I'm still playing catch-up, not to mention ketsup, after abundant down time during the holidaze.
After reading Jerod Clapp's Tribune story, I'm puzzled anew at the school corporation's failure to grasp elementary (pun intended) public relations. Are their feet ever removed from mouths? Was the PR guy imported from Libya after Colonel Gaddafi downsized? Is this a good time to talk about a raise for the superintendent? Why do we need portable classrooms when neighborhood schools were given the mountain oyster treatment?
Here's a helpful hint: Keep this McWhorter fellow away from the microphone unless you really think an inadvertent comedy routine helps sell the notion of a referendum.
NA-FC Schools could bring referendum to vote; 2012’s budget could be in bad shape without itPhoto credit: My esteemed colleague M. Nash.
... (Chief business officer Fred) McWhorter said the school corporation has made efforts to show the community how it’s worked to make the school system better.
“If we move forward with a referendum,” McWhorter said, “now we can say with a straight face, ‘we’ve become more efficient.’”
He said even though four schools were closed last spring, the facilities left are being used more efficiently than they had been. Without any empty classrooms and class sizes still staying in reasonable levels, he said he thinks the school corporation has demonstrated its efforts at increasing efficiency ...
... McWhorter said community members without children in local schools need to consider some of the benefits of having a good school system in their area, including the increase of property values.
He said studies show how a more educated populous generally has less crime.
“All you have to do is look at places like Detroit [Mich.] where the schools have been run down and what’s happened to their property values,” McWhorter said. “We don’t want that to happen here.”
I was fascinated (bewildered?) at the last school board meeting when one of the agenda items for the public session was the deputy superintendent's "recommendation" that the board approve the purchase of an 8 acre piece of farm land next to the Floyd Central athletic fields. After going on and on for 5 minutes about it - he was then asked - and admitted, that (a) he didnt really know what they would use it for at this point [but just wanted it] and (b) they hadnt figured out what to do with the property upon which the former Galena school sits (next door to FC). My jaw was wide open when I realized that the administration doesnt really have an understanding of the need to cease frivolous spending during budgetary woes, when suggesting to buy property (for no apparent reason other than "to have it for the future") when we're millions in the red. Its incredible.
ReplyDeleteSlightly off topic, but I read some more of Gov. Daniel's education proposals. Vouchers. Create competition. That competition will improve public schools.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I'm bored with that. I wanna play some basketball. Roger, meet me in about an hour and we will play a game against each other. Couple of rule changes, though. Your left and right shoe laces have to be tied together. Your right arm has to be tied behind your back. And I'm allowed to substitute anyone for me at anytime. You can't, of course.
Private schools, with Daniel's plan, get to pick and choose who they take. Public schools do not. That's not competition, that's called hoodwinking. Or cheating at basketball. Or just plain cheating.