The Lack of Trustees are having a "Special Meeting" on Wednesday night, Feb. 3 to discuss yet again the latest reconfiguration of a district now so convoluted, confused and gimmicked to death that confused parents are trying to figure out what to do with their students next year. 

From their Agenda:

The Superintendent in Training and the Lack of Trustees always say, "Oh, we appreciate parents' input", "We want to know what the community thinks", blah blah blah, but has anyone seen what options are on the table this time? Are they the same A and B that are on the website? Are there new options? What is Cleveland's "suggested changes to Plan B"??  Where is that good old "communication with the community" they always blather?

Could Central go back to KIPP?

Will Weis become a Montessori School?

Will any of the "Program" or "Magnet" schools remain in tact? 

Will we have elementary schools with superficial "themes" rather than elementary schools focused on teaching our youngest children the basics?

Will parents now received a "GISD Menu" with all the confusing, crazy options that we now face in this district? Cleveland predicts 200 more students next year. Who the hell is going to send their children to GISD when they don't know where they'll go or what they'll learn. KIPP and the Charter schools may grow. I doubt GISD proper will grow.  

What sort of signal does it send to potential families when they can't get a good reading on WHERE their child MIGHT be able to go to school; WHAT their child MIGHT get taught; IF they have a bus that will take them and at WHAT hour; WHICH program their child MIGHT be in and what does that mean for their future. 

It's really ridiculous. Parents want some stability. We don't want lotteries and crap shoots for our children's education.  How about instituting a lottery for a Superintendent or a crap shoot for the budget?  Oh, wait, we already have that.  

What all this reflects is a reactive, unorganized, undisciplined and discombobulated School District Administration that has lost complete control and is attempting to piece meal a district together by the seat of their pants.

Yes, we had a hurricane. But Cleveland and Company have done way more damage to the district than Ike ever did.  Stop blaming Ike!!

The Lack of Trustees have got to take control of this district and do what is BEST FOR THE STUDENTS!  For once, make the decisions based on the STUDENTS and not on your resume, or your political future, or contractors, or your standing in the community, or some award you want to win. What you are doing is wrong and it is despicable.

Yes, it will soon be "someone else's problem" but remember: what goes around, comes around.  These bad decisions will be your problem in the future whether you are on school board or not.

Do what is right for the students. If you have to vote to "make February 3, 2010 the last day to make changes to the reconfiguration" then you are NOT READY TO MAKE ANY DECISIONS!!!!!! Stop this madness and get a hold of this district and this runaway administration!!!

Forget about trying to raise our taxes and work on the schools! Try to raise our taxes for the stadium in November, or do you fear that by then we'll be so damn mad that you'll never pass a bond election?

It's not too late to do what is right. 

UPDATE:

Here are some statistics facing the Lack of Trustees on Wednesday should they continue on this course (courtesy of Board Member Beau Rawlins):

Now we have 4 stratified groups of 5th through 8th graders. In 2013 we will have 5.

5th -8th at Central

5th -8th at Scott(Early College)

5th -8th at Austin Magnet

5th -8th at AIM Jr. High

5th -8th at KIPP(in 2013). 

At the Highschool Level, Ball High, we will have 4 different Programs at three campuses.

1. AIM High (currently proposed for Weis,on Agenda for Central)

2. Early College High (Scott)

3. Traditional Ball (Ball)

4. STEM High (Ball)