It was the Rick Sanchez replacement. Brooke Baldwin’s interview with Republican candidate Iott was over the top. I’m not defending this guy’s politics, but way to imply that those who participate in historical reenactment are Nazi sympathizers if they dress up as SS for a reenactment. It’s not like he was wearing this stuff to a costume party; he’s a re-enactor. Icing on the cake? Pointedly drag the guy’s kid into it.
So, Brooke, when you gonna have Kenneth Branagh, Stanley Tucci, and Colin Firth on the show to ask about their stints as Nazis on TV in Conspiracy? They dressed up as Nazis. They must be anti-Semites.
So disappointing and insulting to me as a lover of history. From a journalism and political point of view, I just don’t get it. Is this what it’s come to? Is the Left that desperate? So sad. If you have a problem with the man’s politics, discuss that. (And he tried, in his interview with her, to discuss his campaign with her. She promptly cut him off.) But no, Brooke, choose to grasp at straws and bring the guy’s kid into it, too.
Brooke followed that up with a hard-hitting story about a guy on fire jumping out of a window. As a stunt. I know how to use YouTube if I want to see people on fire. Don’t worry – I’m not switching over to Fox, but why can’t there be a nice middle-of-the-road news outlet that actually reports real news?
And most of all, the mud-slinging, and tearing down of those with opposing viewpoints in our country is becoming more and more alarming to me. When is it going to stop, so that we can move forward?
The great blog Dekalb County School Watch published a Shayna Steinfeld post yesterday imploring the Board of Education to re-examine their business processes.
Most importantly, if you are not paying attention to the elections this Fall of Board of Education members (even if there is no seat up this year for your district), then you are doing the children of the county a disservice and you are jeopardizing your own community and property values. Dekalb County schools are well on their way to looking as bad as Clayton County. Think many people are itching to move into Clayton? Nope.
I highly recommend you follow the Dekalb County School Watch and educate yourself about those running for BoE.
This one is from Shayna Steinfeld. She makes some great points. She ran for Dekalb County BoE in 2008. I honestly don’t remember how I voted at the time, but I hope I voted for her. She did not win. I wish she had.
I attended the Dekalb County schools budget meeting with Tonna, the parent of one of Rollie’s classmates. We got there and were amazed at the number of police and news crews. Parents, dressed in red to show their support for their kids’ educational programs, were everywhere. Most of the teachers were wearing black to protest the budget cuts. We went in and sat down, started talking to other parents. It was sad to hear how far-reaching these cuts would be, how it would affect Montessori programs, magnet programs, pre-k programs, special Ed, the Arts, music, and P.E., and it was heartening to see how many parents actually care.
We sat with some other parents from our own school. Before the meeting, people were allowed to sign up for a chance to speak for two minutes, with 30 people getting slots for a total of one hour. The hour went by quickly, though, with parents, teachers, and citizens concerned over their property values carefully and respectfully laying out their arguments against cutting schoolhouse programs. There were some tears, and there were some sharp points made concerning the size and cost of the central office, but i was amazed at everyone’s civility. (Needless to say, I did not speak.)
Some Arguments for not cutting educational programs:
Detrimental to children currently using these programs.
Makes little sense to scrap programs, such as Montessori, that Dekalb has so recently spent funds on improving. Would be throwing away those investments in the programs.
Treatment of teachers will drive away good educators, and fail to bring new ones into the county schools.
Right now, these programs are a draw for people to move into Dekalb County. (a point that hits home for Todd and I since we specifically moved to our current location less than two years ago to take advantage of the wonderful elementary my son attends). Scrapping these programs would mean that families would no longer be drawn by the programs, and in fact, many families will consider leaving the area for better educational opportunities. This exodus would likewise impact property values and the viability of our county schools for years to come.
This last point seemed to me the most salient: We should not throw away the future of our county to make stopgap budget cuts; there are other ways to make budgetary cuts that will not negatively impact education and property values in Dekalb County for so many years in the future.
Across the board, parents and teachers alike seemed to agree that the Board needs to look to the central office for their budget cuts. I have been looking for specific numbers on what the central office administration costs are and have had trouble finding those numbers. I have been told by word of mouth, though, that there are hundreds of administrators at this level making over $100,000. It seems ludicrous to be paying salaries like this when we have a budget shortfall.
I know one area they can certainly make cuts with little effect to our childrens’ education: The Magnet Office. I have had the opportunity to interact with them on an issue with getting my son into the Magnet program, along with following up with the director of that program on improving the processes and procedures for Magnet lottery in the future. Please believe me when I say that one Magnet official cannot screw up the lottery process any more significantly than two have managed to do already. These folks are inept and are not earning whatever salary it is they make already. I am sure that this ineptitude is spread throughout the central office in many different scenarios.
One final note: After the meeting last night, a group of four Evansdale parents (myself included) went up to Paul Womack, our Board of Education representative. We wanted to introduce ourselves, and let him know that Evansdale parents are concerned about our programs being cut. Mr. Womack was polite and took the time to speak with us. Other parents voiced their concerns. He listened. I asked him to please, “just do the right thing for our kids.”
His reply? “No, I will not do ‘the right thing.’ I will do what is right. There’s a difference, you know. You think about it.”
Are you kidding me? That is the most bullsh*t politician-speak i have ever heard!
He then proceeded to tell me and the three other women i was with that we were coming at this from “an emotional standpoint.” Sir, why don’t you just come out and call us hysterical women? Really? Really, Mr. Womack? I am sorry if I am getting a little emotional about threats to my child’s educational opportunities, and my property values. I am sorry if I get a little emotional when I think of folks making over a $100,000/year, while I see the programs in my child’s school possibly being cut.
I told him that we wanted to see the top-heavy central office experience cuts before they cut out our kids’ programs. I told him that we understood that in hard times, hard decisions had to be made, but that cuts they make to our school programs would be much more palatable if we also saw that central office was giving up plenty too. He assured me that we would see large central office cuts. I will be watching for those. And if I don’t see them, Mr. Womack? Don’t worry. I will do my darnedest to stay unemotional when I go to the polls in 2012.
Dekalb County School Superintendent Crawford Lewis is getting a pay increase, while Dekalb County is proposing cuts across the system: teachers are taking furloughs, pay cuts are happening all over for those who work in the schools, programs are going to be cut, and millage rates possibly increased. Just last night, President Obama was speaking out against education cuts, but I don’t think he meant pay raises for fat cat administrators and their cronies in the big county nepotism office.
Sure, Dekalb is a huge school system, and the job can’t be very easy, but this man makes almost A QUARTER OF A MILLION DOLLARS EVERY YEAR. Most of the administration in Dekalb Co. (a top-heavy organization, at that) make over $100,000. And yet, custodians and bus drivers and the like have not even gotten a step up in two years. Music and art programs might be cut. Lottery-funded pre-kindergarten programs might be cut. Magnet programs might be cut. We waste money on new textbooks that aren’t even needed, while we don’t get the ones that are needed. But thank god, Crawford Lewis is getting that extra $15,000. Premiere Dekalb, my ass. Lewis hasn’t earned the first $240,000, much less the $15,000 raise!
Do you have a child in the Dekalb County school system? Do you live in Dekalb County? This affects you. Make your voice heard. The Board of Education is holding a Public Budget Input meeting this evening at 6:00pm at the William Bradley Bryant Center of Technology:
William Bradley Bryant Center of Technology
2652 Lawrenceville Highway, Decatur, Georgia 30033
Can’t make the meeting? You can send letters to the following Board Members:
H. Paul Womack, Jr. h_paul_womack@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
Dr. Pamela Speaks pam_speaks@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
Thomas E. Bowen thomas_bowen@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
Zepora Roberts zepora_w_roberts@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
Jim Redovian jim_redovian@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
Don McChesney don_mcchesney@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
Sarah Copelin-Wood sarah_copelin-wood@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
Jesse “Jay” Cunningham, Jr. jay_cunningham@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
Eugene P. Walker eugene_p_walker@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
And/Or DCSS Officials:
Terry M. Segovis Terry_M_Segovis@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
Robert G. Moseley Robert_Moseley@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
Either Todd or I will be attending the meeting, and if I go, I might Twitter updates. Those show up in the sidebar of my blog, or you can follow me on Twitter.
After all that school speech hubbub, Rollie came home from school and didn’t say a thing about it. I didn’t ask, because I knew Todd would want to hear what he had to say about it, too, and you don’t ask a six-year-old what happened at school that day more than once and expect to live. You would die a slow, eye-rolling, sighing death, petulant death.
So, I held off until we sat down to dinner. (Yes, despite my being less-than-traditional in many ways, we do try to sit down to dinner together. Sometimes it happens.)
Me: “Rollie, did you do anything interesting at school today?”
Rollie: “No.”
Me: “You didn’t get to hear a big speech or anything like that?”
Rollie: “Yeah.”
Me: “Can you elaborate?”
[Rollie rolls his eyes.]
Me: “Who did the speech?”
Rollie: “Barack Obama. He was on TV, but he was really at a school in Arlington, Va.”
Me: [thinking to myself, “well, he must have been paying attention enough to get the President’s locale. . . “] “So, what did you think of the speech?”
Rollie shrugged and gave it a thumbs down.
Me: “Why didn’t you like it?”
Rollie: “It was boring, boring, boring.”
All further attempts at discussing the speech with Rollie were met with adamant resistance.
I am thinking that maybe jason B. was right. The kids didn’t get it at this age. They were bored.
That being said, I think that there must have been some discussion of educational goals at school, because later that night, I overheard this discussion between Rollie and Tiller:
Rollie: “Tiller are you going to college?”
Tiller: “No! I don’t want to go to college! I want to stay here with mama and Daddy!”
While this is disappointing in some respects, I would probably be okay with this. As long as I can make her wear footie PJs and silky nighties with strawberries all over them, and cuddle on the couch, forever and ever.
“Dear Parents,
I just received final clarification about the President’s Address Tuesday. Per the Superintendent, [the school] will be showing the speech live. If parents do not wish to have their child view the speech, they will need to contact their homeroom teacher. Alternative activities will be in place for those students.
I apologize for the previous email. I am just trying to accommodate all stakeholders at [school].
Sincerely,
Principal McPrincipalson, Ed.D.”
What a shit storm over nothing. Wish they would send me a list of those who hold their kids out, though, as I would have reservations about their mental stability and would like to avoid play dates with them.
The following is a note from my son’s school’s principal, via the PTA. . .
“Dear [name of Elementary School] Families,
As you may be aware, President Obama is scheduled to address the nation’s
schoolchildren on Tuesday. However, [our school] will be postponing the
viewing to later in the week. I will be sending a letter home on Tuesday
explaining the details and giving parents the option of allowing or not
allowing their child to view the address.
Thanks and enjoy the rest of the holiday.
Principal McPrincipalson, Ed.D.
Principal
School Name Elementary
—
As a PTA membership benefit and an important communication tool, you have received this email directly from the [school name] PTA.”
Seriously? Glad to know that the powers that be at my child’s school are caving to a bunch of hysterical nut jobs.
Here’s the thing: If you don’t want your child to watch it, keep your child out of school that day. And in the future, please refrain from throwing around the old “that’s not patriotic” charge; In my opinion, if you are refusing to let your child hear a message from the President of our country, you are showing disrespect to the office of the President. Who’s unpatriotic now?
Yeah, my kid will be there. I refuse to teach my child that it is okay to refuse to listen to someone else’s viewpoint. I will teach my kid that it is required that he show respect to the highest office in the United States.
So, I have some questions about the magnet program at my kid’s school. I cannot get the Dekalb County director of the program to reply to my emails or phone calls. I cannot get her assistant to reply. I have left multiple messages on the numbers that I can find listed for those folks and the department. I have called the main office to be connected to that department, and the Office of Student Assignments. Evidently, Dekalb County schools are being run by computers. Computers that spit out incorrect schedules for thousands of Dekalb County students.
Luckily, they have humans to make sure that your kids are not wearing flip flops, have a hole in their jeans, or God forbid, have stitching on the pockets of their pants. Because that, that would have to be dealt with by putting the perp into ISS for hours on their first day of sixth grade. Because every young girl, on her first day of middle school, needs to be held up and ridiculed for her clothing.
I am so thankful (and this is NOT sarcasm, promise) that the wonderful folks at my kid’s elementary school are so helpful and really wanted to help me work this problem out. However, they basically told me there was nothing they could do, because THEY can’t get these folks to reply to them either.
So, I am kind of feeling sorry for Dekalb County now, because they are going to be really sick of me. If I have to go down to that office in person and get Pat Copeland to respond to my questions, I will do so.
I just love meeting new people. I think she is really going to dig me.
Wanna get scared about Dekalb County schools? Read this watchdog blog.