A Few Pictures - Not Sure What They Are or Could Be Worth

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"Hillsborough County School Superintendent MaryEllen Elia noted at the town hall meeting that Area 5 schools had 10 five-star schools: Apollo Beach, Brooker, Cimino, Corr, Mintz, Sessums, Summerfield and Symmes elementary schools; and Dowdell and Giunta middle schools. Alafia, the first elementary school to house an official branch of the Suncoast Federal Credit Union, is a 2008 Little Red Schoolhouse winner in the category of community involvement."

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. It is not uncommon for the HCPS to stifle words. How many of you remember the night that Glen Barrington asked that the cameras be turned off for the publicly televised meeting of the school board meeting? It was the night that Doug Erwin was speaking. I was there.

How many of you remember the night that Lee DeCesare was cut off from speaking and then escorted off the ROSSAC premises by the school board security?

How many of you know that Ms. DeCesare filed an ethics complaint about Tom Gonzalez regarding the issue of free speech? How many of you know what the implications of this complaint had regarding how the HCPS school board conducts it's business with the public?

How many of you know the full story of how the "old guard" silenced the "new members"? How many of you know the story about how Jack Lamb publicly commented about how he used to "send notes" to Ms. Faliero to coach her when she was new and feisty?

The information is available for those who want to know the truth.

One who understands the meaning and intent of Mr. Lamb's "notes" might find the following comments, found on the below link, interesting.

Parents Critical Of Alafia Elementary Principal#comments#comments#comments


Posted by ( raider1 ) on 10/15/2008 at 03:45 pm.

Go to the video of the school board meeting at the SDHC website and look up the meeting these parents attended and listen to the male voice you hear after Mrs. Elia is asked to look into this and she responds she will.(Little over 2 hours into the meeting) There is a male voice that says "Can we move on to the next?" Which male at the board meeting would have had access to a microphone? There are a few gentlemen at the meeting - but only one male on the board itself. Ms. Griffin makes a comment, then Mrs. Elia informs the board Mr. Otero has met "numerous times" to work through issues with these parents. Mr. Otero had been Smith's area director when she was at Seffner Elementary. Do you think he is hearing these comments and complaints for the first time?!

Something to think about.

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Posted by ( Gatorfan1 ) on 10/15/2008 at 08:50 pm.

raider1,

The male voice you are hearing is Jack Lamb. I know this because I was there at the meeting and saw him try to hurry the whole thing along before any other school board members could get any comments in.

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Posted by ( lwb250 ) on 10/15/2008 at 11:00 pm.

How ironic. He (Jack Lamb) was tending bar at a "meet and greet" she held at her home the first year she was there. Sort of a subtle "I have friends in high places" thing.

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Posted by ( ernstruntz ) on 10/15/2008 at 11:20 pm.

Jack Lamb earlier in the year:
"I'm really appalled at the lack of community attendance at this meeting, school board member Jack Lamb scolded before four parents got up to complain about bus problems and a lack of communication about Tuesday's meeting."
Guess he has changed his tune about parents expressing themselves at the school board meetings??

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Posted by ( ConcernedTaxpayer ) on 10/16/2008 at 09:50 pm.

Elia, Lamb, Otero, Sikes and the school board have all been put on notice. If there is a serious injury or worse because of their failure to act, they will have no where to hide now.

Monkey Business Right Here In HCPS

As one who pays attention to what is not said as much as what is said and how it is said, there is something more to "monkey1" than what is the average every-day chimp.
I have cut-n-pasted comments by "monkey1" in attempts to paint a picture. While I was doing this, by the time I had it all done, I went back to the Tribune site, and lo and behold, here were two more comments:

Posted by ( Momto3 ) on 10/11/2008 at 10:55 pm.

Have you ever noticed that the more someone speaks, the more they reveal about themselves? I'd venture to say that some of the keener people reading this blog could identify at least one of the posters. Just look for a few uncommon words and phrases and the telling hostile remarks. Look familiar?

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Posted by ( betterdaystocome ) on 10/11/2008 at 11:15 pm.

Funny you should say that Mom to 3. It is very obvious that the blogger that said "take your kids elsewhere" should have followed it with "so my wife and I can breathe easier." Just as Mrs. Smith thinks we are stupid, so does her husband. ...........

There just seems to be something about "monkey1" that gets one's attention.




Posted by ( monkey1 ) on 10/09/2008 at 04:28 pm. ……. I don't know any of the details about what is going on behind the scenes,…..

Posted by ( monkey1 ) on 10/09/2008 at 05:07 pm …In my opinion, you've taken a giant step backwards by using a public forum as a whipping post. But what's done is done. Invite her to meet with you and discuss the problems that you have. You may find that you have more in common than you think. In fact, it really sounds like you DO have more in common than you think. …

Posted by ( monkey1 ) on 10/09/2008 at 05:12 pm.
By the way, I don't know of ANY 'great' teachers that have left. Great teachers stay the course no matter what happens. If teachers left their post because of a perceived lack of leadership, then shame on them. They proved themselves to be NOT GREAT.

Posted by ( monkey1 ) on 10/09/2008 at 09:43 pm. ……….Don't let these idiots run the school ... prove them wrong. ……..


Posted by ( monkey1 ) on 10/09/2008 at 11:40 pm.
I've met all three of the teachers you mentioned and I wsan't particularly impressed by any of them ... especially in light of the fact that they all LEFT. ……..Do you think any of the 5 women went to Mrs. Smith before going to the board meeting to let her know that they felt it was a last resort? I'm sure that none of them gave her that courtesy. Courtesy and respect only flow one way in their minds. If Mrs. Smith is as bad as they make her out to be, then she is just like them!

Posted by ( monkey1 ) on 10/10/2008 at 09:01 am. ……No, I'm not Mrs. Smith; nor do I have any connection with her other than the fact that she is the principal at my child's school……All I'm hearing is crap from a few people that have an axe to grind with Mrs. Smith ... no evidence, no documentation, just heresay and stories…….

Posted by ( monkey1 ) on 10/10/2008 at 09:35 am. ,,,,,,,Lets start with friendly and personable. Since when does someone owe you this? …When people have legitimate complaints, they don't usually have any problem with voicing them. …….That's not to say that Mrs. Smith isn't disrespectful ... she may be ... I just haven't witnessed it. I'm really curious how many people have PERSONALLY WITNESSED (i.e. not heresay, not from a teacher, not from another parent) anything serious enough to disqualify her from her position. My guess is that a few axe-grinders have gotten a lot of people stirred up with half-truths and innuendo. Ask yourself this ... HAVE I PERSONALLY SEEN ANYTHING THAT WOULD MAKE ME DOUBT MRS. SMITH'S ABILITY AS A PRINCIPAL? Don't take the word of a few wack-jobs

Posted by ( monkey1 ) on 10/10/2008 at 09:58 am.
Pam,

Thanks for identifying yourself. It verifies what I thought to be true since listening to you speak at the board meeting ... brash, arrogant, 'my way or the highway', 'what's in it for me' New Yorker.

Posted by ( monkey1 ) on 10/10/2008 at 10:17 am.
jvid,….I'm not on the sidelines ... actually much closer to it than you could know. \



\Posted by ( monkey1 ) on 10/11/2008 at 07:21 am.
…do we really expect our school administration to file a report every time one kid gets out of line with another kid? To call the parents at work or at home when their child is involved in the most minor incident? GET REAL ... Get out the homeschooling materials if you don't want your kids in public school, but don't blame the principal because 'kids are mean sometimes' ...


Posted by ( monkey1 ) on 10/11/2008 at 11:56 am.
RalphM -

That makes two of us ... I'm glad you got out too.

Posted by ( monkey1 ) on 10/11/2008 at 03:23 pm.
I'm really not trying to defend anyone. I just think that the SMEAR campaign you guys are running is disgusting. I apologize if I've given you a dose of your own medicine. Doesn't feel too good, does it?

Posted by ( monkey1 ) on 10/11/2008 at 07:08 pm.
raider1,

I'm sorry that you had a negative experience at Alafia. Whenever I hear stories like yours, I'm always left wondering who will be to blame when it happens again in a different place? Have you ever noticed that with some people it just stinks everywhere they go? My father always taught us that when it stinks everywhere you go, it might be time to look on your own shoe. I'm sure it smells just fine now ... everything being new and fresh ... the honeymoon phase. It'll wear off though ... I hope you're as good of a teacher as you seem to think you are. That would be a wonderful achievement.
To answer your question, I would attribute the academic results at Alafia more to the demographics of Bloomingdale East than I would to the teachers involved. I would predict that Alafia will keep it's A rating for many years to come despite the departure of all the 'GREAT' teachers. That will tell the tale. Expectation is everything and parents provide that impetus much more than teachers. Don't get me wrong, I think that the teachers at Alafia have been very good, but GREAT? Can any teacher be GREAT in this day of 'teaching to the test' and spending time calculating practice test scores broken down by ethnic background? Maybe it can happen, but I haven't seen it.


Posted by ( monkey1 ) on 10/11/2008 at 09:41 pm.
raider1 -

Thanks for leaving.

Parents Critical Of Alafia Elementary Principal#comments#comments#comments#comments#comments

Behavior Modeling Malfeasance: Tampa School Shows Eye For Fashion, Tolerance

Here is my source link:

Tampa School Shows Eye For Fashion, Tolerance

This is the kind of actions that drive me crazy. I do not hold a doctorate degree in behavior, but I can guaran-darn-tee you that what I am about to say is what every professional behavior therapist,counselor,effective parenting coach or any purveyor of truth about appropriate teaching strategies for our youth should tell you:

ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS

YOUNG PEOPLE DISCERN DISCREPANCIES AT A VERY HIGH RATE - WHICH MEANS HYPOCRISY
IS NOTED WHEN IT HAPPENS

Please, please help me with this.

First, read with comprehension the complete above article. Make sure you read this part:

"It diversifies their ideas and creates more of an understanding of the people who dress like this," he said.

Next, since I haven't read the recent highschool handbook, please let me know if what this activity promotes meets the dress requirements of the HCPS.

In other words, if I had a male kid that was "donning lipstick and eye shadow", would this be acceptable to the dress code?

Just wondering.

When The System is Defended By Blaming The Method Of The Complainers

Parents Critical Of Alafia Elementary Principal#comments#comments#comments#comments


The above link has the comments up until 9:40 pm. I am not sure if new comments will be linked to as they are already up to 5 pages.


Today's comments have both "defenders" of the principal along with "supporters" of the "fab 5" as one commenter named the speakers that appeared before the school board.

One of the defenders had this to say:

"In my opinion, you've taken a giant step backwards by using a public forum as a whipping post."

I have no other knowledge about the specifics than what I have read in the newspaper. However, I have plenty of personal experience about how the scenario is being played out. I was once part of a group of parents that spoke at a school board meeting. My speaking at that meeting came about after years and years of being lied to and deceived in many different settings by a few people. Longtime readers of my blogs would know that right after I wrote a letter of complaint in the fall of 1996 to one of my son's principals, I was threatened with trespassing. My wife and my son and I experienced first hand the retaliatory actions of the system. They were not isolated incidents. I don't need a broad brush to make my attacks.

Frequent readers of my blogs would also know that I, and others, firmly believe that the public forum is the Achilles heal of the system. When defenders of the system blame the parents for "foul play", it fits the mindset of a system that doesn't play by the rules but when the message finally gets out to the public, the system calls out "unfair".

I went up the chain of command only to be dropped back to the bottom of the rung again. For six years I treated those who I thought were professionals with respect. I spent years trying to make sense of the lies and the destruction or fabrication of documents that they needed to support their lies. What defenders of the system don't realize that once the system loses the trust of those they are not being honest and straightforward with, the system can not simply demand or command respect based on a false image. The system is so arrogantly full of itself that it thinks it can get away with stepping on people with no consequence.

That dog don't hunt in my neck of the woods because I know, and I know others that know, including many that work in the system, what the truth is about the system. Arf!

Could This Become A "Mess Up and Move Up" Action or "Put The Parents in Their Place" Mission

Yesterday, I used the Tampa Tribune article along with the public comments that were available yesterday to make a few points about the situation at Alafia Elementary. Find all the links here: Public Education - Politics, Business and Education: Ellyn Smith, Ashley Smith, and a "Miffed Elia" - Relationships are Important

Since yesterday, there have been several more public comments.

Here are a few that suggest that this situation comes from the top. My own humble opinion is either this principal is being protected by the higher ups or she was sent to the school to disenfranchise the parents. My guess is as good as anyone's.



Posted by ( RalphM ) on 10/08/2008 at 10:54 pm.
Take note that Smith was "appointed" by the Board shortly before Lennard's departure. There were a number of likely candidates that were under consideration, but all of the sudden Smith is appointed and those in the queue swept aside.As for the area director, she had no say in this decision, and has been essentially powerless to do anything. If she kept any sort of record of the complaints and calls regarding Smith I'm willing to bet there wasn't a day that went by without one. That being said, she probably feared some sort of retribution from downtown as well should she try and escalate things.I find it ironic that Otero and others were already aware of problems - of course they were - mainly due to the substantial number of complaints that *had* to be making their way downtown. They just chose to ignore them, for reasons we may never know.As for the media, I personally knew of a number of parents who contacted local media outlets, both newspaper and TV, only to be blown off.Someone downtown is covering up for her, I suspect, but the overwhelming crush of complaints has probably gotten to the point where they know they can't be ignored. Maybe it has something to do with her husband's departure from the district?It's about time. It's only taken 4 years, and that's no fault of the parents - they have been trying to get this resolved since almost day 1.

Posted by ( Ateacher ) on 10/08/2008 at 11:35 pm.
I am a teacher who was under ES at a different school. Because I disagreed with her on some personnel and educational issues, I became the vindictive target of ES. She actually told her AP's to "get the goods" on me (they have told me in these very words!). They all told her -as did the people she sent from "downtown" - that I was doing everything that was expected of a good teacher. She made every effort she could to get me to leave and to fire me. Eventually, she knew she was not going to be able to remove me, nor would I transfer to make her happy. Because my students consistently scored above the county and school average, she was unsuccessful. I could write a book on the cruel, uncaring and unprofessional comments and actions committed by ES. It was common knowledge (although, in all fairness, never substantiated) that she was made a principal in order to get her "out" of the downtown administrative position she held. Her professional and personal life was making it uncomfortable for those downtown.Despite her hate for me, I will give her credit for being very intelligent and being a quick study. However, there are personality flaws and social disabilities, which make her unfit to be a principal. The people downtown have known of this for YEARS. I believe they think it is too much trouble to remove an ineffective, misanthropic principal than to step up to the plate and do what is best for the teachers and students.


Posted by ( ConcernedTaxpayer ) on 10/09/2008 at 05:26 am.
Even with all this, are you still only looking at the tip of the iceberg? If the Sikes, Otero and Elia have known of problems all along, why would they suddenly be capable of dealing with them now? Where would you go for help if they are incapable of dealing with some serious issues, the legislature or the governor? Where is the accountability to the families who pay taxes and thereby pay their salaries?


Posted by ( lwb250 ) on 10/09/2008 at 08:26 am.
Concerned Taxpayer:You have to understand the way the District works - Mrs. Sikes is a wonderful, caring area director, who (I believe) was (and is) genuinely concerned about the goings on at Alafia. However, from what I could see, there were things going on above her in the administration that more or less prevented her from doing anything about the situation.Someone is protecting Smith at the Board or higher levels of the administration, and if you rock that boat, you're going to pay.I think it is clear to most citizens who have observed the workings of the school board that those who challenge authority are either forced out or pigeonholed in a job that is either unpleasant or unlikely to allow for future progression professionally. Those who find favor with the upper echelon progress rapidly, or are "awarded" jobs of little substance with ridiculous compensation.The faculty was devastated by this woman, and what was once a true "A" school in every respect has been reduced to a group of dedicated professionals who have to divide their efforts between educating our children and preserving their jobs for fear of retribution. Alafia was a community at one time, now it's a fractured bunch of individuals who are mainly concerned with self preservation (and I don't say that in a way to be critical of the faculty - they are all caring professionals, who unfortunately are under siege.)Hopefully (although I doubt it will happen) the Board will act swiftly and remove her so that Alafia can regain it's former place as a true "A" school.

Posted by ( ConcernedTaxpayer ) on 10/09/2008 at 08:57 am.
lwb250You may know Mrs. Sikes, I personnally have never met her, but have followed the goings on at the school very closely. Do you know who recently made the comment, "My job is to look out for the principal." What happened to: Let's look out for the welfare of the school, the neighborhood, the school system, the children, the parents or the teachers? I am not in position to question those in authority, or the decisions they have made, but I strongly encourage those who are to take a long hard look at this whole fiasco, and to make the facts known to all, and bring the school, teachers, and students back to where it once was. Why should students, parents and teachers have to leave in fear of the school administration or the school board. A problem like this should never have occurred, but it did. Now someone needs to address it. Let's do what the system usually does, keep the problem, just transfer it to someone else. Those who have allowed this situation to go on and on and on should be held just as accountable as those who may be the problem. I am not trying to throw stones at anyone, I just want a very serious situation corrected before too many others are harmed.

What Do These People Get Paid To Do?

"Dirty Little Secret" answer: Gatekeeping.

Prove me wrong. Ask them what the truth is about ESE services. Tell the old timers Richard Hancock said hello.


Regarding the question posed in this post: Public Education - Politics, Business and Education: Complaint Alleges Hillsborough Withheld Services To Students, it should be of interest to all how the highest ranking school administrator did not know of the ESE concerns that rose to the level of a state complaint lodged by the State of Florida's Advocacy Center. The nature of the complaint suggests that part of the problem is the longevity of the issue. How could the District not know?

What about these people or the ones that some of these people recently replaced?

ESE Joyce Wieland - General Director
Compliance Dr. Cristina Benito, Supervisor
ESE - Maryann Parks, Supervisor
FDLRS (Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System) Nicholas Carullo, Supervisor
Staffing Suzette Sample, Supervisor



I often hear that HCPS puts a lot of money in to educating the ESE students. I will submit that they put a lot of money in to the ESE department, but what about outcomes? I see that a new ESE position has shown up that was never there before. It is called "Supervisor of Special Education". Maybe someone could tell me what the difference is between the "Director of Special Education", which has always been there, and the new position of "Supervisor".

Back to the issue of no one knowing about the above "issues", I would submit that a lot of money goes into our local FDLRS. Here is what they are supposed to do:

"Human Resources Development

FDLRS Human Resources Development personnel collaboratively plan and provide information, training, technical assistance/consultation and resources related to effective instructional strategies and models for the education of children and youth who are exceptional and/or have unique needs based on locally assessed needs and established priorities. [This would include counseling, psychological and behavioral supports]

FDLRS HRD
- identifies and plans for meeting individual personnel development needs within the service area
- identifies and provides information about training/development, resources, and promising practices to respond to the identified personnel development needs
- provides multi-level training designed to meet individual district training needs at the awareness, comprehensive (in-depth), integration/ application, and follow-up levels
- collaborates and interacts to assist in the conceptualization, planning, and delivery of educational service to support the Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services initiatives
- makes relevant information, materials, equipment, and other training/development resources which support the attainment of state and district goals accessible and available for use by stakeholders and consumers within the service area"

FDLRS Hillsborough Home Page


Here is how many are on the payroll that should have known about the issues:

FDLRS Staff List
(to e-mail any of us, please use the person's first name and last name in the format first.last@sdhc.k12.fl.us)
To contact any of the people below by telephone, please call (813)837-7777

Title Name E-mail Main Office

Supervisor Nick Carullo nicholas.carullo
Administrative Secretary Carla Pissott carlaA.pissott
Secretary Pam James pamela.james
Secretary Kathy Werner kathy.werner
Clerk Cathy Babbitt catharine.babbitt
Child Find Coordinator Connie Hayden-McPeak connie.hayden-mcpeak

Human Resource Development (HRD)
Coordinator Diane Carlo diane.carlo
Resource Specialist Resource Specialist Samantha Jaksec samantha.jaksec
Resource Specialist Ann Page ann.page
Resource Specialist Denise Provenzano denise.provenzano

Parent Services
Parent Resource Specialist Millie Bucy mildred.bucy

Parent Liaison
Communications Phyllis Guthman phyllis.guthman

FDLRS works in conjunction with the 7 Area ESE Parent Liaisons listed below:
Parent Liaison - Area 1 Debora Valdes debora.valdes
Parent Liaison - Area 2 Diana O'Neill diana.oneill
Parent Liaison - Area 3 Elizabeth Leib elizabeth.leib
Parent Liaison - Area 4 Paula Thomas paula.thomas
Parent Liaison - Area 5 Amy Smith amy.smith
Parent Liaison - Area 6 Mary Lyn Kesler mary.kesler
Parent Liaison - Area 7 Beth Jenner beth.jenner
Technology
Technology Resource Specialist Lisa Sears lisa.sears
FDLRS Collaborative Partner
ECC - Early Childhood Council
Steve Martus - Executive Director, Janet Hess - Director of Programs
Developmental Screening Coordinator Carol Reed carol.reed

Copy: How to contact FDLRS Hillsborough personnel

Last week, Marilyn Brown with the Tampa Tribune wrote this:

TAMPA - Lack of communication.

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

When another class period was added to the day for high school teachers in 2007, and a new middle and high school curriculum program adopted, district officials admitted that communication was poor.

In late August, as the new school year's bus debacle unfolded, Superintendent MaryEllen Elia apologized for the late notification to parents, schools and bus drivers, and a lack of staff to answer phones.

After every communications miscue, there follows a promise to do better.

"We need to do a better job giving information to parents and our principals next year," Elia said at a town hall meeting Sept. 2.

At a town hall meeting recently, when a parent complained about communication, saying, "We are not part of the process," Elia responded, "You're absolutely right - we've got to get better at that."

In fact, the only real criticism school board members have of Elia's management has focused on communication."

follow links to find it: PRO on HCPS: There Is Communication In No News


Yesterday, Marilyn Brown with the Tampa Tribune wrote this:

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

follow links to find it: Motel Special Ed: Where Is The Substance To The IEP?

I know first hand over many many years what it is like to try to get attention to a legitimate "parental concern". I know first hand how I was lied to, deceived and "given the run-a-round" both up and then back down the chain of command.

Same old news to me.