For over a year, Joe Criscuolo, the recently departed town manager, had been rumored to be leaving Aberdeen Township, whether willingly or not. And, he looks to be moving up, garnering a job in his hometown of Old Bridge, earning an additional $10,000. Excluding the previous town manager, Aberdeen has earned a reputation of rewarding its cherished employees (see Coren, Kelly, Lauro, etc.) and this seems to be part of that tradition. But, what makes this story remarkable is the advertisement seeking a new town manager.
TOWNSHIP MANAGER – ABERDEEN TOWNSHIP,MONMOUTH COUNTY. 18,000 population, $18M municipal budget, 85 FT Employees. Council/Manager form of Government. Seeking experienced professional to serve as CEO, oversee all daily operations and report to 7 Council members, including the Mayor. Must be highly motivated, goal/results oriented and have excellent communication skills to deal with all levels of government and community. Must have a strong financial background. Responsibilities include overseeing municipal services, capital planning and labor relations. Must have 5+ years experience in municipal government management. Bachelor’s degree required. MPA preferred. Salary range DOQ/DOE. Send 8 copies of resume and cover letter, including salary requirements to: Fred Tagliarini, 19 Faith Lane, Aberdeen, NJ 07747 Ad Posted January 14, 2011 Ad Removed February 28, 2011. [Bold added for emphasis]
How bizarre. I can’t imagine the school board president requesting all job applications for the superintendent’s position be sent to his home. Nor has any other town’s job posting at the League of Municipalities made a similar request. The question is why.
One possibility is convenience except that receiving the applications at home is inconvenient since the other council members will now need to wait until Mayor Tagliarini distributes the applications. Furthermore, he will be responsible for storing and distributing the applications rather than a town employee.
Perhaps the issue is confidentiality, that the council doesn’t want any town employee to be privy to whom has applied. If so, why has the township requested “8 copies”? Who will receive the 8th copy?
The process is troubling because the mayor, first among peers on the town council, has now been appointed gatekeeper of all the applications. By default, he has the ability to exclude any application from consideration.
Another problem is, given Aberdeen’s troubling history of political patronage, the town council has given the residents one more reason to believe the fix is in.
Finally, we’re still left with the original question. Why instruct applicants to mail their resumes to the mayor’s home? >>> Read more!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Wanted: Town Manager. To Apply, See Mayor
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Letter to the Fire Commissioners
December 20, 2010
Deputy Chief James Polanco
Aberdeen Township Hose and Chemical Company #1
490 Lloyd Road
Aberdeen, NJ 07747
Board of Fire Commissioners
Fire District #1
490 Lloyd Road
Aberdeen, NJ 07747
Gentlemen,
At the Fire Company meeting held on March 9, 2010 charges were brought against the District Chief Louis Auriemma by the undersigned. At that Fire Company meeting the Board of Fire Commissioner’s lawyer, Allen Falk, explained that at the time of the incident(s) the District Chief has a supervisory role over the Fire Company Officers. That statement placed this issue officially within the purview of this Board as his employer. Any complaints, grievances, and charges against the District Chief must be dealt with by this Board of Fire Commissioners.
In meetings held with the Fire Company Officers an agreement was made with the Board of Fire Commissioners, that this matter should be handled internally. In return for this agreement the original letter detailing the charges to be brought against the Fire District Chief was withdrawn so it would not be read, and made a part of the public record. In return the Board of Fire Commissioners agreed to a number of stipulations that they would deliver as part of that agreement. First, the Board would provide a copy of the contract that is maintained with the Aberdeen Hose and Chemical Company #1 detailing the terms under which the Fire Company operates for the Fire District. Second, a clear detailing of the “Chain of Command” would be outlined for both on and off fire scene detailing the roles and responsibilities with particular emphasis on the District Chief position. Third, a clearly defined job description for the District Chief would be spelled out in writing so it will be known by all what his actual job function is, and the scope of his employment would be defined. Fourth, the Board of Fire Commissioners would assign one of its members as the Manager to oversee the District Chief directly, and act as an escalation point for any complaint or grievance. Lastly, a clearly detailed schedule and policy statement be made to state exactly when the District Chief was “on duty”, and when he is just a Fire Company member so the rest of the membership of the Fire Company would know when he is acting in his official capacity, and when not. To this date only one of these stipulations has been received. I’ve been told that there is a “Manager” for the District Chief, but there has not been any official communication on this subject to the Fire Company Officers, to my knowledge. Therefore, due to the lack of action on the part of this Board, I feel it is time to officially reinstate the following charges:
1. Failure to adhere to the Fire District SOP’s.
2. Assaulting a Fire Company Officer.
3. Threatening a Fire Company Officer.
4. Harassment of Firefighters Name withheld, and Name withheld.
In that, on February 20, 2010, at the vehicle fire at VEI Limousine the District Chief fought the fire, without any protective gear, and was present in the “hot zone” actively fighting the fire well after fully equipped firefighters arrived at the scene. He ignored warnings by the Deputy Chief to leave the danger area. During his action on the scene he sustained an injury to his right hand. After having a meeting with the Fire Company Chief about this matter, Louis Auriemma repeated this disregard for the Fire District SOP’s at the basement fire on Atlantic Avenue. He admitted to the membership that he went inside the house before the first attack line entered the building. He was in street clothes, and unprotected the entire time.
After the VEI fire was out, the District Chief was complaining loudly that the other firefighters were improperly trained because they had hit him with a straight stream from the opposite side of the vehicle. He yelled, while pointing his finger at me, and said, “You are not training these men properly”. He was very loud. I asked him to stop, and we would discuss it back at the Fire House. I was ignored. He then began shouting the question, “Who was on the other hose line?” Name withheld said he was in that team. At that point, the District Chief began to shout at Name withheld without regard to whether Name withheld had been manning the nozzle or not. When I told Name withheld that we would discuss this back at the Fire House, he turned away and went to Truck 498. The District Chief had to be reminded three more times that the scene was the wrong place for this discussion. As I repeated this request he continued yelling while Name withheld walked toward Truck 498. During this rant by District Chief Louis Auriemma directed at Name withheld his language was abusive, derogatory, insulting, and unnecessary.
Further, on February 23, 2010 during a fire call that was hit out while the Fire Company was performing Truck Cleaning, I directed the group of firefighters that stayed behind to clean the bay for Truck 497. As the group was finishing up Name withheld was using a squeegee. The District Chief began to verbally harass Name withheld, making derogatory comments about his technique. At one point Name withheld stopped his work, and walked from the bay handing his squeegee to Mike Romano. As Name withheld reached the Radio Room area he said that no one should be treated like that. Upon hearing Name withheld’s remark the District Chief started shouting at Name withheld, and as he began to advance toward Name withheld said, “If you don’t like the way things are done around here there’s the door”. As Deputy Chief it is my duty as an Officer to intercede in any altercation between Fire Company members to calm the situation, and then allow for a controlled and orderly discussion of the disagreement. I stepped in front of the District Chief, and asked him to stop. Instead he raised his hands, and hit me in the chest, at the same time violently shoving me back in an attempt to force his way past me. I regained my balance, and again stood in his path repeating the request for him to stop and let it go. The District Chief again hit me in the chest shoving me back harder. As I again recovered, and stood in his path I repeated the request to stop and let it go. I was once again violently shoved by Louis Auriemma, and he made his way past me. This entire sequence of events was witnessed by members of this Board, and if Paul Percussi hadn’t held my arm I would have fallen down. The District Chief continued advancing toward Name withheld. He continued his rant using abusive language directed at Name withheld. Later, while I was in the Radio Room, the District Chief approached me, and attempted to start an argument with me over the incident with Name withheld. I told him that he shouldn’t talk to me right then, and he shouted at me that he wasn’t afraid of me. I answered that I wasn’t trying to scare him just stop him. At that time he said, “You better not get in my way again or you’ll see what happens”. Obviously the District Chief exhibits no respect for my position, and is predicting that he will act in a worse manner in the future. In light of his actions I am charging the District Chief Louis Auriemma with Assaulting an Officer, Threatening an Officer, and Harassment of Fire Company members Name withheld, and Name withheld.
It is unfortunate that these charges need to be filed, but I can no longer allow this type of harassing behavior to be handled “behind the scenes” as has always happened in the past. These incidents are just the most recent examples of a pattern of behavior by District Chief Louis Auriemma. He has continually shown utter disregard for the Chain of Command. This is not the first time that it has been brought to this Board’s attention. The Fire Company Officers sent a letter to this Board pointing out this situation, and it appears to have had little or no effect. The Board of Fire Commissioners failed to act then to prevent the current situation from happening. Additionally, this is not the first time a member, or members, of the Fire Company have quit due to the harassment they received from the District Chief or witnessed him impose on others. As a reminder, this incident caused the resignation of three Officers, including the Fire Company Chief. This behavior by the District Chief has prevented good men from considering advancement to become Fire Company Officers, and caused others to discontinue their involvement with the Fire Company. No one wants to be subjected to the District Chief’s wrath because Officers get it the worst. Becoming an Officer in this Fire Company is perceived by the members as painting a “Bulls-eye” on your back. A fact that was pointed out in the aforementioned letter sent to this Board on November 2, 2007 (attached). The Officers who signed that letter had every hope that this Board would act for the betterment of the Fire Service, and it did nothing. I will remind this Board that in the recent election only two Officers are in place for the coming year. The current Chief and Captain are all that are in place. The positions of Deputy Chief and all three Lieutenant positions remain unfilled.
District Chief Louis Auriemma has repeatedly demonstrated that he is a danger to himself, and other firefighters. He does not adhere to the safety standards both the Board of Fire Commissioner’s and the Fire Company have set. He has also undermined the confidence and respect that the firefighters should have in their Officers because he is out of control. The Officers can do nothing about it, and this Board has been unwilling to support them in this regard. The District Chief can, and will, erupt at a moment’s notice on anyone, and is incapable of restraining himself. It’s as if the rules do not apply to him. He has also blatantly lied about these incidents to the Fire Company, of which you are members. More than one of you knows that for a fact because you witnessed the entire incident, are aware of the lies he told, and are unwilling to call him on it.
This pattern of behavior, exhibited by Louis Auriemma, is such that after being cautioned he will abide by the recommendations for a period of time. After which, he will gradually revert to his previous pattern. This cycle cannot be tolerated any longer because there seems to be no limit to the extent of his transgressions. Louis Auriemma, by his actions, has demonstrated over a long period of time that he should not be in a position of authority, or have a supervisory role, of any kind, in Fire Company Operations.
I request that an official investigation be conducted immediately, because an offense such as this carried out against a public official in the performance of his duties, and such offense was committed to prevent said official from performing his duty, is a Felony. I believe such an offense was committed against me by District Chief Louis Auriemma. Since the District Chief has not taken responsibility for his actions, and has lied about the incident, an official investigation has become mandatory. I also recommend, to avoid the appearance of impropriety, that while the investigation is underway that Louis Auriemma be suspended without pay, and all District Equipment be confiscated pending the outcome, and official publication of same. A failure to act now, by this Board, will seriously compromise the ability of the Fire District to provide Fire Protection Services to this community, and expose the Fire District, and the Board of Fire Commissioners to Civil Liabilities.
Sincerely,
James Polanco
Deputy Chief
Aberdeen Township Hose & Chemical Company #1
Cc:
Chris Christie, Governor
Paula T. Dow, State Attorney General
Fred Tagliarini, Mayor
Aberdeen Township Council
Joseph Criscuolo, Town Manager
John T. Powers, Chief of Police
>>> Read more!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Aberdeen's Top Earners
Across the nation, there’s been a lot of talk about the public sector’s salaries, work benefits, health plans, and pensions. And there’s no reason to exempt Aberdeen Township from the discussion.
Among the top earners, 1st prize goes to our former police chief, Joseph Kelly, who’s receiving an annual pension of $104,000. 2nd prize goes to our councilman, James Lauro. After serving our community for over 40 years, with a final average salary of $145,563.67, Councilman Lauro is earning an annual pension of $98,569.68, plus another $13,000 a year for his service as councilman and fire commissioner. (Need we mention again that he voted last year to raise his commissioner’s salary?) The booby prize goes to our disgraced former town manager, Mark Coren, who’s receiving an annual pension of $82,000 plus health coverage.
Last year, John Quinn earned $104,000 from the township and another $36,000 from Matawan. Police Chief John Powers earned $138,000 and his number two, Richard Derechailo earned $132,000. Town Manager, Joe Criscuolo only earned $122,000.
Of the township’s 35 police officers, 29 earned above $92,000, another two officers earned $88,000, and only the remaining four officers were below the highest brackets.
I bear no grudge against anyone for earning the above salaries. To my knowledge, none of the above ever threatened to endanger the township during contract negotiations and every person is entitled to honorably pursue the highest salary and benefits he can muster. Furthermore, excluding the pay-to-play payoffs, the vast majority of the township employees have performed exemplary.
However, the question for the taxpayers is whether the community can afford such generous compensation or if we can get the same outstanding service at a lower cost.
A simple resolution at the state level would be to cap the benefits of future retirees and, once the public employee has reached his cap, all further retirement contributions would be diverted to a 401K plan. Till then, the only alternative is to reduce headcount and outsource services.
On a side note, an anonymous commenter took issue with me including the salary history of the teachers union officers as one of the factors prompting tax increases, arguing their salaries are a tiny part of the overall budget. Well, I hope the commenter isn’t one of our math teachers.
The current crop of union officers saw their salaries increase a combined $162,091.60 from 2006 to 2009. During that same period, the school tax levy increased $1,407,437. Not including pension liabilities, those 12 union officers accounted for 11.5% of the school property tax increases. And, unlike the above mentioned township workers, the union officers have frequently undermined our children’s education and threatened the operation of our school district. >>> Read more!
Monday, December 27, 2010
Looking Ahead
Three years ago, Aberdeener.com was launched at a moment everything started to change. The Great Recession was getting underway and the nation was about to take a dramatic turn to the left, electing the most liberal president in history and awarding super-majorities to the Democrats in both houses of congress.
Locally, Dr. Gambino’s election to the school board shifted the balance of power and a new administration under Dr. O’Malley directed the district toward achieving objective goals.
On the flip side, the popular town manager, Stuart Brown, was summarily terminated after waging an internal battle against corruption and waste. The teachers union was picketing at school board members’ homes for higher wages. And Aberdeen and Matawan were among the top five highest taxed municipalities in Monmouth County.
Over the next three years, the Tea Party was born, Governor Christie was elected, and the country has shifted back to center-right. On the school board, only one of six Aberdeen representatives has served more than one term. In the township, a majority of the council seats turned over although every seat stayed within the local Democratic Party.
So, what will the next three years bring?
Higher Taxes
Nobody living in Aberdeen would expect otherwise. Over the past three years, municipal taxes have increased roughly 30%. The township’s “secret plan” is to offset spending increases with new development through PILOT programs. PILOT stands for “payments in lieu of taxes”.
Property taxes have to be apportioned to each tax collecting body, i.e. school, county, fire, etc. The township’s meager 17% share of property taxes from new development wouldn’t be enough to offset new spending, meaning municipal property taxes would keep rocketing upward despite the added revenue from new development. However, PILOT payments aren’t taxes so the township gets to keep the lion’s share and technically hold down taxes while allowing spending to soar.
No such luck by the school district. The township favors residential development over commercial development because developers prefer residential. Unfortunately for taxpayers, any development that attracts children is a net loss. At over $15,000 per student, any unit with a child will cost the town more than it can recoup through taxes. Furthermore, children from low-income families, on average, require more services and, therefore, cost more. COAH housing could be especially costly to the school district.
Meanwhile, the school district has never developed any significant revenue streams aside from taxes and state funding. There’s some hope of developing an autism program to attract out-of-district students but, until that happens, the focus is cutting costs. The district has already begun outsourcing – cafeteria, substitutes, custodians – and there’s more to go – transportation, secretarial, aides, guidance counselors, child study teams, etc. Classes can be cut, class sizes can increase, and more extra curricular can be eliminated. However, at some point the cutting will stop.
Meanwhile, contractual and statutory increases are on the march. Last year, prior to the budget cuts, the district projected a $3.5 million increases from salary, pension, health, and special education. The average teachers union officer saw his salary increase about 25% over the prior three years.
Some day, in the not too distant future, those annual increases will overwhelm any cost cutting measures.
It doesn’t have to go this way but we all know it will. Governor Christie’s 2% cap should help but don’t discount those wily politicians and public administrators who will use every trick in the book to take your money.
Self-Serving Politicos
The school district has a $60 million budget and the board members are paid zilch. Fire District #1 has a budget equal to 1% of the school district, yet each fire commissioner earns $5,460. As a percentage of the total budget, the fire district spends more money on each fire commissioner than the school district spends on the combined salary and benefits of the district superintendent, deputy superintendent, and business administrator.
Two of those five commissioners, Vinci and Lauro, also earn salaries from the town council as well as their state pensions from years of public service to the township. Add all that to the free land given to Vinci and the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent to divert highway workers from driving in front of his house, and it’s still not enough to satisfy their senses of entitlement. In 2009, the fire commissioners voted themselves a 36.5% raise.
Ultimately, the townsfolk don’t care. Both Vinci and Lauro would likely cruise to reelection. This past year, the town elected a board member who testified against the school district in a labor dispute, played racial politics, and acknowledged voting to pay herself for working as a poll worker during a school board election.
And, at some point, Barza will regain control of the school board and appoint administrators to their liking. It won’t happen soon but it will happen. That’s because the largest pools of candidates for local elective office are the PTO’s and the sports leagues. Most of the current school board members come from neither.
School board elections are usually a luck of the draw. Placement on the ballot is determined by pulling candidates’ names from a hat (literally) and the candidates at the top of the ticket nearly always win. Whichever group fields the most candidates over time will ultimately control the board and Barza is in an excellent position to do just that.
That’s why Aberdeen has rejected every property tax increase at the ballot box for nearly a decade but still sees property taxes increase every year – either the people a) don’t think it matters who they elect b) don’t know who they’re electing or c) don’t know what their representatives are doing once elected.
While on the school board, I strongly opposed any tax increase. Had there been two other members of the nine-member board who shared my opposition, school taxes would not have risen this year.
Education Advances Slowly
The first thing that people will notice and quickly forget is that the draconian cuts didn’t undermine the students’ education.
Next, as students from the middle school who benefited from an accelerated curriculum move into high school, test scores will rise.
However, any advancement will be limited. Among the staff, there are several ideological battles underway – Should the district focus upon test scores or preparing students for post-high school? What are the skills and knowledge our students need to acquire before graduating? How do we test and grade our students? What do we do with teachers who can’t teach? How do we help our struggling students? How do we enable our stars to advance according to their potential?
Unless someone becomes a powerful and incessant advocate for moving in one direction, the district will always drift along the path of least resistance. That means the least work and the least headaches. The community won’t fight for higher standards and neither will most of the staff.
Local Reporting Will Continue to Deteriorate
The local papers lack resources for investigative reporting. As they continue to struggle, fewer town meetings will be covered. Excluding bloggers and the rumor mill, the community will continue to know less and less about what’s happening. And the opportunities for corruption and incompetence will expand.
Housing Will Continue to Struggle
Huge backlog of unsold and foreclosed housing. High unemployment and underemployment. As the economy recovers, interest rates will rise to combat inflation. Many underwater homeowners will put their homes on the market at their first opportunity to cover their mortgages. Meanwhile, high taxes will continue to depress prices and push more seniors to sell.
Most New Development Will Be Residential
It is an absolute disgrace that public education has become so expensive that it makes financial sense to deter families from moving to the neighborhood. But that’s the reality. Developers, however, prefer residential because they’re easier to finance and sell and often have higher profit margins. The town could easily encourage commercial development through zoning laws and PILOT programs but don’t expect it. The town council wants the tax/PILOT money, not to mention all the behind-the-scenes hand greasing that enriches their handlers, and care little about the burden new development imposes on the school district or the rest of the township.
Corruption Will Continue Unabated
People mistakenly believe corruption necessarily involves criminal activity. That’s not the case at all. Political corruption is the use of office for anything other than the public good. For example, taking tens of thousands of dollars in political contributions from CME Engineering and then awarding it millions of dollars in no-bid contracts is corrupt because there’s an assumption CME is not being awarded the business based solely upon price, service, and community benefit. Furthermore, when people and corporations are legitimately concerned over retribution if they don’t contribute to political campaigns, that is corruption. When people and corporations are able to use their political connections to “un-level” the playing field or seek business from third parties, that’s corruption.
Again and again, we hear about how there’s been no proof of corruption but that’s a lie. The free land given to Councilman Vinci, and how that land was kept off the tax rolls, is public record. Vinci being paid “consulting fees” to work on his own reelection campaign is public record. The county spending $400,000 to divert traffic from Vinci’s home on a dead end street is public record.
CME’s contributions and millions of dollars in no-bid contracts are public record.
Fire commissioners, who should be working for free, awarding themselves a 36.5% pay increase during a steep recession is public record.
Any suggestion that “corruption” only applies to criminal activity is morally repugnant and it shouldn’t surprise anyone that the people who write the laws know how to avoid them.
The Teachers Union Will Continue Being Anti-Community
It’s astounding how teachers, the very people who have chosen to dedicate their lives to teaching and with whom we’ve entrusted our children, would repeatedly support anti-community agendas but that’s the reality.
When faced with a pay freeze or scores of colleagues losing their jobs, the teachers kicked their coworkers to the curb and then launched a fear-mongering campaign insisting the community’s children would be in jeopardy unless we raised taxes to save jobs.
Now, the union is doing the same to the bus drivers, the secretaries, and everyone else who could be outsourced.
When the school board offered to help three custodians save their lifetime health benefits, the union offered nothing to offset the costs.
Again and again, the union protects teachers who can’t teach, bars the district from enacting changes that would help students and save money, and prevents the district from rewarding outstanding teachers.
I hear the district used to recognize “Teachers of the Month” and give them prized parking spots and other tokens of thanks and recognition that cost nothing to the district. However, the practice had to stop after the union objected to the district “singling out teachers” for recognition when “all” teachers deserved recognition.
That sense of “we’re all wonderful and entitled” appears to be have become contagious as Christmas Friday Fever has swept through the district. Christmas Friday Fever is the infectious disease that hits about a quarter of our teachers every year on the last Friday before Christmas break, forcing them to call in sick and get some therapeutic shopping at the malls.
Local Blogging Will Decline
Normally, success attracts competition. Not in this case. Despite the widespread popularity of Aberdeener.com (many would say infamy), the only other local blog is AberdeenNJlife, which doesn’t do investigative reporting. Researching issues is very time consuming and won’t win you many friends. However, for those considering blogging, the experience can be quite rewarding and you truly have the power to make positive changes within your community.
As for this blog, I’m hoping someone will volunteer to manage it but, so far, no takers. However, the forces of darkness shouldn’t relax just yet. There’s still some life in this blog. >>> Read more!
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Lessons Learned on the BOE
If You Want Change, Join the BOE
Shortly after joining the BOE, Mr. Somma, a local resident and New York City schoolteacher, began petitioning the school board to change the start time for high school to a later hour. He appeared before the board on several occasions and provided studies showing that high school students don’t get enough sleep, the benefits of getting a full night’s sleep, and the experiences of other school districts that moved to a later start time. Selma then proposed a brilliant idea – Most of our students graduate with more credits than the state requires. Allow those juniors and seniors who are performing well in class and are on track to graduate with extra class credits to substitute one of their non-core classes for an online class on condition that they will be responsible for morning transportation.
The idea presented a win-win scenario – Teenagers would get more sleep, students would have an incentive to do well in class to earn the privilege, and the district would save money by offering fewer classes.
Intrigued by the idea, then-board member Larry O’Connell requested the administration to provide the board with guidance, which it did. Later in the year, the administration considered the idea as a means to cut expenses.
So, what happened? Absolutely nothing. It remains a great idea and one that would have board support but, without a champion within the administration or on the school board, it will go nowhere.
Board Members Have the Power to Make Changes
Any board member who’s informed, well liked, and has a good relationship with the administration can deeply affect the school district. Most board members only appear at meetings to raise their hands but they do have the power to take the initiative.
Board Members Are Not the Best Informed
Before joining the board, I once asked then-president Demarest whether the $2 million a year Response to Intervention program was helping or hurting students. She didn’t know.
Aside from the public agenda, board members receive three things – Information from the superintendent, updates from the attorney, and financial reports from the business administrator. Board members also have the privilege of access to the superintendent and business administrator. Ultimately, board members only know what they’re told by the administration. Their access to raw data is no different from the public’s access.
Ask a board member how many students take at least one advanced placement class and he probably won’t know. (It’s about 10%) Or how many students are expected to earn a bachelor’s degree. (Less than 30%) Or the cost per student for a ceramics class. (Over $700)
Aside from legal issues, personnel, and criminal activity, the board may know information before the public but they rarely know more than any involved member of the public.
Elections Matter
Elections do matter. The battle within the school board is focused upon the following lines –
If the former, you’re among the standards wing that currently control the board. If the latter, you’re among the “progressives” or Barza wing.
However, despite the importance of elections, the electorate cares little about board issues and is woefully uninformed. As a result, the winners of any board election are usually the first two names on the ballot.
Where I Was Wrong
I don’t regret a single vote I cast. However, there are two areas where I changed my mind upon joining the board.
The first is the issue of grants. The vast majority of grants support new spending, not ongoing operations. That means grants can only be used for short-term projects. Otherwise, you run the risk of creating new programs that keep running long after the grant funding has vanished.
The other issue was my perception of the community. I had assumed the vast majority of parents wanted their children to receive an excellent education and, once they knew the truth of what was happening in the classrooms, they would demand improvements.
I was terribly wrong. Only a minority of parents value education as an end in itself. A large percentage of parents considers school as substitute parenting. And a majority of parents view education as merely a gateway to a better livelihood.
Those kids who learn just enough to get decent grades and graduate high school are unlikely to develop the skills necessary to succeed in college. And with over a third of our graduates going to a college whose only entrance requirement is a heartbeat, many of our students don’t challenge themselves in high school and then are shocked to discover they’re woefully unprepared for college academics.
Where I Was right
Aside from preferring my original mission statement – To build scholars and leaders – I still believe Everyday Math is a terrible curriculum that doesn’t provide a foundation for higher level mathematics and we should have outsourced as much staff as possible in one fell swoop.
Where I Was Surprised
I was shocked by how weak, incompetent, and dangerous the teachers union is. Weak, because the only people they’re able to intimidate are children. Incompetent because, despite multiple opportunities, the union leadership has consistently failed to work to the mutual benefit of their members and the community. Dangerous because their only tactic is to threaten harm to the children.
If teachers wonder why they don’t get the love and respect so many of them richly deserve, they only have to look at the rodeo clowns who represent them. In the meantime, considering the economic reality and their union leaders’ disdain for the rank and file, more school staff should expect to be outsourced next year.
Where I Failed
I would have liked to establish clear expectations for what education and experiences a student should obtain prior to graduation. I also would have liked to have had a hand in contract negotiations. However, my single greatest failure was not establishing a social organization to recruit and develop future community leaders. For now, the only people doing that are the Aberdeen Democrats, the parent groups, and the sports leagues.
When People Care
For the most part, people don’t care. Excluding the union stampedes, the only time the school board ever sees members of the public is when somebody’s child is being directly affected or when students appear to defend a teacher or program. Considering the sky high property taxes and the rock bottom test scores, you’d think the community would care more but it doesn’t. Or at least not enough to actually do anything.
The Teachers
During my stint on the school board, only one teacher ever came before the board with a proposal to change the class curriculum to better prepare students for college – Dr. Kaplan, the physics teacher.
Considering our poor academic record, you’d hope teachers would take the initiative to raise standards but, by and large, they don’t. If the students’ education and futures were the primary concerns of our teacher body, I certainly didn’t see any evidence of it.
When English teachers don’t test writing, when math teachers support a math curriculum that promotes calculators for hard problems, when history teachers use a textbook that devotes more time to the Zoot Suit Riots than Benjamin Franklin, and when high school students are assigned Harry Potter, then teachers are part of the problem.
No Accountability
We have a system where no one is accountable. Everybody blames everybody else. Until parents have the power to choose the best school for their kids and thereby force the educators to become accountable, the system will never work.
Predictions for the Future
>>> Read more!