Wow, wait until you hear this monumental waste of your money. I was lounging around yesterday eating bon bons and giving myself a pedicure when the doorbell rang. Out front was a moving truck and a friendly gentleman stood at my door with some official looking documents in hand. He had a package that I was required to sign for, stating that I had been hand delivered a tape of the March 15th board meeting. I asked whom it was from and he just shrugged and said "I don’t know, they just sent me". Considering my increased paranoia of late this was very disconcerting. I was hoping he was heading back to the truck to bring in a new couch, but he just drove away. I was nervous. Was this really a tape? Why would I need a tape of an event I was a part of? I listened to the entire tape. I suppose the part I was intended to hear was at the very end of side B. I guess it was the part where our CEO mentions that our district can renovate and acquire the new bus garage for under $700,000.00. I must say I hope none of you are ever subjected to having to listen to a tape of a board meeting. Unless you are an insomniac, in which case I highly recommend it.
So I have a tape courtesy of the tax payers I assume. I will use it in the future as punishment for my children. And thanks for having it delivered to me because with the price of gas these days…Oh yeah and I understand why it couldn’t have waited until today when our board reports are hand delivered. OK that was a lie. I don’t understand that one. Anyway, for anyone paying attention, my toenails turned out fine.
I keep hearing about what is ethical and what is not. Is it ethical to spend $1500 per pupil more in one area of our district? Is it ethical to work toward separating certain schools from our district and then running for school board when you realize it can’t happen? Is it ethical to vote on contracts for people your family benefits monetarily from? Is it ethical to close two schools based partially on enrollment figures only to report 6 months later the only numbers under reported were on the two closed schools?
My ethics are right where they should be. I want to see equitable spending throughout our district, I want to see tax payer money spent wisely, not looking for ways to spend all we have. I want to see our buildings used by our students. I do not believe that leasing our buildings community schools and private schools is any way to increase our declining enrollment. Our bussing policies are grossly unfair to our very own students. My ethics lie with the people who pay the bills here and the children that deserve to see our money used on them in the classroom not on administrative costs that continue to rise as enrollment decreases.
Note on email: Due to concerns with Email linking to my Board of Education address, I have changed the Email link to my home Email account.
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2 comments:
"Or look at it this way; Silver Lake pays more into the school system than your more modest priced neighborhood households. Also if you wanted the more money per pupil you are permitted to apply for open enrollment to any building." But not all of our children could be accomodated through open enrollment, and why should we have to open enroll to get an excellent education... All buildings in the district should be funded equally. All of our children deserve an equitable education. The root of the problem here is that people like supportourschool believe that their children deserve just a little bit more.
And, by the way, in order to mend fences both neighbors have to want to mend them. Compiling dossiers and keeping tabs on a person's whereabouts doesn't seem to me like the behavior of someone who wants to get along. So run along and preach your gospel to the other side of the problem too because this is not in any way one sided.
We can improve productivity and lower costs by using existing technology (tools) in an optimal manner. Since the tools are available and getting better then the real problem is finding people like us to train ourselves in the useful techniques for using the tools.
We have met the solution to our problems and they are us. I am encouraged by all of the people now using blogs -- when blogs did not even exist two years ago. I am uncomfortable because we could be using these tools at a higher level than we are now.
Lou Schott www.tnl3000.org
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