All over the United States state and local debt is up 138 percent since 1990 levels. What that means is that state governments, which include school boards and county commissioners, have become spend-happy and corrupt by federal money. The more money that they have received, the more they spent, without any increase in services. It is just wasted money. At some point, there must be a conscious decision to cut back dramatically the amount of money we spend on all services, and we must by necessity begin with education.
We have covered a lot of arrogance at this site regarding public education. Usually after the defeat of a levy the school board and superintendent are cautious about how they deal with the public, however, after the defeat of the West Clermont School System Levy Superintendent Gary Brooks was unusually arrogant toward the residents of the community that voted his levy down. Immediately the district is cutting art, and music teachers and there will be no more dedicated specialists to teach gifted specialists, there will be fewer elective courses in both their high schools. This was in reaction to a levy defeat that was 61 percent against, to 39 percent for. Listen Gary Brooks in his own words.
The crowd that showed up at the school board meeting in West Clermont was upset, saying “This board has done a pathetic job. You’ve been gilding the lily, and now we’re paying for it.”
Then with great shock, the school board president, Dan Krueger said “If you don’t like what we’re doing, vote us out, but whoever you put up here is going to find the same things we found.” He went on to say the board is not there to serve the tax payer, but to serve the children. (Brace yourself before you watch this video. You may want to act lash out in anger)
This was a shocking statement from a school board president that reveals how these people think. What we’re finding is that school districts all over Ohio are mimicking the same types of behavior. We are learning now under financial stress that there is a certain type of person that is attracted to become a school board member, and those types are particularly vulnerable to the seduction that goes into play every November when all school boards meet in Columbus at the OSBA conference. That is when these people become members of the fraternity, and the rules of that fraternity are set by the Ohio Education Association. This is why these school boards function the same way no matter what the district, because they receive centralized training from Columbus.
I know many school board members that get elected and are forced to make the choice to play ball, or are they going to try and do the job they “think” they were elected for. This is why the board president’s comments are so shocking because he reveals the true problem. Those board members that elect not to “play ball” are pushed out, which is the story of Jennifer Miller from Mason, shown in the I-Team Report with Brendan Keefe. That’s her story, and she’s not alone in the state. Most board members prove to be lifeless oafs and power hungry types that would trade their soul for a name-plate in brass to sit upon their desk. And those are the types of people that the OEA wants to compete against in contract talks, because it allows their union presidents to preside over those that have already lost. And the superintendents are bought off by the union in the spoils of the system. Superintendents are well-compensated and have their egos inflated to believe they are running a major organization, when the true hands on the strings are the union leaders. And the school boards know that their hands are tied, and that they are only tokens of ceremony to preside over decisions that are already in motion before the announcements are ever public knowledge.
The only weapon they use is guilt.
Rich Hoffman
https://overmanwarrior.wordpress.com/2010/12/04/ten-rules-to-live-by/
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