Where's George?

Saw the debate tonight on Comcast.

Eric Anderson, the teacher, looks like a fine candidate...fresh meat for the Christina School District.

Our fearless school board president, the attorney, was a no show.   After 28 years of bad decision-making, guess he couldn't bear to look the City of Wilmington or a teacher in the eye. 

According to Norm, he was busy working on a case- a very strong case for retirement, in my opinion.  Too busy to give Christina's kids and their parents 15 minutes of his time, as usual.

Referendumb

Okay. The CSD is out of money…AGAIN! In all fairness, so are Laurel, Capitol, and Seaford.

Call me naïve. It’s easy to make assumptions as an “outsider” and taxpayer/chump for the CSD that $250 million should be enough, when properly allocated, to run a school district of this size.

I’ve recently been clued into a prime example of wasteful spending and half-assed spin-doctoring within the district (note to the current CSD Board & Schneider: when you piss off the hired help, they tend to turn on you).

It’s common knowledge that Board members take an annual all expenses paid (by taxpayers) vacation to the National School Board Convention. They just got back. Its okay guys, just drink and have a good time; don’t worry, taxpayers will pick up the tab. Now, I can understand the compelling need to experience the wide world of school boards outside of Delaware – once. Beyond the first time, you’re just milking the taxpayer teat. Problem is, it ran dry and it’s getting really chaffed right about now.

So the story goes, Mr. Esquire loves stretching his legs at these conventions. Year after year, he takes a break from making bad decisions at home and goes walk-about. After 25 or 30 years or so of ruining the district, you’d think he’d know everything there is to know about school boarding. It’s pretty simple - school boarding is kinda like water boarding but, instead of interrogating terrorists, it’s used to shake down taxpayers and water down education.

I hear that Mr. Esquire loves the taxpayer teat. Not only does he like these free excursions, but he double dips as well. He is the President of the DSBA. They are throwing some sort of dinner that all of the CSD sheep attended…at our expense. You guessed it, the DSBA is making money by “inviting” all of the DE school board members statewide to a BYDC dinner (bring your district’s checkbook). What a great fundraiser. I guess it was either that or selling Joe Corbi pizzas on The Green in Dover. But that’s not where the story ends.

May is election time for the Squire’s seat on the Board so, at the behest of his supporter (he’s down to just one), he has been trying to improve his image over the past few weeks and distance himself from the massive expense of sending 7 board members to Club Med for three or four days. It’s hard to panhandle for referendum money and gain pity votes right after you submit a big wad of receipts for reimbursement. It just looks bad.

The trip was over spring break. I’ve been told that he backed out at the last minute and sent Schneider in his place. Schneider? Yes, Schneider! Correct me if I’m wrong, but she’s not even a school board member. What the hell need does she have to go to a national convention of school boards? Looking for a new job, perhaps? One can only hope.

But I digress.

He backed out of the trip and his non-refundable reservations under the guise of saving the taxpayers money, because it’s hard to get re-elected as the solution when you’re so obviously a major part of the problem. THIS, my friends is why the district is on the brink of bankruptcy - AGAIN. The man and woman at the helm lack common sense. HOW does transferring plane tickets, hotel reservations, the expensive DSBA dinner purchase, etc. from a board member to a district employee SAVE money? It doesn’t.

Mr. Esquire, I humbly submit that you should have gone on your little happy trip. You just missed your LAST opportunity to live it up on the community dime, buddy. No matter what you do, you have lost my vote and the vote of as many people as I can convince to turn out in May. Thank you for your service. When it comes to another term, however, your service is no longer needed. Our children deserve better.

Intel on Charters

M.I.'s prediction for DeBOE meeting:

Moyer stays open, new director brought in from Virginia --- DE Sec of Ed's previous state of residence and employment (before coming to DE)
All seven charter applications will be denied.

Strategic Plan for the Delaware DOE: Lesson #2

Lesson #2: Turning an even bigger liability into an asset

Now that the Delaware DOE has successfully sold its collective soul for $100 million, we’re going to need to make some obvious changes to our educational system so we can salvage some small semblance of dignity and respect. Once the seed money is squandered on additional administration and consultants, this may possibly be the only lasting legacy from this whole debacle (besides the massive debt, increased taxes, and teacher-less public schools).

Educators state-wide have been making headlines lately, but not for excellence in English, math, science, or even sports. No, in Delaware, our news-worthy teachers seem to excel at teaching sex education…to minors…with one-on-one classroom, car, or apartment ratios. For years, students have been wasting their time selling donuts and carnations in the halls and classrooms when it turns out they could have made a lot more money “fun-raising”, selling condoms in the school’s colors to their faculty “boosters”.

I know what we really need is more consultants and standardized testing strategies, but we must take advantage of the Race To The Top money and use at least a little of it to better our schools and improve the safety of our students.
Therefore:

• since we’re going to waste the bulk of the $100 million on overpriced consultants anyway;

• since hundreds, if not thousands, of experienced teachers will be laid off (in the sense that they will be “reformed” out of a job; no gratification with minors implied);

• since all new teaching positions will be filled with relocated recent college graduates from Teach America making just $18-$20k a year (not nearly enough to go out after work, date, rent an R or X rated movie, or even to live indoors really);

• since none of the $100 million will improve classrooms, student ratios, the quality of teachers, etc.

and

• since S&M in our schools should once again refer to science and math (thanks a lot, perverts!);

I propose that a portion of the RTTT funds be used to create a dating service for all DE DOE employees and independent contractors. I’m quite confident that hiring an over-paid match-making firm to “consult” with individual districts and to implement social networking opportunities for educators, administrators, formerly unemployable and now newly educated 21 yr old “instructors”, and over-priced consultants will be well received. Taxpayers with school-aged children would definitely support this. In fact, this advice should have made it into the Cambridge report. If it didn’t, then I think we should freeze all payments because they didn’t do a very thorough job in evaluating the needs of our schools!

While this might be accomplished for free using an existing social networking site or even Craig’s list, think of the positive media opportunities and recruiting power that a professional dating service run by the DE DOE could provide. No more messy investigative reports and paid administrative leave for district employees facing probable indictment. We just need to point the “more experienced educators” in the direction of the 21 year old Teach America kids instead of allowing them to mingle and exchange phone numbers or text with the easily corrupted minors in our classrooms, that’s all.

We get it. You’re underpaid and frustrated in every possible way. You want a ream of something and, since paper is apparently out of the question... We get it! All we ask is that you keep your hands off the children, okay! Relief is on the way.

What better way to harness this untapped, unbridled carnal energy into actually improving our schools for 8 hours a day and then unleash it in a flood of release after the end of the day announcements and the last bell. Happy hour starts at 4, but only after carding everyone to ensure that they are actually consenting adults. A win-win, my friends!

Let’s be honest - Delaware is a long distance from the “comforts” of home in MA and wherever the TA kids will hail from, and what happens in DE tends to stay in DE - except for baby-daddies. We need to be pro-active, professional, protective, prohibitive, and pro-prophalactic. If we do not stop these promiscuous proclivities we can expect procreation, probes by proctors, profanation, probation, protests, and proliferation of pro-life proponents via progeny at or around the night of the prom. Lest you think this is propaganda meant to proselytize, progress will only begin when a protagonist (like your friend, MI) prognosticates then professes and proclaims proficiency in problem solving and promptly proposes provocatively profound, yet promotable, processes without promise of proceeds or profit.

Lesson #2: Educators - Keep it in your pants, out of our schools, and out of the media. Comprende?

Stock tip of the day:

Since the Delaware Department of Education has not yet had their IPO, MassInciter recommends:
Downgrade/SELL: Technology for the classroom, classroom & office supplies, Sallie-Mae, all Colleges and Universities offering teaching degrees, and all textbook suppliers. School-age student futures.

Upgrade/BUY: Mass Insight, Cambridge Education, the Broad Institute, Vision 2015, Northwest, Renaissance Schools, Innovative Schools, JP Morgan Chase, RODEL, AIRS, DSTP, and DCAS.

Word on the street is that there has been a $600 M infusion of guaranteed business for educational consultants, with $3.5 B+ in future business to follow. Sell your soul for whatever you can get and buy now…you can bet your 403(B) on it!

Think I’m yanking your chain? I’m not alone in my investment advice. (Although, I’m not quite sure why they’re downgrading brewers –- we’re all going to need to get a few drinks under our belts in order to stomach the changes in store for us).

Market Report: Stock Ticker
March 29, 2010 -- 4:15 PM ET

Moving the Market

Dollar dips against competing currencies

Personal income and spending figures for February provide little surprise

Overall news flow is light, leading to little participation

Sector Watch

Strong
real estate services; education services; oil and gas drillers, equipment, and explorers; coal and consumable fuel; diversified metals; agricultural products; distillers and vintners

Weak
auto makers; brewers; computer storage and peripherals; homebuilding; industrial REITs


It’s a damn shame that they did away with cursive writing. It makes We are so totally fucked! look so much classier.

DOE Rumor

Race to the Top winners are expected to be announced Monday morning at 10 am

Mass Inciter’s Strategic Plan For The CSD:

Lesson # 1: Turning A Liability Into An Asset

The Christina School District owns the old Astro Power Building in Pencader Business Park, right off of Rt 896. As it stands, this ginormous abandoned facility is a black-eye to the district, a slap in the face to the tax-payers who funded it, and a hell of a liability. From what I understand, the building would need major improvements to function as either a school or a sale-able property.

Although it’s designed to generate energy (more than enough to off-set maintenance costs), the building’s vacancy actually costs the district for utility bills and loan payments for the money borrowed from the State for its purchase. Since the commercial real estate market in Delaware is in the dumper right now, what can be done with this property?

My strategic solution provides a source of positive cash-flow, an actual use for the over-paid contractors that the district is so fond of, will generate some well-needed positive press for the district and, most importantly, raise at-risk student testing scores. I propose that the old Astro Power building be turned into temporary Section-8 housing for the district’s many homeless students and their families.

Think about it…the building is its own energy source. It’s huge and can be sectioned off quite economically. At their insistance, the district could even use some of those overpaid contractors that they are so fond of.  Since the district is so hell-bent on improving test scores, then a plan to provide students with a real roof over their heads should be a no-brainer. A well-rested child – one who doesn’t have to wake up in the back seat of a car, worry about where dinner or breakfast will come from, or secretly “shower” in the sink at school - will probably stress less and test better.

My taxes helped fund this Wise purchase; so did yours. What an egregious waste of money! The way I see it, the building belongs to us, since it’s NEVER going to be used as a school. If this district is going to have the gall to try to pass a referendum and raise my taxes after blatantly wasting my hard earned money, then I want to actually see a return on my investment.

It's a sin to let a perfectly good district owned building go to waste when it can be used for the benefit of our students (and their families). Moreover, it would actually save the district a lot in transportation expenses. Believe it or not, district buses drive around looking for the homeless students each morning and picking them up at random locations.

Lesson # 1 Summary: Waste not, want not.