Esrati

The Elephant in the Dayton Public School Board meeting last night

Wed, 08/16/2017 - 11:27

I didn’t speak at public comment.

Neither did DEA chief David Romick.

Why speak to a board that doesn’t listen, doesn’t respond, and brought on the chaos and confusion that has ruled their last year- the reign of Rookie Superintendent Rhonda Corr?

The union voted almost unanimously to send a message – no confidence in the school board, no confidence in Rhonda Corr. There was no discussion of this. Just a lot of glad handing themselves and passing out participation trophies to each other for having a first day where kids got picked up and delivered by buses that ran on time. Seriously- every other district in the country can do this, only the worst district in the state can’t get this right.

So what should have happened?

After the vote to accept the contract, the issue of the no confidence vote should have been brought up.

The board should have responded with a public vote of confidence or no confidence in the superintendent- so the public can know where they stand.

Although this can be done in executive session, this is a litmus test vote to let the people they represent know how they feel about the performance of the superintendent. It’s a hard decision- but a necessary one. Sticking your heads in the sand is not an option. A no confidence vote is a serious issue considering the entire DEA is half the districts workforce- and without them- there is no district.

Another scenario- John McManus, the only functional member of the board, should have said immediately after the ratification of the DEA contract, “while we are patting ourselves on the back for settling this contract at the last possible minute, may I remind the board that there are 10 other bargaining units, and none of those are settled. Our Superintendent, although claiming to be a master negotiator, cost us over $150K to Huffmaster for nothing. We let this happen. I am hearby promising to tender my conditional resignation to the new board members when they take office in the spirit of healing and recognition of the failures of this board in the past year to guide this organization in a way that would have earned the respect of the professionals we employ.

I would also ask the other two board members, Dr. Walker and Ms. Taylor to join me in this move.

To the four existing board members who have earned this vote of no confidence, I ask that you pledge to resign the day after the election results are finalized and make way for the new board immediately so this process of healing can proceed at the fastest possible pace.

As to the no-confidence vote in the Superintendent, I voice my own opinion of her performance and ask that each of you do that now. It’s time to clarify to those we represent what we think of her performance in light of this move by the DEA. If there aren’t four votes of confidence in her favor, I ask that we work to negotiate her separation from this district to be effective immediately, and Dr. Lolli be asked to serve as interim superintendent until the new board is in place.”

Of course, since McManus is the quintessential southern gentleman, we can’t expect him to go out on a limb and do the right thing.

As to the other 6, they have no clue what the right thing is.

I will be organizing a candidates forum soon for the 7 challengers. I don’t think there is any reason to give Mr. Lacey an opportunity to speak at this forum, since it’s been quite obvious that he’s had plenty of time to speak- including last night, and didn’t. The voters want change, and there is no reason to even consider his re-election.

If you disagree with not allowing him to participate- please rewatch this video:

 

Categories: Local Politics

Educational entertainment tonight and tomorrow in Dayton

Wed, 08/16/2017 - 10:45

Tonight, at about 6:30 PM at the Oakwood Wright Memorial Library in the community room, I’ll be giving an off the cuff version of the banned in Dayton TedX talk about why our elections system is broken and how we could fix it.

Wright Memorial Library is at 1776 Far Hills Ave, Dayton, OH 45419.

The group I’m speaking to is organized by Jason Liff- a friend and former client (MotoScooto- RIP). It’s a gathering of older intellectuals who still take an interest in learning. The talk is free and open to the public.

Tomorrow night, Aug 17, at 7:30 pm at the UD Roesch Library- the tallest building on campus, Pecha Kucha Dayton will have volume 32.

Poster for Pecha Kucha Dayton Vol 32. PDF- click to download Ten presenters talk about collecting: Kayla Harris – Apparition Collections Jacobee Rose Buchanan – Fantasy Costume Design Rob Degenhart – Stories from the Self Storage Files Teri Schoch – Collection Habits of an Artist Christina Pereyma – Interpreting a Life from its Objects Guustie Alvarado – Collecting Experiences for a Memoir James Luckett – The View Behind the Cafe Jason Harrison – The Beauty of Minimalism Jason Antonick – A Classic Butterfly Collection Sandy Mendelson – Life in the Liquidation Business The event is free- Cash bar. Free parking (no passes required) in lots A, B and P. Pecha Kucha- or PK- is 20 slides, 20 seconds each- on any subject. It’s usually family friendly, and interactive. I’ve seen the rough cut of one of the presentations and it should be awesome. PK is produced by three South Parkians – Jill Davis, Matt Sauer and Shayna McConville It’s a program that’s global- happening in over 900 cities around the globe. Typically between 300 and 400 people show up at these 4x a year events. The location moves to expose people to different parts of the city. If you haven’t been to one, vol 32 should be a fun way to break your virginity.

Categories: Local Politics

8 Certified to run for DPS board, 7 options, 4 seats

Tue, 08/15/2017 - 15:34

Click to download complete PDF from BOE From the Montgomery County Board of (S)Elections today, the complete candidate list. For Dayton Public Schools there are 8 candidates for 4 seats, and seeing as one is an incumbent. Which is an odd coincidence- if the current board, with the vote of no confidence in them and the Superintendent did the right thing- there would be 7 seats available.

• Mohamed Al?Hamandi 26 Hawthorn St. Dayton 45402
• Paul Bradley 227 Green St. Dayton 45402
• (Mario)  Ann Marie Gallin 40 Gebhart St. Dayton 45410
• William E. Harris Jr. 1125 Cornell Dr. Dayton 45406
• Joe Lacey 207 E. Sixth St. Dayton 45402 (incumbent)
• Jocelyn S. Rhynard 107 McDaniel St. Dayton 45405
• Jo’el T. Jones 33 W. Babbitt St. Dayton 45405
• Karen Wick?Gagnet 222 Warren St. Dayton 45402

There is another issue, with my filing of candidacy for the Montgomery County Educational Service Center board. Despite it being mandated that DPS purchase services from the MCESC, and that they are the first people the State turns to in a state takeover, somehow, despite it being THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY ESC- I’m not eligible to sit on the board, although people in Brookville and Trotwood are (which both have city school districts). There are some other questions about the legitimacy of the oversight of this organization- including how much involvement it has with the Issue 9 money and Learn to Earn. I am consulting with State legislators and my volunteer legal team to challenge this strange taxation without representation. The same three people have run un-opposed before- and we know what happens there. In other DPS news- the board will vote to accept the new contract with the DEA tonight- several months later than it should have been settled. Superintendent Rhonda Corr claims she settled it single handily after her negotiations team failed (her words). What’s missing from this picture? The reality that there are 10 other bargaining units- and none of their contracts have been settled. The real question that the board should answer today- is if they still have faith in the Superintendent and her capacity to lead the district.

Categories: Local Politics