Continued dialog with Anonymous

Refer to prior post to see the starting point for this exchange:

Anonymous said...

LOL...I guess you sort of answered my question, but not really.

Are the snow days negotiated or not with the local BOE?

I really doubt a teacher union would go on strike over having to be in the building on snow days...but maybe.

5:47 PM

My response:


Snow days are negotiable; almost everything is negotiable.

Keep in mind that the board does not exist to serve the wishes of the taxpayers or community in general. The board exists to support the direction of the administration. And, the administration exists to continue its chosen path, not to serve the public.

Don't believe that statement, then run for a board seat and see how school boards function. You will quickly understand why the superintendent sits at the head of the board table during meetings. Not off to the side, but right alongside the board president.

To validate my statement that the administration does not exist to serve the public, ask for data or information from the district, such as administrator contracts, total W-2 income, list of out-of-town expenses, etc. All public info. See if you are able to get any of it with the smile due a resident who the school system supposedly serves.

Here's a test: Ask McDonalds or Krispy Kreme for a copy of their nutritional facts and compare that experience with a public records request from your school district. The fastfood managers will go out of their way to satisfy your request, with a smile and "thank you." See how the school request goes. Compare the private sector with the government monopoly. A stark contrast.

Another thought: Ask the district for a copy of the State Standards Analysis report completed last March; a report that has never seen the light of public discussion. Yet, a report that provides a hard look at costs and efficiencies. See if you can get a copy.

By law, the district must provide it to you without asking for ID or your intent and reason. All you need to do is pay the small copying costs.

Bet you don't try. Why don't I think that you will try? Because most residents intuitively know that the district schools are not really the public's schools. Residents know that the board and administration will not receive an information request with the same smile worn by the Wal-Mart greeter.

The interaction will be unpleasant, I should know. As a board member I had to fight to get data that was regularly reported to the state. "What do you need that for?" was a typical response to a simple ask. My response was, "To serve the residents!"

I would guess that I only received about half of the data that I requested. It is easier to pull teeth from a rhino that obtain data from the schools, your schools - supposedly, anyway. A sad state of affairs.

Your board members will not back you up in your request for info. Indeed, I will also bet that your current board will not provide a copy of the Standards report, if they even have one. The administration was not keen on distributing the report outside the family, and I really don't think other board members cared to read it.

That said, I have been posting it bit-by-bit over the last two months - look for prior postings. The real savings are coming in later posts -- millions of potential saved tax dollars. Your money!