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We've started the new year with yet a new district Configuration! I believe this is a new configuration for each year our Superintendent-in-Training Cleveland has been at the helm of the ship. However, the vote for the new configuration was a "close 4-to-3 vote." Ahh. Some independent thought beginning to show on the Board? We'll see.
The most stunning decision this new set of Trustees made came after KIPP Academy's Lynn Barnes spoke to the Board in Public Comments. She was advocating for KIPP to be housed at Central. Although the GISD minutes didn't record her statements, (but you can watch it on the GISD website), Ms. Barnes passionately stated that the reason they wanted KIPP at Central was because (and this is paraphrased) "it was close to the parents of the children who would most likely attend KIPP and the convenience to the parents creates a better working relationship with them and they get more parental participation in the schools!!!" No shit, Sherlock!!! I wanted to stand up and shout!! Now why did the Lack of Trustees listen to Ms. Barnes and KIPP but kicked us in the stomach? Can anyone answer that question for me? Any of you? Even the trolls....can you answer that?? KIPP gets it! KIPP gets the concept of Neighborhood Schools!! KIPP is successful! Why can't GISD get it??
The latest configuration may be found in a concise statement from the GISD website.
Per our Superintendent-in-Training, "I feel this plan will give permanent homes to all of our programs for the future as well as bring greater stability to GISD." "All of our programs...." You mean all the gimmicks? And now we face yet another gimmick: "Schools of Choice". These will be "themed" elementary schools. No, not reading, writing and arithmetic but "international studies", "coastal creations", and....???
I'm tired of gimmicks, themes, "schools within schools", grants, programs, charter schools within schools, blah, blah, blah. How much time and money is wasted on applying for these grants, managing the grants, managing the schools, changing the curriculum, changing the teachers and principals, etc. etc. etc. Not to mention what we're once again paying the lovely and talented attorneys to lead the administration through this. Have you seen this month's attorney's bills??
Why can't this set of administrators create a theme of Excellence for the entire district? Their cute little logo with the hard hat on the O in Galveston and the new motto, "Constructing a Legacy of Excellence" is a start. Yet they spend more time on non-educational activities than they do educational ones. Get back to the basics and teach the students.
Lastly, this set of Trustees will attempt to get us to agree to increase our school taxes to build a new football stadium! The district has shrunk in numbers every year our Superintendent-in-Training has been our Superintendent-in-Training and we have not had a steady, reliable budget since she's been here, yet they want us to give them more of our money for a brand new stadium. Really?
I'm not against a stadium. But I am against giving this group of school administrations one more thin dime when the Cleveland administration has been in 2 financial exigencies, have laid off fine administrators and teachers, have remodeled schools then closed them, have closed schools that need to be re-opened, and have produced budgets that would make a Yo-Yo Champion envious. They can not even account for all the bond money that we gave them last go ‘round that we are still paying for. And let's see if they account for the FEMA money or the Economic Stimulus money!
No! Not one thin dime. Not without some big, meaningful administrative changes that will produce transparency, honesty, and show some concern for all the students in the district rather than portions of them. Let's see some educational results from our tax dollars for a change!! And not the phoney baloney results that came from gerrymandering the elementary schools and the highest performers. Real educational results in every school, every grade, every child!!
The Lack of Trustees need to wake up and realize this set of school administrators has no credibility. Maybe amongst their educrat peers and the Region IV edu-paraprofessionals they do, but not amongst the voters. And certainly not enough for the voters to voluntarily raise our own taxes after one of the largest natural disasters in Galveston's History from which we're still recovering!!
More gimmicks. More folly. Yet less education. That's not "Constructing a Legacy of Excellence." That's a recipe for disaster.
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