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December 21, 2005
Iceberg....RIGHT AHEAD!
Leave it to the Simi Unified Board of Trustees to be leaders and tackle the tough educational issues of the day. NCLB funding cuts, deteriorating teacher working conditions, lack of adequate technology and teaching supplies, and a bond program experiencing serious cost overruns are all topics our Trustees could be tackling. And yet, when we open the Star, we don‘t see those issues being addressed, but we do see a squabble over who will be President of the Board of Education.
The President of the School Board is a perfunctory role, and many districts rotate it amongst members so everyone gets a fair chance. But if you follow the SVUSD in the Star, you get the impression that who gets to be President is actually an issue facing our schools, rather than the ruse that it is to distract the public from what is actually going on.
It’s been almost 2 years since Simi voters passed Measure C4, a $145 million bond package to improve our schools. Do you know what’s going on with the money? Do you know what’s next on the project list? Are voters aware that by state law, the District needs to post this information on a web site available to the public, but has yet to do so? Do voters know that the district recently reduced the size of the Oversight Committee by 43%?
Trustees need to stop squabbling over seats, and get the work done they are elected to do. This battle over the school board presidency seems to me nothing more than a literal rearranging of the deck chairs on the Titanic.
Tim Keaney
Comments
It's only a story when trustees, with nothing better to do obviously, go ahead and comment about it to reports. No comment = no story. Someone with your media savvy should know this.
Of course, if I said the sky was blue, you'd disagree Arleigh.
If I represented school district employees, I'd be embarrased that this is all the board has to discuss.
Tim
Posted by: Tim Keaney at December 21, 2005 12:26 PMNo Tim,
You don't like the Board or District and regardless of what they do you will find something to complain about or in the case of the ICOC try and invent something to complain about. In reading the story most of the quotes were taken from the Board meeting. If you had been there you would know that the re-organization portion happened from 6:00 to 6:30 before the actual meeting began. Once the meeting began at 6:30 nothing else was said about the re-organization. You seem to be saying that if the press calls about a topic that Board members should say "No comment. I will comment on something you are not asking about and I expect a story on it." Instead of "No issues left behind" you may want to start calling this blog "No sour grapes left behind." Happy holidays!
So Tim,
Are you saying that Greg Stratton is not media savvy and that he wasted peoples time by speaking to Jake Finch? Or is he okay and the other Board members are wrong, even though he did the same thing?
Oh I see, it is the Districts fault if the Star decides to report what they think is a story. I guess we should call the Star and explain to them that the District gets to tell them what to cover and what not to cover. Maybe the issues Tim is raising are not really issues and that is why the paper did not cover them. I think if voters in Simi felt these were issues Tim, or Chris or Ed would be on the Board.
Posted by: Arleigh Kidd at December 21, 2005 11:18 AM