#HCSBOE "This is a public meeting but not a meeting of the public" & "Interfering with with board business" one sad vote at a time *Sigh*

HSC superintendent Casey Wardynski's contract, a progress report on the combined Jemison/McNair campus, and changes to its bylaws and standing rules that would allow only Huntsville residents to speak during citizen comments, were on the agenda at last nights HCS work session.   I am going to refer you to the Geek Pavaler for in depth analysis and reporting, but here is what happened in a nutshell:

1. Make it harder for anyone, including board members, to see how he’s spending the district’s money;
2. Make his contract “auto-renewing” because they want “to simplify the work of the board; and
3. Silence the public from speaking out against Wardynski even more.

As one commenter said: It’s amazing how devious and underhanded the HCS board has acted. I hate to say it, but I thought they were just incompetent. I guess I would have preferred that, to them being obvious low down dirty rotten scoundrels. 

I would also like to refer readers to this post by Geek Pavaler from the first time Dr. Wardynski's contract was up for renewal when he asked the board to please provide the community with some reasonable justification for extending the superintendent’s contract.

A disgusted parent predicted the future:  If his contract is extended, he will have 5 more years to sit comfortably and dictate policy as he sees fit, with no fear of losing his job or having to cave to the wrath of the community. I emailed every Board member and not surprisingly, received zero responses, even though I requested one. These Board members need to be reminded as well that they represent a constituency, NOT themselves. Contracts are renewed or extended based on merit and accomplishment, not just because they were requested. Mr. Wardynski’s resume and expertise lies in economics, finance and policy making. I see no reference whatsoever to engineering or education. So why are we rewarding someone who sits up there on his throne pontificating about his engineering background and his imagined expertise in the process of education?

Why are we rewarding Wardynski you ask?  Because he is doing the job he was hired to do.

 Casey you have to break the mold and prove you're not afraid of minorities, democrats, liberals, aclu types and the entire entitlement crowd! Do that, and you'll be doing the job you were hired to do! Oh yeah, not to mention striking down all racial transfers. And that includes allowing not allowing whites to racially transfer either. If you don't like where your child goes to school, move to where they can be zoned into a school of your preference, that's what I had to do!

What, no mention of the super secret spy program?  I wonder why?  Snark

I want to talk about the update on the combined Jemison/McNair campus.

6:18 p.m.: An architect from Chapman Sisson Architects presented a slide show of artist renderings of what the new McNair Junior High and Jemison High School will look like when the schools open their doors in 2016. The schools, which will be separate facilities on a single campus, mirror one another in design, though each has its own touches.
AL.com will share images of the new schools when available.
Board member Jennie Robinson said that she sees elements similar to the designs of other Huntsville schools like Blossomwood and Goldsmith-Schiffman elementaries in the McNair-Jemison design.  
"We're starting to tie together the design of our schools," Robinson said. "I like that."

So, the update was a slide show of what the new schools will look like when they are completed, and Al.com will share images of the new schools when they are available?  I guess it depends on what the definition of update IS.

Allow me to give you a real update on the Jemison/McNair campus via the Keep Johnson High Schools Name Facebook Page:

JAGUAR ON THE PROWL NEWS:
Personal check up on the digging of Jemison from one contractor's perspective.
Xxxx: "What have you heard or seen with the new development at the Jemison High development so far?"

Local Contractor: "The land is not draining properly and it's a pure swamp. It's actually a marshland. The land has to be built up and mold WILL be the culprit along with the Rock Quarry issue. This is a bad area."
Xxxx: "What role does the rock quarry play with this new
development?"
Local Contractor: "Everything... The land need to be built up to an extent that when the explosions from the quarry rattles, the soft land of this new school will have a solid ground. This land has serious draining challenges from what I am hearing and what I saw when I was viewing the digging process. We need to remember that nothing has been built on this property ever and it's wetland which will have mold problems."
Xxxx: "Do you think they (the contractors for the new development) should build the soil properly?"
Local Contractor: "Yes. This doesn't make any sense right now."
Xxxx: "Thank you.
Local Contractor: "More than welcome."
In conclusion to this new story, I was attached to the Civil Engineers while I was stationed in Germany. It's very crucial at this time that this conversation from a local contractor be taken seriously. We need a thorough sure and solid soil recheck that reaches beyond a Quality Control Site Supervisor at this time.
The Quarry issue now this? We need to hear from all Jaguars and the Huntsville community at large from this "Jungle Eyed View".
Presently; the city and HCS is following the builders code by placing a full length gated fence around Jemison. This is a safety precaution and must be adhered to in the building process.

Eye update, You decide.

NOTICE: Due to Huntsville City School Superintendent Casey Warydynski's  Executive Orders, the school district may have read your social media accounts without warning, warrant, or notice. You have no recourse nor protection but to call for the resignation of the Superintendent and the Board of Education who enabled him.

#hsvboe Standing in the front door by going around to the back door.

Former Alabama Governor George C. Wallace standing in the front door of the University of Alabama June 11, 1963

There is an old saying  "If you can't get in through the front door then go around to the back door", which is exactly what Huntsville City Schools is doing, under the capable control and command of retired Colonel, turned superintendent,    Dr. Casey WARdynski in his continued quest to stand in the front door of the Huntsville City Schools.

After his presentation, the Board of Education authorized Wardynski to file the Motion for Approval of his plan. The City of Huntsville is therefore fighting the Department of Justice in court over which plan should be adopted. This motion will be decided by the US District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, Northeastern Division. You may download the motion here.
There was no discussion of how much this litigation might cost during the board meeting. And they answered no questions from the members of the public attending Thursday’s meeting.  Our litigation happy superintendent and board are taking us into more legal action.

Remember back in June when  U.S. District Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala dropped the hammer on Huntsville City Schools, saying she could find no evidence they weren't operating a dual school system?

The judge ruled late today in Huntsville's months-long desegregation dispute, clearing the way for federal attorneys to roll up their sleeves, dig deeper and and stay longer.
U.S. District Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala didn't approve the city's plan to redraw school zones.
And she didn't approve the Justice Department's plan.
Instead, she appointed Chief Magistrate Judge John Ott to oversee months of mediation between the two as they examine all aspects of racial disparities across Huntsville City Schools.
She also called for appointment of a Special Master to oversee the court's ongoing fact-finding in the case.

Key words:
U.S. District Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala didn't approve the city's plan to redraw school zones.
And she didn't approve the Justice Department's plan.

So how does HCS go around to the back door?  They rename existing schools after schools that haven't been built yet, and Viola!  Back door open.

The go-to phrases at Ronald E. McNair Junior High's first open house Thursday night was "Team McNair" and "Go Wildcats."

More than 200 parents, students, faculty and staff attended the event for the newly formed school, which combines students from Davis Hills and Ed White middle schools. The school will be located on the Davis Hills campus until the new facility on Pulaski Pike opens in 2016.

All vestiges of Davis Hills are gone, from its name to its color scheme to its mascot. In its place is the McNair Wildcat, prominently displayed throughout the school, and the new school colors of royal blue, black and white.

My sources tell me the facility on Pulaski Pike, you know, the site located less than half a mile from an active rock quarry,  has some ahem issues and it's become the Jemison/McNair Mud project.

THE LAND on Pulaski is>> A MARSH LAND DEVELOPMENT. The dirt is in piles as a future barrier, but the graded soil will not dry! It's going to cost an additional $4 Million Dollars to correct the foundational process of that development. It would have been better to buy a few homes near JOJ and expand the property requirement (acreage wise) and build a whole new school on the existing property then to spend undue dollars on the base of this project.

In the meantime the media keeps praising failure and calling it a success.

As they have repeatedly demonstrated, the Editorial Board of The Huntsville Times knows who they need to suck up to in this town, truth be damned.
On Thursday, September 11, 2014, the editorial board published an opinion entitled, “Transition from Textbooks to Digital Tools, as Led by Huntsville Schools, is Proper Path,” which joined in the chorus started by Dr. Wardynski, supported by Education Secretary Arne Duncan (in town on Tuesday on the public dime for meetings that excluded the public), that the only way forward in education is to continue down the failed pathway of the district’s 1:1 Digital Initiative.

 Some of us tried to tell some of y'all this superintendent would turn this process into a fraud and a farce.

In light of the blatant disregard Dr. Wardynski has for parents, students and citizens concerning transparency as evident in the comments made by Federal Judge Haikala: "The Court strongly suspects that the district has chosen not to share many of the reasons for the choices that it made as it shaped its student assignment plan."
In light of the hostile working environment that Dr. Wardynski has created which has resulted in at least 735 people choosing to leave employment with the district since August 2011;
In light of the declining standards of education that we are seeing in our finest schools as the district transitions to teaching nearly exclusively mathematics and English Language Arts;
We the undersigned respectfully request that the Huntsville City Schools Board of Education request the resignation of Dr. Casey Wardynski as superintendent effective immediately.

Can you hear us now?

#hsvboe

Know Justice, Know Peace...

 

I hate to sound cynical, but I have no confidence in the justice system when it comes to African Americans. When it comes to us, justice is either a 50/50 crap shoot, or down right elusive.  The case may not turn on facts or truth, but on relationships.  And therein lies the problem with the court ordered mediation,  and the current legal matters pending before the court regarding the desegregation of the Huntsville City School system.

"The Court strongly suspects that the district has chosen not to share many of the reasons for the choices that it made as it shaped its student assignment plan. The Court got a glimpse into the superintendent's thinking when the United States's cross-examined him about his objections to the government's rezoning proposals. When asked whether Hereford (Elementary) students would not benefit from attending Huntsville High, the superintendent, in an unguarded moment, replied '[t]hey [would] be going into schools that are not accustomed to dealing with students who are below grade level.'

Damn the courts,  HCS superintendent Casey Wardynski is going full speed ahead with his plans with a military, take no prisoners attitude,  just like The New Captain Bligh on the New Ship of Fools.  

Casey you have to break the mold and prove you're not afraid of minorities, democrats, liberals, aclu (sic) types and the entire entitlement crowd! Do that, and you'll be doing the job you were hired to do! Oh yeah, not to mention striking down all racial transfers. And that includes allowing not allowing whites to racially transfer either. If you don't like where your child goes to school, move to where they can be zoned into a school of your preference, that's what I had to do!

This superintendent and this board can dish it out but they can't take it.  They like to throw rocks and hide their hands.  That was why they instigated a new policy of requiring all questions from the public during the work session part of the meeting to be submitted in writing (that they then refused to read out loud).

It has come to my attention that in addition to the new north middle/high school being located less than half a mile from an active rock quarry, it backs up to a huge drainage ditch that students will have to cross to access the school.
 
The only reason a new school is being built in north Huntsville is because is because south Huntsville wanted a new school.  What south Huntsville wants, south Huntsville gets. Don't get me wrong, I don't begrudge south Huntsville  for getting a new school, or for getting to keep their name, I just don't believe it should be at the expense of the lives of north Huntsville students and staff. 

No justice, no peace.

I sure do miss the good old days when the media kept public officials from lying to us instead of enabling them to lie to us

The Huntsville school board meets in the board room of the Annie C. Merts Center on Tuesday. (Crystal Bonvillian/cbonvillian@al.com)

Sigh.......  We weren't allowed to say we hate anyone or anything when we were growing up.  Our parents taught us if you hate you are just like the haters.  We were allowed to say we strongly disliked actions, but we always had to have an explanation.  That said,  I strongly dislike the media we have, or this case, don't have, because instead of telling us what we need to know in order to make informed decisions, they tell us what they want us to know. And in most cases that's not much.  

It's not as if some of us didn't see this coming when 100's of journalist got pink slips back  in 2012 because their ain't no sunshine anymore, and the public is left in the dark.  For example, the public probably isn't aware the #hsvboe (Huntsville Board of Eduction) adjourns the public board meeting, which is televised, prior to the citizens comments, which are not televised, meaning we have to depend on the media to tell us, or in most cases, not tell us, what comments were made, and God forbid they ask follow up questions.  Oh, and the#hsvboe does not have to answer citizens questions, and there is not a darn thing John or Susie Public can do about it. Sometimes I feel like I'm living in the Twilight Zone (cue in music).

Let's look at tonight's live stenography, I mean,  updates from the #hsvboe meeting courtesy of AL.com.  Exhibit A:

8 p.m.: Citizen comments began with T.C. Johnson, pastor of St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church, who asked that the "renaming" of Johnson High School be rescinded. Johnson claimed that board policy was violated in the decision to rename Johnson as Jemison High School and that the public did not have adequate input in the decision.
Johnson is not the first to complain about the loss of the Johnson High name. School board members have said, however, that Johnson is not being renamed, but closed.
Butler High School is also closing and its students being diverted to Jemison with the Johnson students.
T.C. Johnson was the only citizen who signed up to speak at the meeting. The board adjourned for the evening when he was done.

I guess it would have been to much like, you know, real  journalism to find out why Johnson claimed that board policy was violated.  I mean, we can't have the public thinking Johnson is telling the truth even if he is.  Let's just ignore his allegations, out of sight out of mind.

Last night the Huntsville City School Board of Education violated their own policy on the Selection of School, Facility, and/or Property Name (Policy 2.9, presented September 5, 2013) by concluding the process and voting on the new names approximately three weeks before they were allowed to do so.
On September 5, 2013, the board met and discussed during their work session a new policy entitled, “Selection of School, Facility, and/or Property Name” (Policy 2.9). This policy was necessary to ensure that the process of receiving new names for schools would be as open to the public as possible. Laurie McCaulley, who was at that time serving as the School Board President, assured the public present that evening that the public would have every opportunity to “have input on these changes.”

 Moving on to Exhibit B:

7:36 p.m.: The work session has ended, and the board has moved into action items. The Jemison site package contract, along with several smaller renovation contracts and bid renewals, was approved. Click here to see all of the approved items.
7:20 p.m.: Jeff Wilson, director of operations for the district, gave the board an update on the construction of the new Jemison High School/McNair Middle campus. A $1.8 million contract expected to be approved later in the meeting will go toward preparing the site for construction of the school buildings.

Let's forget about the fact parents and citizens are concerned about the safety and well being of students/faculty/staff due to the site being prepared for construction is less than half a mile from an active rock quarry.  Never mind parents and citizens requested $250,000 for a health risk assessment to be conducted before they spend $1.8 million preparing the site for construction of the school buildings that may or may not be safe for student/faculty/staff to occupy.  Let's ignore them too, they aren't anybody, just tax payers without representation.

Last but not least, Exhibit C:
In an attempt to discredit Madison County Commissioner, and fellow black elected official, Robert "Bob" Harrison, #hsvboe mis-representative Laurie McCaulley discredited herself, and the indefensible actions of the Superintendent she was trying to defend.  We must laugh to keep from crying....

McCaulley also objected to Harrison suggesting Superintendent Casey Wardynski had misled the court while under oath. One of the issues Harrison raised involved testimony about wifi in public housing, an issue because Huntsville had touted its laptop program as equalizing educational opportunities across the city.
Harrison wrote about a recent agreement between Huntsville schools and Comcast, and argued Wardynski testified "as if this agreement was in existence and had been for some time." Harrison told the judge that for two years children in public housing could not complete their homework on the laptops.
McCaulley said the board had been led to understand the service was available."It was our assumption it had been done," said McCaulley.

Psst!  If you are an elected official and you don't know when you've been *cough cough* misled,  it might be time for you to go someplace and sit all the way down.  And if you are a journalist/ reporter, you might want to start interviewing people who don't tow the party line, and please stop faking the funk when the facts don't fit the narrative.

"You are not the voice of the people that's my board member.  Laurie McCaulley was elected, David Blair were elected, they are the voice of the people. You're just a company.  Who elected you?" 

It's the media.  They think we are stupid.

"Environmental Expert" tells parents the air is safe at site for the new north Huntsville middle/high school, go back to sleep

Let's recap:

The city of Huntsville is standing by their assertion the air is "safe to breathe" at the location of the new, illegally named, Ronald McNair Middle / Mae Jemison High School despite it's close proximity to an active rock quarry.

Mayor Tommy Battle and the city's air quality chief, Danny Shea, both say the amount of particulate matter in the air on Pulaski Pike is far below levels considered potentially harmful by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The city has an air quality monitoring station next door to the school site; Shea said it measures airborne particulate matter every six days.
The EPA threshold for particulate matter is 150 micrograms per cubic meter.
Shea said 46 micrograms is the highest reading detected by the city on Pulaski Pike in the past five years. The average particulate concentration was 14.8 micrograms in 2009; 17.8 micrograms in 2010; 16.3 micrograms in 2011; 14.9 micrograms in 2012; and 13.5 micrograms in 2013.
The levels are similar at Huntsville's other air quality monitoring stations on Airport Road, South Memorial Parkway and Madison Street downtown.
In a May 27 letter to the mayor, Shea said the city's measurements "demonstrate the absence of substantial adverse air quality impacts from quarry operations at the proposed school site."

That's strange because the current President of the Huntsville City Council was among a very vocal and prominent group of people who protested Vulcan Materials operating an active rock quarry less than two miles from schools in Gurley, Hampton Cove and McMullen Cove in Gurley Mountain.

Other elected officials speaking against the quarry were Mark Russell, president of Huntsville City Council, Madison County District 3 Commissioner Eddie Sisk, state Sen. Paul Sanford, state Sen. Shadrack McGill, state Rep. Wayne Johnson, Gurley Mayor Rob Sentell, Gurley Councilman Robert Wren.
Their concerns addressed environmental quality of Flint River and Hayes Nature Preserve, unsafe traffic with trucks crossing Norfolk Southern Railroad along a curve, heavy trucks sharing roads with school buses, air quality at two nearby schools and a lack of local governmental control of the quarry operation.

The group has asked the city to earmark $250,000 for a health risk assessment study  A study that should have been conducted before the land was purchased, and ground broken.  The  Huntsville City Council voted to spend 3 million dollars to land Alabama's first Cabela's outdoor superstore, and 47 k to hire a firm out of LasVegas to conduct a feasibility study for high speed Internet service,  the least they can do is invest in a health risk assessment before the school is built to make it will be safe for students, faculty, and staff to occupy.  The city is asking concerned citizens to trust the expert,concerned citizens are asking for verification in return for their trust.

"TRUST BUT VERIFY was #Reagan's position w/Former USSR on Nuclear Arms;Why cant US Citizens demand same w/ their Govt?"