By Antonio D. French
Filed Wednesday, January 31, 2007 at 10:22 AM
Several elected officials were spotted at last night's public hearing on the future of St. Louis Public Schools, including Comptroller Darlene Green, 6th Ward Alderman and candidate for President of the Board Lewis Reed, State Sen. Maida Coleman, State Rep Jamilah Nasheed, 20th Ward Alderman Craig Schmid, 22nd Ward Alderman Jeffrey Boyd, 26th Ward Alderman Frank Williamson, Committeemen Jesse Todd and Jay Ozier, School Board members Veronica O'Brien, Ron Jackson, Bill Purdy, Peter Downs, and Donna Jones, and others I'm sure I missed. Labels: Schools
Comptroller Green told Pub Def that she joined the many voices present last night that oppose state intervention. She said Superintendent Diana Bourisaw should be given the opportunity to lead the district to full accreditation and the State Board of Education should give SLPS the same amount of time to do so as any other school district.
Here are some more videos from last night...
Teachers Union President Mary Armstrong...
A parent...
A parent and district employee...
Teacher Nick Clement...
Mr. Barry Shelton said voters were "duped" by the mayor...
12 Comments:
More testimonials showing the need for takeover.
1/31/2007 11:46 AM
"Anonymous said...
More testimonials showing the need for takeover.
1/31/2007 11:46 AM"
It's about time Veronica, Fran, Archibald and Ron Jackson started participating on this blog. Probably took all four of them and their advisors to compose it, too.
1/31/2007 12:11 PM
So true, Mr. Haas! Maybe Richard Callow took time away from his PR work for Michael Devlin to lend his "expertise" in composing their statement.
1/31/2007 1:51 PM
Without a doubt DESE and the State Board of Education can recognize last night for what it truly was: a pep rally for the STL Teachers Union, their endorsees, their shills, and thier dupes. The Union fears a state takeover because they fear for their JOBS. Instead of being led by a school board loaded with people they endorsed, the Union faces leadership from a dispassionate, independent board who will place children's education over JOBS. Powerful motivation to fill a room. The Teachers Union should be congratulated for being so organized. It's how they got the board loaded the way it is now. They even got, gasp, Veronica O'Brien ELECTED in 2005. What an accomplishment. I think the State officials will recognize that it is time to stop the inmates from running the asylum.
1/31/2007 4:23 PM
Way to go you Slay Blogger. you and folks like you only care about the rich and powerful. you don't know or care about these children. why should you they are BLACK.
1/31/2007 5:43 PM
To anonymous said of 1/31/2007 2:23 PM, were you there? Either you weren't or you were asleep the whole time. Dr. Charles Brown, Assistant Commissioner of DESE readily recognized the sincerity and impassioned please of parents, children, students, and citizens.
Like the old adage says, "No one is so blind as he who will not see." Evidently, you just don't want to see. That's your loss.
1/31/2007 8:47 PM
To anonymous 1/31/2007 3:43 PM, please don't bring up race. The children who attend the Saint Louis Public Schools are of every color and hue. Some just don't care about children period. The meeting last night was proof that blacks and whites care about the same things. So let's capitalize on the positives of racial unity instead of always bringing up what divides. Children are children regardless of the color of their skin. This is not an "old civil rights" issue; this is a "new civil rights issue."
A Roosevelt alumnus
1/31/2007 8:52 PM
Anon at 1/31/2007 2:23 PM, if you believe that the teachers should fear losing their jobs, then you must have a supply of teachers up your sleeve. There were openings filled with continuing subs every year that I worked there. If we can't get enough teachers to fill the minimum number of job openings, how would a newly made number of openings be filled? Please explain why people who make vehicles or check us out at the grocery store should get the protection of unions, but teachers should not.
1/31/2007 9:49 PM
The reality of the situation if I may sum up: if Darnetta Clinkscale and Jim Buford had won the election in 2006, what do you think the chances are that Ron and Bob and Fran and the other bullies punks and thugs would be calling for a state takeover? Zero, ok?
And Darnetta and Jim didnt run on a takeover platform either.
It was only after they lost the election and the superintendent they could control, Williams, was rightfully tossed out because he wouldnt listen to the new board majority, and simply wasnt doing a good job, even tho his pr machine was, and a new superintendent the Slay dogs couldnt control, Diana was brought in, that the takeover talk started.
It's about power, and the Slay dogs dont have it any more; it's about being the sorest losers in history. It's about being afraid the new people's party candidates and Diana will do the job their supposed to and make the Slay people look bad. The truth pure and simple, they want to make a middle-class city out of St. Louis, even if it has to destroy the public schools to do it, and the poor and those who need are help the most can go to hell in a handbasket. It's about improving the tax-base for their rich and middle-class mostly white friends, but it's a plan without wisdom, humanity, compassion, dignity or sense. These are evil and bad people, pure and simple. They are penny wise and pound foolish, tree smart and forest stupid. They are Republican elitists in Democrats clothing, and they do not and should not represent well what America and St. Louis are and should be about. Nuf said. For now. But as Lily Tomlin's little girl character said on Saturday Night Live, and I forget her name, "It's the truth."
1/31/2007 11:59 PM
Lily Thomlin's character was Edith Ann and she was five and half years old. PPTTTTTTTT
2/01/2007 2:01 PM
of course she was and you are, Edith Ann. thank you.
2/02/2007 12:54 AM
Bill,
It's when you articulate like that last blog that you get my support. To the point and accurate.
By the way, I think she said "...and that's the truth".
2/03/2007 12:24 AM
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