkins (left SDCOE in 2009; re- elected as President of board at the board’s first meeting of 2008; Sheriff Bill Kolendar appointed Mr. Watkins to the Airport Authority for a 3-year term ending Jan. 31, 2010. ) |
| Board members |
| Sharon Jones Susan Hartley John Witt Mark Anderson Jerry Rindone* *has asked for questionable practices to be investigated. |
| Administrators |
| Rodger Hartnett win is upheld in court of appeal Sept 2009 |
| Bob Watkins moves to Airport Authority: see all posts. |
| Current Past |