This story is from Saturday's Desert Sun about another local school district that is failing our kids - Palm Spring Unified School District. Apparently a district official says the state will not take over the district, but a spokesman for California Education Secretary David Long says, "No decisions have been made, and discussions are ongoing."

Christine Anderson, assistant superintendent of educational services for Palm Springs Unified, released a statement Thursday that state officials would not pursue a takeover.

"Secretary of Education Dr. David Long has indicated that he and the California Department of Education will be making a proposal to the State Board of Education in January. They are expected to recommend that districts similar to Palm Springs Unified be provided District Assistance and Intervention Team (DAIT) support to address areas of need as opposed to some of the more severe sanctions," Anderson wrote.

A DAIT is a group of consultants that works with district administrators on governance, curriculum, achievement monitoring and other issues in an effort to boost test scores.

The Board of Education meeting is Jan. 9-10.

Dave Long is a good guy and was one of the founding members of the Riverside Republican Party's Elected Official Assocation when he was Superintendent of the Riverside County Schools. I'm glad the Governor put a good Republican in charge of such an important issue.

Palm Springs Unified is among 98 districts in the state facing heavy sanctions - the most severe of which is state takeover - after consistently failing to meet federal education standards. Coachella Valley Unified is also on the list.

I thought it was great to see Coachella Valley Unified School District Superintendent Foch "Tut" Pensis whine that his district wasn't offered the less harsh penalties. Did he not understand what he was doing in 2005 when Coachella Valley Unified accepted a $1.9 million grant that included a caveat that they would meet federal standards or face stiffer penalties?

Coachella Valley Unified School District Superintendent Foch "Tut" Pensis received a call from state officials last week, notifying him of a risk of state takeover. They made no mention of DAIT help, like Palm Springs Unified, he said.

Still, "that would be terrific," Pensis said. "It's all about someone coming in and looking at the data and coming up with suggestions.

"It's not a negative process at all. It's not a punitive process."

This is the same Superintendent Pensis who said that by definition, English-language learners cannot be proficient in English. Coachella Valley and nine other districts even sued the state in 2005, arguing that these students should be tested in Spanish. You can read my previous posts about it here and here.

A takeover could include replacing staff, removing schools from the district's jurisdiction, appointing a state trustee or administrator to oversee operations, allowing students to attend a neighboring district or abolishing the district altogether - but keep in mind that the state never has taken over a school or district under federal No Child Left Behind standards.