The Circle of H’Eight will meet once again on Wednesday, May 7 at another “Special Meeting”.   

Among the topics of the meeting will be yet another Grievance Hearing.  Does the number of Grievance hearings have any indication of problems within a public school administration?

They are also going to discuss busting down the Assistant Principal at Central who was accused of cussing at a student from a “term” to a “probationary contract”.  Apparently this is completely independent of any financial exigency process that the Board is supposed to be going through at this time.  So far with the gripping financial crisis, only one employee has been kicked to the curb saving the district about one month’s worth of attorney’s bills.    

Next, a Long-range Strategic Facilities Plan will be presented and adopted at this meeting but it is unclear if the long awaited $176,000 facilities study was even considered in this plan or not.  The district has not yet announced that the $176,000 facilities study, contracted in September 2007, is complete and was submitted to the district. 

The Daily News reported in September:  “Aside from the assessment study, the district also plans to form a long-range facilities committee. ‘We want to be proactive, rather than reactive,’ Niccum said.” 

We have not heard of yet another GISD-created committee addressing the long-range facility needs of the district.  Has anyone heard of such a committee having been formed?  Not that it would matter if one was ever formed as GISD committee recommendations are seldom accepted.  But we know with the Grand GISD Reconfiguration right around the corner, the district must plan for the future as the Public School Gem of the Gulf Coast!  The thought of our new district long-range plan is simply titillating!  

Once again on the agenda is the issue of a Charter School utilizing one of GISD’s throw-away schools:  

F.  Discuss and consider contract to lease a GISD facility with Odyssey Academy

G.  Discuss and consider contract with Ambassadors Preparatory Academy to lease or purchase a GISD facility  

Even after Kelly “code word” Chamber’s blather about the cost to the district of a Charter School using the discarded GISD building, these two Charter School contract items appear on the Board Agenda again yet this time Ambassadors is now posing a purchase option!  Unlike Odyssey’s lease option with a return-to-GISD proposal, the purchase of a school would provide no option for GISD to take back the school once the Reconfiguration success swells the ranks of the student population again in GISD!

And with a working financial exigency, the district has no future options for bond projects as the financial exigency precludes any issuance of bonds!  

If the Circle of H’Eight had any credibility, they would lease San Jacinto to Odyssey with the “give back” option at $110K per year and then after next year, when families are flocking to the Island begging to be part of GISD’s Grand Reconfiguration, not only would the district have been able to pay for a couple months of attorney bills but they would then be able to take back San Jacinto, fill it with students and money would roll in from the State!   

Shouldn’t that be the attitude of the Lack of Trustees?  They promised us that the Grand Reconfiguration would be the end all of public school grade configurations and do great things for our students!  The smaller grade spans would send scores soaring!  According to Ms. Code Word, “While school choice is certainly a worthy goal and a benefit to the families who prefer charter schools, the practical reality is that it hurts GISD students.”  Pish Posh!!  The Magnet School will suck those pesky school-choice parents right into the public school establishment! Next year GISD will have it all: public school AND school choice!   

Why on earth would the Circle of H’Eight fear such inferior Charter Schools when GISD is teetering on the edge of educational superiority?  No, Ms. Code Word merely needs a gentle reminder of Lynne’s Grand Plan and the mindset of dwindling enrollment will be eradicated. 

Finally, another month and another $30,000, and our “good friend” Erik Nichols and the lovely and talented Frau Braum Lundy and Feldman & Rogers is happy sucking off the teet of the taxpayers!  The GISD Jobs Program for Private Attorneys is alive and well!  Eanes ISD, north of Austin, has the same program and guess who their attorneys are??  Right! Feldman & Rogers!! 

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