More Of The Same Begets More Of The Same

Someone needs to get a clue to all of the administrators within the Hillsborough County Public Schools. When there is a problem brewing, relegating and isolating the problem to one person or one department is like gluing the lid on a pressure cooker. Eventually, the whole mess is going to explode like hell. They may get away with it for years, but the fallout from this practice is costly for human resources.

In the HASA April 09 minutes, there is a recommendation that if a person speaks to the Board with a complaint, the speaker should be "referred to the appropriate level supervisor".

Someone set me straight on this, but it has been my experience that, for the most part, when someone brings a complaint to the Board, it is after they have exhausted all other avenues to address their concerns to no avail. By the time they have worked up the emotional energy to go speak to the board, they are usually at their wit's end. Why send them back to the very people that they have been dealing with already?


Since the Erwin case has been well exposed as an example of this type of narrow-minded thinking, take another look at what happened at the latest Alafia Elementary debacle. According to the information I have, both Ken Otero and Sherrie Sikes had been involved with that issue for quite some time. Both of those people, by all accounts that I know of, are fairly well respected for their administrative abilities. Why send people back to them if they can't solve the problem?

Look at what happened when "town meetings" were held. If sending this problem back to the proper supervisors was such a good idea, why did the Superintendent show up to answer questions?

What may be the elephant, or the 600 pound gorilla, in the room that no one is willing to expose, is that there are hidden agendas and covert exertions that work against common sense solutions. As an example, suppose there is an ongoing legal battle that the District is engaged in, unknown to most people. Along comes another incident that is similar to the one under litigation. To expose this new incident would be jeopardizing the liability of the ongoing case, especially if the ongoing case is dealing with alleged systemically repeated problems. Under this type of situation, the District's reaction may seem drastic to what, to all involved, is perceived as a real "isolated incident".

I have seen this several times in my limited experience. I will repeat what I have said before: When decisions at the table do not make sense, the real decision makers are not sitting at the table.

Anyone else see it that way?

I Wished I Could Say It Like This

Long time readers know that I, and others, are a creation of the dysfunctional part of the Exceptional Student Education system of Hillsborough County Public Schools.


The conceptualized comment you find on the below link was exactly why the Whiteheads requested, within the remedies of their federal court case in which retaliation against the parents (not the student, their son) was proved, that a Superintendent's Advisory Board on Special Education be formed to address systemic issues. A good question to ask is "how many recommendations to the superintendent" have ever been submitted by that council.



Hopefully the right people will pay attention to this below issue before it costs the District a lot of money to say they didn't know anything about it.



Professional Standards is Broken : Goader Online

Entrenched In Keeping The Public Out Of The Public School System

Joel Chandler has taken on the school district of Pasco county. From my perspective, this all started because the Superintendent said the District's actions were an "aberration", another word for "isolated incident". This turned out to not be the case, and, as they say, the rest is history.

In the beginning....


Joel has updated his list of media articles.

The Press....<


This link is interesting for those who think that school systems abuse their power and are cavalier in their dealings with the public.

Florida's Public Records Law: An Unmistakable Message The Ledger | Lakeland, FL:

"So now it's the School Board lawyer's turn in the barrel, and deservedly so. Hill needed a two-by-four to get Bridges' attention - and the attention of Bridges' bosses."

"A better tactic would have been to comply with the law and then seek a change to exempt information Bridges was uncomfortable releasing, which is now under discussion by the Legislature. Instead, taxpayers' dollars were squandered on legal fees for a cause that was clearly a loser. That's no way to build public trust in institutions now struggling more than ever for tax dollars in a shrinking economy."

There is that word "trust". Joel also provides a link on his post "hanging by a thread" which provides the names of many other entities, both individuals and companies, that exercised their public records request without such a fuss. However, the process may have had a kink in it, for apparently the District's practice of asking entities to sign a third party non-disclosure agreement is not appropriate.

It sure smacks of power and control running wild and bulldozing over anyone in the way. They have an image to protect. Laws be damned.

It's Known As "Paper Compliance" vs. Real Compliance

I have written about this phenomenon on my PRO blog and my Motel Special Ed blog.

I learned about it years ago, when I was in the trenches as a parent of a special ed kid that was in the local public school system. Paperwork was the trump card against truth and reality. Over the years, I learned the importance of fabrication, alteration, obfuscation and simply "lost" paperwork.

Someone who purports to be a remedial teacher restates what I bitch and moan about. What really sucks is that there are plenty of naive parents who still deal with the system from a trusting position. And there are still plenty of school employees that don't blow the whistle or ring the bell.



Florida & Tampa Bay schools blog - The Gradebook:

"If it looks good on paper, then all is well. Doesn't matter that children are never given direct services that actually meet their needs. Heck, just make it look good on paper so we don't get sanctioned and lose funding."

Even an elephant knows this.

Clothes Make The Student - Er, Uh, Government Control Makes The Student

Some Indian River County schools will require uniform next school year

Oslo Principal Deborah Long -

""But you don't come to school for self-expression," she added. "Let the students stand out with academics, not what they're wearing."

"Shawn O'Keefe, principal of the new middle school said the term "unified dress policy" if [sic] preferred to uniforms."

Outside of the government property of the public education system, there was this:

Saggy pants ban: Riviera Beach's ban on saggy pants ruled unconstitutional -- OrlandoSentinel.com


Here is an article that may explain what is happening to "education" within the public education system:

This is the new reality of public education for children in kindergarten through grade 12 in America. Schools are becoming the social safety net for students and their families.

US public schools routinely provide before-school programs, breakfasts, lunches, after-school care, and evening programs. They offer programs to teach children about sex and how to drive. In structured and formal ways, they try to keep children away from drugs, make sure they don’t carry weapons, instill ethical behavior, prevent sexually transmitted diseases, fight alcohol abuse, prevent student suicides, prevent gang violence, teach conflict mediation, shelter homeless children, ensure students are vaccinated, combat obesity, and provide assistance to teenage mothers and their children, among many other social services.

Student sex education and student meals have been around for more than a century. But the widespread provision of other social services by public schools is a much more recent phenomenon.

I know, I know. The parents are too lazy and uneducated enough to be parents. Not to worry. The educators can fix that. The educators will take over parenting responsibilities. Nutritional foods (check out any school lunch program), condoms, and birth control pills for 14 year olds. Money out the wasooh for social programs, but no money for pencils, papers, books, teachers and other educational items.

What I never see in these articles about school uniforms is how the site administration has adopted a uniform policy for all of the staff. Does that ever happen? Lead by example. A picture is worth a thousand words. Do as I Do.

I ain't smart, but I am a television watcher. These school administrators should share their insight and knowledge with prison administrators. The prisoners all wear uniforms, but the prison administrators just can't get a handle on those damn gangs, nor can they figure out how to make everyone equal. Gang violence in a uniformed environment? Never heard of it.

I was watching a uniformed group of kids the other day. It didn't take me very long to see that some were leaders, some were followers, some were polite, some were mouthy, and some altered their uniform just enough to be different.

This parent may also wonder how much is it going to cost in time and resources to enforce the code of the uniform; "I send my kids to school for an education," said Becky Polge. "I wonder how much instructional time (enforcement) is going to take up."

Understanding the true root of a problem goes a long way to solving it. I am not sure if uniform thinking is going to get to the root of the problem.

Laptop Blackmarket

Schools' laptops are hot items:

"In the past three years, 490 laptops at public schools and district offices went missing, either stolen or lost, according to figures the district compiled through March."

This is old news to me. Ten or more years ago, I heard this was going on, and had been going on. How have they been dealing with this problem all of this time? Do they know where any of their inventory is? Someone finally got caught stealing lawn tractors only after a whistle blower jumped up and down.

At least it sounds like they can provide "up to date" reports of theft. At least they can't say they don't know that it is happening.

Our Education System Rocks - Part Two

Somewhere on one of my many rants and raves, I wrote about my opinion that, when dealing with "the system", when things "don't make sense", the real decision maker is not "sitting at the table". I often wonder who is really "in charge" of the system and "information".

If one has watched the news on political scandals for the last twenty years, you should know that the "cover up is worse than the original offense". However, it takes a heck of a lot of work and perseverence to get to the truth. It appears we now have an issue that has been brewing within the state education system.

Joel Chandler has a lot of information on his blog, and it is imperative, for one to understand the significance of any of the "isolated incidents", to see how the issue is not limited to one county.

The short story is that Mr. Chandler made a public records request to a school system. The fact that he was rebuked and the manner in which he was rebuked has led to much more than anyone could have ever imagined.


There is something to be said about the arrogance, ignorance and abuse of power and authority within public education systems.



School Board Lawyer Faces Charges | theledger.com | The Ledger | Lakeland, FL:



"BARTOW | Prosecutors charged Wes Bridges, the Polk County School District's lawyer, Friday with violating the state's public records law."

"A State Attorney's Office investigation concluded Bridges failed to release records to the Lakeland man within a proper amount of time. Chandler, who sells copy machines, filed his request Feb. 5, 2008.

A complaint affidavit explains that a "pattern of delays" and taking months to comply with records requests "can constitute an unlawful refusal to provide access."

Bridges faces a first-degree misdemeanor charge, which carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. He received a summons to appear in court at 8:30 a.m. on May 13 in Bartow."

For a complete source:

I am....

This one is a must read:

Answer the question....

Our Education System Rocks - Part One

A Few Odds And Ends


Trying to make sense of "tenure vs. performance" is like trying to nail jello to a wall. The assumption that tenure in itself means better performance defies reality.

I can just hear James Carville's rant on the 'Teacher of the Year' award: "It don't mean nothin', it don't mean nothin'!"

A travesty unfolds at her school | Jacksonville.com:

"This year she was named her school's 'Teacher of the Year.' She also was selected as one of five finalists for Clay County's 'Teacher of the Year' award.
She also is about to lose her job."

Although I am quite aware that this is an isolated incident, imagine the amount of respect that is lost for the public school system by those that are effected by this action. It would have been one thing if the teacher had moved to Arkansas. But I am left with the image of a School Board sitting on a tree limb, sawing the limb at a point that is closer to the trunk of the tree than where they are sitting.

Frequent readers of mine may grow weary of my hackneyed use of the phrase "isolated incident". I mock that phrase because I heard it so many times. Logically, one would think that I would have only heard it in an isolated setting. For me, it provides insight into how the system leaders define issues. Policy and decision makers, who base their decisions by looking at numbers, understand that one bit of data is insignificant. What they fail to realize is that bit of data is usually something that has very significant influence on the entity that is the source of that data. A fatal car wreck may be an isolated incident in one's life, but it certainly is significant.


I have a difficult time making sense of the purpose of our public education system. I am reminded of John Saxe's Blind Men And The Elephant:


Blind Men & An Elephant:

".......And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!
Moral:
So oft in theologic wars,
The disputants, I ween,
Rail on in utter ignorance
Of what each other mean,
And prate about an Elephant
Not one of them has seen!"

Yesterday there was a post on the The Gradebook that got my attention. It had to do with corporal punishment within our education system. I am always intrigued with the issue of behavioral management. My intrigue is based on my belief that policy and decision makers on behavioral issues are like the men and the elephant.

Our public education system can teach car driving, which is a "new" behavior. Parents don't teach that at home.
Our public education system can teach football, which is a "new" behavior. Parents don't teach that at home.
Our public education system can teach FCAT taking, which is a "new" behavior. Parents don't teach that at home.
Our public education system can teach nursing skills, which is a "new" behavior. Parents don't teach that at home.

Yet, for some reason, when kids display inappropriate behavior, there is no class for teaching "new" behavior. When it comes to behavior that interrupts a kid's, or their peer's, access to their curriculum, the mindset of "education" takes a different slant. Apparently, the system does not have the money to teach "new" social behavior.

What I find interesting is that the same parents that don't have the professional knowledge that professional educators have are expected to have the professional knowledge necessary to teach appropriate social behavior. How well trained in behavioral teaching are the teachers and administrators and "the system"?


Another isolated incident of how parents can be dealt with:

Witch Hunt:

"On the night John Stoll was roused from his bed and carted off to jail, his attitude bordered on the cavalier.
'Aren't you worried?' His lawyer wondered.
'Hell no, I ain't worried,' John answered. 'I didn't do this. You can't convict me of something I didn't do.'

It was more than two decades before John Stoll was free again.
Executive Producer Sean Penn proudly presents 'Witch Hunt,' a gripping indictment of the United States justice system told through the lens of one small town. It's John Stoll's story, but it's also the story of dozens of other men and women who found themselves ensnared in a spiral of fear, ignorance and hysteria. These people are Americans, working class moms and dads, who were rounded up with little or no evidence, charged and convicted of almost unimaginable crimes. All sexual. All crimes against children. Years, sometimes decades later, they would find freedom again, but their lives and the lives of their children would be changed forever. This film shows viewers what the real crime in this case is, not molestation, but the crime of coercion. Viewers hear from the child witnesses who were forced to lie on the witness stand as they describe scary sessions with sheriff's deputies in which they were told -- not asked -- about sexual experiences that happened to them. Their coerced testimony led to dozens of convictions. Many times their own parents were the ones they put behind bars.
Soon after the trials, the children started to crack. They told adults of the lies they'd been forced to tell on the stand and hoped it would make a difference. It didn't and the convicted continued to sit in prison. As the allegations grew more outlandish, California's Attorney General wrote a scathing report on the court misconduct, but instead of being buried by criticism, Kern County District Attorney Ed Jagels thrived, doing what he did best-- putting people away. He boasted one of the highest conviction rates in the country. This strategy served him well. Jagels is still in office today. Through new interviews, archival footage, and unflinching narration by Mr. Penn, the filmmakers construct an intimate film that illustrates a universal point; when power is allowed to exist without oversight from the press, the community or law enforcement, the rights of everyday citizens can be lost for decades."

And then there is one more isolated incident, this one closer to home. 31 graves next to the school. Ex-students tell of how they were asked to dig holes four feet deep and the length of a boy.

Corporal punishment at it's best at a "school".



For their own good: Florida School for Boys

Keeping Our Horizons Expanded

In keeping with my prior post on how seemingly connected California and Florida are, I thought I would share this article with you.

While I don't particularly care if Jack O'Connell is an idiot or not, I am curious if anyone sees Florida headed in the same direction when it comes to migrant education.

Jack O'Connell Is An Idiot

Donate, Cut, or Simply Practice Sophistry

There is an interesting post over on The Gradebook :Florida & Tampa Bay schools blog - The Gradebook#comments

Apparently, there is a proposal in the Senate to lower the amount of money that the State is going to "donate" to the AP program. The previous State donation to the AP fund was around $66 million but the new donation will only be $33 million.

Within the public comments, there is some discussion regarding the HCPS Superintendent's bonus and how parts of her bonus are tied directly to the AP and IB programs. Two of the public comments referenced this point. A previous article,(link is within the top link above), provides information on how Ms. Elia has "pushed the AP curriculum as much as any superintendent in Florida."

According to the contract, it looks like $750 is attached to percentage point increase of scores of 3 or higher on the AP exam and 4 or higher on the IB exams. There is $500 attached to percentage point increases of AP participation across all races, and then another $500 per percentage point for increased African-American and Hispanic students, both for AP and IB exam taking.

One could make the argument that some groups of students provide more value than other groups, an argument that is usually stifled by the position that the District is "there for all of the students".

One commenter makes the point that Ms. Elia donated her bonus, which is essentially a pay cut:

"MaryEllen donated her AP bonus to the Hillsborough Education Foundation. I think it was about 10% of her salary. Do I hear any other political officers doing the same or any other school administrators making over $100k offering to take a 10% pay cut?

Posted by: JohnM | April 16, 2009 at 11:01 PM"

Prior to reading that statement, I was always under the impression that a "donation" was either a philanthropic act, quid-pro-quo expectation, or tax advantage strategy. Saying that a "donation" is a "pay cut" is something I will have to ponder for a while, because it doesn't seem to fit into my categories.

Any one else have an explanation?

Did I Previously Make A Comment About Controlling Information To Maintain Power?

For those who have not benefited by the personal experience of being involved in power and control issues with a government agency, the below links provide an insight that most of the trusting employees and public do not get to see very often.

If you comprehend the information that is provided in the links within the below links, you will see what happens when a knowledgeable citizen attempts to exercise an action that is legally sound. It is difficult to understand how a legal representative of one government agency could apparently disregard sound legal advice from another legal representative and also act contrary to a Circuit Court's order.


But if the copies of these documents are true, it paints an interesting picture:


Oh, what a tangled web we weave....


Troubled Waters....

In the meantime, the rest of us just simply trust the professionals.

The Ties That Bind - Or Maybe It's "Blind"

Back in the day when my moons were more aligned for balls-to-the-wall special education advocacy, I went to countless IEP's in Hillsborough County and many in neighboring counties. I have countless memories of "hijacking" IEP's and "blindsiding" the person that was "running the IEP" simply by asking them to read a specific portion of the IDEA procedural safeguards that, in my humble non-attorney position, had been misrepresented by the person while informing the trusting parent of their (parent's) IDEA procedural safeguards.

I was even called into the ROSSAC building after one particular meeting in Eastern Hillsborough County where the poor ESE specialist just could not get off his well rehearsed, never-challenged spiel that was rarely connected to what the pamphlet really said. I really did try hard to not be anti-collaborative, but I also could not let the parent go through the meeting making decisions based on outright false information. I knew that the decisions she was going to try to make were going to be for the best interest of her child, something I think IDEA is to afford all parents of ESE kids. After the third or fourth safeguard challenge, ones that I knew were important for the parent to completely understand, he told me if I interrupted again, I would be told to leave. I am sure it was embarrassing to him to read something that contradicted what he had just said. Thankfully, by that time we were at the end where it talks about state complaints and due process.

I said all of that just to say this. During that time I also studied a lot of case law and trends across the nation regarding special education issues. One thing I noted was the apparent correlation between California and Florida when it came to how special education issues were dealt with. My recollection is that the lawsuits that they lost were very similar. Somewhere on one of my blogs I wrote about the black list that California had of "troublemaker, advocating parents".

Finally to the point. I thought I would share with my local readers what has just happened in Los Angeles. What's your guess? Are California and Florida still tied?
You gotta listen to the end.


LAUSD board votes to lay off 5,400 teachers, personnel - 4/14/09 - Los Angeles-Southern California-LA Breaking News, Weather, Traffic, Sports - abc7.com

What To Do When You Created A Problem And Are Afraid To Let Go

The ongoing situation with Goader must provide the local government agency, otherwise known as the Hillsborough County Public Schools, with several perplexing issues. Balancing apparent long held practices of keeping problems in-house and away from public scrutiny against an aggressive and apparent unilateral decision to create a legal charge could be one of those quagmires. According to the information that I have, the fact that the sheriff's department and the state's attorney did not find cause to collaborate an in-house charge apparently did not sit well with the first named government agency.

And then there is the problem of "who knew, what did they know, when did they know it, and how did they decide to act on what they knew". A classic government albatross.

A little history provides a little perspective to the here and now:

Communication Still Problem For Hillsborough Schools:

"By MARILYN BROWN
The Tampa Tribune
Published: September 21, 2008
Updated: 09/21/2008 12:16 am
TAMPA -

Lack of communication.

It's often the official answer when things go sour in Hillsborough County schools."

"......some school board members don't always get all of the information they want and ask for.

"I've had trouble getting information since I have been a board member," said Griffin, who was elected in 2006. "I ask for things and sometimes it takes weeks to get it. I've asked for reports that I have not received to this day."

"Communication is very selective in this district," said Griffin, who has often been at odds with Elia. "If you're in their favor the communication seems to be a lot more open and a lot quicker."

Complaint Alleges Hillsborough Withheld Services To Students#comments#comments: "By MARILYN BROWN | The Tampa Tribune
Published: October 1, 2008
Updated: 10/01/2008 02:42 pm
TAMPA - A class action complaint was filed in Tallahassee today with the Florida Department of Education by three civil rights groups on behalf of six students with mental and emotional disorders in Hillsborough County."

"Elia said she was surprised when she got notice Monday of the upcoming news conference because she was not aware of the concerns."

The significance of this state complaint is the duration of the alledged compliance issues. So, how does a government agency balance having their finger on the pulse of all that is good and having no information on ongoing issues? How does a government agency control the flow of information? Is there a "street code"? What about "don't ask, don't tell"?


Control of information may be the cornerstone of the establishment. Without that control, the fulcrum on the balance of power and influence is lengthened. How can the establishment let go when control of information is the only weight they have?



Goader has 16 parts that provides information. And then there is Lee's blog which adds to the information. My understanding is that Goader is still biding his time, waiting for an answer. My farm boy logic leads me to believe that he therefore must not be in favor of the establishment.


And for those who enjoy honing their critical reading skills, peruse the comments found here:

It’s Goader—Got It! : Goader Online

Trying To Deal With The Insanity

I would assume we have all processed the meaning of repeating a behavior and expecting a different result.

I have often heard that "hiring from with-in" rewards those who have sacrificed for so many years for the system. One argument could be made that those years within the system molded one's thinking into being similar to those who do the promoting. Sort of like a seniority system for like-minded individuals. Survival of the system is goal one.


I found the discussion between the blog host Dennis and the "physics teacher" quite interesting.


From the Trenches of Public Ed.: Needed: good principals with real power:

"In teaching, I talk to quite a few career switchers such as myself and all of them feel underappreciated, disrespected, and underpaid. How can one not burn out when your boss, a decade younger and ignorant, talks to you as though you were born yesterday? How can you not burn out when there is no mechanism for you to defend yourself or rebut their statements? How can you not be glad there's a union who might pay for a lawyer that you could never afford yourself?"

Cowards Of The County

First, there seems to be a problem with the posting of a previous post of mine:

PRO on HCPS: Why Not Implement A "No Home Work Plan" For Teachers?


For some reason, I don't see the public comments on the above post when I am on the blog.
In case no one else can read them, here they are:

4 comments:
Anonymous said...
HMMMM

I read on another blog that Jack Davis was going to take of the Executive Director job at the CTA when Yvonne Lyons retires this year.

I think its the same Jack Davis mentioned in the Erwin care.

Think I'll pass on looking for help with the CTA.

April 11, 2009 11:00 PM
PRO On HCPS said...
My take of the CTA is that it provides liability insurance to individual employees.

Otherwise, the CTA deals with "group management", therefore decisions are based on group numbers is how I see it. "Good teachers" are lumped in with "bad teachers" and raises are based on what the budget line item will be for the masses.

Safety in numbers means giving up individual performance is how I read the tea leaves.

What do you think?

As far as Mr. Davis goes, I dealt with him for a few years. Some good, some not so good.

The system is what it is, despite what I have to say.

April 12, 2009 7:43 PM
Anonymous said...
I agree that the CTA has to represent all AND has to protect itself. Personally I feel that they have gone overboard protecting themselves almost to the point of getting in bed with the district.

The Eskay guy is proof that the district has the power to silence opposition. He has turned out to be a coward. I have no respect for him.

Care to comment?

April 12, 2009 9:23 PM
PRO On HCPS said...
It takes a heck of a lot of financial, emotional and intellectual resources to fight back. And time.

There are too many variables that I would need to know.

April 13, 2009 6:13 AM

*************************************************

I have had all day to think about Anon 7:43pm's comment about Eskay being a coward.

Why isolate Eskay as a coward?

I submit that the hundreds or thousands of people that have been involved with the "cancer of the system" yet protect and enable it by their actions and inaction are all cowards.

The commenter makes the statement "The Eskay guy is proof that the district has the power to silence opposition." So why lay this on a person who is already in a compromised position?

What about all of the professional educators from the highest ranks of administration down to the bottom of the chain? What about the vendors and contract workers that can collaborate hundreds of incidents, yet know that to speak up would be to cut off their income? Especially when then school system is the main source of their business.

I have a post on my Motel Special Ed site that is titled "How Do (Can?)They Sleep At Night". For almost 20 years I have tried to figure out how so many people can be involved in a system yet no one connects the dots when proof is offered. Even without the rumor mill, you have the Erwin case, the McClelland Case and the Whitehead trial. Both the Erwin and Whitehead cases proved retaliation by the District. They are landmark cases. The McClelland case substantiated one part of Erwin's claims.

Over the years, I have spoken to many different people that have many different ties to the system as I have described above. I am left with the belief that no one wants to face the truth. They instinctively know that they will be isolated and then punished by the system is my best guess.

I learned about the ethics of the system through the special education realm. That makes me the red headed step child when it comes to appealing for systemic reform. Study my blogs if you don't get it. I spent years learning for myself as best as I could from an outside position. I have to believe that those who work in it everyday compartmentalize their thoughts and emotions in order to "get their job done and not bring attention to myself".


Maintaining power means maintaining money. Read the By-laws and the Mission statements of all of the related groups involved in education. How many of them put the classroom first? All of the ones that come to my mind are about limiting the liability of their respective memberships and furthering their economic status. All on the backs of the students. The same may go for Supervisors at all levels.

Understanding the system requires using the thousands of "isolated incidents" and then looking at the big picture over a period of years.

Homework for the masses: How many administrators have been hired from outside of the system within the last 20 years? I only know of one. Prove me wrong.

Old Time "Secret Investigation" Was No Doubt An Isolated Incident And A Broad Brush Accusation

School Board releases secret investigation:

"The investigation of McClelland and the grounds department began quietly in September 2000 after Erwin met with former School Board chairwoman Carolyn Bricklemyer. Other district employees, include Sickles High assistant principal Elsa Tuggle, also complained to the school security office last fall.

School security handled the investigation until the district hired Gietzen. Gonzalez said he told Gietzen to turn over his unfinished findings in the spring because his probe was taking too long. At that point, the district began an internal investigation.

The district had refused requests to hand over Gietzen's report until this week.

The 13-page report released Wednesday, though described as a cursory review by Gietzen, reveals a loosely supervised department that allowed employees and contractors alike to take advantage of district time, finances and property.

Some of the allegations, which Gietzen described as rumors, could not be documented.

But the examination did conclude that McClelland's nephew, Reese McClelland, received district work through a company known as Janice Turner Tractor of Plant City and that he used district equipment.

According to Gietzen's June 1 report, "this company enjoyed a relationship with the Hillsborough County School Board for quite some time and was paid a substantial sum of money." He also noted that much of the work done by the company "should have been accomplished by School Board employees."

Other Gietzen findings include:...........

Public Records vs Media

The under card carries dangling participles vs convoluted commas, homophones vs straight quotes and flabby flaccid voices vs compacted colons.

The main event pits copy of Doug Erwin file vs. news article penned by Melanie Ave.

The match up provides interesting similarities in court preparation.


Lee Drury De Cesare's Casting-Room Couch: Oh, Don't Believe a Thing He Says. Everybody Knows He's Crazy

Diane Woodall -"I came upon a statement from Wayne Dashinger's report that stated that Gietzen indicated he was hired to make Doug Erwin look crazy."

Hillsborough: Whistle-blower says he was ignored

"Whistle-blower says he was ignored
An investigation came only after years of complaints, says the Hillsborough schools official.
By MELANIE AVE
© St. Petersburg Times,
published December 7, 2001


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TAMPA -- As authorities investigate complaints of wrongdoing in the Hillsborough schools grounds department, investigative files released Wednesday indicate that one whistle-blower had complained of irregularities as long as four years ago.

Director of operations Doug Erwin, a 33-year school veteran, told his bosses about missing inventory, stolen tractors and contractors working outside of their approved parameters.

"I had shared a whole bunch of information with all my superiors, got totally frustrated, got to the point that essentially . . . I was told if you can't prove it, don't say it," Erwin told district investigators as part of a 15-month school system inquiry into the 70-employee grounds department.

Erwin's comments were among boxes of investigative material made public Wednesday, and now en route to state and federal authorities.

The documents raise questions about how much administrators knew and whether they responded appropriately. They also paint a picture of employees afraid to come forward with suspicions of misconduct.

"You report wrongdoing and you are ostracized," Sickles High School assistant principal Elsa Tuggle said in the investigation.

Although Erwin said he lodged complaints for years, the district didn't begin its investigation until last year. The results of its probe were made public after increasing media reports and pressure from Erwin to take his concerns to the School Board.

At least $560,000 was possibly misused over the last two years because of fraudulent billing, improper spending and stolen equipment.

Retired grounds supervisor James McClelland is at the heart of the investigation. The Pasco County man has denied any wrongdoing.

Erwin's bosses, including superintendent Earl Lennard, deputy superintendent Jim Hamilton and assistant superintendent Jack Davis, all acknowledge that they were aware of many of Erwin's complaints.

Lennard said he met with Erwin twice and told him to forward his concerns to the human resources department. He encouraged him to research them "because he was making some serious allegations."

Administrators said many of Erwin's concerns were unprovable rumors.

"He never did come forward with specific names, dates and places, nor did he ever come forward with a real specific plan as to follow up and track those issues," Hamilton said in the investigation.

Erwin and other district employees, however, speculate that certain employees, including McClelland, were protected by district higher-ups.

Board members Joe Newsome and former board member Sam Rampello, now the district's federal finance director, acknowledge they are longtime friends of McClelland.

"McClelland couldn't be touched because he knew things on board members that would incriminate them, too," said trades worker John Brungard, who began tipping officials to problems in the grounds department last year.

Newsome and Rampello deny the allegations.

Newsome said he feels sympathy for Erwin. "I tried to the very best of my ability to be a friend to him," he told investigators. "I really think that he is mentally ill."

Erwin has scheduled a press conference this morning to tell his side of the story. A board workshop on the investigation has been set for Dec. 14."

*************************

I was there the night the lights went off on the cameras. There is an old saying that one should keep their friends close and their enemies closer. There are some familiar names in the Erwin trial and the first federal court Whitehead trial. Some are still around. What I always think about are the names that are never mentioned, but are still around.

I submit the same thing goes on with our Federal Government.


Who really runs the show?

Why Not Implement A "No Home Work Plan" For Teachers?

Plano officials consider alternative grading policy for middle schools | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Breaking News for Dallas-Fort Worth | Dallas Morning News

"Instead [of when students are caught cheating receive an automatic zero or failing grade on that assignment), teachers and school officials would set a different consequence so that student behavior doesn't pull down grades.

Students would be given homework, but teachers wouldn't grade all assignments.

Students who turn in late work wouldn't receive a lower grade under the proposed policies, in an effort to get students to finish the work rather than just take a bad grade and move on."

Recently there was discussion about our local Hillsborough County Public Schools Board changing the homework policy. Frequently, the public comments contain some pretty good ideas. In the above link, one person who claims to be a teacher wrote "This program WILL NOT WORK, with students who DON'T CARE".

According to the article, apparently there is some concern about grading "behavior" vs. grading "knowledge". In other words, is it fair to give a zero grade for knowledge just because a kid didn't do their homework?

For those who propose that homework is "practice" for the "game", check this out. To make it educationally relevant, substitute the word "homework" every time he says "practice" (20 times). Pay close attention to the last sentence: "How the hell can I make my teammates better by practicing".

The article also has this:

"The philosophy behind Plano's proposal is not aimed at diminishing student accountability or reducing academic rigor, said Jim McMillan, an education professor at Virginia Commonwealth University."

I had to read that sentence slowly a few times. The main reason I had to read it slowly several times was because it took me a while to run through my memory bank of how many different times I have heard from the education establishment that students and parents are not held accountable.

If School Boards think that homework policies are educationally relevant (provide your own definition of educationally relevant), then why don't they apply that same policy to their teachers? No more behavior of grading papers at home. No more behaviors of lesson plans. And just think, merit pay would not be based on a behavior either. Merit pay would simply be based on "consistent and specific feed back".

You teachers need to take this to your union, I mean association, and get this in the works. One sure fire way to get it passed is to tie the Superintendent's bonus to every teacher that doesn't have to do "home work". You will be amazed at the statistical outcomes.

A Blast From The Past and Cars of The Future

How far the Hillsborough County Public School system has come.

There is a belief among some that societies can predict their future course by analyzing their past course. Having said that, now that our Commander In Chief is the Chief Executive Officer of our auto industry, how long do you think it will be before we start seeing cars manufactured that will replicate the same social, economic and political characteristics of the Volkswagen (peoples car)? I know, "Hybrid" sounds so much more elite, so maybe I just don't see the elevated intellectualism of this new course.

Back to the subject du jour.

We don't see attention grabbing headlines like these old forgotten mothballs. Do we?


These newspaper articles can be found on an old, failed campaign blog (link is at the bottom):

School Board to public: Go away Series: EDITORIALS
St. Petersburg Times; St. Petersburg, Fla.; May 21, 2002;

Abstract:
The change brings into focus a troubling development of the modern-day public meeting - almost all are scripted well in advance. Elected officials don't have to defend themselves publicly or think on their feet. And in this case, turning off the cameras is the board's way of having it both ways - claiming to protect a person's right to speak, but only after the cameras are off and "the official meeting of the School Board is concluded."



Full Text:

Copyright Times Publishing Co. May 21, 2002




You would think the Hillsborough County School District, which has been embarrassed by allegations of mismanagement and waste, would be doing everything possible to improve its tarnished image. But instead the School Board is quieting its critics.

Under an offensive policy change, citizens who want to address the board during the public comment portion of meetings must wait until the official business is closed. Then the cameras go off, meaning that people who watch the televised meetings at home cannot hear what constituents said.

School Board member Glenn Barrington, who supports the new policy, said the public comment period tends to draw people to the meetings with something to say. Can you believe this? It's not asking too much of School Board members, or any other elected official, to take a few minutes of public criticism. It's part of the job, part of what we teach our kids about democracy.

If it's time Barrington is worried about, he should ask his chairman to speed the board meetings along. The three-to-five minutes a citizen has to speak is nothing compared to the time consumed by the board members' own self-serving commentary.

The change brings into focus a troubling development of the modern-day public meeting - almost all are scripted well in advance. Elected officials don't have to defend themselves publicly or think on their feet. And in this case, turning off the cameras is the board's way of having it both ways - claiming to protect a person's right to speak, but only after the cameras are off and "the official meeting of the School Board is concluded."

The district, which is struggling to regain public confidence after mishandling a whistleblower's complaint, should reconsider this policy change. The board can act only at an official meeting; shunting off the public comment portion until that meeting is concluded leaves the public with no influence on the School Board agenda. This makes public comment meaningless. But maybe that's exactly what the board had in mind.

Florida Jury Awards $600,000.00 to Parents of Handicapped Child

School District Failed to Provide FAPE; Retaliated Against Parents and Child

APRIL 3, 1998. Five years after they requested a special education due process hearing. Andrew Whitehead's parents had their day in court.

The trial continued for almost two weeks. Andrew's father told Pete that the jury retired at two o'clock on the afternoon of April, 3, 1998. Less than two hours later, they returned with a resounding verdict for the parents.

Although the jury did not find that the school board intentionally discriminated against Andrew, they did find that the school board retaliated against the parents for attempting to protect their son's rights under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. The jury awarded each parent $300,000.00.

On Saturday morning, The Tampa Tribune reported that the Hearing Officer . . . found that school officials discriminated against Andrew because of his disability and that their low expectations led to the boy doing worse in school. But Friday, the jury of five women and three men found that the school system did not discriminate against Andrew . . . (but) that the school system retaliated against the boy's parents when they tried to become involved with his education."
You can read this article at The Tampa Tribune web site: http://www.tampatrib.com/news/satu1018.htm

Radcliffe v. School Board of Hillsborough County, Florida, 38 F.Supp. 2d 994
(M.D. Fla. 1999).
1. Student who did not have a current IEP filed a motion for TRO and preliminary injunction requiring district to convene at IEP meeting. Court denied the motion for failure to exhaust administrative remedies.
2. Held: Failure to exhaust could not be excused because of state's alleged failure to follow the required procedure for an impartial due process hearing when the student has not requested one.
www.copaa.com/decisions/1999decisions.html#radcliffe


Leto High waging war on rats
By MELANIE AVE, Times Staff Writer © St. Petersburg Times, published March 20, 2002
Students say they're fed up with rodents scurrying around. A school official says the problem is under control.
http://www.sptimes.com/2002/03/20/TampaBay/Leto_High_waging_war_.shtml

Minority contract oversight shaken up
By MELANIE AVE, Times Staff Writer © St. Petersburg Times, published March 3, 2002

In recent years the school district has spent $450,000 on consultants in a program criticized for lax oversight. "It's a bunch of garbage," said Harry Pinero, president of the Hispanic firm H.P. Allen Constructors. Pinero said he has never heard from a consultant even though he runs one of the few minority-owned drywall and stucco firms in Hillsborough County. "I don't understand what they're trying
to do."
Critics say four of the six former and current consultants employed by the school district's Office of Supplier Diversity program have significant problems: Consultant Mike Garrick was recently dismissed from the program for improperly soliciting funds from subcontractors. Bob Morrison of Morrison & Associates was suspended from the practice of law by the Florida Supreme Court for ethical breaches that include taking client funds while ignoring
his legal duties. Garrick and Deadrea Reese Sampson of Deadrea Reese & Associates have both filed
for personal bankruptcy. GPM Inc. received work as both a consultant and a subcontractor, an
arrangement that ended only recently. Their minority status is now being reviewed by Hillsborough County officials.
In 1999, the district spent $54,217 on minority consultants. So far this school year, spending has reached $172,941. The Hillsborough County School District has paid private consultants almost $450,000 in the past three years to boost the number of minority contractors working on school projects. But the district did not have specific qualifications for their hiring and did little oversight of their work. Now critics are calling for changes in the program.
Here is a breakdown of the district's spending on minority consultants since 1999:

1999-2000:
Mike Garrick of AEI Management Consultants: $17,150
Deadrea Reese Sampson of Deadrea Reese & Associates: $13,693
Jonathan Graham and Thomas Bradley of GPM Inc.: $23,374
Total: $54,217

2000-2001:
Cheryl Hawkins of Brentika: $14,418
Deadrea Reese Sampson of Deadrea Reese & Associates: $86,829
Jonathan Graham and Thomas Bradley of GPM Inc.: $30,448
Mike Garrick of AEI Management Consultants: $90,285
Total: $221,980

2001-2002: Cheryl Hawkins of Brentika: $31,755
Jonathan Graham and Thomas Bradley of GPM Inc.: $56,381
Mike Garrick of AEI Management Consultants: $37,125
Thomas Huggins of Ariel Business Group: $8,812
Bob Morrison of Morrison & Associates: $38,866
Total: $172,939 (as of Feb. 26)

Three-year total: $449,136 Source: Hillsborough County School District
http://www.sptimes.com/2002/03/03/Hillsborough/Minority_contract_ove.shtml

School Board May Get Earful in Probe of Money Misuse
A school district investigation of financial wrongdoing has drawn in state and federal law enforcement as a veteran administrator vows to reveal more problems at the next school board meeting. The investigation has produced audit reports accusing James McClelland, the recently retired school grounds department chief in Hillsborough County, of misusing more than $560,000 in district money and property, officials said Wednesday.
By MARILYN BROWN, Published Nov. 29 2001-The Tampa

School Leader's Probe Backed By Colleagues
"WE'RE READY TO STAND UP' FOR ERWIN, TEACHERS SAY
A week ago, many who have known Doug Erwin during his 33-year Hillsborough County
school career were hunkered in classrooms, trying to teach despite concern about looming budget cuts. Now they say they're ready to emerge to help a man they trust and admire.
By MARILYN BROWN, Published December 3, 2001-The Tampa Tribune

EDUCATION OVERSIGHT IRREGULAR AT Best
TAMPA - With the Legislature slashing money for education, this is supposed to be a time when state and local officials are pinching every penny to help children in the classroom. It bothers taxpayers to learn, through the third investigation in three years, that the Hillsborough County school district has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars from insider crime and mismanagement. By Marilyn Brown The Tampa Tribune December 9, 2001

Hillsborough Schools Advised To Cut Administrators
By MARILYN BROWN, The Tampa Tribune
Advice and criticism are pouring into the Hillsborough County school district these days, but now comes an unexpected shot from the state. Although it's still in draft form, a state audit of the district recommends Superintendent Earl Lennard should get rid of both his deputies and deal directly with more of his senior managers.

Robles Teachers Chide School Board
By MARILYN BROWN, The Tampa Tribune
Robles Elementary School teachers admonished the Hillsborough County School Board on Tuesday pleading unsuccessfully to reverse plans to "dismiss" current staff and convert the neighborhood school into a fundamental academy in August. Robles consistently graded a D on the state report card, needs drastic change, the teachers concurred. But they angrily said they shouldn't have had to learn about the planned conversion in the newspaper last week.
"We have longed for assistance," said first-grade teacher Michelle D'Intino. But where was the help, she asked, when teachers had to staple fabric over cabinets damaged by termites or when portable classrooms were condemned and children slid backpacks through a hole in a door?

Multiple Hands In School Probe Lead To Criticism Among Investigators
By JOHN VAUGHAN, The Tampa Tribune
From a misplaced memo to a bullet-proof vest, from innuendo to invisible trees, the school district's latest probe into employee wrongdoing features so many contradictions it's not surprising questions remain unanswered.But another big problem, investigators suggest, involves the use of many investigators.
At least six from private outfits or school departments tracked leads during various stages of the case in Hillsborough County. Their disappointment or distrust in one another is evident among thousands of documents made public Wednesday. School Security officers grumble about being pulled off the case. The district's internal inquiry chief blasts the work of a private eye. The lawyer hired to compile a report concludes changes are needed in the security department. And that's just some of the commentary.

"There's a lot of debate over this business of bringing in outside investigators in, you know, and I'm personally not all that in favor of it myself," Wayne Dasinger, internal investigations manager for the district's standards office, said in interviewing a school security officer in July.

"I think if we were given the chance to work this case, said the officer, Fred Ferraiuolo, "we have the capability of coming to a conclusion, one way or another. The way they took us off it, it left a lot of doubt."

Education Oversight Irregular At Best
By MARILYN BROWN, The Tampa Tribune
With the Legislature slashing money for education, this is supposed to be a time when state and local officials are pinching every penny to help children in the classroom.It bothers taxpayers to learn, through the third investigation in three years, that the Hillsborough County school district has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars from insider crime and mismanagement."It makes me angry," said Frank Entis a social studies teacher at Hillsborough High School. "Here the county is starving for funding and sacrificing the education of children, and at the same time people are taking huge amounts of money."

School Officials Confirm District Lacks Building Contract Policy
By MARILYN BROWN, The Tampa Tribune
A lingering dispute over how the school district chooses architects, engineers and construction managers for its lucrative building contracts finally got a formal hearing Tuesday.
Hillsborough County district officials confirmed they have no school board-approved procedures for determining which applicants get those jobs and how a selection process works.
No rule requires contractors to be scored with "any kind of specific point system or any kind of specific grading system," said school board attorney Crosby Few. "I don't believe there is anything in the statutes requiring anybody to score anything."

Found here: Latest News

Losing Money One Free Cheese Sandwich At A Time

I was going to just make a sarcastic statement that the way for the Hillsborough County Public Schools to deal with the problem of students and parents cheating the free/reduced lunch system would be to just give free meals to all. Isn't that the politically correct way? Don't want to embarrass one group, so reduce the goal to the lowest common denominator and simply socialize the action, be it food or GPA's or "fun Friday's".

I decided to look at the stats and see if I could find some tricky schemes.

I would assume that HCPS has some pretty smart statisticians. That assumption makes me wonder if I am interpreting the stats the same way they do.

Let's take this part of the article:



Too many free lunches for those who can pay? | WFTS-TV:


"But 289 families, or 52%, of the applicants failed to respond to the audit and were dropped from the program."

For Hillsborough County it was 59.1% year 2007-2008 and 53.5% for 2008-2009 did not respond. According to the article, these students were dropped from the program. Sounds like a significant cost cutting event until you study the complete picture.

This 59.1% and 53.5% is only applicable to the 3% sample of the verified set.

Someone else can complete the math, but if the District can cut over 50% of 3%, how much money would they save if they cut over 50% of 100% of the free/reduced lunch kids?

Maybe it costs too much to survey? In other words, is the cost to verify more than the savings?

Or maybe "they" just don't want to challenge the status quo?

Just askin'

PSA for Free

Public Service Announcements should be for the benefit of the common good.


DetentionSlip.org: Progress Report: WTF is up with hitting students?!

"The mission of DetentionSlip has always been to increase awareness of the issues facing our students, and we can't think of a better one to expose than corporal punishment. As such, we are going to be rolling out the "Heavy Hitter of the Weak" award, for administrators who go above and beyond the call of duty to hit their students. Send anonymous nominations to tips@detentionslip.org"

I would assume that our public education systems are short on money. Difficult budget cutting decisions are made with the idea that only the most necessary expenditures that are aimed at classroom success are supported.

Does anyone know how much money we are saving by cutting behavioral supports?

And of course the next question would be how much of these savings support the common good.

Teaching Disrespect And Callous Disregard Of Authority?

In keeping with today's national vernacular, I will no longer be known as a broad-brush attacker. I am now a generalized misguided purveyor of misinformation.


Tell me this isn't so. Is it a coincidence that the below article came out the same day as my previous post?

Thanks to The Gradebook for the below link:


Hillsborough County kindergartner traumatized after being taped to desk, lawsuit says - St. Petersburg Times:



According to the article, Mr. Murman is the HCPS school board's attorney. I can just hear the water cooler, er, uh, texting discussions that must be rampant throughout the district: "Could the attorney be advocating that a student disobey the authority of a teacher who tells the student to "sit!"?"

"'Your client could have stood up since the tape was not truly a restraint,' Murman wrote. The teacher said the tape was in place for only two minutes, he said, and was used to keep her sitting during 'quiet time.'"

Times aren't good. Apparently this issue has been going on for over two years. Parent bashers will no doubt point out that the parent is acting just like the kid. System mockers will ask where were the professional behavioral supports.


Who wants to wager that a simple apology would have taken care of this issue two years ago?

No winners for either "side".

Two Broad-Brushes Do Make A Cauldron Bubble

First, the links for reference in case you need them:

It's hard to fire teachers, even if they are bad - St. Petersburg Times:

PRO on HCPS: I Never Realized How Important The Lack of Tenure Can Be

The comments from Thomas in the latter link has led me to an interesting idea. In 1997 or '98, after I once again had spoke at a school board meeting, I was publicly labeled a "broad-brush attacker" by the then Superintendent. That action fit the template of how systems minimize critics to discount the credibility of the charges. My perceptions were based on years of experience as a parent along with my personal participation in a myriad of groups within the District. While my degree in Sociology and a $1.19 will get me a cup of coffee, having the background framework that those studies provided me may have aided my ability to conceptualize the many different experiences I had in many different settings.

I submit that Thomas' statements represent the other side of the coin in providing a "broad brush defense" of accused teachers. As with myself, Thomas has personal experience that lends support to his perception.

Public education systems and the public are begging for respect for and from each other. As long as either side perceives that there are broad-brushes involved, there will be a white washing of problems that are real to both sides.

It's hard to fire teachers, even if they are bad - St. Petersburg Times:

"It's not just their students who suffer. Bad teachers sully the reputation of hard-working teachers and lower their morale. And the inability of public schools to purge them feeds perceptions that schools are resistant to change and tolerant of mediocrity."

The other side may be:

"It's not just their students who suffer. Bad parents sully the reputation of hard-working parents and lower their ability to advocate. And the inability of parents to purge them feeds perceptions that parents are resistant to change and tolerant of mediocrity."