...
...
...
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.
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!
Link: Response to Bob Watkins,
Member, SDCOE Board of Education
by Maura Larkins
"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, SDCOE
JPA director Diane
Croiser likes to
accuse her victims
of lawsuit abuse,
but 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.
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)
Bullying was ignored
in the Santana
School Shooting
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.
Another Bullying
Administrator?
Link: Edwina Sheffield of
Providence High School
in Kentucky
Judge Disagrees with
Sheffield
Link: Fogle Returns to
Classroom
School Bullies
are often adults
"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
San Diego County Office of Education
SDCOE Joint Powers Authority (JPA)
Danielle Coziahr case
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 failed to produce requested documents in court
cases, and presented witnesses who contradict each other.  Did 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.
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
represented witnesses.
Risk Management
Diane Crosier, Executive Director
Phone: (858) 292-3747

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

downloaded 2/24/08
Department
downloaded 2/24/08


Diane Crosier
Executive Director  Risk Management
Administration
(858)
292-3747

Kristie Mann
Administrative Assistant III  Risk
Management Administration (858) 569-5320
Jutta Stange
Program Secretary  Risk Management
Administration
(858) 569-5374
Annette Morrison
Deferred Compensation Program Assistant  
Risk Management Deferred Compensation
(858) 292-3816

Dan Puplava
Program Manager  Risk Management
Deferred Compensation (858) 292-3549
Sabrina Reesor
Clerk Typist II  Risk Management Deferred
Compensation 858-292-3562
Penny Angel-Levy
EASE Program Manager  Risk Management
EASE
(858) 277-0063
Susan Baum
Claims Examiner  Risk Management
Employee Benefits
(858) 292-3542
Maggie Beauchamp
Fringe Benefits Program Manager  Risk
Management Employee Benefits (858)
292-3773
Nancy Bernstorff
Benefits Analyst I  Risk Management
Employee Benefits
(858) 569-5367
Lydia Campos
Account Clerk III  Risk Management
Employee Benefits
(858) 292-3885
Victoria De La Torre
Benefits Analyst II  Risk Management
Employee Benefits
(858) 571-7212
Netta Dillon
Risk Managment Technician I  Risk
Management Employee Benefits (858)
569-5361
Cheryl Edwards
Benefits Analyst II  Risk Management
Employee Benefits
(858) 292-3574
Tammy Morfey
Claims Examiner  Risk Management
Employee Benefits
(858) 292-3542
Vy Nguyen
Risk Management Analyst  Risk
Management Employee Benefits (858)
569-5311
Agustin Quintana
Risk Management Technician III  Risk
Management Employee Benefits (858)
292-3584
Maria Ramirez
Claims Examiner  Risk Management
Employee Benefits
(858) 292-3542
Linda Smith
Claims Specialist  Risk Management
Employee Benefits
(858) 569-5347
Brian Vivian
Benefits Consultant  Risk Management
Employee Benefits (858) 571-7211
Valetta Witherell
Claims Examiner  Risk Management
Employee Benefits
(858) 292-3542
Dennis Sulzer
Loss Control Supervisor  Risk Management
Loss Control (858) 569-5392
Lee Taylor-Austin
Loss Control Analyst  Risk Management
Loss Control
(858) 292-3769

Rodger Hartnett
Lawsuit for wrongful termination 2007
Claims Coordinator  Risk Management
Property & Liability (858) 569-5428


Lisa Jensen
Senior Claims Adjustor  Risk Management
Property & Liability (858) 569-5453
Brandy Miller
Clerk Typist II  Risk Management Property &
Liability (858) 292-3776

Rick Rinear
Property & Liability Program Manager  Risk
Management Property & Liability (858)
292-3871

Sandy Thompson
Program Secretary  Risk Management
Property & Liability (858) 569-5340
John Vincent
Senior Claims Investigator  Risk
Management Property & Liability (858)
569-5421
Catherine Aguilar
Worker's Comp Program Manager  Risk
Management Worker's Compensation (858)
571-7221
Mark Dow
Risk Management Technician II  Risk
Management Worker's Compensation (858)
292-3862
SDCOE-JPA instructions to schools

Q. What does SDCOE's Rick Rinear instruct school districts to 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)
...the claim should be... 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
GIC880054   SAN DIEGO COUNTY OFFICE
OF EDUCATION    SANCHEZ, OCTAVIO    
San Diego      02/13/2007   


37-2008-00081583-CU-WT-CTL   SAN DIEGO
COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION    
HARTNETT, RODGER J    San Diego    Civil    
04/07/2008
Case Title:   HARTNETT VS. SAN DIEGO
COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION
Case Location:  San Diego       
Case Type:  Civil    Date Filed:  
04/07/2008  
Category:  CU-WT  Wrongful Termination  
Plaintiff/Petitioner    
HARTNETT     RODGER J     P    

Defendant/Respondent    
SAN DIEGO COUNTY OFFICE OF
EDUCATION         P   
CROSIER     DIANE        
DUZYK     LORA        
FORT-MERRILL     MICHELE        
JENSEN     LISA        
RINEAR     RICK        
VINCENT     JOHN        
WARD     RANDOLPH E        


SS134997   
SAN DIEGO COUNTY OFFICE OF
EDUCATION    
ARIZALA, LARRY    
South County    06/06/2006  
Lawsuits
"Several publicly owned insurance companies have since reported receiving
subpoenas from San Diego investigators..."
--San Diego Union Tribune, June 25, 2008
Rodger Hartnett Declaration re gifts received by SDCOE employees
Rodger Hartnett case(s)
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?
JPA to schools: Don't let parents see accident reports
WHO
BENEFITS?
Additional Secrecy Policies of SDCOE
Bullying was ignored
in the Santana School Shooting
Peters v. Guajome
Park Academy
Beverly Kanawi v. Bechtel

Shinoff bully booklet
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
Vista Unified
(VUSD) lawsuits
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
SDCOE contract atty. Dan Shinoff took SDCOE employees to this restaurant for lunch.
Defamation lawsuit #2

Risk management director Diane Crosier and Supt. Randall Ward used SDCOE resources to
advance a private lawsuit by their contract lawyers at Stutz, Artiano Shinoff & Holtz when
they asked for restraining order against the author of this website
for attempting to serve
a deposition subpoena
on Diane Crosier regarding Stutz Artiano Shinoff & Holtz v. Maura
Larkins
defamation lawsuit.  Crosier appeared to be evading service.
San Francisco Schools sue insurance brokers
All SDCOE blog posts
Dianna Carberry is back in the news; this time she claims she's the victim
7. 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. )
John Witt
Jerry Rindone (asked for
questionable practices to be
investigated.)
Board members
Sharon Jones (2006-)
has been on the
California School
Board Association’s Delegate
Assembly since 1995 and
represented San Diego County on
the association’s board of directors
from 2004 to 2009.

Susan Hartley (2002-)
Gregg Robinson, Ph.D. (2012-)
Mark Anderson (2008-)
Lyn Neylong, Ph.D.(2012-)

(The Ph.D. degrees mentioned
above are happily not in the field of
education.   Advanced degrees in
education are not usually achieved
through academic rigor.  Mr.
Robinson has a degree in sociology,
and Ms. Neylong has a degree in
literature.)
Bob Watkins explains himself
Administrators
Randolph Ward, Supt.

Lora Duzyk

Diane Crosier > > >

Crosier blog posts






Dan Puplava

Rick Rinear

Former SDCOE Supt. Rudy Castruita
Rodger Hartnett win is upheld in court of appeal  Sept 2009
Bob Watkins moves to Airport Authority:   see all posts.
Board members in
recent past
Defamation lawsuit #1

This case arose out of SDCOE breach of contract lawsuits (and counter suits) when public
employees
Dan Puplava and Diane Crosier discovered who had leaked documents to the San
Diego Union-Tribune revealing $100,000s of commissions Puplava received from financial
institutions doing business with SDCOE and resulting in an
expose by Jeff McDonald. SDCOE
Fringe Benefits Consortium filed a lawsuit against financial counselors April 9, 2010; later they
filed a defamation suit against
Scott Dauenhauer and Barry Allred for whistle-blowing.
Rodger Hartnett
Bob Watkins
Contents of this page
1. News                                               
2. Insurance company/AIG lawyers
3. Illegal acts? (right column)     
4. Secrecy
News
Current
Violence  in schools
Site Map
Violence  in schools
Joint Powers Authority
(JPA)
Executive
Committee
Public Record Requests
SELF-Schools Liability

CIPRA

CAJPA

John Burnham Insurance

San Francisco Lawsuit

Insurance
Randy Ward Public
Records
Rodger Hartnett
Declaration
SDCOE
Diane Crosier

Lora Duzyk
Missing Tort Claim

All Claims Denied
Rodger Hartnett v.
SDCOE claim and
complaint
Dan Puplava
CALA

CALA Gavel of Justice

Antitrust

Ethics in Education
Dan Shinoff cases
HOME
1. Proof of Indemnification
2. Opposition to indemnity
3. SDCOE lawyers indemnity
MiraCosta College scandal
by SDCOE lawyers
There Is a Free Lunch, and They're Not Telling You About It  
By EMILY ALPERT
Voice of San Diego
Faulty conflict-of-interest guidelines at the County Office of Education allowed public employees
to avoid disclosing gifts...
Perhaps Diane Crosier is too busy filing lawsuits
on behalf of Dan Puplava and herself in the name
of the Fringe Benefits Consortium to report gifts
from lawyers that she does business with as
director of SDCOE risk management.

SAN DIEGO AND IMPERIAL COUNTY SCHOOLS
FRINGE BENEFITS CONSORTIUM VS. DAVID ALAN
WHITMORE
Case Number:           37-2010-00051562-CU-BC-NC
Case Location:         North County            
Date Filed:         02/25/2010
Category:         CU-BCW         Breach of
Contract/Warranty

Plaintiff/Petitioner  
SAN DIEGO AND IMPERIAL COUNTY SCHOOLS
FRINGE BENEFITS CONSORTIUM                       

Defendant/Respondent  
WHITMORE            DAVID ALAN            


Whitmore v. Hartford Casualty Insurance Company
et al
Plaintiff:         David A. Whitmore
Defendants:         Hartford Casualty Insurance
Company and DOES

Case Number:         3:2010cv01137
Filed:         May 26, 2010

Court:         California Southern District Court
Office:         San Diego         Office [ Court Info ]
County:         San Diego

Nature of Suit:         Contract - Insurance
Cause:         28:1332
Jurisdiction:         Diversity        
Jury Demanded By:         None      
5. Risk Management Department
6. Lawsuits
7. List of school districts
Missing SDCOE invoices for payments to law firms
Both this website and San Diego Union Tribune have had trouble obtaining public records.
Silvia Peters Uniform
Complaint against Vista
Unified School District
August 24, 2010
re Policy No. 3530

In the policy VUSD states, "the Board
of Trustees strongly supports a risk
management program that protects
District resources and promotes safety
of students, staff and public."

VUSD further pledges that they are
going to, "keep its liability at a minimum
and its insurance premiums as low as
possible while maintaining adequate
protection.

...VUSD has the highest premiums in
San Diego County and Riverside along
with Poway Unified School District.  
While other school districts pay .19
cents per student DA in premiums.
Both VUSD and PUSD pay over .29
cents DA per student in premiums per
Joint Power of Authority "JPA."

The more lawsuits and violations the
higher the insurance premiums.

What this means is that VUSD spends
almost the entire budget in employee
salaries and insurance companies
[JPA's]!  A perfect example of legal
advice which VUSD has had for
decades is Thursday August 19, 2010
closed session item
37-2009-00057592.   VUSD voted to
appeal this case.  

The case is a simple $ 6, 412.07
dollars which Superior Court
Judge Nugent entered judgment
against VUSD in favor of California
School Employees Association an
d
its Vista Chapter 389.  Instead of
paying the $ 6, 412.07 Court
Judgment.
 

[The case concerns a bus driver
who was injured in a minor
accident.  Why not just pay the
victim?  The judge did not even
order the district to pay attorney
fees.]

VUSD on advice from attorney of
record Daniel Shinoff and Lee
Patajo advised VUSD to appeal the
judgment to the California Fourth
Appellate.[10]  Churning and
churning the billable hours and
higher insurance premiums in the
Southern Golden State.[11]
Secrecy in schools (blog
posts)
All claims must be rejected
Rick Rinear instructs school districts covered by SDCOE-JPA
San Diego Education
Report Blog
Anatomy of a Journalistic Success and a Journalistic Failure at Voice of San Diego
(VOSD) regarding public records
SETTLED
* Assistant SDCOE superintendent Lora Duzyk swore under oath--but the judge didn't
believe her
Kristie Mann declaration
Sandy Thompson declaration
SDCOE contract atty. Dan Shinoff took SDCOE employees to this restaurant for lunch.
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:
What are the hidden costs of hiring lawyers to
oppose whistleblowers?

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
lawyers 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 lawyers who
work for insurance companies and joint powers authorities.  

When the Carter verdict came out, attorney Dan Shinoff could 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. It looks bad for schools to treat good employees like this, and to spend huge
amounts of money to defend employees like Carberry.”  

Instead, Shinoff recommended an appeal.  
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.
Check the Facts!       
Facts cited can be checked at the
San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) website:
www.sdcoe.net/hrt2/hr/?loc=legal
The SDCOE Joint Powers Authority (JPA) is run much
like any other insurance company (such as AIG) even
though it is a public entity
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.

In fact, SDCOE contracts with AIG.

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.
Dan 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  
LAWYERS WHO CONCEAL PROBLEMS COST MORE THAN THEIR HOURLY
RATES INDICATE

How much do lawyers cost?  They cost a lot more than their hourly rate would
indicate.  Some lawyers intentionally prolong problems in order to make more money.
They end up charging millions of dollars for cases that would never have arisen if
schools were given legal advice to correct improprieties, or had been advised to
settle early.  Instead of agreeing to do give reparation to students and teachers who
have been wrongfully damaged, some lawyers cover-up documents and witnesses,
clog up the courts with cases that should have been settled, and clog up schools with
bad employees.
Attorney Diane Crosier, Director of SDCOE-JPA, collected pay
from a private insurance company at the same time she
directed SDCOE-JPA
Blog posts re Diane Crosier

Are San Diego JPAs being investigated?
INSURANCE COMPANY LAWYERS AND SDCOE-JPA
SDCOE and AIG
AIG getting tax  dollars from schools as well as from congress
SDCOE chose AIG to work with teachers on retirement as well as to provide
liability insurance

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...
Scotty Eveland football brain-injury case
SDCOE lawyers ask for gag order
SDCOE and AIG
As of May 31, 2012--SDCOE JPA member districts
MEMBER DISTRICT         JPA REPRESENTATIVE         ALTERNATE

Advanced Institute for Learning        Rodolfo (Paul) Cartas         
Albert Einstein Academy Charter Middle School        Leslie Schreiner         
All Tribes Charter School        Mary Ann Donohue    

Alpine Union        Rob Turner         
Audeo Charter School        Lynne Alipio         
Barona Indian Charter School        Edwin Romero        Linda LaChappa
Bonsall Union        Tom Krzmarzick        Justin Cunningham
Borrego Springs Unified        Carmen Garcia        Mark Lucas
Brawley Union High         Corey Caston        Jennifer Layaye
Cajon Valley Union                 Rebecca Williams
Cardiff        Sandie Luehrs        Jill Vinson
Carlsbad Unified        Devin Vodicka        Nancy Navarro
Charter School of San Diego        Lynne Alipio         
Chula Vista Elementary        Cathy Arana        Wendy Hunt
Classical Academy        Cameron Curry   Sandra Reeve         
Classical Academy High School        Cameron Curry  Sandra Reeve         
Coastal Academy Charter School        Cameron Curry  Sandra Reeve         
College Preparatory Middle School          Christina Callaway


Coronado Unified        Randie Allen, Jeff Felix        Lorraine Boyle
Darnall E-Campus Charter        Leslie Dahab        Carol Hill
Dehesa        Tim Scheidt         
Del Mar  Union        Cathy Birks        Margaret Mendenhall
El Centro ESD        Susan Fitzpatrick        Robert Pletka
Encinitas Union        John Britt         
Escondido Charter High School        Sheila Randle         
Escondido Union        Bob Leon        Alicia Schlehuber
Escondido Union High        Mike Simonson        Edward Nelson
Fallbrook Union Elementary        Raymond Proctor        Shelly Crow
Fallbrook Union High        Wilson Hatcher        Jamie Klepin
Grossmont Union High        Scott Patterson        Jim Kroviak
Guajome Learning Centers        Cathy Murphy        Bob Hampton
Guajome Park Academy        Cathy Murphy         
Helix Charter High        Rani Goyal        Daniel Menyon
Heritage K-8 Charter School        Sheila Randle        Terri Johnson
Imperial Unified        Bryan Thomason
Lisa Tabarez        Dawn Martin
Integrity Charter School        Sandra Dominguez         
Jamul-Dulzura Union        Lisa Davis        Nadine Bennett
Julian Union Elementary        C. Kevin Ogden        Chad Leptich
Julian Union High        Kim Dalton        David Schlottman
Lakeside Union        Kamran Azimzadeh         
La Mesa-Spring Valley        David Yoshihara        Robyn Adams, Betty Kirchhevel
Lemon Grove        Gina Potter         
MAAC Charter School        Craig Fredrickson         
Mandarin Language Academy        Sherrie Egeskog        Olympia Kyriakidis
McCabe Union        Amanda Brooke        Sandra Hendrix
MiraCosta Community College        Joseph Mazza        Sheri Wright
Mountain Empire Unified        Steve Van Zant        CSEA Rep. and META Rep.
National                 Chris Carson
North City West JPA        Mark Risco Gladys Medina        Leslie Fausset
Oceanside Unified                 Luis Ibarra
Pacific View Charter School        Sandra Benson        Lori Bentley
Palomar Community College        John Tortarolo        Lucy Nelson
Ramona Unified        David Ostermann         
Rancho Santa Fe        Lindy Delaney        Denise Stevenson
River Valley Charter School        Cheryl Bloom         
River Springs Charter School        Kathleen Hermsmeyer


San Diego County Office of Educ.        Lora Duzyk        Michele Fort-Merrill
San Dieguito Union High        Eric R. Dill        Christina Bennett
San Marcos Unified        Gary Hamels        Cecilia Aguirre
San Pasqual Union        Rhonda Brown         Frank Gomez
San Pasqual Valley Unified        Kish Curtis        Suzi Rourke
Santee        Minnie Malin        Karl Christensen
San Ysidro        Dena Whittington        Cesar Vega, Sylvia Munoz
Solana Beach        Carlos Estrella        Bill Banning
Spencer Valley        Julie Weaver        No alternate
Steele Canyon Charter HS        Eileen Poole        Jennifer Nerat
Sweetwater Union High        Todd Torgerson        Dianne Russo
Vallecitos        David Jones        Patricia Bell
Valley Center-Pauma Unified        Julie Kimball        Lari Carr
Warner Unified        Ron Koenig        Mark Stevens
Risk Management JPA Executive Committee
members May 31, 2012
Diane Crosier, Executive Director

MEMBER         PHONE / EMAIL / FAX         SECRETARY

AZIMZADEH, Kamran
Lakeside Union         (619) 390-2614
FAX: (619) 390-2564        Cathy Nevins
(619) 390-2613

CHRISTENSEN, Karl
Santee
President
(619) 258-2321
Fax (619) 258-2241        Evonn Avila
(619) 258-2320

DILL, Eric
San Dieguito UHSD        
(760) 753-6491 x5597
FAX:  (760) 943-3508

Joann Schultz
(760) 753-6491 x5541

DUZYK, Lora
SDCOE         (858) 292-3618
FAX: (858) 541-0697        Rosa MacManus
(858) 292-3617

HAMELS, Gary
San Marcos Unified        
Vice President         (760) 752-1210
FAX: (760) 591-0426        Cecilia Aguirre
(760) 752-1212

LUEHRS, Sandie
Cardiff        
(760) 632-5890
FAX: (760) 942-5831        Martha Baily
(760) 632-5890

PATTERSON, Scott
Grossmont Union High         (619) 644-8010
FAX: (619) 465-6251        Catherine Melick
(619) 664-8010

PROCTOR, Ray
Fallbrook Union         (760) 731-5447
FAX: (760) 723-2507        Tina Vogt
(760) 731-5447

WHITTINGTON, Dena
San Ysidro School District
(619) 428-4476 x3004
FAX:  (619) 428-9355    Patricia Caro
(619) 428-4476 x 3003

Board Secretary
Diane Crosier
Executive Director         (858) 292-3747
FAX: (858) 279-6236        
Rosa Torres
(858) 569-5320
San Diego Education Report
SDER
San Diego
Education Report
SDER
SDER
SDER
Daniel Lee Puplava, Registered Principal of Escondido, California
Misappropriated signature guarantees on client's forms
11/30/2011
Puplava’s non-registered assistant had access to his signature guarantee stamp... to
approve securities business-related transactions and paperwork that required a
signature guarantee stamp...Puplava did not take back his signature guarantee stamp
or take steps to otherwise secure the stamp to prevent its misuse. ..

The findings also stated that
Puplava had customers sign blank securities
business-related forms, including non-brokerage change request forms,
mutual fund transfer forms and securities account forms, and retained these
forms in his customer files contrary to his member firm’s prohibition against
this practice.

Ironically, SDCOE attorney Dan Shinoff sued
Barry Alred and Scott Dauenhauer
on behalf of Diane Crosier and Dan Puplava for defamation for exposing
Puplava's dealings, and extracted settlements without the truth ever coming
out in a trial.  

Also,
Diane Crosier refused to produce public records to a local reporter.
May 18, 2012
Dan Puplava fined, broker's license suspended, but he is kept
on by SDCOE as director of Fringe Benefits Consortium
See all Daniel Shinoff cases
Did Voice of San Diego online newspaper stop reporter Emily Alpert from
asking  questions about Dan Puplava and Diane Crosier?  

Is
U-T San Diego doing a better job covering SDCOE?
Sharon Jones won 59% of the vote in her June 6, 2006 race against Rick Winet.
September 2, 2013
Diane Crosier, risk management and JPA
All SDCOE blog posts
SDCOE aggressively keeps the public ignorant
Dan Puplava blog posts
Keeping gifts secret
Common Core blog posts
Voice of San Diego: There Is a Free Lunch, and They're Not Telling You About It ...
Did SDCOE board members Mark Anderson, Susan Hartley, Lyn Neylong, Gregg Robinson
and Sharon Jones suddenly become interested in ethics? No.  
They still clearly believe
that their job is to protect the individuals in power in the education establishment,

even at the expense of the students they claim to serve, the public that they claim to
represent.  Transparency?  Forget about it.

SDCOE says the public has no right to an explanation--even after the San Diego
Union-Tribune exposed the
$355,000 in checks Dan Puplava received from financial
companies--of the trips taken by Diane Crosier, executive director of the risk management
department, to visit the companies she deals with.