By Antonio D. French
Filed Thursday, February 01, 2007 at 8:14 AM
Superintendent Diana Bourisaw appeared on the Tony Scott radio show this morning on 104.9 FM. The interview was broadcasted live from Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club, in north St. Louis, where board member Flint Fowler serves as executive director. Labels: Schools
Answering a question about the roots of the her well-publicized relationship with School Board President Veronica O'Brien, Bourisaw said she takes direction for the school board, not individual members. She said the majority of the school board (Fowler, Downs, Jones, and Purdy) have demonstrated that they do want to work as a cohesive group. She said that may be even more the case after April's election.
The superintendent, who marking her 6th month on the job, says great things are happening in the city's public schools. She mentioned a SLPS student who was recently accepted to Harvard University and a new $20 million initiative to provide college scholarships for new graduates.
14 Comments:
"Answering a question about the roots of the her well-publicized relationship with School Board President Veronica O'Brien," Bourisaw never answered the question.
2/01/2007 10:04 AM
Fowler is almost as interesting a case as O'Brien. In terms of doing what he honestly thinks is best for the children, and discarding political considerations in the process, he is the best of Mayor Slay's endorsees.
If Doctor Bourisaw answered the question honestly, it is possible that she would have to speculate about genuine medical problems regarding O'Brien's mental health--speculation she is not qualified to make.
I am unhappy about some of the things O'Brien has done lately---they make no sense to me. But I was looking through the archives of the period when she was taking on Irons and Williams---those were courageous actions, followed by frightening personal threats against her and her children. We will never know if the murder of Timothy Bacon was or should have been a factor which has affected Veronica O'Brien. Suffice to say, the 180 degree turn against her allies in dealing with Floyd Irons remains kind of puzzling.
2/01/2007 12:44 PM
She can't answer the question. Otherwise she would be perceived the same way as the other's who choose to be divisive in nature. It would also be stupid, as the School Board is her "boss". Would any of you go on the radio or on television and openly chastise your boss or the company you work for and have a guarantee that you will still have a job? You can call her anything you want but, "she ain't stupid".
2/01/2007 4:54 PM
Anon 2/01/2007 at 12:44 PM, I've wondered for awhile if the Bacon murder had something to do with her drastic personality change. If there is more to the story than we all know, I feel very sorry for everyone involved. It isn't likely we'll ever know, though.
2/01/2007 8:30 PM
Bourisaw is working on the election. Didn;t she know that is the way to get for fired?. Bourisaw is making herself look like a fool. It is like she is going crazy. This lady has a bad track record. Did anyone check to see how many black people she has live around. We did her she had prior side bars with Hammonds.
2/01/2007 11:16 PM
I agree I thought Bourisaw might be okay, but the way she is getting everyone to help save her makes me wonder. I heard O'Brien saw check out her history in Fox and I did. It doesn't look good
2/01/2007 11:28 PM
People have a right to what they believe, But you have to be a FOOL to think O'brien is anyhting good for the district
2/02/2007 12:25 AM
"Anonymous said...
Bourisaw is working on the election. Didn;t she know that is the way to get for fired?. Bourisaw is making herself look like a fool. It is like she is going crazy. This lady has a bad track record. Did anyone check to see how many black people she has live around. We did her she had prior side bars with Hammonds.
2/01/2007 11:16 PM
Anonymous said...
I agree I thought Bourisaw might be okay, but the way she is getting everyone to help save her makes me wonder. I heard O'Brien saw check out her history in Fox and I did. It doesn't look good
2/01/2007 11:28 PM"
does anyone have an English translation of either of these posts? really, not trying to be condescending or snobbish; I dont have a clue what they said and unfortunatly neither do they; typical of Bourisaw's critics, I might add.
2/02/2007 1:06 AM
does anyone have an English translation of either of these posts? really, not trying to be condescending or snobbish; I dont have a clue what they said and unfortunatly neither do they; typical of Bourisaw's critics, I might add.
2/02/2007 1:06 AM
I had that same reaction. Those posts seemed incoherent to me.
Bourisaw's record at Fox is just another indication that she does not suffer fools gladly. She accomplished a lot at Fox--the rednecks on that board who tried to bring charges against her ended up dropping them all, and paying her three years salary to drop her counter-charges.
She has a consistent record of not saying "how high" when school bigshots with special interests tell her to jump.
2/02/2007 11:41 AM
Thank you!!prev 2 bloggers. Anyone who feels sorry for Veronica or thinks she is anything but intolerable is foolish themselves. She is dragging our children through the mud for nothing else but to prove the ridiculous points she's trying to make. She wants full control and nothing else. She is trying to drag this district down in the media almost lower than the prev board did. There is nothing attractive about a power hungry individual.
2/02/2007 5:25 PM
Maybe the incoherent rants sound like alcohol induced A.H. She tends to drink first, and comment later. I wonder if the sober A.H. agrees with the drunk A.H. who tends to write a lot. It would be interesting to see if she refutes her own posts in the morning after she sleeps it off.
2/02/2007 11:48 PM
A physician remarked recently to someone unconnected to the SLPS that VOB manifests the classic symptoms of bipolar disease. Not all medications work or alleviate the symptoms.
If mentally ill, she deserves sympathy as does her family. This is kinder than thinking she is as evil as she appears.
So let's give her a healthy dose of human compassion and sympathy. Let's also hope someone close will be able to counsel her to get help and to let go of a responsibility that only exacerbates the condition and in turn hurts the children, staff, and community.
2/03/2007 11:53 AM
I do not know where to post this---it is a technical question about the proposed 3 member takeover board.
When or if a new governor replaces Blunt, or a new mayor replaces Slay---what does that do to the status of the people they appointed to the 3 member school board? Especially if the appointee is a factor in how people vote in the governor or mayor's races. Do they keep the job for 6 years no matter what the level of disgust with what they are doing?
2/03/2007 2:49 PM
Yes, that's why the politicians are so desperate to get the appointments. There is no provision for removal of the people once they are in. Unlike elections, where we can vote them out if we don't like their approach.
2/03/2007 2:52 PM
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