But, what if the fiery accident wasn't really there? What if it was just an illusion? You can see it, you swear you could touch it if you tried? But, when you do, it all just dissipates.
Some of the fires in the Christina School District are real. Yes, without intervention they eventually will be unable to make payroll. Yes, they are under-enrolled. Yes, the board and administration are fractured. Yes, the superintendent has taken leave. Yes, the class sizes are going up.
But, there are also some folks who are fanning the flames that are just an illusion.
Recently, the blogosphere erupted over whether or not CSD was having an illegal meeting when it attempted to meet in executive session for the superintendents evaluation. Nothing makes the public hotter than being shut out of democracy. A FOIA has been filed by a sitting board member, as promised. The results are likely months out. The public is angry about something that's always been routine. And I contend it all about nothing.
Following that meeting, the superintendent went on leave and another internal struggle convened - did the president have the authority to accept the leave? The reality is that the superintendent did not need to seek the presidents permission. There are certain employment rights that a governed by bodies greater than the locally elected board or the governor-appointed bodies.
And then the allegations online that two female board members went rogue, outed financial mismanagement to the State Board and the Auditor while keeping their peers in the dark b/c they couldn't trust them.
Following that meeting, the superintendent went on leave and another internal struggle convened - did the president have the authority to accept the leave? The reality is that the superintendent did not need to seek the presidents permission. There are certain employment rights that a governed by bodies greater than the locally elected board or the governor-appointed bodies.
And then the allegations online that two female board members went rogue, outed financial mismanagement to the State Board and the Auditor while keeping their peers in the dark b/c they couldn't trust them.
(Let me pause to note that if any board member had gone rogue and reported financial malfeasance to the DOE, SBE, or the Auditor, I would have offered them hero worship status, not condemnation.)
And finally, the naming of names into the recorded mic at a public meeting. The alleged rogue - Saffer and Minnehan - vociferously denied the accusation.
These are the fires. And we now know that it is alleged that they were stoked by the Executive Director of the State Board of Education - whom I sent a email to last week and again today asking for clarification around the allegations against Minnehan and Saffer. Still waiting on a response. However, blogger Kevin Olhandt has retracted his accusations against the two.
Scorched earth. And a public played. Yet, that's the twist in the story that hasn't been vetted by the blogosphere. No one is talking about how allegedly high ranking DOE officials and SBE went about manipulating public perception of our troubled district. There's been a small amount of condemnation of Kevin, a greater amount of validation of his character, but nothing about those who will bear the deepest scars. Minnehan and Saffer, at least briefly, suffered tarnished reputations. The weeks of hinting on the blogs likely fired up emotions between members of the CSD board itself - evident in the first five minutes of its recent meeting. It fueled the distrust.
But most importantly, these manipulations will add to the fire of considerations of the voting tax payers when the district goes next for referendum. Illusions, not reality, designed to embarrass csd.
Go ahead, reach out and touch someone -
And finally, the naming of names into the recorded mic at a public meeting. The alleged rogue - Saffer and Minnehan - vociferously denied the accusation.
These are the fires. And we now know that it is alleged that they were stoked by the Executive Director of the State Board of Education - whom I sent a email to last week and again today asking for clarification around the allegations against Minnehan and Saffer. Still waiting on a response. However, blogger Kevin Olhandt has retracted his accusations against the two.
Scorched earth. And a public played. Yet, that's the twist in the story that hasn't been vetted by the blogosphere. No one is talking about how allegedly high ranking DOE officials and SBE went about manipulating public perception of our troubled district. There's been a small amount of condemnation of Kevin, a greater amount of validation of his character, but nothing about those who will bear the deepest scars. Minnehan and Saffer, at least briefly, suffered tarnished reputations. The weeks of hinting on the blogs likely fired up emotions between members of the CSD board itself - evident in the first five minutes of its recent meeting. It fueled the distrust.
But most importantly, these manipulations will add to the fire of considerations of the voting tax payers when the district goes next for referendum. Illusions, not reality, designed to embarrass csd.
Go ahead, reach out and touch someone -
